Category: Balkans
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My Eastern Europe and Central Asia bucket list
I came across a bucket list published by Bucket List Travels, and while it has some wonderful places on it — some of which I’ve seen and many I’d love to see — I was a little disappointed to see there wasn’t one single destination in the huge Eastern Europe and Central Asia region So…
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Why I love beach resorts out of season
There’s a peculiar romance about beachside resorts out of season. Of course, lying on a beach soaking up the sun before plunging into the warm waves, then having a delicious al fresco meal at a beachside cafe is awesome. But the part of me that likes taking long bus journeys to industrial cities also loves the…
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8 fun city beaches along the Adriatic and Ionian coasts
In my travels on the eastern Adriatic and northern Ionian coasts, I’ve ended up visiting lots of city beaches, so for the first time I’ve pulled together a list of my favourites. I’ve noticed that city beaches don’t always get the best write-ups, and a lot of travel writers instead extol the wonders of off…
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‘Bite Fart Cafe’ and other rude signs from Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Whether it’s Puke bottled water or a Diks shoe shop, I just can’t resist collecting rude, funny or simply strange signs. Yes, I have a very childish sense of humour. BITEFARTCAFE. Is it Bite Fart Cafe or Bitef Art Cafe at Kalemegdan Fortress in Belgrade, Serbia? Who knows. Who cares. I’m not eating there. More…
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Chain-smoking ‘big guys’ and a ruined castle in Giurgui
A business trip took me to Giurgui, on the Romanian bank of the Danube. I discovered a small city that’s a gateway to the much larger Bulgarian city of Ruse just opposite, dotted with fascinating reminders of earlier times. I’d been working on an article on the Danube as a transport corridor. Europe’s second longest…
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OFF THE BALKAN TRACK: Sunrise over Split
Ryanair flight to Pula: £20 Airport bus: HRK25 Bus to Split: HRK150 Seeing the golden early morning sun on the palms that line Split Harbour? Priceless To borrow a format from the MasterCard ads that how I felt when I finally got off the bus in Split, Croatia after a highly uncomfortable overnight ride from…
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OFF THE BALKAN TRACK: Eavesdropping, a bad cold and fabulous Roman sites in Pula
At 6.05am I’m at Hammersmith tube station, sitting on an almost empty Hammersmith & City line train, carefully positioned directly under the emergency passenger alarm. I feel surprisingly good for someone with a bad cold, who got up at 4.30am. I’m still 35 minutes behind schedule on a journey that will end in Pula, Croatia…
Steppe in Style 