Korçë, Albania and surrounding villages

Albania must surely have to rank as one of Europe's lesser known countries and I can count on one hand the number of people I know who have visited the strip of land on the Balkan Peninsula which is lapped by both Adriatic and Ionian sea coastlines.

Of those who visited, the majority were on military deployments but all came back raving about a fascinating and beautiful country, where the people are genuinely welcoming and proud to show off their homeland to the rest of the world.

In fact, to say Albania is fascinating is probably an understatement. 

Until 1992 the country's borders remained closed and nobody was allowed in and out, meaning that the country is still in its infancy as a travel destination.Albanian citizens were forced to live under the rule of hard-line communist leader Enver Hoxha, who kept control of his populace through a combination of fear, paranoia and brainwashing until his death in 1985 of a heart attack.

Farmers were made to hand over the majority of their crops to the state for redistribution and any private enterprises were strictly forbidden. 

Money was in parts of the country replaced with tokens which would then be exchanged for a carefully regulated amount of goods.

As you travel through the Albanian countryside you'll notice curious markings in the luscious green mountainside which our informed guide told us was a result of farmers being forced to pointlessly plough even when there were no crops to produce, all in the name of work, discipline and ultimately hardcore communism.

Following tedious passport inspections both leaving Macedonia and entering Albania (between the borders there is a couple of hundred metres of no-man's land), we finally crossed the border near St Naum and entered the city of Pogradec after passing a few tacky looking resorts on the shores of the southerly end of Lake Ohrid.

Pogradec's bustling city centre was an assault on the senses with some locals going about their daily business whilst others hung out on the street corners, selling everything from rugs to live rabbits in an area where unemployment is rife.

After stopping briefly for a caffeine hit which arrived in the form of a cappuccino, we hopped back on the bus and headed inland towards the student city of Korçë, population 80,000ish.

A flat tyre resulted in an enforced stop in the Albanian countryside, where we were able to take in the splendid view of country houses backed by the towering mountain landscape.

The brief pause also allowed for us to examine one of Albania's most common sites, bunkers.

All across Albania Hoxha built huge bunkers, often in people's front gardens, in a bid to convince his people that the country was under threat of foreign attack and that his word should be followed indefinitely.

Bunkers still lie in gardens, on the side of roads, in fields and in cities and many of them have since the fall of communism and Hoxha's death, been converted into colourful murals and innovative indoor spaces.

As our bus chugged past the bleak factories and heavy industry that surrounds the perimeter of Korçë, the skies darkened as we pulled into town.

We again disembarked the bus and set about strolling through the chaotic market where animated salesman peddled out some of the freshest looking produce I've ever seen.

There was barely room to swing a cat in the market and we soon excited exhausted onto the city streets flanked by that stereotypical high-rise tower block housing, clearly a hangover of the communist regime.

A couple of twists and turns later and we found ourselves in the newer part of town and what a contrast it was.

We browsed the modern cobbled streets dotted with bars, restaurants and clothes stores and strolled alongside Korçë's huge student population, who arrive from all over the country to study at the city's universities.

At the top of the newer end of town sits the grand Orthodox Church of St George, again sitting beneath the imposing mountains.

In Albania various cultural influences are evident including that of the formerly occupying Ottomans, and these days the south of the country is predominantly Christian and the north, Islam.

After a thoroughly enjoyable few hours in the hugely contrasting city of Korçë, we headed to the countryside and the settlement of Pustec.

In impoverished Pustec we were greeted by friendly locals who even at some points welcomed us into their homes.

Pustec is interesting in that the population is largely aged under 18 and over 40, with the majority of young people leaving the rural areas of the country to move to the city to study and in search of work.

Curiously despite parts of Pustec resembling the villages featured at the start of the comedy film Borat, a number of grand houses exist just a short walk from the considerably more modest farmers' shacks.

Despite spending less than 12 hours in just a small part of Albania, the visit left me wanting more.Known mostly for the mafia and dodgy roads (a lot of improvements seem to have been made to road surfaces), Albania is a melting pot of culture, friendly locals, natural beauty and a rich and varied history and I would wholeheartedly recommend anybody with an interest in the region to go and discover for themselves how a country can find its feet after emerging from the dark shadow of communism.

Ohrid, Macedonia

Although its name may sound like an ancient kingdom out of a Terry Pratchell novel, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia undoubtedly boasts one of Europe’s richest areas of breath-taking natural beauty, that of Lake Ohrid and its array of surrounding settlements and national parks.

As is often the case I was alerted to this semi-hidden gem whilst browsing a Lonely Planet article detailing 2017’s must visit locations.

A quick Google search was enough to convince me that I needed to get to Ohrid, especially as my list of European countries that I had yet to visit was quickly diminishing and within the space of a few weeks the trip was booked.

Touching down at the minuscule Ohrid Airport I didn’t have a great deal of idea what to expect, other than excellent photographic vantage points from which to capture the grandeur and beauty of the lake which measures 34 kilometres in length and at certain points, 300 feet in depth and is home to tonnes of species of fish and other water-based creatures.

Known for being the home to many beautiful churches which number well into the hundreds, Ohrid town itself is a charming collection of cobbled streets and an atmospheric old quarter which cascades gently down the side of a hill.

From our base at the charming Villa St. Sofija we were able to comfortably navigate the sites of the UNESCO listed old town on foot, taking in the spectacular views from St Clement Church and towering Tzar Samoil’s Fortress which looks over the town, as well as checking out the old amphitheatre and scores of medieval buildings, many of which are still homes to locals ensuring that the town still has a lived-in feel.

The boardwalk to Kaneo allows for easy access to the fishing village packed with restaurants and small beaches and following the boardwalk further is an absolute must, as it leads to The Church of St Jovan of Kaneo, a medium sized place of worship (by Ohrid standards) with behind it an excellent vantage point allowing visitors to capture that postcard Ohrid image of the church overlooking the pristine waters of the lake.

As is the case with all of the previous former Yugoslav states I have visited, the locals were exceedingly welcoming and intrigued by us with an excellent command of the English language.

Naturally Ohrid does welcome its fair share of international visitors (mainly Dutch), but is still just about worthy of being dubbed a ‘hidden gem’, with crowds not yet becoming overwhelming.

A range of traditional and international bars and restaurants line the waterfront dotted with local captains offering boat tours of the lake and the nighttime scene keeps kicking into the early hours, particularly at the weekends.

With an average wage of around 250 euros a month, western visitors can enjoy excellent value with a bottle of beer pricing around a £1 and a good feed available for less than £5 a head.

No trip to Ohrid is complete without a dip in the crystal clear lake itself, and as difficult as it may sound, try not to be put off by the chilly early summer water and the snakes which can be seen pouncing on some of the unsuspecting smaller fish.

Once we’d spent a day exploring the old town, we decided to take a tour to the ancient Orthodox monastery of St Naum, stopping on the way at Trepejca, the St Tropez of the Balkans, a small village which comes alive during the summer months and again offers yet another great spot to try and snap a photo which does justice to the lake’s incredible beauty.

A little further afield between Ohrid and the capital Skopje, but absolutely undoubtedly worth the two hour drive is Macedonia’s (interestingly the only state to leave Yugoslavia without a war) biggest national park, Mavrovo.

As well as being the home to bears and lynxes, Mavrovo offers crisp air and stunning views (again) of Macedonia's highest peak, Mount Korab, which reaches 2,764 metres above sea level.

After a stop at the Albanian feeling town of Debar, we enjoyed a look around Sveti Jovan Bigorski, probably the best situated monastery in the world, perched high up a valley, interestingly right across from a mosque meaning that at times both the monastery’s bells and the mosque’s call to prayer can be heard at the same time.

Mavrovo also offers skiing during winter months and is also the site of a number of small traditional mountain villages with an authentic feel of remoteness and detachment from the real world. Scruffy shepherds herding their flock along potholed roads are a reminder that life in the national park area for many, remains unchanged by the evolving world going on around them.

The catch with Mavrovo and indeed Ohrid being, that if you're anything like me, you'll fall in love with any one of a number of the stray dogs, all of whom did though seem to be friendly and well-fed.

As a sucker for Yugoslav history and travel (Kosovo is now the only state I haven’t yet visited), it was perhaps inevitable that I would end up visiting Ohrid when travelling to Macedonia, but I’ve also heard rave reviews of the capital of Skopje, said to be a cultural melting pot complete with bustling bazaars and markets.

Ohrid and its surrounding areas are certainly must-visit spots for nature lovers, culture junkies and religious folk and visiting you cannot help but be swept away and marvel at the picturesque setting, with every turn unearthing a new view that will have you reaching for your camera yet again.

Following last year’s introduction of flights from London Luton it is undoubtedly only a matter of time before more Brits clock on and follow the lead of the Dutch and pack up and head off in their masses to take up a spot on the shores of the placid lake. So my advice would be get to Ohrid and do so quickly before the crowds grow to the intolerable levels seen in the likes of Dubrovnik and prices begin to rise to match.

Timisoara March 2017

It doesn’t feel quite right putting together any kind of review for a city in which I spent less than 24 hours but I thought I would try and at least throw some words together about the Romanian city of Timisoara, and just let the pictures do the rest.

Our arrival into the city couldn’t have been any more stressful and we would have probably been kicked off a train into the bleak Romanian countryside for not purchasing our tickets correctly had it not been for the intervention of a kind young couple.

We eventually arrived nonetheless and eventually navigated our way from the city’s main train station into the city centre which more than 300,000 call home.

After a much-needed catch-up sleep we hit the streets and enjoyed a few hours browsing the student city dominated by the Timisoara Orthodox Cathedral and smaller St George’s Cathedral.

Timisoara is spotlessly clean and feels like a pretty relaxing place to call home with its slow pace of life.

Students sit around chatting and sipping coffee while locals casually go about their day to day lives.

The city is strikingly beautiful with lots of wide open spaces and is the historic capital of the region of Banat. Much like Belgrade, where we had come from, it was refreshingly cheap.

We enjoyed a few hours sitting and strolling in the sun and the time in Timisoara, a former European Capital of Culture, almost felt like a city detox after Belgrade’s high octane hustle and bustle.

Timisoara has also played an important part politically having in the late 1980s seen the birth of a country-wide demonstration which led to the overthrow of dictator Nicolae Ceausescue, and again recently been the scene of gatherings protesting about government corruption.

In an ideal world we would have had a little more time to look around, but I still think myself lucky to have had the chance to at least briefly sample life in Romania’s third city which I can only imagine is a world away from the capital of Bucharest and considerably more picturesque.  

Belgrade February/March 2017

A nation often dubbed as the bad guys in the Western media following the brutal conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo, it (as usual) came as a surprise to many when my friends and I announced that the Serbian capital of Belgrade would be our choice of destination for early 2017.

Having visited Bosnia and heard first-hand about some of the atrocities committed by Serb forces as they strained to hold a rapidly disintegrating Yugoslavia together, I was a little apprehensive (though not judgemental as massacres were routinely carried out on both sides), about the reception we would be greeted with by the Serbs.

I need not have worried.

What awaited us was a city that truly never sleeps, where the locals go out drinking and having a good time until beyond the early hours with not even a second’s thought about what time their alarms will sound in the morning.

The party mentality is said to have derived from Nato’s questionable and highly destructive bombing campaign in the city in the late 1990s, where locals would seize any temporary breaks in the shelling to go out and let their hair down.

Although not the most beautiful of cities (Belgrade is quite grey and has plenty of stereotypical high-rise socialist housing as well as the odd building still lying in ruins) the city’s fortress is well worth a few hours and consists of the old citadel and Kalemegdan Park on the confluence of the River Sava and Danube.

The fortress offers some panoramic views of the city which stretches as far as the eye can see despite having a population of just over a million.

But for me, what really makes the city of Belgrade stand out is the people who live there.

We spent a lot of time around the Republic Square area where there are plentiful bars and restaurants 

to keep visitors and locals fed and watered.

The prices offer exceptional value with beer around a pound and a tasty main meal costing under £4, and that gets even cheaper if you head away from the centre of town.

With the exception of the odd miserable taxi driver, everyone greeted us with a friendly smile and quick chat and we enjoyed nights spent drinking at a Serbian folk club and in local bars and clubs with our newly-made friends.

Our hostel (Hostel Bongo) was both spotless and convenient, just a couple of minutes away from Republic Square and the team of staff were always on hand to guide us.

The train journey out of the city and towards the border town of Vrsac was also fascinating, seeing civilisation gradually slip away towards a more traditional and rural way of life.

I’m not sure whether or not it’s a reputation that stems from past conflicts that stops English people heading to the former administrative capital of Yugoslavia or a fear of the unknown, but with such exceptional value and a population of people who are genuinely happy to see you and show off their city, I’d be very surprised if Belgrade doesn’t begin to feature on the radar of more Brits.

Just make sure you check out the Balkan special cevapi (grilled mincemeat) and watch out for the local Rakija, a fruit brandy style drink which will knock you for six if you’re not careful.

Crvena Zvezda v Partizan March 2017

Now I have to admit that I'm not usually one to get scared *beats chest* but as we made the considerable walk from our hostel nestled in the centre of Belgrade, into the suburbs towards Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade's) Rajko Mitić Stadium, my heart was beating like a drum.

Even in the city centre (a full two or three miles away) stern faced riot police and soldiers lined every corner ahead of what is known worldwide as The Eternal Derby.

Our journey to the match started two days earlier when we traveled to the stadium otherwise known as the Marakana in the hope of scoring tickets.

The 55,538 arena is certainly showing its age having been first opened in 1963, and if you walk around the perimeter of the bowl you will find graffiti daubed by Red Star's most fanatic supporters The Delije (Heroes), piles of rubble and even the odd dead rat.

A short five minute walk away is Partizan Belgrade's 32,710 ground and between the two bitter rivals, they boast 53 national championships (Red Star's 27 to Partizan's 26), 37 national cups (13 for Partizan and 24 for Red Star) and a European Cup won by Red Star in 1991.

As a result of the unrivaled riches of the EFL and La Liga, Eastern European football is somewhat in the doldrums with neither Red Star or Partizan having qualified for the Champions League group stages since 2010.

Teams are made up of journeyman from all corners of the globe, local players who couldn't quite cut it abroad and exciting youngsters who use Red Star and Partizan as a stepping stone west.

The fixture is famed for the intense hatred between the two sets of supporters which regularly spills over into violent scenes and spectacular pyrotechnic displays.

The tension as we walked to the game was palpable and we briskly strode in a deafening silence surrounded by the eagle-eyed authorities.

We tried not to draw any attention to ourselves and ensured we dressed for the occasion, not  evidently wearing the colours of either team.

As we entered the vast bowl of the Marakana we found our seats and sat watching the Delije and Grobari (Partizan's firm The Grave Diggers) assemble, but nothing could prepare us for what to follow.

At kick off the ground was near enough full, barring rows of seats left unattended in an effort to deter any potential troublemakers from attacking rival fans.

Both sets off supporters took it in turns to produce breath-taking displays and hurl deafeningly loud abuse at each other.

Particular highlights were Red Star's sparkler and choreography display and Partizan fans setting off of some sort of giant smoke cloud which held the game up for several minutes whilst the smoke cleared.

Flares were set off at regular intervals and the displays produced an incredible sight, all this despite police seizing more than 1,000 before kick off.

I can't even begin to think how many flares would have been held aloft had police not discovered them hidden in the stadium beforehand and it's also worth considering that I struggle to even get a bottle top into grounds in the UK.

The game itself was ok, sporadic moments of quality coupled with slap-stick play acting and both teams had a number of bright youngsters on show, many of whom I fully expect to one day see in the EPL or Serie A.

Red Star looked to be heading towards a victory which would have taken them nine points clear of their rivals but Partizan's late equaliser prompted incredible scenes behind the goal and meant that the title race goes on for the time being at least.

Both sets of fans chanted non-stop for 90 minutes and the noise was like a tidal wave reverberating around the stadium.

I found myself spending more time watching the action off the pitch than on it and have never experienced such an intense and simply loud atmosphere in all my years.

After the game we joined the thousands and made our way back to the city centre on foot and despite being borderline petrified on the way to the game, we made our way home safely without a nasty word said in our direction.

So, if there's anybody out there (like me), who is bored of the sanitised atmosphere of the EPL and is willing to sacrifice quality on the pitch for unrivaled passion off it, then look no further than the Belgrade Derby.