August 13, 1996

We regret not having a tape recorder with us on this trip; the sounds are as good as the sights. A man in the square is playing the accordion and saxophone simultaneously and a woman is sitting 10 meters from us singing Bulgarian songs. We noticed her earlier today but a darkened sky seems to make her music sound more alluring. The deep moaning, rhythmic words are certainly a clash with the mini skirts and high platform shoes that are strolling past us.

Strolling is a perfect thing to do in Plovdiv and the wide pedestrian mall radiating from central square is the perfect place. In the day this is the street on which to buy 10 cent ice cream cones, original paintings from street vendors, souvenirs, clothing, bathing suits, hats and shoes. It's even a place to get weighed. We haven't been able to figure out the gimmick but we've seen several old men sitting in the center of the walkway with a bathroom scale at their feet. Occasionally a person will walk by, step on the scale, get a reading and pay for the service.

Perhaps this is a culture obsessed with their weight. We've noticed that most every young person is skinny to the bone and they wear the fashions to prove it. I passed by store windows today displaying stretch pants and orange four inch heels, green neon sandals with clear tops, Spandex skirts and black leather boots with metal dangles who's heels stood a half foot off the ground. But the thing that really caught my eye was a pair of tennis shoes. Reeboks for $11? And they fit? I'll take them. (It wasn't until later that we noticed the small opening in the "O" on the labels. I had bought Reebcks. But they are comfortable and if they last long enough to bring home, I'll be the only one around with such a unique pair.)

Nighttime in Plovdiv is the time to wear all those unique styles. Cafes and restaurants are the perfect place to watch them go by. Where we dined in old town there weren't quite as many platform shoes and the outfits were a bit more subdued. We ate at a tiny medieval cafe under hanging grapevines that probably warranted more than our shorts and T-shirts, but at least our feet were happy along all those cobbled streets. Rubber soles certainly helped along the slick marble steps of the Roman Ampitheater we visited.

Our nightcap was on the pedestrian walkway, and that's where the real action is. It's THE place to be seen. More orange and yellow shoes, more tight neon pants, more skimpy tops, skirts, dresses. Those sitting at the outdoor cafes watch; those doing the walking watch. "Who's more fashionable than I am."

Sitting at that small outdoor cafe we made our own fashionless statements; the same shorts we've worn for three days, the same shirt for two. But I've got something else, new Reebck dog suits and I'm lookin' fine.