Recently I wrote to an old friend, to suggest that he might like to buy a country house in Bulgaria. Yes, it is a bit of a wreck, but it is such an interesting and unusual property, and it is so cheap, that I sent him the photos. Was I being serious when I suggested that he might like to buy a dilapidated property in Bulgaria? Well, I do not really think that he would actually buy it, as he is quite a cautious person and maybe he would need to spend at least twenty thousand euros to get it in some sort of state for comfortable living. But the truth is that many people are now re-assessing their lives because of the pandemic. Many have already decided that they want a simpler, back-to-nature life in the countryside. And a rural house in Bulgaria is absurdly cheap, compared to the outrageous prices you would pay for a country house in the UK. What really makes me angry about the mass-produced Barratt and Wimpey garbage is not that they are so badly made (and yes, of course they are poorly constructed). And it is not the fact that most of them have gardens the size of postage stamps and no view at all because all you can see are lots of other houses. No, what really gets me angry about modern housing in the UK is the fact that they are all so similar, without any character or charm or individuality. Many years ago, there was a silly song, maybe by Tom Lehrer, and it was called "Little Boxes". The song deplored the fact that so many "homes" in many industrialized countries are so similar: And they're all made out of ticky tacky / And they all look just the same.
I do not understand this "tiny house" movement or cultural trend. I think it started in the States. But why would anyone want a small house? In the UK, your Council Tax is (to some extent) related to the size of the property, whereas in BG this is not the case. We wanted to buy a good-sized house, so that we would then have plenty of room for our friends when they came to stay. I am sure that my friend Peter would agree with this last point. In fact, I hope that he will not have to share the guest bedroom in our Daveri house with a large swarm of wasps, as he had to do the last time he came to stay with us in Kalotina! In any case, I had to buy a house with a big garden, otherwise my dear Irena would not have given me her kind and gracious permission to buy my splendid Husqvarna lawn tractor.
Secondly, I do think that there is a special pleasure in buying an old place and renovating it, just like some people love restoring classic cars. In the UK, getting any sort of building work done is amazingly expensive and they will probably do a rubbish job anyway. This is usually not the case in Bulgaria, I am glad to say.
The big news is that we have BOTH had our third, "booster" jab. In fact, we had a Pfeizer jab, whereas our first two were Astra Zeneca. This morning, we have sore arms and feel a bit weak, but otherwise we are okay. Oh yes and the doctor said no alcohol. That no means no wine at lunchtime, alas.
Oh yes,and I forgot to mention the price of this Bulgarian mansion, this rural idyll (or pile of old junk). Seven thousand leva is the asking price. That is about three and a half thousand euros or maybe three thousand pounds.
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