Saturday 27^th Feb 2010 – Off We Go!

We arrived at the Hotel Rila in time to grab a late dinner. The deal was half board & throughout the week the food was plentiful & of good quality. E.g. mustard & honey chicken, stuffed peppers, roast potatoes with cheese, veggies, a whole host of salads etc etc. Desserts were always a selection of fruit & various sponge type fancies.

To toast the start of the holiday some of us went to a local pub called the Sun Ski Bar. Very welcoming, with a few local beers on draft. There was a Boar skin on one wall; some traditional Bulgarian dresses on another wall & the rest of the walls are covered in brightly coloured skis. (Think I’m gonna do my lounge like that next time I decorate.)

Sunday 28th Feb 2010 – First Day Skiing!

All decked out in sallopettes, jackets, gloves, scarves, helmets (optional for adults) & goggles we waddled down to the ski depot to get our ski boots fitted. We 4 intrepid ski virgins then strode off to find an instructor who would take beginners. We ended up in a group of 9 beginners with an instructor who told us to call him ‘George’.

First we learnt to fall over & get up correctly, then we walked up the nursery slope in our big heavy boots, full thermals & ski’s on our shoulders. The sun was blazing down & it was 16 degrees (should have been about -3). As I was boiling hot, I went very red. Think George thought I was going to pass out! We then learnt how to stop. It’s a manoeuvre called a snow plough. Now, please imagine saying “big snow ploughs” in the accent of the Meerkat off the TV advert, I swear I will never be able to say snow plough in a Yorkshire accent again.

After skiing we went over to the Black Tiger Karaoke bar for the Inghams Tours welcome meeting. A free glass of Bulgarian red wine helped boost the attendance figures! Loads of additional activities were on offer: Bulgarian folk evenings, horse riding, skidoo safaris & a tour of Sofia.

Monday 1^st March – Baba Marta or Martenista Day

On 1^st March Bulgarian’s wear red & white platted bracelets & decorate their houses etc with red & white. These are worn until you see a Stork, Swallow or budding tree. The red symbolises life & passion whilst the white symbolises purity. Baba Marta means Grandma March & she is a grumpy old woman with mood swings. Hopefully by wearing these colours she will show you mercy. So, wearing our bracelets, we met up with George & after a revision session we went on a four man lift to about half way up the mountain (1780m). It was terrifying! All you have to hold on to is a thin metal bar & whatever you do don’t swing the chair or drop you ski poles – ‘cos there aint no going back! It was soooooo high!

Our first green run was 5km of fantastic woodland tracks - trees on one side & a sheer drop on the other. That concentrates the mind when falling over! Problem was, the warm weather caused icy & gravel patches in places. Several of us fell spectacularly on a large patch of ice – my ski came off & was skating down the mountain whilst I was clambering to get up – hopeless. What a fantastic sense of achievement for all of us at the end of it though.

Tuesday 2^nd March – Après Ski Karaoke

It rained heavily all day so we practiced runs & ‘big snow ploughs’ up & down the nursery slopes & towards the end of the day thankfully the rain turned to snow. I think the only dry bit of me was under my ski goggles!

A group of card sharks met that evening in the hotel lobby & we played ‘basket’ (that’s the cleaned up name for it). Thankfully we were not playing for money as I lost all the time – wonder if some cheating was going on…….. After dinner we went to the Karaoke bar. I will never forget the version of Barbie Girl that Beck & a stranger sang – let’s just say, the words he was singing were not what were on the TV screen!

Wednesday 3^rd March – Top of the World Ma!

It was a beautiful sunny day & we went up to nearly the top of the mountain (2369m). At the summit, the snow was a bit better than on the nursery slopes & we got to see the marvellous views which nearly made up for the frankly boring day of going up & down an unchallenging part of a green run & queuing for ages to get on the button lift. By the end of the so called lesson I hadn’t learnt a thing & George wasn’t even watching. The 4 of us stayed at the summit after class & had a fantastic 45 minutes trying out moves, practicing falling (honest), laughing, spurring each other on – brilliant!

That evening the card sharks all met up again – & do you know - I continued to loose! We discussed the days skiing with our more experienced friends & they were just as unimpressed with our instructor……. George would have to go!

Thursday 4^th March – Goodbye George, Hello Romie

We awoke to thick fog which didn’t bode well for the day ahead. Beck & I spoke to the Inghams rep, told her that we were unhappy with George, & she sorted it all out straight away. Our new group was made up of two couples, 1 Irish & 1 Serbian – a very multicultural group! Romie was like a breath of fresh air. She took us one by one & assessed our skills & by the end of the morning lesson we had all gelled together, & best of all – we were learning again!

That evening we went on a Skidoo Safari which we’d booked as an extra adventure with our tour rep. despite the fog it was now snowing heavily & so was very atmospheric when driving up the mountain through the woodland. I drove for 30 minutes then we had a photo shoot & then Beck drove for 30 minutes. It was brilliant fun!

Friday 5^th March – 12km Green & Blue Run Adventure

We were all buzzing as it was snowing thick & fast & the fog had lifted on the nursery slopes. We went up on the Gondola & at the top we hit more flippin’ fog & it was really windy, blowing the snow everywhere. The button lift also stopped working. We had a hot chocolate in the hope that it would clear & that they would fix the lift, but it got worse. Somewhat disheartened we headed back down onto the slopes by the hotel & practice stem turns & traversing.

After the lesson Beck, Ian & I went back up on the Gondola to meet Julie, John, Suzanne & Dave. We were going to do the 12km green & blue runs! Despite some nerves we all did really well (thanks Mr Grace). We fell – often in spectacular fashion – several times. I crashed into Beck & later Ian on two fast corners where I was out of control & latterly Suzanne had to dig me out of the pile of snow I’d buried myself in – well, it was better than burying myself in a tree! All four of our volunteer tutors were extremely patient & made it so much fun. We learnt so much in those 12km, made important mistakes to learn from & improve. It was a SUPERB end to the skiing week.

That evening the groups met up for the official Ski Diploma presentation - we’d achieved Intermediate status! We had a couple of bottles of Bulgarian Merlot & Bulgarian Sparkling Wine with some nibbles & had a laugh whilst telling tales of our week’s adventures. To finish the evening we all piled in to the Retro Bar – No Limits Club under the hotel. Dancing in big winter boots isn’t easy but I had a flippin’ good try & danced the night away with Beck & Suzanne.

Saturday 6^th March – Whistle Stop Tour of Sofia

We had some spare time before the tour bus came to take us to Sofia, we went for a walk with Julie to the old ski jump which it is reputed, Eddie the Eagle Edwards jumped from. Standing at the bottom of it is scary. These ski jumpers really must have a screw loose and as for the single chair lift to get them to the top – there is nothing to them, one false move & - splat – you’d be on the floor!

We checked out at 12pm & when we arrived in Sofia there were icicles on the coach wheel hubs – we had all thought it would be warmer lower down the valley but stood outside the Aleksander Nevski Memorial Church hearing all about its history from the fastest tour guide in the East – my teeth were chattering!

To be honest I could have happily wandered around the Memorial Church without our tour guide rabbiting on. It is a beautiful sight to see. After the Memorial Church we flew past the eternal flame memorial to the Unknown Soldier & several other magnificent churches & then arrived at the pizzeria where our lunch was cooked fresh in front of us.

Before we ventured out again for the afternoon session, I asked our guide for a map. “You don’t need a map, Sofia is small.” Hmmmmmm. So, we left the tour in the subway where during its construction the Roman Fortress of Serdica was unearthed. It was bizarre to see a Roman road & artefacts in a subway. There are lots of little souvenir shops down there too. After some shopping in the lovely atmospheric local covered market (full of Bulgarian goodies & gifts), we wandered back towards the Memorial Church & the coach. But we did get a tad lost – no map you see! I did ask Andy at one point as he strode of in determined fashion, if he knew where he was going. When he said no, I reverted to John’s advice – follow the yellow brick road. No, he wasn’t being sarcastic. There really is a yellow brick road through the middle of Sofia & it lead us right back to the Memorial Church & coach.

Can I just say, thanks to HASSRA Leeds, Julie & John for organizing such a fantastic trip & being tour guides as well as ski instructors; to Beck, Ian & Andy for losing their ski virginity with me; to Suzanne, Dave & Leah for their brilliant ski & card tutorials; & to everyone in the group for such a good laugh & memorable holiday.