There are a few questions l would like to ask. :Smile8:
1/What are the weather conditions like in the south East of Bulgaria to the North.
2/ls the quality of living in the south just the same as in the north.And is the cost of living the same.
3/Would it be more suitable to settle in the south..For example:Maybe there are more English,more of a suitable infrastructure,and more dog friendly.
4/How do the locals view dogs in the community.Are they aggressive towards the dogs,do they use any kind of inhumane methods to control the dog population,and how do they view foreigner's in the area.

l think that's about it.But l just want to get a picture of what l am getting myself into.
lt would be great to hear from other people that have settled in their choice of area to tell all about the advantages and the disadvantages living in Bulgaria.

l was thinking of a village called Mamarchevo[l think that's how you spell it]

snail wrote:

There are a few questions l would like to ask. :Smile8:
1/What are the weather conditions like in the south East of Bulgaria to the North.

I would say the weather is the south is better than the north which can be said for most of the world?

2/ls the quality of living in the south just the same as in the north.And is the cost of living the same.

The quality of life is what you make it, and the cost of living depends on how you want to live? but I would say there isn't much difference from a basic point of view?

3/Would it be more suitable to settle in the south..For example:Maybe there are more English,more of a suitable infrastructure,and more dog friendly.

There is a large community of English in for example in and around Yambol just as there is in some parts of the north , the infrastructure is changing all the time so I can't answer that one, Bulgarians see their dogs as guard dogs and nothing more very few see them as pets?

4/How do the locals view dogs in the community.Are they aggressive to-wards the dogs,do they use any kind of inhumane methods to control the dog population,and how do they view foreigner's in the area.

I don't think that Bulgarians have any respect for dogs but there maybe be the odd few that do? I have never seen anything inhumane but they do not treat dogs as we do? as far as I know they do not try to control the dog population at all? I have always found the Bulgarians I came in to contact with very friendly and very helpful with no problems at all, I do believe its sometimes a case of how you treat them?

l think that's about it.But l just want to get a picture of what l am getting myself into.
It would be great to hear from other people that have settled in their choice of area to tell all about the advantages and the disadvantages living in Bulgaria.

l was thinking of a village called Mamarchevo[l think that's how you spell it]

Some information about Mamarchevo

The village of Mamarchevo (Yambol District) is located in South-East Bulgaria and is included in Municipality Bolyarovo. It is gently nested in north-western parts of Strandja mountain, 20km away from town of Elhovo, 80 km away from the sea side city of Burgas and 55km away from town of Yambol. Mamarchevo is one of the villages with mainly gypsy population in Bulgaria. Not far from Mamarchevo is situated the big artificial lake "
Malko Sharkovo"
(near the village Malko Sharkovo) suitable for fishing and water sports. The village of Stefan Karadzhovo famous for its healing mineral springs is within a short distance driving away.

Quick facts
In Bulgarian Alphabets: Мамарчево
Location: South-East Bulgaria
Distance to capital city: 291.44 km from Sofia
Province: Yambol District
Municipality: Bolyarovo Municipality
Area size of Village of Mamarchevo: 36.541km2
Population of Village of Mamarchevo: 427 inhabitants
Post code (ZIP) of Village of Mamarchevo: 8743
Phone code of Village of Mamarchevo: 04743 from Bulgaria, 003594743 from outside

Hope this helps but I'm sure others will help you more than I can.

nice post Netsniperthefirst.

snail wrote:

1/What are the weather conditions like in the south East of Bulgaria to the North.
2/ls the quality of living in the south just the same as in the north.And is the cost of living the same.
3/Would it be more suitable to settle in the south..For example:Maybe there are more English,more of a suitable infrastructure,and more dog friendly.
4/How do the locals view dogs in the community.Are they aggressive towards the dogs,do they use any kind of inhumane methods to control the dog population,and how do they view foreigner's in the area.

l think that's about it.But l just want to get a picture of what l am getting myself into.
lt would be great to hear from other people that have settled in their choice of area to tell all about the advantages and the disadvantages living in Bulgaria.

1/ Winter is very cold you would need a good heating system. Summer is really hot you would need aircon. Two distinct extremes.

2/ Cost of living is basically down to you. It is cheaper than the UK but you pays for what you get. You can supplement what you buy with what you grow.

3/4. Hard to answer that. We found some Brits a complete pain in the a**e. Loud over zealous etc etc. You will need to make a Bulgarian friend or 2. Then you will settle a lot easier. Dogs, no Bulgarians are not very tolerant of dogs and they usually chained up and/or used as guards. Not the same pet culture as the UK. well that is in the Villages. In the large towns it is somewhat different. But you will see the strays walking around.

Brits in BG you will be starred at for a while and even after being here for 3 tears we hear the Bulgarians say 'they are anglichans' as we pass. But generally you would be accepted and welcomed. But it is up to you to blend in. If you make a point of showing off then they will treat you accordingly. In the Bolyarsko area there are a few Brits some are very nice. We know a few personally and they are friendly and not over bearing like some we could mention in other places.

Finally. BG is a place you either love or hate. The advantages in my opinion is that you know where you are with the seasons and most people are lovely always have time for you, and are willing to help you. Disadvantage you will get caught at first, so this is where a BG friend is important. Roads are a nightmare so don't drive at night. You must have a fairly decent car.

Hope this helps.

Tony

another thing to take into consideration .... re your "
point 2"
....the cost of living is considerable cheaper ,inland as opposed to the coast.....or a very large town

varnagirl wrote:

another thing to take into consideration .... re your "
point 2"
....the cost of living is considerable cheaper ,inland as opposed to the coast.....or a very large town

Good point

Coast V's inland. Yes its cheaper.

But a bit like living in London as opposed to elsewhere really.

Same applies here inland poor wages Sofia and the coast better wages.

So!,what your saying is the standard living wages sets the cost of living in that area.Do the locals look at the foreigners as cash cows to alter the price higher when they see a foreigner coming to buy.
Because here in Turkey is common practice to exploit the foreigner with a 2 tier system as one for the Turkish and one for the foreigner's.This is blatant discrimination on a grand scale.The proof is in the voice paper about a year ago with a investigator acting as a foreigner and has found many establishments were altering their prices when the foreigners are around to buy.lt is terrible here in Turkey,which they deny ever takes place.
Does this happen in Bulgaria in the inland villages as well as the coastal regoins where the tourists hang out.
lf this does happen and the business was caught with a different price system that is against the E.U regulations.Then what are the chances of taking the guilty to court to recieve compensation.

From my personal experience I have never paid anymore than a Bulgarian for whatever I have purchased town or village, I'm not saying it doesn't happen? but not to me, I do believe it would happen if I bought a property directly from a Bulgarian but that when you really do need a good honest Bulgarian friend

The answer is yes.

Court case don't waste your time.

Keep your wits about you, take a Bulgarian with you until you are known .

Always ask for a smetka (Bill) &
check the price on the ticket is the price you pay. When in bars and Restaurants check your change as they round the bill up. But that is more in the coastal areas. Compare the English menu to a Bulgarian one if you doubt the prices.

Things have changed of late due to a new law with regard to taxation. All shops must now give a receipt. Taxi's are the worst but mainly in Sofia and Varna. But even they are being caught out. Airport taxis have caught me but that was mainly in Sofia.

Good luck.

bulgaria is a country undergoing mass change, from communism to capitalism, all the western ideals, village life will become a thing of the past here , the young are moving out and moving to the cities or abroad, for a better life, if it is a better life. depends what you want really. it offers a quiet rural beautiful life of scenery unspoilt unlike the uk. work is sparse and unreliable, but for the retired offers peace and a quiet lifestyle enjoying the past rural lifestyle but with mod cons still, like computers, electric and ontap water. bills are cheaper here, food, fully comp insurance is very expensive, way above the uk, but on balance not much different. depends what you want. bulgaria has a better climate, 4 seasons but too extremes. very hot summers very cold winters, very cold. your choice really, live frugal and grow everything or take the best bits, dont really matter which part of bulgaria you live, you will meet the same decisions. good searching.

Moving to a different country is something that really should be experienced by everyone at some point in their life. There is a whole world out there and moving within the EU is so easy now that you can move to an apartment somewhere new and move back without any problems.

But what’s it like to live in Bulgaria? Well, great so far! although I don't live there full time yet.
Your motivation for moving shouldn't be that you hate England or whever it is you are. We actually started the process of buying a property but unfortunately the deal fell through. Then we realised that for the same amount of money that we were going to use as a deposit on a small semi-detached house we could buy a detached house with a big plot of land in rural Bulgaria with no mortgage, lower utility bills and in our opinion a better quality of life.

There are of course downsides! If you do choose to live in Bulgaria or any other country that isn’t your home , the chances are you will be leaving friends and family behind so the decision to move is not one to be taken lightly. If you can’t stand your family then maybe it’s a good idea to move abroad.

Not only will you be leaving your friends behind but you may also find it hard to make new ones when you arrive. If you move to a community of Brits then you will have no problems with making friends but if you move to a rural area without speaking the language then it will be harder. Everyone we have met has been very welcoming so we are working hard at being able to communicate better.

Another thing to think about is cash If youre retiring to Bulgaria then hopefully you have a pension and something tucked away. If you are moving to Bulgaria with a job, what’s going to happen if you lose it? Are you going to be able to find alternative work? The sensible thing to do is work out how much you’re going to spend each month and set aside an emergency fund .

There are all the things you normally need to think about when you’re moving to a new area as well. Schools, shops, traffic etc, and I’m sure there are lots of other things I’ve forgotten !