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Balkans Tour
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Balkans Tour

A regional tour of Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro & Croatia Read more
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  • Trip start
    May 13, 2023
    Explore moments by travelBalkans TourTraveler

    Belgrade

    May 13, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Early morning flight from Barcelona to the lively city of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. The city as a population of around 7 million and has expanded dramatically since the end of the second world war. It's been the Serbian capital since the early 15th century . Some first impressions on arrival, for my tour of the western Balkans.Read more

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    Belgrade City

    May 13, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    After arriving to the hotel, I set out on an initial exploration around this lovely city. Saint Mark's church, which was built from 1931 to 1940 by architects Petar and Branko Krstić, and apparently modeled on the Gračanica Monastery from the 14th century. After St.Sava's Church, it is the largest church in Belgrade. Also some street sculptures plus the beautiful Hotel Moskva, National Museum at Republic Square, Parliament building, fountains and a historic soviet post box. Sunny and quiet warm, a nice introduction.Read more

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    Nikola Tesla Museum & evening

    May 13, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Was fortunate to arrive for a fascinating tour and experience around the Nikola Tesla museum. Including a practical demonstration of the Tesla 500kv oscallating transformer coil. An interesting visit and insight of a remarkable man. A picture of an old red tram rattling along and early evening in the downtown cobbled streets. And a photo of the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky.Read more

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    Walking tour of old Belgrade

    May 14, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    Morning walking tour through the old streets of Belgrade from Republic Square, National Museum up to Kalemegdan, the Belgrade Fortress. This is a defensive fortification enclosed with ramparts. Construction of the innermost area dates back to the large scale levelling of the terrain by the Austrians in the 3rd decade of the 18th century. A wander around the military museum, the statue of The Victor and views of the confluence of the rivers Sava and Danube.Read more

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    St. Sava Temple

    May 14, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    An interesting visit and tour of the beautiful and amazing Cathedral of St Sava. With more than 3,000 square metres of floor area and a height of 79 metres (including the cross), it is one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world and the largest one in the Balkans. The cathedral, named after St Sava (1174–1235) - one of Serbia's greatest saints and enlighteners - was built on the site where the remains of St Sava were desecrated by the Ottoman conquerors.
    The construction of the cathedral began in 1935, but was postponed when World War II broke out. The construction of the cupola was completed in 1989. The cathedral was officially opened to the public and worshippers in 2004, although work on the interior continued.
    The interior of the dome of St Sava's Cathedral depicts a composition traditional to the 11th-13th centuries, known as the Ascension of the Lord, with Christ the Saviour in his heavenly glory, surrounded by the Virgin Mary, the archangels and the holy apostles. The central glory of Christ is supported by four white- robed angels, who together form the shape of a cross. This cross, floating against a flickering golden background, illustrates the central tenet of Christianity.This artistic method of depicting the Ascension is based on ancient Russian, Byzantine and medieval Balkan traditions. A wonderful church.    Read more

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    Sava River and Downtown

    May 14, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    Last afternoon to explore Belgrade. A river cruise on the Sava, with views of the old town, passing under the Old Sava bridge, looking up to the the Belgrade Fortress and a view of the Serbian Orthodox church of St Archangel Michael. Plus a picture of the inside.
    Some more of the wonderful old buildings and sun setting over the conflux of the Danube and Sava.    Read more

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    City of Nis

    May 15, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Traveled a couple of hours south on good toll motorways, rolling green farm land, some small towns and villages. Arrived to the city of Nis.
    Took a walk around the remains of the Fortress of Nis, passing through the main gate arch and up the Byzantine Street, a north-south oriented street dating from the 5th-6th century. According to the information of this cultural site. Archaeological excavations in 1962-63, uncovered the remains of buildings with symmetrical columns along the street, together with porches, predominant of the type of building from Early Byzantine period. Rooms excavated on both street sides were repeatedly remodeled, indicating that their purpose changed during that time. Excavations suggested the existence of various workshops and the remains of sacral buildings indicating the existence of a Christian church. Also the Bali Bey Mosque, located in the central part of the Fortress. It is the only preserved mosque and was first mentioned in 1521 as a small Turkish shrine without a minaret, and in 1710 it was listed as a mosque.
    After that we went for a brief walk into the town centre, a plesent and relaxed mix of shops, bars and restaurants. I sat down at a sculpture of two men and a dog which was fun then the main square and the old market street. Late afternoon, retired to the hotel overlooking the city.    Read more

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    Skull Tower and Constantine's villa

    May 16, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Our first stop this morning was the gruesome Skull Tower in Nis. This is a stone structure embedded with human skulls. It was constructed by the Ottoman Empire following the Battle of Čegar of May 1809, during the First Serbian Uprising. During the battle, Serbian rebels under the command of Stevan Sinđelić were surrounded by the Ottomans on Čegar Hill, near Niš. Knowing that he and his fighters would be impaled if captured, Sinđelić detonated a powder magazine within the rebel entrenchment, killing himself, his subordinates and the encroaching Ottoman soldiers. The governor ordered that a tower be made from the skulls of the fallen rebels. The tower is 4.5 metres high, and originally contained 952 skulls embedded on four sides in 14 rows.
    Across the road from the tower we visited the Roman remains of Constantine's villa of Mediana. This includes several buildings, a central residential complex consisting of the villa, spacious courtyards and ceremonial entrance. The buildings were built and used during the reign of Constantine the Great (306-337) and his sons.    Read more

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    Sopocani Monastery

    May 16, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    From Nis we drove around three and a half hours through rural countryside, small villages, some vineyards and fields of fruit trees. The seanery changed as we travelled on winding roads and along small valleys with rivers. Before arriving at Sopocani Monastery.
    The Sopoćani Monastery, an endowment of King Stefan Uroš I of Serbia, was built from 1259 to 1270, near the source of the Raška River in the region of Ras, the centre of the Serbian medieval state. It is a designated World Heritage Site, added in 1979. The frescoes of the interior were very interesting and quiet well preserved.    Read more

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    Novi Pazar

    May 16, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Late afternoon we arrived to Novi Pazar, a city located in the Raška District of southwestern Serbia. A city of around 72,000 inhabitants,. It's a multicultural area of Muslims and Orthodox Christians, with many monuments of both religions. Explored the central area, with walking paths along the banks of the Luujska River. Noticeably Muslim and quiet different in feel from Nis and Belgrade.Read more

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    Crossing into Montenegro

    May 17, 2023 in Montenegro ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    From Novi Pazar we enjoyed a picturesque mountain road journey, crossing from Serbia to Montenegro.
    A wonderful route with many tunnels, stunning vistas and lovely small villages. On our way a brief stop at the town of Berand and a visit to the Archaeological museum of the Polimlje Region. Founded in 1955, it comprised of several collections: archaeological, ethnographic, numismatic, heraldic, natural history and an art collection, as well as the Gallery of Šudikova. A large number of exhibits in the archaeological collection date back to the Early Stone Age. It offered an interesting insight to the rich history of the area. Then onto Biogradska Gora National Park.Read more

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    Biogradska Gora National Park

    May 17, 2023 in Montenegro ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    This is a beautiful preserve of biodiversity with over 200 species' of birds, 86 species' of tree's and shrubs and many small mammals. Some of the most significant species are beech, mountain maple, sycamore, elm, ash. Also conifers including fir and spruce.
    The lake of Biogradsko, fed from waters of the Biogradska River, and drained by river Jezeršt. The shores of Biogradsko Lake contain a forrest of trees, many are several hundred years old and more than 50 m high. Above the forest, there are gently curved mountain peaks whose slopes are in the summer covered with colourful meadows full of beautiful mountain flowers. A wonderful natural national park.    Read more

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    Kolasin

    May 17, 2023 in Montenegro ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    Late afternoon, arrived to the small town of Kolsin for a couple of nights.
    A walk to explore the town, starting with the square which is named after a bearer of the Order of Peoples Hero Vukman Kruscic, on the square was a monument of Veljko Vlahovic, the volunteer in the Spanish Civil War and one of the most famous bearers of the Order of People's Hero from Montenegro. The monument is the work of a sculptor named Oto Logo. Also of interest, between 1881 and 1902, as much as thirty-nine permissions for opening cafés were issued in the town. Kolasin was widely famous for its cafés and restaurants. It was a town with the largest number of cafés per capita in the former Yugoslavia! Then up to the he Church of St. Demetrius.Read more

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    Tara River Canyon and bridge

    May 18, 2023 in Montenegro ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    A wonderful morning drive through dramic seanery along a winding narrow road following the Tara River assending a fabulous limestone canyon. We stopped briefly at the Tara River Bridge. When it was built in 1940, this bridge was declared an engineering marvel, among the largest reinforced concrete bridges in Europe, with an incredible arch span of 116 m. Two years after it was finished in 1942 a local engineer named Lazar Jauković who worked on the construction mined one of the arches in order to prevent the transfer of enemy units to Montenegro. In retaliation over the diversion, the occupying authorities arrested and shot him on a cliff in front of the bridge.
    The next stop was the town of Zabljak, the highest urban settlement in the Balkans (1.450m above sea level), surrounded with 23 mountain peaks over 2.200m high, 18 mountain lakes and at the top of the canyon of River Tara. The first name of the town was "Varezes water", from the strong source of fresh, drinkable water. Later on, it was called "Anovi", a place were trading caravans used to stop and rest. From 1870 it became known as Zabljak. According to legend, the name Zabljak comes from the frogs (zaba a Montenegrian word for frog) that live in the region. Today it is a ski and winter sports region. Here were many resort hotels, ski lodges and cabins with steeply pitched roofs. Also some alpine cows and rolling green meadows. Very picturesque and stunning, dispit the light rain and low clouds.    Read more

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    Durmitor National Park

    May 18, 2023 in Montenegro ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    The highlight of today was an opportunity to visit and explore the Durmitor National Park and Black Lake. At the park are infact 18 glacier lakes, know as 'mountain-eyes'. The most beautiful, largest and best known is Black Lake, located in the conifer forest, under the mountain top Meded. Conifer forest dominates this area, so it gives the lake its emerald green colour. The depth and surface of the Lake varies during the year. Maximum length, during the highest water level is 1,155m, while its maximum width is 810m. It is made out of Small and Big Black Lake. The Black Lake is fed by rain, surface flows and underground sources of water. a significant source is from an inflow of melt water from a periodical source called Čerline. During the year, when the water inflow on Cerline is bigger, water from Small Lake flows into the Big Lake, but during the rest of the year, water from Big Lake inflows into Small Lake. This causes a natural phenomena called bifurcation, and the outlet of water into two different directions, into the rivers, Piva and Tara. Along the Lake share, there is a well kept trail which goes around the lake which I explored.Read more

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    Podgorica the Capital of Montenegro

    May 19, 2023 in Montenegro ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    A wonderful morning drive on a grand new motorway for a stop at Podgorica the capital of Montenegro.
    First impressions were of a relaxed a nice city. Its rivers and bridges include the modern Millennium Bridge over the Morača River, and the stone bridge spanning the Ribnica River, plus the centuries-old Clock Tower, built by the Turks which dominates the old town. A stop at the Church of St. Dorda, a modest but interesting church, research indicates that it is almost a thousand years old, which makes it one of the oldest active Christian places of worship in Montenegro. Built in as a single-nave vaulted building, with a semicircular apse, a low dome and a belfry on a trestle with three bells. Paintings from the 16th-17th centuries, have been preserved in the church.Read more

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    Cathedral and King Nikola's Museum

    May 19, 2023 in Montenegro ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Also in Podgorica a stop to look at the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ. A new Orthodox Christian Church. Then we went around the King Nikola's Museum, a small residential building, originally intended for Princess Darinka, the widow of the previous ruler of Montenegro Danilo I, began in 1863. However, a year after the departure of the Montenegrin Princess from Montenegro (1867), the newly built building became the new residence of Prince Nikola I. After several interventions to upgrade and repair, the architecturally modest two storied building underwent a reconstruction in 1910. Since the Museum's founding in 1926 its permanent display was designed as a reconstruction of the environment of the Montenegrin court with a fragmented representation of the political, military and cultural history of Montenegro.Read more

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    Cetinje Monastery and Njegusi

    May 19, 2023 in Montenegro ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Continued to Cetinje to visit the Monastery then a break in the small village of Njegusi at an old inn dateing back to 1881. Sampled some smoked ham and cheese plus enjoyed the local grape brandy and honey wine. A stunning drive up into the mountains with fabulous views back down valley.Read more

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    Kotor

    May 19, 2023 in Montenegro ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    After a long and fasanating day, arrived to the delightful coastal town of Kotor with its walled fortress, cobbled narrow streets and lovely buildings.
    The Kotor Fortress has partly preserved its medieval defensive system (12th-14th centuries) characterized by narrow and high vertical ramparts (up to 1.5 m thick) occasionally strengthened by square based towers with walkways. Given its specific geostrategic position, for Venetians the Kotor Fortress represented a kind of experiment in new approaches to theory and practice of military architecture. It integrated a bastion defensive system, characteristic of the Italian "cinquecento" on the side facing the sea, with artillery platforms and lunettes above the town, and the still medieval system of defence on the side towards the hill. During the rule of the Venetian Republic (1420-1797) the Kotor Fortress was one of the most important fortifications on the eastern Adriatic coast, because by dominating the Bay of Boka Kotorska it guarded Venetian maritime trading routes towards the Levant. The fortress was in use during the Austro Hungarian rule (1814-1918), when Kotor was the seat of the civil and military government for the Bay of Boka Kotorska.Read more

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    Dubrovnik Croatia

    May 20, 2023 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    After crossing into Croatia and a wonderful coastal drive to Dubrovnik, 'Pearl of the Adriatic '. A brief opportunity to explore. The city is one of the finest in the Balkans, a walled citadel facing the sea. With marbled streets and red roofed houses, narrow alleys and splendid churches. Walked through the main tourist center and visited the Franciscan Monastery, a beroque building dateing from the 18th century with purportedly the oldest pharmacy in the world.Read more

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    Dubrovnik

    May 20, 2023 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    This city of Dubrovnik is very well preserved with impressive walls and ramparts. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and a tourist magnet.
    The prosperity of the city from the earliest times was based on maritime trade. In the Middle Ages, as the Republic of Dubrovnik, it was the only city-state on the eastern coast of the Adriatic that competed with the Republic of Venice . Along with its wealth and diplomacy, the city achieved an extraordinary level of development, especially during the 15th and 16th centuries. Dubrovnik was one of the centers of the development of the Croatian language and literature . A stunning and fabulous place.Read more

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    Mostar by night

    May 20, 2023 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Arrived early evening to the beautiful city of Mostar. Lying on both sides of the River Neretva, Mostar was a major centre of the Ottoman occupation and many monuments from that time still remain. The most famous was the Old Bridge, which dated back to the 16th century and united both parts of the town. Mostar suffered enormously during the conflict of the 1990s, with the bridge being destroyed and the eastern, Muslim part of the town under siege for eleven months, a time which has left a deep psychological imprint upon the people here. The bridge was rebuilt in 2004 in the same style, and today people dive from it into the river as ever before, a Mostar tradition. The town is without doubt one of the most beautiful in Bosnia, with a number of mosques, markets and hammams giving it a flavour of the east. Enjoyed a lovely walk exploring the streets and viewing the famous bridge by night.Read more

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