Bulgarian villages are surrounded in much beautiful country side, with many tracks off road leading to the fields and onto other villages. One can walk, cycle or even take a horse and cart for many miles and enjoy the fauna and wild life.
Bulgaria has the 4 seasons with the warm springs and hot summers and the cold snowy winters. in the summer months you will see fields of sunflowers, wheat, assorted herbs, camomile etc, melons, tobacco, fruit trees and vines and much more. Twice a year you can pick mushrooms from the countryside, and even find assorted fruit trees along the roadsides. There are many lakes and rivers,for fishing,and sailing even water ski-ing. Forests and shrubs, healing bushes, wild herbs and where one can find much wildlife, Rabbit, Tortoise, Jackals, wild Boar, assorted Deers, Snakes, Lizards, Bears many beautiful birds, Hawks, Eagles and also lots of unusual and amazing colourful insects & butterflies.
It is a good idea if you are coming to live in Bulgaria or hoping to, its advisable to learn the Bulgarian alphabet and numbers. Doing this will help you enormously and help you along learning and understanding some of the Bulgarian words. You will, im sure enjoy learning to make yourself understood. You will also soon get used to the shaking and nodding of the head, the shaking meaning 'Yes' or 'Maybe' and the nodding meaning 'No' and again 'Maybe' can be quite confusing but amusing!
Everday will bring you something different in the village life!
Most locals in the rural villages are self sufficient, preparing and growing their own vegetables from the springtime, and constantly working their gardens daily. Vegetables are dried, grounded, possibly pickled or salted placed and stored in containers then put away in a cool room. Over the summer months many make their own wine and rakia from their grape vines and fruit trees, later either selling some of their produce and storing some away for winter. Many of the village locals will have chickens, goats, sheep, pigs, bee hives and possibly their own horse & cart and most will have a dog in the garden for security.
Locals will hold a pig, sheep or cow killing coming up to the end of the year, when they make this into a celebration, making plenty music and having a barbeque with the homemade wine and rakia. Later the meat is cut up and stored either in a freezer or in glass bottles in salted water to last over the winter. Nothing is wasted. The animal skin is dried and will be made useful.
During the year and before the winter months, everyone will order their logs from the village Met.This is for their petchkas (wood burning stoves). Many people will try to bring in the logs ealy in the year so the logs can be drying in the summer sun, which helps the wood to burn better in the winter months. For a home, one would roughly bring in at least 10 cwt of logs. The cost would be in cwt and then transport charge on top. If you dont want to chop your own logs, one can always hire a couple of locals to chop the wood, at a cost of 4-5 lev cwt. Which is a lot of chopping if you have 10 cwt. One needs to be considerate and give plenty drinks and food, which will be gratefully devoured.
On getting to know your neighbours and visiting or having been invited, it is polite to take of your shoes at the door, unless your neighbour tells you otherwise. Most Bulgarian neighbours are very friendly and helpful people, and will welcome you into their home, offering you to sit at their table and bringing out some small food and the home made wine and rakia. When you eventually will saunter back home in a drunken stupor, but with much merriment in your heart.
In the morning you may wake up to the sound of clanking bells, the locals will be walking their goats from their animal shelters down the lane to a meeting point where they join up in a pen to then be taken out with the goat-herder. The goatherder is payed every month per goat head, usually 3-5 lev a head per month, he can take out up to approx 150-200 goats every day. He will also have a few dogs with him to protect the goats from other dogs and any other wild animals that may be about in the countryside. He will walk the goats for several miles, taking them to the river, or lake for water then return later in the evening. The goats will then seperate from the herd and go directly home on their own, unless they are still quite young and need their owner to meet them and encourage them home with some nibbles till they learn to make their way home on their own.
Village sheep are kept away from the village in large sheep shelters, you will see these buildings on the edge of every village. It is wise not to venture to near these buildings if you are not with a local, due to the fact that there will be many dogs there for security. Again a shepherd is paid to take care of the village sheep, they are milked in the morning, dinner and in the evening or whatever arrangement has been made. He also takes the sheep out into the countryside to walk. This is also the same for cattle, and Geese. Many of the animals in the flock, herd or school will wear bells, and this is for several reasons. Firstly a certain sound of bells can be heard and locals will know where and which the herd or flock is. Also this deters other animals away, plus if any one is out walking, will hear the bells and will know to keep a distance and not scare the animals. Also walkers need to ensure they have their own dog on a lead and so not let it go anywhere near the vicinity of the security dogs.
Snakes of all sizes will often be spotted, and one needs to take care even in their own garden. There are quite a few poisonous snakes about and several kinds of biting insects, and also caterpillers that can cause a rash if you pick them up.
The Bulgarian people are quite laid back and take life very slowly and if you decide to come and live in Bulgaria, before long you will enjoy this way of life and make many Bulgarian friends.