Portugal, Sicily, Greece and the Balkans

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We had an early morning flight from Paros to Thessaloniki so we’re up at 4:30 am . The Paros airport is tiny and the experience was interesting. We had checked in on line but still needed to drop our bags off. Check in staff checked passports and boarding passes, weighed our bags and you then took it to another section to pass through the X-ray machine and on to the baggage handlers. You then had to wait until the previous flight departed before going through security as there was only enough room in the departure area one load of people. I think the aircraft were all ATR72’s.

The flight was only about an hour with some incredible views of Greek Islands.



We only have a couple of nights in Thessaloniki so unfortunately don’t havre time to get out to Mt Olympus, thermal springs, waterfalls etc. Hopefully another time . We spent the time here just wandering around the main port/town area where we are staying.

Aristotelous Square, White Tower, Alexander the Great statue, Roman Agora.





Holy Church of St Demetrios. I’m a little bit “churched” out but glad I went to this one.

 

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And some general photos.

Monument to the 57 people killed in a head on collision between two trains in 2023 .



Street and ocean art.



Breakfast is included at our hotel and is served to the room. You had multiple choices and servings were plentiful.

 

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Next up is Bucharest where we will join our Balkans Tour group on Monday. The flight from Thessaloniki was with Ryanair as they are the only ones to fly direct. This is the view from the Ryanair end of Thessaloniki airport .



Our accommodation so far has generally been good (some have been amazing) but mainly hotel style rooms. We choose hotels based mainly on location and try to budget on average $200 a night. Our accommodation in Bucharest is so far the best in terms of size and cost. It’s a one bedroom apartment with tea and coffee making facilities plus a microwave and is only $150 a night. Bathroom looks fairly new and modern. We’re here for two nights before moving to the Radisson Blu and the start of the Balkan’s tour.

 

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Bucharest is quite a vibrant city and has a real eclectic mix of architectural styles. In some parts it has a Parisian feel and even has its own Arcul De Triumf.



And some funky stuff.

 

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We’re currently travelling from Braşov România to Veliko Tyrnovo Bulgaria which takes about 6 hours so I’ll try and do a bit of catch up.

We had two nights in Bucharest at Vision Apartments before moving to the Radisson Blu where our Balkan tour starts from (this hotel is included in the tour). Prices at the Radisson are more than double what we paid for the Vision Apartments however I would rate Vision Apartments above the Radisson.

The tour covers 8 countries and 16 cities. Below is a map and link to the tour with full details.

Treasures of the Balkans Guided Tour | Insight Vacations AU

Discover the beauty of the Balkans on this 16-dy guided tour included Romania, Croatia & Bulgaria. Local experts, premium dining and 4 & 5 star hotels included.

www.insightvacations.com

Day 1 of the tour is just a meet and greet and dinner, with the actual tour starting th next morning with a walking tour of Bucharest and a trip to the Palace of the Parliament. This building is a monument to the hubris and megalomania of Ceausescu. It is massive and is 86 meters above ground, 92 metres below and an area of around 350,000 m2. It is now used for parliament, functions, conventions etc.




We then departed Bucharest for Braşov and a visit to Bran Castle (aka Dracula’s Castle).

Bucharest’s Arcul decTriumf.



Bran Castle

 

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Sorry all. Internet is patchy and it appears I have posted multiple times. Will edit/delete when I can. About to cross the Bulgarian border.

 

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Travelling and trips reports are not always compatible, especially when wi fi speeds are 1mpbs or slower! Also days are pretty full on and I don’t seem to have enough time or energy to update the report at night.

After leaving Bran Castle we headed in to Braşov for the next two nights. Accommodation was at the Aro Palace Hotel which was roomy but dated.



View from the room



Braşov is a picturesque place and worth a visit.



There is also a sizeable brown bear population, particularly in the mountain areas. There is a brown bear rehabilitation sanctuary nearby but unfortunately we didn’t have time to go there.


Next morning was a walking tour of Braşov

 

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Followed by a trip to Peles Castle in Sinaia which is a former royal residence. Inside photos aren’t very good due to glare from the lights sorry.

The trip to the castle.



And the castle.

 

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Border crossings in the Balkans can be problematic and can take hours and often involve “incentives” to help smooth the way! Our first crossing was Romania to Bulgaria with a queue stretching for kilometres.



That night we stopped at Veliko Tyrnovo which is a beautiful place perched in the mountains with a visit to Tsarevets Fortress.

 

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The next morning we headed to Sofia with a stop at the small village of Arbanasi. The village is an architectural reserve known for its 17th and 18th century Bulgarian National Revival architecture and a lot of the town has been preserved or recreated. During the 17th century it was a prominent settlement and a major trading hub.



Squat toilet


Not sure make or model of car but guess it’s not 17th century . It has been well cared for.



And just because I thought they looked cute.

 

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We had two nights in Sofia staying at the Grand Hotel Millennium. The hotel was amazing and the room huge! Our time here was a bit more relaxed and we had time to just wander. It’s quite a vibrant place with lots of parks, cafes and bars.



Patriarchal Cathedral St Alexander Nevsky


Statue of Liberation from Communism



Russian Church



National Theatre

 

[ellen10]

We camped in Sofia in 1982, and it didn't look anything like that! Very run down, certainly has changed.

 

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Rila Monestary is about 120k’s from Sofia in the Rila Mountains. It is the largest Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria and is world heritage listed.

The drive up the mountain was worth it on its own and you can still see small patches of snow despite it now being summer.

 

[Seat0B]

Wow, that monastery is ornate!!!

 

[VPS]

We camped in Sofia in 1982, and it didn't look anything like that! Very run down, certainly has changed.

We had a really nice hotel in Sofia in 1982, nice big rooms, new hotel, nice bathrooms - just no running water. You had to go and get a bucket and bring it to your room

Sorry @Scash it just brings back memories

 

[Scash]

We camped in Sofia in 1982, and it didn't look anything like that! Very run down, certainly has changed.

It’s our first time in the Balkans and from what we’ve seen and heard the area is really changing with lots of construction and a big focus on tourism.

 

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Wow, that monastery is ornate!!!

It definitely has a wow factor. We’ve seen quite a few monasteries, churches, mosques etc on the trip so far and are a bit “churched out”, but this one was definitely worth the drive.

 

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We had a really nice hotel in Sofia in 1982, nice big rooms, new hotel, nice bathrooms - just no running water. You had to go and get a bucket and bring it to your room

Sorry @Scash it just brings back memories

And here I am complaining that the internet is too slow

 

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Wow, that monastery is ornate!!!

The frescos were incredible but there were some weird ones. They had some strange beliefs and practices back then!

 

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From Sofia we cross the border to North Macedonia and spent a night in Skopje. Skopje is quite a modern city but still has the old Turkish bazaars.

The man on the horse statue is called “Man on a Horse”! It is supposedly Alexander the Great but because there is a difference of opinion between the Greeks and Macedonians on where he came from and there’s a statue of him in Thessaloniki they chose that name to avoid conflict.