Pink, fresh, rose-scented and with a glint in the eye that says "I knows something you don't!" That's Kazanluk. Found in the middle of Bulgaria between Sofia and Bourgas, a half an hour's drive from Stara Zagora, it waits with open arms to the many tourists that trickle in to it during the winter months and flood to it in the warmer ones.

I left Kazanluk two years ago, having lived there for three years. On one of my recent visits earlier this year, I was struck by how much it had changed, new buildings springing up here, a row of shops and boutiques there. It is a bustling little town, and pretty, with flower beds along the roadside and a vibrant and colourful main square with a fountain, and flags waving in the breeze as if to a welcoming anthem. And the flags are raised high in welcome especially to the tourists visiting Kazanluk's rose festival, which will begin on the sixth of June this year.

I drove by our old house on Boulevard Battenberg, just a stone's throw away from the centre square. It's funny how a place you live in, however temporary, can creep into you, making you feel more and more one with it and at home. It's a curious feeling to have, especially as a foreigner, and yet that's what happened… One day I kind of knew that I felt home here and leaving it left a faint scar. Driving past the house I noted how the "To Let" sign was still on the window… as if waiting for me to come back home again.

Opposite our house is the little pastry shop that my family and I used to religiously visit every Saturday for our breakfast. Three banitsi and six mekitsi (similar to a doughnut) generously dusted with icing sugar would be our regular order. As I drove past it I noted how there were more cafes spilling on to the pavements on that stretch of road, the spring sunshine thawing out the espresso drinker's winter blues.

I hit a road junction and saw to my right the vegetable market at which I used to shop every week. It's even had a face lift, I noted. A new banner with the emblem of Kazanluk now stands proudly at the corner. I don't think there was ever a visit to that market where a friendly face would not ask me from which country I was from, even after three years.

Continuing along the meandering back roads, I arrive at the prominent white structure that is the town's only Baptist church. It sits in the middle of a fork in the road, opposite the Historical Museum Iskra, the local library and theatre, and adjacent to a quaint souvenir shop. During the summer months, this little church sees some international visitors continuing their Sunday vigils, even while on holidays.

The souvenir shop adjacent to it can only be described as an Aladdin's grotto. It is so packed full with Bulgarian- and, more specifically, Kazanlukian-labelled items that one hardly has room to move around. There are earrings made locally, t-shirts and scarves, wall plates, red and white traditional Bulgarian table cloths and mats, a small gallery at the back displaying paintings from local artists, rose perfumes, oils and jams, and much, much more. Before every trip back to England I would pay a visit to this little treasure grotto to see what I could bring back to those back home... I would never leave disappointed.

The souvenir shop is also at the edge of the town's square. Yellow stones pave the ground and one is struck by the cleanliness and tidiness of the surroundings. "Pretty" is the word that springs to mind, as there are well-tended flower beds all around. There are of course more cafes sandwiched between the local theatre and the park. And opposite the park, to the right is the Cinema Iskra and the billiards hall, and also my favourite place in the whole of Kazanluk... Yvette's cake shop!

This adorable sladkarnitsa boasts the yummiest cakes in the whole of town. It is a sweet, relaxed and intimate place that seats about 25 in the winter with a further 30 or so pouring out on to the pavement in the summer months. My Bulgarian friend Dilyana and I would often meet there to catch up on the week's gossip. We said it was to improve her English and my Bulgarian, but it was really just to catch up on various goings-on in our lives and our friends' lives and our friends' friends lives! We would do all this over forkfuls of freshly made creamy cakes, washed down with espressos. I never like to pass Yvette's cake shop by... especially without visiting it first!

And there are plenty of other places to spend an evening out. The Millennium Hotel and the Palais Hotel have great restaurants, while Zornitsa Hotel has a complex that includes an outdoor restaurant with folk dancers to greet you with rose liqueurs, a song and a dance. It has a wonderful atmosphere because it boasts Bulgarian culture to the fullest and doesn't apologise for it, either.

Staying in the centre square, however, there is one other yummy place I often frequented, especially in the first few weeks of our moving to Kazanluk. We had no kitchen fitted and the New York Pizzeria became our saviour, with fresh pizzas, salads and garlic breads delivered piping hot to our door.

There is an information centre in the middle of the town that informs tourists of other good restaurants to visit as well as good places to stay, and touristy places to see. There is a programme available, too, of the concerts and festivities planned by the municipality during the rose festival weekend. www.tourism.kazanlak.bg is a website jammed with sights and sounds of the valley. It is both in Bulgarian and English and is worth checking out.

So what are the touristy things to do in Kazanluk? Well, the town is often referred to as either "The valley of the roses" or "The valley of the Thracian kings". The first name refers to the cultivation of the distinctive aromatic Damascena pink rose in the region, from which is extracted oil for perfumes, liqueurs and jams. The second name refers to Kazanluk's rich history as the valley in which many Thracian lords and kings were buried in treasure-filled mound tombs.

In recent years, it has been the valley's Thracian heritage that has come in to the spotlight due to the archaeological find in 2004 of the 2400 year old tomb of Seutus III, an apparent rival to Alexander the Great. The tomb, located just a few kilometres away from Kazanluk in the small town of Shipka, revealed three chambers, the first of which unveiled the skeletal remains of the king's beloved horse. But it was in the third chamber that the treasures were unearthed. They included a gold wreath, as well as gold coins and intricate jewellery of silver and gold and other artefacts.

LOCAL MOVER
Stefan Damyanov is a driven man. A graduate of the Russian Institute for Tourism, he would like, more than anything, to see his dear town of Kazanluk be the number "edno" in tourism for the whole of the country. Damyanov won his second term in 2007's municipal elections to remain mayor of Kazanluk by declaring to his constituents "Let's continue together!" And that's exactly what he intends to do. Continuing the push to generate more revenue for the town through regeneration and attracting more tourism and interest from international businesses has been and will remain his main goal. For example, there are plans to restore the ancient town of Sevtopolis, lying under the Koprinka Dam, just a few kilometres from Kazanluk. These plans, it is hoped, will generate tens of thousands of leva for the region each year.

HISTORIC VIEWS TODAY
In 1903 the townsfolk of Kazanluk decided to hold the very first festival in honour of the rose that was bringing in such good trade for the town. And now it has become the annual highlight of the town's life, with parades, concerts, Miss Rose competitions, tours to the rose fields, the rose museum, the Historical Museum Iskra and to ethnographic complexes like Koulata.

And the town's neighbours are benefitting from the tourists, too. Skobelevo now boasts an ethnographic complex, Ovoshnik water park with four watersides, outside and indoor pools, jacuzzis, bars and restaurants. And the town of Shipka, of course, holds the historical attraction of King Seutus III's tomb and the gold-domed church monument that commemorates the Russian and Bulgarian alliance and victory against the Ottomans.

AND THE ROSES
My first rose festival was very memorable indeed. My road, Battenberg Boulevard, was lined with spectators waiting for the official opening by mayor Damyanov and other government officials. In the crowd I could pick out foreign languages, like German, Italian and English, most of their speakers adorned with sunglasses and draped with digital cameras, eager to witness Bulgaria at its festive best.

When the ribbons were cut and speeches were made the throb of the drums began and scattered the sound of the tinkling bells in to the air. The sporadic bellows of the trumpets were enough to make my heart skip a beat. But it was the bright, high-pitched folk songs sung by the ladies in each section of the parade that got the spectators clapping.

Each segment of the parade was represented by Bulgarians not only from different parts of the country, but also from different parts of the world. There were Bulgarians from Russia, Macedonia and Romania, and other more far-flung countries, participating in the parade. All were dressed in traditional folk costumes, and both young and old danced to the music that was being played within their little group. There were horse-drawn carts decorated with bright colours of red, white and green. But the most beautifully decorated cart was that of the young lady of the moment, Miss Rose herself, waving regally and smiling to the applauding crowd.

The air soon filled with the sweet scent of Kazanluk's seductive rose, as petals and rose water were sprinkled on the spectators by those in the parade, much to the joy of the children in the crowd.

There was a beautiful feeling of humanity at its best... People smiling, enjoying a festive time with each other and enjoying the weather, the music and the dancing. And it is this atmosphere that lingers on, even after the rose festival weekend comes to an end, because Kazanluk has become more than just the valley of the roses or of the Thracian kings… well to me, anyway. That "I've just come home" feeling still comes over me every time I pay a visit. And I think it is this same feeling that will always draw me back again, to this charming and beautiful valley.

Historical Museum Iskra
8 PR Slaveikov Str
Tel: 0431/ 260 55, 237 47
Open: Mon-Fri 9.00-12.00 and 14.00-17.30

Rose Museum
Tel: 0431/ 237 41, 260 55, 251 71, 251 70
Open: every day 9.00-17.00 (summer),
winters on appointment

Koulata Ethnographic Complex
18 Nikola Petkov Str
Tel: 0431/ 217 33 (summer),
0431/ 637 41 (winter)
Open: every day, 9.00 to 17.00 (summer),
by appointment in the winter

Millennium Hotel
48 Kenali Str
Tel: 0431/ 631 00

Palais Hotel
9 Petko Stainov Str
Tel: 0431/ 623 11, 621 61
E-mail: info@hotel-palas.com,
www.hotel-palas.com

Zornitsa Hotel
Tyulbeto Park, behind the Thracian cemetery
Tel: 0431/ 639 39, 622 21
E-mail: info@zornica-bg.com,
www.zornica-bg.com