A HOUSE IN BULGARIA 

Living in Guernsey is great, but try buying a house ! Prices start at ¼ million for a very small, one bedroomed flat and go upwards not down. No chance for us, a married couple of 50 (ish) only married 7 years, with kids from previous marriages all grown up.

How about France, too many already doing that. Spain, too expensive for us already and a little too volatile.

We looked further afield.

For those of you who have read a previous rambling, you will remember me lost in Bulgaria. ‘Excuse Me’ in my best telephone English to a few unsuspecting locals. - see ' A trip to Turkey'

Well, for some unknown reason, we started looking at Bulgaria in earnest, and spotted on the net, that the houses over there can be bought by us aliens for very little money. After some homework, we flew over there and tackled the language again. –this time we took a phrase book, (no expense spared.)

Most of the houses are ruins, not even the Bulgarians want to live in a house with no roof !
Houses with roofs have most of the tiles missing, and are only a few weeks from falling down, and please do not need the toilet while you are in the country as any house you visit will not have a toilet, unless it’s down the field in a thunder box, with a hole in the ground right next to the veg patch.

Mmmm, Attractive !! ‘Anyone want salad for tea ?’ ‘No thanks, just eaten, I’ll wait till I get home, -------in ten days.’

We viewed about 15 houses in one afternoon !! and, as we went down at the Easter weekend, found that most of the owners were sitting on the ground outside their houses, dyeing hard boiled eggs in big bowls. Big smiles as they greeted us with blood red or grass green hands.

By the time we returned to the Hotel in Elkhovo, we had about 12 eggs and not a clue what to do with them all !! no chance of us eating them, they had been in a hot car all afternoon. And how old were they anyway ??

That night we sat in the restaurant just down the road from the Hotel (room only) and thrashed out what we were going to do. Buy now, wait, buy later, not buy at all.
Decisions made on vodka need to be looked at again in the morning.

Sure enough in the morning, we made a split - second decision. We would buy the house where the owner, an old lady, on her own, had given us a red egg each that had an oak leaf on it. Good plan, lots of confidence and commitment.


.....‘We’ve paid money to people we do not know, for a house that may not be up for sale, is the old lady the real owner? Have we been ripped off? What if we loose all the money? Is it a scam?’ It just went on and on.

.....we had indeed put a deposit on a three roomed house in a village called Sinapovo. 3500 square meters of land, including a barley field (!) house, outbuildings, three wells, fruit trees and – the thunder box next to a very large vegetable patch.

.....What, were we supposed to do with a field full of barley ?? Bob’s beer making skills (or lack of them) came to the fore.

.....The gentle squeak of the gate hinges, meant we had someone on the property.   We waited for the shout or knock of friends or neighbours on the door.  But………Nothing.   The low mumbling of conversation outside could be heard, but still no knocking. Bob went very quietly for his crow bar, I went for the hammer (much lighter).

 

....On the way out of the village, a dark car came hurtling towards us.  Hooting and swerving, it scrunched to a halt.

 

‘Jani, Bob, I hear you were here, I hear only now that you are back, how long you are here for, are you going to Elhovo, can you get me some gas for my car, I give you the gas can, I pay you later, you come and see my woman, she be angry if I don’t bring you.’

 

‘Ivan, might have guessed it was you !, What on earth are you driving? We’ve been in the village half an hour, how have you heard so quickly?

 

The car was really on it’s last legs / tyres.  No lights, no front suspension, broken bodywork, rusty and making definite dying noises.

 

‘The whole village knows you are here, forget the gas, I only use this for emergency , no tax or insurance, I come and see you in the morning, you must see my woman tomorrow, she’s very excited you are back.’

 

‘Us too, Ivan, see you tomorrow.’

 

As we drove off, we could hear the roar of his car fading in the distance. 

Aren’t jungle drums great ??  Half an hour at the house and the whole village know we were back.  We were getting waves and smiles from everyone.   It was like coming home.

 

Eventually, we got to the restaurant and greeted NASCA (lovely girl who waits on table) and phoned Louise to let her know we had arrived at last.

 

The first night in the cramped summer kitchen was quiet.  We managed to get all three of us inside and LAYING DOWN, so that night, we laid there and listened to the noises of the countryside.  Great, how I had missed the constant dogs barking !! Only joking.

 

Sunrise shot up out of the ground at 7.30am and the sheep and goats that gather at the top of the road went off at 8.00, bells glanging noisily.  Ivan arrived at 9.00 and instantly ‘went off’.  I had forgotten how anyone can say so much about so little in so short a time.  But, as we tried to make sense of his ramblings, we realised, we had actually missed him.

(just don’t ever tell him)

‘Ivan, shut up !! (now about 10.00)

‘ok’ he whispered.

We asked him if he know of a GOOD electrician.  Fatal !

‘I have a relative, he is a professional electrician, he comes right away, you tell me what you want, I tell him, he give you a good price, it is Andre who worked here before.’

‘Ivan, Andre is a labourer, are you sure he knows about electrics ?’

‘Oh yes, very good he a ‘PROFESSIONAL’.

‘Mmm, ok, ask him to take a look at what we need,’  Doubt WAS creeping in, but I always give benefit of doubt, till proved wrong !!