Buy & Sell Bulgaria Insight Newsletter

Read  full  “INTO THE FUTURE” , 25-27 April 2007 Special edition

Edited by Lili Gospodinova

Those of you who didn’t attend our presentation…you missed out! I think it was very beneficial and we had lots of fun all the 2-3 days in Varna. It was as much fun for Alan and I to organize it also, despite the stress and hard work we put into it. Of course now, we feel very much satisfied, happy and proud. Thank you Alan!

I will now tell you the whole story from a point of view of an organizer. It all started on Wednesday, 25th Apr, at the Varna airport, where we collected a big group of 29 guests. I had organized for 2 girls, dressed-up in Bulgarian national costumes to offer the guests a piece of the traditional bread and honey, often used at different receptions in Bulgaria. I also got a coach to drive everyone to the Astera hotel at Golden Sands, which is among the most popular holiday resorts in the region of Varna.

Arriving at the hotel, everyone was astonished by the look of it, all lightened up by flashing signboards and illumination. Astera Hotel & Casino is centrally located in Golden Sands Resort among incredible beaches, clean sea-water and bright sun. Situated in the immediate vicinity of the beach, Astera Hotel & Casino offers an improbable and impressive panorama to the azure water of the Black Sea. The stylish interior, the contemporary architectural decisions and the accents on the colors combined with ultramodern and different design create a unique feeling of coziness and comfort. The hotel offers many facilities, as steam bath, sauna, swimming pool, fitness centre, casino, pool table, lobby bar, 3 restaurants and a night club, all for the pleasant stay of the guests. Excellent choice Alan!

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By Christopher Violaris, BSc, MSc, PhD ( Econ)
Chairman of Eurolink Investment Group

IS IT A BOOM, FASHION OR MADNESS?

Very often we are asked to explain the Bulgarian “boom”, make predictions and justify the ever increasing investor’s interest in Bulgaria! Naturally people want to be re-assured that their wish to invest in Bulgaria is correct and their investment is safe, as much as an investment can be. The answer is not always easy, especially when, what people hear is not what they want to hear! Strange as it may sound, but very often investors who have already made up their mind based on false information and facts, feel that we are trying to put them off and prevent them from taking their share of the loot!

The international press very often makes reference and covers the stories of people who were disappointed with their investment, who were mislead or even cheated and lost their money while trying to buy property in Bulgaria. Nothing new of course, considering that you hear the same stories in Spain, the occupied part of Cyprus, Turkey, Romania, etc. Why is it that all this is happening and why investor’s dreams are turned into a nightmare? The answer is very simple! IGNORANCE of the market and naivety on the side of the investor! Statements made by specific Developers, like the famous “as seen on TV” or “Guaranteed rental income” etc, should not be taken for granted and surely should not be taken as facts! What are the facts?

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I am the basis of all wealth, the heritage of the wise, the thrifty and the prudent.

I am the poor man’s joy and comfort, the rich man’s prize, the right hand of capital, the silent partner of many thousands of successful men.

I am the solace of the widow, the comfort of old age, the cornerstone of security against misfortune and want.

I am handed down to children through generations, as a thing of great worth.

I am the choicest fruit of toil, Credit respects me. Yet I am humble. I stand before every man bidding him to know me for what I am and possess me.

I grow and increase in value through the countless days. Though I seem dormant, my worth increases, never failing, never ceasing. Time is my aid and population heaps up my gain. Fire and the elements I defy, for they cannot destroy me.

My possessors learn to believe in me; invariably they become envied. While all other things wither and decay, I survive. the centuries find me younger, increase my strength.

I am the foundation of banks, the producer of food and the basis of wealth thoughout the world. Yet I am so common that thousands, unthinking and unknowing, pass me by.

I am Land!

Provided by Joel House, client and good friend of Buy & Sell Bulgaria

Yaro, being the shy guy he is, in his younger days

Congratulations to May’s Employee of the Month, Yaroslav Stanev, IT & Web Design Manager. Yaro is a dedicated, hard worker and never hesitates to put in extra hours and effort to make both his department and the entire firm look good.

Over the past year, Yaro has channeled the firm’s efforts toward greater on-line and electronic marketing. He has overseen the design and development of a customer-friendly Buy & Sell Bulgaria web site, due to launch later this year. He also has chosen a vendor to support regular electronic correspondence with Buy & Sell Bulgaria’s clients and prospects, which he hopes will create a lasting positive image of the firm in clients’ minds while simultaneously creating opportunities to gain new prospects.

Finally, he has shown an active willingness to learn new skills, by becoming the firm’s first de facto web master, responsible for creating new web pages and editing older ones.

Congratulations, Yaro, and thanks for all your hard work

There are many birthday boys and girls in May. Our dear colleague Alan Coleman (Deputy Managing Director of Buy & Sell Bulgaria), me, Lili Gospodinova (Corporate Public and Customer Relations Manager) and good clients and friends Elizabeth Meikle, Marie Weatheral, Mario Gatt, Christopher Mitchel and Louise Spiteri have their special day this month. We would like to wish them all many happy returns and the best of luck!

Mick Jagger’s first wife, Bianca, arrived to Bulgaria on Saturday, 7th April to take part in the “You are not alone” campaign for the release of the five Bulgarian nurses, sentenced to death in Libya.

Bianca Jagger visited Bulgaria on the invitation of Standart Newspaper, bTV and Darik Radio, who are the organizers of the campaign. After her arrival, Bianca first went to the Vassil Levski stadium in the capital of Sofia to greet the footballers from Bulgaria’s two rival teams Levski and CSKA before their derby, which was also under the “You are not alone” motto.

Bianca Jagger also met the Bulgaria’s President Georgi Parvanov and the Mayor of Sofia, Boyko Borisov. She is one of the most ardent fighters for human rights in the world and she is also a leading figure in Amnesty International. She pointed out that if Libya wants to be accepted by the democratic world there must be justice for the jailed medics and they must be freed immediately.

Bianca Jagger is a good will ambassador of the Council of Europe, and a person with great influence on the international scene so her help will be of great importance, Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev said.

Mr Baba is a year round restaurant , that offers the freshest fish and the most delicious dishes. Enjoy classy European cuisine in the unique atmosphere of a legendary battle ship. Every day the maitre patissier is preparing sweets, which are well known among the conoisseurs.

Situated on the pier, Mr Baba offers a magnificent view to the sea , the Varna beach and the city. There is also a VIP hall on the ship, available for business appointments, the two decks are a great place to celebrate your holiday or arrange a party.

Rating of 8/10

Gyuveche (say it, “GYOO-vech-ay”) is a popular catch-all dish, which you can make with just about anything you have in the fridge. It gets its name from the small individual ceramic dishes in which it’s traditionally cooked and served. I suppose you could prepare the recipe in a casserole dish, but then you’d have a casserole, not a gyuveche.

Here’s the recipe…

What you need (for a single serving):

• About 200-300 grams cheese (you may use as many different kinds of cheese as you like, but make sure to include feta cheese as it is the traditional one for this dish and is not as oily when it melts)
• 1 egg
• various chopped herbs

And everything else is optional because Bulgarians use whatever is left over in the fridge to make this dish:
• any kind of cooked chicken, pork, or beef
• any kind of sausages or hot dogs
• vegetables: tomatoes, peppers, small hot pepper, mushrooms, cooked potatoes
• fresh greens: parsley, dill, celery leaves

How to make it: Chop or dice everything you want to put in. Make alternating layers of cheese, meat, and vegetables, and finish with cheese. Bake in the oven at 200 C (app. 375 F) for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Break the egg on top and put back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes depending on how well-done you like your eggs. Serve with fresh bread or toast. Enjoy!

Possibly the most celebrated name day in the country, St George’s Day (Gergyovden) is a public holiday celebrated on 6th May every year. A common ritual is to prepare and eat a whole lamb, which is an ancient practice possibly related to Slavic pagan sacrificial traditions and the fact that he is the patron saint of the shepherds.

St. George’s Day is also the Day of the Bulgarian Army (made official with a decree of Knyaz Alexander of Bulgaria on 9 January 1880) and parades are organised in the capital Sofia to present the best of the army’s equipment and manpower.

May 8 marks the day of victory for Allies in World War II

On Mar. 7, 1945, the Western Allies - whose chief commanders in the field were Omar N. Bradley and Bernard Law Montgomery - crossed the Rhine after having smashed through the strongly fortified Siegfried Line and overran West Germany. German collapse came after the meeting (Apr. 25) of the Western and Russian armies at Torgau in Saxony, and after Hitler’s death amid the ruins of Berlin, which was falling to the Russians under marshals Zhukov and Konev. The unconditional surrender of Germany was signed at Rheims on May 7 and ratified at Berlin on May 8.

Collecting guests at Varna Airport in the Bulgarian traditional style

Expect news on the past company presentation INTO THE FUTURE. If I have to describe how it went in two words, they would be Absolutely Virtuosically.

To be continued…