First Days

After a very long day (about 35 hours) we have arrived safe in Parvomijci.

Our flight was uneventful, if slightly uncomfortable. Easyjet is cheap but nobody seems to have told them that people have legs that need to fit in somewhere. Oh well, you get what you pay for.

At Sofia airport, which is the quietest airport I’ve ever seen, we were approached by someone offering a shuttle bus ride to the train station on the other side of town. I had my suspicions; over charging, stealing bags, taking the long way, you name it, it went through my head. It turned out to be a genuine company with helpful friendly staff. It’s always reassuring when locals use the same service.

Arriving at the train station we spotted another huge backpack and chased him down in the hope that he spoke English. Our luck was in. Tim was from London and, unbelievably, he was heading our way.

Tim on the train.

After buying tickets we had a couple of hours to kill. We walked to a local cafe and had a delicious salad. While we ate Tim tried to teach us a few Bulgarian words. Not much sank in, but his advice about the alphabet made deciphering signs and menus a lot less daunting.

There are modern trains in Bulgaria, but we weren’t on one. To be honest, I preferred riding the older more traditional train. It felt more appropriate to be travelling that way. It even sounded right. The scenery was beautiful, with the rails following the course of a river for some time.

We started talking to a local woman in the compartment who was about to travel to Ireland to start her Phd in Astrophysics. She pointed out interesting features and suggested places to visit whilst in Bulgaria. When we reached her stop, an older woman sat with her got up and wished us a good stay in her country. She seemed delighted when we thanked her and said goodbye in Bulgarian rather than English.

A few stops later and Tim left us after swapping contact details. He told us that the next stop was ours and mentioned some landmarks so we would know we were approaching the station. This gave us time to get our bags off the luggage racks and move towards the doors.

Cliff, our first host picked us up from the train station and gave us a guided tour to our home for a month, Trinity Rocks Farm. After showing us round, the three of us sat down to egg, chips and beans. Not very Bulgarian I know, but just what I needed.

We’ve spent our first full day here; chainsawing trees to improve the internet signal, cleaning rooms ready for some paying guests arrival and sitting around drinking coffee.

Oh, and meeting Edward, a professional footballer turned high flying architect. Now semi-retired, Edward was born and spent most of his life in Barcelona. Flying around the world on business, he says he spent more time in the heavens than on the ground. He now finds the birds, sun, and growing vegetables more ‘real’ than his previous life.

I’ve made more friends, heard more stories and seen more amazing places in the last 2 days than in an average year.

J.