Teen Spirit Studios… And Heads and Tails present
Kolya Serga as a seasoned host of the Sea Season.
And Alina Astrovskaya as a new host of the Sea Season.
Brace yourselves for the best Heads and Tails Sea Season yet!
Even more adventures... More extreme... More amazing discoveries!
Someone will throw the money around as usual... And cruise around on luxurious yachts...
While someone else will swim against the current and will try to survive on $100.
This will be decided by the Heads and Tails.
Alina: OK. This is Heads and Tails and we are in the sunny Bulgaria!
A bit too much.
This is Heads and Tails and we are in the sunny Bulgaria.
No.
This is Heads and Tails and we are in the sunny Bulgaria! A coin flip.
Kolya! This is Heads and Tails and we are in the sunny Bulgaria!
Kolya: Friends this is Heads and Tails and we are in the sunny Bulgaria! Alina you do not flip the coin properly.
Alina: How do you do it? Is there a special way?
Kolya: Of course. This is a special episode and your special day! A special season and a special coin flip.
Watch and learn! Place a coin between your thumb and your index finger and toss it up.
Catch it, place it on the back side of your palm. Then I call heads and you call tails. Let us open it. It is heads.
You take this backpack and I will see you later.
Alina: What do you mean? Can you wait a minute? I do not know what to do.
Kolya: Just follow George Washington.
Alina: No Kolya. Wait for me. I am out here all by myself!
Bulgaria comes to mind when you really want to hit the seashore that is not too far away.
Local resorts have been in high demand since the Soviet times, because it is an affordable foreign country.
Keep it together Alina. No need to panic. This is not my first time abroad. I will simply act like a regular tourist.
First, I need to exchange money. Hello. My $100 turned into 159 levs. I think that is the right name. Some change
Many tourists visit Varna during the summer. I should not have any problems with leaving the airport.
I can get to the city on a bus or in a cab. Since this is my very first show, I want to kick things off in style.
After all, I have been riding on an old Ikarus buses my whole childhood. I am getting a taxi. Let's go!
Well Varna, you better hold on to your socks, because the money man with an unlimited gold card
is in the building! Let me get the hottest car that they have on the lot. Do you have a Lamborghini?
Clerk: No…
Kolya: What about a Ferrari? A Cayenne or something? You do not have a Porsche?
Clerk: No!
What am I gonna get? A Peugeot?
Well, my ride for the weekend is… a Peugeot 387. Two doors, 140 horse powers, top speed – 205 kms/hr.
You need to take care of your booking at least two weeks in advance to get a good car during the high season.
This Peugeot is not that bad. The steering wheel is where it should be. The seats are comfy.
That's big. Besides, it is a convertible. What else do you need on a vacation at a Bulgarian resort?
Gotta be happy with what Bulgaria got!
What do we know about Bulgaria? Bulgarian peppers come to mind first.
Over here, they call it the sweet pepper.
Bulgarian circular saw! It is a German invention, but they make lots of them here.
When they say no they nod their heads, as we would nod in agreement back home.
This is no.
This is yes.
I have to be careful with that one.
Is this it? Is that all I know about Bulgaria?
What do we know about Bulgaria? It is definitely a country somewhere in Europe near the Black Sea.
Not Georgia, not Turkey, here it is our Black Sea neighbor! This is where Kolya and I arrived.
Varna is a small town on the Black Sea shore.
Notable architecture here consists of low-rise buildings from the prewar era and your typical nine-storey housing in the civic quarters.
A local port is the main source of this town's income. It is the largest in Bulgaria and is one of the most important Black Sea ports.
Varna is over 1,000 years old, but it got its current make-up during the years under the Soviet influence.
Walking around here gave me a flashback of a provincial town in the U.S.S.R. Everything is clean and well kept.
There are no screaming street ads. The atmosphere is nice and calm. It is as if I went back to my childhood.
There are a few landmarks in Varna. The most notable one is an ancient cathedral located downtown.
This 19th Century Uspenskiy Cathedral symbolizes the liberation of the city from under the Ottoman conquerors' rule. Roman thermae is what we call the bathhouse.
A while ago Bulgaria used to be under the rule of an Ancient Rome.
This is where the rich Romans liked to bathe.
The bathhouse is non-functional nowadays, but it is pretty hot in here nonetheless.
A monument to Tsar Kaloyan. He conquered Varna for Bulgaria from the Byzantines.
Honestly, everyone comes to Bulgaria specifically for the sea. Let us go check out the main attraction!
Here is where a tourist will be disappointed. Beaches in Varna leave much to be desired, because of the heavy port activity.
That is why tourists leave for other famous nearby resorts – Golden Sands and Sunny Beach. This is where I will be going as well.
The Sea Season taught me that an opportunity for diving always presents itself where there is the sea.
Therefore, I rented a boat, diving equipment and was on my way to explore the depths of the Black Sea.
Diving in the Black Sea might sound ridiculous.
You will not see exotic fishes, an octopus or some other sea monster.
Yet this place has something equally interesting. You will see for yourselves right now!
The Black Sea waters are practically a museum of history.
The bottom of the sea is filled with sunken ships and aircraft from two World Wars.
I went diving next to a Shchuka-class submarine. Shchuka means pike.
This naval legend is responsible for sinking a dozen of ships in a couple years.
Shchuka left for its last mission in November of 1941. Only a carcass covered in moth
and clams remains to this day. Diving here left me with mixed feelings.
This vessel became a mass grave for forty crewmembers, but it is the most popular site among the local divers.
I decided to have a nice meal before leaving for the resorts.
Although Bulgarians use Cyrillic alphabet as we do, understanding the menu is far from easy.
Sotirana nadena. Snezhanka with nuts. Oh, zadushina mesa? Strangled? That's cute.
I would like to taste something traditional, but the only thing that I know is a Bulgarian pepper.
Perhaps you serve something special, something exemplary of Bulgaria?
Alina: Is this a traditional dish? Super!
Then this is exactly what I need.
Waiter: Is that what you need?
Alina: Yes! I need to eat A.S.A.P. because I am starving
and I would really want to feel the zest of a Bulgarian flavor.
Waiter: Bulgarian what?
Alina: Zest of flavor. Never mind.
Waiter: I understand. Thank you very much.
How do I explain zest to him?
Here is a fine example of a Bulgarian man – he understands Russian, but it is easier for him to converse in English.
I received two traditional Bulgarian dishes – a pepper and… a pepper!
Let us chow! Pepper number one is stuffed with meat and rice and is served with a tomato sauce.
Very reminiscent of our cabbage rolls without meat.
Tastes very good. As if my grandmother cooked them for me with love.
The Bulgarian peppers are called sweet peppers here. The reason we call them Bulgarian is because 70 years ago we started importing peppers from here.
When someone would ask the vendor what kind of peppers was he selling he would answer – Bulgarian.
That is how the name stuck around.
It really does taste sweet. Yummy.
On to the pepper number two – deep-fried with cheese and garlic sauce!
Wait a second. Where is the pepper? Oh, here it is.
Honestly, I can only taste the cheese and the dough. A slight hint of pepper, like a distant memory.
It is a bit salty, but that is perfect for when you are hungry.
Let us see how expensive Bulgarian cuisine is.
Oh, it is not pricey at all!
A surprise was waiting for me when I returned to where I parked my Peugeot.
This is where I left my automobile.
I could swear that my ride looked different. I did not come here on an ambulance.
Well, it was either stolen or towed. There are no signs that prohibit from parking here.
Excuse me, do you know if the cars are being towed from here?
I have no idea what to do in this situation. Should I look for an impound lot? Who is in charge of this?
Hello. Take me to the closest impound lot.
They towed my car! Can you believe that? Was your car ever towed?
Driver: Yes.
Kolya: A taxi?
Driver: A taxi.
Kolya: The driver told me that cars are towed all of the time in Bulgaria. The leading reason is illegal parking.
Practically every available spot becomes illegal during the high season.
They earn from tourists in every way that they can.
Look, here is how they do it! Mine must be somewhere around here too.
Here is my beauty!
Lot attendant: Hey! Wait a minute!
Kolya: Right, right. Hello. I would like to know what is happening with my car.
Lot attendant: You cannot do that! What will happen if we all start going around and ripping things!
Intolerable! Follow me! Come.
Kolya: I am coming.
Lot attendant: Why did you start tearing it? What will we do? I will need your driver's license.
Kolya: Did I park in a prohibited space?
Lot attendant: You could not park there.
Kolya: There was not any sign there though.
Lot attendant: There was a sign.
Kolya: Where?
Lot attendant: 25 meters after your car.
Kolya: After means I parked before the sign.
Lot attendant: A sign was here and you parked further.
Kolya: Yeah? There were many other cars there. Why was mine the only one towed?
Lot attendant: No.
Kolya: As it turned out, just about every car near the beach was towed today.
Lot attendant: Beginning from there. First, second, third…
Kolya: Are they parked here in the same order that they were parked on the beach?
At least I am first at something.
I had to pay a $30 ticket to take my car from the lot.
Is this the first time a host on our show paid a fine with a gold card?
Thank you very much.
I could just saw it off with a Bulgarian circular saw!
Thirty dollars are a chump change when you have an unlimited gold card!
At least I got my small Bulgarian adventure!
Hopping on the bus is definitely the cheapest way to get to Golden Sands.
I arrived there after a forty-minute drive.
The sea! The sea! The sea! Hooray! Golden Sands is the largest resort on the northern shore of the Black Sea.
The town's name originates from an old legend. A long time ago, the cruel pirates chose this beach
to hide their treasure, but the nature decided to get back at the bandits.
It turned their plundered gold into a beautiful sand. The cleanest and finest around the whole Black Sea.
Look! I found a coin!
Oh! I am a host! Right! Let me tell you all about the beach. The sea is clean.
There are no jellyfish, but the water is a little bit chilly.
The sand is kinda dirty, but manageable. The population density is moderate. It will do.
I even see some empty spots on the beach where you could fit with a large group.
Contingent of people is very important. I would call it an assorted mix. Grandmothers, moms, kids and the
Teletubbies of course. Nice ones.
Those that like beer.
An infrastructure is fully developed. There are sunbeds, cafes and a lifeguard tower.
The down part is that almost everything costs extra.
The best part is that you can snorkel here from June until September!
On a five-star scale, I will give Golden Sands beach a three-star grade. Strong three stars.
I also headed towards Golden Sands resort after I recovered my Peugeot.
I will rent a deluxe apartment reserved for the rich tourists.
I picked Argisht Palace apartment complex for the weekend. A luxurious apartment complex, not an expensive hotel.
Thing is that here there are no expensive hotels for the rich. Instead, they build expensive apartment complexes
where, besides renting, tourists can also purchase property and come back whenever they desire.
Hello. I would like to rent an apartment from you.
Receptionist: Which type are you interested in?
Kolya: Which one is better?
Receptionist: One bedroom with a very large hall.
Kolya: Is that the best one you have?
Receptionist: Yes, it is the best one.
Kolya: I will take it. Here you go. When was this built?
Receptionist: Approximately four years ago.
Kolya: Looks like you are still adding finishing touches.
Receptionist: We do.
Kolya: I hope my room is completed.
Receptionist: It is fully ready for accommodation.
In Bulgaria, you need to book your apartment two weeks
in advance so that they have enough time to build it for you.
It really smells like a new flat, fresh furniture.
I might be the first person to walk here without shoe covers.
I feel like a pioneer.
If this were a suite in a five-star hotel then I would be disappointed, but since it is a brand new flat,
I might as well act as if I am purchasing a summer residence for myself to keep.
I like what I see. Warm and pleasant shades of pastel. Plenty of wood. An air conditioner. Looks very stylish.
The parameters I used to evaluate this place are different from those I would use for a hotel.
We usually gosh over Jacuzzis, a private pool, a palm tree in a hallway.
You do not need any of that here, because when you are choosing a place to live you concentrate on things that are totally different.
I will need a new flat screen though.
It is nice out here.
I can see the sea, the pine trees and the swimming pools.
Why not purchase the flat instead of just filming? It would the first time in the history of Heads and Tails!
You can always put an apartment in Bulgaria to a good use!
We have a lot of people on Heads and Tails staff who would love to vacay here.
When Nastya Ivleeva will come to reload Varna, she will have a place to stay!
Our producers should give it a thought.
I had fun walking around and snorkeling, but it is time for me to think where I will sleep tonight.
Right now, I am clueless. There are plenty of hotels and rooms for rent, so I am sure we will find something
There are different categories of hotels in Golden Sands, but you would be hard-pressed to find a room during the high season.
Here is a list of difficulties that may occur during a tourist's search in Bulgaria.
Problem #1 – all of the rooms are usually booked months in advance, therefore the suites are either very expensive. $150 for a night.
The Sands are Golden indeed. Alternatively, they are occupied.
Receptionist: We do not have any vacant rooms.
This is not about the money anymore. I am afraid I might sleep on the bench.
Problem #2 – locals mostly only speak Bulgarian and do not understand neither Russian nor English.
Good afternoon. Do you speak Russian? I need your help. I have no one else to ask.
Can you please advise an inexpensive hotel where I could spend a night?
Security officer: Make a right, then a left and go straight for one kilometer.
He told me to make a right in Bulgarian, but in their language "right" means "straight"! I think I am lost.
After walking for 30 minutes, I found an inexpensive two-star hotel. Warszawa.
I hope they have an available room. I need to go right.
Here is when a tourist comes face to face with a third problem – most of these hotels were opened during the Soviet times and they have not changed a bit since then.
An elevator straight from the seventies. It is an elevator! Wait! Did you press something?
How did it begin moving? This is the first time I see an unprotected wall in an elevator shaft.
he corridors are reminiscent of a medical institution. It reminds me of hospital.
Clean. Last, but not the least – the suite itself.
Did you think I would be frightened? Nope. A clean bed, a 4" T.V. and a nightlight.
I think forty years ago people thought of it as an awesome interior design detail. Back to the past!
There is a reward waiting for those who can withstand all of the trials listed above.
Look at that view!
This is so fantastic! Right now, my pockets are empty, but I have zero regrets.
The city becomes alive as the night falls over Golden Sands. The tourists come back from the beach
and hit the town – they drink at the bar, watch football, take pictures with parrots or play the arcade games.
There are more people are here now than during the day!
Hanging out with the commoners is inappropriate for a rich guy like myself.
Looks like I spotted a joint where I can spend some money – a casino!
Gambling is legal in Golden Sands. Just another ploy to get the tourist's money,
but I will gladly allow it to happen, as I have a gold card.
This is how I became $500 lighter in just a couple of hours.
A tourist on a tight budget does not need the money to have fun in Golden Sands.
Things tend to take care of themselves.
Work those hips boys!
No! Let us not do that one!
Nothing extraordinary, but the atmosphere is lovely!
I am a bit disappointed in Varna. When I would get upset as a child, my mom would buy me ice cream.
I would eat it and feel better. Tomorrow will be simply super.
This is puppy is dead. Completely annihilated.
Why did I turn the lights on?
A Bulgarian circle saw early bird special.
I completely forgot I put it there.
It so awesome that my hotel serves free breakfast.
Everything is up to par – cottage cheese, boiled eggs, sausage, cheddar, potatoes, porridge, wieners and different salads.
I might as well take some food with me. A poor man's all-inclusive. Glad I saved money on breakfast.
Meanwhile I rented out an entire restaurant just for myself.
Moreover, it is a real pirate schooner – Mr. Baba! Weird name – "Mr. Lady".
It would not be surprising if we were in Thailand. Allegedly, this is one of the best restaurants in town.
I will check it out.
Do you know the meaning of this sign? You cannot enter this establishment after visiting a casino.
Let me fill my bilge!
Bring in the menu!
Please.
Super! Is that the menu?
Waiter: That is the menu. It is Bulgarian
Kolya: Bulgarian? Can you please order for me? Whatever you like.
I am unfamiliar with Bulgarian cuisine, but I would like to get to know it.
As it turned out Bulgarian cuisine offers far more than the peppers.
This is the Black Sea flounder.
Nice!
Tastes very soft and pleasant.
Mullet is a taste acquired during childhood. It did not let me down either.
Next on the menu is blue fish. Dear Lord, this is good fish! Seriously, very good. Blue fish.
I need to remember this one.
Cannot forget a fish that tastes that good.
Seabass.
Are you kidding?
This seabass looks very impressive.
I just realized why they brought two sets of silverware.
One set would not be enough for a seabass this size!
Why am I shy? I am all alone in a restaurant.
This is a once in a lifetime seabass after all.
God this is tasty! If only that seabass knew how much joy it could provide,
it would jump out of the water straight to the angler's deck.
Appreciate it.
I decided to spend the second day of my vacation at another famous Bulgarian resort.
I remember my grandma telling me about Sunny Beach. It used to be extremely prestigious to be able to go there
from the U.S.S.R. I absolutely must go there! Getting there on the bus costs $8.
I left Golden Sands for a very interesting and mysterious place – The Stone Forest Valley.
Stone Forest is comprised of rocks and columns. Almost as if they grew out of the ground.
Looks fantastic!
The coolest part is that no one knows the origins of this Bulgarian wonder.
Here is the scientific hypothesis – this used to be a bottom of the sea and these columns were a coral reef.
The sun and the wind shaped the remaining rock formation into columns after the water had dried up.
There also is a mystical version – these are the antennas intended for communication with aliens.
UFO researchers believe that this site used to be an alien spaceport, while these rocks were used to help guide the spaceships.
A historical version – these are the remaining ruins of an old temple.
Historians believe that these pillars are all that remains from an ancient civilization that used to inhabit this land.
My favorite, logical version of what happened – this indeed is a stone forest!
You have probably heard of greenwood or coniferous forest, so this is a stone forest.
You can spot stone squirrels here. The stone wolves are howling at night. Do you hear this sound?
That is a stone woodpecker. He is drilling the hollow with a hack.
He prefers not use his peck on a stone like a dumbass.
I came to the most fashionable resort in Bulgaria! Ladies and gentlemen - Sunny Beach!
Sorry. I messed up. I wanted to surprise you with what I read about this beach online.
It is supposed to be ten kilometers wide. The sand is supposed to be ultra-unique, yet it is the same as in Golden Sands.
Same sunbeds, same tourists and the same seagulls damn it! I was so excited to get here,
but there is hardly any difference. This sand might be softer. I am not at all upset.
I had nothing to do so I headed to the beach myself. The one near my hotel.
I will take double of everything that they have to offer!
I am going all out! I will blast the sand off this beach!
Can I parasail with you?
Tomorrow?
What about a banana boat? Can't do that either?
All the rides are closed due to the weather. I hope you are not suggesting beach volleyball.
I know how to make this game interesting for the rich – this one is for a bucket of lobsters!
Three to one!
I will toss it to you, then you pass to her, then she will pass it back to me for a touchdown.
On one! Common! Pass it! Wrong! We need to sub this girl because she is killing our team!
That girl just costed us an exuberant amount of lobsters! I will find them.
Hey fellas, can I buy some Black Sea lobsters?
I did not feel like getting in the water because of the weather.
Let me see what the boardwalk looks like, since I made it here.
This is your typical boardwalk at the resort – souvenir vendors, cafés and rides.
You can find those in just about any resort town.
I have never even enquired about this before, but why not?
My God! Is this attached properly?
Why did I get on this? I changed my mind! Please! It is about to happen!
Dear God! Why?
I don't want to be a seagull anymore.
I survived!
There must have been a mix-up! It should be the other way around! I should have been the one getting paid to ride this! It's just wrong.
Bulgaria is an ageless wonder – it remains the same as it was fifty years ago.
Gotta be happy with what Bulgaria got!
Some might say it is boring. Diving in the Black Sea sounds ridiculous.
Others might find the spice and zest that they were looking for.
Sea! Sea! Sea!
It does not matter whether you have a gold card or not – in Bulgaria you will feel right at home.
I have never seen an unprotected elevator shaft.
his is where I left an automobile.
God this is tasty.
Works those hips!
I am about to tear it up!
…and now – my favorite.
Nothing extraordinary, but the atmosphere is pleasant.
Hello.
Hello. Why are you here?
Because they serve the most expensive cocktails here. I am just throwing money around.
Well, how did Bulgaria treat you?
So many great emotions and memories! My hotel had an amazing view.
The people and the atmosphere here are majestic! Everything was remarkable! I am very tired.
I cannot feel my legs, but it's awesome.
It was different for me. My Bulgaria was boring.
Why?
Because there are not any places here where you can put a gold card to a good use.
There is nowhere to hang out besides a casino.
I know how you can spend your money. Here is my Bulgarian souvenir.
Who comes to Bulgaria wearing heels?
This is my first time. Why don't we shake things up and go for a walk?
Why don't you go and I'll wait for you here.
I wanna go together! Come on! This is my first time!
Alina you forgot your umbrella. We'll see you in the next one friends. Alina take an umbrella!
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