I didn’t know that
Bulgaria could get more beautiful…
Well hello there you!
Also, I really wanted this vlog to be better than the previous ones (I want to get better each time), so it did take a little bit longer. However, right when I was uploading the video, my wifi went out… talk about doing things in advance! Well, here it is, better late than never, and I hope you enjoy the read and viewing once you wake up!
I know I’m a little bit late on this, even though it’s up to me when I post, I would still like to apologize for the wait! As you can probably tell, I have been having the time of my life here, and editing videos when the weather is 24C every day is kind of unthinkable.
All I can say is, I’m getting to know myself more and more on this solo trip, which is exactly what I was looking for. It isn’t easy (I had no data for a couple days in Malta, where it’s dangerous to walk alone at night), but it’s all a learning experience that I was dying to have, so here I am!
Last weekend I went to an amazing old town: Plovdiv.
This city is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. You arrive to the town through a long tunnel, which has an ancient amphitheatre above it (talk about conservation), and then you drive by works of beautiful architecture and design. I filmed some of my Plovdiv experience
on my brother’s iPhone11, so I highly recommending going to see it (above).We started off on the pedestrian street, which is over 2km long, and just taking everything in. The first day was very sunny but not too hot – just right. I got a history lesson from both Dasha and Metodi, and was in awe of everything I learned. We stopped for lunch at a landmark in Bulgaria, called The Trap (Kapana), which has some of the best restaurants in town.
The next day, I decided to do a Free Plovdiv Walking Tour, which is a 2hr tour you can take where the guide shows you all the main landmarks, but also some secrets that no tourists (and even some locals) know about. This tour was amazing, so I am planning on doing one of these in each city that I visit.

I ended my trip in Bulgaria on June 2nd, when I took my long-awaited flight to Malta. Of course, Malta is a beautiful country (see pictures below if you don’t already know this), but the reason for my travel here was not because of the country itself.
As most of you know, I went on exchange to Vienna in February 2020, which was short-lived, but luckily, my friendships were not. Among the few friends that I maintained contact with throughout covid, Anouk was one of them. Her and I ended up developing a friendship so strong, one that I have never experienced before, because 95% of it was long-distance. I have made international friends before, but after a few weeks, I would always loose consistent contact, and only text the, every few months, at best. But with Anouk, it was different.
By summer 2020, we were video calling once a week, and texting almost daily, like I did with my friends in Ottawa.
Maybe it was because everyone had to have online friendships due to the lockdowns, and maybe our connection was really this good, but all I can say is I am very grateful to have finally been able to come visit her here.
Malta has been amazing so far, with Anouk being an amazing tour guide, as you can see in my vlog (above). She showed me around the capital, Valetta, and I also experienced some seaside attractions. I am planning on being here until June 26th, so I have plenty of time to explore!
If you have any recommendations, questions or comments about my travels, please reply to this email and let me know! I would like to hear from you. 🙂
Yours Truly,
Nastia