Together with Croatia’s Dubrovnik, Kotor of Montenegro is a highlight of my trip to the Balkans. It’s got it all. UNESCO World Heritage Site approved historical background set on an unbelievably gorgeous scenery featuring the Kotor Bay with the high

Bitola-Macedonia
We only made a very brief stop in Bitola for a few hours, but we still had time to stroll around the charming central area and visit one heritage area. Wikitravel has a good intro: Bitola is quite

Monastery of Saint Naum in Ohrid–Macedonia
Not too far away from beautiful Ohrid with its enchanting monasteries and the Ohrid lake is the monastery of Saint Naum of Ohrid, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Macedonia. The monastery was founded by Saint Naum back

Onufri National Museum & Saint Maria’s Church : Berat
Inside the walls of the Berat Castle, within the area of Saint Maria’s Sleep Church, is the Onufri Museum – named after one of Albania’s finest artists. We had the pleasure of attending a tour of the place given by

Berat Castle : Albania
Berat, the Albanian white city, has one major attraction which makes it a very popular among the tourists coming to Albania – the Berat Castle (Berat Kala). Unlike the castle I visited in Kruja which hosts museums, shops and restaurants,

Berati–White City : Bektashism Tekke – Shabbatai Zvi
Our explorations of the Balkan religions somehow always seemed to revolve around the topic of the exotic Bektashim religion and finally brought us to a tiny hidden gem in the outskirts of Alabnia, a town called Berat (or Berati). Generally

Kruja’s Dollma Teqe : Albania
This post is a wrap up of my visit to Albania’s little town of Kruja. So far, I’ve mentioned Kruja’s old bazaar, the Kruje Castle and Skanderbeg National Museum and the terrific little National Ethnographic Museum. Still, there’s one little

Dubrovnik–Touring the Old City
After introducing Dubrovnik in Croatia as “best of the Balkans”, touring Dubrovnik’s old city walls and the local Dubrovnik Jewish museum and synagogue, it’s time to wrap up the Dubruvnik tour with a walking tour of the old city. And

Saint Pantheleimon–Clement Monastery : Ohrid-Macedonia
To give you a taste of the history behind the wonderful city of Ohrid in Macedonia (near the gorgeous Ohrid Lake), I present to you – Saint Pantheleimon Monastery, also known as Saint Clement Monastery, both names indicative of the

Gorgeous Ohrid Lake : Macedonia
One of the main attractions of Ohrid in Macedonia is the beautiful Ohrid Lake. Deep blue fresh water, with terrific weather all almost all year around, I’d say this is gotta be one of the best spots for a vacation