Featured Destination
Bhutan
Bhutan: A Sharp Surge in Gross National Happiness
Satiated by Kathmandu’s crowds, smells and chaos, I board the Druk Air flight – the only airline with service to Bhutan, with a sigh of relief. We have been advised to get a seat on the left side of the plane, as to be able to glimpse Everest.
But the constant peering during the hour-long flight is fruitless – all I can see is clouds. Then the pilot announces our imminent descent and, like a scene in a Monty Python film, warns the passengers to stay calm, for no apparent reason. A few minutes of slight panicking later, it is clear why – the clouds remain above us and the plane drops suddenly, verging around the surrounding mountains at such proximity that its wings seem like they will scratch the slopes.
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Epicure
Turkey
Izmir Gourmet: Food is in the Air
Food is literally everywhere in Izmir.
The first stop a traveller would usually make, is Passaport – the vivid promenade along the seaside, which has turned into a landmark with its black and white pavement.
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News
Bulgaria
Schengen Zone Expansion with Bulgaria and Romania Blocked
22 September | Two Balkan countries' hopes to join the passport-free travel area of the European Union died out, after Finland and Netherlands blocked the expansion of the Schengen zone today. At a EU interior ministers meeting there was a disagreement on the matter. Full Story
Serbia
Belgrade to Host Retro Car Show
Bulgaria
Bulgaria Presents its Green Cheese to Europe
Routes Less Travelled
Greece
Mount Parnassus in Greece Beckons Off-the-Beaten-Track Travellers
In the world of tourism, the phrase "off-the-beaten-track" is mostly identified with remote and exotic excursions. But in Greece, it can easily mean a way to avoid pricey destinations that often come to mind Full Story
Greece
Five Places in Greece That Are Not To Be Missed in June
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Balkan Mysteries: The Bosnian Pyramids of Semir Osmanagić
Curiosity Chest
Bhutan
A Prayer Carried by the Winds
All over Bhutan – from the cities, by the roads and in villages, one can see colourful pieces of fabric, imprinted with Buddhist images and texts, blowing in the wind. These are prayer flags, unique to the Himalayan branch of Buddhism. The idea behind them is that when the wind blows, it picks up and carries the imprinted prayers to the skies, “for the benefit of all sentient beings."
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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
Go Green in Bulgaria: 23 Eco-Hotels and Guest Houses to Choose From
Bulgaria's countryside is a pristine treasure. Poor and underdeveloped, many regions, with hills and valleys, mountains and gorges, have remained untouched for decades.
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Julian Perry's Walks in Bulgaria's National Parks
Bulgaria
From Sofia to the Village of Lakatnik in an Old Locomotive
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
Biking Along the Adriatic Coast
Macedonia: Nearly 50 Years Later, Lake Ohrid Overflows Again
Balkan Towns
The (Non) Provincial Charms of Novi Sad, Serbia
Serbia
Novi Sad offers some provincial charm, a relaxed atmosphere, lively bars and restaurants and some cultural highlights. Full Story
Turkey: Stroll Along Istanbul’s Theodosian Walls
An Incomparable Inertia: Skopje to Saloniki by Rail
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Photogalleries
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A Perfect Shot
Koprivshtitsa Fair, Bulgara. Photographs by Neva Micheva
In Homo Urbanus Europeanus, exhibited May 9-24 in front of the National Theatre in Sofia, Jean-Marc Caracci presents his photographs of people in the urban environment of European capitals.
RED&WHITE SOFIA. On the 1st of March Bulgarians say goodbye to the winter. They buy each other red&white threads to carry around until they see a stork and spring can begin. Photography by Lode Desmet
BULGARIA D'OR: The Bulgarian countryside, patinated with the noble golden dust of the autumn. Photographs by Lode Desmet
360 degrees Bulgaria, an exhibition by photographer Alexandar Ivanov, is on display at the Sea Garden in Varna until August 28. It will be shown at Plovdiv’s Central Square from Sept 5.
The exhibition Photographs of a Trip Through Bulgaria by Hungarian photographer András Balla can be seen in Sofia's Hungarian Cultural Institute, at Aksakov 16 Street, until August 22
Instant Spring in Sofia | Photographs by Lode Desmet
Off-the-season Beauty of Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast | Photographs by Adelina Iliev
Bulgaria's Northern Black Sea Coast
Photographs by Albena Shkodrova
excellent smugs