Autoshite International HQ has been achieved

[Junkman]

Besides, I'm tempted to do it with the Mobylette.

[Bucketeer]

John F - In an around the cities and more tourist focussed areas most people speak and undrerstand English very well. Out in the villages and countryside, less so. Most signs in the resorts will be in Bulgarian and English. You've got a great headstart being able to read the alphabet, it's surprising how many words, once deciphered, are recognisable from English, French or German. For the younger generation English is the second language but for a lot of the older generation it's German and Russian.

They've been building a motorway from Sofia to Bansko to improve transport links, I think it may be completed now but I'm not certain. It was due to be finished this century anyway.

[Sealtainn]

Been clearing the trees outside the house, still got a fair few to go though

 

Sent from my E2105 using Tapatalk

[Essex V6]

I wonder how many countries shiters are in now?

[John F]

Good stuff Bucketeer, I'd probably manage OK then.

 

UK, ROI, France, Germany, Norway, Bulgaria, Thailand, OZ, NZ, USA, Canada.

That's all I can think of.

 

Also Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden.

[Sealtainn]

Found some great miniature chod in VT, will try and get more before coming home. Many more in the series, they are about £7 each

 

Sent from my E2105 using Tapatalk

[Guest Hooli]

Chodtastic.

 

Romania is on our to-do list. For all the obvious Dracula stuff mostly.

[Supernaut]

Who's that falling over in the last photo?

[Sealtainn]

That's my son, James. Couldn't have timed the photo better if I'd tried

 

Sent from my E2105 using Tapatalk

[Sealtainn]

Cleared access to the side gate so now have secondary vehicle access

 

Sent from my E2105 using Tapatalk

[eddyramrod]

Will the Big-Bird Bus fit through that?

 

Edited to add: bring back as many of those Lada models as you can, a virtual stall on here should clear you out!

[vulgalour]

You know it's a shiter residence when vehicle access is the primary concern.

[Sealtainn]

Car of the Day on Bulgarian Autotrader is........

 

Sent from my E2105 using Tapatalk

[purplebargeken]

You are both living the dream. I thought our bit of France was rural but where you are makes it look like London.

 

If I wore a hat it would be doffed. Repeatedly. Much envy.

[beko1987]

Yea but their probably like fiestas or corsa over there, cant move for Renault 20s!

[purplebargeken]

Can I ask a very rude question? How much £ was the holiday house?

 

Please tell me to sod off and mind own business if required.

[Sealtainn]

Not at all Ken, Inc agency fees, transfer of utilities etc it came to £5,750

 

Sent from my E2105 using Tapatalk

[purplebargeken]

I'm sorry? £5,750???? For the house and everything?

[purplebargeken]

As in bought, not rented for the year?

[TataBobu]

Yes, sounds about a fair price, even for the seller. I imagine he/she was happy.

In this neck of the woods (Ro/ Bg, it's the same) it matters more to be close to a big city, to have fast access to "civilization" than it matters to have enough space.

For instance, this is what 5000 euros would get you in Romania right now:

 

http://www.olx.ro/oferta/vand-casa-in-comuna-giurgita-dolj-ID3KCsS.html#2179bcdd88

 

That's for both houses you see in the photos, and 1000 square meters. The catch is the village is 40 kilometers away from the outskirts of the nearest big city, on narrow roads that look like this: https://www.google.com/maps/@44.0755595,23.7008219,3a,75y,50.04h,85.7t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s0A89chPeKsI_NY5fBopfig!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

If you get close to Bucuresti, the price stiffens a lot. You wouldn't find anything below 20 thousand euros, and I imagine it's pretty much the same on a 10 miles radius around Sofia.

[Sealtainn]

Yes for everything, house, barns and land bought outright. Everyone wants to be close to the cities. The parents have houses like this, the kids move to the cities, the parents pass on and the kids just want the house sold. Everything else is cheap too as the average wage here works out at £400-£450 a month. Loaf of bread 25p, 20 Marlboro £2.40, 5ft fridge/freezer £175, wheelbarrow £15, getting a chap round to plumb your washing machine £9 etc

 

Sent from my E2105 using Tapatalk

[beko1987]

So if you built up a £250/500k sterling nest egg, then moved over there you would be a very rich man...

 

I don't often get outright jealous, but I'm feeling green right now...

 

What's the general quality of life over there? As in is it a bug culture/standard of living difference? Do they have flushing toilets etc?

[Bucketeer]

When I was in Varna for the summer a couple of years ago I met some English students on holiday. I asked them why they had chosen Bulgaria and they said that they'd never considered coming here until typing 'cheapest beer in Europe' into Google. Decision made.

I think you're being a bit optimistic with the average wage, the figures from two years ago were just over 600 Leva/£250 per month. That's still a heck of a lot more than I get.

The most expensive place to live in BG (that isn't a horrible tacky holiday resort) is the centre of VT. My ex's house that I used to live at was 90,000 Euro and you can buy in villages 15km out of town from 2,000 Euro.

[Sealtainn]

Sorry my mistake, I meant to put Leva not £. Most of the village properties have an outdoor compost toilet. Some houses have a septic tank but not many. Quality of life is good if you like it quiet. Neighbours help each other out and it's common to gift to your neighbours but of stuff you grow that they don't. We give them grapes and we get tomatos, cucumbers and corn on the cob in return.

 

Sent from my E2105 using Tapatalk

[purplebargeken]

Fuck. Me.

 

I could dig that big style! It seriously so reminds me of rural France. Same ethos really. 

 

I'd be over there next week if I were single. And therein lies the difficulty

 

That is lovely. Stuff the cities!

[320touring]

looks up Bulgarian properties!

 

what is the scriptons with getting over/back post brexit shenanigans

[taxi paul]

Bet the kids love it. Good stuff.

[AMC Rebel]

That's fantastic.  Seconded about the Ethos being similar to Rural France - my Stepdad grows stuff in the garden, and the neighbour and him swap produce.  Costs are a bit more substantial though.  Similar situation re:work though - youngsters have to leave and got to Paris or London to get a job so only the oldies are left in their area (and tourists in the summer).

[Sealtainn]

Getting over and back at the moment is no problem and it seems the only difference post EU would be queueing at the Non-EU gate at the border crossings.

 

Sent from my E2105 using Tapatalk

[beko1987]

Did you have to bin off all your appliances? Or is the voltage the same? Did the Grenada behave itself on the drive over after the eye watering amount you spent on it?