World Cup Bulgaria 2014 - Day 4

The day we had be waiting for had arrived. 203 days ago we sat in the Stanwick Club booking our tickets for this trip, not knowing at that stage who England would meet in the World Cup or when. The groups were decided in early December and then we knew, Thursday 19th June at 22:00 EET would be a crunch game, England v Uruguay. We had planned our day meticulously. Mr B once again in charge of weather said it was not going to be good and that we should head into Burgas for a look around the shops and a few bars. Main meal of the day would be lunch as we did not want anything getting in the way of the evenings activity.

The local bus was flagged down by Mr B and made to wait as the rest of us trundled up the road. The locals were not impressed. Upon arrival in Burgas it turns out that Mr B's weather forecast was crap as usual. Blazing sunshine meant that lotion was applied liberally and that a walk in the cool shade of the park was for starters. But then the inner child in all of us sprang forth. Tricyles with a car battery strapped to them proved to much to resist. For the next half hour the 5 of us terrorised the local population with our devil do dare antics. This picture was taken by a very pretty young lady we happened upon.

Thirsty work, so after dropping off the trikes we sought out the inevitable beach bar and cold beer. The sun was out and at least 2 of us attempted some worshipping.

The rest of resorted to childish antics of trying to take subtle pictures of people on the beach. By resting the camera on the bar at full zoom and pressing the shutter it was going to be pot luck what we captured. This effort of a 40+ body builder by Mr R is a belter! (40+ is age not inches).

The 3 of us soon got bored of this and with the other 2 still trying to burn their nipples off, we moved on........without them. Didn't even notice. We travelled all the way to the next bar down. It took Mr B and Mr L a full 15 minutes before they spotted us.

Onwards to lunch which was going to be a right royal feast. And indeed it was. Beef Carpaccio, Prawns with Garlic and chilli, Elena Ham, Crunchy Chiperones and Mussels. That was just to start.....and cost the same as the entire meal from the previous night. Various meat main courses to finish and we had achieved half of the days plan. Oh and then it started to rain again, even worse than the night before. Walking from the bus stop to the villa was horrendous, even my boxers were wet through.

On a serious note however, we have since found out that this was the worst rain the region had experienced since records began. 11 people lost their lives in the ensuing flooding and many many more made homeless. A pair of wet pants is trifling in comparison. Read more here. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-27935436

Thursday evening's activities will be in a separate special video blog to be published sometime on Saturday. (This is due to the Editor not having enough internet bandwidth on board WizzAir 6551 to up load to YouTube).
Laters

World Cup Bulgaria 2014 - Day 3A

So here is the proper blog from the day I missed. Real reason was not hangovers but lack of pictures. Why? Well we had naively made the mistake of letting Mr B deciding on the day's activities based on his superior knowledge of the local weather systems. That was mistake no.1. "Today is the best day of the week for sun - off to the beach we should go" declared Mr B. Stupidly, with hindsight, we duly followed. The minute we stepped onto the beach the heavens opened with thunder and lightening very, very frightening.

Thank God we were only 50m from the White Bar at the time. Only one thing to do - take advantage of their all day happy hour. 2 White Russians at 11:00 certainly livened me up (I am of course talking about the drink made with Vodka, Tia Maria and Milk not Sletvana and Olga from St Petersburg). The rain stopped now and then allowing us to bar hop down Sunny Beach ending up at Jupiters for a quick lunch. Best burgers in town - and another all day happy hour!

The picture above is from our evening meal that day. A quaint little restaurant in the nearest village of Aheloy. Our thinking was to eat at 8pm and then have a relative late start for us in Sunny Beach of 10ish. The meal was superb - 5 starters between us of chicken livers village style, 2 x Scad, Chef's special Salad and Squid. To follow two massive Sac. This is the name of the local clay pot which comes sizzling to your table laden with meat, potatoes, various vegetables etc, Even the 5 of us failed to finish them both. And then, unbelievably, puds!! A round of Jagermeisters on the house. So all of this plus 4 carafes of wine, 8 beers and more shots and the bill.............£8 per head! So off to party time............no...........

The storm from Hades hit the coast lasting for the next 4 hours. Spectacular and very wet. Party time cancelled as we had an early night. Laters.

World Cup Bulgaria 2014 - Day 3

Blog temporarily suspended for Wednesday due to very heavy night with Party Crew. Most pictures deemed to be unsuitable for family viewing. Here is a quick photo of us recovering today.

Laters.

PS COME ON YOU ENGLAND!!

World Cup Bulgaria 2014 - Day 2

Oh dear, where to start! From a sunny beginning to a messy end, the day had it all. Firstly sunbathing and ball games in the pool. As mentioned yesterday the lack of sun lotion was fairly evident this morning.

After all that activity we definitely had earned a beer or as it turns out, 3. We had decided that today was going to be a 12 hour binge 1pm to 1am. So to change before heading out to Sunny Beach. What Mr B is doing in the latter photograph is unsure but what we do know is the "sexy" quick access shirt was put into action on many occasions throughout the night.

After an opening pint at the "White Bar", Mr B decided we should walk to Romania in search of food. Well that's what it felt like. Walking the whole length of Sunny Beach meeting several interesting residents along the way we found the very last restaurant where we dined on squid, tortillas and the obligatory deep fried scad. And this was just starters.

Another 2 mile hike found us back in the centre of action. Shots, Party Crew Girls and Mr B trying our the seductive power of his sexy shirt on Mr L. You just knew that the night was about to degenerate from there on in.

Next up was the main course. Meat, meat and more meat at Billys a famous BBQ joint. I have to assure you that your eyes are not deceiving you, that really is a glass of water with my Pork Sword.

The main match today was Brazil v Mexico. There really was only one place to watch this. Somewhere we could have beer, football and as it turns out photo bombing dancing girls - The Corner Bar.

This proved to be just to much for Mr B who took himself off to a corner and a comfy chair with his pint. Those of you know him can probably predict what came next......yes, sleep and the spillage of beer and a broken glass! The last stop of the night at The Kuban Hotel brought forth more shots and JD & Coke. Naturally a dancing girl as well.

Time for home. We could take no more. Need to save ourselves for Party Crew tour tomorrow. Laters

World Cup Bulgaria 2014 - Day 1

We made it to Luton, eventually, after 1 person had to turn back to get their phone. And that was after they had overslept as well. Bacon butties all round and even 2 of us had the obligatory "we're on holiday" beer at 05:00.

The usual lurid purple plane from Wizz Air was on time and whisked us off to sunnier parts. This last bit was misconceived as we were to find our. What on earth was going on in row 1 we do not know. it appears like a very thin person in a burkha?

First stop after getting out of the new terminal at BOJ was Penny's Supermarket to stock up on beer, water and salty snacks. Shopping was something new to Mr B who didn't realise that you had to put things from the trolley onto the belt your self nor that you had to put the purchases into bags. The checkout lady fortunately sa the funny side of it.

So, arrival at The Vineyards, 30 secs to unpack and get around the pool for those first few pints of Zagorka. oh Bliss. And the sun was shinning for now. Some people thought that sun cream was unnecessary. Oh dear just wait for tomorrow's pics!

After a few cold ones, a dip in the pool, a quick snooze, the consensus was to travel into Sunny Beach at 18:30, find the nearest German bar and watch the night's game. This achieved and remarkably it was the same bar from 4 year's ago. 400 Germans and 5 Englishmen watch as Portugal fell apart and lose 4-0. The place was awash of very happy and very drunk Germans. Onwards into the centre then.

In the past few years, assorted daughters in their teens have been to Sunny Beach. One of their favourite pastimes at night is to join with others of similar age to bar crawl around town as part of a debauched organised event. We were determined not to miss out on this. Half way down the drag we found the appropriate ticket pusher and proceeded to negotiate.

Mike R managed to get Tracy down to £8. "What for all 5 of us?" he enquired. She was not amused. Anyway, Wednesday is the night, ripped T-Shirts and free shots here we come. A little preview of what is to come!

It is now 15.00 and time to head off into town for a day/night bar crawl. So DJ Simon signing off for another day. Laters

STANWICK SIX do SUNNY BEACH - Day minus 1

......and from the off I am already having problems with this latest travel blog. You see STANWICK SIX has a good balanced feel about it so when I found out at 10:30 this morning, with only 20 hours before we set off, that it would actually be the STANWICK FIVE, my pre-planned writing has gone out of the window.

Mr G has all my sympathy, well some anyway. No doubt the five of us will think of something to cheer you up - some pictures from the beach perhaps or even the girls dancing on the bar in the evening? I know that you would not really be interested in this as you were travelling to Bulgaria just for the culture and of course the football.

So at 03:15 tomorrow morning the remaining 5 of us will set forth from Stanwick to Luton and onwards to Burgas and Sunny Beach. This trip is in appreciation of a) The World Cup, b) Cheap beer & food and c) Interesting entertainment both at the beach and various bars. Just what a bunch of guys of 50ish need after a hard 5 months working at home! I can hear the laughter of derision from here.

Zagorka with football on the screen

Careful what you order from the menu!

The Stanwick 5 are now - Mr B, Mr C, Mr L, Mr R and of course your's truly Simon T. Bring on the beer, sun & football in that order. A few pictures just to remind us of what to expect.

Vineyards Villas

Look at the size of his skewer

Sorrento 2014 - Day 5 - Olive Oil, Harry & The Twins

As we wind our way to the end of the hols, I thought it time I caught a bit of the local culture. "A Trip with Claire to the Local Olive Farm" was advertised at reception and only costing a reasonable €2.50. Okay this would keep me occupied for a couple of hours. Mrs CT chose to stay and worship the sun God a little more, so I left her to it. 40 people, two minibuses and down the mountain we went.

A view from the road looking down on Sorrento. Around the next bend we stopped suddenly as Claire leapt from the lead coach to rescue a poor little kitten that had wandered into the road. Aaaaah. What a kind hearted soul. After Oxford university she has chosen to have a gap year by working here as entertainment organiser for the summer before going on to Oz/ Thailand etc. Being the youngest in the hotel by a good 25 years she must be bored! Anyway, onwards to the olives.

Set in the mountains the Olive groves gave welcoming shade. The particular trees around here grow very tall allowing oranges and lemons to be grown underneath them. It all looked and smelled lush. Our hostess, daughter of the farmer, explained the growing, harvesting and pressing process in fascinating detail and with quite a deep sexy Italian accent. The tour included a look at the old farmhouse built in the 18th century. Even Sarah Beeney would have a hard time resurrecting this one.

Needless to say, the farm had a shop were you could buy any of the previous year's production. The farm had a DOC for producing one particular olive. A litre of this was purchased is you cannot get it anywhere else. Dippy bread and balsamic awaits our UK friends. Upon returning poolside all hell had let loose!

What the *^$¥ was a giant polystyrene whale doing next to my sunbed? And more alarmingly there appeared to be an orange monkey with a 3ft curly cock hanging above! As it turns out it was Pool Party day. With cocktails being made freshly by Johnny, live music by the resident duo and games organised by Claire later. After the initial shock, I settled back down with Mrs CT and a couple of Strawberry Daqueries.

All you regular readers of this blog will know that I don't often have a rant, but standby here comes one. It has nothing to do with this holiday, resort or hotel. Today I am going to have a go at clothing manufacturers and retailers. An inch is an inch just as a centimetre is a centimetre so can please someone tell me why these measurements are open to widespread abuse and interpretation by the said manufacturers.

For instance. Before lunch I decided to change out of my shorts and into some trunks in readiness for a refreshing dip. The pair I had been wearing up to this point were attracting unwelcome attention from flies and other wildlife if you get my meaning. So at the readiness I had brought a pair with me, previously unworn, that I had purchased last year. Yes the old pair were red from Timberland and the new, blue from Speedo (shorts not budgie smugglers). The important bit is that there are both the same size - extra large. As the Speedos made their way up my thighs I already knew that this was not going to end well. As finally they completed the journey to my waist, the Twins were quite happy nestling either side of the netting gusset. Harry on the other hand was distinctly unhappy, bulging forth in an alarming manner. The look was just downright rude and could have caused discomfort amongst the oldies around the pool. Oh dear. Nothing for it but to rinse the red ones and go "damp" to lunch.

Sort it out please! (No pictures of this episode for censorship reasons).

Sorry guys, I know you have all been waiting for a picture of Claire since the first paragraph. Here she is. I will try and get a better picture later on, Mrs CT permitting.

Sorrento 2014 - Day 4 - Pool Time and Mahogany Madge

Weather beautiful. 26c of glorious sunshine. Only one thing we could do today and that was nothing. Nothing that is whilst lying around the pool and eating lunch. The pool area is set away from the hotel in the middle of a lush green wooded area which also contains various days beds and 3, yes 3, hot tubs. Stanwick crew take note.

Full waiter service to your sun lounger included. I usually wait until 11:00 before ordering the first beer of the day. Today I had my own personal server who had taken it upon herself to pick up a couple of cold ones on the way back from the loo!

The lunch/ bar area is at one end. All the lunches for the hotel are served here. Wood burning oven and large grill provide the freshest of pizzas and grilled fish/meats. Salads are plentiful. You can order wine or Prossecco by the bottle (all inclusive remember) and delivered to your table with ice bucket. Both Mrs CT and I agree that is the best meal of the day.

Today's over indulgence at the aforementioned lunch resulted in us seeking shelter from the sun and somewhere comfortable for an afternoon snooze. One heart shaped day bed was just the ticket. After a couple of hours I awoke to find Mrs CT reading and complaining that her sleep had been interrupted by Vesuvius type snoring which had scared off all the wildlife. Oops!

Talking of wildlife here are couple of little reptiles that have shared our spot poolside.

So no complaints then. Well.......when there are this many people in a small area there is always going to be someone or something that grates. The average age of resident in this adults only hotel at this time of year is considerably more than my svelte youthfulness of 51. Apart from them all sitting around moaning about the youth of today, benefits scroungers and various residents of the UK who were not born there, naturally there was going to be one who stood out. Let me introduce you to Mahogany Madge.

Mahogany from the perma colour and Madge from her namesake in the ITV series Benidorm. Holding court each day down in "her" corner of the pool. "Ooh we get up early to get our own beds". Although she has no mobility scooter she does have 2 walking sticks that she lets everyone know she cannot do without......rubbish. Faster than a 10 year old sometimes and can stand for 2 hours at a time. Pity the person who gets in her way however...you would think murder against disabled people was being committed. At night time her preferred tipple is half pints of Baileys and Brandy, no wonder she is a little unsteady!

Mrs CT made me put that last picture in. Yes it's a cat. Laters