29th July 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria
by Peter Lyner OBE After three challenging years in Moscow, in 1987 Peter Lyner was appointed Cultural Attaché in Bulgaria and British Council Bulgaria officer. Peter and his wife expected their life in Sofia to be similar to the one they had in Moscow but were proven wrong. Trips across Bulgaria and in the neighbouring countries, Bulgarian fine […]
22nd July 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria
by Margaret Heath, Clare Staughton and Nick Heath Lady Heath lived in Sofia in the early 1960s while her husband – Sir Mark Heath – was British Consul and Deputy British Ambassador to Bulgaria. They stayed in Sofia with their three young children. Two of them – Clare and Nick – also share childhood memories of Bulgaria in […]
10th July 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria
by Jane Burner Jane Burner lived in Bulgaria between 1970-1972 and 1984-1987 when her husband Alan Burner was 3rd Secretary and Deputy Head of Mission respectively at the British Embassy in Sofia. Many foreign diplomats and their families lived in the house on 69 Oborishte Street. During our second posting in Bulgaria, we lived in a house not […]
4th July 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria
by Mel Barber Mel Barber fell in love with Bulgaria, the Bulgarian people and the Bulgarian way of life almost straight after coming to the country. After spending only a month in their recently-bought holiday house in Bulgaria, Mel and her boyfriend decided to move to the country permanently. Today, five years later, they enjoy life in the […]
4th July 2014
On a Saturday evening in June 2012, as my wife and I stood in our kitchen, the peace was shattered (literally) by a bottle thrown from the street, which broke our window. It was quite a shock. A man was arrested, spent a night in a police cell and has now been fined 1000 BGN. […]
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25th June 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria
by Keneward Hill Keneward Hill has been living in Bulgaria for more than 20 years now. Linguist himself, he is also a husband of Mariana Hill, the famous interpreter from English and German to Bulgarian language. For the 100 Years UK in BG blog, Ken shared a memory of an unforgettable train ride from Bourgas […]
19th June 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria
by British Embassy Sofia A couple of days before Sofia Pride 2014, we share a couple of photos of the first UK civil partnership ceremony that was conducted at the British Ambassador’s Residence in Sofia in 2007. The special permission for the ceremony was given from the UK under the strict understanding that the partnership would […]
17th June 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria
by Christine Day Christine Day is the daughter of the first British Ambassador to Bulgaria Sir William Harpham (1964-1966), who presented his credentials as an Ambassador in a cold January day in 1964. Christine’s story is a recollection of this day. Christine Day was a special guest at the Queen’s Birthday Party 2014 that took place […]
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10th June 2014
Today, I am travelling to Obstina Thompson in Svoge Municipality, in the beautiful Iskar Gorge. I am taking part in a ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the death of Major Frank Thompson, executed by the forces of the wartime, pro-Nazi government. Thompson was a member of the British Communist Party. The partisans are of […]
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9th June 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria
by Helen Dexter (nee Bartlett) Helen Dexter grew up in Bulgaria. Her parents came in the country in 1955 on a two-year contract to work as English teachers, but have stayed for 11 years. Helen has had a very strong connection with Bulgaria since then. She speaks fluent Bulgarian and returned to Bulgaria with her husband Phil Dexter, […]
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