"Nevilles Travails - Bulgaria" drabbles by Neville Hunt

Unsettling

Nevilles Travails - Bulgaria #3

Things were unsettled in Sofia city centre. Mass demonstrations on the streets. Our host recommended a suburban hotel, ‘Moskva’, near his home. OK... but Lars and I planned shopping, so we took a taxi downtown. At about 50p, the fare was very fair.

But when demonstrators downtown started bearing down on us, we hailed another taxi pronto. The taximeter spun like a top! Arriving back at ‘Moskva’, the fare was five times as much. We settled it, but told our host later.

“That taxi driver, he should be killed!” he said.

”Steady on Branimir... it’s only a couple of quid!”

Forward motion

Nevilles Travails - Bulgaria #2

Things were hotting up in Bulgaria in the late 90s. Hyperinflation and riots meant that few dared to travel there. One of the few was me... on an EU freebie!

EU rules encouraged the use of national airlines. That meant Balkan. Oops!

The Tupolev was almost empty. Take-off from Heathrow was fine, if lonely, and chain-smoky. The in-flight food was crap. Our descent into Sofia was steep, dodging the mountains. When we banged down, suddenly the backs of all the empty seats flew forwards simultaneously with an almighty orchestrated crash.

As did the lunch I’d eaten earlier...

If you go down to the woods....

Nevilles Travails - Bulgaria

We were a bunch of EU delegates and mates, all crammed in a minibus en route from Ruse to Sofia, returning from a transnational project meeting.

We stopped somewhere for lunch. It was our duty to sink a few excellent local beers too - it wasn't a competition, but I competed nonetheless.

Our host Branimir urged us to continue our journey. Unable to retain so much beer, they stopped for me in the forest. Mightily relieved, I returned to the minibus. Noses twitched - not in a good way.

"I know that smell", declared Branimir, "it's bear shit! It's lucky....

...you survived!"