Our dream retirement turned into a nightmare: British expats Christine and Eric Thompson were lured to Bulgaria by a slower pace of life and cheap cost of living….now they are desperate to leave

When British expats Christine and Eric Thompson moved to Bulgaria in 2016, they were dreaming of a slower pace of life with a low cost of living, surrounded by stunning scenery.

But nine years later the couple say they desperately want to leave the country after Christine, 58, was nearly murdered twice by incompetent doctors in the former Eastern Bloc country’s public hospitals.

Now the couple’s dream home – a £242,000 four-bed villa, stables and land for their horses at the foot of the Balkan Mountains – is on the market and they are making plans to leave Bulgaria for good as soon as it sells.

They were indoctrinated with the idea of ​​a dream life in Bulgaria with low prices and friendly locals, but nine years later they say the reality is quite different.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Eric, 70, said: ‘There’s definitely a slower pace of life and it’s well above 30C.

‘But people are a different story; Even in beautiful weather, their faces look like it’s a rainy Sunday.

‘People like to say grocery shopping is cheaper here but it’s actually the same and some things are a lot more expensive than in France and Germany

‘We have traveled extensively all over the world and experienced service second to none, but in Bulgaria this is absolutely terrible.

The couple’s dream home – a secluded four-bed villa worth £242,000 at the foot of the Balkan Mountains, with stables and land for their horses – is on the market.

They were indoctrinated with the idea of ​​a dream life in Bulgaria with low prices and friendly locals, but nine years later they say the reality is quite different. The couple plans to leave Bulgaria as soon as their house is sold

‘We walked into a restaurant, gave our order to the waiters, waited half an hour, and finally got up and went out again.’

Christine said: ‘When you move here you go through a honeymoon period but then things change, people put on rose colored glasses and enjoy the slower pace of life but that quickly disappears.

‘There seems to be a lack of direction everywhere. When we looked at what was happening in the country, it became clear that there was still a lot of corruption.

‘During the nine years we have been here, there have been frequent parliamentary elections. All the established governments consisted of coalitions. As we all know, every organization has the characteristics of responsible people.

‘It looks like a ship sailing in a winding course without a rudder. There were three elections for the government in one year. ‘The country has no direction.’

But the couple say their biggest problem is the country’s outdated healthcare system, which has caused Christine lifelong health problems.

When they first arrived in Bulgaria in 2016, Christine was taking the medication Cordaron for irregular heartbeat and was given strict instructions to stop after six months; But three years later, doctors still insisted he take it.

Now using the drug for a long time has damaged his heart and thyroid.

Then in 2020 doctors switched him to the drug Xulthophy for type 2 diabetes and four years later his body began to ‘shut down’.

Christine eventually paid to see a specialist doctor privately, who prescribed her the right medication, but she continues to suffer from health problems such as painful joints, osteoarthritis and poor kidney function.

He said: ‘We are exiting because healthcare falls far behind the standards found in Western Europe; They almost killed me twice, and I’m afraid they’ll kill me a third time.

‘I tried hard to get them to stop taking the medication but when I absolutely refused to take it they kicked me out of the hospital.

‘It scarred my heart and the iodine in Cordaron destroyed my thyroid causing Hyperthyroidism, extreme weight gain and metabolic problems.

‘It’s great to leave England but when things go wrong those rose colored glasses come off pretty quickly.

‘People say how great the healthcare is here, but it’s not. ‘I spoke to a woman and she told me the health service here killed her husband because of a misdiagnosis.’

He continues to receive homeopathic treatment to deal with the high levels of Uric acid from Cordaron.

He said: ‘If I hadn’t done this myself my kidneys would be failing right now

‘My trust in the doctors here has completely disappeared.’

Speaking to The Daily Mail, Eric, 70, said: ‘There’s definitely a slower pace of life and it’s well above 30C. ‘But people are a different story, even in beautiful weather they have faces like it’s a rainy Sunday’

After becoming disillusioned with life in the UK and worried about the falling job market, Eric took early retirement from his job as a contract mining engineer and self-employed Christine left her hospitality business.

They sold their home in Doncaster in 2005 and first moved to Türkiye after falling in love with the country during a two-week holiday. Ten years later, the horse-loving couple decided to move to find a permanent shelter for their animals, and after discussing it with friends, they decided on Bulgaria.

Christine says she is not alone; Many other expats also have health horror stories

Eric added: ‘Their system is all paper and they won’t believe you if you don’t have all your paperwork with you.

‘You run into brick walls everywhere; All the counselors do is look at your notes, they don’t talk to each other.

‘Dealing with the archaic system destroys my soul.’

Christine says she is not alone; Many other expats also have health horror stories.

He added: ‘A friend of ours had a skin condition for 20 years that required a specific cream.

‘When they first arrived they were able to get the correct cream and everything was great. A few years later the health service here changed the cream. Our friend was literally in pain. This was done to save money.’

Christine says retired foreigners are also often charged for free medical treatment because authorities can’t be bothered to fill out the correct forms.

After becoming disillusioned with life in the UK and concerned about the falling job market, Eric took early retirement from his job as a contract mining engineer and self-employed Christine left her hospitality business.

They sold their home in Doncaster in 2005 and first moved to Türkiye after falling in love with the country during a two-week holiday.

Earlier this month, the couple put their Bulgarian home near the town of Sevlievo, 160 kilometers east of Sofia, on the market and are preparing to move their two horses, two dogs and two cats to France.

Ten years later, the horse-loving couple decided to move to find a permanent shelter for their animals, and after discussing it with friends, they decided on Bulgaria.

Earlier this month, the couple put their Bulgarian home near the town of Sevlievo, 160 kilometers east of Sofia, on the market and are preparing to move their two horses, two dogs and two cats to France.

Eric said: ‘Bulgaria should have been a no no, France would have been the first choice but it would have been very difficult to move the horses that distance in four days.’

Christine added: ‘This was a learning curve for us, we learned a lot here.

‘You learn about the Eastern style and it definitely opens your eyes and makes you appreciate being British, with its standards and building rules and regulations.’