As summer advances masses of tourists recede and the pace of things slows down, so we took the opportunity at once to take our advanced English learners to the town of Sozopol, still standing since 700BC. The sun was hot, so we took shelter in the shade of the south wall of Apolonia from where you could imagine the innumerable battles they must have fought in over 2700 years. Our native English teachers explained the process of restoration of historical monuments and set up an imaginary battle.

We walked along the coastal line to see the north gate of the city and there we saw a man dive from the cliff, just as you would see Hollywood stars doing it in Acapulco back in the day. From there we visited St. Martyr George’s church, where to our surprise all our summer camp stars showed the utmost respect and presented gifts to their departed ones, it was a deeply moving moment.

No sooner did we give the children some time off to do souvenir shopping than they dashed to the kebab shop and had some well-deserved tasty treats. It was only after that when they thought going into antique shops to get amusement from dipping into the past.

The Z camp team had something else up its sleeve for the children, as some would go onto an X-Challenge park and the rest would head to Neptune aqua park, which was just around the corner from Sozopol.

The water park seemed to be waiting just for us, because there was very little wait for the attractions. Off they went on floats and yoga mats with handles on a never-ending cycle only interrupted by outbursts of nervous laughter. Going down those pipes does tickle your belly!

Meanwhile, in the X-Challenge park, our summer camp goers had to climb just under the canopy to then swing from a tree to another. They skipped from rope to rope and from log to log with confidence as they were secured by top-of-the-line harnesses to ensure their safety.

Back at Z camp, we had a copious dinner and prepared for a futuristic action movie about gaming. We were all sat on the edge of the couches biting our nails as it was an absolute thrill from the very start.

Oh, how I wish these days went on forever!

Wednesday, August 22, Z Camp