Our adventure begins its next phase as we leave Turkey and begin our travels through Bulgaria and Romania. In modern times, these countries are less prominent on the world stage than they have been through history. For centuries, this area was an important part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with prominent noblemen and their estates throughout.

Our first destination, Plovdiv, may be the site of the oldest settlements in Europe, with evidence of occupation going back 8,000 years. It is the cultural capital of Bulgaria, and in 2019 was selected as one of the two European Capitals of Culture in 2019, the other being Matera in Italy.

We loved our visit to Plovdiv, and we hope you like visiting it with us.