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Friday, 21 November 2008

Featured Destination


Romania
Stunning Landscapes, Outdoor Activities and Plum Brandy in North-Western Romania

As part of the Transylvania region, the north-western part of Romania is usually associated with Count Dracula. But in actuality the area is free of vampires and rich in stunning scenery and opportunities for outdoor activities. The karst formations of the Apuseni Mountains, the Crişul Repede River and the caves and waterfalls around them make for an ideal destination, still left largely off the mass tourism routes, for hiking, rafting and rappelling enthusiasts.
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Epicure


Balkans
Five Delicious Aubergine Recipes

The coming of fall in the Balkans brings with it more than a drop in temperatures and a change of scenery. This time of the year also means good news in the culinary department. Full Story



Routes Less Travelled


Romania
Perishing or Jovially Surviving in Transylvania

Sorin-Alexandru Cristescu of the Romanian incogniterra.org writes about a melancholic journey through the crumbling castles of Transylvania, central Romania.

Cristescu’s two gloomy days north of Braşov are cheered up by the jovial Saxon community residing there. And, notably, this is a Dracula-free trip.


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Urban Browser


Albania
Gjirokastër: Albania’s Town of the Stones

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 Enver Hoxha and world-renowned writer Ismail Kadare, the city also brings together different elements of the country’s mixed history, representing its Byzantine, Ottoman and Communist pasts. Full Story

Turkey
Ani Fades Away in the No Man's Land between Turkey and Armenia
Bulgaria
Plovdiv: A Felicitous Stop on the Orient Express Route

Curiosity Chest


Romania
The Red and White Strings that Welcome Spring in Bulgaria and Romania

I remember walking along Canal Street in New York’s Chinatown on March 2 a few years ago, when I saw a man sporting a small ornament made of red and white thread pinned to his coat lapel. He must be Bulgarian, I thought to myself with a sudden rush of homesickness, but now realize that he may have been Romanian as well.
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Bulgaria 3/7/14


Bulgaria
Treasure-Hunting in Bulgaria’s Eastern Rodopi Mountains: Ancient Sites and Whimsical Rocks

While Bulgaria’s seaside and mountain resorts continue to attract the bulk of both domestic and international tourists, more unconventional destinations around the country are also starting to become popular with travellers. Among their advantages are the smaller or nonexistent tourist crowds, as well as the alternative tourism opportunities they provide.
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Bulgaria
Bulgaria in 5 days: Shumen, South of Nowhere
Bulgaria
Bulgaria in 3 Days: Sofia and Mount Vitosha

Hidden Bulgaria


Bulgaria
Along Suleiman the Magnificent's Bridge in Svilengrad, South-Eastern Bulgaria

The Ottoman bridge over the Maritsa River is not only a predecessor (and maybe even a prototype) of the famous bridge on the Drina, but it is also superior to it in terms of scale and splendour. The legend about its origins is as dramatic as that of the Drina Bridge, although it did not win the Nobel Prize like Ivo Andrić’s novel that recounted it Full Story

Bulgaria
Genghis Khan’s Descendents Swap Central Asia’s Altay for Bulgaria’s Balkan Mountain
Bulgaria
Kabiyuk, The Horse "Factory" Bulgaria Inherited from the Ottoman Empire





Balkan Coasts


Rafting along the Nera River in Romania's Banat Region

Romania

The Nera River valley, in Romania’s Banat Region, is a superb destination for adventurers: it is isolated, authentic and it features dramatic landscapes. Sorin-Alexandru Cristescu of the Romanian www.incogniterra.org writes about his journey there, involving some grief over derelict architectural heritage, but also intoxicating rafting down wild waters and fine enough dining on the Cerna River bank Full Story

Northern Dobrogea: On the Danube and Via Pontica Crossing


Balkan Mountains


Roman Ruins and a Rural Paradise in Bulgaria’s Western Rodopi Mountains

Bulgaria

In the spot where the majestic Pirin and Rodopi Mountains come together, around 50 kilometres south of the major ski-resort of Bansko, lays perhaps the best destination for rural tourism in Bulgaria. The mineral water springs of the village of Ognyanovo and the spectacular architecture of the villages of Leshten and Kovachevitsa, situated on the rolling western-most hills of the Rodopi Mountains, were known only to Bulgarian village life afficionados until a few years ago. Recently, however, they have started to open up and attract
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Meteora, the Second Sky Over Greece
Bulgaria: Strandzha's Mysteries







Annoyances in the Balkans


Balkans
Relentless Homophobia Rages in the Balkans

Be IN-tolerant! Be normal!, appeals a poster (pictured above) that recently flooded the streets of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia.

As the first gay pride parade in Bulgaria is about to take place, amid strong opposition by nationalistic organisations and a large part of society, the high levels of persistent homophobia in the country and the Full Story


Insiders' Advice


If the relentless homophobia is already that bad, what's the attitude in general towards HIV/AIDS, given the rather worrying HIV-prevalence in Eastern Europe and Russia?
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Is it easy to drive in the Balkans? Depends. If you are looking for adrenalin, this is a cheap way to get it. Expats say the best tactics is not to get annoyed.
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How to pick the right time to go? Winter is beautiful in the high mountains, the problem is, it can be so cold! Then again, who cares how cold it is - the locals have a cheap cure: heavy red wine. Sometimes warmed up.
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You can't trust local maps. Nor some international travel guides. One of them, for instance, says, that Neretva River in Bosnia and Herzegovina flows FROM the Adriatic towards the inland of the Balkans, never reaching the sea. OK, how about the Neretva delta and channel in Croatia?
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The Big Book of Travelling


United States
The Rise of Burlesque in New York: Tassels and the City

Burlesque – the more audacious relative of commedia dell'arte, is in revival. A reality in “upside down style”, this creative, witty and softer version of striptease is back on stage, following an absence of nearly 80 years. In New York, Anjeza Bojku scoped out several burlesqee venues for BalkanTravellers.com. Full Story

Thailand
A Short Guide to the Peculiarities of Thai Food