Yambol's Court of Law

This is Yambol's Law court, just off the centre of the City. It is the place where you have have to register your company in order to buy property here. It is also the place for getting divorced and getting busier as each year goes by. Inside you are subjected to a baggage and body search before entering the place grand building. it has a certain elegance both outside and inside.

Yambol's Biggest Complex Nears Completion

Probably the biggest complex in Yambol is nearing completion. It has been in progress for over a year now and is to be the home of the municiple office such as pensions, taxes etc. This has already changed the face of this part of the town centre. sitting right next to the Saint Nikolai Church. There are also other developments going on around the complex, I think it's a big car park and I'm glad to say a small recreation area.

Yambol's Tundzha River - View Looking North

Another view of Yambol's Tundzha rivert his time looking in a northwards direction heading towards Sliven. There are usually many fishermen here looking for a small snack for an evening meal. I've fished and tried some of the fish from this river and they are very tasty indeed. No doubt this will happen mnay more times now spring is here.

A Typical Yambol Demolition Site

A current demolition site in Yambol City which is going through a major re-development right now. This is a site I passed and looked qite dnagerous to me wihtout any warnign or barrier restricing access. If you look inside you can see that much of the former roof is still in a state of 'hanging'. I for one wouldn't entertain going inside there, but children might. Mind you the kids of Yambol have a lot more sense than kids where I come from!

Recycling Bricks In Yambol

Another typical sight in a changing Yambol City where new developments continue. In this development they are recycling all the bricks you can see stacked up. These will be used in the new buildings that will go up. This is not just part of cost cutting, but normal Bulgarian practice of reusing material time and time again. In 50 years time these bricks may well be used again if the building is re-developed

A Yambol Hand-Painted Bus Stop

It never fails to amaze that many road signs are hand painting in Yambol City and bus stops are no exception. The style is very much of a child's picture of a bus, in fact I could have done just a good job and I am a completely talentless artist. the main thing is that everyone know it is a bus stop whether the picture is good art or not. Practicality takes the biscuit here, why commission fine art when child's art does exactly the same?

Unique New Apartment Block in Yambol

Tucked away and slightly out of sight is a recently built set Yambol apartments that are very different in style to most that are being built right now. I quite like the arched features on the entrances and windows with a sympathetic balcony wall design to complement it. Of course these apartments are far to expensive for the everyday Bulgarian living here and will mostly be sold to foreigners or Mafia representations.

Yambol's Deja Vu Restaurant

This is a restaurant that sits next to the Yambol's Hells Angels, The Rider's Cafe. I never been in there but often wait in the car at a red light as it is at a traffic junction. I like the natural wooden sign trimmed with a bunch of grapes. Funny though every time I see this restaurant I think, I'm sure I've seen it before!

Rila Monastery Fresco in Yambol's New Hospital

This fresco is on the wall of the new private hospital in Yambol. It shows a portrait of St John of Rila who was thought to have founded the monastery there in the 10th Century. under the portrait is the Rila monastery itself with St John being carried on his death bed to be buried there. the Rila monastery is still functioning as a monastery and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and obviously a big tourist attraction in Bulgaria. It had been rebuilt in the 15th and survived the many invasions from foreign parts many due to the Russian Orthodox link and therefore Russian funding and protection even through he Turkish Ottoman rule.

Yambol's Customs And Excise Office

Just outside of Yambol's city centre are the customs and excise offices. For anyone who imports goods this office has to be visited and documents validated. Many stories of the inconsistencies of Bulgarian customs and excise regulations have been experience here by expatriate who have been through the process. My own experience was quite horrendous with the custom fees and taxes having to be paid exceeded the value of my personal possessions I shipped over with me. Not pleasant memories of the place for me and many others.

Brand New Yambol Private Hospital

This is the new private hospital in Yambol that opened last year. It has all the modern facilities and many operations are performed there. On the wall in the reception is the cost of the operations varying from aroudn 200 to 1800 Bulgarian Lev, but more for expatriates as this is the unwritten law in Bulagaria even though EU law states that they should pay the same as Bulgarian citizens. Galia was operated on the there a few weeks ago by her cousin who works there.

Yambol's Tundzha River

Another view of the beautiful River Tundzha that runs through the heart of Yambol sourced from the mountains in the north and continues into Turkey in the south. This time the view is from the outskirts from Yambol's Town Park about one kilometre west of the Yambol City Centre. the actual exact location is from a bridge inot the park where the new private hospital has recently been built.

Home Made Basketball On Yambol Waste Ground

Walking through some Yambol backstreets again, just off the main road leading out to Elhovo there is a little waste ground. Standing there in the middle is a home made basketball net made from waste material, the upper hoop from an old kids bicycle rim. This is not only for older children but for younger ones as there is another hoop lower down. Again, this is on public grounds and used happily by local children.

Yambol's Plastic Bottled Nursery

Just 200 metres from Yambol City centre right next to the Yambol Polytechnic is an open bit of ground where home made incubators forming a DIY nursery. They are covering seedlings that will have an early start in their growing cycle. this again shows the rescourcefulness of recycling plastic bottles nad the respect that passers by have not to tamper with them. Even next to the biggest student complex in the city where many teenagers pass, no vandalism - A nice and comforting thought.

Yambol's Museum Statue - Mother and Baby

This is the final statue in the series out side Yambol's Regional Historic Museum and one of the most interesting. the sculpture portrays a mother and baby, yet it is done in a abstract way. There is no character base here just some shapes and posture to give the feeling of love that can only come from a mother and baby. I find this quite a powerful work of Bulgarian art that would say the same thing thing internationally.

An Agressive Yambol Statue Figure

As we come the the last few statue from the Yambol Regional Historic Museum we find a different sex, a different pose and a different mood given over. this rather confident man look like he is about to do something quite aggressive. His hands are ready for action. Like the woman who had an heart on her chest this also portrays a heart shape there on the dress as well.

Yambol's Museum Statue - Huddled In A Ball

This statue is a woman huddled in a ball. There is a sense of sadness with the pose as the head is face down on the lap. The individual themes of the statues is diverse and there are extremes of moods with the characters. We will see more over the next few days, I personally like every one that stands there.

Yambol's Museum Statue - A Thoughful Woman

Another day another statue outside Yambol Regional Historic Museum. This is another female deep in thought. By the style of the dress she is wearing it looks like a village woman, perhaps waiting for her husband who is out working in the fields. She looks worried and pensive, then I noticed there is am incaved heart shape on her chest. It's all a bit too mysterious to me right now. Perhaps answers might be in the museum if make a point of going in.

Yambol's Museum Statue - Nude Woman

Another picture that shows the statues outside Yambol's Regional Historical Museum. This one is a sculpture of a nude woman who looks quite vulnerable with her pose. There is the feeling of a very simple art here, but at the same time the most complex subject -A woman! The crazy paved base and the white stone sets this off really well.

Another Yambol Museum Statue

There are quite a few statue outside the Yambol Regional Historic Museum. I thought that we should have a run of them one by one as they all portray very different characters and personalities. This one seems a wise old bird with a stance that provokes authority and gowns that enhance this particular sage.

Massive Cigarette Advertising In Yambol

Having experienced big screen video advertising for Marlboro cigarettes in a Kaufland Supermarket a few months ago, there is another advertising campaign on cirarettes for passing traffic in the Yambol roads. These are massive posters and must have an impact on drivers who pass them time and time again. There are new posters going up all the time and cigarettes are the main focus. this particular one is aimed at men as the brand's motto is ,"The Taste For Men". This is directed marketing as it is most men that drive in Yambol. There is of course the madatory warning given in small text at the bottom.

Yambol's Memorial To Bulgaria's Independence

Every year on the 3rd March Bulgarians celebrates their independence and liberation from the Ottoman Rule. Last Tuesday was that day and 130 years years free of the yoke. The memorial picture here was centre stage when the formal celebrations took place in Yambol's Town Park. It was of course another public holiday and reason to celebrate and party on - And we all did.

Beer Bottle Label Collection

Some of the picture on this photoblog aren't very artistic or pleasing to the eye, but that's not the point of this blog. Yambol is shown as I see it and that is what I want to portray. I am not an estate agent trying to promote the area, just an observer seeing Yambol on a day to day basis. On the window of the entrance to one of the apartment block in Yambol there is a growing collection fo beer bottle labels. With hundreds of residents in this high-rise block alone, I'm sure that they could fill the window with other brands by summer when the beer drinking is in full swing. Most Bulgarians drink beer at home so there are many beer bottles going in and out of these apartment blocks - It's cheaper than bar prices and all Bulgarian women are master chefs at Bulagrina food to accompany.

Yambol's 'Posh' Diana Palace Hotel

This is the famous Diana Palace Hotel. The word 'posh' comes out here as once you enter the 'palace' it is just that. It is situated in a area that is shrewn in rubble and rough ground with not even a car park alongside, which is just a waste area. I went in the place once when first coming here and felt totally uncomfortable with the 'high class' environment. It may well be for those who want VIP treatment and have lots of money - Yes it is around double the cost of other decent hotels - But then if you have lots of money to spare, the chances are you wouldn't be in Bulgaria, but somewhere else more up market!

Martenitsa Day Gift Stalls Still Working

It is one week after Martenitsa Day or Baba Marta Den (1st March) has passed and still the gift stalls are working and selling the red and white traditional emblems of the day. It is another few weeks before the traditional bracelets gifted to friends can be taken off and either hung on a tree or bush branch or put under a rock and a wish can be made. In this part of Bulgaria this can't be done before sighting the first stork that migrate here to nest. On the western side of Bulgarian in the Sofia area, they don't get these big gracious birds and have to wait until the first bud of spring has opened.

Grapevine Garden Fences in Yambol

As you walk the streets of Yambol it is not uncommon to see garden fences used as supports to grapevines. Everything is so open and trusting here as in the late summer, the grapes ripen to their sweetest tune and there is no thieving of the fruits by passers by or night walkers. This is one thing I just admire about Yambol, the trust they have to respect each other's garden produce. It maybe to do with most having their own grapevines and don't need to steal.

Buried Bulgarian Roses

In the centre of Yambol City you can't see Bulgarian roses as they have been prepared for the winter. They have been had the soil mounded up against them, effectively burying them, to protect them form the severe freezing Bulgarian winter temperatures. Wherever you see roses in Bulgarian they are all pruned and covered over like this. They won't be uncovered intil April when all the nature wakes up and springs to life. The roses are soon to come out of hiding and treat Yambol to a feast of colour and scent.

A Great Night Bar in Yambol

This place tucked away just south of the main precinct has a little taste of a cowboy bar. The two wooden spoked wheel above add to this. If you walk past this bar late at night on a Friday or Saturday o the early hours of the morning, there will be loud Bulgarian music churning out alongside much talking (or shouting in the ear.) Then there is the occasional call of "Nastrave!" coming from mostly the young people of Yambol who frequent it. Many a night of enjoyment is made here, with no real trouble from drunken behaviour, even though most of the people that attend drink lots and are basically drunk!

A Grand Pillered Restaurant Entrance

This grand pillared building is actually the entrance to a restuarant called 'Nostos' that is reknown for its pizza dishes. We went there for a birthday party once a couple of years ago and sat in the a spacious garden area at the back for warmer days and evenings. This used to get very busy in the summer, it remains whether it will be as busy this summer with the recession now hitting Bulgaria and Yambol.

A Yambol Moulded Concrete Garden Wall

Bulgarians love their concrete and moulding all kinds of shapes and patterns to create a wall for rheir garden. This one is particulalry attractive, but very typical. Many however are in a bad condition having not been tended to for years and when replaced now block and brick and rendering take over as it is cheaper. The art of concrete moulded garden walls seems to be on a down right now.

Fast Food Pastry Shops In Yambol

Fast food shops are slowly beginning to edge their way in Yambol City. Over the last couple of years a chain of pastry shops have opened up and now are common place here. They sell little pastry bites that are filled with savory or sweet fillings such as sirene, jam or apples. I don't think this Italian named pastry fast food shop are as popular as the traditional pastry shops that sell the banitsa and various flavoured breads, but then who knows in a few years time.