Charles and Janice Myer are British settlers in Bulgaria. More than 12 years ago, they acquired a holiday property in the village of Bryagovitsa close to the town of Veliko Tarnovo and fell in love with Bulgaria forever. There followed a three-year period in which the Myer family travelled constantly between Bulgaria and the United Kingdom and finally sold everything at home and settled here permanently. "Our house is very nice and we are 30 minutes away from the city," says Janice.

She is a former nurse, he is a retired military man

But Janice and Charles are far from being the only Englishmen to settle in the area. Veliko Tarnovo and the surrounding villages have long established themselves as the centre of a large English-speaking community. Most Britons choose to settle here because of the tranquility and especially because of the low cost of life.

Many British retirees have a hard time living at home because life there is extremely expensive and our pensions are significantly lower than our salaries. That's one of the reasons we came here, Janice explains. She adds that during their first years in Bryagovitsa, they lived entirely on her husband's pension.

Until they come up with an idea that was to brighten their lives with love and hope.

"When we lived in the UK, we had a small dog and when we first travelled regularly to Bulgaria, we realized that there was no hotel here where we could leave our dog when we went back to the UK. We thought that was something that was needed here. We were aware there were many British people here who had pets. We understood that Bulgarian people who had pets left them with their families, but British people couldn't do this. So we decided to open a hotel".

The kennel for dogs and cats in the village quickly became popular among foreigners.

And if at first their Bulgarian neighbours were skeptical about the "innovation" in question, it was not long before they began to trust Janice and Charles and leave their pets to them. "Sometimes we have some dogs in the course of many months and we become so attached to them and then it's sad when they leave. But there's always another dog to come and take their place," says Janice. And she adds that she feels safe and calm here. In addition, she and her husband have great impressions of Bulgarian healthcare.

What health care do foreign citizens receive in Bulgaria?

"My husband had cancer twice since we moved to Bulgaria, and both times he has been under the Bulgarian health service and we paid for his treatment," says Janice. “Both times his treatment has been excellent. And although his cancer was very advanced and dangerous, both times he has recovered and even now the hospitals and doctors take good care of him. I also had a minor operation here which went very good. Our experience of the health care system here has been very good."

This is how Janice Myer summarizes her life in her new homeland.

"We love Bulgaria. It will be very difficult for us to decide to go back to the UK. I love village life which is very quiet and the community is very good, people look out for each other, and in the UK not all communities are like that. I love the countryside and we also have freedom. Especially in these past two years with Covid, we've had much more freedom in Bulgaria than they had in the UK. Our son will join us in September. He has visited us many times, but now he will come to work in our hotel. And I hope that our grandchildren will come to visit, too. Bryagovitsa and our pet hotel are a wonderful place! They are the future for our family!” concludes Janice Myer.

Photos: Courtesy of Charles & Janice Myer

English version: Rositsa Petkova