Did They Just Say Full Schengen?

In this week’s Buzz:

• New Ekont office opens in Bansko

• Bulgaria is predicted to enter full Schengen via land borders on New Year’s Day

• Traffic restrictions come in on December 1st

• Delicious cakes at the Great Bansko Bake-Off

• Bansko Street Dogs’ pub quiz is back!

Bulgaria is Predicted To Enter Schengen
via Land Borders in January

This week, Austria lifted its veto on Bulgaria and Romania having full Schengen borders. Both countries are currently in the Schengen zone, but physical borders remain on land borders and at seaports.

With Austria removing this veto, there are now no restrictions to zero borders between Bulgaria and Greece: road trips to Thessaloniki? Get in!

If you tend to come to Bulgaria from a third country, then there’s probably not going to be much of a difference, well… other than it’ll be super easy to nip to Greece from Bansko for some lunch or an overnight stay! 💪 

When is it supposed to come in?
They’ve announced 1 January 2025 (just over 5 weeks), following a vote in the European Parliament at the start of December.

Read the full story here.

But… one thing that might be a stumbling block for Bulgaria is its parliament not sitting. If you didn’t know, MPs in Bulgaria still haven’t decided on a speaker for the house, so parliament can’t convene, and the caretaker government remains in place (one month after the election). Read about it here. If they don’t need a vote in parliament to make the changes, everything should work out great.

The Chef’s House

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New Ekont Office Opens in Bansko
I shared a post about the new Ekont office that’s opened in Bansko and is ready to serve customers in the top part of town (near The Monastery). Good for those who’d rather not trek down to the one near the petrol stations.

Social Events For Solo Ski Travellers?
Elise posted that she’s coming to Bansko in mid-January for five weeks of social skiing and wants to know if there are any specific events she should attend or any particular groups she should join to meet people. There were a variety of answers.

New Casa Di Papi Getting Ready To Open
Casa di Papi’s new location (above the old Subway, across from Kempinski) has seen its sign go up. Anastasia snapped a photo to get the word out.

Tasting Week at Focaccia
Focaccia, the new Italian deli on Pirin Street (opposite the ice rink), posted that they’re giving 30% off during their tasting week until the 27th. Freshly baked Italian bread? Sounds delicious!

Are The Queues in February Really Three Hours Long?
Gayle posted that she’s heading to Bansko for her first time skiing and wants to know if she can buy a fast pass for her and her family because she’s heard the queues are really long in February. A few people had some advice.

Local/Municipality News

TexCycle Sites in Bansko
Have some clothes that can be given a second life? The local municipality issued a reminder that three recycling containers are based around town for people to use to recycle their old clothes. More info.

Bansko Hosts 23rd International Film Fest
This weekend Bansko hosted the 23rd annual International Film Festival. There was an abundance of films for lovers of mountains and extreme sports from over 39 countries. Feedback from some attendees said that the event was “amazing… much better than I thought it would be.” More info.

Mountain Road Traffic Restrictions From December 1st
As we head into winter, the road up to Vihren Hut will have restrictions put in place until the end of the ski season: the mountain road passes through the skiing area above Banderitsa Polyana, so the municipality will close the road and put other restrictions in place. More info.

More Road Construction Projects in Bansko
There have been several road construction projects in and around Bansko, and the municipality has announced that there will be more. However, these streets will just be a relaying of the asphalt surface, not a full construction project. More info.

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Events Next Week

Wine Tasting at D&Vino
On Thursday (28th) at 8pm, D&Vino is hosting a wine-tasting evening. It costs 20BGN and includes five different wines from a northwestern winery in Bulgaria called Vidinska Gumza Winery. The evening is led by an expert from the winery. More info.

Sukhishvili National Ballet Comes To Blagoevgrad
On Saturday (30th) at 8pm the Georgian Sukhishvili ballet team will perform in Blagoevgrad. I hear they are very good and their performances are amazing. Read more about the ballet team here and purchase tickets here.

Bansko Street Dogs Pub Quiz
It looks as though there’s going to be a BSD quiz soon! No information about the venue, but Monday 2nd of December is the date that’s been penciled in. Keep an eye on the Bansko Notice Board Facebook group for updates and to register your team.

House Express at Contra Bar
Missed Contra Bar recently? They’re back open on student weekend. On Saturday (7th) at 9pm, House Express will bring an “unforgettable journey” of different types of house music (progressive, funky, hip, deep, melodic, tech, and afro-house) to Contra Bar. 10BGN entry fee. More info.

Photo of the Week

Last Sunday (17th), I was a judge (alongside James from the Avalon) at Altspace’s bakeoff. We were both blown away by how good the entries were.
The overall winner? Carrot cake: it was a really, really good cake.

Tag @banskobuzz to get your photo in the Buzz.