Grand Mall in May...

The sun is shining this fine Sunday lunchtime as I head over to the 'Grand Mall', local monument to our consumer lifestyle and far too near to my apartment. A good job that I am not married!  Rumour has it that there is a 'World Food Fare' taking place today.  In keeping with the sunshine the decorative theme in the Mall this month is 'flowers' and the first example I see is this shoe.  An appropriate start to a days retail therapy for some no doubt, but I am here in search of food.

Knowing that the fast food and restaurants are on the third floor it would seem logical to head in that direction, fortunately there are both escalators and lifts whichever you prefer.  Arriving on the third floor via the escalator I can see and hear an event taking place at the far end of the terrace. Approaching I pass a new restaurant. No, not the 'Hard Rock Cafe' or the 'Chicago Pizza Pie Factory' but Varna's very own 'Motor Bar and Dinner'.  More of that later, first we must find food especially if it is free!

Indicative of the lifestyle here the first stall I come across is serving a wine with a twist, A very blend with raspberry and another with melon from the Trastena Winery.  A very palatable sangria was also available for a mere 5 Leva a glass. Next is a stand of Bulgarian wines from the northern vineyards. I should point out that there is a very active and fine selection of wines grown in both the north and south of the country with their own respective and distinct flavours. If something harder is more to your palette bourbons and whiskeys were on display at the American and British stands. No free samples there though.  However a free can of Coke Cola would indicate one of the events sponsors. An interesting back note to this is that Pepsi is the preferred cola here in Bulgaria as Coke considered that it un-American to supply such regimes.

Moving on, slurp, I spy food or what is left, oh dear are we too late? A fresh supply of Danish pastries restores my faith as I wander. There are stands from Egypt, Israel, Indonesia, India and a host of other countries. Some have hot tit-bits others are selling boxes, packets and bottles of indigenous products. A heady and colourful mix as we wander around. Some national costumes too.






At the end of the exhibition area we find 'Team Bulgaria' and an array of fresh canapés Bulgarian style. Tasty but I will need more than this to fill the hole in my tummy!

Henna hand painting seems to be very popular at the 'Indian' corner, staffed by our favourite shop in town. Everything from curry powder to Heinz Baked Beans what more could an Englishman abroad require.  I am informed that they are also supplying produce for the new Indian Restaurant which has just opened in Red Square. The first in Varna and proving popular too, it is fully booked until next week. Hmm, a date for my diary!  With all this talk of food we decide to repair to the Motor Bar and Dinner for lunch.  An interesting interior full of fifties and early sixties memorabilia, friendly staff and an excellent menu offering some different choices too.

Now replete we return for a last look around the 'World of Food' before retiring for a Sunday afternoon siesta. I say old chap, isn't that Spanish?




The photographs relating to my post are on the page '22/05/2016'. Scroll down the page to read the comments or click on a photo to enlarge and the thumbnails will display along the bottom of the screen. I am also inserting a link to respective album in 'Google Photos' which is replacing Picassa Web Albums, a backward step in my opinion as captions and locations are not visible unless you view an individual photograph and click on the 'information' icon.

My 'Grand Mall' photo album on Google Photos

Due to the amount of work involved in creating a separate page for each album within this blog it may not be sustainable therefore I am hoping that the link will work. I can also share the respective albums on Facebook © and Google+ ©, neither of which fill me with a warm fuzzy feeling!

This particular post has been to try out the new formats and in response to an email I had from a friend who thought I had given up the ghost. It is nice to know that someone out there reads my blog, Thank you!  I am also contemplating the whole subject of 'posts' to the blog. I was trying to follow the 'Tenerife by Bus' format but, clearly, trying to do one post to cover a one day trip or event does not work any more. Whatever happens I will try to keep it interesting and relevant and always the photos tell the story. "Wish you were here" as they say on the postcard!