TURKEY: Istanbul – Mosques Everywhere You Look
The first thing I was expecting when I arrived in Istanbul were crowds and filth. Surprisingly I found neither. Instead I found clean streets, orderly shops, and nice restaurants. The only crowded area was to be expected at the Topkapi Palace or the Grand Bazaar in the afternoon. My first day was quite productive since […]
BULGARIA: Sofia – A Pleasant And Economical Capital City
My experience here in Sofia has been more than satisfying and a breath of fresh air. The hotel owners, waitresses, and people on the street here have all been courteous and helpful. Thankfully, I finally hooked up with the walking tour before I take off for Istanbul tomorrow. I just wish I had a few […]
ALBANIA & MACEDONIA: Tirana & Skopje
TIRANA, ALBANIA WAR MEMORIAL Enver Hoxha Pyramid – The Dilapidated, Never-Used Mausoleum Of The Dictator A Garish remnant of the communist era that has gone through many incarnations has now degraded into a crumbling, graffiti magnet that now awaits renovation or demolition. […]
KOSOVO : Prizren – Film Festival 2015
According to Serbia, Kosovo doesn’t even exist, but thankfully this is not the consensus according to the United Nations so I am able to include it on my list of countries visited. In fact, one of the few advantages of the otherwise fractured Yugoslavia is that you can visit so many countries so cheaply in […]
SERBIA: Belgrade – Bully of the Balkans
Belgrade: Bully of the Balkans Upon arriving in Belgrade, I noticed that the bully had taken a bit of a beating. The town was quite shabby, and that much of the bombing that Nato undertook went unrepaired. It’s a mostly filthy capital city with scruffy graffiti riddled buildings, showing the by-products of financial sanctions. It has […]
BOSNIA & HERCEGOVINA: Sarajevo – A Place of Religious Tolerance!
Aside from the food being sensational and cheap, this town had a lot of surprises that I did not expect. Although ignorant of much of this region’s recent history I got quite a lesson today which helped me to really appreciate this town. My hostel host, Haris, gave a fantastic private tour with a couple […]
MONTENEGRO: Kotor – Day Tripper
Rather than fight the crowds and the stifling heat back in Dubrovnik, I opted for a day trip to Montenegro. I managed to avoid the crowds, but the temperature problem was another thing altogether. However, that was pretty much my fault since I decided to climb up quickly to yet another castle on a mountain […]
Recent Comments