Svetlina July 2026
It was time to transport the countertops to Bulgaria, and since I wasn’t going to bring much else, I had room for an air mattress in the back of the car. That’s why I could check out my own hotel on the trip, stop and just get enough rest to continue the trip. It took me exactly 2 days to cross the border into Bulgaria. Since Bulgaria joined Schengen on March 31, 2024, there are no longer border controls into the country. Since I’m traveling through Romania, that means no border controls throughout the entire trip from Norway to Bulgaria. But there may be random checks at the borders, especially out of Bulgaria due to refugees entering Europe. And since I drive a closed van, I get stopped by the border police every time I drive from the south of Bulgaria north towards Burgas. But this has become a habit, the border police are very nice and just want to look in the back of the car to see that I’m not transporting refugees through Bulgaria.
This is what it looked like when I arrived at the property, so I just parked outside and picked up the lawnmower.
Then it was just a matter of vacuuming all the uninvited guests since I was here in April, then settling down to watch a movie.
The next day Pool4You came and helped me get the pool started. I ordered extra equipment to regulate the PH and chlorine content automatically. A few days later they came back to install the chlorinator. 20 bags of salt tablets were filled in the pool to create electrolysis. The system uses a solution of 15% hydrochloric acid to regulate the PH and chlorine content. The salt content in the pool is about 10 times less than in the osean, 3-5 g/L. They also installed a shower that I also ordered from them.
A lot of work was done on the property this time. With the help of the mayor and 2 workers from the village, I managed to clear the land around the property, lay a new concrete slab around the garage, and arrange steps up to the pool. New sewer pipes were replaced with new ones from the cabin to the septic tank. The gutter downspouts were laid underground and led to the outside of the property. I cemented a frame that protects the water inlet to the property, as well as steps up to the main house. Unfortunately, some plum trees had to pay with their lives to get better access to the garage space.
I organized a barbecue for the workers and their families. The kids had a great time in the pool 🙂
And I was lucky enough to be invited by the mayor to a school assembly in the neighboring village, to celebrate this year’s school year, where the schoolchildren gave speeches, dressed in Bulgarian traditional costumes, and entertained with songs, dances, and music in pure Bulgarian style. It was absolutely fantastic to be part of this excursion.
