Sunday, 05 February 2012



Bulgaria: Chepelare Ski Resorts Announces Conditions for Upcoming Season



BalkanTravellers.com   

7 December 2009 | The Chepelare ski resort awaits tourists for a new winter season, with the country’s longest ski run, artificial snow-making machines and a series of improvements.

The total length of the ski runs of the Rodopi Mountains resort now reaches 20 kilometres, the mayor of the Chepelare municipality Georgi Popov told media recently.

The main run, which is 3,250 metres long, is the longest in Bulgaria. It boasts a total of 47 artificial-snow-making machines, which can cover it with snow for 100 hours when the temperature reaches -3°C.

It and all the other runs are serviced by a four-seat lift, which was opened last year, and several tows. The lift has the capacity to transform 2,000 people per hour and it covers the 2.7-kilometre distance between the beginning and end stations for nine minutes.

The lift’s capacity, according to Popov, is larger than the number of guests that the town of Chepelare can accommodate, which means that lines don’t get very long.

In addition to the ski runs, the Chepelare resort also boasts 20 kilometres of biathlon paths and other routes.

All of them have been marked according to European standards, according to Popov.

For the first time, all ski runs also have wi-fi access, making it possible for skiers to access the Internet in between runs or while taking a break in one of the tea houses near the slopes.

This winter season, daily passes for the lift and tows cost 38 leva (around 19 euro) for adults and 22 leva (around 11 euro) for children under 12 years of age. For half a day, passes cost 25 and 15 leva (around 12.50 and 7.50 euro), respectively. Two-day passes cost 69 leva (around 34.50 euro) for adults and 39 leva (around 19.50 euro) for children. For 13 days, passes cost 315 and 223 leva (around 158 and 112 euro) respectively.

In addition to the lift stations themselves, the large hotels in Chepelare and the nearby Pamporovo resort will also be selling lift passes.

Read more about Bulgaria on BalkanTravellers.com
Use BalkanTravellers.com's
tips to organize your trip to Bulgaria

Read more about Bulgaria's ski resorts on BalkanTravellers.com
Bulgaria’s Smaller Mountain Resorts Offer More Affordable Options for Skiers
 

Epicure


Turkey
Izmir Gourmet: Food is in the Air

Food is literally everywhere in Izmir.

The first stop a traveller would usually make, is Passaport – the vivid promenade along the seaside, which has turned into a landmark with its black and white pavement.
Full Story



Curiosity Chest


Turkey
Santa Claus Museum in Turkey to Attract Newlyweds and Tourists

4 May 2010 | A Turkish travel agency intends to popularize the birthplace of Santa Claus’s prototype, Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, in present-day Turkey, not just as a tourist but also as a wedding destination. Full Story



Useful Reads


Turkey
A Brief History of the Late Ottoman Empire (2008) | By M. Şűkrű Hanioğlu

Far too often, the narrative of the collapse of an empire becomes a moral drama. Wealth is drained away by decadence, and power undercut by corruption. There are attempts at recovery, reform, re-consolidation; perhaps a war, or a grand alliance, or another gamble which seems mad in hindsight. Private fiefdoms emerge, tribes break away, and hostile external powers chip away at the borders.
Full Story




Music


Macedonia
Macedonia: Esma Redžepova's Passion for Humanity

"A Gypsy from the city of Skopje", as she calls herself, Esma Redžepova has more than 40 years of singing and humanitarian efforts under her belt. Full Story