by Rebecca Richardson
Rebecca Richardson is a Sales and Marketing professional from London. She loves to travel and was lucky enough to live in Dubai, Santo Domingo and now Sofia. In her spare time, Rebecca writes, takes photographs and works on her website on life and travel in Bulgaria. When not busy with any of these things, she spends time with good friends and good wine.
“Then, maybe more people will choose to visit Bulgaria and see the beauty that I see every day!
Wish you were here!
Rebecca”
My first trip to Bulgaria was during the summer of 2012. I had met my boyfriend who’s from Sofia while he was studying in the UK and he talked so fondly of his home that I couldn’t wait to visit. Prior to meeting him I had little knowledge of Bulgaria or the culture so I really wasn’t sure what to expect. We booked one week in Sozopol and one week in Sofia so I could experience both the seaside and the city. When we arrived I was stunned. I don’t know why but when I had tried to picture Bulgaria I had never imagined such a beautiful place, I had visions of a cold communist country which were so wrong! As we drove along the coast to our resort, perfect scenery, sun shining, music playing; I knew immediately I was going to like it here.
After a relaxing day on the beach I was amazed once again when we went for dinner in the old town of Sozopol. The little souvenir shops tucked away in the cobbled streets were selling all sorts of treasures including handmade jewellery and the famous rose oil and I found myself wanting to buy everything! After purchasing as many gifts as we could carry, we sat down on the sea front to enjoy dinner. Another surprise, Bulgarian wine is absolutely delicious and the fresh fish is incredible. So, after just one day in Bulgaria I was already in love. I’d found my little piece of heaven on earth.
My week in Sofia was equally as enjoyable and equally surprising. I wasn’t expecting to see such modern shopping malls or such a glamorous nightlife! One week wasn’t enough but we crammed in as much as possible, seeing the sights such as the magnificent Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, visiting the parks and eating in restaurants serving traditional Bulgarian food with Rakia. We even managed to spend one day and night in Koprivshtitsa where I was truly taken back in time to 19th century Bulgaria.
My holiday came to an end but I knew that one day I would be returning to Bulgaria to stay, and, two years later here I am! We’d been living in London and as nice as it is, we were looking for somewhere new and exciting. We were offered an amazing opportunity to work in the Caribbean so we packed our bags and said goodbye to the UK!
It was great but I always felt like I was just too far away from home, I like to travel and I’ve also lived in Dubai but ten hours flight was just too far for me. When we decided to leave a year later we hadn’t really made plans about what we would do but my boyfriend had received a job offer in Sofia so it seemed the perfect time to re-locate to Bulgaria. Fortunately for me there was another position open in the same company so I didn’t have to worry about searching for a job and started working one week after I’d arrived!
Of course, my biggest worry was not speaking the language, however, my role is in sales and my clients are in the UK and all over Europe so aside from some slightly awkward office meetings, it wasn’t going to affect my work at all. After several visits to government offices to organise residence documents and signing what felt like hundreds of pieces of paper at the bank I was official. Now, six months in and I am still so in love with Bulgaria.
I go along to networking events for foreigners where I meet lots of interesting people who have moved here from all over the world and I even make new friends on twitter! I’m still not speaking Bulgarian although I am starting to understand and can get by with some basic conversation. I do want to learn and I will be taking the time to study very soon, I’ve just been a little bit lazy as I can get by with English almost everywhere in Sofia! I even teach English to my colleagues once a week and they really enjoy practicing with a native!
Bulgaria continues to surprise me and I have only seen a fraction of what there is. I’ve climbed to the Cherni Vrah peak of Mount Vitosha and started learning to ski in Pamporovo, two things I never thought I would do! Since I arrived, every time I would meet someone new they’d tell me about another amazing place that I have to visit. I found myself making lists because there are honestly so many!
I must visit Veliko Tarnovo or the Rose Valley or the Seven Rila Lakes, the list just went on and on. I thought more about my lists and then thought how great it would be if I put everything together in a website. Rather than just regular tourist information I wanted to make a site where I can write about all of the wonderful places I visit and share my photos and my experiences of living in Bulgaria with the world.
I searched but couldn’t find anything quite the same so I started working on eatstaylovebulgaria.com. It perfectly sums up Bulgaria for me, you will eat delicious food, you will want to stay and you will fall in love! Because there are so many fantastic places here I don’t think I will ever stop adding to it and I’m also asking friends and visitors to the site to share any photos or stories they have with us too. Ultimately I want to make a complete guide to travel and lifestyle in Bulgaria that captures everything this very special place has to offer. Then, maybe more people will choose to visit Bulgaria and see the beauty that I see every day!
Wish you were here!
Rebecca