My first years living in Bulgaria

"Bulgaria the Easy Way" - The house to the left is the first house I bought in Bulgaria.

If you click on the picture of the house you can see how the house was renovated. There are step by step photos of some of the renovations together with some of the original costings.

Background

Bulgaria is a former communist country with all that implies in terms of low wages, low costs and standard of living.

In a recent international survey it was placed 56th in the world for quality of life.

On January 1st 2007 Bulgaria joined the EU. December 31st 2006 was a great time to see in the New year in Bulgaria. In Varna (where I live) there were thousands of Bulgarians celebrating - fireworks where still going off at 4 in the morning!

Bulgarian currency is pegged to the Euro at 1.95 lev to 1 Euro so there is stability within the foreign exchanges.

Be wary of foreign exchange bureaux offering less, particularly in the tourist areas.

In the streets of the main areas (especially Tourist areas) there are people offering to change money standing on street corners.

They offer you a much better rate of exchange than the official sources but please, do not be tempted.

Firstly it is illegal and secondly you run the risk of getting old or damaged notes.

The notes were devalued (by a factor of 100) around 20 years ago - an old 2,000 lev note is only worth 20 lev nowadays.

Damaged notes are not acceptable anywhere.

Use a bank for reliable exchange rates and if you are using ATM’s (known as "Bank-o-Mats") be aware as some only offer a maximum of 200 lev per transaction.

It is easier (and cheaper) to find a machine that will dispense 400 lev in one transaction. Shop around as these ATM's have different charges.

Although the maximum you can withdraw in one transaction is 400 lev you can reinsert your card as many times as you want (providing you do not try to withdraw more than your daily limit). Bulgaria is stable politically with little of the tensions evident in other countries in the region.

It has a multi-party democratic system of government. It is principally Orthodox Christian with a small Muslim community, some with Bulgarian and some with Turkish origin.

Bulgaria is a comparatively safe place to live and to visit certainly in comparison with the UK. There are no drunken gangs pouring out of pubs at weekends.

It has its own Bulgarian language which is Slavic in origin and they use the Cyrillic alphabet which has 30 characters.

It is a beautiful country with many attractions.

It borders both Greece and Turkey so you can expect long reliable summers.

The "Summer" season starts mid may and ends in October.

It has large beach resorts bordering the Black sea based around the 2 major cities of Burgas and Varna which regularly get the internationally recognised Blue Flag.

It has spectacular cliffs near Kaliakra and has developing ski resorts.

The long standing Ski resorts can be found in Borovets, Bansko, Pamporovo and Mt Vitosha.

Here, English, German and French visitors will find it easy to communicate and all the comforts of home are provided.

Satellite TV, Newspapers (although often a day old), Irish and English pubs, cheap and good restaurants, (by west European standards).

Bulgaria has approx 110,000 square kilometres of land with one third mountainous.

It has a population of around 8m people.

It also has the mighty Danube River which runs along the border with Romania.

It is famous for its mineral springs which are amongst the finest in Europe.

Bulgaria enjoys an excellent tradition in winemaking which is plentiful and cheap throughout the country.

It has great local beers so be sure to try them in the numerous local cafes and bars.

35 % of Bulgaria is forest (many original) so there are many opportunities for nature lovers to find all the hidden treasures.

There are 12 national parks, 89 nature reserves and 2234 other areas of conservation.

There are lots of museums and art and craft galleries to be enjoyed.

Also there are many monasteries, churches and religious places often with spectacular artwork. The Monastery at Rila is truly spectacular.

Shopping is well catered for with all the well known brands available and, if you keep an eye out, many bargains can be had.

Cigarettes and alcohol are very cheap particularly Bulgarian brands.

If you like Beer try "Zakorka Gold" (Bulgarian).

A 70cl bottle of 10 year old Pliska Cognac could be purchased at around £3-£3.50.

On the down side the standard of living is low, and you will see the occasional beggar on the street, take pity on them and give them a 2 lev note (around 65p). A 2 lev note will (just about) feed them for a couple of days.

The police will sometimes flag you down and fine you if you are speeding. You will frequently see Police on the roadside checking Drivers documents.

Some of the Police speak a little English, some don't. After checking your documentation they wave you on. Most of the Police are friendly and polite.

All in all, Bulgaria is ripe for exploration, for having a good time and for living cheaply.