Thursday, 17 May 2012

When to go - Skopje



  

Spring and autumn are the best seasons to visit Skopje. In April and May the town blooms with greenery and the Vardar River, which flows through its centre, adorning it with several bridges, has a more audible presence. Summers can be sizzling hot, so avoid going between mid-July and mid-August. Skopje’s winters are milder and shorter than those of Belgrade or Sofia.
 

Epicure


Bulgaria
Greece with Best Rose and Best Sweet Wine at Concours Mondial

16 May 2012 | Several Balkan countries scored excellent results at this year’s Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, which announced yesterday its awards. This success is remarkable, as it comes in severe competition amongst 8,397 wine samples from all around the world. Full Story



Curiosity Chest


Balkans
Every March, Red and White Strings 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.
Full Story






Music


Bulgaria
The Choir that Turned England a Bit Bulgarian

One of the few constant sources of pride for Bulgarians is traditional folk music, and especially singing. But not the Oriental-beats-modified kind that often booms in nightclubs, giving their clientele the urge to jump atop tables and chairs and sway their hips around; rather the kind that, when heard, mesmerises you and gives you goose bumps, the kind that is haunting with its out-of-this universe quality, mostly figuratively but sometimes literally as well.
Full Story