Pamporovo Report 17.01.-18.01.2004

Pamporovo Report 17.01.-18.01.2004

Article by Teddy Kamenova

It’s a wonderful Saturday morning. The sun is shining over the rounded slopes of Rhodopa Mountain. The road is meandering, following the Asenevitsa River and the bus is slowly headed towards Pamporovo. It is unusually warm and sunny for January and we expect to have a nice and peaceful weekend in Pamporovo. The first place we visit after we leave our luggage in the hotel room is “The White Hart” pub. There we meet Maria (our representative in the resort) and Steve Clark (the owner of the pub). We have nice chat over a hot cup of coffee and discuss both the life on and off the pistes in Pamporovo. Maria was very helpful and I would like to thank her for her cooperation! After a wonderful lunch at “The White Hart”, we are headed towards the ski-pistes. This weekend the ski- and snowboard conditions in Pamporovo are excellent. Although it did not snow at all during the weekend and the snow in the resort’ center was melting, there was enough snow on the ski runs (though icy at some places). The people on the pistes were enjoying the nice weather and the slopes. All runs were open, the lifts were working and busy, especially the four-man chair lift leading to the TV tower. On the way back from the runs we make a tour around the restaurants and we find that the resort offers many places to eat, outside of your hotel. Except “The White House” restaurant and the new mechana “Chanovete” (The Sheep Bells) opposite it, close to the one-man chair lift there is a small but very cozy mechana “Pamporovo”. It offers an enormous fireplace and is famous for its specialty “Rebel’s Grill”, which is a dish decorated around Rebel’s sword. We make another tour around the shops, to find them working till late in the evening and I check if there is anything you might need: ski wear, food stores, pharmacies, etc. Everywhere the personnel are very polite and willing to help. Finally, we have a very delicious dinner in the restaurant of “Prespa” Hotel (good service and live folklore music), but hardly can wait to enter “The White Hart”, where will the party be this evening. The whole resort is covered with posters announcing the live concert of the famous Bulgarian rock band “D2” on Saturday evening. The party though begins before the band has come with the friendly and helpful barmen & waitresses enjoying the party, making different cocktails and dancing at the same time! The pub welcomes at about 300 guests, who enjoy “D2” music. Steve is videotaping the party and is emitting it on the 3 meter TV screen, so everybody can watch the show from different angles. When the band is taking a rest, the DJ is playing very good music, which everybody enjoys and the dance floor is quite busy! At the same time, “Piano Bar” at the Murgavets Hotel is offering quiet piano music and cozy atmosphere, for those who prefer that kind of clubs, while the “Planet Pepsi Cola” Club is busy with the folk singer Maria making a performance. The BJ’s pub and the “Night Flight” Disco club have not many visitors that night, because of the concerts and the transfer day, though at 3 a.m. there were still some visitors left. The weather on Sunday is still sunny and fresh. The one-man chair lift and the 4-man chair lift are lifting skiers and snowboarders up to the ski runs. The two-man chair lift and all the other lifts and T-bars are also working. The newly come group of skiers are already trying the slopes and enjoying the good food at the cafés on the ski-runs. After two days of wonderful holiday I may report to those who are to go there that the people in Pamporovo are very friendly and helpful (always smiling and joking), the food is excellent and varied, the conditions for ski sport are wonderful, and I was the last to enter the bus home.