June 1
Early start this morning as my cousin and his family had to leave at 5am for the airport to catch their flight to London. Luckily `hubby' has volunteered to do the airport run and so after some fond farewells I crawl back under my duvet and go back to sleep.

January 30 2006
Just received an email today from my cousin B in Calcutta. Motivated by our recent India trip and some recent browsing on the internet, he and his family are planning a little European tour round about mid-May. They would of course also like to come and see us, which I am thrilled about as we had a wonderful time staying with them just last month.

I told them the end of May would suit me best as I have to prepare the summer issue of the guide before their arrival.

February 24
Seems like B's travel plans are coming together nicely. The plan is to land in Germany, then on to Austria, Bulgaria, UK and France. He writes, "The Bulgarian visa requirements, it appears, are more stringent than UK and EU visa requirements. Hopefully, after we get the latter, Bulgarian visa should be easy." I ask T (hubby) to look into the formalities of sending an official invitation.

March 14
B writes that they already have their EU (Schengen) visa from the consulate in Calcutta, next is the British. Both have consulates in Calcutta. The Bulgarian visa application will have to be sent to the embassy in Delhi, via the travel agent.

March 17
T has just sent the official invitations to Bulgaria by registered mail. This in itself was quite an achievement. The official forms must be acquired from the municipality, "filled out in blood" (i.e we declare to undertake full responsibility - financial and moral) and then legalised by a notary. As we are talking about my cousin and his family, we have no reservations signing such a declaration - but would you do it for someone who wasn't family?

April 14
Found out from Dad today that the Bulgarian embassy has requested my cousin attend a personal interview in Delhi. They already have their Schengen and British visas. They will request exemption from personal interview. After all, they are two highly respected eye doctors with their own, very busy practice in Calcutta. Not to mention the huge distance (1500km) between Dehli and Calcutta and the extra cost that would be involved.

I can feel trouble brewing! I am on standby. I understand that this slightly ridiculous approach is more the norm for the Bulgarian embassy in India.

April 26
The latest twist in the saga of the Bulgarian visa for my cousin is that the embassy does not issue visas more than a month prior to arrival in Bulgaria, which in this case is

May 29
My cousin and his family however leave India on May 15. Their passports are idling around in Delhi. Travel plans are in the air and getting more expensive by the minute. Cheap bookings on Wizz Air or Hemus Air cannot be confirmed just in case something doesn't work out with the visa application. Also, in India you cannot purchase foreign currency without your passport.

May 8
A desperate email arrives from B: "Dear Paro,
I think it would be safe to use some of your influence in getting our Bulgarian visa through. The lady at the local Thomas Cook Office (our agent) told me this afternoon that she was informed by their  Delhi office that the Bulgarian embassy has given the date for enquiry to be  May 15. But we are leaving India on that day and the Kolkata office of Thomas Cook has asked the process to be quickened. With the dates of our departure so close and with all three passports not with me, I am feeling unsettled. Love B."

Now I'm really starting to fume. I draft a letter to the Bulgarian ambassador in Delhi reminding him of Bulgaria's dependency on tourism and the huge potential of the rapidly growing Indian market. On my recent visit I couldn't help but feel that India is in many ways far more advanced and developed than Bulgaria, so I find this arrogance very misplaced.

May 9
Good news. The visa has finally been issued!

May 29
Mad rush around the house, clearing away our luggage from the weekend in Greece, preparing the visitor's bedroom and generally putting the house in order. Today of all days the cleaning lady is late! At the office they are waiting for me to bring in the final corrections for the summer edition. My cousin and family are scheduled to arrive at 14:10 from Vienna. At 13:45 I check on the internet airport arrivals to find that their flight already landed five minutes ago! Mad dash across town. Knowing passport control they'll be kept there for hours. I receive a text message: "we are out and waiting"- this must be the first time in the history of Sofia Airport that the arrival procedure has taken less than half an hour. I am now stuck in a traffic jam at the airport approach and the last 100 metres take 10 minutes! The good news is that I don't have to negotiate the car park queue. I spot my cousin and family and scoop them up in the safety of my car. Later, as we arrive at my children's school I hear a young child shouting in Bulgarian: "Look the gipsies are coming, gipsies are coming!" I totally lose it and confront the child. "These people are from India. Don't they teach you anything at school?" Everyone is embarrassed. I feel offended by the general attitude of Bulgaria towards my visitors.

May 31
The two and a half days my cousin and his family spent with us in Bulgaria are nearly over. The weather has been great and we've had a good time, even if the visit was all too short. We saw the main sights in town, took a scenic drive to Sapareva Banya and Borovets, enjoyed Shopska salads and Bulgarian red wine. We even drove up to Kopitoto and took a ride on Sofia's metro - things which I had not done to date.

All the previous stress and anxieties are forgotten and I hope that one day my cousins will consider visiting Bulgaria again.