All About Troyan, Bulgaria...
This delightful town set on the terraced banks of the Beli-Osum River at the foot of the Stara Planina Mountain range has many connections with the long and interesting history of Bulgaria and it's people. 160 kilometres from Sofia, 400m above sea levels with excellent transport links to all regions of Bulgaria the area is becoming a popular tourist attraction for many nationalities.
Famous for it's traditional crafts of woodcarving, pottery, carpentary, woollens and textiles, fruit growing and of course the well known plum brandy (Rakia) it has a population of 25,000. It's geographical location protected by the surrounding mountains gives a favourable climate at all times of the year, mild winters, sunny sometimes wet Spring, hot summers and beautiful autumns. The air is crisp and clean; we always have more energy when we are there, here in Spain we often feel lethargic in the afternoon and resort to a siesta, but not in Troyan.
When we first visited Troyan we were under the control of an agent from Sunny Beach on the Black-Sea; we hated that part of the coast and were desperate to see properties inland. Anxious to make a sale this agent sent us to his home town of Troyan, we stayed at the five star Troyan Plaza Hotel for 3 days and were picked up each morning and driven round in circles seeing very few properties non worth a second look. We had no time to investigate the town, and thought it had little to offer, but the surrounding area enchanted us and we returned only three weeks later independently, to investigate Troyan and it's surroundings at our leisure. We have returned many times since, staying there most of the year now. From our second visit we realised our first impressions of Troyan had been false. The wealth of shops and retail outlets is surprising, furniture made to order if you wish! The very latest in all electric goods delivered tomorrow if required, kitchens designed to suit the customer, a spacious builders merchant where English speaking staff actually enjoy discussing and helping us select whatever we need. There are many small supermarkets, some stay open 24 hours, there is a large supermarket with a wide range of groceries, a fresh meat counter and hot meat counter selling succulent spit roasted chickens plus a variety of other meats and amusingly chips! The main street in town hosts a wide variety of shops, by nature I am not an avid retail shopper but even I am drawn to the windows of the shoe shops with their array of beautiful shoes and boots at such reasonable prices and the small boutiques. There are delicatessens, a fishmonger, a row of at least ten fresh fruit and vegetable shops (most of it grown organically because artificial fertilisers are either unknown or unaffordable) There is a large internet café, I use the term café loosely because they do not actually serve coffee, we go to a delightful pavement café next door for refreshments; and always go early in the day because later the place fills up with youngsters honing their skills on the latest computer games. We are new to this Internet / computer communicating world and I am distracted when David Beckham scores a goal on the consol next to me and the ensuing whoops of delight.
On a more serious note, there are very good banks in Troyan, helpful English speaking staff, no problem opening an account, and very good exchange rates. Transferring money from the U.K. or Spain is quick and easy with the I.B.N. We are always slightly nervous about such transactions especially in a new country (as my 89 year old father said "eastern Europe"? I wouldn't trust them with my money) but we cannot fault them, if anything their banking practice is more consumer friendly than the U.K.
Troyan has a variety of excellent spotlessly clean restaurants and cafes serving a wide range of dishes both local cuisine and others of a western influence; the "Antique Restaurant" in the main square overlooking the river is our favourite place for morning coffee, I love going there on my first morning back in Troyan and being welcomed so warmly, I rarely have that pleasure here! Their main menu cannot be faulted.
What other reasons can I give you for buying a property in this little as yet known part of Bulgaria? The stunning scenery, the warm, interesting friendly people from the wealthier to the poorest their hospitality is a delight; and the activities and pass-times, in our opinion no one young or mature could ever be bored with this area .I will list as many as I can remember in no order of preference, everything I mention is no more than 45 minutes from Troyan, most are 20- 30 minutes away.
Mineral springs providing warm water to a large open-air pool at Chiflik, set in a beautiful valley there are also luxurious hotels each with their own pools and a variety of restorative treatments associated with the health-giving properties of the spa-water.
Walking and hiking for all levels of ability with or without a guide and excellent well-defined maps. Serious walkers can go for days staying at mountain huts on route.
At Oreshak there is a paragliding centre.
Horse-riding and trekking at Balkanets, we know the guy who owns this centre, a very knowledgeable and interesting man.
Caving, climbing.fishing, tennis and cycling.
Ski-ing at Beklemento in the winter, this resort set at the top of the Troyan Pass has three ski runs, two ski drags and the best biathlon track in Bulgaria. The rare edelweiss grows here.
For nature lovers the flora and fauna of the whole area is of great interest. The mix of both deciduous and coniferous woodlands provides a diverse habitat for a wide species of plants and animals. Bear (English friends of ours have seen the footprints of a bear and her cubs) wild boar, Roe deer, Fox, Badger, Hare, Partridge, Eagle, Woodpeckers, Nuthatch, to name only a few.
I believe there are also opportunities for joining hunting and shooting clubs.
Paintball is one of the more recent activities: not on my list of activities, I already have a draw full of paint-splattered clothes from my years of decorating.
At Goly Jalazna there is a very large lake where all water sporting activities are available; and of course the main river flowing through Troyan and it's tributaries through the pretty valley provide safe paddling and swimming for younger family members. The villages have a variety of authentic local bars and sophisticated restaurants; Troyan has an intriguing market on Thursday where one can buy anything from a still to a pair of slippers.
For lovers of history and culture the area is abundant with historical sights, mouments, museums and historically interesting buildings. One of the most well known is the Troyan Monastery, whether of a religious persuasion or not this monastery is worth a visit, as one of the three oldest in Bulgaria it is the place where in recent times the monks hid one of Bulgaria's best loved revolutionary leaders from his enemies, the hiding place is preserved and open to the public. It is a working monastery home of many monks who still make the famous troyan Brandy. We were there at midnight on Easter Saturday, the spectacle of hundreds of people all flooding the courtyard and balconies of the monk's quarter's with the light of the candles whilst the priest gave his Easter address was an experience not to be missed.
I could talk forever about this delightful part of Bulgaria and how we enjoy every moment we spend there, the mix of the old traditional way of life alongside the move towards more western ways makes every day interesting, the people in the villages live as they have for hundreds of years, the younger more educated in the town aspire to have a more sophisticated lifestyle and the two miracuasly mix with family ties and respect being one of their greatest strengths.
To sum up these three pages I will leave you with an Old Bulgarian Legend which for me typifies the Troyan Region:
"After god created the world he summoned representatives from each nation on earth to his presence to give each a share of natures beauty. The Bulgarians were delayed, and by the time they arrived God had no earthly beauty left to give them, so he presented them with a small piece of heaven."
