Arising from Travels Abroad, is the Postcards from Abroad Series. Travels Abroad is essentially a chatty travel journal, crammed full of colour photos. But there were other lovely black-and-white photos from those trips, which didn’t fit into the format of that book. This gave rise to four companion books, including this one, Postcards From Bulgaria: A visual celebration, in black-and-white, of this land of ancient civilisations and fresh beginnings.

In July 2009, Max and Sue Hoppe went to Bulgaria, and Sue returned there in April 2011.

Bulgaria is one of those places that, when people hear you are going there, invariably prompts them to ask in mystified tones, “Why Bulgaria?” Max and Sue have bucket lists which would take several lifetimes and lottery wins to fulfil, but this former communist block country hadn’t even made it onto the bottom of their lists. They wouldn’t have chosen to go there, if it wasn’t for seeing their kids and grand-daughters, who were living there at the time. It proved to be a pleasant surprise, a charming country full of ancient history and delightful contradictions.

In these “postcards” you’ll:

• experience something of village life, which feels like stepping back in time.
• go on a road trip to the Balkans
• explore Plovdiv, the second largest city in Bulgaria, a fascinating mix of ancient,
• communist era austerity and modern growth.
• see street art, old monuments and modern graffiti.
• visit ancient fortresses and small towns, an ancient seaport and a medieval craft village
• walk through deciduous forests and along winding riverbanks.
• meet a variety of delightful village characters, and their animals.

By the time these beautiful black-and-white images have revealed the true Bulgaria, you will be longing to visit.

Enjoy the journey!

In July 2009, Max and Sue Hoppe went to Bulgaria, and Sue returned there in April 2011.

Bulgaria is one of those places that, when people hear you are going there, invariably prompts them to ask in mystified tones, “Why Bulgaria?” Max and Sue have bucket lists which would take several lifetimes and lottery wins to fulfil, but this former communist block country hadn’t even made it onto the bottom of their lists. They wouldn’t have chosen to go there, if it wasn’t for seeing their kids and grand-daughters, who were living there at the time. It proved to be a pleasant surprise, a charming country full of ancient history and delightful contradictions.

In these “postcards” you’ll:

• experience something of village life, which feels like stepping back in time.
• go on a road trip to the Balkans
• explore Plovdiv, the second largest city in Bulgaria, a fascinating mix of ancient, communist era austerity and modern growth.
• see street art, old monuments and modern graffiti.
• visit ancient fortresses and small towns, an ancient seaport and a medieval craft village
• walk through deciduous forests and along winding riverbanks.
• meet a variety of delightful village characters, and their animals.

By the time these beautiful black-and-white images have revealed the true Bulgaria, you will be longing to visit.

Enjoy the journey!

Max and Sue Hoppe are a couple from Port Elizabeth who are, well, let’s just say ‘past their prime.’ They love to travel and see the world, with open eyes and minds, and are taking every opportunity to explore some places that have been on their bucket-lists for ages, and some they would never have even thought of, until their kids moved there and they went to visit.

In Travels Abroad, we’ll look for hidden treasures in Turkey, Bulgaria, The Emirates and Jordan…

• Exploring iconic cosmopolitan and exotic Istanbul
• Strolling through an ancient Greek city and swimming in a hot spring with carved pillars which were
  destroyed in an earthquake, centuries ago.
• Wander down an exquisite white hillside covered in travertine
• Gape at the underground cave cities and fly in a hot air balloon over Cappadocia
• Spend some time in a little rural village in Southern Bulgaria, and visit Sozopol on the Black Sea
• Do a road-trip to the Balkans and back via Plovdiv
• Discover a fascinating side to Dubai which is way nicer than bling and designer shopping!
• Explore rugged mountains and ancient forts and mosques in Fujairah and Ras-al-Khaimah
• Gallop on Arabian horses through the desert at sunset
• Discover the delights of old Amman in Jordan
• Wander in awe through the ancient carved-rock city of Petra
• Spend a night in a Bedouin tent in Wadi Rum after exploring its natural beauty
• Float in the Dead Sea
• Discover more of the Emirates, especially Sharjah.
• Explore a haunted abandoned fishing village at sundown