Bulgaria October 2012

Bulgaria - February 2010

Having missed our trip to Copenhagen due to Jane's cycle accident we were so pleased that she had improved sufficiently to attempt the trip to Bulgaria. We thankfully were given a lift to the Luton airport by Nick so the initial part of the journey was easy. With Jane's leg encased in a metal support getting through airport security was a bit of a nightmare however we made it but it did take two hours from arrival through check-in, security and arriving at the departure gate - thankfully we left plenty of time and the flight was late out. After three and a half hours we landed at Bourgas airport and were collected by Martin & Kate. We stopped at a Starbucks on the way out of the city before heading off for a two and a half hour journey to their house in Kamenna Reka.

They have made considerable changes to their house. When they bought it there was no inside bathroom and the kitchen was outside in the yard. Now there is a palatial upstairs bathroom, a downstairs toilet and a fully fitted kitchen. They have revamped the house from top to bottom which has made it very comfortable.

Dizzee is young enough to adapt to his surroundings and the change from Daventry, Northamptonshire to deepest Bulgaria hasn't phased him at all. Instead of chasing mice he now chases lizards or large spiders or interloping cats that happen to stray across his territory.

As you will see in several of the photos there was a fair amount of drinking during the week. We used the excuse that it was a lot hotter than we were used to but with lager beer at under one GBP per pint it was difficult not to take advantage.

We visited a number of different towns which all seemed to be at least one hour away from Martin & Kate's home. Topolovgrad is pleasant enough with a strong cafe culture and most having plenty of sitting space outside to relax whilst drinking and chatting.

The architecture of the towns varies dramatically between houses that look like any Mediterranean styled house to concrete apartments which were thrown up during the communist period, were poorly built and have deteriorated badly.

Every Friday Martin & Kate meet up with other Brits and we were introduced to the Friday club.
We went for a meal at a restaurant close to the Greek border and followed it up with a visit to a winery. We had an opportunity to try different wines and decided to buy a couple of bottles as a memento of our trip.

We travelled to Stara Zagora and on the way took a detour to see this archaeological dig that had uncovered a Thracian chariot.
We were in total awe of the site and the way it had been preserved. A few metres away from the chariot and horses was the burial of the owner.

Wherever you go there are traces of roman structures. This wall is now a gateway into a bar.

On our way back to the airport at Bourgas we visited this Roman Fort next to the Black Sea.
Jane and Martin are looking intently at the construction that has survived weather, wars and people over the past two thousand years.

Another cloudless sky and so an evening spent sitting out on the patio drinking Rakia seems to be the perfect end to the day. Jane thought so!
It was probably 6 pm and the temperature was just getting comfortable for us.

We settled down in a bar by a shallow river on the outskirts of a busy town with a few beers.
This was really relaxing.

One of the neighbours with their cat. The head scarf and maroon cardigan are almost a uniform and we saw many of the older women wearing exactly the same clothes.
It could be that the local shop doesn't have any choice.

The height of luxury is to see a Bulgarian peasant riding in a cart that has rubber tyres. This is a more traditional wagon and as always is pulled by the donkey. It seems every rural household owns at least one donkey and they are grazed wherever there is grass.

Food in Bulgaria is unusual in several ways. Firstly the meat is ok if its pork however chicken and beef are usually processed in some unusual way. Martin referred to it as nuclear chicken. Another quirk was that rarely did the vegetables (chips) arrive at the same time as the meat and it was normal for the meals to be delivered whenever they were ready. It was a rare event for everyone to start their meals at the same time and on one occasion there was nearly an hour between the first plate arriving and the last.

The Pig Yard

Bulgaria - February 2010