Changing Places, Part 2

My dear Irisha and I went to Veliko Tarnovo, in order to do some house-hunting. Before I tell you of the result of our searches, I am going to say a little bit about some of the "also rans" that were in the race.

First of all, I really liked the photos of "the grey house", as we called it, and at 72,000 euros it seemed to be a good buy. This property was beautifully renovated, but the rooms were rather darker and smaller than the photographs had suggested. (Did they use a wide-angle lens?) 

I really liked the idea of having my own vineyard, but my dear wife was a lot less enthusiastic.




Emen Canyon is an amazingly beautiful place, complete with rickety wooden bridges, fantastic views, caves full of bats and a waterfall. 

The bungalow was quite close to the canyon, but again we felt that it was just too small. It looked quite big in the photos, of course. The "open plan" kitchen-cum-dining room was not what we wanted.

The "mountain house" looked so attractive in the photos, but the road leading up to it was really just a muddy track. I had to get out of the car, in order to move some large stones from the track. The house was a bit of a wreck, with a serious damp problem and a horrible, mouldy smell. Yes, it was quite a bit cheaper than the other properties at only 34,000 euros, but it still was not worth the money.

As for the "house with the garage", it also looked great in the photos, when really it is just a boring concrete box for your 62,000 euros. 

The curious house in Bobevtsi was a bit more expensive and the asking price was 72,000 euros. It was owned by a charming and elderly Russian couple, who welcomed Irena as though she was their long-lost daughter. As usual, it looked rather smaller in real life, compared to the photos. Although Irena liked this eccentric and quirky house, I did not.