Monday, 20 September 2010
Domingo update
The latest news from Balchik Council is that the concert will be next year.When further information is available it will be posted here.
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Summer slowly ebbs away
Things are starting to wind down here.The seaon for tourists is coming to an end and the resorts are emptying.Those people who head to the coast for their annual vacation are now back at their desks and the holiday home owners are returning to winter in their countries of origin.
This time of year is always strange as it gets perceptibly quieter, I suppose its a sort of 'the party is over' feeling but it is also nice to get back to something approaching normality.Unfortunately 'normality' also involves a bloody freezing winter, and a period of massive snowfall.
Priority number one now is to get some logs in for my kamina (wood burning fire) which, with its duct work, comfortably heats the lounge and my bedroom.The ductwork is the pipework that takes the smoke from the fire into the chimney stack it rises a metre up and then over two metres across into the stack.I must admit it is nice to have a roaring fire, but it has to be cleaned out and re-lit each day and constantly stacked up.Very few places in Bulgaria have mains gas, and only a few cities have this luxury.The alternative is electric heating but the bills are huge.Air-conditioning units can be useful but they need to be A rated ones and the sturdier ones as the winter temperatures are so extreme that cheaper units cannot convert very cold air into warm easily and can burn out.
I will need probably 8m3 of wood to last all winter, its an enormous amount when you see it delivered and costs about 200 GBP.
This time of year is always strange as it gets perceptibly quieter, I suppose its a sort of 'the party is over' feeling but it is also nice to get back to something approaching normality.Unfortunately 'normality' also involves a bloody freezing winter, and a period of massive snowfall.
Priority number one now is to get some logs in for my kamina (wood burning fire) which, with its duct work, comfortably heats the lounge and my bedroom.The ductwork is the pipework that takes the smoke from the fire into the chimney stack it rises a metre up and then over two metres across into the stack.I must admit it is nice to have a roaring fire, but it has to be cleaned out and re-lit each day and constantly stacked up.Very few places in Bulgaria have mains gas, and only a few cities have this luxury.The alternative is electric heating but the bills are huge.Air-conditioning units can be useful but they need to be A rated ones and the sturdier ones as the winter temperatures are so extreme that cheaper units cannot convert very cold air into warm easily and can burn out.
I will need probably 8m3 of wood to last all winter, its an enormous amount when you see it delivered and costs about 200 GBP.
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
Website News
Periodically I post information about my business website (www.gobg.co.uk), today I am updating about services we offer to clients.
We provide a fully comprehensive service to our clients, not only selling property but also new builds and general maintenance.We offer airport pick ups, and settling in services such as buying furniture etc.
A property management service is also available ie cleaning,pool maintenance,paying bills,gardening.
If you have any particular needs e mail me at info@gobg.co.uk or just visit the website by clicking the banner heading.
We provide a fully comprehensive service to our clients, not only selling property but also new builds and general maintenance.We offer airport pick ups, and settling in services such as buying furniture etc.
A property management service is also available ie cleaning,pool maintenance,paying bills,gardening.
If you have any particular needs e mail me at info@gobg.co.uk or just visit the website by clicking the banner heading.
To Placido or not Placido..that is the question
Readers may recall that I posted the exciting news that Placido Domingo was to sing in Balchik on 4th September, one big problem..it never happened.I think this can be filed away with the Formula 1 racetrack near Sofia and Johnny Depp in Burgas, all absolute nonsense dreamed up to get publicity in the August 'silly season'.
The problem is that people will stop believing what the powers that be actually say.When I heard about the Domingo booking I immediately wondered how they could seat 3000 people in the botanical gardens, it is a large site but undulates wildly (ie its hilly).
The lesson from this is that one should exercise a high degree of solipsism, in other words 'believe it when you see it'.
The problem is that people will stop believing what the powers that be actually say.When I heard about the Domingo booking I immediately wondered how they could seat 3000 people in the botanical gardens, it is a large site but undulates wildly (ie its hilly).
The lesson from this is that one should exercise a high degree of solipsism, in other words 'believe it when you see it'.
Snail like Progress in fighting crime
EU urges Bulgaria and Romania reforms to fight crime
Bulgaria's police and courts are under pressure to root out organised crime.
EU leaders say Bulgaria and Romania must take urgent action to tackle crime and corruption - areas in which they are failing to meet EU standards.
EU foreign ministers said Bulgaria must strengthen the transparency and accountability of its courts and impose tougher penalties for organised crime.Major shortcomings were also found in Romania's judiciary and the EU voiced concern about conflicts of interest among government officials.
Both countries joined the EU in 2007.
The European Commission set up a Co-operation and Verification Mechanism just for Bulgaria and Romania because the EU judged that they needed to do more in the areas of judicial reform, combating corruption and - for Bulgaria - organised crime.
Pressure has increased for them to speed up the reforms because they both want to join the Schengen zone next year - the area of passport-free travel for EU citizens, which covers most of the EU.
In 2008 the Commission suspended about 500m euros (£413m) of aid to Bulgaria, saying it must do more to fight corruption and organised crime.'A matter of urgency' At their meeting in Brussels on Monday, the EU ministers praised Bulgaria for having stepped up penal reforms and indictments for high-level corruption and organised crime.
But they complained of "important deficiencies" in court procedures and inadequate judicial follow-up of organised crime cases, recommending the use of dissuasive sanctions and asset forfeiture.
In Romania, they said new legal codes set to take effect in October 2011 "will provide an important opportunity for a thorough reform of the Romanian judicial system".
But the EU statement said "little effective progress has been achieved as regards the efficiency of the judicial process, consistency of jurisprudence and the accountability of the judiciary".
"Human resources remain a major challenge. A co-ordinated anti-corruption policy across the different sectors of government is missing. Substantial improvements are required in the field of conflict of interest" in Romania, it said.
"The [ministerial] Council encourages Bulgaria and Romania to intensify their reform efforts as a matter of urgency," the statement said.
Uncles Comment : The fact remains that not one major organised crime figure has been convicted and served a sentence of any length.Often the judiciary blames the largely untrained police force for not reaching a convincing standard of evidence, the police on the other hand blame the judges for being too weak (the implication of corruption is always in the background).Often an accused individual can delay their court appearance by simply sending in a sick certificate !.
The only people who do get convicted are the comparative minnows, who seem to be offered up to the Bulgarian public as some sort of sacrificial lamb.
Monday, 6 September 2010
Great English Language website
For those of you bored with the TV output from Bulsat and ITV Partner, here is a great website with tv programmes and the latest films. It's free and high quality.Just click the headline of this post its www.veetle.com
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Any spare cash ?
Thousands of Roma families from across Bulgaria gathered for the traditional bride market, with bids of up to 50 000 leva (about 25 000 euro) from would-be grooms, Bulgarian National Television reported.
Negotiations were held at a church near Bachkovo Monastery, in central Bulgaria about 10km from Assenovgrad – the latter town, coincidentally, formerly held sway as the centre of wedding dress-making in Bulgaria.
High prices were demanded, and offered, in spite of the financial crisis that has severely hit Bulgaria.
One man, identified only as Sergei in the report, said that he had offered 40 000 leva for the bride he wanted. He said that prices depended on the beauty of the bride, whether she was hard-working and on her skills.
The bride-to-be said that she was happy with the transaction "because I love him".
The bride’s grandfather, Mitko, said that prices of brides only went up over the years, never down.
However, some young men went away empty-handed this year, because they could not afford the prices demanded during haggling. They would have to wait until this time next year, for love and better and financial times, the report said.
Kolyo, a bachelor from Chirpan, said that prices averaged 20 000 to 25 000 leva, often higher, in spite of the economic crisis.
Prices were about 10 to 15 per cent higher than in 2009.
"Brides are getting more expensive?" the television reporter asked him.
"Yes, like gas prices," Kolyo said.
Negotiations were held at a church near Bachkovo Monastery, in central Bulgaria about 10km from Assenovgrad – the latter town, coincidentally, formerly held sway as the centre of wedding dress-making in Bulgaria.
High prices were demanded, and offered, in spite of the financial crisis that has severely hit Bulgaria.
One man, identified only as Sergei in the report, said that he had offered 40 000 leva for the bride he wanted. He said that prices depended on the beauty of the bride, whether she was hard-working and on her skills.
The bride-to-be said that she was happy with the transaction "because I love him".
The bride’s grandfather, Mitko, said that prices of brides only went up over the years, never down.
However, some young men went away empty-handed this year, because they could not afford the prices demanded during haggling. They would have to wait until this time next year, for love and better and financial times, the report said.
Kolyo, a bachelor from Chirpan, said that prices averaged 20 000 to 25 000 leva, often higher, in spite of the economic crisis.
Prices were about 10 to 15 per cent higher than in 2009.
"Brides are getting more expensive?" the television reporter asked him.
"Yes, like gas prices," Kolyo said.
great news for taxi passengers
Bulgaria’s Cabinet has tabled in Parliament amendments to the Carriage by Road Act that would empower municipalities to set limits on taxi tariffs, in a move intended to end abuses in the industry – but the move already has been opposed by the Commission on the Protection of Competition and some in the taxi industry, who have threatened to blockade Sofia’s streets if the legislation is approved.
Exorbitant tariffs charged by some taxi firms and drivers have been the subject of numerous complaints over the years, especially among foreigners and expatriates in Bulgaria, although it is not only non-Bulgarian-speakers who fall prey to cheating by copycat companies and unscrupulous drivers who charge excessive fees or use special devices to inflate fares.
There have been moves from authorities and from some major players in the industry against abuses, including a raid by police and tax authorities in early summer 2010 against "pirate" taxis in Plovdiv, and court actions by large companies such as OK Supertrans against rivals who mislead passengers by mimicking the names and logos of reputable companies.
At the beginning of August 2010, Bulgarian National Television (BNT) reported that some drivers continued to use "pumps" to manipulate their taxi meters.
BNT interviewed a taxi firm executive, Iliya Vassilev, who said drivers in some companies were using "pumps" that were operated by various means, sending electronic pulses to taxi meters in various ways, including a remote control device in the driver’s pocket, or buttons linked to the volume button on radios or music players or electronic windows.
"Maybe some passengers will have noticed how drivers turn up the volume on music, or open and close windows," Vassilev said.
Such pumps were usually difficult to find, inspectors said, because the mechanisms customarily were concealed deep in the electronics of the car.
Nikola Chavdarov, of the inspectorate in Sofia, said that inspectors did not have the legal right to dismantle a taxi’s dashboard, for instance. "It (a pump) can be hidden anywhere," he said.
Even if passengers complain about inflated tariffs, inspectors might not arrive in time to prevent the driver removing such apparatuses, BNT said.
However, taxi companies said that they usually took matters into their own hands, fining drivers who were the subjects of complaints. "A good image among customers is directly linked to their profits," according to the BNT report.
Companies said that they routinely fined drivers, including one case of a driver who regularly had been fined about 200 leva a week. However, when asked to show documentation of these fines, the firms said that these were confidential.
Travelling with an odometer, a BNT reporter found some discrepancies between the mileages recorded by taxi meters and the distances recorded by the odometer. While sometimes the distances matched, in other cases there were differences of about 30 per cent.
In July, Sofia’s deputy mayor in charge of transport, Lyubomir Hristov, said that the municipality intended to introduce ceilings on the amounts that taxi companies would be allowed to charge customers.
Any limits would be put in place with the consent of the major taxi companies in Sofia, he said.
The amendments envision price limits being imposed by the local authorities, who also licence cab companies, and would have to be updated at least once a year or at the request of the Transport Minister.
Hristov said that the price would be determined using a formula that would include vehicle ammortisation, an average weighted price of fuel and even the driver's salary. Sofia municipality was already working on drafting several such formulas that could be presented to taxi companies as soon as Parliament approved the amendments, he said.
According to city hall statistics, about 5000 cabs in Sofia had valid licences. The amendments envision fines of 3000 leva for taxis charging more than the ceiling imposed by the local authorities.
In June, the country's competition watchdog rejected the Transport Ministry's proposal on cab price caps, saying that it would only serve as an excuse for taxi companies to institute a price cartel, stifling competition and innovation.
"Putting a maximum price ceiling on the taxi service would mean that all parties affected would create a cartel among themselves and establish prices which are close to the preceding ones," Dnevnik quoted a spokesperson of the Commission for the Protection of Competition as saying.
The report said that the Transport Ministry had requested the opinion of the commission on the matter, and in turn, the commission said that that they "understand the social aspect of implementing such a measure, but that it would be against established European practices".
"This would negate the initiative from the companies. It will deter them from improving the diversity of their services, and the quality of service," the commission said.
Bulgarian-language media reports on September 1 2010 said that taxi companies had said that if Parliament approved the proposed amendments, they would blockade Sofia.
Exorbitant tariffs charged by some taxi firms and drivers have been the subject of numerous complaints over the years, especially among foreigners and expatriates in Bulgaria, although it is not only non-Bulgarian-speakers who fall prey to cheating by copycat companies and unscrupulous drivers who charge excessive fees or use special devices to inflate fares.
There have been moves from authorities and from some major players in the industry against abuses, including a raid by police and tax authorities in early summer 2010 against "pirate" taxis in Plovdiv, and court actions by large companies such as OK Supertrans against rivals who mislead passengers by mimicking the names and logos of reputable companies.
At the beginning of August 2010, Bulgarian National Television (BNT) reported that some drivers continued to use "pumps" to manipulate their taxi meters.
BNT interviewed a taxi firm executive, Iliya Vassilev, who said drivers in some companies were using "pumps" that were operated by various means, sending electronic pulses to taxi meters in various ways, including a remote control device in the driver’s pocket, or buttons linked to the volume button on radios or music players or electronic windows.
"Maybe some passengers will have noticed how drivers turn up the volume on music, or open and close windows," Vassilev said.
Such pumps were usually difficult to find, inspectors said, because the mechanisms customarily were concealed deep in the electronics of the car.
Nikola Chavdarov, of the inspectorate in Sofia, said that inspectors did not have the legal right to dismantle a taxi’s dashboard, for instance. "It (a pump) can be hidden anywhere," he said.
Even if passengers complain about inflated tariffs, inspectors might not arrive in time to prevent the driver removing such apparatuses, BNT said.
However, taxi companies said that they usually took matters into their own hands, fining drivers who were the subjects of complaints. "A good image among customers is directly linked to their profits," according to the BNT report.
Companies said that they routinely fined drivers, including one case of a driver who regularly had been fined about 200 leva a week. However, when asked to show documentation of these fines, the firms said that these were confidential.
Travelling with an odometer, a BNT reporter found some discrepancies between the mileages recorded by taxi meters and the distances recorded by the odometer. While sometimes the distances matched, in other cases there were differences of about 30 per cent.
In July, Sofia’s deputy mayor in charge of transport, Lyubomir Hristov, said that the municipality intended to introduce ceilings on the amounts that taxi companies would be allowed to charge customers.
Any limits would be put in place with the consent of the major taxi companies in Sofia, he said.
The amendments envision price limits being imposed by the local authorities, who also licence cab companies, and would have to be updated at least once a year or at the request of the Transport Minister.
Hristov said that the price would be determined using a formula that would include vehicle ammortisation, an average weighted price of fuel and even the driver's salary. Sofia municipality was already working on drafting several such formulas that could be presented to taxi companies as soon as Parliament approved the amendments, he said.
According to city hall statistics, about 5000 cabs in Sofia had valid licences. The amendments envision fines of 3000 leva for taxis charging more than the ceiling imposed by the local authorities.
In June, the country's competition watchdog rejected the Transport Ministry's proposal on cab price caps, saying that it would only serve as an excuse for taxi companies to institute a price cartel, stifling competition and innovation.
"Putting a maximum price ceiling on the taxi service would mean that all parties affected would create a cartel among themselves and establish prices which are close to the preceding ones," Dnevnik quoted a spokesperson of the Commission for the Protection of Competition as saying.
The report said that the Transport Ministry had requested the opinion of the commission on the matter, and in turn, the commission said that that they "understand the social aspect of implementing such a measure, but that it would be against established European practices".
"This would negate the initiative from the companies. It will deter them from improving the diversity of their services, and the quality of service," the commission said.
Bulgarian-language media reports on September 1 2010 said that taxi companies had said that if Parliament approved the proposed amendments, they would blockade Sofia.
Blogsite
As regular readers of this blog will realise, it has always been my intention that this site would be interesting,informative and quirky.It covers a range from satirical to serious politics.I must be doing something right as we have had nearly 800 readers since I put the visitor counter on.My estimate is that, from the beginning, over 2500 people have looked at Uncle Bulgaria's musings.
Thanks to regular readers, and please dont be afraid to contribute, my idea has always been to get a dialogue going with my readers.Please keep visiting and enjoy !.Any suggestions or requests for info/articles are very welcome.
Thanks to regular readers, and please dont be afraid to contribute, my idea has always been to get a dialogue going with my readers.Please keep visiting and enjoy !.Any suggestions or requests for info/articles are very welcome.
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
World Testicle Cooking Competition in Serbia
Yes readers you are really reading that title !.They cook only the testicles of various animals in various sauces and garnishes. Testicles, particularly of bulls, are a great delicacy in the Balkans.People from all over Europe attended.Speaking for myself I will be giving it a miss !.
Sunday, 29 August 2010
A Day at the Races
I spent a thoroughly enjoyable day at the racetrack at Strajitsa near Balchik yesterday.It was a very pleasant surprise as it was my first visit.
Entrance was one lev and there were bars serving beer,soft drink and food.The course was run down but had a certain charm and the racing was professional with proper starting stalls,thoroughbred horses and jockeys in silks.
The stands afforded a good view of the six races which started at 4pm and finished at 6.30.All races were on the flat ranging from 5 furlongs to 1.3 miles.The biggest prize of the day was a whopping 4000 leva.A complimentary racecard was provided with the entrance fee.
All in all a great day out.Contact me for directions etc if anyone wants to go.
Sunday, 22 August 2010
Comeuppance for property journo's ?
As many will be aware one of the cushiest jobs (apart from food critic), is property journalist.In this role you get to jet all round the world, stay in nice hotels and generally have a jolly nice time all at the developers expense.
Now I hear word of rumblings from Ireland that local journalists are about to be sued for writing misleading articles about the Irish market, which investors claim led them to make bad investment choices.
Readers will know that,despite having a property business here in Bulgaria, I am candid about the market.
If people started suing the UK property supplements I think the queue would stretch for many miles !.
But I always wonder, who is the most to blame ?: journalists for writing unquestioning 'Wish you were here' type articles or people with more money than sense who merely followed their greed for a quick buck ?.
My mantra has always been that property is not some goldmine that is inexhaustable, it directly relates to the health of the general economy.If you want to buy a second home think of it as a holiday home, if it makes a profit that is a bonus.
Now I hear word of rumblings from Ireland that local journalists are about to be sued for writing misleading articles about the Irish market, which investors claim led them to make bad investment choices.
Readers will know that,despite having a property business here in Bulgaria, I am candid about the market.
If people started suing the UK property supplements I think the queue would stretch for many miles !.
But I always wonder, who is the most to blame ?: journalists for writing unquestioning 'Wish you were here' type articles or people with more money than sense who merely followed their greed for a quick buck ?.
My mantra has always been that property is not some goldmine that is inexhaustable, it directly relates to the health of the general economy.If you want to buy a second home think of it as a holiday home, if it makes a profit that is a bonus.
Friday, 20 August 2010
Coffee Time !
Starbucks' strange vernacular finally drove a customer nuts.
Lynne Rosenthal, a college English professor from Manhattan, said three cops forcibly ejected her from an Upper West Side Starbucks yesterday morning after she got into a dispute with a counterperson -- make that barista -- for refusing to place her order by the coffee chain's rules.
Rosenthal, who is in her early 60s, asked for a toasted multigrain bagel -- and became enraged when the barista at the franchise, on Columbus Avenue at 86th Street, followed up by inquiring, "Do you want butter or cheese?"
Prof rips schmear tactics. "I just wanted a multigrain bagel," Rosenthal told The Post. "I refused to say 'without butter or cheese.' When you go to Burger King, you don't have to list the six things you don't want.
"Linguistically, it's stupid, and I'm a stickler for correct English."
Rosenthal admitted she had run into trouble before for refusing to employ the chain's stilted lexicon -- balking at ordering a "tall" or a "venti" from the menu or specifying "no whip."
Instead, she insists on making a pest of herself by ordering a "small" or "large" cup of joe.
Yesterday's breakfast-bagel tussle heated up when the barista told the prickly prof that he wouldn't serve her unless she specified whether she wanted a schmear of butter or cheese -- or neither.
"I yelled, 'I want my multigrain bagel!' " Rosenthal said.
"The barista said, 'You're not going to get anything unless you say butter or cheese!' "
But Rosenthal, on principle, refused to back down.
"I didn't even want the bagel anymore," she said.
The bagel brouhaha escalated until the manager called cops, and responding officers ordered her to leave, threatening to arrest her if she went back inside, she said.
"It was very humiliating to be thrown out, and all I did was ask for a bagel," recalled Rosenthal, who said she holds a Ph.D. from Columbia.
"If you don't use their language, they refuse to serve you. They don't understand what a plain multigrain bagel is."
A Starbucks employee who witnessed the incident blamed Rosenthal.
"She would not answer. It was a reasonable question," the worker said.
"She called [the barista] an a- -hole."
An NYPD spokesman confirmed that officers were called to the coffee shop but said he was unaware of anyone being tossed out.
Uncle's Comment: Moral of the story, have a nice cup of tea !.
Lynne Rosenthal, a college English professor from Manhattan, said three cops forcibly ejected her from an Upper West Side Starbucks yesterday morning after she got into a dispute with a counterperson -- make that barista -- for refusing to place her order by the coffee chain's rules.
Rosenthal, who is in her early 60s, asked for a toasted multigrain bagel -- and became enraged when the barista at the franchise, on Columbus Avenue at 86th Street, followed up by inquiring, "Do you want butter or cheese?"
Prof rips schmear tactics.
"Linguistically, it's stupid, and I'm a stickler for correct English."
Rosenthal admitted she had run into trouble before for refusing to employ the chain's stilted lexicon -- balking at ordering a "tall" or a "venti" from the menu or specifying "no whip."
Instead, she insists on making a pest of herself by ordering a "small" or "large" cup of joe.
Yesterday's breakfast-bagel tussle heated up when the barista told the prickly prof that he wouldn't serve her unless she specified whether she wanted a schmear of butter or cheese -- or neither.
"I yelled, 'I want my multigrain bagel!' " Rosenthal said.
"The barista said, 'You're not going to get anything unless you say butter or cheese!' "
But Rosenthal, on principle, refused to back down.
"I didn't even want the bagel anymore," she said.
The bagel brouhaha escalated until the manager called cops, and responding officers ordered her to leave, threatening to arrest her if she went back inside, she said.
"It was very humiliating to be thrown out, and all I did was ask for a bagel," recalled Rosenthal, who said she holds a Ph.D. from Columbia.
"If you don't use their language, they refuse to serve you. They don't understand what a plain multigrain bagel is."
A Starbucks employee who witnessed the incident blamed Rosenthal.
"She would not answer. It was a reasonable question," the worker said.
"She called [the barista] an a- -hole."
An NYPD spokesman confirmed that officers were called to the coffee shop but said he was unaware of anyone being tossed out.
Uncle's Comment: Moral of the story, have a nice cup of tea !.
Australian election its all over !
Given the choice of two dead chickens, one with Gillard's face stuck on the carcass and the other with conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott's face, Harry snapped up Gillard.
The Abbott chicken carcass was left hanging at Crocosaurus Cove enclosure in the Darwin, local media reported.Election-eve opinion polls say Australia is evenly divided on who should win the election, with 10 percent of 1.4 million people undecided, raising the prospects of no outright winner and a hung parliament.
Harry, who weighs 720 kgs (1,590 lb) and is about 5 metres (16 ft) long, correctly picked Spain to win the soccer World Cup last month, just like Paul, the "psychic" octopus from a German aquarium who became a media star during the tournament.
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Sunny Beach News
BULGARIA'S SUNNY BEACH COMPLAINS OF IMAGE ATTACK
The owners of the biggest Bulgarian Black Sea resort Sunny Beach has claimed that there has been an intentional attack against the resort in the past few months.
The head of the Managing Board of the Union of Owners of Sunny Beach, Elena Ivanova, has announced that the most serious problems of Sunny Beach are the uncategorized tourist sites, the false exchange rates at the change bureaus and the unrealistically high rates of the taxis.
“The resort is doing very well and is going through a very busy season,” said Ivanova and added that the problems, covered by the media, are far-fetched.
Veselin Nablatanov, a member of the Union of Owners of Sunny Beach, has announced that the union has conducted their own investigation, which has showed that the wastewater treatment plant in the resort was not working for 2 weeks.
“All the streets are clogged with sewage,” he said.
Nablatanov has added that the Water Supply Company (ViK) has ordered the stopping of the pumps in Sunny Beach when it was announced that there will be electricity interruptions caused by breakdowns and problems in the electricity network.
However, a reporter check has established that there were no polluted streets in the complex.
The Executive Director of Sunny Beach PLC, Mariya Mihaleva, has announced that only the high temperatures in the recent days were causing the electricity interruptions.
“The problems in Sunny Beach are not new. There are no intentional campaigns or provocations,” said Malina Stratieva, a hotelier.
According to her, the problem is that the resort is overpopulated and all the beds are full, but the infrastructure was not estimated for such a large volume.
Uncle's View : Sunny Beach is an over-developed legoland of a resort.It has been built in a hurry, going from 27,000 to 300,000 bed spaces in just a few years.Absolutely no thought has been given to infrastructure and now they are paying the price.The power cuts have meant that some tourists simply went home.The only thing that saves this place is the lemming like UK tour operators, who have virtually abandoned the other northern resorts and use Sunny Beach exclusively.Perhaps after this summer they will think again !.
The owners of the biggest Bulgarian Black Sea resort Sunny Beach has claimed that there has been an intentional attack against the resort in the past few months.
The head of the Managing Board of the Union of Owners of Sunny Beach, Elena Ivanova, has announced that the most serious problems of Sunny Beach are the uncategorized tourist sites, the false exchange rates at the change bureaus and the unrealistically high rates of the taxis.
“The resort is doing very well and is going through a very busy season,” said Ivanova and added that the problems, covered by the media, are far-fetched.
Veselin Nablatanov, a member of the Union of Owners of Sunny Beach, has announced that the union has conducted their own investigation, which has showed that the wastewater treatment plant in the resort was not working for 2 weeks.
“All the streets are clogged with sewage,” he said.
Nablatanov has added that the Water Supply Company (ViK) has ordered the stopping of the pumps in Sunny Beach when it was announced that there will be electricity interruptions caused by breakdowns and problems in the electricity network.
However, a reporter check has established that there were no polluted streets in the complex.
The Executive Director of Sunny Beach PLC, Mariya Mihaleva, has announced that only the high temperatures in the recent days were causing the electricity interruptions.
“The problems in Sunny Beach are not new. There are no intentional campaigns or provocations,” said Malina Stratieva, a hotelier.
According to her, the problem is that the resort is overpopulated and all the beds are full, but the infrastructure was not estimated for such a large volume.
Uncle's View : Sunny Beach is an over-developed legoland of a resort.It has been built in a hurry, going from 27,000 to 300,000 bed spaces in just a few years.Absolutely no thought has been given to infrastructure and now they are paying the price.The power cuts have meant that some tourists simply went home.The only thing that saves this place is the lemming like UK tour operators, who have virtually abandoned the other northern resorts and use Sunny Beach exclusively.Perhaps after this summer they will think again !.
Monday, 16 August 2010
House Building in Topola
Friday, 13 August 2010
Sweat,Sweat, Sweat !
35C today and similar yesterday, that means over 40C outside the shade.With humidity near maximum that means you cannot sweat easily so really uncomfortable.I spent too long in the sun yesterday and got heatstroke which involved puking everywhere and diarrhoea.Not nice, but recovered by this morning, although trying to sleep in this weather is a nightmare.Luckily the mosquitoes aren't too bad this year, so windows can be open, I had the fan in the bedroom and seriously contemplating aircon, but unless you get the A ratings it's expensive.
Just having my morning coffee and its 23C at 8.30am (it was 25C at 7am yesterday !).It is difficult to imagine looking out the window and seeing 3/4ft of snow in 5 months time though !.
Still at this time of year thank god for the pool !.
Just having my morning coffee and its 23C at 8.30am (it was 25C at 7am yesterday !).It is difficult to imagine looking out the window and seeing 3/4ft of snow in 5 months time though !.
Still at this time of year thank god for the pool !.
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
My website house of the month
This is my property websites house of the month.It is newly renovated with three large bedrooms, a fitted kitchen, various outbuildings as well as a garage and a small shop (which is detached).A restaurant is located 70 metres away and the beach is 5 minutes in a car.Its great value at 70,000 Euro's.Click the headline of this post to see this and many other offers.
Minister in trouble !
Bulgaria’s Diaspora Minister Bozhidar Dimitrov has criticized Bulgarian women for entering churches in revealing clothes, after he has already been making headlines with controversial statements.
After the widely publicized discovery of the alleged relics of St. John the Baptist in Sozopol last week, the Diaspora Minister, who is also in charge of state policies on religions in Bulgaria, got into a conflict with leading archaeologists who felt insulted by his rebuttal of their criticism of the sensational nature of the find.
Speaking on Monday, he declined to apologize for his words directed against “envious archaeologists” and went even further with his controversial remarks by slamming the lack of religious culture among Bulgarians, and especially among the Bulgarian women, who he says enter churches almost naked.
“The Bulgarian women go to church in very revealing clothes, with only their nipples covered; compare them with the Russian women, of whom even the lowliest whore would put a headscarf on, and then enter a church,” Dimitrov commented at the end of last week. On Monday he elaborated his point:
“The clergymen who are listening to me now will confirm this: going to church requires some kind of a religious and human culture. There is no other place in the world where women are allowed in churches with clothes that leave their shoulders, legs, or bellies exposed. These days there are huge lines of people waiting to venerate the relics of St. John the Baptist laying in state in the St. George Church in Sozopol. You can identify the Russian women immediately – they all have headscarfs on and all wear dresses and clothes covering their entire bodies. I don’t say that all Bulgarian women enter a churchthe way I am about to describe but there have Bulgarian women in Sozopol who had come to see the relics straight from the beach – in revealing swimsuits, with only a towel tied around their waists. So this is how they come to see the holy relics. This is no good, damn it,” explained Dimitrov his indignation.
“Some people are now angry with me, and they want me to apologize to them. I am not going to apologize. When they put clothes on, then I will apologize. Nobody can say about me that I don’t love the Bulgarian women. I have shown that in past 60 years or so. I am always loved the Bulgarian women, and they have always loved me. But one must know when to take their clothes off and when to put clothes on,” the Diaspora Minister concluded.
Thursday, 5 August 2010
Ryanair to Plovdiv
RYANAIR STARTS REGULAR FLIGHTS FROM LONDON TO BULGARIA'S PLOVDIV
The world’s largest low-cost airline, the Irish company Ryanair, has announced the launching of a new route from London Stansted to the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv.
“Plovdiv is Bulgaria’s second largest city with a rich and varied history dating back 8,000 years. Plovdiv makes a great city break destination and is also within easy access of the ski resorts of Bansko and Pamporovo.” a spokesperson of Ryanair has said.
According to the marketing manager of Ryanair Laszlo Tamas, the new London Stansted-Plovdiv airline will draw about 30 000 passengers annually, whose number could go up to 200 000 by 2013.
The first flight of the new route will take place on November 2, 2010; the Ryanair flights from London Stansted to Plovdiv will be available twice a week.
Tamas said in the future Ryanair will increase the number of flights to Plovdiv, and will also consider the opening of lines from Bulgaria to Spain and Italy, where there are large numbers of Bulgarian immigrants.
The Plovdiv Airport, whose renovation in 2009 cost BGN 45 M, will prepare for meeting the Ryanair requirements in the months before November.
One-way Ryanair fares for Plovdiv will start from GBP 32.99 including taxes.
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