Тем, кто интересуется Болгарией. Есть группа в ФБ Moving to Bulgaria, там британцы тусуются. В основном , кто туда на пенсию.
Вот оттуда, сорры, очень длинно. Я даже задумалась о Варне или окрестностях, надо еще климат поизучать.
One of the most common questions I get asked by people wanting to move to Bulgaria is, "where should I move to in Bulgaria?"
This question is not an easy one to answer, as what I like and love, in the area I live in, may not be what you want!
Firstly, you have to decide what geographics you want. Do you want to be in the countryside? Do you want to be in a mountainous region? Do you want to live in a ski resort? Do you prefer agricultural lands? Do you prefer forests? Do you want to live in a village, town, or city? Do you want to live near a river? Do you want to live by the sea? Bulgaria has all of these!
You need to think carefully about the above, for a host of reasons!
When you're thinking about where you should move, consider the following...
1. Am I healthy and would living far from a hospital matter?
2. If I have health issues, do I need to be near a hospital, as well as an emergency department? What would happen if i needed emergency medical treatment, living in a village?
3. Am I healthy enough to take on a house that will need regular maintenance - roof, windows, plumbing, electricity, heating? Am I healthy and fit enough to take on a large garden?
4. Do I really want to live in an isolated area? Or would a small town be better for infrastructure.
5. How will I get to towns and cities? By car? Motorcycle? Bus? Train?
When researching a village, it's vitally important that you research the transport to and from the village! Some villages are lucky enough to have both a rail and a bus service, some have no public transport at all!
6. Whether you have decided to live in a village, town, or city, you should know that there are divisions when it comes to religion in Bulgaria. A significant amount of villages, small towns and parts of cities are inhabited by Roma. These are Romani people who consist mainly of two types Bulgarian (Dasikane Roma) and Turkish (Horahane Roma). The derogatory term for them is Gypsy. If you feel happy living with such people as neighbours, then you'll have a fair choice of places to settle, but many Bulgarians don't see eye to eye with Romanis. You should also know that Romanis choose to live seperate lives away from indigenous / ordinary Bulgarian people.
So it's important to check what kind of population a village you're researching has.
7. No one knows quite how many expats live in Bulgaria. When it comes to British people, the estimates vary widely, between 3,000 and 13,000! Many will own houses here, but not live here full time and this has, to a degree, been forced upon many, after Brexit happened, meaning, without a residency card, you can only spend 90 days in any 180 day period, in Bulgaria.
However, British expats do live permanently, in many villages, towns and cities around Bulgaria. I myself, live in the city of Varna. Therefore, if living near or next door to expats is your thing, you should, fairly easily, find such an area to live.
8. You should also consider the year round weather, when deciding which area to live in. Generally, the South of the country is hotter in summer.
Being inland, in any area of Bulgaria, can see harsh, but short, winters... I was in Veliko Tarnovo in January 2020 and one meter of snow fell in one night and then it froze, with temperatures down to -14°C! So consider your ability to get around and bear in mind isolated villages and even towns can easily be cut off for lengthy periods! Village life can be hard work, with most homes heated with wood burners, requiring regular maintenance.
For much milder winters, living on the Black Sea is necessary, where temperatures rarely drop below zero.
9. Living in total isolation. It is possible to live in total isolation, even away from a village, whether it be in a forest, in the mountains, or a house on an isolated farm, you should think about about your access to medical services, shops, banks / ATMs, transport, schools, which could become difficult in extreme weather.
10. Living by a river. As with many countries, Bulgaria has its fair share of flooding and, whilst living next to a river can be tranquil most of the time, it can also be very destructive in the event of a flood. You should check which rivers are nearby where you want to live and assess the flood risk, if any.
11. Forests... There's something very desirable about living in, or near a forest, but, just as rivers bring hazards, forests can too... Firstly, adverse weather with strong winds can fell trees, which may present a hazard for any home in the vicinity. Secondly, Bulgaria has an abundance of wildlife, some of which can be a threat to humans. The five main threats are European Brown Bears, European Vipers and Horn Nosed Vipers, Wild Hogs and various venomous spiders. There are, of course, threats from other insects, such as wasps and hornets, especially in the country. If you really fancy living in or near a forest, consider protecting yourself and research the hazards.
12. Living by the Black Sea... This sea is beautiful all year round and rarely does the sea get very rough. Living in Varna, I can only count the times I've seen any sizeable waves on one hand. If you love the sea, then the coast is a definite for you. All you've got to decide, is whether to live in a village, town or city, along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and decide whether you want tourists or not, amassing in the summer months.
13. Earthquakes... Bulgaria is in an Earthquake zone, which mainly affects the West and South West of the country, although some Romanian earthquakes have affected North Eastern Bulgaria. The size of quakes are not usually strong enough to cause havoc, but that's no guarantee a strong one won't happen, so consider whether the property you're going buy is going to withstand quakes.
14. On the subject of employment, if you require a job to earn a living in Bulgaria, as an expat, you are much more likely to find work in the major cities, so it would be essential that you live, either in a city, or within commuting distance from your work place. However, I should add, that jobs for those that do not speak Bulgarian are very limited.
Now, having given you fourteen points to consider, I'll now say a little of why I ended up in Varna...
I originally moved to Veliko Tarnovo, the old capital of Bulgaria. Having lived there a month and a half, by chance, I met my future wife. I wasn't planning on meeting anyone, but, as they say, when you're not looking...
After two months of living together, because my wife is from Varna, we decided it would be better to move back there. We felt there were better services, better schools and, of course, there's the Black Sea. Having lived in Varna now, for three years, I can safely say, I have no desire to move anywhere else for the moment... We have all the medical services we need, within a ten minutes drive, a good emergency service for fire, police and paramedics, 75 shops and small businesses on our doorstep, a private school the kids can walk to daily, a plethora of cafés, bars and restaurants and a beautiful home to live in. We have five local bus services, taxis arrive in under 4 minutes, there's a railway terminus and an airport - what more could we want?!
