The beginning of this story has to be September 2005. We had rented a villa in the Algarve (Portugal) which was absolutely marvelous, Whilst living to us what was the good life we talked about how good it would be to own one here, I guess there's no harm in asking, so we did, and, quickly decided this wasn`t going to happen for us, I don`t care how many adverts the lottery run about feeling lucky, I had afeeling we wouldn`t win,. Still no great loss, 2 weeks then back to work.

My eldest son and his girlfriend Danny were with us and she told us next year she was going back to Bulgaria for an holiday, having been there three times already. She told us about her holiday, the nights out, drinking, eating and the people. I sat quietly in the background, just asking questions now and again to clarify something. I knew after one hour that the future wasn`t Portugal, or even the UK, It was BG.

You may ask how, after one hour I could be so sure, Well I`ll tell you, I wasn`t,Didn't have enough information for starters, But being an optimist I knew if others could make this work so could I.

So? Back to England, Back To work, and prepare for Christmas, But I couldn't shake the idea of Bulgaria from my mind, and having no real life :) Set about finding what information I could on the Mighty Internet.

Now you`ll do the same, there are some wonderful forums with good information, But your going to have to sort out the wheat from the chaff. There are some people who have been duped, misinformed, had a hard time, or just like to look to others

like pioneers or explorers, I found it much simply than that, But I did research hard. There are many website's offering houses and services for sale, I tried many with test questions, asking for additional info , Room sizes etc, these allowed me to get rid of a few that weren't for me. Eventually I was left with 3, Now I`m not here to run others down, they have their way of doing things, That's fine, But I can`t do with complacency, Lies, Lack of communication etc etc etc. So now

I have 2, As said not here to mess with other peoples business, But Be Careful, Your money is hard earned, your chosen country to buy in is a long way away, they have power of attorney over what may be your business and you`ll need Communication, Loyalty and Trust, You won`t get this from one company, and the Rotten thing is, They have a large website, well placed, and begin with friendliness and charm. I might cover more on that later.

So Moving on;.

Early December I told my family that next year I was going to move into the BG Property market, Always amusing reactions, There was a time that would have scared them but there reaction was muted, mainly because I`m older and a little quieter, so they thought, Ah Bless him.

By the 5th of January I had placed a deposit on my first house, By the 10th, a deposit on my second (Whose laughing now).

So now to start the formation of a company;

I contacted my agent and they sent me the necessary forms, Name of Company, Agents name, Company address, Remember they had power of attorney so using there address was no problem. These forms, 9 of them were emailed to me and printed out, Now I had to get them notarised, You`ll find a local notary here

Notaries In Uk

So Off I go with 9 forms, 7 of which need signing, My passport, utility bill and I think my driving license, But not sure about that. Anyway, make my appointment, goto house, enter the 17th century (Well felt like it) and met my local Notary.

(Awfully nice man). He takes a look at forms, checks passport and then watches me sign them, seals them with stamp. Takes about 15 minutes all in, and the bill? £125, Seems a lot but only way to do it, so you pay.

Next you send these back to your agent, and then you have a choice, have them notarised again in BG for about 20 pounds, or have them sent to commonwealth office in Uk and have them finally notarised there so formation of company will be ready when you arrive in BG. Cost me another £17 a sheet, But meant I could arrive with company ready.

Next transfer across to agents 1800 GBP as starting capital of business, This can be withdrawn or used against a purchase, But has to be done to show company as solvent. So so far I`ve spent £125 on first notary, £153 on commonwealth office notarisation, and sent £1800 as capital.

Now its time to saddle up and begin the adventure.

Looked around for cheap flights, direct from Manchester to Sofia, Cheapest

I found were Here

£98 return with meal, Flying times;

Out at 1:50 Pm

Back at 8pm There time (2 Hour Time Difference)

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1:50 pm 11th of March 2006. Saturday;

Here I am sat aboard Thompson Flight From Manchester To Sofia. Always a little nervous flying, But have placed myself on a window seat last row of the aircraft.

What a Rush!!!!.

On the way to Sofia I make sure I have my pre-arranged bookings for accommodation, Was informed these would need to be shown, and a new twist we would be given forms on the aircraft to fill in, although some did say these would be found on desks within the airport. So I have my booking forms sent from hostels and hotels and a pen.

3 Hours later we land at Sofia, Bit of a barren airport, hardly any aircraft, makes me realise just how busy Manchester Airport is. Terminal is about 125 Feet away, and they send a coach, well 3 actually. So in we get go in a circle and Voila we are in.

Now till now no-one has mentioned any forms or asked where we are staying. Its 4 lines of people, each one marching slowly up to a glass enclosed cubicle, Soon be me, I have my passport, My reservations forms, hand luggage and a pen, Oh Yea, I`m ready. Suddenly I get the nod and march forward stiff upper lip and all, Hand him my passport and wait. Gotta admit he took a few looks, Me, Passport, me, passport then computer screen, me then waved me through. into the baggage carousel area.

Bags were quick, and before we knew it we were outside, No forms to fill, No awkward questions, So lit a cigarette, walked to taxi rank, found a English speaking driver and asked him to take us to the Red-House Our first point of stay,

Heres the link We stayed In Room 3

We were told by our friends in Sofia would be about 5 euros, he charged us 20, Our fault, Hadn`t switched his meter on, I could off course just told him to shove it, But was tired, Cranky and didn`t think it wise, so gave it him, 1st lesson learnt. Watch that meter.

It was now about 8:30pm, Incidentally the drive from the airport to the red house is about 10-15 minutes, Pretty good after flying. So went for a walk, Place is full of small bars, had a drink went back to the room and unpacked.

When we checked in we were asked were we would like breakfast, In the dining room, In our bedroom or on the terrace, being an adventurer I opted for the terrace. It was snowing outside and Cold so the terrace was out, Instead we opted for our room. Breakfast was some Feta Cheese, Toast, A boiled egg, Jam, Coffee and Orange Juice, Not Bad Eh!.

There is a shared kitchen there, Buggers had hidden the coffee but we found it, Then I rang Roni!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Now? Roni is worth a paragraph on her own, So she shall have one.

Roni (Andronia) Is 32 years Old, and Has a beautiful Daughter Rada, and that my friends is all I`m going to say, except for her character reference.

I`d been introduced to Roni Via another English property buying person. Conversed via email and phone and built up a friendship. Her English is Good, She has a quick mind, And is just an all round lovely person. She now helps me, and is there to help you. She will arrange your accommodation, take you sight- seeing around sofia, answer questions, show you were to eat, In fact, She`ll be a friend, and that's a good thing when making a new start in a foreign country.

There will be a small charge of say 5 leva and Hour, From meeting To leaving. This girl is worth it and in time will be one of your biggest assets whilst in Sofia. This money is for her, and her alone, No-one from this website or anyone else takes a share. As for contacting her and asking her to make bookings, please remember when you do meet to thank her for her services. I know the reference to monies I keep making will embarrass her but this is a business and she deserves an opportunity to better the lives of her family and herself.

Right so I have rang Roni, arranged to meet at 12noon the next day, That being sunday, and so we sleep. Funny thing sleep, seems to be an whole package to me, The sheets, The room etc, One off and I aint getting off, But did plan for that and brought the Book `Digital fortress`, actually a bit weak for me, about computers, about the NSA, about spies etc, But all a bit twee, Still eventually dropped off, It was either the book or my mate Kevin's melodious snoring, whatever it was helped.

12th of March 2006. Sunday;

At noon we made our way downstairs, and waited for Roni, bang on time and with her friend Vlada she arrived, we were shown to the car being driven by Vlada's boyfriend Peter (Piter) and shown around the City, I suggested lunch and they pointed out many Cafe/bars, But I wanted something better so after much discussion we made our way out of the city and towards a local mountain, there we found a ski-lift with a lovely typical tavern next too it and entered for lunch.

The place was lovely, Not a word I`d often use about a building but it was. I was buzzing, Here I was in a strange country, with people I hardly knew, About to order food I couldn't even pronounce, And it was great.

Just a quick note, I`ve done trips like this in the past to other countries and places, Its always a challenge and can be a little worrying. If, you find the right people, If, they are not there to rip your arm off (Fiscally speaking) and language isn`t a problem then that allows you to concentrate on the work at hand, Not having to worry about what's going on around you. Do as I did and relax, its quite a buzz.

Ok, Lunch was served, there were starters, salads, main meals, coffees, Rakia, Whiskies, Liqueurs and desserts, can`t remember all we had, Shopska salad, meatballs, Steaks, Mushrooms, Oh you name it we had it. Now bear in mind there were 5 of us and this was an expensive restaurant, and we drank all kinds of things, The Bill, 112.00 Bulgaria Leva = 39.56 GBP, pretty good I thought, again bear in mind this was no Simple country restaurant, But a rather exclusive ski-lift, And there were 5 of us.

The rest of the day was spent sight-seeing, Mostly by car, But occasionally we would stop find a cafe, have a coffee and chat, One such Cafe was in the Opera House, magnificent building. I`m not as said earlier a building Buff, To me they serve a function and that's more or less it, But some of the once Eastern Bloc Cities, Sofia in particular, have fantastic architecture which you can`t help but notice, The detail is amazing, and now they are receiving EU Monies to repair and repaint this will be a lovely city in a very short space of time, and perhaps some will say instead of weekends in Paris or Barcelona, We, Are going to Sofia. I hope so, I love this place, Its people, Its warmth and passion for arts and music, They will be a very strong player within the EU within a very short space of time.

So now its late afternoon and we have decided tonight we`ll go to a Jazz club to see a live band that are friends of Roni's, Roni is a singer if I haven`t mentioned it, And at the moment they have a new Big Brother Show going, This is full of famous celebrities and Roni was part of a conversation on there for awhile. She`s very modest, I would have started signing autographs on the back of that.

Ok lets talk about Jazz, I need to be careful here, as I know it has a huge Fan base, However, Jazz???????? What's it all about???????? I`m not very trendy at all I must admit, But must be allowed the freedom to like what I like, and sorry, Jazz doesn`t do it for me. But we arrive, Pay our way in about 2 leva, Find a table thats reserved for someone, move the sign, sit down and look like we belong, as it turned out it was being kept free for anyone that arrived lets say a little out of the ordinary, and that was certainly us, Drinks ordered, band warmed up, and away we go.

First thing I noticed that it was all young people, I very rarely go out, especially into the town centre where I live, But my sons do, and to them the inevitable tensions that arise are normal, Maybe I have some sort of Radar for trouble but I don`t enjoy it,

back to the story, Its full of young people, all drinking, all chatting, smiling and some girls dancing to the recorded music, then the band begins;

Ummmmmmm, Well it was musical-ish, I`m not sure I`m qualified to comment here, but as its still a free society I`ll exercise my right to free speech, I thought it was bloody horrible, and to be honest I don`t even know why, There was a rhythm, there was a melody, there was a tune, But I think it didn`t work, The lads seemed like nice people and the crowd were either enjoying it immensely or were very kind. Still thats Jazz, and its not for me, Now you see, A bit of Kylie singing Lucky, Lucky, Lucky and my night would have been complete.

Came out of there about 12:30ish, back to the Red-House, Have some sleep, for tomorrow, we meet our agent.

We thanked, Roni, Vlada and Piter for there care and consideration, and looked forward to seeing them again this Coming Friday, Which would be late, and spend time with them again on our final saturday.

We talked for awhile me and Kevin, And both agreed that we had been lucky. I had researched Bulgaria for Months, Talking to people, asking advice, And Finally met The lady who put me in touch with Roni, Boy, Do I owe her a meal, Will be meeting her in Bg in June, so will be able to thank her properly then.

Time to sleep, Agent is due to arrive at 10:30am to take us to Ruse (Rousse)

13th of March 2006. Monday;

I open my eyes, and its 10:15am, and then my phone rings, Agent has arrived and is on his way up. Great, a few seconds later and here he is. First impressions, Good, He looks open and honest, we shake hands and tell him we`ll be down shortly, 20 Minutes later after the quickest breakfast and shower ever we are downstairs with our cases, Pay the bill, Thank them and leave. Incidentally the bill was 50euros, (A little short of £35). It was called the Red-House and Heres the link .

Car is right outside and then we meet the agents business partner, and on this occasion was driving, His English isn`t too good at the moment, although actually better than he thinks, Certainly hell of a site better than my Bulgarian. Very quiet at first. Into the car and leave the city of sofia for the main highway to Ruse.

Now!!! There are cities all over the world whose drivers are a bit more adventurous than ours, and Sofia fits in nicely. Oh yes, it was bedlam for awhile, I`m not a nervous passenger really so just sat back and watched, I was amazed as to why there weren't more crashes, I think its a bat thing, I think they have built in Sonar, awfully good fun, and helluva lot cheaper than Disney land, I mean the scary rides and all.

Anyway, onto the main highway for what will be about a 4 hour drive with a stop for coffee. Everybody's chatting but it was one of those conversations were I think we were trying to appear more important than we are, Here we are in a strange country looking to buy property and land, Bulgaria's quite poor and relatively we are rich. I think I was in danger of becoming pompous, asking questions etc.

My advice relax, These people are your eyes and ears over there, They are not fools, and a rapport with them is so important, I`d say its the most important thing, If you feel you can`t build one, why take these guys on to manage your affairs? It will just cause more stress and worry. These people are your agents, they will deal with lawyers, Notaries, Sellers etc in a way you couldn't do at first. Be honest with them, Do what I did, Drop the plum in the mouth Richard Branson persona (Well I wasn`t that bad, Just trying to get my point across). We all wear different faces on occasions and I`m just saying let them see the real you, explain about your fears and worries about investing in another country, Listen to them, see if they seem to understand. If they are brash, arrogant, get rid of them, You`ll find its not really worth the hassle. there's lots more I could say here, But you have my email address, telephone numbers etc, anything I can do to help, Please just ask.

Back to the drive, Oh it was snowing, yet the roads were surprisingly clear, But a little snow wasn`t going to stop Schumacher (Not his real name) This boy was going home and he was sparing no horses. They did say that some people they had met felt a little uncomfortable driving at speed, This isn`t a problem, they will drive to suit you, Its just we didn`t care and were eager to get on. A little about the car, Ford escort estate, Worth mentioning most cars in BG are factory converted for LPG which is in plentiful supply, Unleaded is about £3 a gallon, Petrol stations fill up for you and most have cafes, one large chain also has Bed and Breakfast facilities, I think this chain is called OMV, I`ll check that.

Eventually, about half way, we stop at a shell garage, pop in sit down and have a coffee. The coffee here isn`t like you get at home in the UK, not much of it and very strong, You can ask for a Long Coffee, doesn`t get much bigger, but a little. Still its nice, and ruined my taste for coffee when I came home, It all seems a bit weak now.

Here we are drinking coffee, its very relaxed and the agent, The better english speaker of the 2 answers any questions we have.

Coffee over, back on the road, arrive at Ruse, arrive at hotel get settled in. Its a good hotel, I`ll post pics of that later.

Its now about 2pm and we are Hungry, The hotel has its restaurant downstairs so we eat there. I had Chicken soup for starters, Then steak, Coffee etc. The soup was great, The Steaks are grilled, and you don`t seem to have the choice you do in the Uk, No T-Bones, No Rump etc, Although that may have just been here, The steaks are cut quite thin, But really tasty as are the vegetables. I think they take pride in their cuisine,

I remember Roni pointing out a large building in Sofia, With the famous Mcdonalds Golden M on the top, and thats all that was left, Seems Bulgaria doesn`t like Mcdonalds and it closed down quite quickly, never to re-appear.

The room in the hotel has 2 single beds, Cable TV, and Air-con. Bath, Shower and toilet, its just what it is, Clean, Simple, warm, Dry and Safe. Drinks are served day and night, meals end about 10pm. But its only a short walk into the pedestrian zone of Ruse, and thats lovely, Its really clean, friendly and not at all what you expect. The buildings are superb, the shops are fashionable and modern, Good styles of Clothes, All the latest electronics, Phones, Mp3 Players, Ipods etc, And lots of small bars where you can sit and enjoy a quiet drink. We walked around here the first night, It was cool. Ruse is an amazing place, and I have a CD of its history, With a small movie, Pictures etc, well worth a look, If you want one they are £3 Including postage, Please email me to let me know. This money will be used in Bulgaria to provide something for village schools.

In the meantime here are some Photos;

I have lots of others, If anyone would care to see them.

Just a quick note on why I chose Rousse, There is a large Customs clearing port here, with a large duty free area, The new European highway will pass here making travel through Bulgaria down to Turkey and Greece faster. There are 4 cruise ships a day arrive in summer bringing in a large tourist contingent.

Now based on the fact that there is a shortfall in tourist facilities, which will be even more apparent when they join the EU and border restrictions relax a little, there is a massive market for establishing business`s here. Which is of more interest to me, I don`t have the money just to buy and Holiday there, I want to earn money there, To receive an income even when I`m in the Uk, All this is possible, I have looked deeply and am convinced that Ruse will become a major player within BG over the next few years.

If business isn`t what your looking for then there is the medieval aspect, Old Forts, medieval villages, fantastic scenery, Good roads and infrastructure, and only a short drive from Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria's original capital before Sofia.

There are other reasons why I chose Ruse, But for now I`ll keep these to myself, But I promise you, There are massive opportunities there.

Lunch over and we decide to go out to the Village of Shirokovo to look at an house for sale. again the roads are good, the drive pleasant. As we near the village I spot a bird of prey in a tree, Wow!, I see the occasional kestrel at the side of the motorway But nothing like this, I have no idea what bird it is but I`ll look it up and get it on here as soon as possible.

A Few of the birds of prey are; Black, Griffon and Egyptian Vultures, Booted Eagle,

Short-toed Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard.

It may be the ones we saw were Lesser spotted eagles? These are bigger than I`m used too, and wouldn`t seem to have much time for mice, But definitely rabbit, and even small sheep etc. And when they took off you could see the talons? All in all a spectacular site, Must learn to be quicker on my camera.

Anyway I digress, Back to Shirokovo;

Location: North-Central Bulgaria
Distance to capital city: 233.172 km from Sofia
Latitude: 43.55N
Longitude: 25.933E
Altitude: 100 - 199m above sea level
Province: Rousse District
Municipality: Dve mogili Municipality
Area size of Village of Shirokovo: 18.472km2
Population of Village of Shirokovo: 119 inhabitants approx
Post code (ZIP) of Village of Shirokovo: 7159
Phone code of Village of Shirokovo: 081464 from Bulgaria, 0035981464 from outside
All Cities, villages and resorts in Dve mogili municipality: Village of Baniska, Village of Batishnitsa, Village of Buzovets, Village of Chilnov, Town of Dve mogili, Village of Karan Varbovka, Village of Katselovo, Village of Mogilino, Village of Ostritsa, Village of Pepelina, Village of Pomen, Village of Shirokovo.

Nice village, Friendly people, I won`t fill this page about the village, if you want any more information I`ll pass it on. The house I looked at was very nice and the house opposite was owned by an english person, It was on the list as a possible, But for now it was about looking so we left and as it was now getting evening we decided to start again tomorrow and return to the hotel.

14th of March 2006. Tuesday;

As you can see this diary is way out of date. This has been due mainly to time constraints as we have accompished a lot over the last 11 months. In fact so much that we were taken completely by surprise.

Due to certain issues that I won`t go into at this time we now no longer use other agents, instead we now have our own agency in Ruse. This is run the correct and proper way, and as an English company should be.