Tag Archives: Balkans
Monday Morning Blues – Prickly Pears For Sale, Sarande in Albania
In 2017 I paid my second visit to Albania, arriving by ferry from Corfu to Sarande and then taking a bus up to Tirana. Sarande is a beautiful coastal town, perhaps more synonymous with Greece than Albania. Join us on Twitter to post your own blues busting photos each Monday morning – @wilburstravels
Sunday Photo – Romanian Loco in Timisoara
Picture from 2017 trip to Romania. We travelled by rail & taxi from Belgrade. Should’ve been trains all the way but dreaded engineering works meant we had to take a taxi from Vrsac across the border.
Western Balkan Trains
Railway Gazette have reported in September that there is going to be sizeable investment into train infrastructure in the Western Balkans. Agreement has been reached between Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia to improve connections and journey times. Progress is definitely needed of course, but at a cost to the throwback […]
Travelling By Train Across The Balkans
My train travel book is now available from Amazon. Travelling By Train Across The Balkans chronicles my trips over the past twenty years or so in the intoxicating region. It features train travel in Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Northern Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia and European Turkey. The Balkan Peninsula conjures up […]
Monday Morning Blues – Fisherman on Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia
I took this shot from the balcony of our accommodation in 2006. We travelled to Ohrid by bus from Skopje and had a fabulous time by the beautiful lake.
Sunday Photo – Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia in Bulgaria
The capital of Bulgaria has a fine Orthodox Cathedral. The grand exterior covers a rather plain interior, however it makes for a very peaceful sanctuary.
Euro 2020 Rest Day 6 – Non Qualifiers Serbia & Montenegro
Serbia & Montenegro used to be one country following the post war break up of Yugoslavia. In 2006 Montenegro gained its independence and adopted the Euro as its currency, despite not belonging to the EU or being a Euro member. Montenegro I visited in 2007, taking a train from Bar on the Albanian border to […]
Euro 2020 Match Day 16 – Croatia v Spain
Copenhagen plays host to the first last 16 tie of the day. Croatia On my 2015 Balkans train tour we found ourselves in Ploce. Having left the delights of Split we were hoping for another version of the same to wile away a couple of hours before catching a train to Sarajevo. Instead we found […]
Euro 2020 Match Day 7 – Ukraine v North Macedonia
This Eastern European match up kicks off the days proceedings, played in Bucharest. Not too far to travel then. Ukraine Crimea is disputed territory at present, but in 2011 it was still very much officially part of Ukraine. The Khan’s Palace was occupied by the Tatars, an Islamic minority that resided in Crimea. Built in […]
A-Z April Challenge – N Is For Night Trains
Anybody that follows Wilbur’s Travels will know that I adore an overseas train journey and absolutely adore an overnight train. They have to be one of the bargains of our time, being transport, hotel & restaurant rolled into one. And environmentally friendly too! Favourite overnight train journeys have included Bangkok to Laos, Hue to Hanoi […]
