I Love My Neighborhood: Neviastata Complex, Smolyan (Bulgaria)

Welcome to another edition of “I Love My Neighborhood”, where I ask expats from across the globe to share the joys of local life they’ve found in their corner of the world.

If you’re just joining in now, check out the other cities that have been covered so far here.

One of my favorite things about running this series is being introduced to different cities and cultures week after week, and finding out what expat life is like there. But as much as I love hearing how warm and tapas-y Spain is all the time, it’s nice to have a change of pace and learn about a country I know absolutely nothing about. And with that I present today’s guest post by Whitney, an American in Bulgaria.

Whitney: Why I Love Neviastata Complex

Most expats generally have the choice of where they are going to live in their new home city. I, on the other hand, married a Bulgarian. This meant we already had a place to live when I moved to Bulgaria this past December — which is with his parents for now. While it made the moving process easier, it left no room for searching out the perfect neighborhood for us. Thankfully, Neviastata has turned out to be great.

The Neviastata Complex, located in Smolyan’s New Center, is a group of 18 housing blocs built during Communism in 1986. Until then, workers in the local factories had to commute from nearby villages to get to work. The area’s Communist leaders built the neighborhood to house these workers and make their commutes shorter.

Today — over 20 years after the fall of Communism — the neighborhood is alive with families old and young, shops, cafes, and playgrounds.

To be completely honest, because I moved here in the dead of winter, the neighborhood didn’t do much for me at first. Everything was snowy, muddy, and various shades of gray. But as I have gotten out and explored it more, I have really come to love its Eastern European charms.

Convenient Location

Neviastata is located just a few minutes’ walk from the city’s post office, museums, planetarium, and the city center — which is home to dozens of restaurants, cafes, and shops. It’s been great being able to leave the car in the garage and head out on foot to explore the surrounding area. Smolyan is one of the longest and more spread out cities in Bulgaria, so it is nice that we live in an area that is close to most of the major attractions. Pamporovo, one of Bulgaria’s major ski resorts, is only about a 5 minute drive away. I am not a skier, but if I were, I am sure that would be a huge perk as well during the winter months!

Forest and Mountain Views

Ok, they may be obstructed by another apartment bloc, but the views from our apartment are great nonetheless! Smolyan, which is said to be the highest city in Bulgaria, is located deep in the Rhodope Mountains. From our apartment, we can see the forested hills and mountains just a few hundred feet from where we live. Not too shabby!

Good Mix of People

The residents of our complex range from young families with children to older couples. I enjoy having the energy and fun children bring to a neighborhood combined with the wisdom (and quiet!) that the older generations provide.

On that note…Quiet Location

Our area has very little traffic and tends to be fairly calm and quiet. The most noise we ever get is from the stray dogs and cats that call our complex home. I hate that our city (and Bulgaria as a whole, sadly) does nothing to rescue these animals or at least “fix” them to keep the populations down. The residents do their best to feed the animals that need it most, but it’s definitely a huge problem.

The Colors

Bulgaria, with its abundance of Communist-era housing blocs, can sometimes seem devoid of color. The apartment buildings in our complex, while updated, do lack visual appeal. However, that is more than made up for with the masses of hanging laundry off nearly balcony. Most Bulgarians don’t have dryers, so they hang their clothes outside to dry. I love sipping my coffee off of our back terrace, watching all the brightly colored clothes and fabrics waving in the breeze. There is just something so calming about it.

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About the author: Whitney is an American in Bulgaria. To follow her adventures in Smolyan as an expat in a bi-cultural marriage, head over to her blog at Girl Meets Bulgaria. She can also be found on Twitter @whitneypiper and on Facebook.

All photos courtesy of the author.