Saturday, 11 February 2012

Featured Destination


Albania
Albania's Sexual Revolution Overpowers Virginity Cult

Altin has come home to find a virgin. Tall, good-looking and in his thirties, he is back from Britain where he has worked for more than a decade, seeking an appropriate girl to marry. But three weeks into his stay at his hometown of Korce in southern Albania, the hunt is proving frustrating. Full Story


Epicure


Greece
Wines to drink this summer in the Balkans

31 May 2011 | If you wonder which wines to drink this year while in the Balkans, try these three: Two Moons 2010, white, made of the Greek variety Assyrtiko by Georgios Karamitros in Thessaly; The Tear of the Pine 2010, white, Assyrtiko, of Domaine Stelios Kechris in Thessaloniki; Graševina Principovac, 2008, red, made of the Croatian variety Grasevina Full Story


News


Balkans
Romania, Albania and Turkey Sell “Racist Cookies”

14 September 2011 | Black Man chocolate flavoured cookies, which were spotted on sale in Romania, Albania and Turkey this week, triggered heated discussions on Internet. Their shape of “a man with braids, a wide nose and big lips” was seen as an attempt at profiting from racial stereotypes. Full Story

Albania
Albania Improves Competitiveness Ranking
Albania
Albania Abolishes Visas for Additional Ex-Soviet Citizens


Routes Less Travelled


Albania
Albania: Four Reasons to Visit Europe's Least Known Country

Last fall, at the World Travel Market in London, I found myself wandering through the European stands and played a little game with myself. I decided to visit the stand of the country I felt least likely to visit next year and see if they could change my mind.

Albania was top of the list, as I had a picture of a country still recovering from its communist years, with a bleak capital of Tirana blighted by concrete architecture. Full Story

Albania
Byllis, Albania: Ancient City in the Sky
Albania
Albania: Monastery at Mesopotam, Photographed by Massimiliano Fusari


Curiosity Chest


Albania
Bunkers in Albania Converted into Hotels and Bars with Stunning Views

18 May 2010 | In Albania, projects to convert some of the 750,000 bunkers built during Enver Hoxha’s totalitarian regime and scattered all over the country into hotels, cottages and bars are underway. Full Story




Hidden Sofia


Bulgaria
From Soviet Saviours to American Superheroes and Back: Sofia Keeps Pace with the Times

21 June 2011 | Just four days after an anonymous graffiti artist transformed the Soviet Red Army monument in the centre of Sofia, turning it into a congregation of various comic-book characters Full Story

Bulgaria
Sklada: The Space that Stores and Showcases Contemporary Design
Bulgaria
Before and After: A Tango Milonga in the Midst of Sofia

Hidden Bulgaria


Bulgaria
Bulgaria in 5 days: Shumen, South of Nowhere

Patriotic ruins, a Coca Cola-branded mosque, a “stud factory” and a capsule, containing a message for future generations: these are only part of modern Shumen’s surprising charms. Full Story







Balkan Coasts & Mountains


Fresh Fish, Olives, and the Albanian Bay of Ksamil: All to Yourself

Albania

Albania remains a rough diamond, undiscovered territory, the most challenging destination in Europe. Bob Berwyn of the Summit County Citizens Voice selects pictures from his travel files to compose this simple, and yet charming photo story, in which places and people stand out full of character. Full Story

This July, Splash Around in Four Lakes and a Dam Throughout the Balkans
The Blue Eye Water Spring in Southern Albania Beckons with Coolness



Balkan Towns


Gjirokastër: Albania’s Town of the Stones

Albania

The city of Gjirokastër in the southern part of Albania has several claims to fame. Besides being the birthplace of two of the most important Albanians – communist dictator Full Story