So Matt has no doubt that we will move to Bulgaria. I have checked with him a few times and I’m pretty certain he is OK with that. He has a tendency to agree to things just to keep me happy but I have double and triple checked that this move is what we both want. We have 5 or so years before we leave permanently so I guess I will know for sure by then!!
Anyway back to my research..... I have joined lots of FB groups, started reading many blogs and have lots of books to read. I have asked questions and made a couple of friends, who I hope I don’t annoy too much with my random questions at all hours of the day and night!
As with anything, different people have different views but one thing everyone agrees on is that picking the right location is the most important thing. We need to consider the weather (Bulgaria is a country of extremes due to its location), the proximity to large towns or cities, the amount of people living in the area, how far fishing lakes or rivers are, how close the nearest shop is and oh so many other things! Needless to say we haven’t decided on an exact location yet.
We seem to be leaning towards north or central to the east. Our thinking behind this is .....
- Slightly cooler weather in the summer. We would cope better with the slightly colder winters than we would with the slightly hotter summers! We are English after all !!
- Less tourists than the south or north east. Beaches and skiing = tourists
- Better fishing and hunting in these areas
- Plenty of rural villages within a half hour drive of a town
Thanks to the lovely expats who have been chatting to me I have realised there is a lot more to consider than there would be if we were just moving within the UK. Bulgaria is a country with issues ....... joining the EU should have helped them but it seems to have also caused a big problem. Now that there are no visas or other requirements the younger residents are leaving to work in richer countries. The population is aging and the younger generations aren’t there to replace them. Many villages are either dead (no residents left) or dying. I was considering one property until I found out that there was less than 10 people left living in the village ..... 10 years ago there was a few hundred. If I was in the UK it wouldn’t matter to me if there were 10 or even no people living in the village. However things are different in Bulgaria. If there are not enough people living in the area the utility companies are known to stop supplying the remaining residents as it isn’t cost effective to continue providing a supply. Now yes, we are moving over to become as self sufficient as possible, but I am not willing to take the risk of our water and electric being cut off. Even if we do manage to go ‘off the grid’ as we would love to do, I would feel a lot more secure knowing that there was mains electric and water available if we needed it. Another issue with a dying village is that the village shop will have either closed down already or will do so in the next few years. Winter in Bulgaria can be harsh, snow is guaranteed. The chances of being snowed in is high and I would feel happier knowing that there was a village shop in walking distance if I needed something in an emergency. There are many expats who have chosen to live in dead or dying villages but we have decided that we wouldn’t be totally comfortable with that so will be looking for somewhere with at least a few hundred residents, preferably with some expats as they are likely to stay put meaning the village stands a chance of staying alive.
That’s me done for tonight. More soon. UIKEYINPUT
No comments:
Post a Comment