The Daily Mail


I am not really a big fan of The Daily Mail, but my wife and I do love Bulgaria, our adopted home. That is why I agreed to contribute to this article and no, I was not paid a penny for my efforts.


Even though this article had my name on it, I did not actually write it. Katrina, a freelance journalist, was the lady who cobbled it together from pieces in my blog and from what I told her in a long telephone conversation. 

As you may have guessed, there were quite a lot of mistakes in it. For a start, the photo of the house in the article is not a picture of our house at all! The Bulgarian word for cheese is sirene, not brinza. The beginning of the piece also says that we go skiing regularly. I have never been skiing in my life! In my opinion, it is a rather pretentious and expensive way to break your leg, especially if you are skiing with Gwyneth Paltrow. There were several other examples of my comments being "jazzed up" or edited in ways that distorted the truth. Another big mistake (one that was all my fault) is that it is just not true to say that Bulgaria is more or less the same size as the UK. The UK is nearly twice as big! However, it is true to say that, compared to Bulgaria, the UK is overcrowded and there is not much peace and quiet. 


Do these mistakes and inaccuracies really matter? If you really want to get all of the details, then of course you can read my blog. Irena and I love living in Bulgaria and I am sure that many Brits could have a much happier life in this country, rather than staying in the UK. We probably do have a better lifestyle than what we would have if we were back in Good Old Blighty. If more Brits decide to come to Bulgaria after reading this article in The Daily Mail, then that might be the right decision for them - and for Bulgaria.

Well, this piece in The Daily Mail has now been on the radio here in Bulgaria. Yes, you are so lucky to be able to read this blog, the work of an international media superstar! Next week a camera crew will be coming to Daveri and a full interview will soon be on Bulgarian TV. No, I am not joking! Anyway, just in case you have not read it all, here is rest of the full Daily Mail article, despite popular demand.






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