Free Men in Bulgaria

28th June, 2018

I didn’t meet Free Men in Bulgaria but enjoyed Sozopol, one of the oldest towns on the Black Sea Coast. Clean streets, friendly people, fishing boats and yachts line the harbour on the pretty side of the old town. Views of beaches, churches, death notices pinned on trees and after a 5km walk in the heat found the poorer side of town. The busy season is starting, so lots of repairs, painting, planting shrubs and flowers and getting ready for the summer tourists. People rely on the fishing trade and tourists and the border police patrol boats stop people from mainly Turkey entering the country. A bus trip to the Port City of Burgas sped through the countryside and had a day strolling around the shopping centre, watching children playing at the Aloysha monument and stopped near the FOKET café. Weddings were popular and flowers and hanging baskets everywhere.

Gate-crashed the opening night of the new yacht club bar, walked along the old Southern Fortress wall with cafes and restaurants overlooking the sea. Visited the Ethnographic museum with hand-made lace curtains, table covers, woven cloths and old tools for making butter.  Spent time browsing in the stacked antique shop run by Martin, an avid Monty Python fan and loved the old photographic Russian film posters, discarded family albums, treasures and trinkets. Preserved traditional wooden houses mingle with new restaurants, fish and seafood on most menus with pork and chicken local dishes and Mediterranean style salads, good wine shops, women selling jars of pickles and honey and happy to find fresh coffee sold everywhere!