St. James’ Park
An Alternative Campsite and Hostel in Bulgaria
A tour around village life
Village life is fascinating! It’s an exciting mix of tradition and modernity - ploughing the fields with a horse and watching TV online 
for example. Or young people who know all the latest pop songs as well as all the traditional dances. It’s like any other culture that’s new and different - it’s fascinating and we want to know more. Over the last few years, the things that my visitors have been the most interested in, have been about life in the village - what are the houses like inside, how do they manage the land and the animals, how do they preserve all the food, what do they do in winter, what was life like here before???
Now is your chance to find out!
In 2012, we will be offering a completely different kind of holiday - a short tour around a typical Bulgarian village. We will provide opportunities for you to meet local people; visit them in their houses; eat with the nieghbours; learn about making Rakia and 
preserving food for the winter; spend time on and around the farm and also around the village. You’ll learn about the difference between life now, during Communist times and before that. We’ll introduce you to traditional Bulgarian dancing and singing and incorporate walks in the wonderful forests nearby. The tour takes 5 days and we and we can a tailor it to include anything that you’re interested in - herbs, flowers, making alcohol, old cars an bikes, cooking, singing, dancing, local crafts for example.
Here is a sample itinerary:
- Day 1
- cultural introduction and some Bulgarian lessons
- orientation and a physical check around the village
- meeting people - etiquette, language, drink and food
- what are you most interested in
- spending the day with Bulgarians - options will include - farming, gardening, animals, tools, preserving, crafts etc - these activities will be offered in 2-3 hour slots - you can do more than one
- an introduction to Bulgarian folk traditions - learn how to dance and sing
- a visit to the village Corporation - a kind of co-operative that supports local farming and provides jobs
- dinner with a Bulgarian family
- a visit to the local market in Popovo and a chance to walk around this typical, busy, working town that has far more to offer
than may be apparent - lunch in a local restaurant
- visit to a local church
- visit to the local school
- go home with some of the children to visit their families
- anything that you still want to know more about
- barbecue (we can roast a whole goat if people are into it) and a bit of fun and Rakia around the fire with your new Bulgarian friends
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Accommodation and Costs
Accommodation is comfortable camping in my beautiful garden. All tents have either a bed or an air mattress. Showers are heated either by the sun or by a wood fired boiler - the integrated water system also waters the vegetables. Toilets are compost toilets but don’t worry about that - it wont affect your experience.
Cost per person £300
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner for 5 days(except the restaurant lunch in Popovo)
- camping accommodation for 6 nights
- all activities in and around the village - all local people who are involved will be paid for their time
- transport either from Popovo or to meet the bus from Sofia
Groups will be kept small with a maximum of 8 - this would be negotiable if one large group was coming alone.
If you wish to book a place, please email Kathy on comeandliveinvoditsa@gmail.com - a non returnable deposit of £100 is required to secure your place.
