Around the turn of the millennium and for a few years after, there was a trend amongst British people to look to invest by buying property in Bulgaria. This sprang from the fact that a house in Bulgaria – these were predominantly in small towns…Read More

Around the turn of the millennium and for a few years after, there was a trend amongst British people to look to invest by buying property in Bulgaria. This sprang from the fact that a house in Bulgaria – these were predominantly in small towns and villages – cost about 5% of the price of a house in England. So, many British bought them as either holidays homes or places to retire to. My cousin did it to provide a cheap option for family holidays with his young son. The trend even spurned a hugely successful novel published in Bulgaria entitled 'The English Neighbour' about an Englishman moving into a rural Bulgarian village.

At the time, I never really gave this investment trend all that much thought. With the British property market being so expensive, it seemed a good idea. But, I had few other feelings about it. It was only when I found myself in a relationship with a Bulgarian woman that I started to think about it again. I asked my cousin about it and quizzed him on what he thought about the country. Then, when we decided to go to Bulgaria to visit her family, I got a chance to see for myself.

I was amazed by the countryside in Bulgaria. It was truly wonderful. My first taste of this came on the journey down from the Romanian border (we had flown into Bucharest as it was closer to my girlfriend's house than Sofia). The fields were green wide and expansive. As we took the road south we scarcely saw a soul. On the few occasions we did, we got a wonderfully traditional view as there were plenty of old-fashioned horses and carts working the fields. I really felt like I had moved into another world … and I was loving it.

When we got to my girlfriend's village, I found myself lost in some sort of by-gone idyll. Her family lived in a cottage/farm-house that had been built two generations before and was wonderfully self-sufficient. Ignoring electricity and internet and such like, it seemed everything they need was produced at home. The large yard was full of vegetables, with tomatoes and peppers the most popular. There was also a farmyard that was full of chickens and turkeys. On one day during my stay, my girlfriend's parents came home with a small box of chicks. They were small, yellow and fluffy. Having grown up in suburban England in a very standard semi-detached house, this was an outrageous experience. But, I loved it.

As great as the farmyard and the chicks were, probably the greatest shock to the system I received was when we went for a picnic on the third day of my stay. During the first couple of days, everyone had been at great pains to point out that all the vegetables I was eating were grown in the garden and the jams that we were spreading for breakfast was made from fruit they had grown. However, when we went on the picnic and I discovered that the chicken leg I was eating had been attached to a chicken I had seen clucking around in the farmyard earlier that morning, I began to sense just how different life in the countryside actually was.Close

At the turn of the Millennium I lived in the US as an exchange student. I spent my time predominantly in the rather unimpressive locale of Albany in Upstate New York. During my year in the States, I did plenty of travelling. I hopped over…Read More

At the turn of the Millennium I lived in the US as an exchange student. I spent my time predominantly in the rather unimpressive locale of Albany in Upstate New York. During my year in the States, I did plenty of travelling. I hopped over the border to Canada on a couple of occasions, I spent plenty of time in the City and toured a lot of the Catskills region. However, one of my greatest regrets is that I did not venture further west into the US. I would very much have enjoyed visiting some of the more remote areas in the country, such as Montana or the Dakotas.

Not only would trips to that area have satisfied my desire to get a bit of a cowboy experience, it would have provided the opportunity to get a little closer to nature and to enjoy the much vaunted 'big skies' that region boasts. Sadly, a lack of money (I was a student after all) and a lack of time ensured this was not to be. However, a few years later, I got to see something of the same ilk when I visited Ningxia in North-western China. The barely-known and rather under-developed province is home to mountains, deserts and some fantastic panoramas. As the Gobi desert meets the Helen Shan mountains a few kilomteres north of the main city of Yinchuan, the horizon simply opens out in splendour. This was a magnificent sight in the day, but was equally impressive at night when the stars seemed unbelievably clear and astonishingly close.

Prior to my trip to Bulgaria, I had no idea that it too was a land of big skies. If I am honest the image I had was of old Communist era factories and apartments off-set by smoggy skies. In short, I was expecting to be confronted by walls of grey in every direction. This, rather emphatically, proved not to be the case. Some of the major cities had a less than colourful appearance. Both Shuman and Russe seemed to be very fond of dour looking apartment blocks and had plenty of ominous looking smoke-stacks. But once out into the countryside things were very different.

I was able to see the difference between urban and rural Bulgaria within minutes of crossing the border from Romania. We crossed the Danube at Russe and were greeted by a rather glum looking city. However, after passing through it – it was certainly not inviting enough to encourage us to stop – the greys gave way to vast swathes of greens and blues. The countryside began to roll away for miles in either direction and the skies stretched away to the horizon in an expanse of wondrous light blue. All the way from Russe to my girlfriend's family's home in Stoyan Mihailovskiy (a small village close to Shumen), I simply marvelled at the scenery.

The theme of expansive countryside and unrestrained skies continued for pretty much the whole trip. As Stoyan Mihailocskiy is out in the countryside, we had plenty of chances to explore rural Bulgaria. We walked, we drove along deserted country lanes and we had picnics. All of this was done with the sky opening up over head. However, as magnificent as the scenery was during the day, it was not until the evening that we really got a sense of the natural wonder on show.

On my second night with my girlfriend's family we went for dinner at her uncle's house in the same village. After tucking into some delicious kofte (seasoned meatballs), we sat and chatted – they were all quite interested to meet me as you do not see too many foreigners in that part of Bulgaria. However, as we chatted we were suddenly surprised by all the lights abruptly going out. My girlfriend's uncle checked the fusebox and found that everything was ok, meaning that we had been hit by a power-cut. So, we decided to walk home through the darkened village. Once outside we were taken aback. The stars seemed so big and so close. It was as though you could reach out and touch them – it was stunning.

The wonderful skies were not something I had expected to find in Bulgaria, but they proved to be an absolutely wonderful surprise.Close

It only began to strike me on the second or third day of my stay in Bulgaria. It was so subtle that it was almost imperceptible. There was no major change in the tone of voice. There was certainly no anger or bitterness, nor was…Read More

It only began to strike me on the second or third day of my stay in Bulgaria. It was so subtle that it was almost imperceptible. There was no major change in the tone of voice. There was certainly no anger or bitterness, nor was there any seeming nostalgia. It was simply the grammar that I noticed. My girlfriend was talking about the village in which she was brought up and also about the small town a few kilometres away. She was doing so in great detail and was describing everything there was to see. But, as she did so, I began to notice that she was using predominantly the past tense.

As we walked through the village in which she grew up and where her family still live, she was telling me about everything. She seemed to know every inch of ground and every brick of every building. However, it seemed that she spent the majority of the time telling me what each building used to be rather than what it what had become – most of the buildings had become abandoned. For example, in the centre of the village she explained that two or three of the buildings had once been factories, but were now derelict. She also explained that this had all happened in the years since the collapse of Communism.

I am offering no great insight when I explain that once the subsidies of nationalized industries stopped after 1989, the economies in Eastern Europe changed dramatically. Factories that employed hundreds of workers, but made large losses – which probably described the majority of factories in Eastern Europe – closed pretty quickly when the demands of the market economy began to bite. This meant that much of Bulgaria's industry disappeared. The majority of it is now in China or other developing nations where wages, costs and safety standards are lower.

The gradual decline of industry was clear everywhere. In my girlfriend's village, Stoyan Mihailovskiy, there were two former workshops that were now derelict. In the bigger towns of Shumen and Novi Pazar close by there were plenty of examples on show. In Novi Pazat there used to be three large factories that employed hundreds of workers. These have given way to one. In Shumen, there are still several smoke-stacks that serve major factories and pump grey smoke into the otherwise clear blue sky, but there are also countless others that stand rather forlornly inactive.

The decline of industry and the scars it left on modern Bulgaria was something I predicted I would be writing about even before I set off for Bulgaria. However, an aspect that took me by surprise was the impact the dramatic changes had had on culture. In Stoyan Mihailosvskiy, there was a building that used to be set aside for plays and cultural events. It still stood, but was now rarely open. My girlfriend explained that just like industry, arts and culture had been heavily subsidized, which meant that nowadays there are far fewer cultural events to attend and that most of the people do not have the money to attend them anyway.
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I am going to begin this article in the same vein that a celebrity might approach an appearance on Oprah. I am going to use the full disclosure approach. This is not to say that I have any huge skeletons in my closet. That would…Read More

I am going to begin this article in the same vein that a celebrity might approach an appearance on Oprah. I am going to use the full disclosure approach. This is not to say that I have any huge skeletons in my closet. That would be a massive exaggeration. There is no history of drug abuse or philandering. However, in my younger days – I am focusing particularly on my university days here – I liked to have a bit of a party. Whilst this never brought any serious consequences, it may have contributed to my university results never quite living up to their billing and my making a fool of myself on a few occasions. In truth, since I have grown up a little, I have not really wished to re-visit my younger days. That was until I paid a visit to Golden Sands.

Golden Sands is a tourist resort on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast about 20km north of the city of Varna. It is a relatively new place and is pretty much purpose built for tourists. I went with my long-term girlfriend, and it was lovely. We found a nice hotel with a good pool and a beautiful sea-view. We ate at good restaurants – we had some of the best Bulgarian food I experienced in the country. We did some shopping in the small sea-front market that specialises in local souvenirs and fake designer goods. And, we caught some rays on the beach. It was all very nice. However, as great as all these things were, I found myself thinking that I was missing out on one of Golden Sands biggest attributes, the party.

In my late teens and early twenties, I enjoyed several holidays 'with the boys' in which my friends and I moved en-masse to a foreign destination to enjoy the local beer, night-clubs and if we were lucky (very lucky) ladies. It seemed that Golden Sands was a great place for this type of holiday. We found scores of small groups of guys (and girls) of all nationalities having a fantastic time of things. They seemed to out-number the couples and families easily. In the day-time this was not such a prevalent factor, but in the evening it was very clear as everyone came out to play.

It was easy to see why groups of young holiday-makers would love Golden Sands. First of all there was the beach, which was large, soft and fantastic. It also boasted several types of water-sports. Then, there was the weather, which was also great. However, the part of Golden Sands that they loved was the bars and clubs. Along the sea-front there were scores of places to start the party – many of these on the beach itself. We sat down at a large bar around a pool that boasted a huge big-screen TV to show the European soccer games. We ordered a cocktail each, but to our delight found that we got two. It turned out to be a common promotion. Most bars offered two for one and some even three for one. The cocktails were also relatively cheap to start with. They were between 8-12 lv, which is between 4 and 7 Euro.

My girlfriend and I had a great time just as a couple. However, for those looking for a cheap place for a group holiday, it seemed to be the perfect destination. It certainly had me pining for my younger days just a little.

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If you have read any of my other journals, you may well have seen that I lived in China for four years. During that time, one of my favourite spots was the Xiushui Market in the Sanliturn area of the city. I wont for one…Read More

If you have read any of my other journals, you may well have seen that I lived in China for four years. During that time, one of my favourite spots was the Xiushui Market in the Sanliturn area of the city. I wont for one minute pretend that this was some kind of hidden-away nook or some fantastic secret that only I knew about. It was actually a giant four-floor market that sold pretty much everything you could ever wish to buy. It dealt in fake designer goods, local handicrafts, jewellery, electronics, anything.

I used to love Xiushui. First of all I liked it because it was a great place to shop, but I also liked it because there were no fixed prices and you were forced to barter with the store holders to get your goods. This meant that it was possible to get some amazingly cheap things – I used to pay less than a dollar for pure silk ties – but that it was also possible to get badly burned (many tourists often found them,selves paying as much for the fake Levis as they would for a real pair). Golden Sands was not quite the same., It did not provide the bargaining fun, nor did it offer similarly low prices, but it was the first place I have been that genuinely reminded me of Xiushui and it was a fantastic place to go shopping.

During my stay in Bulgaria I had been desperately searching for a local football shirt. I was keenest to wear the colours of the local side Chernomorets Varna. However, finding a shop that sold their shirt proved to be impossible. So, I thought I would turn my attention to one of the big teams from Sofia such as CSKA, Slavia or Levski. With this I had more success. I managed to find their shirts, but the prices were extremely high – they were the same I would have paid for a shirt in France or England. Therefore, when I saw the huge sea-front market in Golden Sands, I sensed an opportunity. And, sure enough, I was not disappointed. Within five minutes I managed to find a small store that sold only football shirts – these were fake, but of good quality and were impossible to tell from the naked eye. It did not have a local team in my size, but did have the national team shirt and the bargain price of 35lv (17 Euros).

With my football shirt hunt complete, my girlfriend could stop glancing at her watch and sighing audibly, and we could get into the midst of the remainder of the market. It proved to be great. She was keen to buy some local souvenirs such as soaps. The choice here was quite simply staggering. The Bulgarians specialise in soaps and waters based on roses, and there were hundreds of these in scores of different flavours. It eventually took her almost an hour to select a small bunch of these that cost just two lv each. Other traditional offerings included bowls and tableware (Bulgaria boats some wonderfully colourful plates and bowls), pottery and jewellery.

Along with the traditional goods, there were also plenty of designer knock-offs. The majority of these stalls seemed to specialize in sweaters and t-shirts by brands like Abercrombie, Hollister and Bench. The prices were pretty good: a t-shirt was 10 or 15 leva (5-7 Euros) and a sweater 25 or 30. The quality was also good. On top of this, there were plenty of stalls selling perfume and after-shave. However, the quality here was rather dubious. I tried a few sprays of my favourite fragrances – or the supposed versions of them – and found the similarity to be little more than passing.

The market was absolutely fantastic for shopping and we spent four or five hours in there. It also had a few interesting side stalls, such as a henna tattoo artist (there were real tattoo parlours as well, but I steered clear) where I got my girlfriend's name written in Cyrillic on my arm for just 15lv.




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I was very excited when I first stepped into the Black Sea at Golden Sands because I was completing my full set of coloured seas. As a child, my parents took my to Hurghada in Egypt where I swam in the black Sea (and cut…Read More

I was very excited when I first stepped into the Black Sea at Golden Sands because I was completing my full set of coloured seas. As a child, my parents took my to Hurghada in Egypt where I swam in the black Sea (and cut my leg quite badly on a coral reef if I remember correctly). And, in 2004, when I lived in Korea, I swam in the Yellow Sea. You could even count the Cote d'Azur where I currently live. As you might expect, I am about to make the rather lame joke that none of the seas actually looked at all like the colours they feature in their name. My girlfriend was unimpressed when she asked how I liked the Black Sea and I professed to be unimpressed as it was a little too green for my liking.

Regardless of the colour-based misnomer, I very much enjoyed my first taste of the Black Sea. The beach at Golden sands was wonderful. It was made up of extremely fine golden sand – as you might expect considering the name of the resort. We headed down from our hotel in the late afternoon, which was just about the perfect time as the sand was hot without burning the feet. In the height of the day it can get rather punishing. The sea was also very nice. It was calm with just a gentle swell coming in from the direction of Russia. It was very warm and deeply inviting. The views from the shoreline looking out to sea were also very nice. The water seemed to roll out into nothing merging with the horizon several kilometres out. Turning around and looking inland was not as serene, but was far more lively. It took in all the hotels and bars of the resort and also a miniature version of the Eiffel Tower that is used as a cocktail bar.

If I am honest, I am of an extremely lazy inclination when I head to the beach. Therefore, I was happy to flick on my Kindle dive into the Don Dellilo novel that I was reading and to absorb the rays of the sun. However, were I not so lackadaisical, I would have been able to enjoy lots of fantastic activities. There were a whole host of water-sports that included banana boats, jet-skis and para-sailing. These were remarkably reasonable in price with the most expensive activity just 90lv (45Euro). For those of a slightly less adventurous inclination, there were also massage tables set up on the beach.

The beach at Golden Sands was wonderful. However, I did have one or two criticisms about. The first was that it was extremely difficult to find an area of open sand. It was difficult to simply head down there and drop your towels on the sand. The majority of the beach was taken up by parasols, sun-loungers and small huts that were owned by hotels and beach-clubs. In places these stretched all the way down to the sea, which made it difficult to plot a path to the water.

My girlfriend and some of her relatives spent a very nice afternoon on the beach at Golden Sands. We were there for three hours or so, soaked up plenty of sun and took a couple of very nice dips in the ocean.
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Kasanlak is the common name used for this shambolic town in Central Bulgaria but it is actually called Kazanluk. Driving into the town on our way back from Karlovo was interesting to say the least. It certainly made an impression even if it wasn't a…Read More

Kasanlak is the common name used for this shambolic town in Central Bulgaria but it is actually called Kazanluk. Driving into the town on our way back from Karlovo was interesting to say the least. It certainly made an impression even if it wasn't a favourable one. I shuddered when I saw the scruffy, run-down apartments on the left hand side of the town. In fact, I don't think I have ever seen anywhere quite as cheerless on my travels. We would have passed it by if it hadn't been for the Museum of the Roses; somewhere I had longed to visit.

Kasanlak is situated between the Rodopi and Stara Planina mountain ranges, the eastern end of the Valley of Roses; a valley that is absolutely full of blooming roses in June and July. Until recently this part of Bulgaria produced 70 per cent of the world's rose oil which as you can imagine comes in handy when you want to produce perfumes and cosmetics; a vital resource for these industries. Many high profile perfume houses seek out this important export commodity. Perfume, roses, mountains. Reading these words you could conjure up quite a pretty image of this town but alas, it isn't pretty at all. It's a horrible place although there are a few historical attractions.

According to my guide book this dull town is famed for its Thracian tomb, built in the 4th century and protected by UNESCO. It is there but we were unable to see it as an archeological dig was being carried out and weren't allowed to view. At this stage we didn't despair as we were told that we could find a full scale replica of the tomb in the gardens surrounding the archeological site. We found the replica; a beehive-shaped dome twelve metres in diameter decorated with fantastic murals depicting funerary rituals. You have to walk down an entry corridor to reach the tomb which is quite exciting as it is flanked by friezes depicting dramatic battles. Viewing tmes: 9-5 every day.

I would like to be able to say that the town was pleasant enough to take a stroll through but everything looked so drab to me. Even the central square was non-descript and I am struggling to find artistic and creative words. Usually, I quite like an industrial town and I don't mind wandering around the seedier parts of cities as there is generally one or two buildings or monuments that I take a fancy too but I struggled in Kasanlak.

However, we did find another museum which did compliment the Thracian tomb and it was the Iskra Museum. This is situated on ul. Sv Kiril-Metodii - open every day from 9am - 5pm. The frescoes exhibits are from the Magli tomb and very interesting too as is the funerary cavern and a very large collection of Greek artefacts that have been found in this region. Very difficult to read the display information - all in Cyrillic. Haven't conquered that yet!

Finally, we found the Museum of the Roses. Again, all the explanations were in Cyrillic. A little annoying but on the other hand the museum was very interesting. Several displays showing the techniques for manufacturing natural fragrances. I'm not a great user of perfume but I was interested to see how ceratin cosmetics are made from rose water and the different manufacturers' techniques. Although the only name I recognised was Helena Rubinstein. There is a shop attached to the museum and a very sweet smelling one too. Here, you can purchase fragrant souvenirs, including rose-scented soaps, oils and perfumes.

There are several hotels in the town. We didn't stay overnight but the one that looked inviting from the outside was the Hotel Hhadzhi Eeminova. This is in the centre of town and built in traditional style. Street name - Nikola Petkov 22.

We didn't dine out here either so I can't recommend any restaurants.

In fact, I can't really recommend the town unless you really want to visit the Museum of the Roses and fill your bags up with Bulgarian-made rose souvenirs such as soaps oils and sweets. Bulgaria is a fascinating country but there are more beautiful and interesting towns than Kazanlak/luk.

Exact location: 25 miles northwest of Stara Zagora. Bus connections with Lovech, Stara Zagora and Veliko Turnivo.Close

We start early on our second day in Bulgaria, aiming for the ferry crossing of the Danube at Vidin. The Internet warns of terrible drivers in Bulgaria, but to me they seem quite sedate, possibly because there is a lot of traffic police posts between…Read More

We start early on our second day in Bulgaria, aiming for the ferry crossing of the Danube at Vidin. The Internet warns of terrible drivers in Bulgaria, but to me they seem quite sedate, possibly because there is a lot of traffic police posts between Sandanski and Sofia; people drive at or below the speed limits (which, incidentally, seem ridiculously low anyway). It is possible that six weeks in Greece has substantially shifted my benchmark, though. Although Greek drivers (at least outside Athens) are not aggressively pushy on the motorway the way Italians or Austrians tend to be, or impatiently beep one when one gets confused in a middle of a small-town market-day traffic like it happens in France or (again) Italy, Greeks drive in a way that's so haphazard that becomes almost endearing. Speed limits function only as vague guidelines, the solid line in the middle of the road doesn't mean anything as far as overtaking attempts go and parking - parking is taken to a plane completely of its own. I have to confess the Greek parking habits grew on me in a big way and I find myself wishing that when I want to use the cash-point or grab a loaf of bread form the bakery I could just stop in the middle of the village road, triple-parking with my hazards on, the traffic patiently driving around me. Alas, nobody does that kind of thing in the middle/northern Europe, even in the more unruly eastern reaches.

Driving is thus pretty OK and we are free to enjoy a picturesque landscape of wooded hills, rocky gorges and endless sunflower hills. The E-79 on which we stay all the way from Thessaloniki to Vidin leads past the Pirin and Rila mountain ranges to then skirt Sofia, veer east round Vracanska Planina via Vracand Montana to descend to the Danube plain at Vidin.

The road is generally pretty good, with excellent signage in both Cyrillic and Latin alphabets, and as a lot of the route appears very recently resurfaced, the ride is quite smooth, although mostly single-carriageway. Part of the Sofia ring-road is pretty bumpy as are in-town stretches in Vraca and Montana. Overall though the main route is not much worse than Greek non-motorway roads and on par with for example Polish ones (hey, Sofia at least has a ring-road however bumpy it is, unlike the major Polish cities of Warsaw or Lodz through which major European routes pass).

The villages and towns we pass are often run-down, though. The tourist development and the EU road money doesn't seem to have stretched to other areas. The old communist blocks are dilapidated, often seeming close to crumbling, and there isn't much visible new development nor effort to maintain and regenerate existing building fabric.

We reach Vidin in the late afternoon and because of sheer momentum, just drive towards the ferry, somehow encouraged by the Bulgarian driving experience.

Still, Romania is a completely unknown quality. Neither of us has been there before, we don't know many people who have, and we have heard scary stories of potholes the size of elephants, Roma kids pinching all car appendages when you stop and groups of stray dogs roaming the countryside. The most recent Internet reports are, however, encouraging, and we drive on.

The Vidin – Calafat ferry, soon to be replaced by a bridge, takes about half an hour to cross the Danube. The river itself is magnificent and although the ferry is pretty basic, taking only a few lorries and cars, the crossing is interesting enough, especially with the new bridge raising to the right and hailing the end of this somewhat outdated contraption, resembling nothing more than a large, steel motorised raft. At approximately 30 Euro for a car and two adults, this isn't a cheap crossing but still cheaper than paying the 100 Euro for the Green Card for Serbia.

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We drive out of Greece on a spur of a moment decision: not really that wise considering our initial worries about safety and roads in Bulgaria and Romania. One minute we seem to be still considering a ferry to Italy, the next I find myself…Read More

We drive out of Greece on a spur of a moment decision: not really that wise considering our initial worries about safety and roads in Bulgaria and Romania. One minute we seem to be still considering a ferry to Italy, the next I find myself at the last petrol station in Greece before Bulgarian border, peering into my netbook in the sun and researching hotels en route.

It's well into the afternoon, so we don't drive very far, only across the border and the twenty-odd kilometres to Sandanski. It's a surprisingly eerie experience for me as I actually recognise the crossing at Kulata, the same one through which I staggered on foot twenty-two years earlier, after a 24 hour combined train-plane-train madcap journey from Gdynia, heading for Corinth where my dad and his boat were waiting. I even remember what I ate at the small café at the deserted Kulata station (meatballs and rice). Back then, you had to have a special permit to stay on the train beyond Sandanski and I (and a couple other travellers also wanting to cross the border on foot) had to "negotiate" with the train guard. The Iron Curtain had just risen a bit but the Wall was still standing, and a notion of Poland, never mind Bulgaria, joining united Europe would have seemed very remote.

Now Bulgaria is in the EU although not part of the Schengen area and thus our passports are briefly looked as we cross. The Bulgarian side looks – or is it just my imagination – distinctly shabbier – and as we proceed to buy the Bulgarian vignette (5 Euro for 7 days) and exchange some Euros for Leva, somebody washes our windscreen unasked and then complains of a 50 cent tip.

It's possible that a level of capitalist advancement of a country can be gauged by a number of dodgy looking guys and shoddy booth-based businesses just past the country's order. It's a somewhat bell-shaped curve (roughly, of course, with no implication of any normalcy of distribution). It starts at zero in totalitarian economies, raises to the maximum when the country is still poor but a ramshackle, entrepreneurial, Mafia-tinged businesses flourish, drops again as things become more civilised (the dodgy guys disappear, the booths become bigger, shinier and more solid) to peter out as the private initiative gives way to big corporate brand names.

On this scale, Bulgaria appears to be where Poland was perhaps 15 years ago: this initial impression is something that will get reinforced, obviously allowing for differences, over the next couple of days.

We stay in a nice hotel on the edge of Sandanski, a certain Adjev Han, nominally a three star with large, air conditioned rooms, comfortable, enormous beds and fast wi-fi. There is also a restaurant with folksy décor, folksily dressed waiters and a sound system that soon replaces its Euro-pop with fabulous folky Bulgarian sounds. The food is very good: we have to have the Bulgaria's best known dish, Szopska Salata as well as a pile of other Balkan food with nice rakija to follow. The change from Greece is very perceptible; not just a language one, obviously, where suddenly I am the one talking again – and understanding – due to my Slavic background (Bulgarian seems more similar to Russian than I realised). There are other differences too, from food to music to agricultural crops. The notion of "Balkaniya" - the Balkans – is quite persuasive and we have already encountered it in northern Greece and previously in Croatia, although it's not easy to define what characteristics define the Balkans or what countries, or even parts of them, constitute them.
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In 2007 we decided that we wanted to buy a house in Bulgaria although at the time we didn't know very much about the country. We had spent hours looking at properties on different websites and we couldn't believe some of the prices.You could buy…Read More

In 2007 we decided that we wanted to buy a house in Bulgaria although at the time we didn't know very much about the country. We had spent hours looking at properties on different websites and we couldn't believe some of the prices.You could buy a 3 bedroomed house for £5,000. Yes it was true, in 2007 but I doubt very much if it is now.To cut a long story short we had chosen lots of properties in the area around Karlovo.

How did we get there?. We went into the travel agents and asked about flights. The young girl behind the desk said, 'Where's that?, I've never heard of it.' I thought, 'My God, it isn't that obscure, is it?'. Obviously not many people from Carlisle travel to Bulgaria but then in the small hamlet where I lived they had never been out of the county, let alone the country. To get to Karlovo we had to book a flight to Plovdiv and then travel on by bus which is exactly what we did. Now, here are some facts about this very picturesque Balkan town, known as the Rose Garden of Bulgaria.

Location
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The town of Karlovo is spread over two banks of the river, Stara Reka, and it is 520 metres above sea level. Surounded by the high Balkan range, Stara Planina, and lower mountains of the Sredna Gora. The highest peak of the range - Stara Plana, is 2367 metres above sea level and can be seen from the town. Infrastructure is reasonably developed and regular buses and trains travel to places such as Sofia which is 141 kms away, Plovdiv - 58km, and Troyan 66 km away.To reach our destination we took the bus from Plovdiv Yug Bus station. The journey was about 2 hours. The scenery most of the way was quite dull but then it was a drizzly sort of February day. The bus was a bit of a wreck but they aren't all like that as there are some brand new air conditioned coaches.

A Bit of History
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Originally the town was called Sushitsa until captured by the Ottomans and re-named Karlovo, after the local Turkish feudal lord. In 19th century Karlovo had a cultural uplift and the town boomed economically due to skilful craftsmen such as coppersmiths and goldsmiths selling their wares to rich merchants of that time. Workers traded with Albania, Romania and Egypt. However, in 1877 this abruptly came to an end as the Russian Turkish War of Liberation set the town on fire. Over 800 people were killed and all the other survivors fled to the Balkan Mountains. Consequently the town went into an economic decline but eventually these difficulties were overcome and a period of material and spiritual advancement followed.

Attractions and things to See
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The national museum "Vasil Levski" and the museum of history are among the most visited places in the town.

The national museum "Vasil Levski" is situated in the western part of Karlovo.It is actually the house where the famous revolutionist was born. The house was restored in its original form and was opened as a museum in 1937.

The museum of history is situated in the building which used to be a school for boys. It represents one of the most important architectural monuments from the time of the Bulgarian revival. The museum has existed for 100 years and inside monumets depict a diversity of crafts that flourished in the town. Here you can go back in time and pretend you are living the history of Karlovo.

The Town Itself
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The focal point of the town is the central pedestrian zone featuring a trade centre and beautiful admiistrative buildings. In this area you will find the town hall, community centre, art gallery, a large hospital and a medical center, hotel, many shops, bank offices and many nice and bustling cafes, restaurants and of course a McDonalds and other fast food chains.

We didn't stay in the hotel as it looked a bit institutionalised although there are other guest houses and hotels just outside the main town. As we arrived in the morning and without any accommodation booked we had to find a bed for the night. I came up with the bright idea of just asking someone and off I went into the local chemist to ask. A young girl came from behind the counter and actually took us to the edge of the town to a building that looked like a hostel. It was in fact a building seperated into apartments and as there was one free we took it. Okay, it wasn't the best apartment I have ever stayed in but it was good enough for one night. Clean, comfortable with TV and en suite bathroom. Cheap too! What more do you need? The best thing about this whole deal was that adjacent to the apartment was a restaurant. It was owned and run by an Egyptian guy who was very friendly and helpful. The food was also excellent and ridiculously cheap so that was a bonus too.

We visited a couple of coffee houses in the main square. They were very busy and smokey. Bulgarians are heavy smokers in general and we even went to one cafe where they asked if we wanted a non-smoking area and of course we, said, yes but then the girl took us upstairs and gave us an ash tray. Obviously our Bulgarian isn't as good as we thought or perhaps they don't really understand the concept of no smoking. We will see what happens now they have joined the EU if they tow the line with the no smoking rule but I doubt if they will.

From the main square, a nice and quiet alley leads to a beautiful park with a children's playground and there is a beautiful waterfall Suchurum (Spraying water) on the Stara River. Very peaceful and picturesque.

Old Town
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The old town has 115 houses and monuments of culture. These are historically important to the town as they still preserve the charm of days gone by. In the cente of the old town, standing between the two beautiful churches of St Nikola and The Virgin Mary, looms the overpowering statue of Vasil Levski which was built in 1907.

Vasil Laski was born in Karlovo and due to his major significance for the liberation of Bulgaria, he is hailed as a national hero and often referred to as "The Apostle of Freedom" by the Bulgarian people.

This statue is a good piece of work and quite overpowering. The view of the old town with the mountain covered in mist and the blue and white of the churches is a lovely view. It reminded me of a turkish/greek town. I might add that we didn't at first see the mountains as it was so misty but we knew they were there. However, the next morning when we walked into the square it was a different scene. The sun was shining and the Balkans were on full view. It was really picturesque.

The Famous Rose Festival
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Day of the rose has been celebrated in Karlovo for nearly a century. The festival takes place on the day of the Holy Spirit, in June,when roses are in full bloom. The day is celebrated with cultural events and music. Rose wreaths decorate the town and the wonderful fragrance can be smelt everywhere. The town is very busy at this time and to find accommodation can be a problem. Outside of the town are rose fields and this is where the rose picking takes place while young boys and girls dressed in national costumes dance to Bulgarian folk music The procession then goes to the central square where the Queen of the Roses is chosen and crowned.

Nature
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For mountain lovers Karlovo is situated in the Central Balkan National Park which is one of three national Parks in Bulgaria. The area is good for hiking, climbing and paragliding. There is a network of chalets and marked mountain routes. Interesting species of plants and wildlife can be found is this beautiful landscape.

Summary
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When most people think of Bulgaria they think of the Black Sea Resorts. Karlovo and this part of the country is another experience. Travelling independently, I was a little daunted at first but I have to honestly say I think it is a great place to experience. The landscapes are really picturesque and the towns in this area including Karlovo are full of history and very pretty. There are some scruffy, beaten up areas but there are anywhere. People are exremely jolly and helpful. I can't complain about the food. Plenty of salads, feta cheese, stuffed peppers and terrific pizzas. Bulgarian wine isn't that bad either. I would recommend Karlovo as a town and Bulgaria as a country to visit. You will be surprised how interesting and beautiful it is.

Summary: A terrific experience!

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