Bulgaria - Lars Mittank, 28, German tourist, Varna airport, 8 July 2014

[Elainera]

Sleep well Janet, and I hope your kid is better soon!

 

[adeedra]

http://foreignersandfriends.com/missing-varna-two-years/

just been on this site...going back to earlier someone was trying to figure out what lars had in his hand....on this site it says that his cell phone and passport was left behind ....could it have been a wallet that was in his hand then? He would have needed money to pay the the taxi at the airport and may have the wallet in his hand still as he left the airport. If it was a wallet maybe he still has credit card...I don't o know whether there has been any activity on account....but if there hasnt then it makes sense still....he asked his mum to cancel his card so maybe he was scared to use it for whatever reason

I don't think that he had more than 45-48$ (since that's cost of the cheapest single room in Color).
Taking taxi at this time of night would cost him like 15-20$, possibly more since it's very common to not gave any "normal" price for foreign tourists, especially if they are travelling to/from airports, counting on that they could be unaware of prices.
Related or not - he was hitchhiking to get there, he wasn't paying.

 

[adeedra]

Sorry for not getting this....and your point is?

I don't have any at this point. I'm looking into everything again, considering that he wasn't as scared and delusional as I was assuming earlier.

Anyway, I marked few spots on maps. Maybe it could help in some way:

(Sorry for the quality - these yellow stains are three of four McDonald's restaurants in Varna)

But since strange things happened as he was with his friends while he was staying at the Viva hotel I think it was around that fourth restaurant, near the beach:

 

[neesaki]

So, do you guys over in Europe celebrate St. Valentine's Day? If so, Happy Valentine's Day to all!

[video=youtube;m5EiBOhSnas]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5EiBOhSnas[/video]

 

[Elainera]

Could the stress Lars was under - being beaten up, worry about his ear, pain, then alone in a foreign country - plus taking this antibiotic, plus possibly smoking weed or taking another drug, have triggered the onset of schizophrenia?

The main psychological triggers of schizophrenia are stressful life events

Certain drugs, particularly cannabis, cocaine, LSD or amphetamines, may trigger symptoms of schizophrenia in people who are susceptible.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Schizophrenia/Pages/Causes.aspx

It could explain his bizarre behaviour as well as explain that his delusions and paranoia did not subside after a few hours as they would have if only the antibiotic (for example) was to blame for them.

His mother describes him as strong and fit. But I think that after a week of not eating well but consuming a lot of alcohol, getting injured, and having no sleep that last night at the hotel, Lars was not as strong as she knew him, physically and mentally, which could also contribute to some kind of psychological breakdown. jmo

 

[Elainera]

I don't think that he had more than 45-48$ (since that's cost of the cheapest single room in Color).
Taking taxi at this time of night would cost him like 15-20$, possibly more since it's very common to not gave any "normal" price for foreign tourists, especially if they are travelling to/from airports, counting on that they could be unaware of prices.
Related or not - he was hitchhiking to get there, he wasn't paying.

He paid the room with his credit card. Not sure if he paid the taxi to the airport - in one video it was said that there was already a passenger in the taxi but it stopped anyway for him.

 

[Elainera]

@neesaki, I don't celebrate Valentine's Day but I LOVE Il Diva! Thank you! :loveyou:

 

[neesaki]

Could the stress Lars was under - being beaten up, worry about his ear, pain, then alone in a foreign country - plus taking this antibiotic, plus possibly smoking weed or taking another drug, have triggered the onset of schizophrenia?





http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Schizophrenia/Pages/Causes.aspx

It could explain his bizarre behaviour as well as explain that his delusions and paranoia did not subside after a few hours as they would have if only the antibiotic (for example) was to blame for them.

His mother describes him as strong and fit. But I think that after a week of not eating well but consuming a lot of alcohol, getting injured, and having no sleep that last night at the hotel, Lars was not as strong as she knew him, physically and mentally, which could also contribute to some kind of psychological breakdown. jmo

I have also wondered about Lars friends stating he wasn't eating much, that in itself seems odd to me. Most young men are voracious eaters, if you know what I mean. So, what reason did he have for not eating much? Was he already ill? Was there already something going on? I think there could have been multiple factors involved, including possible drug and alcohol use. And then the beating and ear drum perforation which would be significant, IMO. Then, who knows, he could have gotten some bad weed at the Hotel. I'm not sure about the Schizophrenia possibility, but I do really believe it was a multiple of factors that may have concluded in a perfect storm type of situation.

 

[neesaki]

@neesaki, I don't celebrate Valentine's Day but I LOVE Il Diva! Thank you! :loveyou:

They are wonderful, aren't they?

 

[adeedra]

He paid the room with his credit card. Not sure if he paid the taxi to the airport - in one video it was said that there was already a passenger in the taxi but it stopped anyway for him.

Yes, he payed with credit card -so I'm assuming that if he had any cash with him, it was less than would allow him to pay for a room in Color.

 

[Elainera]

I have also wondered about Lars friends stating he wasn't eating much, that in itself seems odd to me. Most young men are voracious eaters, if you know what I mean. So, what reason did he have for not eating much? Was he already ill? Was there already something going on? I think there could have been multiple factors involved, including possible drug and alcohol use. And then the beating and ear drum perforation which would be significant, IMO. Then, who knows, he could have gotten some bad weed at the Hotel. I'm not sure about the Schizophrenia possibility, but I do really believe it was a multiple of factors that may have concluded in a perfect storm type of situation.

"Perfect storm", that was the phrase I was looking for but couldn't remember. Yes, thank you.

I invited mpnola to this thread as s/he said in another that s/he worked with schizophrenia patients for many years.

I wonder whether the family ever spoke in depth with a health care professional about Lars' disappearance. The family might know more details about his behaviour in those days than we do. It might be helpful if they had a better idea what happened to Lars psychologically. An illness might affect his behaviour in terms of, for example, whether he would have a tendency to hide and keep away from crowded places, so he might not likely be in a city. It might also affect his memory, habits, preferences, etc. All just moo.

 

[Elainera]

They are wonderful, aren't they?

Oh ya! I'd marry them all!

 

[Elainera]

Yes, he payed with credit card -so I'm assuming that if he had any cash with him, it was less than would allow him to pay for a room in Color.

I see what you mean. Good thinking!

 

[mrmojorising33]

From sources I have read it seems that he did take a taxi .... if it was me and I wasn't in his situation feeling scared and anxious I would not want to hitchhike especially if he thought people were after him ....I would want to use an official taxi firm ...I agree though I don't think he had much money... there was a source that said he was asking about cashing cheques at the airport before he saw the dr...maybe if he couldn't fly he was going to ask his mum to send him a cheque .... that was before he got spooked and ran out of the airport

 

[mrmojorising33]

******if it was me in his situation***** (that was meant to say)

 

[JanetElaine]

Sleep well Janet, and I hope your kid is better soon!

Thank you! He's feeling lots better - but handed me the baton. A.k.a. thanks for cuddling me a lot when I was sick, mom, now you get to be ill. lol I've been attempting to catch up but just poking around a bit here and there now, because nothing I read is registering. I did read all the short posts.

 

[neesaki]

Yes, he payed with credit card -so I'm assuming that if he had any cash with him, it was less than would allow him to pay for a room in Color.

And credit card skimming is a known problem in Bulgaria. Perhaps Lars had reason to want his credit card shut down. Maybe there really was some bad stuff going on at that Hotel. Could it be he really did recognize the Maintenance worker at the airport medical clinic from the hotel? Maybe that hotel is involved with the mafia or operates as a cover for them, possibly prostitution, drugs, etc. There's really no telling. :/

 

[neesaki]

I found some of the reviews of the Hotel Color on Trip Advisor to be interesting and fairly inconsistent, some good some not. You have to make up your own bed? I've honestly never heard of that. And one of the male reviewers gave two separate positive reviews and each time it was for only a three hour stay with a woman. LOL,

Perhaps Lars could have been targeted by someone staying at the hotel since he was alone, or, he was having unexplained paranoia. Idk..... :banghead:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_R...Reviews-Hotel_Color-Varna_Varna_Province.html

 

[dotr]

Looking at straight forward details, it would seem that Lars might have been partying and possibly if drinking, attracting the wrong kind of attention.
There might well have been people after him and the " construction worker " may have looked like one of them, or was one of them.
Maybe Lars did have legitimate reason to run and perhaps avoid the airport. Maybe he was forced to phone his mother to have money and tickets sent to him.
Maybe he is trying to make his way home, but struggling physically/mentally to properly get there.
There is also the slim possibility that he wanted to escape his old life, but felt too guilty to leave his mother alone to look after his father. Maybe he just could not deal with it and rather than looking like he abandoned them, constructed one lie after another until everything was so convoluted nobody would be able to make sense of it all.

Wondering if it would help to look closer at Lar's life just prior to his trip to Bulgaria, could he have been singled out for victimization before he even arrived??

All just speculation,imo.
http://www.news.com.au/travel/trave...s/news-story/c6f453d76b2ff527ac278356f257c4e1
rbbm.

On June 30, 2014, Mr Mittank and a group of mates flew from Berlin to Bulgaria for what was meant to be a month-long holiday.
Their destination was Golden Sands — the Bulgarian equivalent of Ibiza which has become increasingly popular with young European tourists looking for a cheap party town.

In the first week of their stay, Mr Mittank hurt his ear after getting caught up in a beach brawl between rival football team supporters.
He sought medical attention for his injury, which turned out to be more serious than he’d realised — possibly a ruptured eardrum. Despite his discomfort, Mr Mittank reportedly partied up a storm for the rest of the holiday.

Mr Mittank rented a cheap room in the city, opting to stay on alone while his friends flew home.

Things get weird at this point. On his first night alone, the young traveller made a panicked call to his mother in Germany, claiming he was being followed by four men and that he feared for his life.

Ms Mittank is captured entering the airport and calming walking through the building, luggage in tow. Shortly after arriving, he visited the airport clinic. The doctor later told police that the German, who still had his suitcase with him, seemed fine for the first few minutes of the consultation. This changed when a person described as a “construction worker” walked into the clinic and Mr Mittank suddenly freaked and ran out.

About a year later, a Bulgarian truck driver came forward to report having picked up a “dishevelled-looking” hitchhiker some months earlier. He had since seen missing person posters erected by police and now believed the man could have been Lars Mittank.

Police were unable to track down the man and Mr Mittank remains missing.

 

[Bit of hope]

So, do you guys over in Europe celebrate St. Valentine's Day? If so, Happy Valentine's Day to all!

[video=youtube;m5EiBOhSnas]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5EiBOhSnas[/video]

A lot do indeed, but there are also a lot of people who find it a commercial "find-out" and don't celebrate and also people who say you don't need a special day to let your loved ones know that they are wonderful. But thx and enjoy!