360i

is there a town/village in Bulgaria inhabited by many Brits?

Water Lily

I'm just researching Bulgaria myself, looks like people are dotted around the place, but a fair few seem to be in the Veliko Tarnovo (or VT for short) area.

currentaffairs

I am sure Mr Scot will be around soon to share his wise words... On the east coast I think there are a few in the touristy areas around Varna..

clint

villages around VT have Brits living there, the other area is Yambol many bought there because of cheap house prices including people we knew but they did get water shortages in their village in the summer on a regular basis

Then there are Brits in and around Varna and Burgas. The village in Bulgaria where we have a house has a full time Brit living there and other part time Brits some are there for half the year some others less.

sevans56

Hi, there are so many Brits living around Sunny Beach, close to the sea or further up, but not so close to the noise. The weather is great, the winter are soft. Depended on your budget there is a houses for any, also now you can find more variety of food you are use ti it to. You can buy in September, end of the Summer season from some suppliers English sausages, bacon and frozen stuff and freeze for the winter, but recently one of the manufacturers has all year around salty bacon, but smoke you can find everywhere. Some of English people have B&B and work in the season, making enough money to support them selfs

scot47

Elhovo near Yambol had an enterprising Estate Agent who long ago spotted that Brits would pay £15,000 or more for a house he could buy for £3,000. As a result there are quite a few Brits in that area. Even more have sold up and left. Veliko Turnovo, medieval capital in the centre of the town has some - especially in villages round about. The Black Sea Coast has touristy developments in places like Sunny Beach. Some Brits have bought places there in what our American cousins call "condominiums".


Get over the psychological barrier of the Cyrillic Alphabet and if you have any talents for language learning you will find that Bulgarian is not as difficult as you thought. Develop the Balkan Mindset and you have won !

Assanah

What is the Balkan mindset?

scot47

"Each against all". Look at an ethnic or linguistic map of the Balkans and you will see it is a patchwork of different identities. Their history is one of struggling against their neighbours and an inability to cooperate.


Actually Bulgaria is not bad in this respect but do not expect it to be like home. If you have had a two-week holiday there your picture will not be realistic. Go and live for a few months before taking any action. Winters - especially in Northern Bulgaria can be quite tough. Please feel free to pm me.

scot47

360i I think you might not like Bulgaria. It is full of foreigners.

Pulaski

I am currently reading "The Crimean War: A History" by Orlando Figes, and although I haven't finished it (in fact I have only read the first third or so of the book and the eponymous Crimean War hasn't started yet), it has given me a fascinating primer on the history of the southern edges of Russia, the Crimea, Maldova, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Caucasus, Balkans, Turkey, and Greece, and the roll that Authodox Christianity (which tied Russia to the Greeks), Britain, and France played in shaping events.

I think I may go looking next weekend for a book about the history of south east Europe covering the period after the Crimean War upto the start of WWI.

scot47

Orthodox Christianity played a role so too did our own dear Mr Gladstone. Like others in the Party he vehemently denounced the Turks for the atrocities in the 1870s. ave a look at the role of the massacres at Batak and other places in gaining British support for the Bulgarian insurgents.


The Macedonian Question is central to the Balkans and I can recommend this -


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fields-Whea...hills+of+blood


On Modern Bulgarian History anything by this lady -


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercia_MacDermott


particularly her book on Vasil Levski.

sevans56

Mercia MacDermott, her style of writing and approach, particularly her books on Vasil Levski are unbelievably good. Perhaps she sees things in the image of the character without the drama and emotion, only facts, serves tnem in an unique way, as an outside observer, but at the same time you can not stop reading the book until it is finished. It's that good!

scot47

Try also anything by Mark Mazower. I liked especially his book on Salonika.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Salonica-Ci...s=mark+mazower


Hard to believe that Salonika/Thessaloniki was part of the Ottoman Empire until 1913.

Pulaski

A lot of borders changed around that time. .... Coming from a country that has geographically constrained borders, which haven't changed much in 1000 years, nor at all in 300, it is one of the things I struggle with in truly understanding the the human aspects of European history, that for many people, borders are elastic and movable, countries can come and go. ..... It is hardly surprising that the British have a different view of sovereignty and the European Onion.

scot47

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Twice-Stran...KKEXPX3Z0Y5CRD


Some more material that can help us understand modern phenomena like the Partition of Cyprus or the Bulgarian Expulsion of the Turks in the 1980s (Golyamata Ekskursiya)