Direct Commercial Flights between Albania and Israel Commence
Balkan Travellers
The flight, which leaves from the airport in Tirana, the capital of Albania, will land at the Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel’s largest airport, located 15 kilometres southeast of the capital Tel Aviv. It will carry 175 passengers, mainly Albanian businessmen, international media reported.
A second flight between the two countries is expected to take place in March, while the airline hopes to establish a regular direct route beginning in May. The Israir Airline worked with the Isreali embassy in Albania and other sources in order to obtain the necessary security permits necessary, Shai Marine, the company’s commercial manager, told media.
Media reported that around 5,000 Albanian tourists are expected to visit Israel in 2008, while Albania has become a strategic tourist destination for Israel in the past year.
Israir Airlines is Israel’s second largest airline, said to have modelled itself on the American low-cost carrier JetBlue. It operates domestic flights, as well as international flights to New York City and European destinations.
Epicure
Croatia
The Truffle Rush
The Istria Peninsula in Northern Croatia is the Klondike of the culinary world. Every October, among the Motovun forests near the Livade village and along the banks of the Mirna River, there are swarming hoards of people and dogs – some sources claim as many as 15,000.
Full Story
Curiosity Chest
Croatia
Croatia Artists' "Broken Relationships" Exhibit to Be Displayed in Zagreb
The exhibition "The Museum of Broken Relationships," initiated by two Croatian artists and showcasing people's remnants of their past relationships, quickly became a global attraction. It is now looking for a permanent home in Zagreb. Full Story
Useful Reads
Greece
In Sfakia: Passing Time in the Wilds of Crete (2008) | By Peter Trudgill
Crete has long been acknowledged as one of the most singular and unique parts of Greece. Its people keep a fierce hold on their traditions, customs and history. Practically a country of its own, this vast island looms over all others in Greece. Nevertheless, as In Sfakia author Peter Trudgill aptly notes in his preface, “some parts of Crete are more special than others, and Sfakia, on the remote south coast, is certainly one of those.” Full Story
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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
