Chaos meeting at architect office in Varna
Today we first had a meeting with Maya from BHC (Bulgarian Home Care) to go over general cleaning and maintenance in the complex, especially the common area and the pool need maintenance. Tiles that are broken, pergola that is rotten and needs to be replaced before it falls on someone. A real shame that this has not been properly maintained. But the problem is increased prices and problems in collecting money from all the owners.
Then it was just a matter of driving off to Varna to meet the head of an architectural firm responsible for the project in Solnik. We had been informed at a meeting with the lawyer two days earlier that the architect who works on our project no longer works for him. It was a big surprise, so we were excited to see how this person thought to solve this. It has not been easy to work with this company, especially when the architect was not given enough time and priority to complete the tasks. We are well into overtime and this meeting should turn out to be pure chaos. Little did we know that he had invited an interpreter, a friend of his, who had supposedly become familiar with the project, clearly with this persons views in advance, which were completely out of step with what the previous architect was working with. At the same time, he had invited an elderly engineer who we eventually learned was good at water solutions, how we can best save and use water from our two wells and collect rainwater in a water reservoir. All this is well and good, but when 4 people sit around a table and talk at the same time on different topics, this meeting has little value. In any case, all this should have been clear a long time ago. But this person has de-prioritized our project for a long time. It has seemed that he is annoyed that we have our own views in our own project. In addition, he has used an ongoing process for merging two plots of land as an excuse to delay the project in Solnik. It is clear that he does not have an overview of the previously employed architect, and that we now have to start detailed planning again. A depressing meeting to put it bluntly.
After the meeting, we tried to lift our spirits with a lunch at one of the restaurants in Varna. And it turned out to be a nice place with good food and a very nice and friendly waiter. But we just had to try to talk our way through today’s experience and frustration at not being able to finish the project, which will obviously be further delayed.
In the evening we were invited home for dinner to Vanja’s family in Pchelnik at 20:30. We were there a little early since this time we found their home right away. We were stopped by the police on the road at the entrance to Dolni Chiflik. After a bit of stuttering, we got to say “Ot Norvegia” and he just waved us on. But the dinner was, as usual, fantastic and the conversation goes on without interruption, where Galin hardly has time to eat because of the translation. What can you say when you are lucky enough to know a really nice Bulgarian family and be invited to their home. Very lucky!!
We neglected to talk about today’s experience with head of architect office in Varna.
