For the next chapter we had 8 nights to fill between Ikos and Ibiza. There was a very long shortlist, and we went back and forth over how to spend the time. Luckily for me, I was woken up one morning to a very excited Nik who had come up with a brilliant bus tour of the Balkans. From Thessaloniki, the closest direct flight to Ibiza was from Vienna, and as a result this was our route:
Thessalonki (Greece)→ Sofia (Bulgaria) → Skopje (North Macedonia) → Belgrade (Serbia) → Bratislava (Slovakia) via Budapest (Hungary) → Ibiza (Spain) via Vienna (Austria)
The total cost of this, including all the coaches (Flixbus), centrally located apartments (booking.com 9.0 and higher) and Ryanair flights came to under £400pp! It seemed ludicrously cheap and even for Nik may have been a travel PB hitting 8 different countries in 9 days (not that numbers is something you should aim for). We are lucky to have so much available on our doorstep in Europe, and I am very lucky to have such a productive early riser/ booking agent for a travel companion.
First up was Sofia. We arrived on an unseasonably cold and rainy evening, perhaps on a slight hangover from the week of non-stop excitement with the family. Maybe it was the weather, maybe we were missing all the mini people in the Shah/ Malde clan, but we definitely felt a little flat for our first evening in Sofia. The bus stop we arrived in was bleak and we (perhaps a little unfairly) started to compare the ex-soviet energy of the city to some of our more tropical destinations. Nevertheless we pressed on, had an amazing pizza at Franco's Pizza and called it a night. We woke up feeling refreshed, and it wasn't raining so we headed for a walking tour of the city. Our brilliant tour guide was very charismatic, and gave us a bit of the history of this part of the world. Going all the way back to Roman times, Sofia has a fascinating past. Our guide explained the city has had many rulers and political chapters; the Romans, the Byzantines, the Bulgars, the Ottomans, Bulgarian independence, the USSR and most recently joining NATO and the EU in the early 2000s. In the city you can see and feel the layers of Bulgarian history, ranging from ancient Roman ruins, to the many mosques, Orthodox churches you can age by how built into the ground they are (under the Ottoman Empire churches weren't allowed to be taller than mosques and as a result were often dug into the ground to allow for the desired height of the architect) and more recently some stellar Soviet architecture. Our tour guide gave a sense of a humble, self deprecating sense of humour to this small country, with a proud history. We learnt Bulgaria is the birthplace of the Cyrillic alphabet and the reason Cyrillic is the 3rd alphabet of the EU. Feeling buoyed up on all the new pub quiz trivia, we were excited to head next to Skopje in North Macedonia and learn more about this fascinating part of the world.
Getting off the bus in Skopje was a shock. You could instantly tell how poor the country was. We were immediately accosted by countless taxi drivers and eventually when we finally picked one we were most certainly ripped off paying £6 for a £1 journey to our apartment a few miles away. However, things started to look up as we were given our apartment keys by the shopkeeper next door and offered a local delicacy of an irn-bru like welcome drink in a plastic cup with the host’s mother. It was a very welcoming moment, even if we were both trying to nurse it down without making any grimaces that may appear to be rude. I set off to explore for a few hours and enjoyed taking in the old fort, the various examples of soviet statues and architecture, the slightly bleak modern art museum and the Bazaar. Again there was a big mix between in the city with the Bazaar feeling very Arab/Islamic and the other areas much more Eastern European. We enjoyed another superb pizza at Matto Napoletano, according to some certificates "North Macedonia's best Pizza".
On Saturday the sunshine came out, I went for a lovely run along the river, and as the weather warmed on us, we too warmed on Skopje. It's very green and we loved the lively parks, the river, and the vibrant streets full of bars and restaurants. In a very happy accident, we stumbled across a tennis club where the Macedonian Open would be taking place next week. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch and watched some of the warm up tennis games. The standard was incredible. It felt like summer had finally arrived and we were buzzing with appreciation and excitement for European summer.
Things would only get better, as next up was Belgrade, our new favourite city. After the 7 hour coach journey, we arrived at our beautiful apartment in the centre of the city and immediately took to the sunny streets for an evening stroll, following a delicious vegan meal around the corner. The city has so much life. Young, good looking people were out and about and everyone looked healthy, happy and very well dressed. Everywhere was so clean, the buildings beautiful. Guided by our number 1 Serbian, Lea, we went for walk down the riverside. The city is at the intersection of the Danube and Sava rivers, which together are a very impressive presence in the city, offering lots of waterside spots. We walked both up the newly renovated Beton Hala boadwalk, and then along the park on the other side of the Danube to check out the various splavs along the river. Splavs are floating bars/ clubs that look like a lot of fun, though unfortunately weren't open late on Sunday night. We ended the evening with a drink in an area called Serbian MontMatre which felt just like it’s namesake in Paris, cobbled streets, lots of alfresco dining, lots of 19th century buildings, beautiful lighting and lovely churches. The sun continued to shine for us and we spent our second day with more walking, a nap in the Fort and a wonderful dinner in the Skadarlija area. While Serbian main dishes are very meat heavy, most of the starters are veggie or accidentally vegan so we had some great food. At dinner, our starters came with an entire plate of spicy garlic bread that would serve as an excellent meal in itself. Belgrade is another city with a highly tumultuous history, in part due to it's strategic location. In the 20th century it was the capital of Yugoslavia, and it certainly feels like city with a rich history and impressive past. It was a stunning place to spend a few days and we will definitely be back.
Our journey to Bratislava was perhaps the most eventful bus. It was around 7 hours on a coach broken up with a 5 hour stopover in Budapest. With the long journeys taking their toll we decided the best way to spend this would be at one of Budpapests many thermal baths. After a huge kerfuffle trying to get coins to use the luggage lockers at Budpaest Coach Station we were on our way to one of the local baths. We instantly relaxed once we stepped foot into the 38 degree waters and enjoyed the various indoor and outdoor pools. Nik hadn’t brought flip flops but successfully hid his feet as we gently pruned ourselves. After a quick walk we went to a Vietnamese restaurant and feasted on pho and summer rolls, before hopping on our evening Flixbus to Bratislava.
Our arrival in Bratislava was a strikingly different experience to others, the bus coming into a large, new shopping center. Bratislava felt very rich compared to Skopje or Sofia, the mall more similar to one you might find in Dubai or Singapore. Our accommodation in Bratislava, an uber ride away, was so central if you google sights to see in Bratislava our front door was 10m away from the first result that came up, the Nulty Kilometer Bratislavy. The next morning we walked around the old town. This pedestrianised area was again, stunning, and Nik was pleasantly surprised by how many vegan options were advertised in restaurants, as well as how many fully vegan places there were. A highlight for me was the rather surprising UFO bridge. Just on the edge of the quaint, pedestrianised old town this space ship like bridge towers above like a retro space invaders poster. Another exceptional example of Soviet architecture. More cafe culture/ outdoor dining was on offer and we spent our final night of the tour enjoying a great wine bar, some vegan sushi and a lively jazz bar. 5 months in we are really hitting our stride with the holiday lifestyle, ready for a big week in Ibiza.
Comments