Thursday, 23 May 2013

Bulgaria - First Impressions

We arrived from Serbia in Bulgaria on Sunday 12 May. The border crossing into Bulgaria went smooth, the requisite vignette was bought at the nearest service station and off we went making for Veliko Tarnovo, a small city in central Bulgaria.
Tarnovo as it is known by locals (VT as British expats call it) used to be the capital of Bulgaria until 1879 after which power was transferred to Sofia, which has since been the capital. The land area known as Bulgaria today, fell under the rule of the Turkish Ottoman Empire until liberated by the Russians from the Turks during the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878). Restoring Bulgaria to its former size and land mass, as was the plan, never came to fruition as it was deemed that Bulgaria would be too large and powerful which could upset the regional balance of military power in the Balkans (south eastern Europe between the Adriatic and the Black Sea). Bulgaria in the early 20th century was often referred to as the Balkan Prussia because of its militaristic approach to foreign affairs. It fought on the losing side during both World Wars and it was not until the collapse of Communism in 1990, before it became a parliamentary democracy. It is today a member of the European Union and NATO.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgaria

Our destination was Camping Veliko Tarnovo, which is a short distance east of VT near the village of Dragizhevo. We will be staying there for the summer of 2013 as camp Wardens doing general housekeeping and campground maintenance tasks on a part time basis. Weekly free days will present ample time to look around Bulgaria and the Black Sea coast, or just enjoy our surroundings.

http://www.campingvelikotarnovo.com/

The campsite is beautifully situated in rolling hills, has a large swimming pool, cafeteria serving good tasty meals, very smart ablution blocks, wi-fi, and various other amenities important to those seeking an enjoyable camping experience. Owners Nick and Nicky Kinson are both hands-on in terms of involvement, ensuring a smooth day to day running of the campsite.

View from our pitch

After a rain shower

The two pictures above were taken 48 hours after our arrival and says much about the scenic countryside. More of our surroundings will follow in due course.

We had barely settled in when a celebration was on the cards, that being Nick's birthday, very festive with bunting and birthday cake laid on by staff. It was kept secret from him until their return from an outing, the first indication being the 'Happy Birthday' played over the cafe sound system enhanced by those present in a spontaneous sing-along.

Cake resembling the campsite

Guests of Honour

Happy Birthday Nick!

I think our sojourn here in Bulgaria will be most interesting! Watch this space....

1 comment:

  1. Lovely words and pictures - what an amazing cake :-) Hope you enjoyed it.

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