Being very close to the border, we decided to stop by Ulcinj, a nice little town near the sea.
It was short day-trip to completely relax and, finally, enjoy a good swim in the sea.
Other than the numerous boats and water-scooters roaming the waters, the spot was a fair typical beach scene.
This was until a guy showed off his cool new gadget!
Continue Reading
myself
The boat trip on the Koman/Komani Lake (which, to be honest, kind of looks like a river to me) is a common destination for travelers, especially if they are interested in hiking in the north of Albania. In fact, this is the most beautiful and scenic way to get to Fierza (a small town where many hiking trails begin).
Since the hostel was in very close contact with one (possibly the only one) of the transportation companies bringing people from Shkodër to Fierza, we were given a couple of tickets for a day-trip on the ferry. Continue Reading
Working in a hostel, you often hear people visiting specific attractions or, perhaps, you might even be the one suggesting some of those places. For us, the problem was that we hadn’t had the chance to go around much in the first few days.
One of the many beautifully sunny days in Shkoder, we managed to get half a day off to bike around the town.
With our bikes, we knew where we wanted to go: Lake Shkodra. It is one of the main attractions of Shkodër and it’s just about 10 minutes away from the hostel by bike, we just had to go there.
We crossed a very unsafe-looking wooden bridge and continued onto a road which lead to the lake.
Continue Reading
After getting on a rather dodgy-looking bus in Tirana, we managed to reach the center of Shkodër. Luckily, the hostel was nearby and we were greeted by the owners and showed around.
The hostel looked nice: very welcoming and friendly, especially because of the open area where all the travelers could rest or socialize.
The owners brought us to a nearby restaurant and we devoured the food.
Continue Reading
A long bus ride brought us to Greece and more precisely to Thessaloniki.
This city is one of those places that I often read about in history books at school when studying Ancient Greece. It always gives me a great feeling to finally be able to connect a historically important location to some actual images.
I can’t help but imagine how it could have been back then to live here, obviously failing to do so and falling back into idealized scenes, probably from a movie.
White Tower of Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki is not too big but there are quite a few places to visit and things to do.
Continue Reading
During our stay in Istanbul, we were hosted by a good friend of mine who also acted as our personal guide and activity planner.
One day, together with some new friends, we planned to go to spend a day at the island of Büyükada, barbecuing and chilling on the hills.
Sunset on the way home
In the morning, we headed to the ferry, got to Büyükada and fetched our beloved Çiğ köfte (both the vegetarian and the meat version) and bread from some locals. With our supplies in hand, we walked to the location: a hill overlooking the sea.
Our team of 5 managed, after a conspicuous amount of time, lit a rather decent fire for the barbecue. The time was mainly due to going through all the different strategies and techniques for making a fire which each of us could come up with.
Continue Reading
Approaching the entrance of the famous Sultan Ahmed Mosque, we were welcomed by a majestic structure (and I am someone who is not often captured by religious buildings) filled with both tourists and local worshipers.
The entrance for visitors is on the side of the building, where usually a long queue awaits anyone who wants to enter. That day was no different.
Continue Reading
Istanbul is a very lively and, at times, chaotic city, especially in summer.
It has a mix of new and old, which makes it very interesting to visit and walk around. In fact, the city of Istanbul, historically known as Byzantium and Constantinopolis, was created around 667 BC (the legends say) and has a very long past which has left traces scattered around the different parts of the city.
Continue Reading
The bus to Istanbul almost felt like being on an airplane: hostesses, a screen for each passenger, treats and snacks included. That one was definitely the best bus I have ever been on.
Once we arrived in Istanbul, we headed to the Asian side (Istanbul is in 2 continents: one part in Europe and another in Asia), where a good friend of mine was waiting for us.
After a short break, we directly went to the center. At the time, there was the ‘Asırlık Tatlar ve Sanatlar Çarşısı’, which in English translates to: ‘Centuries-Old Tastes and Arts Bazaar’.
Lollipop maker
It was a one-street market where people would show traditional arts and foods (as the name suggests).
Continue Reading
The sunny and warm city of Sofia was a very nice change of atmosphere, it felt much less like the other Balkan countries we visited both from the architecture and the food. I found it to be some sort of mid-way between the Crotian/Bosnian/Serbian dishes and the Greek/Turkish ones.
Marching band resting in the shade
Even its history is quite peculiar as Bulgaria, according to our guide, tried to stay out of World War II (even being occupied by the Germans, they succeeded in saving Bulgarian Jews from being sent to Nazi concentration camps) and was not part of Yugoslavia.
Continue Reading
RSS - Posts