The Adriatic Coast of Montenegro

Mountains dropping into the sea, wispy waves crashing into the rock; Montenegro's coast is dynamic and far less tread than it's neighbour's in Croatia. Along the coast you won't find resort towns or 4-star all-inclusive hotels. What you will find however are castles, churches, medieval walls, mansions and spectacular gardens. The Bay of Kotor is one of the most beautiful bays in the Mediterranean but is still yet undiscovered by the hoards of tourists which make it still one of the great treasures of the Balkans.

The town of Kotor is located in the inner most part of the bay, protected from wind and storms. It is surrounded by walls which have stood for centuries now. Within the city walls you'll find tiny streets leaving to picturesque squares and plazas, a labyrinth of homes and shops. The only landmark one can see from the whole city is St. Tryphon's Cathedral. Recognized by its two square towers built in a mix of Byzantine, Roman, Venetian styles.

A must-do in this area is a climb to the top of the city's walls at the Fortress of St.  Ivan. From here you'll be able to see most of the bay, the city below you, and the dome of the church in the next village in Perest.

From Kotor there are a number of great day trips you can take, Perest for example, is known for its "floating churches." Out in the bay you can find two churches sitting atop small islands and appear in certain light to be floating on the water. 

Herceg Novi is the one place in the area where you'll actuallly find a resort, the trickling over from Croatia's border. The old town that sweeps up the hillside is very aattractive and quaint, a nice spot to enjoy the sunshine.

If you're looking for a place to bathe and soak in the sea, Budva is a better place to head. It is no more than a half hour drive from Kotor and you'll find a city that still keeps it's medieval charm despite having been almost completely demolished in an earthquake in the last 1970s. Just south of Budva is Sveti Stefan, an old and popular fishing village on an island which has been invaded by hotels and is often crowded by tourists, especially in the summertime.

Details:
You can reach Kotor by plane. Trivat Airport is only 5 km away and there are regularly scheduled flights from Belgrade and Zurich arriving daily. A little further away is Podgorica Airport (65 km) which is serviced by many airline flights from all over Europe.

Kiev is undoubtedly the city of churches

Kiev is located in beautiful Ukraine. The city scape can be a bit confusing but when you really explore the streets and take a look at a history book, it all makes sense. The city's buildings are made up of part modern skyscrapers and office buildings, part Soviet nationalist design, part Ukraine nationalist style, a bit of Russian influence and a few others and you have Kiev. There is nothing surprising about the montage of Soviet monuments and modern glass and steel buildings anymore, Kiev is embraced as one of the most beautiful cities in Ukraine because of it.

Apart for the city's architecture and its natural beauty, one can really see that Kiev is undoubtedly a city of churches. Tall and glimmering in the summer light, these cathedrals are magnificent. You can grab cheap flights to Kiev all the time from London. and Wizz Air Austrian Airlines are the two airline that fly this route the most. Kiev is a perfect spot to spend a few days, a long weekend, especially in the summer when you can take full advantage of Hydropark, taking walks along the Dnipro River or strolling the city's streets like Khreshchatyk.

The first place you should check out is without a doubt St. Sophia's Cathedral. It is the main monument of the city and is well worth a visit. It is open for visitors daily from 9:00 to 19:00. Inside you can find incredible mosaics and frescos, some of which date back to 1017 when the cathedral was first built. There is also a really nice bell tower in the front of the church. If you need a place to stay in Kiev, I recommend looking for a cheap hotel in this area. There are many walking streets around and if you're lucky you can find a room with a view of St. Sophia's many spindles.

Next head to Andreevsky Spusk (Andrew Street), the city's most famous and oldest street. Walk along it and visit the many shops and galleries. Don't be surprised if this neighbourhood reminds you of Paris' Montmartre! At the end of the street is St. Andrew's Cathedral, a perfect example of Baroque architecture.

 

If you are heading up to the top of the hill, make time to stop at Kievo-Pecherskaya Lavr, a huge monastery dated back to 13th century. It is a very sacred place and is a popular destination for Orthodox Christians that are making pilgrimages. Parts of the property were destroyed during the Second World War but the monastery remained unscathed from the bombings.

 

The city of Kiev has really been shaped by its history, picking up influences from the different eras since it was inhabited. This montage of influence makes Kiev a perfect city to visit for those travellers who love architecture, love culture and love history. There are countless opportunities to find preserved cathedrals and their frescos that managed to not be destroyed during the war, something more rare in Western cities that were heavily bombed at that time.

Discovering Sofia, Europe's hidden capital

To be honest I don't know too much about Bulgaria. I don't know much more than that the capital is Sofia. I never paid much attention in geography or history class in school. But I am slowly trying to remedy this passed up knowledge while I take imaginary and real trips to places in the Balkans. I am continuously surprised and impressed when I fall upon a new photograph, a new city. This happened to me this weekend. I was waiting in an office and the only reading materials around were Hungarian newspapers and underneath I found a travel magazine. Bingo! I thought. I started browsing through, and through and through... Egypt.. China.. Peru.. yes, yes.. Bulgaria. Wait! I stopped and took a closer look.

Sofia! It is a small and compact city with dynamic architecture and a great vibe. It is one of those cities that if finally waking up after a long sleep and is still yet to be discovered by all of the tourists passing through on their way to ski or to bathe. Even though it is no buzzing metropolis like many other European capitals, Sofia has enough sights, museums, art galleries and parks to keep any tourist occupied for a week or so. With Mount Vitosha on the outskirts of the city, many come to Sofia in search of the ski hills or the hiking trails in the summertime. But many more should think about spending at least a few days in the city itself before heading up into the mountains.

Sofia itself is accessible by plane, train and automobile. But from the UK it is best to grab a cheap flight to Sofia. Flights in June are already discounted in anticipation of a summer full of travellers, you can fly from London to Sofia for £56. I'd say thats not too bad at all!

 

  

Nothing like Croatia to beat the winter blues...

 

 

The only thing to take my mind off of the ice, snow, sleet and my salt-stained boots is Croatia. I have been browsing through pictures and I am getting too excited to see the snow disappear and for it to finally be warm enough to go out with just a sweater. Maybe even sandals. But I think those days are little bit further away than I would like. So in the meantime I am looking around at Croatia through other people's travel photographs. There are some really spectacular places to visit there. I have been hearing a lot about vacations to Croatia's Adiatic coast as being heavenly, a real escape, secluded and dreamy. Is this real? It is hard to imagine that a place like this hasn't already been run over by the tourist train yet and completely violated. But then again, I am finding a lot of inspiring places in the Balkans recently that are still well-kept secrets to the rest of the world. With flights as cheap as £60 from London to Dubrovnik, its hard to not book it right now!

Croatia does have a large tourist popular in the summer months. But it is definitely possible to escape the crowds and find a quiet spot along the long coast and relax on the rocky shores. Even the off-shore islands offer unique little getaways and hiding spots from the crowds. These quaint little towns give travellers just a taste of what it is like to live in this sea-side country. Imagine stepping out your door and seeing turquoise waters like those from the Caribbean every day? These waters are a nice contract to the Alps that run alongside them.

Any trip to Croatia should include Dubrovnik, the busiest city along the coast. It is one of Europe's best restored walled-cities, keeping the baroque-styled buildings hidden from view in the harbor. Placa is the main pedestrian area in the city and it is lined with nice shops and cafés. The city and area are rich in artistic traditions, something the museums have carefully displayed and restored. Beyond the city walls are the countless beaches, islands and peninsulas.

Have you been there?

Roll over Moldova

Wine, sunflowers, Armenian churches and meadows. It's about time to visit Moldova.

Photograph by Dan Herrick/Lonely Planet Images

Leafing through a travel guide on the weekend I came across a photograph of a beautiful blue church. It looked like something that could come from a dream, or a fairy-take with princes dressed in rich-coloured velvet and gold, riding a stunning white horse. Reading the caption I discovered this church exists outside of my world of make-believe and is located in the Moldovan capital, Chisinau. The All Saints Church is an example of early 1800s architecture of that area, it has incredible towers, with spires on the top, and details in white and gold. It is not however the only architecturally stunning building in Chisinau however. There are more, and the more I look for them, the more I feel like the grim and fantastic tales from my childhood are coming to life. From simple water tours, to the government houses, each line is carefully drawn on these incredible buildings. It is not enough to just travel to a city for its facades, its lines and shapes. Moldova is much more than that. It is not impossible to find a cheap flight to Kishinev, and then really delve into what this small but incredible country has to offer. It is a main contender to be the poorest country in Europe, but even the poor have something to show-off. The Moldovan culture is just as rich as that of the French countryside or Spain's seasides. They have wine and beautiful countryside meadows full of sunflowers. The people are open and friendly. It is one of the few places left in Europe where Soviet remnants are still alive, living history, in a disturbing sort of way.

Cricova is one of the most important wineries in Moldova. In its namesake town, it is just 15km from Chisinau.It has the second largest wine cellar in the world, around 120km of passageways with aging barrels lining the walls; these tunnels have existed underneath the city since the 15th century. This is one of the few remaining wineries that still makes sparking champagne wine with the traditional French methods. Incredible.

Orheiul Vechi is magnificent. It is a cave monastery that has been carved into the side of a limestone cliff. There are caves for worship all over the face of the cliff. Archeologists have discovered skeletons and other remains that date back as far as the 14th century. History is buried in these caves and so is mystery and excitement, the kind that really turns your hairs up on the back of your neck. Many of the complexes are off-limits to tourists and can only be accessed by experienced rock climbers (note to self: learn to climb).

Taking time to relax and get closer to the people is important when travelling, especially in a place like Moldova where the people are so open and have a unique take of life to share. A good place to do this is Satul Modovenesc. It is a retreat away from the city, about 30km, that is nestled between three lakes. Fishing poles are available for those who wish to spend their afternoon lounging in a row boat and trying to catch their supper. Ride horses their the undisturbed forests or in the wintertime play a game of hockey on the frozen lake.

It is sometimes unbelievable how inspiring a few photographs can be to visit a place like this. Moldova is very quickly climbing my list of Balkan destinations to visit. If you're heading to Romania, go a little further into Moldova, I am sure that it won't disappoint. 

Some first thoughts on Turkey

I put it on my list of resolutions so I figured I would start to think about this possible vacation destination Turkey. From what I've read so far is that Isanbul, being the capital, is the easiest place to start from. Finding out if there are cheap flights to Turkey was easy and its a good option since the buses and trains can be slow and have hold-ups at the border. In particular Sultanahmet where some of the city's major sights and monuments are located near each other. From the main square, the Blue Mosque and the Haghia Sophia are both a stone's throw away. There are thousands of years worth of history in this square kilometre alone, its incredible even though I live in Budapest at how much this area is saturated in politics, culture and world-changing events. You can just breathe history here. From here it is easy to explore the Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar.

I realize the more I travel that not only does the capital city not give a real representation of the country as a whole but that most of the really touristy sights also don't represent the capital city. They are mandatory to visit in my opinion, usually just to see what the hype is all about, but it is certain that tourists crowd the Blue Mosque and that they outnumber the locals at the Grand Bazaar. I like to get to know the locals when I travel and to do this I usually have to find the more outer districts of the city and lose myself in neighborhoods where English-speakers are harder to find.

Balkinology, a travel site, suggests taking a walk along the south shore of the Golden Horn from Galata Bridge. Checking out Fener and Balat will be helpful too in getting a more realistic and cultured impression of Istanbul. The city walls were built in the fifth century and it is possible to trace them along the outskirts of the city. I can't even imagine how long it took to build them and by how many men.
Another site I think is a must-see especially for art-lovers and architect admirers is the Church of Saviour in Chora which has frescoes in classic Byzantine style.Thinking about travelling again is exciting, especially to a location like Turkey which is really geographically close but can feel so exotic at the same time.

2010? travel travel travel

Well, its the eve of the New Year and I think everyone is making their resolutions to put in ink and sign at the strike of midnight. So I've been thinking about mine. Even though Budapest is beautiful and historical, there is so much more to explore. Hungary is the best starting point to discover the Balkans and although I have been getting around a little bit, there is still so much more to see, agreed?

Some of what I have come up with, the less personal and travel-related resolutions include:
-find cheaper flights  to the places I want to visit
-get out of the city more and breathe some fresh air
-set up a couchsurfing account because even though it is sometimes easy to find cheap hotel stays, there is nothing cooler than sleeping at local's houses and learning a thing or two about culture and lifestyle when travelling
-turkey turkey turkey! (and its not the bird that I've got on my mind)

New Years is the perfect time to think about the next year's travels and reflect on the trips I've taken this past year. It is pretty incredible thinking of all the possibilities that that Balkans offer. I'm not even quite sure how I got started on all of this but I am ready for a new year and more travel adventures, with fresh air and cheap flights. :)

Happy New Year!