Pat Goodman-Ann Marie Borders-June 27-28

Friday, June 27th
Topographical Continuity
Bill Clinton and other world shakers went to London for the 90th birthday party for Nelson Mandela but the Bulgaria GPA got a taste of the cake of cultures unique to Plovdiv.

The first full day in Plovdiv started with breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Plates of bread, rolls, cheese slices, lunch meats, yogurt, cornflakes, hard boiled eggs, cucumber and tomato slices were accompanied by coffee, juices and fresh fruit. Excitement filled the air as everyone shared stories of the previous evening. Andrea’s salad of cooked, whole onions with raisins was probably the most interesting.

The group left the Hotel Bulgaria early in the morning, and had an introduction to operatic traditions in the square. The group was prepped for the evening Roman Amphitheatre performance of La Traviata. Ann especially prepared the group for the extended death of Violetta.

We walked by the twelve visible rows of the Roman stadium ruins with the statue of Phillip II and began the uphill climb to the old city. Our first stop was the home of Chisto G. Danov, a revival period educator and publisher. He was instrumental in the development of Bulgarian schools, had the first book shop, and published written materials and newspapers.
Conquering one of the seven hills of Plovdiv, we came to the St. the Virgin Mary Cathedral, a small but beautiful icon-filled Bulgarian Orthodox church. The Roman Amphitheatre was next. Further exploration was delayed for the evening performance, as a graduation was just ending with families, flowers, hugs, drinks, and congratulations.

St. Martyr Dittmer Church was a backstreet find. It was a light-filled, newly restored building of white and blue.

The State Gallery of Fine Arts was in renovation but we were allowed to view the paintings of some of Bulgaria’s fine artists including Vladimir Dimitrov.

One of the most impressive homes belonged to Zlatyu Boyadzhiev, a twentieth century Bulgarian artist. His paintings were noted to be humorous, disturbing, colorful, and not at all boring. Shirley led a Visual Thinking Skill session on one of the large paintings. The home itself was built by Dr. Stoyan Chomakov, in 1860. “I really enjoyed the opportunity to experience as a student and a teacher, VTS in the art museum.”

Museum of Icons was a tiny gallery yet the collection held many icons of the Virgin Mary, Christ, St. George on horseback and St. John the precursor. Le noted that “I am so excited about the icon museum that I can’t wait to go back and take notes and get my lesson ready for my painting class”.

Sveti Konstantin and Elena, Plovdiv’s oldest was built over an earlier Roman church. The church is dedicated to Constantine the Great, the emperor who made Orthodox Christianity the state religion. The frescoes were beautiful.

The group split for lunch and further explored Old Town.

Kuyumdzhiogh House, 1847, is the home of the Ethnographic Museum. The large house was full of everyday items, costumes, musical instruments, and decorative arts. The Plovdiv economy was boosted by the group purchases of bags and weavings.

A thunderstorm came up and the group scattered. One group stopped at a garden restaurant by the old Roman wall. The big questions of the day were discussed. We consulted Bartlett’s travel guide for the origins of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The split began in 1054. The Eastern Church does not believe in papal infallibility and in the Trinity. They believe that the Holy Spirit only comes from God. The split was finalized by the 1204 sacking of Constantinople by the Latin Crusaders. Who needs Frommer?

Evelena mentioned the five iconic poses of Mary.
With Le’s help the current theory is:
Front serene, eye contact
Birth - looking left at baby.
Death - looking right at the body of Christ
Hands spread looking down at earth
Assumption - Hands folded, standing on clouds looking up to heaven.

Dressed to kill, we returned to the Amphitheatre to see the production of La Traviata. The production featured a professional opera company with a full chorus and a large orchestra. Costuming was elegant and the setting was ethereal; hanging vines, columns, statues, and a backdrop of mountain scenery in the setting sun. What a chunk of continuity cake.
All of the elements combined, including the wind, to make a memorable evening.

Ann Marie Borders
Pat Goodman
Saturday, June 28

Sensa Pobarsai an Italian/Bulgarian phrase
A free day to explore the city and enjoy its riches; without/hurry.

Antiquing, wedding crashing, shopping, studying, hiking, exploring, mountain climbing are only some of the activities in the busy day.

While in the Internet café, Ann and Pat met the La Traviata conductor, Alfonso Scarano, and learned about the opera company traveling through Europe. The conversation lasted about 30 minutes and included known acquaintances and musical exchange. This is the link to the company’s website. It details the audition process for young interested singers.

As we concluded our free day in Plodiv, Evelina's comment seemed the most appropriate summary of our time in the city. " The beauty of history is to discover how we are related and relate to another culture".

http://www.ikoitalia.com/
The group returned to the Amphitheatre to see a premiere performance of Bohemian Rhapsody, a rock concert of Queen covers, with the Plovdiv State Philharmonic and the Lyric Chorus. The rocks rocked and so did we.

As we left the venue, our sandaled feet were reminders that we walked in a special place with those who had walked before.