Whilst Mark Tolner was in Kiev recently looking at potential building projects he was surprised
to hear his name linked with the project to refurbish Dynamo Kiev's stadium in time for the 2012
European Cup finals. It was while he was in a car on the way to Borispol International airport
that he heard an interview on the radio with people involved with the project that his name was
mentioned.
He was extremely surprised at this because the closest he had come to the Stadium was a dinner
that he attended in a restaurant attached to the complex.
Kiev's Olympic Stadium, located in the central Park of Culture was the host of world soccer teams
during Summer Olympics in 1980, which were hosted by the Soviet Union. Ukraine is the largest
country in Europe and will co-host with Poland the EURO 2012 Football Championship.
The stadium originally opened in August 1923 and is currently undergoing massive renovation and
refurbishment ready for the Championship. The Finals will be held at the Olympic Stadium with
a crowd capacity of 83,000 spectators and is said to have one of the most electrifying stadium
atmospheres.
Mark Tolner recently cruised for the first time on Royal Caribbean's cruise ship Seabourn Odyssey
and was surprised to find that the Pamela Conover President of Seabourn was occupying a suite that
he himself had tried to book. Seabourn Odyssey is an ultra-luxury cruise liner which made its debut
in June 2009. Seabourn Odyssey can carry 450 passengers and this luxury caters for travellers who
are looking for top class service standards and sumptuous surroundings.
The cruise was a belated wedding present for Mark and his wife Anna Bondarenko from Mark's
mother and gave him an opportunity to unwind and enjoy some swimming, snorkelling and kayaking
by day and enjoying fine wines accompanied by gourmet food at night. Whilst on board Mark
and his wife visited Bari in Italy, Split in Croatia, the island of Mykonos and Athens amongst other
destinations.