March 14; touring around Bulgaria 🚗☀️

From Sofia to Varna, and places in between... this was my week

Mar 14, 2021

Happy Sunday,

Completely in line with the spring playbook in Bulgaria, this week the days varied from snowy winter magic mornings to t-shirt-proof sunny afternoons, and anything in between. Ellie and I spent the week based out of her hometown of Shumen on Bulgaria’s east side, the biggest reason for which was…

Ellie’s Birthday 🎂🥳

A year ago on March 10 we’d find ourselves on Malta, two and three years ago we were in California on this day, four years ago on Palawan in the Philippines… and the list goes on and on. But this year, for the first time in many years on her birthday, we’re at home in Bulgaria, and we thought it’d be a great idea to spend it with her parents and grandmother.

Ellie looking fantastic and ready for the birthday dinner in her childhood home ❤️

Much like for my own birthdays, we try to spread the festive feeling over as long as possible, so we hope we can get together more of our friends somewhere in the next few weeks for continued celebrations back in Sofia.

The candles may not stand for the years, but like always, it was the best birthday yet 💛

Every time it’s Ellie’s birthday, I love going back to an old photo we once found in the family archives, of Ellie on holiday in Austria somewhere in 1995 or 1996:

Ellie doesn’t age, and that’s simply because she stays young on the inside. Which is something worth celebrating every day 🥳

Shumen ☃️☀️

Working remotely for a week from Shumen comes with the perk of great views from the historical hills surrounding the city, where, as the legend goes, Bulgaria was first founded in 681 AD. This week the added perk was the constantly-changing weather, which gave us amazingly different perspectives on the old neighborhoods of downtown Shumen.

Beautiful spring sunset… but just 24 hours later, spring was over and winter was back:

Winter magic in March, photo by Ellie ❤️

Varna day 🧜🏽‍♀️

On Friday I decided to spend the day in Varna, part because it’s always fun, but part also because we have three of our portfolio and ACCELERATE companies at Vitosha based in “Bulgaria’s summer capital”. There, the vibe of the oncoming summer was impossible to deny.

The fantastic view from a friend’s office in Varna, on Friday morning

In the afternoon, I set out to pay a visit to our portfolio company Econic One, who make one of the coolest e-bikes money can buy, assembling them and shipping out straight out of Varna.

Three Econic Ones boxed up and ready to make some people really happy 🚲

But the biggest surprise at Econic One was not the terrific sales indicators we talked about, but rather a discovery behind the factory lot: a collection of derelict, but well-preserved socialist-era cars. Just look at these beauties:

A black 1960s Volga, with two 1960s Moskvich 403s at the forefront in baby-blue and green. And behind them, two of the only 15 ever-made Sofia race cars, a Bulgarian design from the 1980s.

The Volga’s quite well-preserved interior… Look at that Sixties glamor

The Moskvich is in a bit less of a shape, but still looking good. Note the longitudinally-positioned engine sticking out from under the dashboard in the middle; instant death in case of a collision, and what a noise it must have been.

After electric bikes and 1960s vintage cars, it was time to head back downtown for the must-do Varna experience any time of the year; sunset drinks at Cubo beach bar.

Waiting for the sunset at Cubo beach in Varna

Varna sunset with Corona… of the kinder type 🍻

Troitsa BBQ ☀️🍖

Finally yesterday, the weather allowed us to check out Ellie’s family summer house again, in the village of Troitsa near Shumen. It was once her great-grandparents’ family farm, but now with a summer kitchen, lush garden, and pool, it’s our favorite retreat in the warm months of the year.