Poverty and Gambling

Opposite the railway station in Ruse I saw this apartment block, slightly drab but otherwise unremarkable – except for the two gambling shops on the ground floor.  Bulgaria is a poor country, but I'm willing to bet (ho ho) that the gambling companies are minting it, at the expense of the poor.  

A bit like the UK, I suppose . . .

And in the Extra, the Palace Casino on Calea Victoriei in Bucharest, probably more upmarket than the common-or-garden betting shops which have proliferated in both Bulgaria and Romania.

Finally, I've put a few of my photos from Bulgaria and Romania in a Flickr album.  Only a few, but I keep adding to it, so if you want to get off lightly, see it soon :-)