Travelfood

Part of this article is based on a Balkan roundtrip in April, but some parts are from other trips in the region. Since Balkan is homogenous and still extremely diverse, I decided upon this common article as well. In April, there are less tourists but with luck can be as warm as in summer. In the mountain regions there are still chilly winds and the nights are cold.

The religious diversity is obvious. We have Catholic Croatia, Greek-Orthodox Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria, Moslem Bosnia-Hercegovina and Albania, and Macedonia a steady mix. There are nevertheless minorities in all of the countries. The language is fairly similar in all of the countries, but it is written in Cyrillic letters in Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia. Of all the capitals involved, Zagreb and Belgrade have a Western feel in their city center. Otherwise it is still quite grey with ugly suburbs, or even a totalitarian, nationalistic look like in Skopje.

Making a roundtrip in the Balkans is not easy since it might be difficult to reach one country from another. Serbia has perhaps the best train connections in the region (for example in Montenegro and Albania you cannot travel by train at all) but elsewhere they are slow and not practical. Some cities, like Sofia or Tirana, might be difficult to reach by plane. Bus connections work well, but they are obviously slow. Tourism services are aimed mainly towards Eastern European tourists. Another thing making independent travelling difficult, is the confusing obligatory police registration in Serbia and Macedonia.

Balkan food is perhaps what links all the countries together. You find the cevapcici (minced meat sticks) everywhere and also burek or börek (a pie filled with minced meat or spinach or cheese). Meat skewers are also common. Along the coast you find seafood and fish, and in Bulgaria a refreshing cucumber yoghurt salad called tarator.

Since the cities are quite similar (usually dominated by an ancient fortress), try to find some diversity in the countryside and the nature. Compare the ancient Byzantine monasteries in Macedonia with the mosque and minaret villages in Albania, and you feel puzzled about the diverse Europe. And the differences that cause conflicts in the Balkans. Travelling on your own in the Balkans make you realize that your knowledge of English or German might not be enough to cope with the ticket purchases, restaurant formalities, and so on. Balkan locals might not be the most cheerful people towards travelers, but they feel real and I have not felt threatened by anyone despite nocturnal waiting for buses in the night in the city centers.

Balkan, Europe, food, travel, travel experiences