The Balkan Peninsula is both a geographical term and a historical term; understood from different perspectives, the scope of the countries it includes will be slightly different.
Most people’s first reaction to the Balkans is the former Yugoslavia, or the countries after the disintegration of Yugoslavia - Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia (without adding a "North", Greece does not agree), Kosovo (Serbia, China and Russia have not yet recognized its independent sovereignty).
From a geographical perspective, the Balkan Peninsula refers to the land between the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea, bounded by the Danube and Sava Rivers in the north; so those who have a sense of geography will definitely add Greece , Albania, Bulgaria.
In a political sense, Romania is usually added; but from a geographical perspective, Romania is not included.
People who are particularly serious will also add Türkiye - although only 3 of Turkey's territory is located in the Balkan Peninsula.
The above is not the point of this article.
The Balkans are known as the "powder keg of Europe", and they definitely live up to their reputation.
It is said that since the ancient Roman Empire, every generation of people living here has experienced at least one war; all empires and power politics that have ever appeared on the land of Europe have fought here.
If you are interested, check out the history of the Balkan Peninsula, the triggers of World War I, the multiple wars during the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia, etc., and you can summarize the scoring items and bonus items of N many powder barrels.
This is not the point of this article.
The focus of this article is the Travel Channel - the Balkans, which has now become one of the best places to travel in Europe!
By the way: When Lao Fei recommends a trip to the Balkans to a friend, sometimes he will see the other person throwing a question mark face showing his historical skills: The Balkan Peninsula! Europe's powder keg! Let’s fight! Can you go? Is it safe?
It’s all done, okay! Uh...well...that's it for now.
Firecrackers are not set off every day on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month.
Everyone is now doing their best to develop the economy, okay!
In addition, you have to carry it more, so that the powder keg will explode just waiting for you to sweep it.
In a word: The Balkans are currently safe, comfortable to travel, and quite affordable.
Okay, now on to the Travel Channel!
Don’t read it wrong - this group of rankings is in order: Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Bulgaria; this is the order recommended by Lao Fei, the higher the ranking. The ones farther back are more worth visiting.
There are three finales left - Serbia, where the tourism industry is becoming more and more popular, Romania, which is seriously underestimated from the perspective of walking, and Greece, which is so hot that it is well-known by passers-by. These are the ones you should visit most. Balkan countries.
I have traveled through all of these 11 countries three times. Based on my own travel experiences, I would like to share this briefly with interested friends.
In Tirana, the capital of Albania, you can tell more than half of it just by looking at the main square in the center of the city.
By the way, this group of sculptures in front of the National Museum’s facade is worth taking a good look at - this group of patterns is made of stones of various colors, and the materials and labor for creation are very expensive. !
After the change, the Albanian people initially planned to give it a setback on the grounds that it was "a waste of money and a waste of money".
After calming down, I thought: It wastes people and money, but it also means it is worth a lot of money! This one is tiring and injurious, and it’s very painful to dismantle it! As for the painting style, forget it, the theme is "fighting for freedom", "national independence", and "national unity". It is applicable to everyone, so we won't worry about it.
As for the Tirana Pyramids, Lake Shkodra, the Ancient City of Butrint, etc., those who are really interested can go and see them.
You can also see the bunkers – don’t forget that Albania is the “Land of Bunkers”.
Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, is now peaceful; there are more light boxes of European and American brands on the streets, suggesting that from now on Kosovo will embrace American culture.
This is nothing—Kosovo is today thanks to the intervention of US imperialism and NATO. In order to please US imperialism, two streets in the capital have been renamed. They are now called Bill Clinton Street and Bush Street.
It is recommended to visit Theresa Cathedral.
If we look at anything else, we can only look at the renderings - the mosque to be built.
You can also take a photo with the peacekeepers like us. Anyway, they haven’t withdrawn yet.
Special reminder - there are not many travel resources in Kosovo, but if you arrive in Kosovo, don’t forget to visit Gracanica Monastery. Drive from Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, to approx. 15 minutes.
It was built in 1321 by King Stefan Milutin of Serbia. He built 40 churches in various places during his lifetime. Gracanica Monastery was the last one and the most recognized one. The one with the highest artistic achievement.
Speaking of this, I will cry first - because China, Russia and Serbia do not recognize the independence of Kosovo, I drove to Serbia and specifically checked the world cultural heritage monastery. The information stated that this is in Serbia. After Lao Fei scanned all the monasteries in Serbia and counted them on his fingers, he missed this heavyweight monastery. Then he checked more carefully and found out that it is in Kosovo!
And it is only a 15-minute drive from Pristina, which Lao Fei swept over!
When North Macedonia first became independent, it was called Macedonia, and the Greek people were very unhappy. As for why they were unhappy, I won’t go into details. Please search for this grudge between the two countries.
The founder of the Macedonian Empire was Alexander the Great. Anyone who studies art or architecture should recognize him.
Speaking of Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, there is really no destination worth visiting. The first impression is the new sculptures all over the streets, and almost all of them are straightforward and powerful ones.
The old city wall of Skopje is relatively empty.
Lao Fei ran to look at the round church just to make up for the money.
Ohrid is worth visiting in Macedonia. Its small lakeside church is unique in Balkan style and very beautiful!
Starting from Montenegro, travel begins to get interesting - although the capital Podgorica is basically nothing, Montenegro has three destinations that are worth visiting.
The medieval ancient city of Kotor is listed as a World Heritage Site; St. Tripuna Catholic Church (completed 179 years earlier than Notre Dame in Paris); and Budva.
Kotor Old Town is the best-preserved medieval town on the Adriatic Sea.
If you are a freelancer, it is recommended that you choose a B&B in the ancient city of Kotor.
Tito's famous saying - "What's yours is mine, and what's mine is mine" - well, this is domineering enough, but it's a pity that it's a pirated translation; the genuine translation is "I don't want what's yours" If you want it, you can’t take it away from me” is still engraved above the low main entrance of the old city.
Slovenia is where the Alps, the Dinaric Mountains, the middle Danube plains and the Mediterranean coast meet. Of course, this is from a geographical perspective, and you can’t photograph it with a drone.
By the way, Trump’s wife Melania is Slovenian.
Closer to home, Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, the ancient city of Piran, and Lake Bled are naturally worth visiting.
There is also Pojama Castle, which is the only castle built in a cave in the world.
Starting from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the trip enters the channel recommended by Lao Fei - they are all destinations worth visiting.
If you have watched "Walter Defends Sarajevo" and are impressed by the content of the movie, you are really showing your age - either you have already started dancing in the square, or you are about to dance in the square. On the way to dance.
Sarajevo is now the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has two destinations worth visiting: one is the capital Sarajevo, which has a strong flavor of ethnic blending - Serbs, Muslims, and Croats live together; Orthodox, Islamic Christian and Catholic churches are also not far away.
Although there are still territorial boundaries between the three ethnic groups in the city of Sarajevo, Muslim girls wrapped in headscarves and Serb girls in modern attire can come out of the same university and chat while walking together.
From a historical perspective, Sarajevo also has two famous sights - Sniper Street; and the Latin Bridge, which triggered World War I.
The second is the jewel in the eye of Bosnia and Herzegovina - the beautiful town of Mostar.
The Bridge in Mostar is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is one of the most outstanding examples of Islamic architecture in the Balkans.
It was blown up during the Bosnian War. When it was renovated in 2004, local materials were used and kept in its original state.
Sarajevo and Mostar, even if these are the only two destinations, Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot be missed!
Croatia has been very popular for a while, such as the grid army that did well in the World Cup in Russia! Modric! Mandzukic!
Then there is the beautiful President Kitalovich!
The treadmill is on, the treadmill is on, let’s switch back to the travel channel!
Croatia has the longest coastline among the former Yugoslavia countries, separated from Italy by the Adriatic Sea. Dubrovnik, the pearl of the Adriatic Sea, is famous all over the world, and tourists are rushing across the river. The crucian carp.
After you have been there, you can write like this: "If you want to see what heaven is like, then go to Dubrovnik!"
Then add One sentence: This is what Bernard Shaw said.
You can also imitate cats and tigers and use the stills of "Game of Thrones" to create a live version.
In addition to the must-see Old Town of Dubrovnik, Croatia also has an Istria; and the world-class natural scenery of the Plitvice Lakes-Plitvice Lakes National Park.
Uh... let us straighten our backs now, because Plitvice Lakes also has a well-known nickname - "European Jiuzhaigou"!
Bulgaria has roses, rose valley, and rose essential oil. Women almost all know, if not maybe not, that the place where Rose Valley is located is called Kazanlak.
In Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, its Hagia Sophia is the second largest Orthodox church on the Balkan Peninsula. It is very beautiful!
Bulgaria has an ancient cultural capital Plovdiv that is older than Rome, Athens, and Constantinople.
Bulgaria also has the Rila Monastery, which is famous in the religious world.
Want to know more about the officially funded UFO Memorial Hall? For those who are obsessed with ruin culture and those who like internet celebrity portrait photography, this place will definitely scratch your itch.
The rankings are not in any particular order at this point, and we have entered a state where the parents-in-law have their own reasons.
Greece is a popular destination and there are tons of online articles, travel notes and photos. I won’t go into details here, but will stop with a few words of reminder.
Santorini is indeed beautiful, but you not only have to accept that people follow the crowd, but you also have to accept that going abroad is the same as not going abroad - there are so many Chinese people traveling here!
When Lao Fei was scanning the Holy Island, he heard a loudspeaker calling directly in Chinese: Dear brides and grooms, let’s line up, and the wedding ceremony recording will begin later!
When Lao Fei was photographing the sunset on the Holy Island, he visually observed that there were thousands of people crowded together, and four-fifths of them were Chinese! And those who speak Shanghainese, Sichuanese, Cantonese, or Beijing accent don’t consider themselves outsiders. If you can’t find a local accent among the crowd, I lose.
The Meteora Sky Monastery is worth visiting!
The Acropolis of Athens is silent. The guards in Syntagma Square in Athens change the guard. They raise their legs high and lower their feet. Do you want to know?
A reminder from my conscience: For those who are phobic due to mathematics in high school, it is best to avoid Greece. Otherwise, if the streets are full of , , , , Ω and π, what will happen if you are not afraid of being frightened?
Serbia, once the powder keg of the Balkans! Now it is known as the "Balkan Tiger" because of its economic boom.
One-fifth of the Danube River, the second largest river in Europe, flows through Serbia.
First of all, the night on the Sava River in Belgrade was ranked among the top ten nightlife in the world.
Don’t ask me about this. I am driving in Serbia with my wife and children. I have the heart but not the courage; even if I have the courage, I really don’t have the time.
Vrnja?ka is located in Senan, about 200 kilometers away from Belgrade. It is famous for its natural drinkable mineral water. It is said that Vrnjachka is also the birthplace of love locks. Lao Fei recommends that you don’t go looking for it because the scale is small anyway.
Novi Sad EXIT Music Festival - one of the largest music festivals in Europe, originated in 2000, was originally held to celebrate the abdication of former leader Michaelis (Exit); plus Serbia People are eager to break through the blockade of war and the shackles of ideas, hoping to find an outlet. This outlet is music, so it is named EXIT Music Festival.
The highlights of a trip to Serbia are… lots of them! Definitely a destination worth checking out. The following are the highlights of Lao Fei:
For example, the Uvac Canyon is the first choice for natural scenery.
For example, Serbia has 5 ruins listed on the World Heritage List, the most important of which are the medieval monasteries in the southern mountains. These monasteries are the most representative places of Serbian history.
For example, the old must-visit large sculptures from the former Yugoslavia period, made of reinforced concrete and full of futuristic feeling - gun chambers, red stars and bullet holes.
There is also an internet celebrity destination - the fairytale wooden house in the Drina River.
Laofei shares his self-driving itinerary, Beijing, Belgrade, Novi Sad, Subotica, Bajina Bashtatara National Park, Zlatibor, Uvac Canyon, Novi Pazar, Kraljevoya Godina Belgrade Beijing, for your reference.
In the countries on the Balkan Peninsula, the best travel season is basically autumn.
What I am saying is: In the autumn after the epidemic, you should choose the above countries and arrange a trip.
#游# # take you around the world #