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Sunday, 06 July 2008

Travel News


Romania’s Capital to Fight City Noise Pollution

4 July 2008 | An action plan for dealing with the city noise in Bucharest, including strategies for the reducing of acoustic pollution, will be implemented over the next five years in Romania,... Full Story



Turkey
New Law Allows Foreigners to Purchase Property in Turkey

4 July 2008 | The Turkish Parliament adopted a new law which allows foreigners to buy land and real estate, national media reported today.
Full Story


Balkans
Macedonia to be Connected to Montenegro’s Coast by Direct Flights

3 July 2008 | A direct flight will soon connect Macedonia’s capital to Monenegro’s coast, Macedonian president Branko Crvenkovski announced during his official visit to Montenegro, following a meeting with his counterpart Filip Vujanovic.
Full Story


Bulgaria
Bulgaria Auctions Off Communist-Era Limousines

3 July 2008 | Limousines that were used by Bulgaria’s political elite and foreign dignitaries during the communist era will be auctioned off next week, national and international media reported today.
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Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina Asks for Free Visas to the EU

3 July 2008 | Bosnia and Herzegovina will ask the EU to exempt Bosnian citizens from EU visa fees, regional media reported recently.
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Croatia
Another Good Season Ahead for Tourism in Croatia

2 July 2008 | Croatia is expecting another good summer season, with a slight increase in visitors – including some celebrities, and a larger revenue, national media reported.
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Macedonia
Macedonia Intends to Develop Rural Tourism

2 July 2008 | Macedonia intends to utilize its natural resources in order to develop urban tourism, national media reported.
Full Story


Bulgaria
Bulgaria Picks the Madara Horseman Rock Relief as National Symbol

1 July 2008 | The Madara Horseman – an eight-century rock relief near the town of Shumen emerged as the winning symbol with which Bulgarians wished their country to be associated, it became clear after the final results of a two-year-long... Full Story


Macedonia
Lakes' Beaches in Macedonia Get Filled, but Lack Lifeguards

1 July 2008 | As the shores of Macedonia’s major lakes are getting crowded with holidaymakers, the lack of professionally trained lifeguards comes into attention, national media reported recently.
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Romania
Foreign Tourists Return to Romania

1 July 2008 | Foreign tourists, mainly from the European Union, are showing a renewed interest in traveling to Romania, national media reported today.
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Balkan Cuisine


Turkey
Balkan Culinary Wars III: Other People’s Meatballs

Ćevapčići from Leskovac, köfte from İzmir or Bulgarian kebapche? Greek keftedes too, please!

Full Story




Curiosity Chest


Balkans
Blue Amulets Guard Against the Evil Eye in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria

If you’ve ever spent time in Turkey or Greece, you’ll surely remember the feeling that you’re constantly being watched. Blue circles in the shape of single, stylised eyes constantly observe from everywhere – dangling from cars’ rear-view mirrors, hanging on houses’ doors, adorning people’s necks, wrists and ears in the form of jewellery, or painted onto boats or even planes.

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Useful reads


Albania
The Siege (2008) | By Ismail Kadare

The Siege by Ismail Kadare was published recently in English, almost 40 years after it came out in Albania. The historical novel, written during Albania’s isolation imposed by the communist regime, is a fascinating allegory of this part of the Balkans in the 1970s– a reality which no Albanian writer was allowed to describe in a more direct way at the time.
Full Story



Music Box


Bulgaria
Experimenting with Eastern Orthodox Chants

Milen Ivanov/Daniel Spasov | Thou Art Blessed, Lord |Kuker Music, 2007 Full Story







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


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.
Full Story



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?
Full Story



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