My European "terra incognita"
The region, whose name comes from the Turkic expression "a chain of steep mountains" - "b" starts with "s" ends, seven letters.
Have you guessed it?
Yes, they are the Balkans. The long history of my acquaintance with this European "terra incognita" is set out, as always, on the forum /a>), I will try to formulate a short version below : ))
So, the bus tour "Galloping through Europe Balkans", the first country - Serbia, the city of Belgrade.
Most of all, I remember the old fortress with views of the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, the neo-Byzantine style temple of St. Sava and Skadarlija - a pedestrian street filled with traditional Serbian taverns - kafans.
It is interesting that smoking is allowed in kafans (Serbs, by the way, confidently hold the lead in per capita consumption of tobacco products not only in Europe, but also in the world).
And candles in Serbian churches are placed in sand or water in separate rooms near the temples, and they do not have a distinction between "for health" and "for peace".
Second country - Bosnia and Herzegovina, the city of Sarajevo. This is an amazing city, which is considered the second in the world (after Jerusalem) in terms of the number of synagogues, churches and mosques located nearby.
The city in which Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated, which was the formal reason for the start of the First World War.
The city that survived the longest blockade in modern history - 1425 days (and this is at the end of the 20th century! )
A city that drinks exclusively coffee (or rather, "kafu" or, in the old fashioned way, "kahwa"), brewed in a cezve and poured into tiny cups.
And what aromas are in the air of all these? evabd? inica, buregd? inica or as? inica! The body of the average tourist completely loses the ability to think and quickly turns something to eat!
Second acquaintance - Mostar, located in the picturesque valley of the Neretva River. But be careful - this is a completely enchanted place!
Because you have already photographed the Old Bridge several dozen times, and the emerald Neretva, and mountains, and old churches with mosques, but something does not let you go and you continue to circle around.
You drink coffee, listen to the call of the muezzin to prayer from the top of the minaret, which is echoed by loud church bells, and you understand that it is not the city that does not let you go, it is you who do not want to leave it...
Third country - Croatia, settlementPlat. In general, Plat can only get into tourist plans as a place from which you can quickly get to Dubrovnik.
But, it was the first day when we met the sea, when we fell asleep and woke up to the sound of the surf. And yes, the Adriatic, with its crystal clear water, which has absorbed all shades of blue, cannot but enchant!
Second introduction - Dubrovnik. From the very first sight, this city evokes an enthusiastic "wow! " And then you don't part with this "wow! " Dubrovnik knocks out with its landscapes. Here, every step gives a new perspective, a new look and a new admiration.
The main street of the city is Stardun with paving stones polished to a shining shine.
Onofrio's fountain, which, according to legend, grants the most cherished desires (you only need to try the water from all its 16 faucets ; )).
Fortress with a two-kilometer wall that encircles the historic center of the city and offers breathtaking views of the surroundings.
And. . . a million tourists! It's scary to imagine what is being done here in the "high" season! In addition, when coming to Dubrovnik, tune in to the price level somewhere like in Venice. Yes, everything is expensive. But it's really worth it!
Fourth country - Montenegro, the city of Budva. Walking around the old town, lazy lying on the beach and. . . 10 local commandments that regulate the work of the whole country : ))
Man is born tired and lives to rest
2. Love your bed as you love yourself
3. Rest during the day so you can sleep at night
4. Don't work - work kills
5. If you see that someone is resting - help him
6. Do as little as possible, what remains - entrust others
7. Rest in the shade of trees, because no one has died from rest
8. All diseases from work, don't die young
9. If you want to work - sit down and wait - this desire will pass quickly
10. If you see that someone is feasting, join; if you see that someone is working - go away and do not interfere!
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Fifth country -Albania, the city of Kruja. Medieval town and birthplace of the local national hero Skanderbeg. It was Skanderbeg who, for the first time in the history of Albania, raised a red banner with a black eagle over the fortress of Kruja, which to this day is the national flag of the country. Then Sultan Mehmed II, after several brilliant victories of Skanderbeg, was forced to recognize the autonomy of Albania.
Second acquaintance - the city of Tirana. A lively, energetic and absolutely modern city. Bicycle paths. Wide avenues. Palms. Fountains. Monuments to the past in the form of preserved bunkers, a piece of the Berlin Wall, an empty mausoleum and two Stalins in the company of Lenin and Enver Honzha, gathered in the backyard of some institution.
Skanderberg Square with a fountain, the jets of which flow smoothly from the ground and spread in wide streams in different directions. Cathedral. Art installations. Mosque. The Peace Bell, cast from spent shell casings from the riots of the late 90s. And Vodafone advertising on every corner : ))
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Sixth country - Republic of North Macedonia, the city of Ohrid. I must say that Ohrid is very (very, very, very, very) photogenic. Local homo sapiens, having supplemented the win-win combination of lake and mountains with a wonderful creation of human hands, ended up with an amazingly cozy and openly beautiful place to live (it's not for nothing that UNESCO included the entire "city + lake" complex in its list of world heritage! )
Second acquaintance - the city of Skopje. For me, Skopje is the city, in relation to which, the word "strange" is best suited. This is such a combination of incongruous. A lot of sculptures that even the ubiquitous Chinese cannot completely re-photograph. Giant flagpoles with equally gigantic flags. Various fountains. Monumental and slightly, but places and not slightly, pompous buildings.
And then there is the old city with a huge oriental bazaar, numerous mosques and small coffee houses in former caravanserais. Ancient Orthodox Church of the Holy Savior. Fortress with city and mountain views. And a monument to T. G. Shevchenko in a cozy park in the very center.
So what is Skopje like? An encyclopedia of kitsch, as the local architect called it? A place to "take a selfie with the statues, " as one of the travel bloggers put it? Or the center of ancient Macedonian history and the rightful heir to a great empire, as the locals believe?
Seventh country - Bulgaria, citySofia. The current capital of the state tried on several names - Serdika, Sredets, Triaditsa, until it acquired its current "wise" name (Sofia in Greek "wisdom, skill").
The huge temple of Alexander Nevsky, which can accommodate up to 5.000 believers. City park with a fountain. The building of the Ivan Vazov National Theater in the Baroque style. Presidential residence with an honorary guard.
Rotonda "Saint George" is one of the oldest churches in Bulgaria, built in the times of the Roman Empire.
The statue of Sophia, which was originally called the "Statue of Hagia Sophia", but was demoted from the saints for a deep neckline, a laurel wreath and a tame owl, which did not fit with the appearance of the canonical saint.
The remains of the fortress walls and residential quarters of the ancient city of Serdiki and the final excursion dash to the Monument to the Tsar-Liberator.
The second acquaintance - the city of Veliko Tarnovo.
Although the first settlements on these lands arose in the Stone Age, significant events in the history of the city take place at the very beginning of the 12th century. It was then that the Bulgarian feudal lords drove out the Byzantines, created the Second Bulgarian Kingdom and declared Veliko Tarnovo its capital.
Narrow streets, souvenir shops, ancient churches and monasteries, a fortress with a cathedral and magnificent landscapes - this is how the capital city once looks now.
Eighth country - Romania, cityBucharest. Our tour of the city turned out to be very. . . unusual. At first we were stuck in a traffic jam at the entrance to the city. Then we were stuck in traffic outside the Palace of the Parliament, the largest civil structure in Europe, built between 1984 and 1989.
Then we were stuck in traffic on Bulevardul Unirii, then on Bulevardul Ion Br? tianu, then to Bulevardul Nicolae B? lcescu. Next is the traffic jam near the Arc de Triomphe, which was built in honor of Romania's independence in 1878. And the final traffic jam at the Revolution Square with the building of the former Central Committee of the Communist Party, from the balcony of which Ceausescu proclaimed his last appeal to the nation.
In general, now I know for sure that there are traffic jams in Bucharest : )) And there are absolutely surreal sunsets here!
Well, or we were just lucky to see one in the heart of Romania.
