One Way Traffic In Yambol - The Wrong Way

One way traffic, but the wrong way as you can see in the picture. Typical of drivers in Yambol who tend to go where there is a space rather than being told to by pointless road signs.

Bargain shops thrive in Yambol selling very cheap goods, mostly made in China. They are shops which as you can see have no frills in advertising, not even a shop name in this case. We often go in there to pick up a bargain or two. Much more interesting that supermarkets - and cheaper of course!

A Dead Tree In Yambol

There are many trees in Yambol the vastg majority are alive and thriving this one is clearly not.

Fountains And A One Handed Cyclist In Yambol

This picture taken today show the rare and the common sights of Yambol City. The fountains spouting out water is quite a rare sight but one handed cyclists are a common feature on the roads and pavements of Yambol.

A Banitsa Being Demolished In Yambol

On the theme of breakfast in Yambol, banitsa is the most popular for of hot breakfast here. I common sight is seeing people eating them on the way to work, myself included. This picture is exactly what I mean. Mmmm, I can taste it now just looking.

Hot Breakfasts In Yambol Namely Banitsa

This is where I get my hot breakfast most mornings on the way to work. The owner is called Galina and does the best banitsa around. It is also one of the cheapest 10 stotinki cheaper than most other bakeries. It is always busy and for very good reason, the pastries there are made on site and as fresh out of the oven as they come.

Yambols Tundzha River Full Of Green Reeds

Every year Yambol's Tunzhda River is a scene of greenery from the rushes that live there. There is nothing like walking along and admiring the greenery that it shows off in complete contrast from the winter scene that show itself here.

Workers Waiting For Work In Yambol

By the lower bazaar car park each day there are many men that hang around waiting for work to come along. I see many that remain there most of the day other have been hired and picked up by vans for cash in hand work. If you want labourers this is the place to get find and get them.

More Gypsy Road Sweepers In Yambol

Every day the streets of Yambol are swept and kept clean by Gypsy road sweepers. These workers are exclusively women in the main. It is good advice to stay well clear of them otherwise you will be swept away.

Face To Face With A Yambol JCB

It isn't often you come across being face to face with a JCB with the motor running. As I crossed the road to get a coffee lunchtime it nearly ran me over! The driver got out and complained about me crossing the road. I reacted by taking a picture of the JCB and he stopped threatening me as he though it was for the police! So there's the story behind this picture.

A Timber Yard In Yambol

Wood is used extensively for most building work in Yambol and timber yards are numerous and frequently used. This one is just on the outskirts of Yambol and provides a good supply to local customers. Many of course cut their own in their backyards.

The New And The Old On Yambol Roads

It is a typical sign of the times where old cobblestone roads are now being reintroduced as the tarmac just doesn't last. Much of the tarmac is coming off and cobblestones remain - such a good idea and of course purely practical and essentially Bulgarian.

A Simple Little Restaurant In Yambol

Sometimes the simple things are the best and this little eating place is just the job. It's simple, cheap and friendly and a five minute walk from the centre of Yambol so very convenient. It used to be a home but a simple shelter facade transforms and is a good welcoming advert.

Yambol - A Puddle City

After rain in Yambol is transforms the roads into massive puddles turning Yambol into a puddle city. Without adequate drainage this is what happens of course. Money would solve this but where will it ever come from?

A Light Blue Gate Facing Yambol Streets

A tatty old light blue gate that brightens up the thought of deceased reminders in the form of posters and a black tied ribbon. There is a never ending interest in the variety of gates in Yambol strees.

A Quick Shower For Pedestrians On Yambol Pavements

It was a wary man who walked the Yambol streets when it had been raining all night. The reason? Getting showered by passing vans with sitting water on the road. Most drivers take care wheh driving past but even in Yambol the white van driver stikes as you can see. A good job I delayed my walk to that particular place.

A New Fishing Tackle Shop In Yambol

Right next to Yambol's Mecury Hotel is a new fishing tackle shop, really handy for me as it is on the route to work and back. The distinctive thing about this place is the manikin that has his rod ready to cast on the public walkway. It is quite a distraction for motorists that think it wants to cross the road.

The Entrance To Various Retail Warehouses In Yambol

This entrance to a complex that hold various retails warehouse outlets is just opposite the Mercury Hotel. It is quite often used by many expatriates who are furnishing and intalling kitchens etc. in their renovated homes. There are some interesting stockists tucked away in there out of sight from the main road.

A Nice Wooden Gate To a Yambol Garden

This garden gate may not seem to fit under the catagory or 'nice' but to me simplicity is an art. Typical 'put together' with materials that are recycled just make the effect so rustic.Number 72 hits the mark for me anyway.

Young Buck Needed In Yambol And Bulgaria

With the population fo Bulgaria the lowest since the 1950s, it is indeed a good sign that there is young buck raring to go as advertised here. The trouble is we need young does as well. the Gypsy population is in a boom but many Bulgarians are off working abroad and many knowing they can't afford to have children don't!

The Yambol Kabile Factory

This big factory called Kabile enploys manyt local workers. I see them arrvie at 8:00 and finish at 17:00. Mainly it is exclusively middle aged women who work there doing boring manual work all day. At least they can chat whilst working to get them through the day no doubt on a minimum wage. These women are lucky though to have jobs right now.

Beware Of Craters On Yambol Roads

Beware of craters in Yambol roads should be the warning in bold letters before this approach into the City. I myself drove and broke my wheel on this particular section with an expensive repair job in its wake. Many others I'm sure have had the same experience. Oh well, all part of the adventure of Bulgaria which you have to accept.

Ensia The Yambol Fruit And Vegetable Wholesalers

This is the main complex of Ensia the largest fruit and vegetable wholesalers in Yambol. Many of the produce here is locally grown and sold on market stalls throughout the region. They have recently finished the front area with tons and tons of concrete so business is looking good it seems.

Earthmoving Vehicles For Hire In Yambol

Two earthmoving vehicles were seen next to the massive ABC Builder's merchants on the outskirts of Yambol. I assume they are part of the business they give to customers. They are penned up with a look as if they want to be working, in fact with quite an aggressive posture. So if I want my earth moved now I know where to come. (This is not an advert by the way!)

New Garages Built In Yambol

It seems a strange place to build garages in Yambol, but they are here. I'm not too sure that this particualr project is quite finished with oonly one of the three spaces lockable. This is not a residental area so it may just be for cars to be parked with businesses around. Quite a fashion statement in design and completely out of character of the current environment, namely wasteground.

Land For Sale In Yambol

Every year they grow potatoes here and this year this piece of land is up for sale. Perhaps they have had enough of the labour they put in to produce the crop and this year was the last straw with crops ruined with floods. I don't think there will be many takers here.

Metal Foundations On Yambol Wasteground

These structures that stand high are metal foundations for a planned factory building but that's as far as it got. They have been standing for years abandonded. Will they ever be built around up or taken away?

A Boat Towing A Trailer - Only In Yambol

This made me laught when I saw it, hence the photograph. A boat that was seemingly towing a trailer. Where else would you see a sight like this. Somehow I don't think this would work on water or land!

A Donkey Having A Rest In Yambol

Donkeys are seen everywhere in Yambol, this one had just been pulling a cart and is now tethered in some waste ground for a rest before pulling the cart again. Donkeys are by far the most important form od transport throughout Bulgaria with the no overheads other than hay and time. Far better than expensive and pollutiing cars.

Rolling In Sliva Wine For Rakia Making In Yambol

This cart was pulled in by donkey full of sliva (plum) wine for the rakia making process that goes on not just in Yambol but the whole of the Balkan region. It will be ready for drinking around the end of September at the start of the grape harvesting season.