Happy Baba Marta. Честита Баба Марта

Martenitsa tied to a branch of a fruit tree, giving the tree health and luck.

Traditionally on the first day of March Bulgarians exchange and wear ‘Martenitsas’ which are white and red tassels or small dolls called ‘Pizho and Penda’. These are usually worn pinned on the clothes or tied around the wrist until the wearer sees a blossoming tree.

In folklore, Baba Marta (or Grandma March) is a grumpy old lady whose moods change rapidly and that by wearing the red and white colours of the Martenitsa people ask Baba Marta for mercy. The hope is that winter will pass faster and bring spring.

The colours of the Martenitsa are interpreted as symbols of purity and life, as well as the need for harmony in Nature and in people’s lives.

Some people tie their Martenitsa on a branch of a fruit tree, thus giving the tree health and luck, which the person wearing the Martenitsa has enjoyed.

This old pagan tradition remains almost unchanged today.

Building of the Year Award 2012

Rob Downham and Julian Georgiev receiving their awards.

The official presentation ceremony of the eleventh edition of the 'Building of the Year' awards took place at the Kempinski Hotel Zografski in Sofia, Bulgaria.

At the gala-dinner prestigious statuettes were presented to investors, architects and builders of the most remarkable new and reconstructed buildings in Bulgaria during 2012.

We are pleased to announce that Geshaview has been voted the best building in Bulgaria in the 'Hotels and Holiday Complexes' category.

Music gets started at Geshaview

The Geshaview Courtyard Theatre starts its musical life with a music and sound test by the band STOM.

The Courtyard at Geshaview in bloom

After 3 weeks of continuous rain (unusual for Bulgaria at this time of year) we are seeing the colours of Geshaview starting to explode on to the scene...

For more of the recent pictures of Geshaview in the spring have a look at our gallery on the Geshaview website: www.geshaview.eu

The Courtyard at Geshaview

The Courtyard at the Geshaview village in Bulgaria is nearing completion.
This gallery of pictures gives an up-to-date view of progress so far.



To discover more about what is planned for the Geshaview Courtyard visit
our website: www.geshaview.eu

Spring comes to Geshaview...

Although Bulgaria had a very harsh winter with temperatures of -20ºC the spring sunshine brings out the greens of the trees coming into leaf.
This gallery of pictures was taken by Julian on the 29 April 2012.



To see a gallery of pictures of Geshaview in the spring (and summer, autumn and winter) visit our website: www.geshaview.eu

Good health and luck for the coming year!

On the first day of March and for a while afterwards, Bulgarians exchange and wear white and red tassels or small dolls called "Pizho and Penda". In Bulgarian folklore, Baba Marta (or Grandma March) is a grumpy old lady whose moods change rapidly.

This is an old pagan tradition that remains almost unchanged today. The common belief is that by wearing the red and white colours of the martenitsa people ask Baba Marta for mercy.
The hope is that winter will pass faster and bring spring. A Martenitsa is usually worn pinned on the clothes or tied around the wrist. The tradition calls for wearing the martenitsa until the person sees a blossoming tree.

Some people tie their martenitsa on a branch of a fruit tree, thus giving the tree health and luck, which the person wearing the martenitsa has enjoyed himself while wearing it.

The colours of the martenitsa are interpreted as symbols of purity and life, as well as the need for harmony in Nature and in people's lives.

The snow at Geshaview

After a period of sub zero temperatures and heavy snowfall, the sun came out and the snow started to melt. The pictures below give a flavour of just how deep the snow was.

Picturesque view of the village.

Melting snow creates a half frozen waterfall.

The pathway to the office shows how deep the snow was.

A video of picture taken earlier this month can be seen on the Geshaview YouTube channel.

Heavy snowfalls blanket Geshaview...

Bulgaria is suffering a very harsh winter with temperatures of -20ºC. Heavy snow and torrential rains have cut off electricity, stranded people, cars, buses and lorries. Geshaview is under a thick blanket of snow. This gallery of pictures was taken on the 7 February 2012.



To see a gallery of pictures of Geshaview in the winter (and spring, summer and autumn) visit our website: www.geshaview.eu

White Christmas and New Year at Geshaview

Geshaview had a white Christmas and snowy start to 2012.
This gallery of pictures, taken over the past couple of weeks shows how picturesque the village looks.



For more pictures and information about Geshaview have a look at our website: www.geshaview.eu.

Geshaview at the end of 2011

The past year saw the landscaping at Geshaview continuing with the construction of the bridge and pond as well as the stone walling and paths for access to the View Cafe. The roads and pathways around the village were also completed. Work on the Courtyard continued with the cobble stone flooring being laid and the balconies and balustrading installed. The interiors of the shops were also prepared for use.
We take a brief tour of the village to see how it has matured during 2011.



We would welcome you to Geshaview in Bulgaria during 2012 so you can experience the natural surroundings that we have preserved and created.

Visit the Geshaview website to see our picture gallery and discover more about holiday options and the property pages for the investment opportunities in the apartments and houses.

Season’s Greetings from Geshaview

We wish everyone a Happy Christmas and
a Prosperous New Year.

The Geshaview offices will be closed for Christmas and the New Year from
Wednesday 21 December 2011 until Wednesday 4 January 2012.

If you need to contact us urgently during this period please call:
Julian: 00359 878 96 98 12 (Bulgaria) or Plamen: 00359 878 23 63 11 (Bulgaria).
Thank you.

Keeping warm and cosy at Geshaview - part 3

In the final part of his guide to using the wood burning stoves in the houses at Geshaview, David explains how to close the fire down for the night and clearing the ashes ready for the following evening.



We hope that this short series of videos have prepared owners and visitors for using the wood burning fires at Geshaview.
For more details on each of the properties at Geshaview go to the property pages on the Geshaview website.

Keeping warm and cosy at Geshaview - part 2

In the second part of his guide to using the wood burning stoves in the houses at Geshaview, David explains how to set the fire for the evening.



In the last part, David takes you through closing the fire down for the night and clearing the ashes away ready for the next evening.
For more details on each of the properties at Geshaview go to the property pages on the Geshaview website.

Keeping warm and cosy at Geshaview

Now that winter is on our doorstep, owners and visitors to Geshaview might be tempted to use the wood burning stove that each house has in the living area.

In the first part of a mini series of videos David Hollands shows how to prepare the logs and the best way to light the fire.



The next video will show how the keep it burning safely with minimum of effort for a warm and cosy evening by the fire.
For more details on each of the properties at Geshaview go to the property pages on the Geshaview website.

Geshaview Newsletter - latest issue

The December 2011 - January 2012 issue of the Geshaview Newsletter is now available for you to read.

Open publication

In this 8 page issue we have a report and pictures on Mirra's trip to Geneva to present Geshaview to The United Nations Women’s Guild, and a number of chosen United Nations ambassadors. Other topics include an end-of-year round-up of the landscaping progress.

If the link to the ebook version above doesn't work you can either try this link to the Geshaview Newsletter ebook. Or you can view the PDF version and all the back issues of the Geshaview Newsletter here.

Recreation area at Geshaview

When we built Geshaview our main concern was to preserve the trees and natural landscaping. One thing that we required though was a flat, level recreation/playing area where outdoor events could be held.
David Hollands talks about the amount of earth moving that is required to create a flat area and also shows how some of the rocks and boulders that were unearthed during the building process are being incorporated into the Geshaview landscape.



To discover more about what is planned for Geshaview visit our website: www.geshaview.eu.

First frost of winter at Geshaview

The freak snowstorm that occurred in October was a reminder of how unpredictable the weather can be. One thing for sure though is that the first really heavy frost of the year means that winter is definitely on its way!



The pictures were taken on the 21 November by Stefan, who braved the sub zero temperature to capture the beauty of nature.

Organic fruit farm in Bulgaria

Bulgaria has an abundance of fruits, including apples, peaches, watermelon and plums and more exotic fruit like quinces, figs and others.
In September, David Hollands and family visited an organic fruit at Dryanovo near to the Geshaview village and tasted the apples and plums grown there.



The organic fruit farm was founded by Inex Agro Ltd in 2006, and farms on 400,000 square metres of farm land. To find out more visit their website: www.inexagro.net.
To learn more about how Geshaview will incorporate healthy eating into the 'Embraced Living' approach, have a look at the food and drink pages on our website.

The balconies in the Courtyard

As the wooden balconies in the Courtyard are being installed, David Hollands explains the thinking behind their safety-conscious design.



To see the other videos about Geshaview, visit the Geshaview YouTube channel.
To discover more about the village go to www.geshaview.eu.