One Man in Bulgaria

It all started with a ship in more ways than one but I shall talk about that on another post. Today I relate the tale of Bulgarian Naval personnel on parade, senior officers arriving under military police escort and a gathering crowd of civilian spectators waiting on the beach in the vicinity of the "Sea Terrace". Meanwhile not long after 10:00 hours I was sitting comfortably drinking coffee with friends at the "Morki Rei" trying to see the edges of the bay and a few feet into the air. The show was scheduled for 10 but I knew that there was no chance of anything getting off the ground.

The following morning (see previous post) my doorbell rang. My good friend and neighbour from the apartment next door beckoned me to meet him downstairs at 10 for photos. What a coincidence! We had talked about this over a glass of rakia last week when he proposed taking me to a place with a good view of Varna. Unfortunately the trip never took place due to the weather. As I got myself together I wondered if we were going to retrace our footsteps of yesterday. Hopes were raised as we turned left instead of right at the bottom of the street. Driving into the centre of Varna we joined the queue to cross the Asparuhovo Bridge which is again under repair. The bottle neck created during the working week is truly amazing, no quarter given by drivers in Bulgaria!

When I leave my apartment to go to the CBA "magazin" opposite or walk down to the bus stand I often pass the time of day with a Bulgarianwho sits in his car listening to the radio and watching the world go by. "Dobur den", "Ich gehe zum kino", "Kak si?"...  - "Good Morning", "I am going to the cinema", "How are you?" - the conversation haltingly exchanged in  a little Bulgarian, German and English. On occasion he will open the passenger door and I will sit and share his time. He is a pensioner in his 70s existing on 200 leva per month as do most of my neighbours who are not working. On this occasion I was passing with supplies for my fridge so declined his company. Having stored my provisions I changed my mind and returned to pass some time with him. "Ah, navigator." he said as I climbed into the passenger seat, reaching across to make sure that my door was closed and prompting the fastening of my seat be...

Sunday evening of the 26th finds me back at the Varna Festival and Congress Centre. This is my second opportunity to hear the magnificent pipe organ which frequently forms the backdrop to the stage. Constructed and installed by Schuke Orgelbau, Potsdam, Germany in 1988, at that time situated in the GDR as the wall just excluded the district from West Berlin. According to Wikipedia the organ has III / P manuals and 53 registers. There is an extensive account of the company founded by Alexander Schuke in 1820 which has many illustrious organs to its name. The page makes fascinating reading bound up not only with the manufacture of great organs but also the collapse of communism and the nearly disastrous affect on the company.

Emerging from my burrow on the first day of March 2017, it has been a long hard winter. Temperatures are still pretty low and a cold wind blows however there is a blue sky as the sun struggles to bring forth spring. It is Baba Marta day once again. I wrote in detail about this annual event in my blog last year. Once again stalls have been selling martenitsi in the lead up to this celebration and will continue to do so until the end of the week. You can see a friend of mine in the photo. with her mother many weeks have been spent making these. The best are made from local wool and beads. This year I receive seven, worn on my wrist, from my increasing circle of friends. 'Pizho and Penda' are hanging on my door. Text messages are exchanged with distant friends containing images of cards just as we would once have sent cards through the post in my youth. New decorations have been installed at the "Compass" on the way to the sea garden. To celebrate I have lunch at ...

Ending with "Trumpet Extravaganza - A Journey into the Italian Baroque" Varna certainly blew it's own trumpet this year and well did it have cause. The finale of "Varna Summer", the 90th anniversary of the first Bulgarian Music Festival took pace in the modern theatre attached to the historic University of Economics, its self celebrating 100 years of academic achievement. "Varna Summer" commenced in June with international competition for young musicians, taking the public through opera, musicals, classical, cross-over, folk, rock, blues and jazz to end on the theme of the 'Baroque' this weekend. Venues have included the City Art Gallery, the Archaeological Museum, the Sea Garden and the Summer Theatre. Varna Day itself included an open air concert by the Band of the Bulgarian Navy. You cannot get more diverse than this.

We had Unification Day earlier in the month, now we have, in theory, a four day holiday celebrating Bulgarian Independence. Bulgarians have had to work the previous two Saturdays to make up for this extended holiday however I was to discover that most shops and service outlets remained open because they need the income. Indeed the low wage economy took this post in a direction which I had not intended when I set out this morning. The Varna website was sadly lacking in information so I went down into the town centre in search of parades or events to mark the occasion. I was either in the wrong place at the right time or the right place at the wrong time. Inevitably I found myself in the Sea Garden as this is where many of the monuments are. The sun was shining with a temperature in the low to mid 20s, a pleasant day to stroll around and the same thought had occurred to most of the population here in Varna. Those not working that is.  Instead of a photo album of parades and other f...

I have lamented many times as to how far behind I am with my blogs and here is the reason why. I set off after lunch to find a sports superstore I had been told about. My brother needs some new hockey skates. I decided to follow my nose from Candles restaurant heading in the general direction of Kaufland, the shop I wanted was some distance beyond. It would appear that I took a wrong fork in the road as I ended up the hill in the northern industrial area of Varna. Resorting to Google Maps on my phone I laid a new course. But here is the rub. I have many events and places to write about but then, looking over a fence I spy this hive of activity...

This morning I rose early, well 9ish, dressed and caught the number 14 bus into the centre. I was lucky in my decision as I passed the parade I was looking for otherwise I would have ended up at the wrong monument. I thought that my destination was the monument in the Sea Garden but here we are at the square next to the Municipal Offices.  Why are we here? On this day 131 years ago the reunification of Bulgaria took place and a ceremony is held each year to commemorate the event. I missed this last year after my arrival in Bulgaria but I am now learning how to discover events before they take place. The commemoration ceremony takes place at the monument to the soldiers who died in the Serbo-Bulgarian war. Bulgaria had been divided into Eastern Roumelia, ruled by the Ottoman Empire with partial autonomy in 1878 under the Treaty of Berlin. This was thought unfair and a peaceful protest began.

It's Saturday and I receive an email. Would I like to go along to a talent competition with an American friend of mine? His grand daughter is appearing. I knew that she has performed in several shows with her school and other voluntary organisations so I agreed. I should point out that my friend has lived in Bulgaria for ten years and is married to a local lass. Having consented to share a taxi we met and disappeared off into the suburbs. We alighted and found seats outside Cheers Cocktail Bar.  The stage and sound system were ready. Small world, a number 14 bus went past, this must be near the end of its route.

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.

Although the snow had cleared it is still bitterly cold here in Varna I say had because, as I write this it is snowing again.  Just because it is more difficult to travel in the winter, partly due to me getting older and not so keen to suffer for my art, doesn't mean that I hibernate in front of the English language programs on the TV.  Already getting dark Friday evening found me walking down the street, cold but a crispness in the air. The number 14 bus would drop me outside the Tourist Information Office a short walk to the theatre cafe.  Hot coffee and a slice of gateaux before another short walk to the Opera House.

Those of you with Facebook will have seen the first photographs prompted by a look out of the window yesterday afternoon. Although I had seen a few snowflakes around 10:00 hours I had not noticed that it had continued all morning, the flakes were so fine to be almost invisible. The temperature was about -8 degrees C so I had not ventured out but, thinking about food, I looked out of the window at about 15:00 hours to be greeted with this sight. A white Christmas had arrived slightly late and an early dinner was called for!

09:30 hours on Friday morning. As I entered my taxi snowflakes gently fell, my first of the winter. Haw frost or snow it was difficult to tell as the taxi sped towards Sofia railway station but the city had taken on a magical property. I thought to myself that it was a shame that I was leaving it was not to last.  Arriving at the station in plenty of time for my 10:30 departure to Varna, time enough to take some photographs and have breakfast. The Christmas tree in the foyer a touch of colour in this colossal construction.

It is 07:25 hrs as my train pulls out of Varna station.  The carriage is more typical of ours in the UK this time, a single row of seats, aisle and two seats together. More spacious than ours with arm rests and plenty of storage space, though I have never travelled 1st class in the UK. This time we are heading west almost across the length of Bulgaria to the capital Sofia. At first the scenery looks similar to my previous journeys but changes as we split from the route south and head along the line of the Central Bulgarian Mountain Range.

Winter approaches, the nights are drawing in. Although it is bright during the day the temperature drops sharply around 4 pm as the sun goes down, I now have my padded winter coat, my fur hat ant my thermal gloves.  All set to wander down to the square to see the lights switched on on the Christmas tree.  The lack of leaves reveals more monuments relating to Varna's past but more of this another day. Arriving in ploshtad "Nezavismost" (where the big fountain is located) I wondered if I had missed a 'Christmas market'.

Out of the mists of time came forth volunteers from Bulgaria, Serbia and Turkey. They formed their encampment on the sports field in Asparhov Park and at 15:30 on Saturday 14th November battle commenced.  In fact the actual battle took place on the 10th of November 1444, the re-enactment takes place on the nearest Saturday every year.  The site of actual battle was on the plain, now the home of the Park-museum "VLADISLAV VARNENCHIK" ,   to the west of Varna about 7 km from the harbour.  It would appear that a defensive strategy on the part of the crusaders whilst Christian reinforcements arrived by sea would probably have changed the course of history.

The old Submarine HQ Leaving the river behind darkness descended as I walked back to the bus stop in Asparuhov.  I had observed a No.88 bus arriving as I was exploring and intended to catch this home as I knew that it went past the bottom of my street. Turns out it goes as far as the airport.  In fact a No.2 arrived so I hopped on that to see where it would drop me.  Over the bridge and back into central Varna the run terminates outside the Tourist Information Office.  Quite handy but looking around it started me off on another project I have had in the back of my mind.  I  had kept putting this off as I cannot find a camera stand.

It was on my last night in Plovdiv I discovered that, here in Bulgaria, you cannot book a taxi in advance. Don't worry, reception will get you a taxi in the morning. My train was due to depart at 07:24, I hoped that this was the case.  This album consists of some 160 photographs taken from the train on my return journey aboard the 8631 Plovdiv to Varna express so I obviously made it.  I didn't take any photos at the station as I was too busy trying to grab a hot drink and cheese pastry to take with me. Not enough hands!

I had spent the previous days researching bus and train journeys between Varna and Plovdiv, ultimately deciding upon a rail ticket mainly because it happened to be raining and I could do this on the BDZ website. It was to cost 37.20 Lev or £14.47 return. My train was due to depart at 16:00 hours as this is currently the only one which can be booked on-line however it has the advantage of being a direct route. A local internet cafe printed off two copies of the ticket. I have always done this as a precaution in case I loose one. On the appointed day I caught the Number 20 bus from the top of the street which dropped me opposite the station.  Conveniently I could grab something to eat at a cafe there as no refreshments are available on the trains.