One Man in Europe

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.

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 change just as they did in Thailand, I think t

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 photos from

A chance remark whilst talking to my brother during a couple of months R&R in the UK after my trip to South Africa and here I am -  taking up residence in Varna, Bulgaria, right next to the Black Sea.  Following my usual path I shall be exploring the country by bus and train trying to bring a flavour of this, probably, most easterly member of the EU. Why here, why not?  Bulgaria offers a fascinating history bordered by Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and Romania it has been part of empires from the Roman to Ottoman to Communist alongside a rich folklore and varied countryside. You may or may not know that they use the crylic alphabet here which will add to the sense of adventure - lol as they say in the tweets.