Tag Archives: the balkans

Travels through History – The Balkans

I have written seven books about the history of places I have travelled to. If you are interested in history and / or travel then you should check out these books. Please bear in mind the books are travelogues rather than travel guides and so cover only the places I visited. Here is the oneContinue reading “Travels through History – The Balkans”

Travels through History – The Balkans

I have written seven books about the history of places I have travelled to. If you are interested in history and / or travel then you should check out these books. Please bear in mind the books are travelogues rather than travel guides and so cover only the places I visited. Here is the oneContinue reading “Travels through History – The Balkans”

Travels through History – The Balkans: Journeys in the former Yugoslavia

The Macedonians build a fountain and upset the Greeks. Villages on the road to Lake Ohrid fly Albanian flags instead of Macedonian ones. Kosovan taxi drivers believe fundamentalists are being sponsored in their country by former foes. Dubrovnik is so popular a one-way system is now in operation on the city walls. In Sarajevo, theContinue reading “Travels through History – The Balkans: Journeys in the former Yugoslavia”

Dubrovnik is popular

From my book on The Balkans Dubrovnik in Croatia has the finest set of city walls anywhere in the world. They’re an essential visit for any traveller or tourist to this most beautiful of old cities, which for five centuries was a major power in the Mediterranean. Since my previous visit, two interesting changes hadContinue reading “Dubrovnik is popular”

The Besac Fort Dog

Virpasar is a village by Skadar Lake. The favourite pastime here is a boat trip to see some of the 270 species of bird who live on and around the lake. My recommendation is to walk over the bridge and take the road that runs behind the Hotel Vir. After about five minutes of uphillContinue reading “The Besac Fort Dog”

Beaches, food, stays and wild places in Croatia: readers’ travel tips

Famous for its dazzling shoreline and hundreds of islands, the Adriatic jewel also boasts thrilling national parks, a host of medieval towns and great places to eat and stay. And then there’s the frog museum …

Travels through History: Journeys in the former Yugoslavia – Macedonia

This excerpt from the book about my travels in The Balkans Five hundred yards further on things started to get interesting. I saw a large equestrian statue on top of an enormous plinth. Even though the official name of this statue is “Warrior on a Horse”, when it was raised the Greeks were upset becauseContinue reading “Travels through History: Journeys in the former Yugoslavia – Macedonia”

Where WWI started

     At 10:10 am, Franz Ferdinand’s car approached Nedeljko Cabrinovic, one of five assassins in Sarajevo that day, where he was standing on the riverside road. Cabrinovic threw his bomb at the car. Sadly for Cabrinovic, and many other people, the bomb bounced off the folded-back convertible cover into the street. The bomb’s timed detonatorContinue reading “Where WWI started”