Severe weather causes damage to the trees at Geshaview

On the 17th October 2011, Bulgaria experienced severe weather conditions. Heavy snowfall and hurricane force winds caused major disruption to traffic with many mountain passes blocked, trapping cars, lorries and heavy vehicles. Widespread power cuts were reported in Eastern and Northern Bulgaria.

Unfortunately, Geshaview did not escape the snow and strong winds.

There was major damage to some of the trees, but luckily all of the houses remained unscathed. The road leading to the village was blocked by fallen trees and the power failure lasted for 15 hours.



In the video above, David Hollands shows some of the damage and explains how the natural drainage system is coping with the thawing snow.

The next issue of the Geshaview newsletter will have a full report and photographs.

Archaeological dig near Geshaview - part one

Bulgaria is known as the crossing point of Europe and Asia with Greece, Turkey and the Mediterranean coast only 200 miles from the capital Sofia. Steeped in history, connected to ancient civilisations, the Roman and Byzantine empires, today, Bulgaria is left holding priceless art and architecture preserved throughout the centuries.

David Hollands travelled to a location close to Geshaview to meet a group of archaeologists from the New Bulgarian University, Sofia, as they dug for roman remains.



In part two, David discovers more about the dig, gets to hold a freshly unearthed coin from the 4th century and discusses what the archaeologists hope to find and the future of the dig.

Bozhentsi village in Bulgaria

Bozhentsi village and architectural reserve in central Bulgaria is noted for its well-preserved National Revival architecture and history. (Also known as: Bozhenci, Bojenci, Bojenzi, Boženci, Bojentsi, Bojentzi).



David Hollands gives a short introduction to the village which is just a short distance from Geshaview. To discover more about this ancient Bulgarian village visit the page about Bozhentsi (Bojenci) on the Geshaview website.
Many thanks to Paul Mehrer for allowing us to use his pictures.

Brazilian President visits Bulgaria

The President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, visited her father's birthplace of Gabrovo whilst she was on her official tour of Bulgaria.



Her cavalcade then drove close to Geshaview as she passed through Dryanovo on her way to Veliko Tarnovo. David Hollands was on hand to witness the event and count the cars.

Creating the stone wall effect on the houses

To replicate the look of a traditional Bulgarian house, we used a unique process to render the effect of stone walls.



David Hollands explains why and how the authentic look of stone work was reproduced.
To see more pictures of the houses at Geshaview visit the property pages on the Geshaview website.

Finding the shade at Geshaview

In this short video David Hollands talks about why it was important to preserve the natural landscape and the trees at Geshaview.



With the concept now reaching its conclusion, the trees at Geshaview give a natural shade which is so different from the most ergonomic, sophisticated umbrella you can buy these days.

With only 22 trees removed from the ground, the natural shade and a cool breeze from the mountains 'lightens the hot summer days'...

Footnote: the swimming pool and restaurant referred to in this clip are due for completion in 2012.

David Hollands talks with Ivan Todorov

Ivan Todorov is Vice-president of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation (Bulgaria is ranked in the top 6 in the World).

In the first part they talk about his long association with Geshaview through his friendship with Julian Georgiev (co-founder of Geshaview).



In the second part they talk about the future where Geshaview, because of its location in the centre of the country, could become a place where sporting events, workshops, coaching schools and seminars are possible.