Yorkshireman Mark Thomas arrived in Bulgaria even before the early birds in the late 1990s, when it was still virgin territory for Brits.

Back then, he tells me, you could assemble all the British expats together in the same room. His arrival in April 1992 even pre-dates that of Christine Milner, co-owner of Sofia Echo Media. Mark was actually one of the fledgling Sofia Echo’s first "expat of the month".

Mark first left the UK in 1987 to spend time in Greece and Cyprus. "In those days Greece was a step back in lifestyle and culture, a kind of halfway point between the West and Bulgaria," he says. Arriving in Bulgaria, he set up a corporate travel business, Jamadvice Travel Ltd, that today is on the corner of Oborishte Street and Assen Zlatarov Street in Sofia.

Jamadvice Travel opened for business in May 1992, one of the first independent travel agencies to be set up after the fall of communism and one of the longest established travel business within Bulgaria. Jamadvice is also the Bulgarian partner for the HRG organisation (Hogg Robinson Group), a global travel management company with operations throughout the world.

Mark travels to the UK once or twice a year but misses little about his home country, especially not what he calls "the vacuous celebrity culture". London, in particular, may have a lot to offer in terms of cultural attractions, but he says he wouldn’t like to live there. "I see the UK through the eyes of a long-departed expat," he now says. "I’d say London is now the destination of choice for migrants from developing countries."

Mark feels the quality of life is better in Bulgaria and that his children, aged eight and 12, who attend a French school in the capital, have "a broader perspective" as a result. He’s married to a Bulgarian but, unusually, he insists on his household sticking to English. "Any language other than the mother tongue will never be spoken without an accent," says Mark.

"So it all depends on what language you want them to speak and where you think they will be in a few years time." Mark believes that Bulgaria has come a long way since his arrival. Although customer service can still be very much a "hit and miss" affair, he says it’s infinitely better than it used to be. He also notes that many homegrown businesses that were once foreign-owned are now run by Bulgarians.

He concedes that countries in Eastern Europe - the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia - are more advanced. He believes that for every two years of communism it will take Bulgaria one year to compensate. Significantly, in Bulgaria’s case, he believes the real transition dates from 1997, not 1989.

Like most expats, however, the pleasures of Bulgarian life for Mark outweigh the disadvantages. He feels that life here offers people the chance to indulge interests and hobbies on a regular basis they would do only occasionally in the UK.

"Sofia is one of the safest cities in Europe and has none of the issues you feel in a city such as London. You can do many things here that you couldn’t do in other countries. You could even go skiing in the morning here and still get to work by lunch time if you wanted to."

Mark likes eating out at Motto and Chef’s - which he believes is the best restaurant in the Sofia area. He enjoys playing golf at St.Sofia Club (Ravno Pole) and cricket at Ihtiman or the National Sports Academy.  

Falling in love
Naomi van Wyngaarden has lived in Bulgaria for 15 months and says she has fallen in love with the country and its people. She came out with the intention of opening a restaurant to appeal to locals and expats alike and now owns the Eagle Rock Cafe in the beautiful village of Beli Iskur.

"I am lucky enough to live and work in this stunning setting. I have just started work teaching English to range of nationalities at an international school in Sofia, this is proving to present new and interesting challenges everyday," says Naomi.

She concedes that there are many cultural differences such as the love of shopska salad with rakiya, which she describes as "an acquired taste I am yet to acquire", but says that the people have won her over.

"The interest and honesty of those I have met has been unexpectedly refreshing. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, but any hostility I have encountered here I would expect the same in the UK. For me the sunshine almost all year round and the lovely white Christmases are enough to compensate for this. "