Back in Amsterdam

After almost a month in Bulgaria, enjoying the sunny beaches with family and friends, I am back in the beautiful city of Amsterdam.

The weather is much better than a month ago, in fact people are talking about a heat wave. So far, I am ok with it.

As a welcome back, I decided to go to one of my favorite places and order one of my favorite foods - eggs Benedict at Cafe George.

If you are a fan of eggs Benedict, this place should most definitely be on your Amsterdam restaurant and cafe list.

My drink - koffie verkeerd (Dutch for cafe latte)

Finally, my date for today's brunch - the new September issue of the Dutch Vogue.

Xxx

When in St. Vlas...

Every summer when I come to Bulgaria, I decide to jump into the car with some of my friends and spend a weekend in Sunny Beach and party like it is our high school grad trip again. Alternatively, we go to St. Vlas, in Bulgaria known as Sveti Vlas. I would say that St. Vlas is about 2 km north from Sunny Beach, but in the past years they have practically merged.

Sveti Vlas is a very bizarre place. 

When you are passing the alcohol drenched, mostly teenage, tourists in Sunny Beach, luxury is the last concept that comes to your mind. As a tourist you also do not expect that only 2 km up the coast from the Bulgarian centre of debauchery, you can find the Saint Tropez, or the Orange County, if you will, of Bulgaria (these terms were also mentioned by some of my friends who came to visit me in Bulgaria). Rather than being flabbergasted by the group of Dutch or Scottish drunks who are trying to charm you after being thrown out of a cab in front of their hotel at 4:30 a.m., you will be amazed by the astonishing amounts of men in their 40ties dressed in expensive clothes getting out of their Bentleys and Maybachs in the company of not-so-natural blondes who are struggling to walk in their sky-high heels and tight mini dresses.

My name is...

Sveti Vlas (Bulgarian for Saint Vlas) is a rather small city, some would call it a village even, but officially since February 2006 it is listed as a city. It's history starts around the second century AD, and is called by the Greeks Larissa.
The village, now city, retained its Greek name up until the 14th century, when it was renamed Sveti Vlas (Bulgarian for Saint Vlas), as it is known until today.
It is documented that in the 14th century there were five monasteries in the area. The four male monasteries were St. Peter (Св. Петър), St. Ilija (Св. Илия), St. Andrei (Св. Андрей), and St. Vlas (Св. Влас), and the fifth was a female one named St. Ana ().
Therefore, when Bulgaria was under the Ottoman Empire it was registered as Manastir (Turkish for monastery).

View onto the marina and the Nesebar Bay from the residential complex Manastira, which means monastery in Bulgarian

Population then...

Since its establishment the population of St. Vlas was mainly Greek. After 1920 most of the Greek population migrated as part of the Greek-Turkish exchange. In the years after many Bulgarian families from Greece found their new homes in St. Vlas. Being at the feet of the mountain and on the seacoast, its excellent climate started attracting more and more people to the cozy village.

...and now

The city is a beloved place of many Russians who have purchased summer homes in St. Vlas, and soon might outnumber the Bulgarian population. The secret garden of Nesebar however, has not remained so secret, and has also been discovered by many Scots and Scandinavians.

St. Vlas is also known as a prominent summer destination among Bulgarian celebrities, who adore the beautiful marina. And why shouldn't they? I myself find it also very pretty. As a matter of fact, I also find it quite impressive. The marina of St. Vlas, also known as Marina Dinevi, is probably the biggest one on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.
Besides offering a perfect place to find a parking spot for your beloved vehicle (yes, vehicle, because I do not only mean yachts), it hosts a couple of very delicious restaurants and a night club. The marina forms a part of the Dinevi Resort, which is named after the two brothers who built it. They have managed to cultivate the wild beaches and rocks of St. Vlas, and create what I would dare to call one of the most prominent and luxurious vacation spots in Bulgaria.

Sunset at the marina with Carole and Elena

Photo moment in the Marina Dinevi in St. Vlas with Deni and Elena in her chili peppers dress

Vamos a la playa!

Saint Vlas has many small beaches, all of them look in the south direction. Next to the marina, also forming a part of the Dinevi complex, is the Venid beach, which has been extended from its natural approximately 5 meters into a big beach full of umbrellas with sun-beds, volleyball courts, and beach bar and restaurants. During our stay here, we visited the beach bar La Playa. We liked it so much that we spent there four hours sipping on various summery cocktails from the menu.

Strawberry cocktail and an exotic lemonade to start with...while enjoying the beach

A little champagne - blue curacao - gin cokctail....it was quite intriguing, so resisting was pointless

La Playa - definitely a place worth the buzz

xxx
A.

Since the weather is crap outside...

This is probably one of the few times that I am ok with the weather not being nice. Admittedly, it started being cloudy and rainy yesterday already, but only today it made me stay at home the whole day.

Though it is very bad news for my tan, it is good new for my blog, which sadly, I have been neglecting again. I have been thinking about it a lot though, if that makes any difference. Either way, I will use this opportunity to post something :)

I have been spending my summer so far in Sozopol. I have been coming here for many years, and though it is not party central number 1 on the Black Sea coast, it still has a great charm.

Sozopol is one of the oldest seaside cities, located on the south coast of Bulgaria. It is also known as Appollonia (ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΙΑ), which is its ancient Greek name. The name Sozopol started appearing in many forms since the first century AD when it was known as Sozopolis. I promise to elaborate more on Sozopol's hisory and post more pictures later.

Three of my friends - Elena, Deni and Carole are enjoying a night walk on the ancient fortification wall

Evening walk with Deni and Carole through the old town of Apollonia

Happy Carole and Elena in a beach bar in the 'New Town'

xxx A.

It is hard to be disciplined on the seaside

As already the title implies, I have not been very disciplined lately. I have opened my blogger account multiple times with the intention to compensate for my slacking. I did not manage. The Black Sea has charmed me.

During the day I lay on the beach, pondering upon things of inferior meanings, sometimes reading my book (which I have also been negligent towards since my second day at the beach), and admiring the beauty of nature. How great would it be to spend a lifetime doing exactly what I am doing right now?

xxx A.