I bought online a ticket to see the house where Nicolae Ceausescu lived with his family for a quarter of the century. There is no need to do that if you do not mind waiting 20-30 minutes. A guided tour takes 45 minutes, tours are available in Romanian and English. It says everywhere that “taking […]
Ceausescu Mansion, Bucharest, Romania, July 2024 Read More »
The trip to Bucharest was totally unplanned. I spend every summer in my favorite place, a small Bulgarian town of Byala, and use it as an opportunity to visit the Russian consulate in Varna to do some paperwork. This is a lot cheaper and less time consuming than to fly from Denver to Houston. Last
Bucharest, Romania, July 2024 Read More »
The last stopover of this trip was a ski resort, Razlog. The city must be packed in winter with skiers. In August, it was a quiet place with few visitors. The city center is a nice place to take a walk. Razlog has a viewing platform on top of one the mountains. The hike to
Razlog, Bulgaria, August 2022 Read More »
Heraclea Sintica Shortly, I was at the mineral springs. The area was clean and unspoiled by human presence but all facilities were there – change rooms, showers, and toilets. This water does not contain sulfur and it does not smell. The list of what it does contain is long including rare-earth-elements, metals, and minerals. I
Rupite, Bulgaria, August 2022 Read More »
Macedonia – Petrich, Bulgaria There were three places in the vicinity of Petrich that I wanted to visit: the ancient city Heraclea Sintica, the other Vanga Museum and hot springs in Rupite. All three places are located within several kilometers from each other which makes it possible to see all of them the same day.
Heraclea Sintica, Bulgaria, August 2022 Read More »
Strumica, Macedonia I was up early and at 7 a.m., I was already outside with my backpack. I shut the door of the apartment leaving the key inside as it was agreed with the owner, Dragan. I heard nothing from him the night before and, running ahead of the story, I can tell that Dragan
Macedonia – Petrich, Bulgaria, August 2022 Read More »
Prilep, Macedonia From Prilep, I needed to continue toward Bulgaria, so I took the bus to the city of Strumica which is close to the border. Among attractions in the area were old monasteries, mineral springs, and good hiking trails. I set aside 2 days for exploring Strumica’s surrounding and was worried that perhaps it
Strumica, Macedonia, August 2022 Read More »
Pristina, Kosovo After 3 days in Skopje, I took the bus to Prilep. It was a stopover for one night to break a long stretch of the road ahead into two shorter parts. I booked a room at the hotel Salida one day before coming here. It was €20 per night, quite decent but with
Prilep, Macedonia, August 2022 Read More »
Lake Ohrid, Macedonia It is only 2 hours by bus from Skopje to Pristina, the capital city of Kosovo. Many travelers use Skopje as a springboard to add another entry to the list of their visited countries because Kosovo is a country. Almost 100 states recognized its independence although Kosovo is not a UN member.
Pristina, Kosovo, August 2022 Read More »
Bulgaria – Skopje My first day trip from Skopje was to Lake Ohrid, the oldest and deepest in Europe. I heard a lot about the lake’s beauty and could not wait to see it. The bus ride took 5 hours to Ohrid, the city on the lake shores. I walked from the bus station to
Lake Ohrid, Macedonia, August 2022 Read More »
