Mostar: Beauty and War

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We’d met a few people on our travels who had expressed how much they loved Bosnia and Hercegovina, so I was excited to see what all the fuss was about. We spent a couple of days in Dubrovnik and then headed up to Mostar, mostly famous for its stunning bridge, Stari Most. We looked at the picture in our Lonely Planet book and thought that it must be photoshopped – it didn’t look real, but it really was. That photo is real and it does look that beautiful in reality. I was beginning to see why people loved this country …

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Montenegro: The Country that Stole my Heart

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If you visit Montenegro, you’ll understand why I love it so much. Montenegro: Budva and Sveti Stefan Whilst in Budva we took a trip to Sveti Stefan, a gorgeous island off the shore of one of the beaches. Unfortunately, the whole thing is privatised and you can’t go on it unless you are staying there, which of course we weren’t because it’s way over our budget and was closed during low season. But we looked and marvelled at it as we walked along the beaches and watched the sunset over the sea.   We weren’t sure how long to stay …

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Falling in Love With Montenegro

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We arrived in Ulcinj in mid-afternoon when the sun was shining and the wind was blowing. We headed down to the beach, where in the summer it’s packed with holiday-makers, mainly Albanian and Serbian, although also well known for German sun-seekers too. On this cool February afternoon, the resort is like a ghost town: shops and restaurants with shutters pulled down, holiday apartments with broken windows, empty beaches apart from a few odd people walking their dog or taking a stroll. I picture it in the summer: the hustle bustle of people looking for a good spot of sand, ice …

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Kosovo: Politics and Partying

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Kosovo:  Europe’s newest country (although still not recognised as a country by Serbia – they still count it as part of Serbia, making border crossings somewhat complicated depending where you are coming from). Border crossings aside, we arrived and found ourselves at a very lively hostel, the busiest one we’ve stayed at so far on our travels through low season. We headed out for food, it was very cheap with big portions, although the price of beer was a bit more than we’ve had in other places. One thing that you will notice about Kosovo is their love of NATO, …

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Serbia: Belgrade and Beyond

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Like a lot of the other countries we’d visited, I didn’t know much about Serbia, or its history (in fact, I didn’t know much about any of the former Yugoslavia countries and how they all came to be independent), so I wasn’t sure what to expect when arriving in Belgrade. Belgrade It’s a capital city with a buzz, that’s for sure. The nightlife is excellent– although we never went ‘clubbing’ as such, we had a few nights bar-hopping until about 3am and drinking the local beer with some local people which was a lot of fun. As mentioned in my …

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Sunny Saturday in Belgrade

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Inside the Kalemegdan Citadel in Belgrade lies a park full of history, stunning views, and a sense of tranquility away from the buzz of the city. We happen to be here on a Saturday when the sun is shining and winter is beginning to leave the city, early spring is making its mark. It’s the weekend of the Serbian National Holiday known as Statehood Day; remembering the country’s revolution against the Ottoman Empire and gaining independence. Historic Richness is mixed with nature as the sunlight casts itself over war paraphernalia and the Military Museum. Outside the citadel, the town is …

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