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Balkans 2.0

Old timers will recall the hilarious movie of 1969 “IF ITS TUESDAY IT MUST BE BELGIUM”, which was actually a satire on hectic coach holidays of those days. So today for me its “If its Monday it must be Macedonia, North Macedonia actually”. The drive from Tirana to Ohrid a beautiful town just across the border from Albania to North Macedonia was a pleasant one as it is in Europe. Lake Ohrid a huge body of water 350 sq. km and inkpot blue in colour was formed 3 millions years ago due to Tectonic disturbances deep down mother earth. With a depth of over 900 feet it is Europe’s deepest lake. There’s a long corniche running alongside the lake and it’s a fabulous walk all along which eventually leads to a steep climb on to a cliff that has a lovely chapel at the top from where you get a breathtakingly fabulous view of the lake. Spending the night in Ohrid, we move on the next day to Kastoria a town in northern Greece.

Kastoria is popularly known as the city of 100 churches fortunately we didn’t see a single one. This city also sits on the banks of a picturesque lake by the same name. We had a stroll in the town and lunch too. Driving down we later reached the town called Meteora famous for its hanging monasteries. We managed to see one of them called the holy trinity monastery a top a mountain making it a jaw dropping and breathtaking site.

Located in central Greece Meteora is a UNESCO world heritage site renowned for its six ancient monasteries. The very name METEORA means suspended in the air. The monasteries were built in the 14th to 16th centuries by Orthodox Christian monks and have survived all enemy attacks because of their inaccessible locations .

Our next stop was a town called Kalambaka where we spent the night and drove down to THESSALONIKI the second largest city in Greece after Athens. Sitting on the Aegean Sea made this town an important port city connecting Europe to Asia minor and the Mediterranean Sea. The city has a multiple of influences left by the people passing it namely the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and finally Ottomans. Stunning coastal view beaches and other historical sites within make it a huge tourist attraction. Taking a stroll through the town, we saw various landmarks: The white tower a 15th century Ottoman fortress, Roman emperor Galerius Palace now in ruins of course of the 4th century is right in the centre of town. Further ahead is Rotunda a 2nd century roman temple. Aristotle square with its main ancient gate is an imposing site and finally the church of St. Demetrios a 5th century construction. These are all declared UNESCO world heritage sites and with this we say GEIA to Thessaloniki that’s goodbye in Greek.

And now we cross over the border into the land of roses Bulgaria. Taking a tea break in Melnik, the town dates back to the 6th century with medieval architecture and known for its rich red wines. A walk down the main street with well-preserved cottages on either side selling homemade articles was truly a relaxing experience. Leaving Melnik we arrive in Sandanski which is the birthplace of the Greek legend Spartacus. The following morning, we do a monastery visit and then proceed to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.

As our guides and driver were all Bulgarians, understandably they were very proud of their country and after checking into the hotel, they took us for a detailed walking tour of the town and the old city which had well preserved homes, all two centuries old of the local Richie Rich. I personally found the place very charming and friendly with stunning well preserved stone buildings and the main cathedral took my breath away. The city founded in 29 BC is the second oldest city in Europe. There was a graduation ceremony in progress in the local open colosseum and beautiful young Bulgarian girls in their local costumes were awaiting their turn for giving a dance performance.

The following morning moving on from Sofia we go to Bachkovo a town in southern Bulgaria which has a monastery founded a 1000 years ago by a monk called Gregory. A mixture of Byzantine and Ottoman architecture with vibrant frescos in the interior make this a must visit site.

We later moved to Plovdiv in Central Bulgaria. Plovdiv is known as the city of the 7 hills, which is an ancient city 6000 years old. We stayed there overnight. The next day we breezed through Kazanluk located in the valley of the roses. This city is famous for the THRACIAN tombs. They were a diverse tribe known for their horsemanship, metal craftsmanship. Spartacus was a Thracian. The next city was Etara. Actually it’s a village which has a ethnographic outdoor museum which depicts the Thracian way of life. A walk through it was a revelation of how those ancient people lived. We had lunch at the restaurant attached to the museum giving us a taste of the local cuisine.

Next in line was Veliko Tarnovo, the city which was the capital of Bulgaria before Sofia. We halted a night here and the next day we cross over to our final country Romania and its capital BUCHAREST.

As they say the best is always saved for the last and truly Bucharest qualifies hands down for this accolade. The city which is called the Paris of the east is a true gem. Whilst doing a thorough walking tour of the city and the effusive explanation given by our local guide, brought out voluntary gasps and ooohhhs and aaahs of the sheer beauty layout of elegantly lined buildings one after the other. The icing on the cake was their old town called “LIPSCANI”. As night falls the area turns into a SOHO of London with restaurants, night clubs and pubs on either side of the street making it a difficult choice.

The next day although the official tour was over, I took a private bus tour to the famous Bran castle. A 200 kms drive out of Bucharest, built in the 14th century the castle served as a fortress and custom point for 200 years and in the late 19th century it became the summer residence of their queen. The Dracula connection comes from the Irish writer Bram Stoker who with his imagination and writing skills transformed the castle into foreboding mysterious and terrifying Castle Dracula.

Close to the Bran castle is another famous castle called the Peles castle built more recently in the late 19th century by King Carol the first as his summer residence. Unfortunately, due to restoration we couldn’t see the interiors but a stroll through the garden attached to the castle was a good pleasant experience.

On this note my Balkan tour concludes. Visiting the Balkan Peninsula with its tiny countries was always a dream and this was realized by Europa Mundo a Spanish touring company with its unique way of operations. 9 countries in 16 days with 3000 kms of coach travel was tough on this 72 years young frame. But as they say where there’s a will there’s a way.

Lastly a word of gratitude to Namaste Tourism for managing my trip so efficiently as always and to my visa person and the tour operator.