When I lived in Sofia, Bulgaria for a few months, I stayed on the ground floor of an apartment building with a wealthy family on the top floor. The place was co

When I lived in Sofia, Bulgaria for a few months, I stayed on the ground floor of an apartment building with a wealthy family on the top floor. The place was constantly surrounded by plain-clothed armed guards: four or five stood outside on the road, more in the lobby. I used to chat with them when I went onto the balcony for a smoke. As a British person, it was quite an eye-opener to see all these guys wandering about with pistols on their belts.