After a dozen years of searching over four continents we seem, at last, to have identified a place to live. It's not as if we knew nothing about it nor had we missed it on our travels, we've even looked at property there. Now we know, In the same way that the Algarve is not Portugal; the Black Sea is not Bulgaria. We've turned our backs on the coast and are now looking for that elusive location where the snow rarely falls, the temperature stays in double figures for at least six months of the year and holidaymakers are in another world, far from ours.
Looking for a home is not going to be easy as we write in Latin script, speak English and attempts at Bulgarian are unlikely to foster understanding. We don't plan to dive in head first so for a start my wife and I are seeking a rental for six months near Ivailovgrad. a choice is based on researched weather patterns but we can be convinced (with evidence) that there are other warm areas.
We only need two bedrooms but when we say fully furnished we are not thinking of beds made in the communist era. We prefer a house rather than an apartment and recognising there will be a few winter evenings where a warm fire, a bottle of wine and the British soaps are the order of the day a satellite TV is important.
From all we hear the internet speeds are stonking in Bulgaria but then we were told that about Portugal; people conveniently forget to mention that these high speeds can only be achieved when there is no hill between you and the mast. I'm tired of being told a dongle does the job - it doesn't.
We'll be renovating whichever property we buy but have no ambition to be admired by viewers of Grand Design for our pluck and tenacity for enduring a winter in a sixties caravan. We like out comforts and that's comfort Western European style. Although we are driving we don't want to haul linen and crockery across Europe so maybe what we need is a place whose owners are heading back west.
Doubtless our lack of backbone will be criticised, we will be urged to learn the language, warned that the paperwork is horrific and possible told we won't survive without a Bulgarian friend who speaks English - all in good time. For the moment what we really need is a knight on a white charger or even a self-sufficiency guru on a bike who knows just the house we want - house I said, not yurt or tipi and definitely not a villa with a pool.
Living the Dream
Welcome to Bulgaria.
Axinia
Fantastic introduction - welcome Worldlywanderer.
You are correct - the internet can be debatable in some places and dongles, well I won't go there. But the good news is things are improving and even some rural areas have broadband.
I can't offer any assistance on your choice of area but wish you well in your search. Self Sufficiency gurus are out there but most of us are too busy in our gardens or trying to recycle even more waste into usable items at this time of year 
Worldlywanderer : If your criteria is no snow and temperature in double digits you have not done your research very well! I have just arrived in BG and to be honest I am dreading the harsh winters and the longest skiing season in Europe. Have you no thought of Indonesia?!
I have many memories of Indonesia but couldn't really stand a constant diet of Baxo. There is, however, a valid comparison between Indonesia and Bulgaria. Indonesia offers a rich variety of climatic condition; not surprising when one considers the length of the country - around three and a half thousand miles. From the magic of a Christmas on Timor to the sweltering pre-monsoon climate of northern Borneo we loved it all - except the food (with the exception of the Baxo stalls and Chinese food courts}.
Hopefully, I have done my homework reasonably well, which is why we will be avoiding the Danubian plain and its freezing winds. It is also why we will avoid the Black Sea coast since that body of water is simply not large enough to give the usual winter benefits of living by the sea.
Perhaps I am hanging too much on the warm air streams which flow from the Mediterranean to provide a gentler climate in at least a couple of parts of southern Bulgaria but I'll take that chance. It seems to me that the twin precautions of avoiding high elevations and keeping to the south of the mountains may help us find our nirvana. If not, then I reckon I can handle one winter finding out - it can't be worse than the winds which blow from every direction including Siberia during an Edinburgh winter.
You say you have just arrived and you are dreading the winter; were you not aware of the climatic conditions before you decided to live in Bulgaria?
For the weather in Bulgaria go to Synoptik BG .
Axinia
Thanks for the suggestion; it's clearly a well kept secret as Google doesn'y recognise the name, where is it?
Today
sofia 30 , Burgas 31 , Yambol 33 , Veliko 31 , Lom 34
On 31 august
sofia 34 , Burgas 33 , Yambol 35 , Veliko 34 , Lom 39
It's the meteo site from Bulgaria , most of the time correct ! Here half march we started to work in our garden will in Sofia it was still snowing a lot ! Same than last year ! You will find out on Sinoptik !!
Have a nice day
I am in and around Sofia - for work - so probably won't be able to escape the cold. I had only been here twice before ( spring and summer) but I had heard of BGs famously extreme temperatures. As one member put it "proper summers and winters not the washy-washy ones you get in the rest of Europe". Personally I prefer washy-washy: maritime/Mediterranean any day .
But now it's summer and not too hot so far, so I'm happy.
Dober den worldlywanderer,
Did you find your "piece" of paradise in Ivailovdrad yet ? If so and if not to indiscrete, how well did you integrate your new community ?
Pozdravi from a rainy Belgium.... where the temperatures are under de doubble digits 8 months of the year...
We start our search next month - watch this space.
Hi,
getting a cheap and good property in a village area is not easy task usually. Using the popular bulgarian property websites, I managed to find only one house at the price of 400 euro per month which is not very cheap, but the house is nice(more like the villa with the pool image I have in mind). Let me know, if you are interested and I'll send you the details, but the best approach is to come to Bulgaria and make the search locally. I recommend to take an english speaking bulgarian with you to make things easier.
Good luck with your piece of paradise and let me know, if I can help further!
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