San Diego, San Francisco, San... Danski?

The last few weeks, well, all of 2012 in fact, have been unusually cold and nasty in Eastern Europe.  It usually gets cold here in the winter, but it does not usually STAY cold.  This winter has been consistently cold and snowy.  And because most winters do not have sustained cold and snow, Blagoevgrad is not particularly well suited to handle it.  As a result, it is difficult to get around and many people are spending more time in their homes.  Mark is happy to spend a little extra time at home now and again, but he has already read most of his English-language books and can only take so much of the local television.  I mean seriously, what is this?

Wow.

So, after a few weeks of this, a bit of cabin fever has snuck into the land.  To fight this off, Krassi and Zlatina planned a get-away weekend in Sandanski.  (*editor's note: "Sandanski" has two "n"s, not one, and has nothing to do with Penn State)

Sandanski is well known in Bulgaria as a spa town.  It does not have the weather of San Diego and is not so cosmopolitan as San Francisco, but you still know it must be a tourist hot spot because its name begins with "San."

The city dates back to pre-Roman times when the Thracians founded a settlement to utilize the water coming from the natural hot springs there.  Those springs are still bubbling up today and several hotels and resorts have sprung up around them offering spas and respite to weary Bulgarians and Greeks.  And Mark.

"Walk-through" style ruins from the fourth century.  According to the placard next to the ruins, this was the house of a bishop and the buildings that surrounded it.

There are several large hotels in Sandanski, but the particular resort Mark and the crew stayed at was called the  Sveti Vrach.

"Sveti Vrach"

This phrase is roughly translated as "Saint Doctor" or "Saint Healer."  Apparently, there used to be men who lived near the hot springs who claimed that the waters of the springs had healing powers.  If you had an ailment, you went to find of these men and asked them to heal you with the spring waters.  Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't, but the nickname for the healers stuck.

The resort is known as the retreat of the former president of Bulgaria.  Kind of like a socialist Kennebunkport.

Oh, if these walls could talk.    Actually, nevermind.  Even if they could talk, it would probably be in Bulgarian.

The top floor of the resort still has the same floor plan that the former president used, but now anyone can rent it out.  And it's not a terrible deal.  For about $500/night, you can live like a Cold War big-shot with your own suite consisting of a grand room, conference room, office (with red phone, now used to order room service) and six bedrooms, enough for you and most of your cabinet to spend a long weekend working out the issues of the day.

The master bathroom.  At the far end is the tub, then to the left is where you stand to use the shower (no curtain).  In the left foreground is the toilet.  Between the toilet and the shower is.... the drinking fountain?  These guys thought of everything.

The main attractions of the resort are the swimming pool filled with water from the hot springs and the outdoor hot tub.

Mark has been called, not inaccurately, an "avid indoorsman."  This is a fair characterization.  However, a hot tub overlooking the snow covered scene is not exactly the same as hiking the Appalachian Trail.  Rest assured, Mark made due.  In the hot tub (not hiking).

A photo of Zlatina taking a photo of Krassi.  Totally artsy.