The area of modern day Bulgaria has been a cultural crossroad since ancient times, while Sofia is the second-oldest capital in Europe (after Athens). Even Constantine the Great considered making it the capital of the Byzantine Empire instead of Constantinople.
Kosovo. A mere mention of the name is enough to start a debate wherever you go in this part of the world. The war ended almost 20 years ago, but the scars still appear to be fresh.
As I crossed the border from Albania to Macedonia, I kept a careful eye on the signs. The republic of Macedonia is the country I’m aiming for, but there is also a region of adjacent Greece which claims the name Macedonia. To make things more complicated, the republic changed its name to North Macedonia just a month ago, which likely has not been updated in road signs and maps yet.
Ok, I admit to not having counted them, but there are a lot of bunker installations all over Albania. Hundreds of thousands of bunkers went up during 1975-1983, littering the landscape with concrete slabs.
The last days have seen a flood of lament over the passing of Anthony Bourdain. He left us two days ago and the world suddenly seemed a bit less interesting.
Hello again Prague! On my last visit almost a decade ago, the city was chilling with patches of snow. This time the city is lush and green, while the temperature is almost tropical.
