We started celebrating Kens birthday earlier this year (as always) by going into the city with a couple of friends to a very nice Bulgarian resturant in the city. It was a authentic bulgarian resturant with live music and dancing. we had a lovely meal and wine and a great night.

The next morning Kens actual birthday we were woken up at 8.30am by one of the locals in the villages, son, asking us if we would like to go and watch the traditional slaughtering of their pig to get ready for christmas, still feeling abit queasy from our night before we had to decline the offer. But they then said we must come round at 2.00pm for a barbecue it didnt take much working out to realise what would be on the menu.

We went to the house at 2.00pm and there was quite a few Bulgarian people there apparently it is quite a celebration when the pig is slaughtered, and as we entered the garden the remains of the pig was hanging up for all to see!

They then invited us into their home for food on the table was wine and bowls of rice and you guessed it cooked pork. I didnt want to offend them so i tried some of the pork all the time thinking about the remains hanging outside, but actually it was quite tasty.

They all sang happy birthday to ken and we sat and had a few drinks we were told that it was a great honour for the owner for us to come to dinner with them. They were all so friendly and we had a great afternoon.

In the evening we went round a friends house who had organised a party for Kens birthday and two other people that were celebrating their birthdays too.

They had invited all the English people from the surrounding villages and some bulgarian people too it was great fun and we were still dancing to the sixty music at 5.00am in the morning. Ken said it was definetly a birthday to remember.