We took 3 days to drive the 1000km back to the Alps, spending a night close to Tours and then a second, very wet night near Lyon. Having safely arrived back at our home in the Alps we parked the caravan outside our home and spent a week cleaning and packing. Then on the last Monday in April it was time to set off for Italy and try and get half way across towards the port of Ancona, where we would catch the overnight ferry to Greece. We eventually got on the road at around 11.30am, a little later than planned and crossed the border into Italy through the Frejus tunnel about an hour later. At around 5pm we pulled off the motorway just passed Piacenza and found a campsite for the night. It was not the quietest or peaceful of nights, as despite ensuring we parked well away from everyone else, a family with a small camper and a toddler decided to park right beside us and a large German camper on the other side and then there seemed to be some rave going on in the next door field all night!

By 10am the next morning we had walked the dogs and were ready to hit the road again. It was around a further 4 or 5 hours on to Ancona and we stayed at the campsite we had stayed at last year, just 30 minutes south of the port. Wednesday morning we were at the ferry port by 11am to check-in. After last year’s debacle where they refused to allow us on the camping deck as we were not a proper camper I was anticipating various checks of paperwork but no……..within 30 minutes we had got our tickets, had not had to show a single piece of paper for either the car or caravan and were loaded onto the ferry. It was very quiet onboard and we were parked right at the rear. The sun had come out and so we could put the deck-chairs behind the caravan and watch the remaining passengers and vehicles board and then at just after 1.30pm, the ropes were thrown off and we ’set sail’ for Greece. The dogs were a little freaked out at first but were much happier once they were settled in the caravan and knew they had a sofa to sleep on for the next few hours. I can’t say I got much sleep as it was rather noisy with the ship’s engines and a lot of rattling but the facilities are great onboard and it was certainly much easier than having to put the dogs in the kennels on the top deck and sleep on the floor somewhere.

By the time we got up at around 7am, we were already approaching Igoumenitsa in the far north west of Greece and were close to land. The ferry actually carries on to Patras and so it quickly docks to let those off first before setting sail for Patras, further south.

The campsite is only a couple of hours north of the ferry port and so after a quick stop to let the dogs out for toilet break as they were too nervous to leave the caravan on the 15 hour trip, we pulled up at Santa Maura campsite on Dessimi bay. It is a lovely place with olive trees and orange and lemon trees and right on the beach.

We set up the caravan and awning and settled into our ‘home’ for the next two weeks.

We were aiming to stay at the only campsite near Bucharest, which was described as being on the north side, close to the airport. Well given that neither of the two airports were even sign-posted, it took us an hour of trying different roads until we happened on the campsite. It had always been given fairly good reviews but we were not impressed. It was basically a few very basic huts around a central car park with several stray dogs wandering around. The plan had been to rent one of the little huts for the night as we did not want to bother putting the awning up or re-arranging the van for one night. But as it was going to cost us around 18 Euros for one of the huts, without hot water and any heating (and it was freezing) or 17 Euros to park the minibus in the car park, plus a further 6 Euros to use the wash block, we decided to try and find a cheap motel for the night.

The road going into Bucharest is a nightmare – its 3 lanes of dangerous driver’s and a central reservation so if you miss your turning you have to go another few kilometres until the next turn off. Eventually (on third bypass) we found a motel that had nice rooms for 30 Euros/night. We snuck the dogs in and set up our camping stove and settled down for the evening.

The next morning the local news channel was showing images of a horrific crash in the snow so was with some trepidation that we set off towards Transylvania and into the Bucegi mountains and over the Predeal pass. The road was good and in a couple of hours we had reached Sinaia, where we took a break to visit Peles Castle. The actual castle was closed but it was a pleasant walk around the outside and gardens.

Snow had started to fall by the time we left and it was bitterly cold. We carried on and soon reached the small ski resort of Predeal, at the top of the 1038-metre pass, which marks the entrance to Transylvania. Just on the outskirts of Predeal, we were rather shocked to pass the site of the crash we had seen that morning on the news. There were still people around inspecting the site and taking photos and bits of car strewn on the side of the road.

After another hour or so we reached Brasov and after a rather frustrating crawl through the centre and then doubling back on ourselves, following signs to Bran, we managed to get on the right road out of the city and headed for our campsite – Vampire Camping, under the shadow of Dracula’s castle.

From Greece we were on the home run back to our place in central Bulgaria. It is around a ten hour straight drive without stops. Usually we follow the motorway straight across northern Greece towards Turkey and then at Alexandropolis take the road along side the Turkish border to Svilengrad on the Bulgarian border. From there it is a 2 hour drive to our house.

However, this time we decided to turn north at Thessoloniki and enter Bulgaria at the border crossing near Sandanski. Our original plan was to find a campsite in Greece somewhere close to the Bulgarian border but there were non listed in the guide books we had and by around 5pm we were entering Bulgaria. Our next stopping point was to be a campsite close to Bansko, however that was another couple of hours drive, so we decided to try and find a cheap hotel for the night.

Just on the northern outskirts of Sandanski we saw a motel on the edge of the road. so we stopped to ask about rooms. There appeared to be no other guests in the hotel and a double room was 30 levs. I did attempt to ask if it was ok to bring our dogs in and even resorted to making ‘woof woof’ sounds but to no avail – except rather strange looks.

As the access to the rooms was through a separate door we took the dogs for a walk close by and then managed to sneak the dogs in. It wasn’t the cleanest of hotels but it gave us a bed for the night and meant we could get a good start the next morning.

So by 8.30am the next day we were back on the road and heading towards Bansko. I had looked to invest in an apartment in Bansko back in 2004 so I always find it interesting to go back and see if the development is still continuing on a massive scale or if there are now hundreds of abandoned building projects like elsewhere in Bulgaria. We observed massive developments around a supposed golf course miles from anywhere and that there was now little distinction between Bansko, Ravda and Razlog – these once separate villages now all merged into one through one development after another along the road. Bansko was pretty deserted and we had a quick drive around, grabbed a coffee and headed off in the direction of Velingrad.

I have always wanted to visit the Bear Sanctuary at Belitsa, where the bears once used as Dancing bears on the streets of Bulgaria for cruel entertainment are now allowed to roam around a large compound in the mountains. We had been warned that the last bit of the road to the sanctuary was in bad condition, however we did not realise that this mean over 11km of barely passable track. After 40 minutes of edging along we had done maybe 4km and were extremely worried about the van and so gave up and turned round.

Back on the road we headed through the mountains and some fairly stunning scenery to Velingrad and from there to the motorway at Pazardjhik and to Stara Zagora and home.

She had initially signed for the apartment back in 2007 and four years later still did not have the keys or notary deed. It was decided that she would make sure all the paperwork was in place and would then try and sell. We therefore attempted to find the apartment back in summer 2010 with no luck.

By the start of summer 2011 we had collected the key for her and finally managed to track down the exact location through an old google map and contacting the local municipality, but on turning up at the said point, all we saw were two abandoned blocks and a building site. Our first thoughts were that we must be in the wrong place. But we checked down all other close by streets and checked in all other nearby complexes and there were no apartments that matched the description of the one we were looking for. So we went back to the abandoned block and had a good look around. This involved climbing over rusty old fencing and builders rubbish to gain access. The small pool was full of green slimy water and a dead seagull was floating in it. Some of the apartments in the 2 blocks looked like they were possible being used but there was clearly no maintenance being done, it looked like the builders had just upped and left one day. The key did not fit any of the doors on the complex and so we reported back to the lady our findings but that we were not entirely sure we had been at the right location. Unfortunately she identified the block and her apartment from the photos and video I sent her. She was of course, understandably very upset, given she had paid an extortionate amount for the apartment, spent 3 years going through court in connection with the development and now did not even have a key to fit her apartment.

The matter continues. We are currently trying to arrange a meeting with some guy who apparently has the key to her apartment, although we have no explanation as to why he would have the key or why locks would have been changed.

On another matter a lady contacted us about issues with her apartment in Sunny Day 6. The apartment had been due to be completed by the end of 2010, and she had sent all the money, but had not got the notary deeds and when she pushed for more information, she was sent photos by the developer in March 2011 showing that her block was little more than 4 walls and a roof. She was told completion would be April, then June, then September. We are going to furnish it for her, so she is not further ripped off by furnishing companies offering extortionate packages and we have been visiting every 3 or 4 weeks to see progress. Luckily work is continuing at a decent pace and it appears the apartment may indeed be ready be the end of summer – just a year late!

So we set off Tuesday across Umbria and into Le Marche and towards Ancona. We had hoped to stay at one of the ASCI sites listed in the Camping Card book but after driving round and round and not being able to find it, we happened on a site at nearby Sirolo. It was basically empty as we were still out of season and was mainly full of sited bungalows. The caravan and mobile pitches were in a separate field, securely fenced and with numerous olive trees. We were the only ones there and while the access was a little dubious for larger vans, it was a lovely spot. That evening we walked into the town for a proper Italian Pizza – although when the bill came at over 50 Euros for two of us we rather wished we had not bothered!

The next day we headed for the port at Ancona and as directed I went to the Anek desk with my tickets and was told to go to the Superfast counter. And that’s where the problems started. We were booked to be on the camping deck so we could be with all 3 dogs, however as our camping van is a conversion and used as our mini-bus for airport transfers, the vehicle document does not state it is an actual camper. So bottom line was whilst Anek ferries, who we had booked with, checked we were ok with our converted camper and dogs and paid, were happy for us to go on the camping deck, Superfast ferries were just rude and unhelpful and gave us a point blank no! But we were not the only ones as an irate German couple, who had used Anek without problems in their camping car for 10 years, were also told no.

So it was back to Anek to complain. Having explained that we booked the camping deck especially so as to be able to be with our dogs and so we could get a decent night’s sleep and that NO, we would not be able to just leave them in the van for 15 hours unless I was allowed access every hour or so to check on them and NO I would not be using the pet cages on the top deck as had seen the state of these before……And that we had specifically booked with Anek so to be allowed on the camping deck and it was not our fault that they were cancelling the ferry crossing so to sort it..……Eventually after waiting for several phone calls to be made and returned we were offered a pet cabin at no extra cost.

We were then rather late to the loading bay and several requests to be allowed to drive on sooner rather than later so we could get the dogs out of the hot car were ignored. We ended up being pretty much the last vehicle on and then had the problem of finding our cabin and getting 3 nervous dogs up several decks.  But once settled in the cabin we decided we had done rather well as it contained 4 bunks so we could have one each and the dogs could share the other 2! We also leave the dogs in the cabin and have a wander and get a good nights sleep.

At around 6am the next morning we docked at Igoumenitsa in Greece and disembarked. We had decided to spend a couple of days on the island of Lefakda, which was only around an hour’s drive south. We had booked a campsite, the only one we could find online, but once we were on the island and came across the campsite we had reserved a place on, we decided that as it was only 10am in the morning we would see what other campsites there were. We were rewarded with a sign to campsite only a few kilometres on and went to check it out. We were met by the owner Dimitri and shown a massive pitch we could have and dogs were no problem. The site was situated on its own little cove with wonderful views and was a small family run place where most of the campers were long term. In the end we stayed for 3 days and hope to return as a ‘long-termer’ next year!

From Pisa we headed inland and for the dramatically located village of Volterra. It is a scenic climb to the plateau where the village is situated. We first decided to head to the Balze cliffs on the north western side of the village. Over the years, much of the village has apparently slipped over the cliffs and the guide book talked of being able to see walls disappearing over the edge and of aRoman city buried underneath the Alabaster mines. However, while there is a fantastic view over the countryside and you can see chasms in the hillside where it has been mined, there was no real evidence of a village falling off the edge of the cliff. But it made a pleasant place to walk the dogs and have a picnic and there was a decent campsite (www.campinglebalze.com  – we did not stay there).

After lunch we drove the kilometre or so to the old medieval walled village. There is free parking on the lower side, right by some fairly impressive Roman ruins. The village itself is lovely to wander around, although you would not need more than a couple of hours to explore it.

It was early afternoon when we left and drove across the Tuscany countryside to San Gimignano. According the the guide books this is the most visited small village in Italy and judging by the huge number of coaches and tourists around, we could quite believe it. A couple of kilometres outside the village is Camping Boschetto di Piemma; a lovely shaded campsite with hard standing pitches, a brand new shower and toilet block and restaurant and bar (and swimming pool in the summer). It was 25 Euros a night and pets are allowed at no additional cost. There is a bus that runs directly from the campsite to the village for 1.50 Euros each, but it is an easy 20 minute walk. Aside from being very touristy the village itself is impressive. It sits atop a small hill and the skyline is dominated by the numerous towers. It is best to just wander the narrow winding streets, taking in the numerous touristy shops selling olive oil, wine, pottery and cured meats.

We made the mistake of visiting (and paying for) entry to the Spezieria di Santa Fina, which was supposedly a museum of sixteenth century spices and herbs used in medicine. However for the 7 Euro entrance fee there was little to see except a few old herbs in jars behind a glass case and a few bits of pottery. There was little by way of explanation and it was all in Italian. No trip to San Gimignano would be complete without tasting the delights of the famous Gelateria di Piazza in the main square, voted the best ice cream in Tuscany and winner of Ice cream of the world in 2006. There is an amazing array of ice cream and sorbet flavours and the prices are very reasonable.

We stayed two nights near San Gimignano and were contemplating a third when I decided to check my emails (there is wifi available through pre-paid cards) and found an email from the ferry company to say our ferry had been cancelled and we could either sail a day later or on an earlier ferry. We opted to go for the earlier option and so headed towards the Adriatic.

By around 5pm we started to look for somewhere to stay. We were just around La Spezia and had a look in the ACSI guide for a suitable campsite nearby. There was one described as quiet and set amongst trees which sounded idyllic. However, when we eventually found it on the road down to Deiva Marina, it was absolutely jam packed with people parking in the car park at the entrance and the pitches were all very close together, which was absolutely no good for us with the dogs. The only place they could offer us was on the end of a row, overlooked by lots of other campers so we decided to continue on. We ended up right down at the sea and on a narrow, single carriage way road which disappeared into various tunnels as it hugged the cliffs by the sea. If you did not time it correctly (as we didn’t) you ended up having to wait 20 minutes for the traffic lights to change. As we headed back towards Sestri Levante we saw signs to a campsite. We almost drive right past the entrance as you had to veer sharply out of the tunnel and onto a narrow strip of tarmac, that was apparently a campsite. There were various camper vans parked nose to tail along the railings but one look and we new it was not for us!

So after another 15 minute wait for the lights to change so we could re-enter the tunnel we headed back to the town of Sestri Levante and picked up a number of campsite signs. Time was getting on so we just picked one and followed the signs down a narrow lane on the edge of the town, eventually coming to the site. It was pleasant enough but mainly set up for sited caravans and was very expensive at 35 Euros for the night for a pitch with electric. The dogs were an additional 3 Euros each, adding to the bill. But the showers were clean and hot and we had a fairly large, quiet pitch.

The Verdon Gorge is also known as the Grand Canyon du Verdon and it didn’t disappoint.

We had pre-booked two nights camping at ‘Le Bois de Sibourg‘ and did have a little trouble finding the place, as it was much further from the Gorge than expected. However, the site was lovely and perfect for us and the dogs. Set on the edge of a farm and surrounded by fields and woods, it was lovely and quiet and we had a large pitch and at only 28 Euros for 2 nights it was a goodprice.

The site was around an hour away from the western edge of the Verdon Gorge where the crystal blue Lac de Ste-Croix is located. We then followed the twisting road along the northern rim for around 30km, stopping at various places en-route to look down the 700 metre drop to the river running along the bottom of the gorge. There are various villages along the route such as La Palud-sur-Verdon, a tiny sleepy place out of season, where there is also a small caravan site in a field on the edge of the road through and Rougon, situated high above the road, almost hidden by a huge pinnacle of rock. There is an excellent viewing point on the road under the village. We continued all the way along to the east edge of the Gorge, winding down until you are level with and following the river out of the valley.

Unfortunately there is no circuit as such around the Gorge, as the southern ridge is a protracted and a very narrow road, adding a further 100km to the journey. So we stopped for an ice-cream in Castellane, where there is a chapel on top of a massive rock and then turned round and followed the same route all the way back.

With hindsight, it would have been better to stay a night at Bois de Sibourg and then go along the north rim of the Gorge and stop at a campsite somewhere at the other end of the Gorge to prevent backtracking and the additional milage. However, we were there around the first week in May and a number of the campsites along the Gorge were not open yet.

The definition of distressed property sales is the urgent sale of assets under negative conditions or a rapid, urgent sale of assets, often at a loss. Distressed sales usually occur when cash is needed to cover immediate needs or debts or when someone decides they cannot afford the property for one reason or another, for example they cannot afford the mortgage repayments  or the management charges. Or sometimes for personal reasons such as divorce, relocation etc.

There are currently many British and Irish desperate to sell the apartment they bought in the Bansko or Pamporovo or Sunny Beach and they are prepared to sell for much less money than they paid for it. These buyers were often promised high guaranteed rental yields of 5 to 10%, which they thought would cover their yearly management fees and mortgage repayments but have not seen a penny in rental returns. Or they were enticed into buying 2 or 3 apartments (often by being given a discount on the full purchase price) in the same complex and told that the property would double in value in a couple of years. Of course the opposite has happened…..

Over the last few months I became interested to find an apartment along the Black Sea coast to buy for a weekend getaway and also a ski apartment for rental. However, apart from the odd good deal on ebay, it was incredibly difficult to find genuine distressed and below market value properties in Bulgaria. Sure there are numerous websites and agencies supposedly offering distressed sales and properties below market value, but these are still incredibly over-priced in today’s market. Sure people are selling a large 2 bed apartment in Bansko for 40,000 Euros less than they paid for it two or three years ago, but then they were completely ripped off at the time they bought and paid a stupid price for it in the first place. Knocking a few grand off what you paid for a property does not now make it below market value or a distressed property when you paid double the amount it was worth when you bought!

A quick look on a few websites advertising ‘distressed property sales’ shows a one bed furnished apartment in Bansko for 44,000 Euros – advertised as being the original sales price……but this is hardly below market value, let alone a distressed sale, given prices in Bansko are down by at least 50% and had never really increased in value over the last couple of years due to over-development. A more realistic price for this apartment would be around 20,000 to 25,000 Euros. Bansko was marketed as being the best up and coming ski resort, on a par with top European resorts. This was simply all hype. The skiing and snow cover is nowhere near the quality and quantity you get in France, Italy, Austria or Switzerland. That would have been fine if the prices reflected this but at the height of the boom people were paying well over 120,000 Euros for a 2 bed apartment there and 40,000 to 50,000 Euros for a studio or small one bed. And prices for food and drink and lift passes steadily increased until the prices were similar to what you pay in France and Austria. I live part of the year in the largest ski area in the world and in the most expensive department in France outside of central Paris and you can get a ski apartment here for 60,000 Euros!

Another website that promote themselves as offering Below Market Value properties advertise their sales as below the ‘regular’ price which is stated as meaning 20 to 50% discounted (presumably from original sales price although on a quick glance there were none at 50% of regular price and most were around 20 to 30% below the price paid for them). They even state that these properties can be bought and ‘flipped’ for gain – highly unlikely, if not impossible! Otherwise these sellers would be selling these properties easily!

And of course even if you find a really cheap property you still need to be very careful of location. There are plenty of studio apartments in the Sunny Beach area for under 10,000 Euros but these are in awful developments, on the edge of the road or in the middle of nowhere. Similarly in Bansko many apartments for sale are nowhere near the ski lifts and town are are in fact in a field somewhere along the road to Bansko – rental potential basically non-existant. Maybe they are advertised as being close to the golf course but can you actually ever use the golf course – probably not as often only those who bought into the developments surrounding the course can use it.

So I have decided to start a page for distressed property on my website. These properties will be VERY cheap compared to other similar properties on the market. There are no agency fees involved, you will deal directly with the buyer. If you would like to list your property on the site, you must be prepared to offer the property for at least 40% of what you paid for it, better 50% or less. As well as being listed here, your property will also be listed on TheTravelBug Facebook page and details will be sent to all on TheTravelBug mailing list (sent out once every two weeks), and listed on eBay. A sale is of course not gauranteed but if your apartment or house is very good value you will likely get a sale. For example apartments in the ski resorts or around the coast for 10,000 to 15,000 Euros or less or rural village houses for two or three thousand Euros. I will be doing my best to market this page and the properties listed to investors.

The cost for a listing will be £50 payable to paypal or moneybooker (rachel@thetravelbug.org) or I can take a UK cheque or bank transfer. Your property will be listed until sale.

We asked if there were any other tombs in the area we could visit and were told to drive to the next door village and we’d see the excavations the same team had done a few months back. We followed the directions given and came across what can only be described as a pile of rubble around a large hole and much discarded rubbish. We were thinking we had actually just happened upon the village rubbish dump, when we spotted a sign saying that these were excavations of Roman-Thracian ruins and funded by the governments of Skandinavia. There was nothing much to see, although we did find a plastic bag full of small shards of bones (whether human or animal we were not sure) and another bag of broken pottery.

Further up, on the top of a nearby hill, we could see a distinctive burial mound and decided to head up the track in the 4×4. We reached the mound and from the direction we approached in it seemed the mound was untouched, although there was an old security caravan close by and the ‘obligatory’ bags ofrubbish and plastic bottles lying around. But on climbing up the mound and on closer inspection, we were astonished to what appeared to be a half-finished excavation.

The earth had been removed from half of the tomb, exposing the entrance to the tomb and a circular chamber made from massive, carefully cut square slabs. We hopped down into the chamber and could see a small entrance going into a narrow tunnel, heading further into the tomb. One by one, we crawled into the tiny tunnel to see if it led anywhere but without torches and dressed only in shorts and t-shirts with flip flops on, we were not really prepared for exploring much and in any case the tunnel seemed to branch into two and then peter out.

The main chamber had areas left in the stone floor that were just bare earth, possibly were animals had been sacrificed and then buried to follow the Thracian leader to the after life, such as his horse and hunting dogs. The bones of such sacrificial animals have been found in other tombs.

It was an amazing experience to just be able to wander round and explore the tomb and we decided we would make more of an effort to go and find out more about the tombs that dot the landscape of Bulgaria, particularly along the Kazanlak valley.