Portugal, Sicily, Greece and the Balkans

[Scash]

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.

 

[RooFlyer]

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.

i’m sure he was Alexander when I was there about six or eight years ago. As far as I recall the Macedonians couldn’t give a fig about what the Greeks think and fact like dropping the “North“ from their name just to annoy the other mob

 

[RooFlyer]

Braşov is a picturesque place and worth a visit.

did you get to that wine bar I suggested ?

 

[Scash]

i’m sure he was Alexander when I was there about six or eight years ago. As far as I recall the Macedonians couldn’t give a fig about what the Greeks think and fact like dropping the “North“ from their name just to annoy the other mob

My post was based on what our tour guide told to us and I should have fact checked it as I believe you are correct. Sorry about that.

 

[Scash]

did you get to that wine bar I suggested ?

Unfortunately we didn’t as we didn’t have a lot of free time there as most of the day was taken up with tour group activities.

 

[Scash]

Before crossing in to Albania we had a lunch stop at Struga which is a small tourist town on the shores of Lake Ohrid. The lake borders North Macedonia and Albania and is Europe’s oldest and deepest lake, measuring 298 meters at its deepest and is a popular summer destination for tourists.





As we crossed in to Albania the landscape was dotted with concrete bunkers which were built in the communist period to protect the people from foreign invasion.

 

[Scash]

We stayed the night in Tirana which is the Albanian capital but I don’t have any photos so it can’t have been that interesting . The next morning we headed to Montenegro and the town of Budva which is known as “Montenegro’s Miami”. Our accommodation is a massive one bedroom apartment and it’s a pity we’re only here for one night

 

[VPS]

We stayed the night in Tirana which is the Albanian capital but I don’t have any photos so it can’t have been that interesting . The next morning we headed to Montenegro and the town of Budva which is known as “Montenegro’s Miami”. Our accommodation is a massive one bedroom apartment and it’s a pity we’re only here for one night

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don't you hate it when you get really nice rooms that you are hardly in and then when you are somewhere for a few days you get really coughpy places sometimes

 

[RB]

don't you hate it when you get really nice rooms that you are hardly in and then when you are somewhere for a few days you get really coughpy places sometimes

Maybe generally true but just had a stay in Tirana & thought it was a great spot to have a look around and if nothing else the airport is certainly different

 

[Scash]

Maybe generally true but just had a stay in Tirana & thought it was a great spot to have a look around and if nothing else the airport is certainly different
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We didn’t have much time there unfortunately. We got in late afternoon, had a bit of time for a freshen up and then on to a group dinner and then an early departure the next morning.

 

[Scash]

don't you hate it when you get really nice rooms that you are hardly in and then when you are somewhere for a few days you get really coughpy places sometimes

That did happen a few times but we did also get some nice rooms where we had a couple of nights. Scored a really nice room in Dubrovnik for two nights which I’ll post later.

 

[Scash]

Dubrovnik is our next destination with a stop on the way in the Old Town of Kotor which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Since crossing in to Albania we have been travelling close to the coast and the views have been stunning. Definitely enjoying this part of the trip!

 

[Scash]

We visited Dubrovnik about 2 years ago but it’s the sort of place you can go back to. Last time we and stayed near the Old Town which was fantastic but this time we stayed nearer the new town which was also good. We stayed at the Hotel Kompas for 2 nights as part of the tour and the location and view (even if it was only partial) really made our time here.



And Mrs Scash’s favourite thing in Dubrovnik . And no that moustache has not been painted on

 

[Scash]

Next day we did a wine tasting at Winery Botaro about 45 minutes from Dubrovnik. The drive out was spectacular and the wine and platters equally spectacular. Would thoroughly recommend doing this if you’re in Dubrovnik.



On the way back to Dubrovnik we had a drink stop at the small coastal town of Cavtat.



My new yacht