One Man in Bulgaria

Earlier in my stay here in Varna I attended an Opera/Ballet at the open air theatre in the park.  A production of the ballet 'Giselle' performed by the Russian Ballet gave me a chance to see inside the 'Opera House' as it is referred to by the locals or the 'Drama Theatre' as it is shown on the map.  We have walked past this building on a previous tour of the town centre but it takes on an aura as night falls and the lights come on. The whole area has been improved and pedestrianised, the new fountain has been completed and makes the area even more attractive. It is very affordable to attend theatres and other productions here a ticket in a prime position is only 20 Levi (£7.50). We join the gentle throng at the steps of the building....

Sometime friend, sometime foe and sometime neither the Bulgarian navy, has under different guises sailed from and defended the harbour in Varna both as a strategic and commercial port.  Hopping off the No. 20 bus, not in front of the museum but next to the roundabout on ul. "Devnya".  The railway station is just ahead of us on the left but I want to venture a short way up ul. "Preslav" just off the roundabout.  The home of the Bulgaria Navy is situated here in its magnificent dome topped Headquarters here. It now flies the flags of Bulgaria, the EU and NATO so we now are friends. A while ago during the "Cold War" we were foes, during the World Wars both and occasionally neutral. That is why I am so surprised when people are shocked that nations spy on each other "friend or foe" and have done since time immemorial. It is now interesting to see from the other sides perspective.

I set off today with my camera with the intention of visiting a particular museum located in the grounds of the 'Sea Park' as I have discovered that the park is commonly called. I thought that I would catch the Number 82 down into the town as it ran down to the railway station and, if I got off at the top of the hill I could make my way to the park by a shorter route.  I find that the advantage of travelling by bus allows the discovery of fascinating things along the way such as this take on the 'concrete jungle' located as it is on the corner of a street in an area composed of high rise concrete apartment blocks along side modern shops and apartments too.

During the last week of May 2012 I was wandering around "Parque Garcia Sanabria" in Santa Cruz, Tenerife when I discovered the week long book fair held there.  Here I am three years later discovering a week long book fair taking place in the pedestrian area of the Bul. Slivnista.  It seemed very appropriate as the news had been filled with the announcement that Finland, or was it Sweden?, was to give up the teaching of writing in schools and, at the same time, the smart phone was overtaking all other devices both as a means of communication and of entertainment.  Despite using my 'Kindle' as a matter of convenience I still love the look, feel and experience of the printed word.

If you are following this blog you may recall that, in my second post, I stopped for lunch in Primorski Park and later purchased a ticket for "Carmen Dance" at the Opera House. Fortunately I showed a friend  the ticket and is was explained to me that, during the summer, performances take place in the open air theatre as it is too hot to hold them indoors.  The open air theatre is situated just behind the plaza which I had not realised at the time. I walked down from my apartment, which I ultimately regretted as it was so hot, entering the park at the gate on the junction with Bul. Knyaz Boris I and strolled down to the plaza. Dinner down on the sea front where it was explained to me that these few days are the hottest in the Bulgarian calendar. Extreme heat now, very cold winter is the local saying. I shall, no doubt, find out if this is true.  The park itself looks very pretty at this time of day too, but the gates to the theatre were open the audience was ma...

Times if not destinations Out and about last week I bought some postcards but couldn't figure out where to buy stamps. Enquires revealed that there is a post office behind McDonald's in the pedestrianised area and a main office somewhere behind the cathedral, identifiable by yellow flags. This seems to be the common postal colour across Europe unlike British red. As it is about time that I tried out the bus service I decided to head up the leafy end of my street to catch a bus into town on Bul. "Tsar Osvoboditel", driving on the right means that I do not have to cross the main road.  I could identify the bus numbers and times but not the destinations but I knew that they must end up in the centre somewhere. Because of this and subsequent failed attempts to find timetables I have decided to create a page on the blog dedicated to the bus routes in Varna.  Whilst sitting waiting for the next bus I noticed that the traffic lights count down to their ...

I emerged from my building and turned right up the tree lined street I had photographed on my arrival.  Wandering along there was the usual mix of local shops which seem to prevail on every street.  Being the third largest city in the country with a population of some 505,819 persons it could, in fact, be the second largest. The vast majority of the population live in huge concrete apartment blocks largely, I believe, a hangover from the previous regime but more modern architecture is creeping in.  I suppose that this density of population and the absence of hypermarkets sustains the local economy and a good thing to!  I picked this direction as the street leads to the Boulevard "Zsar Osvoboditel" dual carriageway, one of the main arterial roads into the centre. As I reached the top of the street and the road became visible the car density became apparent. No wonder there is a parking problem wherever you go! View the full Varna photo album here  (includes the...