Дерек и Джун

Дерек и Джун

Дерек е роден в Нютаун в планините на Шотландия, а Джун в Блайгори в источна Шотландия. За първи път посещават България през 1987 г. и се влюбват в красотата й и гостоприемството на българите. След многократни визити решават да сменят начина си на живот и да се пенсионират в България. От както станали приятели с Любо и неговото семейство, успели с взаимни усилия да си купят къща в Баня през 2001 и да се нанесат в нея през юли 2002 г. След това създават с Любо общата си фирма ПенБро (Пенев и Браун) и построяват хотел "Дерекови Къщи"

Джун с приятели

Като първите чужденци настанили се в Баня, те бързо се адаптират към местият диaлект и осъзнават, че за да бъдат приети добре от местните трябва да се приспособят към българските обичаи и начин на живот

Екипа на "Бон Апети" на гости у Джун в механата на хотела

We are now very privileged to have many close and dear local friends in the Valley, and to be referred to as "Banyans". This has provided us with a unique insight and knowledge of the local area and people and we enjoy sharing this with our visitors. Whilst learning Bulgarian is undoubtedly difficult we have discovered that we are learning the local dialect. For us this is special, as when we travel around Bulgaria and practice our "Bulgarian" we are frequently identified as coming from the Bansko area through our use of the local dialect.

Shortly after arriving in Banya, June was invited as a guest cook on Bon Apeti, the premier Bulgarian television cookery series hosted by international chef Ivan Zvezdev. June became a media star through her now famous "Scottish whisky soup"! We have also had a Bulgarian television documentary made about our settling in a small mountain village community and how our "neighbours" feel about the Scottish couple coming to live amongst them.

We have been interviewed by many Bulgarian newspapers and travel magazines, asking why we choose Banya and Bulgaria our new home. We have come to appreciate that first and foremost it is the friendly local people, but also the magnificent nature, the superb naturally grown food, the fantastic Bulgarian wines, and the lifestyle and culture that collectively are the reasons we enjoy our new life.

Derek was invited to become Director of the College of Tourism that opened in Bansko in 2003, and along with several Expats from the UK and Germany and some Bulgarian friends, he is a founder member of the European Bulgarian Open Society (EBOS). EBOS was established to provide opportunities for Expats and Bulgarians and for business people to meet informally to facilitate and promote social and business links.