So long Bulgaria, Istanbul, here we come

9.20.12
We checked out of our timeshare this morning. We had two nights left on our stay but from the beginning we had planned to only stay five and then move on to Istanbul. The helpful staff called a cab for us the night before and arranged the pick up time and the fare. There was no shuttle available because the reception doesn't open til 8 and we needed to leave by 7:30. The 10 minute cab ride was more than one of our fares on the 4 hour bus ride to Plovdiv ($11 for the cab vs. $10 for the bus fare)

We took the shuttle to the bus station last night to pre purchase our tickets and when we arrived, the non English speaking shuttle driver got out of the van and accompanied us into the station to help us get what we needed. It was very sweet of him to want to help but it took an English speaking passer by to tell us that we had to buy the tickets from the driver as we boarded the bus. It's just an example of how really kind and helpful people have been to us.

On the bus ride (a mini bus) I sat next to a young woman who I suspected might speak English. Near the end of our trip I asked her a question regarding bus station locations because we knew we needed to change from one station to another after we arrived in Plovdiv. She told me it was close and that she would show us. I thought that meant she would point us in the right direction after we got off the bus, instead she walked us from one station to another. Once we arrived she asked if we already had tickets. When we told her No, she took us to the correct office, got everything set up for us and took Tom to an ATM because we were 4 leva ($3.00) short for our tickets. ( they only seem to take cash at the bus and train stations here.) Because we are leaving the country tonight we have been trying to get rid of our Bulgarian leva, so the trip to the ATM was a bit of a bummer. We could have probably dug for change and come up with the fare, but that would have left us penniless all day. After purchasing our tickets we invited Neli for coffee. We walked to the main square/shopping street in Plovdiv, which is right on the edge of the old city. The street was full of shops and outdoor cafes so we chose one with shade (the heat was really unbearable when we arrived from the mountains in our cold weather clothes). We passed an enjoyable hour getting to know our new Bulgarian friend. When we said goodbye she insisted on being the one to buy our coffee!

We spent the afternoon and early evening seeing some of what Plovdiv has to offer. It's a cute town and a favorite of everyone around here. They have some ancient Roman ruins including a stadium built in the year 172 (you read that right!) and an amphitheater built around the same time. While we were at the theater dark clouds gathered and thunder boomed so we headed for cover. True to our luck, we dashed under the canopy of a McDonalds as the first drops hit. After the worst of the storm passed, we headed back to the bus terminal to check on our bags and then went to find dinner.

Unfortunately, in order to arrive in Istanbul at a decent hour in the morning, we needed to catchy the 1:00 am bus which meant a long evening at the station. We expected to hang out in the waiting area but when we arrived after dinner we found it closed. The temperature had dropped from high 80's to low 50's after the rain so waiting outside sitting on a curb for three hours didn't appeal too much. We took a risk and asked the lady in the ticket office if we could sit inside with our bags and she agreed, so that is where I sit at the moment, filling the time with this post.