Balcans 24

A 24-day adventure by Mi - Enno Read more

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Trip start
August 15, 2024
Balcans 24 Mi - Enno
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Day 1
Thursday, August 15, 2024 at 6:02 PM
☀️ 36 °C
Altitude: 127 m
Serbia Podrucje Knez Mihailove ulice 44.817436, 20.45754244°49’3” N 20°27’27” E
Belgrade
August 15, 2024 in Serbia ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C
Our first day on the road 🚙

After almost 9h trip from Munich, we reached Belgrade by late afternoon. Just in time to let our luggage in the Airbnb and go to see the sunset in the fortress. Our comeback to Belgrade just 1 years after we visited it for the last time.

We always get amazed how lively the city center is. Many bars, restaurants, street artists and many many people just going for a walk. A very nice flair to enjoy the city and start our long summer journey. ☀️Read more
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Day 2
Friday, August 16, 2024 at 4:43 PM
☀️ 37 °C
Altitude: 62 m
Serbia Mokroluški Potok 44.803928, 20.44475744°48’14” N 20°26’41” E
Galeria Mall
August 16, 2024 in Serbia ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C
We needed a short break of the amazing heat of the city and escaped to the nearby mall.

The Galeria Mall is located in the new and modern quarter of Belgrade, about 10min from the center by car. The region is called Belgrade Waterfront and is very fancy. 🛍️

The mall offers a huge variety of restaurants, indoor games for the family and of course the normal European brands. Everything very nice decorated and comfortable.

Of course our kids couldnt resist the very special bubble tea with glitter inside 😄Read more
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Day 2
Friday, August 16, 2024 at 7:08 PM
⛅ 34 °C
Altitude: 123 m
Serbia Belgrade 44.798303, 20.466344°47’54” N 20°27’59” E
St. Sava Cathedral
August 16, 2024 in Serbia ⋅ ⛅ 34 °C
After the mall, as the sun wasn´t so intense anymore, we went visiting the St. Sava Cathedral. We never get tired of analyzing the whole golden interior.

In the evening we went to our favorite restaurant: the Kafeterija in downtown.Read more
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Day 3
Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 3:46 PM
☁️ 38 °C
Altitude: 136 m
Serbia Tašmajdan 44.809897, 20.46881344°48’36” N 20°28’8” E
Belgrade City
August 17, 2024 in Serbia ⋅ ☁️ 38 °C
We had a full day in Belgrade to enjoy the city. Knowing already the main touristical points, we had more time to explore the restaurants and malls as the day was also extremelly hot! 🔥

So we just went to the St. Marcus church for a walk and spent the rest of the day in several malls (Delta City, Galeria) and eating 😅Read more
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Day 4
Sunday, August 18, 2024 at 7:10 PM
☀️ 29 °C
Altitude: 42 m
Greece Kallithea Beach 40.078195, 23.43965340°4’42” N 23°26’23” E
Arriving in Greece
August 18, 2024 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
Goodbye Serbia!
After 9h on the way we finally arrived in Kallithea, Greece. The trip was quite nice but we lost a long time on the border between Macedonia and Greece. The greek officers were simply extreme slow.

But nothing that the view of our room couldn´t solve. We were amazed with the place and the kids jumped straight in the pool.

In the evening we went for dinner and dessert and came back to the hotel rolling. They serve huge portions!Read more
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Day 5
Monday, August 19, 2024 at 12:08 PM
☀️ 29 °C
Altitude: 28 m
Greece Kallithea Beach 40.074786, 23.44854540°4’29” N 23°26’55” E
First day Kallithea
August 19, 2024 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
Let the home office start! 💻 We definitely could get used to it.
The kids stayed the whole day in the pool and we entered from time to time. The view is simply amazing.

In the evening we went to the town to have dinner and played some games with the kids. They just love it. We are glad to spend a whole week like that.Read more
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Day 6
Tuesday, August 20, 2024 at 7:20 PM
⛅ 29 °C
Altitude: 8 m
Greece Chanioti Beach 40.000636, 23.57440840°0’2” N 23°34’28” E
Pool day and Chanioti
August 20, 2024 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
Another great day at the hotel, enjoying the pool. Michelle used each break to jump in the water as well.

In the evening we headed to Chanioti, another small village nearby that we knew from last year. There are many restaurants and some souvenir shops.

At night is hard to convince the kids to go to bed as they like to stay outside enjoying the pool view. Can´t blame them.Read more
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Day 7
Wednesday, August 21, 2024 at 5:15 PM
☀️ 29 °C
Altitude: Sea level
Greece Kallithea Beach 40.078981, 23.44884240°4’44” N 23°26’56” E
Kallithea beach
August 21, 2024 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
Before moving on to Thessaloniki, we wanted to take a look in the local beach here 😄 It was hard to convince the kids to go there as the pool was just amazing but at the end we all enjoyed it a lot!

The water was nicely hot and there were no waves. The whole beach was very shallow so you could walk several meters and the water was still on our waist. Really rare to find a beach with sand, so perfect that we have tried the Zeus Beach. Amazingly we met a friend of Max who was also on vacations there! The world can be quite small. 🌎Read more
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Day 11
Sunday, August 25, 2024 at 5:24 PM
⛅ 32 °C
Altitude: 21 m
Greece Angelochórion 40.486428, 22.84730340°29’11” N 22°50’50” E
Preparation House
August 25, 2024 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C
About 4h before the wedding, all german guests were invited to the preparation house. 🏠 A typical greek tradition, where the bride and groom use the time to get ready for the ceremony while the guests get to know each other and can enjoy a buffet. It was great to connect and get to know all others and of course had the chance to talk to our friends, even in such a busy day for them.

Short before the start, all guests and the groom departed to the wedding location and could enjoy it before the ceremony. Everything was nicely decorated and after about 30min we all headed to the beach for the ceremony.Read more
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Day 11
Sunday, August 25, 2024 at 7:32 PM
⛅ 29 °C
Altitude: Sea level
Greece Ákra Toúrla 40.479088, 22.8133540°28’45” N 22°48’48” E
The wedding
August 25, 2024 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
An unforgettable ceremony in the beach by sunset. The bride and groom were totally happy and offered all guests a wonderful party, full of nice moments which will stay in our memory for a long time. 💍

There was a great greek buffet and many typical dances. We all celebrated until late in a very international and fun party! 🍾🥂Read more
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Day 13
Tuesday, August 27, 2024 at 12:00 PM
☀️ 28 °C
Altitude: 473 m
Greece Ioannina 39.671258, 20.85743839°40’17” N 20°51’27” E
From Thessaloniki to Ksamil
August 27, 2024 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
The day started early for us even though it was Enrico´s birthday. After a nice breakfast in the hotel we started our way to Albania. 🚘

On the way we made a short stop at Ioannina in Greece, which is located next to a big lake. The city was really small and unfortunately had not much to see but you could find great restaurants and cafes. ☕️

After almost 7h (the customs of Greece are simply horrible...they delay ages!) and many mountains, we managed to reach Ksamil in Albania.Read more
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Day 13
Tuesday, August 27, 2024 at 4:48 PM
☀️ 32 °C
Altitude: 3 m
Albania Ksamil 39.773217, 19.99758739°46’24” N 19°59’51” E
Ksamil 7
August 27, 2024 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
As soon as we arrived to Ksamil, we just dropped the suitcases in the hotel and went to see the beach. ⛱️ We went for the most popular spot: the Beach 7 which is located next to an island and you can swim until there. It was almost 17h but it was still full everywhere. Even so we got a nice spot and could enjoy the last sun rays. ☀️

The water was hot and transparent. The sand totally white and fine. Like a small piece of paradise. 🏝️Read more
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Day 13
Tuesday, August 27, 2024 at 6:33 PM
☀️ 30 °C
Altitude: 4 m
Albania Ksamil 39.772168, 19.99863239°46’20” N 19°59’55” E
Evening @Ksamil
August 27, 2024 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
After the beach nothing better than a nice burger. 🍔 And we discovered the "best burger in town" according to the kids. It was right on the corner and had many nice options of snacks. The prices were just amazingly cheap. We got to know a waiter whose family is in Germany so he was extra friendly to us. We already know that we will come more often here.

After a shower we went out for the dessert. 🧁 The nightlife in Ksamil is quite lively and everybody goes for a walk and food. Who wants can also find parties and great bars. We decided for crepes to enjoy the end of Enrico´s birthday. 🎂Read more
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Day 14
Wednesday, August 28, 2024 at 10:17 AM
☀️ 30 °C
Altitude: 4 m
Albania Ksamil 39.7663, 19.99460539°45’59” N 19°59’41” E
Lori Beach
August 28, 2024 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Today we went to try a calmer/family friendly beach, so we went for the Paradise or Lori Beach. Both are next to each other but we ended up by Lori as it was not so full like the Paradise one.

We rented the chairs + sunshade (20€) and had to play a bit with the shadow, as the sunshade was quite small. But nothing tragical. There were many families there and the beach is quite shallow, so perfect for kids. Even so you can do some sport and swim to the blue barriers at the end of the beach. The water was nicely warm but refreshing and we stayed longer than expected, ☀️

In the evening we went for dinner + cocktails and ended up eating special ice cream rolls 🍦, really relaxing!Read more
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Day 15
Thursday, August 29, 2024 at 10:22 AM
☀️ 29 °C
Altitude: Sea level
Albania Ksamil 39.7727, 19.99719239°46’22” N 19°59’50” E
Ksamil 7
August 29, 2024 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
Another day in paradise 🌊🐠

We went this time next to the Ksamil 7 beach, as they had there a floating water park for the kids. So we rented the chairs + sunshade (30€) by the Legisi Restaurant and enjoyed the time there. The kids loved the games and after 1h they returned even more brown than Michelle 😁

We went for a late lunch at the Orange restaurant, which was like almost each restaurant here: very nice and had great prices (about 5-10€ for a main dish). As we were not so hungry in the evening for dinner, we went straight for the sweet crepes of the Simple Bar (3,50€) and finished the day by cocktails/coke at the Bermuda bar (each drink 5€). 🍹

We could get used to that life…Read more
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Day 17
Saturday, August 31, 2024 at 9:41 AM
☀️ 28 °C
Altitude: 4 m
Albania Ksamil 39.766492, 19.994339°45’59” N 19°59’39” E
Lori Beach - last day Ksamil
August 31, 2024 in Albania ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
We decided to spend our last day in Ksamil in our favourite spot: the Lori Beach. 🏖️

Just swimming, reading and enjoying the amazing blue water. In the evening we went to our favourite restaurant according to the kids: the Key 21 or as the kids called it - “the best burger in town”. 🍔 couldn’t be a better farewell.Read more
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Day 18
Sunday, September 1, 2024 at 2:28 PM
⛅ 34 °C
Altitude: 111 m
Albania Tirana 41.328167, 19.817341°19’41” N 19°49’2” E
Tirana
September 1, 2024 in Albania ⋅ ⛅ 34 °C
We said bye bye to Ksamil today and drove about 4h to Tirana. Time to get some culture after so many days at the beach 😁

The city center is quite small but nice to see and walk. The main square is very monumental and reminded us on some other former communist cities. We stopped for lunch in a nearby Toptani shopping mall (and tried to have a break from the sun) and walked through the lively streets. A nice place to go in the late afternoon is the Tirana Castle. It used to be a small castle but now just the walls are standing and they transformed it into a nice restaurant and shooping area.

Tomorrow we continue our way to Dubrovnik passing by Montenegro and Bosnia.Read more
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Day 18
Sunday, September 1, 2024 at 2:37 PM
⛅ 34 °C
Altitude: 107 m
Albania Tirana 41.327897, 19.81893341°19’40” N 19°49’8” E
Et'hem Bey Mosque
September 1, 2024 in Albania ⋅ ⛅ 34 °C
Short visit of the mosque, which is located straight on the Skanderbeg Plaza. It’s very small but nicely decorated.
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Day 19
Monday, September 2, 2024 at 1:44 PM
☁️ 29 °C
Altitude: 835 m
Montenegro Gornji Manastir Ostrog 42.674796, 19.03028442°40’29” N 19°1’49” E
Ostrog Monastery
September 2, 2024 in Montenegro ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
We decided to skip Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro and went instead to the Ostrog Monastery (serbian orthodox) which is 50km away and it is a famous pilgrimage site. 🛐

The monastery was constructed in the 17th century and is integrated and built straight into the rock of the mountain (hello Petra/Jordania!). It’s dedicated to Saint Basil of Ostrog, who was buried there. The frescoes are painted straight on the rock and the main building is very narrow but highly decorated. It was totally worth it!

We just had some stress as the tire problem turned out to be a screw which perfurated the tire and made it lose air constantly. 🛞 So we went down the hill with almost a flat tire….not a very safe experience when you go the very narrow and winding curves of the mountain. 🏔️ The way to the monastery is already exciting enough without tire problems but we arrived safe to the valley, where we could pump some air again and continue the journey.Read more
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Day 19
Monday, September 2, 2024 at 3:21 PM
☁️ 31 °C
Altitude: 312 m
Bosnia and Herzegovina Sušica 42.715096, 18.48504842°42’54” N 18°29’6” E
Bosnia Herzegovina
September 2, 2024 in Bosnia and Herzegovina ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C
We had to cross Bosnia to reach Dubrovnik.

They had nice mountain roads with a wonderful site of valleys and rivers but we didn’t enjoy them much as the tire problem turned out to be more annoying than expected. We could only drive for 30 minutes with a good tire pressure. After that it got less and less and we had to pump air again. So we had to stop each 30min and search for a petrol station. Not easy in the middle of nowhere.

At least we had some nice encounters on the way 🐄

And at the end we managed to reach Dubrovnik safely. Quite an adventure :DRead more
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Day 20
Tuesday, September 3, 2024 at 10:27 AM
⛅ 28 °C
Altitude: 8 m
Croatia Pile Gate 42.641425, 18.10584742°38’29” N 18°6’21” E
Dubrovnik Old Town
September 3, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Our first day in Dubrovnik just started after we fixed our flat tire. Enrico went to the garage nearby and they simply patched the hole with some extra rubber. In 10min it was ready! 🤯 We will probably test it here in Dubrovnik before taking the road again.

After the problem was solved we could go to the old town and visit the many small medieval alleys. The good thing is that you don’t manage to get lost as you always end up on one of the 2-3 main streets. And you just move yourself inside the walls. There are just 3 exits possible. We entered the city by the Pile Tower, which is basically the main entrance for tourists.Read more
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Day 20
Tuesday, September 3, 2024 at 11:16 AM
☁️ 28 °C
Altitude: 12 m
Croatia Dubrovnik Cathedral 42.640388, 18.1101542°38’25” N 18°6’37” E
Dubrovnik Old Town 2
September 3, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C
We visited the cathedral and several smaller churches. And also read about the bombing of the city which happened during the Yugoslavia war (90s). Luckily the destruction didn’t affect the whole old town and they could reconstruct the damaged buildings.

The city also got famous due to the many filming locations from Game of Thrones. You can walk through the streets and feel yourself in the medieval times. So we visited the famous staircase where the “Shame” scene took place. There you can also sit in a bar and drink “Shame Mojitos” 🍸

After 3h walking in the city and going up and down the hills, we also decided going back to the apartment as the heat was very intensive. Time for a siesta. 😎Read more
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Day 20
Tuesday, September 3, 2024 at 5:44 PM
☀️ 27 °C
Altitude: 370 m
Croatia Srđ 42.648687, 18.11216142°38’55” N 18°6’44” E
Dubrovnik Panoramic View
September 3, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
After the screw in the tire problem, we decided to test the car before continuing the trip. So instead of taking the cable car to the panorama view on the top of the mountain, we went there by car. And it was a very adventurous ride.

You go through a very narrow but 2 way road until the top, which takes about 10min. But it was a nice experience. Once there, you can enjoy a wonderful view of the old town and maybe stay there for the sunset. We decided to enjoy the sunset straight from the beach near our appartment: the Sunset Beach. So peaceful 🌅Read more
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Day 21
Wednesday, September 4, 2024 at 12:37 PM
☀️ 28 °C
Altitude: 10 m
Croatia Petka 42.654913, 18.069942°39’18” N 18°4’12” E
Sunset Beach
September 4, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
We decided to enjoy a bit the time and went to the Sunset Beach, which is 5min away from our Airbnb. 🏖️ It’s a peeble beach but the stones are very small and after the first meters in the water you have sand. So no need for shoes. You can also bring your own sunshades and there’s no need to rent or pay something.

The water is not so hot like in Albania but still ok to enter without problems. The kids loved to snorkel to see the many fishes. 🐠🐟Read more
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Day 21
Wednesday, September 4, 2024 at 4:37 PM
☀️ 28 °C
Altitude: 19 m
Croatia Large Onofrio's Fountain 42.641717, 18.10726742°38’30” N 18°6’26” E
The Walls of Dubrovnik
September 4, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
An almost 2km long stone wall protects the old town of Dubrovnik. It started being constructed in the 13th century and it consists of many towers and bastions.

A must-do for all Dubrovnik visitors 🏰. We went up at 16:30h when the sun was not so hot anymore but even so, it was a mix of delight and suffering. By 29 °C you sweat from alone and then you must still go up and down the walls. Even for a very lazy and comfortable person like me, it was totally worth it 😆

You have an amazing view of the city, the coast and there are some possibilities to make a break in some bars on the top. So actually to see the sunset from there, should also be amazing. The last entrance is at 18:30h and adults pay 35€/kids 15€.Read more
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