Bulgaria with Noodles

There have been some terrible fires near Veliko Tarnovo, up on the cliffs near Arbanassi. The fires destroyed a lot of woodland.  Helicopters, firemen and plenty of volunteers finally managed to get the blaze under control.  Last night we had some rain, the first for several weeks. It was not a lot of rain, but every drop is precious. While we are on the subject of water-related things, perhaps I will mention that we cannot turn the water on in our house in Daveri. The pipe in the downstairs bathroom is bust. We are hoping that Vincent will be able to fix it for us. 

We are now back from Sinemorets and the return drive to Daveri was not quite as demanding as the journey to the Black Sea.  The good things? Well, the apartment was really well-equipped and had just about everything. Veleka Beach was – well, a beach. Not really sand, as it was fairly small stones. Quite pretty, if you like that sort of thing. I suppose that this part of the Black Sea coast, not far from the border with Turkey, reminds me a bit of Cornwall, without the dreadful possibility of meeting Nicholas Armfelt (thank goodness). The land is actually quite flat and then you have quite steep cliffs, little sandy coves and the fishing villages. Irena, for some strange reason, loves beaches and I think that they are pretty boring. I did manage to get some reading done:  Round the World in Eighty Days  (Michael Palin’s book of the BBC TV series),  The Wind in the Willows  (for maybe the tenth time),  Homage to Catalonia  (all about the Spanish Civil Wa...