We drove down from Veliko Taranovo to Plovdiv passing through the Balkan Mountains on our way. We entered the valleys of the Srednogorie and drove along the A1 highway to Plovdiv.
Plovdiv is a decent sized city with the modern city spreading out from the three hills that visually dominate the area around Plovdiv. In the centre is an old town, including a walled city, that was our primary destination.
It was a warm day but we walked in and around the centre of Plovdiv. It ended up that we spent the bulk of the day exploring the older history of Roman and Thracian sites that dot the city through more modern excavations. Many of these excavations have shown how generations of peoples in the area have built on the past structures. At one point we went into an H&M on a main shopping street to see the remains of a section of the Stadium of Philippopolis that has been excavated in its basement.
Another highlight was the large exhibition space of the Bishops Basilica that was dedicated to the mosaic floors and the history of the Thracian Province of Rome that was seen in part from this site. Two levels of mosaic flooring have been uncovered and are wonderfully displayed with lots of explanations about the history and art.
I am looking forward to looking at some of the more modern history of Plovdiv today before heading to Sophia.
BorealHiker 
Plovdiv has “three hills” 🤔
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