Category: Travel Article
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Morocco, Part 1: Marrakech
The plane circles over Marrakech. The pilot informs us that Marrakech airport is not expecting us due to being closed for an air-show. He adds cheerfully, almost incidentally: “ We have about ten minutes of fuel left”. He will keep us informed. Nothing like inspiring the passengers to remain composed. Meanwhile lumpy sandy scenery pops…
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The Balkans, Part 6: North Macedonia
Leaving Tirana, we climb forested hills once more heading towards the North Macedonian border. Here we are one thousand metres above sea-level and the sunny North Macedonian flag is flying, its sun’s rays spreading on a red background. A happy flag. We descend to Lake Ohrid and our hotel on its shores for the night.…
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The Balkans, Part 5: Montenegro and Albania
Montenegro Earlyish morning finds us meandering up a spectacular route through the Dinaric Alps alongside the sparkling waters of the Trebinje river, all the way to the border crossings to Montenegro. These border crossings take a longish while as usual. But eventually I observe the colourful Montenegrin flag with the red background and yellow back…
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The Balkans, Part 4: Croatia
Dubrovnik It is a 30 kilometre drive, two hours and two passport controls away to reach Dubrovnik from Trebinje, i.e. exit from Bosnia and Hercegovina and enter into Croatia. The Croatian border guard is extraordinarily uninterested in his occupation. Cigarette drooping from mouth and passport stamp in hand, he knocks the latter against the former…
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The Balkans, Part 3: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Parked in line at the border crossings to exit Serbia and enter Bosnia and Herzegovina are a load of coaches full of tourists. All needing to pass through ahead of us. A smart border guard comes aboard our coach this time. Speed being of the essence perhaps. “Passports, all passports!” He collects them in a…
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The Balkans, Part 2: Serbia
We leave Sofia in the shadow of Mount Vitosha, still snow covered. It is a bit early for me at 0800 and I am barely awake, whilst the guide is somewhat exuberant, giving some kind of commentary, which passes over me like the idle wind. After 20 minutes or so I am aware of an…
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The Balkans, Part 1: Bulgaria
The Balkans have always seemed rather mysterious. As I was growing up, Marshall Tito’s Yugoslavia was an independent socialist state comprising the republics of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Slovenia. Tito ruled this relatively stable country from 1943 until his death in 1980 after which it fragmented – or ‘balkanised’ – leading…
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Top Travel Spots for 2022
Temple of Apollo, site of the Oracle at Delphi, Greece A truly stunning site. Stunning even in winter. Standing on the slopes of Mount Parnassus above the Temple ruins one can imagine the great and the good from antiquity who came to this very spot: emperors, philosophers, warriors, kings. To receive divine guidance from a…
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Greece, Part 3: The Mainland
Delphi Our route leads northwards now, away from the Peloponnese peninsula to the mainland, via the Charilaos Trikoupis cable-stayed bridge that spans the west end of the Gulf of Corinth. This bridge was completed in 2004 just before the Summer Olympics in Athens. In fact the Olympic torch bearers were the first to cross it,…