Connecting through Munich, I arrived in Sofia on Sunday, September 14,
1997. My hosts met me and helped me check in to the Sheraton Hotel.
The rate was slightly over $200 per night, and although the room was passable,
the other hotels in which I stayed were nicer and less expensive.
The next day I flew to Varna to be met and driven to the factory, a
drive of about 1-1/2 hours.
There was sufficient time to be introduced to people at the factory and to begin inspection. Our team stayed in an outstanding hotel in Shumen, about 30 minutes away, because the hotels in Razgrad are not particulary nice.
My host and hostess throughout my working days in Bulgaria were the Barents representatives Vladimir Velev and Svetla Dragneva shown beside me in this photo at the entrance to the factory.
From Monday through Friday, I inspected the factory. The weekend
was spent at a resort on the Black Sea.
We had a brief excursion to Varna on Saturday. Back to the factory
for more inspections and discussions on Monday and Tuesday. I worked
for the rest of the week at the Barents office in Sofia and flew home on
Saturday by way of London.