Over the last few years I have lived in both Germany and now Bulgaria while I have worked on various projects.
In the late 90's I decided I had enough of England and moved to Essen (Rot Weiss Essen were the biggest of the local teams) as the company I work for had a new project there. It is an industrial town nestled in the Ruhrgerbeit in the North West of Germany but within easy travelling distance of Dusseldorf, Koln, Bonn, Gilsenkirchen, Bochum and Dortmund. The transport systems within Germany are excellent so getting around is not a problem. As my first introduction to Germany I was presently surprised by both the people and the country. I really enjoyed my time in Essen and would recommend Germany as a holiday or footballing destination to anyone. Like most places in Germany festivals are part of the all year round culture and some of the best in Essen are the Ruhr in Flammen at the end of June, the annual street party/festival and the christmas markets - although the best markets I have been to are in Dusseldorf, Nurnberg, Munich and Frankfurt.
Favourite Irish Pub - Fritzpatrick's Irish Pub
Overall Verdict: :021: :021: :021: :clapping03:
Then when that project finished I moved to another project in Frankfurt am Main the home of Eintracht Frankfurt with their good old red and black stripes. Frankfurt is located a lot further south and is a lot more like London in many ways (it is the financial capital of Germany) and has a very multi-cultural feel about it compared with Essen which felt more German. Another city with many great festivals through the year - Museumsuferfest (Museums Riverbank Festival - about 3m people in 3 days - best festival I have been to), Wolkenkratzer Festival (Festival of skyscrapers) and the Sound of Frankfurt festival. It is a great city to work in and also for a short break - especially at christmas when the markets are on. As well as the nearby Wurzburg, Heidelberg and the Black Frest it is also a great location for visiting both France and Switzerland as both are easily accesible by road and the cities of Zurich and Strasbourg can be visited for weekends.
Favourite Irish Pub - An Sibin
Overall verdict - :021: :021: :021: :021:
After a short time back in the UK in London and Manchester I moved to Bulgaria in 2005 to work on another project in Sofia. I must admit that apart from that it used to be behind the Iron Curtain and that I had heard of CSKA Sofia and Georgi Markov I didn't know a lot about Bulgaria before I came (I now know a lot more including that it is the highest capital city in Europe). I am glad I did as it has been interesting seeing how the country has changed since 2005 and still is changing. Sofia is the capital and there has definitely been an increase in tourism to the city especially since joining the EU at the start of 2007. The CSKA v Levski derbies were an introduction to East European football fervour, as was a riot at the Bulgarian Cup Final in 2006 and the great Champions League and UEFA Cup nights in 2005 and 2006. The city has many great sites and with the major improvements in the roads and other infrastructure the weekend journeys to the ski-slopes in the winter months are easier but the suicidal Bulgarian driving culture is still a major risk associated with any road trip. Other drawbacks are the ever present black BMW/Mercedes crew who still make their presence felt but thankfully they are more content killing each other nowadays, the ongoing corruption still prevelant in certain parts of society, and the smog that the city quite frequently suffers from. Having said that the people are very warm and hospitable and I made some good friends in the city - and they do like to have a few wee drinks. The favoured tipple Rakia = a clear Whisky that numbs the parts other spirits can't reach :001:
Favourite Irish Pub - JJ Murphy's
Overall verdict - :021: :021: :clapping03: :024:
At the start of this year I moved across to the Black Sea Coast (Varna) which was a pleasant change from the traffic craziness in Sofia (as with most capital cities). Varna is a great little town and everything is easily accessibble by foot (only real draw-back is the football is dire - think Arbroath :029: and that is probably doing Arbroath an injustice). The town is more better known for the UK holiday destination of Golden Sands just to the North and Sunny Beach to the South outside Burgas. These areas though are mostly habitated in the summer by European tourists and only the more wealthier of Bulgarians (in the winter they are ghost towns with everything boarded up for the winter storms). Although cheaper than the UK the prices in the resorts are about 3 times more expensive than the bars and clubs that pop up on Varna beach during the summer months and this where all the locals go. Many evenings were had on the ?1 Mojitos and 60p Beers. If anybody is coming to Varna on a summer package holiday I can recommend that they get in a taxi and head for the Sea Garden in Varna City Centre where a far better (and cheaper evening will be had). The beaches are excellent but the only draw-back is that when you live here all year round you can see the environmental damage that is being done by the continuous over-development.
Favourite Irish Pub - O'Neill's
Overall verdict - :021: :021: :021: :clapping03:
If anybody has the chance to visit either I would recommend both but Germany I prefer and if I get the chance I would work there again.
