Stara Zagora…The Language Barrier is Real Y'all
(Note: This is a republication of a blog I did for my 2018/2019 trip through Europe so some of the information may not be 100% accurate any longer.)
When I decided to put Bulgaria into my itinerary Stara Zagora was not even on my list of must-see cities, so how (I can hear you asking me) the heck did it make its way into my plan. Well simply because it was a good halfway mark between Plovdiv and Burgas and that’s really the truth.
So once it made its way onto the docket all that was left was to research and see what there was to see and do in this relatively untraveled spot. The tabs open in my browser and what did I find well truthfully not much but I still decided to go and I am glad I did even though the title of this blog says it all.
Stara Zagora is not a tourist destination so not only do the people not speak English but the menus, street signs, and such were mostly in Cyrillic (that’s right not even in the Latin alphabet, so I ended up eating a lot of vegetarian pizza’s because I had taught my self that in Cyrillic.). So let's talk about the goods stuff…
Accommodation… Hostel Penev
After weeks of hostel dorm rooms, it was a pleasant treat to have a room all to myself. I highly suggest occasionally treating yourself if you are on a budget long-haul trip. The hostel as it is named is much more a low-cost hotel. The room I was in had two single beds and an en-suite bathroom/shower.
For those of you that have stayed in hostels, you know the joy of having an en-suite bathroom and I thoroughly enjoyed not having to wait to use it. The hostel is in a good location and in a semi quieter neighborhood (semi because there was some construction going on while I was there.) Hostel Penev is a great low-budget way to enjoy the city of Stara Zagora.
Things to do…
Stara Zagora isn’t your tourist mecca not like the other two cities I have been in Bulgaria. As I said I really only placed it on the itinerary because I tried as hard as I could to not do full day travel. Perfectly aligned in the center of two of my chosen cities it just seemed perfect.
The city itself does not have a lot of those huge tourist attractions and because of the days I chose the one big one, the brewery tour was unavailable to me. This doesn’t sound like I am giving this city a glowing recommendation does it. I tell you this to preface my next thought though, it surprised me.
It surprised me because though it doesn’t have a lot of those big-ticket attractions it still has its own charm and its own unique things to show you if you choose to head to Stara Zagora. So let’s discuss the things I got to do and I will also give you a few ideas on day trips that are easier using Stara Zagora as your base...
Roman Ruins…
An unexpected find the ruins that are just a stone's throw from the opera, a theater, and a museum are an open-air gold mine. No cover to roam through the ruins and even under the overpass to strut your stuff on the stage that sits at the end of the courtyard. The one down side is because there is no entrance point there is also a lack of information on what exactly this sight is. Still having had to pay for several other sights of the same type it was a great find.
Strolling through the grassy ruins only takes about 20 minutes at the most and that is for someone who is taking in every little detail there is to be had. Take the opportunity while you are at this location to take in the opera house and see what is on as well as a stroll across the street to the museum I mentioned and get a little more history in your life.
I did not take in the museum as I was afraid there would be that language barrier I spoke of but if you do and it turns out to be different let me know by leaving me a comment.
Ayazamoto Park…
For me, this park was disappointing not because it wasn’t beautiful or it was not what was advertised, but rather because I visited whilst it was under major renovations. Now with that being said, I did find it stunning to look at however there were a few things that could have made my hike through this nature preserve more enjoyable.
First off I mentioned it the noise from the construction going seriously took away from the peace and serenity usually afforded by a park. The park itself was nice but the trails were not clearly marked and the map was little to no help at all on top of that the places where you could stop and take it all in while sipping water and resting your legs were very few and far between.
The park itself also houses the zoo within its confines and trying to find that with the map provided was very hard. Truthfully I just ended up following people with children assuming that they would lead me to the zoo. Just an FYI I was correct and eventually found the zoo.
Stara Zagora Zoo…
This will be a short little anecdote as I chose not to put any of the videos I shot in the vlog that goes with Stara Zagora. I did go to the zoo and within its 50’s throwback cages I ended up feeling absolutely dirty. I am in no way saying that the zoo is not taking care of their animals it is simply a personal revelation about what I feel is acceptable in the preservation of animals.
So if you want to check it out by all means do not let me stop you. I will say they have some interesting ideas of what belongs in a zoo…I mean come on…chickens?!
Things I didn’t get to and day trips…
Now there is one thing that I desperately wanted to do within Stara Zagora’s city limits and that was the brewery tour. However it was only done on the weekends and of course, my itinerary did not mesh with this time frame. There was also a day trip to a city called Kazanlak that due to budget and time I was unable to check out. So if you head to Stara Zagora make sure you have a lot of time for both of these awesome excursions.
Okay so that is Stara Zagora and as I read it I kind of sound like I did not enjoy myself. This is not the case there was just not as much to do and the obvious lack of a huge tourist base made this city more challenging to navigate. I definitely would say check it out and see what you think. Anyway guys that’s it so as usual until next post safe journeys…
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