Wednesday 18 April 2012

Welcome to Troyan

Welcome to Troyan, central Bulgaria which is a town in the Stara Planina Mountains.Its a town I have adopted as my second home since 2003, where I live part time in a village called Terziisko, just outside Troyan.
The village ticks along like many villages where are hidden many stories and history.The area is stunningly beautiful and has very pronounced seasons with cold winters and mediterranean summers.I will attempt to backtrack to 2003 then continue in the present.



I have an old timber frame house with a converted rabbit shed which is now the main kitchen living area,which with the help of my landlady is a holiday let during the summer.We have had people from all over the world which I am kind of proud of, it wasnt an easy thing to do back in 2004, I could only stay for three months on a visa in those days which I used to work every day getting the house rennovated and everything was in Cyrillic back then so that was an added challenge.Alot still is but I understand it now a bit better.

I was chatting to my landlady about all the different nationalities weve had, English, Welsh,Scottish, Irish, Dutch, Spanish French, Belgian, German, New Zealand, Bulgarian, Botswanan, American,Gibraltarian and counting.

Most say the same things, the beauty of the  area and the welcome from the people, I think weve had four parties who now have properties around the region. 



Times have changed quickly since I first started out in Bulgaria, a new airport, loads of flights,upgrade roads and a leap into all the technologies available.
And the accession into the EU and affiliation with western europe which was slightly badly timed for the biggest banking crisis of modern times.

The thing that hasnt changed is the jaw dropping beauty and tranquility of the place, and the welcome from the people who make you feel part of the community. The Bulgarians are excellent neighbours and realise the importance of community, and very sociable people ready for an adventure.

They are very interested in why anybody would want to live in Bulgaria especially as we were the supposed rich western europeans but my neighbours at least know some of us are not. 

Bulgarians are very quiet educated people, love a discussion, however they dont have any faith in their leaders I would say across the board, they have a bit of work to do.


I was originally enticed by the property developing idea which Ive had some success with though was affected during and post 2008,  but its still a great place to invest in a holiday home or holiday letting business This is the kitchen living area. 









And one of three bedrooms  in the house which sleeps
6 -8 people.The renovation was a journey but the results were for me well worth it and was enjoyable. At the time I was only allowed a 3 month visa so went out worked 7 days a week then back home, being freelance helped me fit it all together.







The main fuel everybody uses is wood and preparing for the winter is important as it gets really cold well into sub zero temperatures. Below -20 degrees is not uncommon.
The summers are really nice and can get quite hot, although the altitude means that evenings are not too uncomfortable.















Buggy Expeditions




New to our activities and an optional extra for the rental of The Villa is Buggy Expeditions.The buggys are fun and easy to drive, road registered and can be used to explore tha many mountain tracks around the Villa......or just go to the shops. You will need an initial accompanied trip out to make sure you are safe and get accustomed to the buggy, when you are happy with the technical bits and pieces you can explore the area unaccompanied.


Below is our guide Miroslav and son



We currently have 4 buggies which are two person buggies , for the more difficult heavy duty routes we recommend that only one adult and a child rides on the bugs.
We can organise half or full day excursions with picnics or stops at watering holes and cafes. You will get much more out of a trip with a guide as the routes are often hidden away.






The Fleet, Miroslav also hires out Quad bikes for those who prefer that kind of vehicle

for more info email nickob55@hotmail.com.

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