I was surprised to see the house still standing as well, as it was in a poor condition already at the time of my above story. I guess it just has no owners since the old man passed away. Regarding the summers in Elena as a little kid, YES they were awesome! Biking each day to one of the numerous, hidden and untooched by human hand ponds of the rivers that run across the villages around Elena, swimming, fishing ... and all this with friends form each and every corner of Buglaria - Sofia, Burgas, Stara Zagora, Zlatograd ... You've read Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, right. Something like that. :)