The last item on Brian's Travel Bucket List was a proper ski vacation. After extensive research, Brian decided we should go to what might be the most random place we've visited: Bulgaria. It turns out that a lot of Brits go there for skiing rather than the Alps. It was especially nice for us because we had never skied before and it was a lot less expensive! So off we went to Borovets, Bulgaria...
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| Skiing in Borovets, Bulgaria |
First, let me just say that skiing might be the hardest sport I have ever tried in my life. Our first day, we went to the ski depot to meet our instructor. The ski school didn't have a lot of people that week, so we were lucky enough to have an instructor dedicated to just the two of us. We put on our ski boots, which may be the most uncomfortable shoes I have ever worn, and then had to carry our equipment to the slopes. I was EXHAUSTED by the time we got there, and we hadn't even skied yet!
Ski school was a very different experience for Brian than it was for me. He took to skiing like a natural, and the instructor loved him. I, on the other hand, just didn't get it. So by the middle of the first day, Brian was going down the beginner slopes on his own while I was behind with the instructor just trying to figure out the basics. I'm not sure if it was fear or just sheer lack of coordination, but this sport just didn't come to me naturally.
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| I love this picture because I look like I'm about to run right into that kid. =) |
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| Brian, the pro skier, taking the drag lift for one of the runs |
The second day, we took the lift up one of the mountains to try a beginner slope at the top. I felt more comfortable the second day, but I still needed help with turns as I made my way down. This was an unfortunate thing not to know because basically, I couldn't control where I went which meant that I definitely ran into a few people.
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| Our first ever ski lift pass! |
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Ski run at the top of the mountain -
If you look closely, you can see me on the drag lift in the pink jacket. |
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Amazing conveyor belt that took us back up to the gondola to go down
the mountain - my legs were so thankful for this! |
Brian did great, and after lunch, he was invited on a special trip down the mountain on what I was told was a beginner course. I was invited to take the gondola down and meet them at the bottom. =( I wanted Brian to have fun, so I agreed and went down the gondola like a ski-loser. *sigh* I met Brian and our instructor at the bottom, where Brian looked completely beat. It turns out the instructor had taken him down a red advanced run. He said he didn't want to tell me. Definitely very sneaky! I was just happy to see my husband in one piece.
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| Check out that concentration! |
The final day, we cut it short. The conditions were awful because there had been a lot of rain the night before which had frozen under the snow. Also it was extremely crowded, and after I ran into my second person, I decided enough was enough. So that was when we enjoyed my type of ski vacation by going for massages and hot tub time. =)
Overall, skiing was a lot harder than I thought it would be. However, I do feel like I got more comfortable by the end, and I definitely would like to try skiing and/or snowboarding again. Maybe next time I will be invited on the special field trip too...
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| Representing the Gator Nation in Bulgaria |
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