When you are spending your holidays on the Dubrovnik Riviera, a boat tour to the Elaphiti Islands – a small archipelago stretching northwest of Dubrovnik – is a “must”. We booked a day trip from Slano with a visit to Šipan and Lopud, two of the three permanently inhabited islands. Of course, it is easier […]
STON, CROATIA: MEDIEVAL WALLS, SALT PANS AND OYSTERS
Ston, a small fortified town on the Pelješac Peninsula, about 54 km north-west of Dubrovnik, is becoming more and more popular as a tourist attraction. The defensive walls that surround the town are absolutely unique, but Ston is also famous for its oyster production and the 2000-years old salt works in the vicinity that have […]
DISCOVER VJETRENICA: THE “WIND CAVE” IN BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA
Most tourists traveling along the Adriatic Highway from the Montenegrin border in northern direction do not know anything about „Vjetrenica“, a cave in Herzegovina that is visible on a well-marked road sign along the Highway, around 30 km north from Dubrovnik near Slano. Strange enough, this is one of the most impressive caves in the […]
BOKA KOTORSKA: THE CHARM OF MORINJ
If you want to spend a quiet weekend on the Montenegrin Coast, I would like to recommend Morinj, a small and picturesque seaside hamlet right in the middle of the Bay of Kotor, halfway between the towns of Kotor and Herceg Novi (5 km from Risan). It is well-known for its lush green mountains, pebble […]
HIKING IN THE MOUNTAINS OF KUČKA KRAJINA (ŽIJOVO)
Kučke Planine or Žijovo, the mountains of Kučka Krajina that are situated north-east from Podgorica, are becoming more and more attractive for hikers, mountaineers, botanists and other nature lovers, in particular those who want to visit pure and undiscovered areas. Most of the area is a magnificent mixture of wild karst and glacier soil, decorated […]
SKOPJE, PLAN 2014: A HISTORICAL REMAKE OR A KITSCHY THEME PARK?
Three years ago I visited Skopje. At that time, many people were talking about „Plan 2014“, initiated by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. It was the government’s intention to redevelop the existing city center to include around 20 neo-classical and baroque buildings on the banks of the Vardar River, as well as over 40 monuments and […]
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA: BLAGAJ, THE DERVISH HOUSE ON THE BUNA RIVER
On our last trip through Bosnia and Herzegovina we visited Blagaj, a small kasaba (village-town) 12 km south of Mostar that has now become popular as one of the main tourist attractions of Herzegovina, first of all due to its position at the spring of the Buna River and its historical tekke (Dervish monastery). Approaching […]
AMAZING FOČA (B&H): FROM SAND PYRAMIDS TO SUTJESKA NATIONAL PARK
On our last camper trip to Bosnia & Herzegovina we spent a night in Camp Drina near Foča. Branko, the friendly owner of this beautiful camping site on the bank of the Drina river, prepared an excellent meal (grilled trout) and gave us a lot of information about the surroundings. His friend Sića, a certified mountain guide, […]
MEDUN: A MEDIEVAL FORTRESS AND A MEMORIAL MUSEUM
During one of our day trips in the surroundings of Podgorica we visited an interesting historical village in the hills of Kučka Krajina: Medun, located at a distance of 13 km from the capital city. The Illyrian tribe of the Labeates that lived around Skadar Lake built a castle here between the 4th and 3th […]
KUČKA KORITA: THE PATROL PATH TO GRLO SOKOLOVO
A trip through the Kučka Krajina mountains is always a special experience. This region, close to Podgorica but also close to the Albanian border, is rather unknown among tourists, although it offers many hidden surprises. This time we decided to make a walk along the former patrol path of the border guards in Kučka Korita, a […]