Grey pound travels around

Tag: The Balkans

  • The Balkans, Part 6: North Macedonia

    The Balkans, Part 6: North Macedonia

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    by

    Amanda
    in

    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.…

  • The Balkans, Part 5: Montenegro and Albania

    The Balkans, Part 5: Montenegro and Albania

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    by

    Amanda
    in

    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…

  • The Balkans, Part 4: Croatia

    The Balkans, Part 4: Croatia

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    by

    Amanda
    in

    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…

  • The Balkans, Part 3: Bosnia and Herzegovina

    The Balkans, Part 3: Bosnia and Herzegovina

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    by

    Amanda
    in

    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…

  • The Balkans, Part 2: Serbia

    The Balkans, Part 2: Serbia

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    by

    Amanda
    in

    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…

  • The Balkans, Part 1: Bulgaria

    The Balkans, Part 1: Bulgaria

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    by

    Amanda
    in

    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…