The renowned BBC Travel, which has more than 3 million readers, publishes as part of its series "Soul of the City" a story about Plovdiv, which tries to present it through the eyes of the local people.

Journalist Will Buckingham spent several days in Sofia gathering information about Bulgaria's second largest city. He was impressed that the people in the capital have a different opinion and attitude towards the typical Plovdiv phrase "bichi yaylyak" and decided to find its meaning by spending a few days in the city under the hills. He analyzes the etymological meanings of the words, their origin and superimposes the opinion of people who were born in Plovdiv or have lived here for years and have their own sense of the specific way of life in the city.

"Bulgaria’s second city of Plovdiv is proud of its reputation for doing things its own way. As soon as you step off the bus from the capital of Sofia, you can feel the change in pace of life. People walk more slowly. They seem to have more time on their hands. The traffic is less hectic. As you walk to the city centre through the park, where old men gather to play chess and people lounge and chat in the shade of the old trees, Plovdiv immediately feels different.” Thus begins Will Buckingham story. 

The traveler mentions the "Kapana" district with the painted murals and the many bars and restaurants, the cafe "Jumaya Mosque", where people sit for hours and drink cups of Turkish coffee. Even the cats on the cobbled streets of the Old Town look more carefree than elsewhere. According to the author, if you ask the people here why the city is so calm, they will tell you: "Plovdiv is "aylak". And not because people don't work here.

Thus he came to the conclusion that in modern Plovdiv the word "aylyak" has acquired its own meaning and significance, something that cannot be translated, but must be felt. According to him, to find time, to go out for breakfast and not go home until the evening, to be able to find time for coffee in the busy everyday life and to find places in the city - alleys, small parks, benches - where you can walk. with friends, listening to music, drinking beer and talking. This is the pleasure you feel from your surroundings. It has to do with the freedom of the soul and finding your place and doing everything with less stress.

The author quotes the Bulgarian writer Filip Gyurov, who says: "It is not all about the hustle and bustle of the big city, the need to buy the newest tech toy, the need to always climb the social ladder." "People, especially young people, have experienced the awful side effects of burnout. Hence the need to slow down, to de-grow, to live more in sync with nature and ourselves."

The article is published here - http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20201104-europes-city-of-dawdlers-and-loafers?referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2F