Tour de force: Bulgarian riviera

From the fringes of the Black Sea to the Stara Planina mountains, this year's concert tour of the London Bulgarian Choir's spiritual homeland is a wonderfully varied and eventful one. It's my third tour with the choir but I'm visiting the Black Sea for the first time.

North beach, unusually empty… if you walk far enough 

Pool-bar shenanigans

The party animals among us make the most of Primorsko, our first stop, a brash and bustling resort about an hour south of Burgas. Our hotel is basic with sheets like tablecloths and pillows like bricks. At least the aircon works and my all-in-one toilet shower is reasonably clean. Others are not so lucky. 

We enjoy the blue sea and the hot sand, and the beach trade with vendors selling everything from salty corn-on-the-cob, to the chance to have your photo taken with a tame snake/parrot/iguana.

Crowds – mostly Bulgarian – throng the beaches by day and pack out the bars and restaurants by night. Drunken teens shriek their way around town, while we singers take refuge in the few quiet bars we can find. Our local, the Follow Your Dreams bar, is down a side street and relatively tranquil. Otherwise, we head down to the sand for guitar strumming and moonlight swims.

Songs by moonlight

Launching a lantern

We escape the hoards on an excursion to Beglik Tash, a sanctuary of sacred stones. The rocks are curvaceous and eerily atmospheric, especially when we sing out from niches in the rock. We also take a boat trip along the Ropotamo river nature reserve, all the way to the 'tseluvka', the place where the river 'kisses' the sea. The breeze is lovely. We sing together and enjoy the calm. It's all helping us to bond as a touring group.

Climbing curvy stones

A river reserve cormorant takes off

Our first concert, on an open-air stage in the town centre, attracts a smallish audience, and the speeches by local worthies last almost as long as our set-list. We are feted with flowers and trophies, and treated to an after-party in a nightclub. One of the local dignitaries says to me, "You can only sing the way you do if your heart is in your hands." Very humbling, particularly when it turns out she is no mean singer herself. We eventually escape beachward to sing folk songs by the light of the moon.

Pre-concert rehearsal in Primorsko

Apron chic – despite the soaring temperature

The second concert of the tour is in Sozopol, a picturesque seaside town with an old, cobbled quarter crowded onto a jutting headland. The vibe here feels quite different – the buskers sing Bob Marley! – as we browse chic boutiques and the hushed interiors of churches, finally coming to rest at a stylish eatery perched on the perimeter wall with spectacular views out to sea. 

We sing that night to a packed open-air amphitheatre – perhaps they've seen the full-page article about us in today's national newspaper. 

Found. The only naff stall in Sozopol

We make page 3 of a national tabloid!