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Opening of the ski season in Bansko - photostory

Christine, the Czech Republic, 22.12.2005

Last weekend I traveled to Bulgaria to visit a friend of mine who lives in Sofia. Our plan was to make a trip to the mountain spa resort of Velingrad and on the next day to go to Bansko for the opening of the ski season. Here I have to admit that I travelled to Bulgaria with mixed feelings about the country as I have heard both positive and negative comments. So, at first I didn’t suspect what a wonderful experience it will be. We travelled to Velingrad by bus. The road was in good condition and we could enjoy the picturesque scenery of the Rhodope Mountains. The town of Velingrad is visited mainly for its mineral springs which are said to cure a great number of diseases, but in the winter it is visited for its ski runs as well. Unfortunately, when we arrived there was not enough snow for skiing so we could only go for a walk in the town that day. Velingrad is a very clean and calm resort, no noisy crowds of tourists, it is excellent for rest and recreation. I left the choice of hotel to my friend. He recommended the Light Spa hotel and I think he made a very good choice. Our room was very spacious and clean, the hotel disposes of many spa facilities and I could only be sorry that I was staying there just for one night. Nevertheless, we had time for a steam bath in the afternoon and a refreshing massage afterwards, which I recommend to anyone visiting the hotel.

The next day we were going to Bansko, the Bulgarian ski resort which has recently become so famous. It had been snowing heavily all night long and everything was fresh, white and magical in the morning. We chose an unusual way to travel to Bansko – the narrow-gauge line! I was amazed that such a line still exists in Bulgaria. It was an unforgettable experience! The train moves so slowly that if you drop something out in the snow you can get off, pick it up and get on the train again, even without running!

It took us about an hour and a half to reach Bansko. We enjoyed the fantastic view from the train and started a conversation with a friendly group of skiers who were also travelling to Bansko for the opening of the ski season. When we arrived in Bansko we didn’t see many tourists there but you could feel the excited atmosphere in the town which was preparing to receive thousands of skiers this winter. The ski runs were cleaned and were gleaming with a thick cover of fresh snow.

There was a concert at the foot station of the ski lift in which some Bulgarian singers participated. The world-famous ski celebrities Marc Girardelli, Franz Klammer and Rosi Mittermaier were also invited for the event. They slid down the Alberto Tomba ski run in less than 20 seconds! Bulgaria’s football star Hristo Stoichkov also tried the slope but was much slower. He took the distance in more than 2 minutes but won a bet that he could do it at least without falling.

Later in the evening there was a gorgeous firework show. We had a terrific time! After the show we found a cute folk-style tavern where we had a traditional Bulgarian meal - Bansko kapama (meat stewed with vegetables) – don’t miss to try it if you go to Bansko. The hotel we chose for the night was Elegant hotel which is situated just a few minutes walking from the Gondola lift. It is a small hotel but with friendly atmosphere and a very nice bar.

We spent the rest of the evening partying there with another group of tourists who had come for the opening event. I envied them because they were going to stay in Bansko for a few days while we had to return to Sofia in the morning. Now after I have been to Bansko for a while, I am convinced that the resort has a great potential and I can’t wait to come back – this time for a long ski holiday! Below you can see some photos from our visit to Bansko. Hope you'll enjoy them!