Bansko in
Daylight
I woke up
and immediately looked out the window. I
had arrived in pitch darkness and had no idea what my surroundings looked
like. It was beautiful! A spectacular mountain range was within
touching distance, with snow still on the peaks. The sky was crystal blue without a cloud in
the sky and lifted my heart. I couldn't
believe that I was going to be paid for living in such a beautiful location.
I quickly
got ready and went downstairs and grabbed some breakfast. I asked the receptionist where the Kempinski
Hotel was and set off with some vague directions. The minute I stepped out of the door I
started shivering. It was freezing! All I had with me were light summer clothes as
I'd expected to be posted in a hot country.
Despite the fact that I was paying for the cost of the flights, I hadn't
been allowed to stop off in the UK en route to pick up some extra clothing. I set off at a brisk rate, in an attempt to
warm up.
I walked
along the main road, hoping that I was heading in the right direction. A river rang alongside the road and the town
was surrounded by mountains on every side.
Many of the buildings were stone built and looked wonderful. Bansko definitely felt like a town on the up. Despite the potholes and crumbling edifices
in places, there was a buzz and plenty of construction being carried out. This was certainly a place that I'd be happy
to sell property in. Who wouldn't want
to own a home in such a beautiful location?
Fifteen
minutes later, I could see what was clearly the edge of the town. The buildings were thinning out and a forested
mountain road could be seen. Had I gone
the wrong way? I continued up and
finally there it was - The Kempinski Hotel.
It was right next to the ski gondola.
Wow, it looked amazing! I
wandered into the spacious reception and looked around, hoping to spot MRI
staff. The place was deserted. I went to check at reception, but there was
no joy. It was early still, as I hadn't
known how long it would take to walk up, so I settled in to wait.
Meeting the
Managers
Around
10:30am (I could have had an extra 30 minutes sleep!) a man wearing a suit
walked in. He looked suitable MRIish, so
I approached him. I was right. He was the Assistant Manager in Bansko and
was called Klaus. He didn't seem very
pleased to see me and was incredulous that I'd walked to the hotel. How else did he think I was going to get
there?!
We sat down
and had a chat. Klaus explained that I'd
need to be shown all the properties and obviously learn to find my way to them
all. The weekend was approaching so I'd "piggyback"
with one of the other staff members and see how things were done. He talked about the plans for Bansko,
including the new ski lifts, slopes, road improvements, golf course and airport
- all the things we'd also been told about in training. The meeting was quite short and I felt that
Klaus didn't warm to me. Not to
worry. In my many years experience in
sales, I'd found that many managers didn't have very high expectations of me
initially, as I don't fit the usual salesy stereotype. Once I started bringing in the deals, that
quickly changed. Klaus was just another
person to add to the list of people who judges a book by its cover.
Around 30
minutes later, I could see another man approaching us. Klaus introduced him to me as the manager,
Richard. Richard looked very young and I
placed him in his early twenties. I
didn't care what age he was, as long as he was good at what he did. We shook hands and then he basically told me
to go away! He clearly didn't want me
around and yet again I felt very unwelcome.
He suggested that I spend the day getting to know Bansko and that I
would meet the rest of the team the following day, as there was a meeting at
the office in the morning. It's not the
way I would have welcomed a new member of staff as a manager, but I'd been
dismissed and there was nothing I could say, so off I went.
Discovering
Bankso
I stepped
back out into the freezing air and resolved that the first thing I needed to do
was buy a warm coat. I wandered back
towards the town, this time taking a different route away from the main
road. After graduating I spent 5 years
leading Adventure Tours around the world and I loved going to and getting to
know new places, so felt in my element.
Away from
the main artery running through Bansko, the town was even more attractive. Cobbled streets, pretty timber and stone
buildings, an abundance of restaurants with smoke billowing from their chimneys
and welcoming shops all lead down to the huge, green main town square. Despite the freezing temperatures, the
pavement was full of tables and chairs laid out in front of cafes and men sat
drinking coffee and chatting. I was
blown away by it and it completely beat all my expectations. Having worked extensively in former Eastern
Bloc countries I thought I knew what to expect.
Apart from the horses and carts, donkeys, cows and goats wandering the
streets, I could have been in a hip Western European mountain town. This was just getting better and better. I
knew that I was going to enjoy living here.
Let's just hope that the rest of the MRI team were more welcoming than
the managers. If so, this is somewhere
that Paul and I could live happily.
The main
square of Bansko is very attractive and a focal point of the town. This is where MRI had their very smart
looking offices and I have to admit that I was impressed that they had such a
prominent location. It would be a great
location to go to work every day.
I spent the
rest of the day enjoying and getting to know Bansko. By the evening I was shattered and returned
to the hotel. I remained coatless, since
as I suspected, I was unable to find any suitable that would fit. I guess I'd just have to put up with the
cold.
All Alone
I was hoping
to meet some other staff members in the hotel that evening. I presumed that as MRI had put me there, then
other staff members would be staying there also. I also wanted to discuss with somebody
renting an apartment. MRI's policy was
to pay for your accommodation for the first three months. After this you paid for your own accommodation
PLUS they then started to deduct the cost of the first 3 months accommodation
from your commission. Staying in a hotel
that charged €60 per night was going to cost me a small fortune in the long
run, plus it would mean that I'd have to eat out every night - not something I
wanted to do.
That evening
I spent some time in the hotel lobby and had a coffee in the bar, hoping to
meet some other staff members. As time
rolled on, I became more and more tired, with no sign of anybody and so I
called it a day and went to bed. I was
looking forward to meeting everybody the following day.
