There is a legend saying that Ohrid has 365 churches and monasteries — each day of the year you can visit a new one and admire its beauty. I have not checked if the legend is really true, but I know it justifies the nickname Ohrid has — the Balkan Jerusalem.

Located on the banks of the divine Ohrid Lake, the small city of Ohrid finds its place under the glorious mountains surrounding the area. It’s a small-scale city with less than 50,000 inhabitants, but thousands of travelers and tourists from all over the world roam the steep and narrow streets all year round.

It’s a perfect place for a family vacation as there is no big-city noise or crowds, only fresh air and nature with many opportunities for adventure and activities.

One of the favourite spots to visit is surely Samuil’s Fortress, which crowns modern-day Ohrid. Archeological research says that the fortress dates back to the 4th century BC, during the time when this was the capital of Samuil’s empire. From the 3-kilometer-long walls of the fortress, a splendid view overlooks Ohrid’s city and lake, all with surrounding mountain peaks.

The main reason why many love to visit this small city is of course its eponymous lake. It is the largest natural lake in the Balkans and one of the oldest lakes in Europe. It is considered to be 4 million years old, and is home to some unique endemic species that have gone extinct in other regions of the world, but which flourish in this natural reservoir.

The main attraction of the lake is the St. Jovan at Kaneo Church, the only church in this region built with Armenian influence. It is believed to have been the main church of a monastery which was destroyed by the Ottomans.

Because of its unique natural and cultural characteristics, the city of Ohrid and its lake have been declared a World Heritage Site under the protection of UNESCO.

And one final word — Ohrid pearls are a most representative souvenir and gift from the region, so stock up on those!

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Our latest articles: Heaven on Earth — Brijuni Islands, Spiš Castle — Slovakia’s Medieval Gem, Ptuj — Slovenia’s oldest town, Chronicles on the road: Krakow, Chronicles on the road: Przemyśl,Chronicles on the road:Rzeszów.

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Heaven on Earth — Brijuni Islands

Croatia has 1,246 islands, and although they are all beautiful and unique in their own ways, 14 of those located in the northern part of the Adriatic Sea are the most famous. Yes, I’m talking about the Brijuni Islands — heaven on Earth.

Because of their extraordinary beauty, the Brijuni were proclaimed a national park in 1983. When Croatia was part of Yugoslavia, its leader (Josip Broz Tito) used Vanga, one of the islands in the Brijuni group, as his summer residence. Croatian presidents continued this tradition; it seems to me far more comfortable to run a country surrounded by the sea than by a concrete jungle.

Veliki Brijun is the biggest and the most important island in the Brijuni. Hotels situated here have hosted some world-class names through the years as the stories of its beauty spread across the globe.

In a bar near the main harbour, I tried the best honey rakija (traditional homemade liqueur) I’ve ever had in my life. Served from a chilled, thick-bottomed glass, rakija slides down your throat without your even feeling it as the honey takes over — but when it reaches your stomach, you can really feel the strength of it.

A small zoo is located on the other side of the island. Every animal in the park is a direct descendant of animals brought as presents to Tito. An elephant called Lanka was brought to Brijuni in 1970 as a present from Indira Ghandi. Lanka originally came with a partner elephant, Sony, who recently passed away. The two of them are by far the most well-known animals in all of Croatia.

During summer time on Mali Brijun, a theater under the stars takes place. Organised by famous Hollywood actor Rade Šerbedžija, Ulysses Theater is gladly visited by many. I had a pleasant encounter with Rade while riding a bike across the Veliki Brijun. Imagine pedaling alongside the island’s steep beaches, wind in your hair, experiencing the sea smells and sounds of seagulls, when all of a sudden a world-renowned actor comes pedaling your way with his recognizable white hat on and wishes you all the best with a huge smile across his face. You just have to smile back.

Yes, this is what the Brijuni Islands can do to you — they can put you in a state of never-ending happiness!

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Ptuj — Slovenia’s oldest town

On our Slovenian road trip, although the weather was skiing-friendly, we decided against spending all our time on the slopes, opting to visit not just Maribor but Ptuj as well. And I must say that I was extremely pleased with our decision!

Ptuj is situated in the Northeastern part of Slovenia, in the Drava region, and is the oldest town in the country, dating back to the Stone Age. But I did not know that when we arrived. Disclaimer: because Ptuj was rather optional in our schedule, I hadn’t done my research, so I was expecting a little Slovenian town/village with a castle in the middle. However, my expectations were not confirmed in reality. Not at all.

We arrived in Ptuj at lunch, so we started our tour with a very nice meal. We went to Ribic, a restaurant located very near the Drava River. Hot tip: if you visit Ptuj, eat there! If it’s warm, even better — have your meal on the terrace. The food was fantastic (the specialties are fish-based, just so you know), the staff was extremely nice, and the location was amazing. We were lucky enough to get some February sun, and so we had our coffee outside. Needless to say, it put us in a very good touring mood.

We walked around the old city center until we reached the castle. The city’s roads were mostly paved with cobblestones, and the streets were narrow, so it all had a very cozy feel. The houses on the left and right were clearly historical; although they were not very well preserved, they definitely added personality to the town. It was fun to see that Ptuj even had a small cinema with an old-school sign on top. Looking back, it all seemed to be from a different day and age. I’m not sure I can express this feeling, but it was quaint and lovely.

Ptuj is very well known for a ten-day carnival held in the spring. Called Kurentovanje, the carnival represents an ancient Slavic rite of spring and fertility. There are weird figures called Kurenti dressed in sheep skins (apparently), accessorised with all sorts of masks, feathers, and ribbons, all very colourful. These figures go through town making noise with cow-bells and wooden sticks. But fear not, for they do not move in vain — they walk around to send off the evil spirits of winter. We got to see some of these costumes at the castle’s museum, and I’ve gotta admit that they reminded me a little of home. Romania has a few customs (especially around Christmas and New Year’s) that involve grown people dressing up in animal skins and walking around the streets. But even though I’m personally not very fond of these customs (because they’ve always scared me and even gave me nightmares as a child), they’re still important in some Romanian villages.

We went on to visit the castle, which was truly amazing. Everything was very well preserved and cared for; from the furniture in the rooms to the art on the walls, it seemed like time had not passed there. Of all the exhibits and rooms, the highlight for me was the musical instruments exhibition, consisting of many rooms with a lot of music from a lot of different times. I won’t say more, so as not to spoil the castle’s dedicated Eastern Chronicles article.

We ended our much-too-short stay in Ptuj with a cup of tea at a local café, but we would have liked to stay longer. I felt like there was so much more to explore, especially in terms of getting the feel of the town. I still daydream about walking the streets, stopping by the Drava, reading a book, then heading to Kava Bar Orfej for some coffee. Ah, one can dream, right? I’m on the lookout for a nice apartment to stay for a few nights sometime. If you know of anything, drop us a line.

Photo credits: Flavius Neamciuc

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Vanja Nedić — Our evening ride to Zakopane was an interesting experience; we could feel the steepness of the road but couldn’t see anything around us. We knew we were climbing a mountain, but we just couldn’t see it. We were happy when we reached the city; although it was quite chilly, there was no snow, and the mountain air felt so refreshing. But our luck didn’t last long; we woke up in the morning to the sound of shoveling.

There was snow, a lot of snow! The weather didn’t do us any good, since it was not only snowing the whole day but was also foggy. Anyways, we decided to go for a walk around the city.

We read about the famous shopping street with all its designer brands and stuff, so we went to check it out. The street looked OK, but what got us really astonished was the open-air market we found just a couple minutes away. Now that was a true revelation! So many interesting things can be found there, and most importantly, they are all handmade. Leather jackets and coats were at every corner, and I understand why: you really need a good coat for this kind of weather.

Traditional goat cheese with cranberry sauce is sold everywhere, and it’s a must-try. The saltiness of the cheese mixing with the sweetness of the cranberry sauce may not be your thing, but you can’t miss the opportunity to test it out. Many restaurants here are very traditional and offer only regional food. It felt good sitting inside next to the fireplace of a cozy restaurant and watching the snow fall outside.

We decided to leave Zakopane while there was still daylight because the snow can cause trouble on the roads. Just as we left the city, the weather cleared up a bit, and we could see the lovely vistas all around us — it was like a winter wonderland, trees standing tall on mountain hills all covered with snow, simply an amazing sight. It was a beautiful way to finish our trip around Poland.

Our next destination was also our starting point: Katowice Airport. We had traveled around 3000 km exploring Poland, and we would have done more for sure!

The trip was so spontaneous, and we’ve seen so many different places that when people ask me which one was my favorite, I just can’t choose. Each is amazing in its own way, and I love them all!

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The Eastern Chronicles Poland road trip took place between March 7th — 15th.

Our latest articles: Chronicles on the road: Krakow, Chronicles on the road: Przemyśl, Chronicles on the road:Rzeszów, Chronicles on the road: Warsaw, Chronicles on the road: Gdańsk,Chronicles on the road: Poznań, Chronicles on the road: Wroclaw, Chronicles on the road: Katowice.

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Vanja Nedić — Krakow and Warsaw have this thing between them, this dispute as to which is really the capital. Officially it’s Warsaw, but many consider Krakow to be the beating heart of Poland. In recent years, this city has bloomed. It was always open to tourists, but now it’s even open to internationals who work and live here.

So many different languages can be heard on the streets of Krakow, and you can see that these people are more than tourists — they live here. They know the smallest secrets of the city. I like that Krakow is so well organised. The train and bus stations are connected, a big car park sits atop the huge shopping mall where you can lose some time if you have a connection here, and the old city center is just around the corner. Basically everything is very well arranged.

The old city center is crawling with people — and not just tourists. On every corner there are street musicians and entertainers, restaurant hosts and tour guides. Something we haven’t seen anywhere else is the sight of horse-drawn carriages in the Rynek. They look so luxurious and give this place a special tone.

Since the weather was nice when we visited, many sat outside drinking coffee and observing the crowd roaming around. This reminded me so much of home. The market in the middle of the Rynek is always a good spot because there are so many craftsmen’s booths that one simply can’t resist the appeal of handmade jewelry, bags, and shoes.

Wawel Castle is just a couple minutes away from the Rynek and is a magnificent spot to indulge in beautiful scenery. Although I really like the castle, I love the view of the Vistula River more. And for you “Game of Thrones” fans, there’s a dragon statue at the bottom of the castle wall that actually spits fire!

While driving toward Krakow, we googled places to eat. Because Hosam liked the Balkan-style restaurant we went to in Warsaw, he wanted to see if there was one here. He found one and we thought of going, but weren’t totally convinced. While approaching the old city center, a guy on the street was handing out leaflets and gave us one. It was a leaflet for a Balkan restaurant! It was a sign. We just had to go there.

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The Eastern Chronicles Poland road trip took place between March 7th — 15th.

Our latest articles: Chronicles on the road: Przemyśl, Chronicles on the road: Rzeszów, Chronicles on the road: Warsaw, Chronicles on the road: Gdańsk, Chronicles on the road: Poznań, Chronicles on the road: Wroclaw, Chronicles on the road: Katowice.

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Vanja Nedić — Our visit to Rzeszów was mostly about spending time with friends. We went for coffee with a bunch of them in Rzeszów, uncertain where the day would take us. As it so happened, we ended up in Przemyśl, a smaller city right on the Ukrainian border, only an hour away from Rzeszów.

Spontaneous trips are always the best because there are no expectations. While having coffee, we just googled places around worth visiting, saw pictures of Przemyśl, and then decided to go for it. On our way there we were stunned by the sight of the Polish countryside, its endless green fields all around us. We had to make a short stop in the middle of nowhere just to enjoy the scenery. And take pictures — a lot of pictures!

A funny part of the trip was trying to meet up in Przemyśl, since we came in two different cars. I was explaining on the phone, “We are next to the big church”, before realising that there were actually 5 different ‘big churches’ within 200 meters.

It’s a small city, but it did take us a while to meet due to the church mixup. We saw Catholic, Ukrainian Orthodox, and Greek-Catholic churches. It was amazing to see people going to Mass at the same time, greeting each other before entering different churches. Simply amazing.

And what is a visit to a Polish city without trying the traditional zapiekanka? Everyone loves this version of Polish fast food.

We were told that there were some amazing view points nearby so we went for one. The drive there was a bit crazy, but it was worth the hassle. We were impatient and didn’t want to walk around on the designated path, so we took a steep shortcut to the top. The view was simply amazing!

The whole city and its surroundings were at our feet. The lights in the distance were especially magnificent because of the border: on one side was Poland, on the other Ukraine. We remembered that there is also a viewing point in Rzeszów, so we decided to go and check it out at once. After the view over Przemyśl, it was quite disappointing — but still beautiful. City lights are always amazing to watch — a perfect way to end our stay in Rzeszów.

The Eastern Chronicles Poland road trip takes place between March 7th — 15th, so stay tuned for daily stories!

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Vanja Nedić — The roads between Warsaw and Rzeszów can be described in one word: awful! But, eventually, we made it. We decided to spend these days in Rzeszów because during the weekend, the bigger, more touristy cities can be crazy.

Rzeszów is situated on a main road between Krakow and Lviv (Ukraine), and this is what makes it a perfect place to live. It’s close to major, more developed cities, but it doesn’t have the rush and vibe of an over-populated place. It’s not so touristically developed, so the amenities are limited; but due to its closeness to the Ukrainian border, the cuisine is interesting.

Great traditional Polish and Ukrainian restaurants can be found, and the food has just a heavenly tasty. It’s similar to other Polish cuisine, but at the same time so different — definitely worth a try. The Rynek in Rzeszów is smaller and more compact than in other cities we’ve visited, so we didn’t walk so much in the Rynek as around it.

Next to the Rynek is a street called 3 Maja, which is quite a nice place to take a stroll, since many lovely family-style cafés and restaurants can be found there. One of the biggest churches is nearby, so many families go to Mass and then spend some quality time in one of these cafés. It’s nice to see cafés and restaurants equipped with toys and colouring books for kids. Here they really take care of every customer, big or small.

Another great place for a walk is on the Wisłok riverbank. The pathways on both sides of the river are made for cycling and walking, with benches alongside for sitting and enjoying the view of swans and ducks playing in the water.

The Eastern Chronicles Poland road trip takes place between March 7th — 15th, so stay tuned for daily stories!

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Vanja Nedić — The capital city of Poland has always been fascinating to me. It is said that this is the only Eastern European city with a skyline resembling some of the great western cities. Unfortunately, the whole day was foggy outside, so it was impossible to capture the skyline in a picture. In the morning I couldn’t even see the Palace of Culture — the most famous and representative building in Warsaw (and my orientation point as well).

The modern city center, containing all the new business buildings and shopping malls, is located only 15 minutes-stroll from the traditional Rynek, which also features plenty of restaurants. This is what I love most about Warsaw: although there is a significant difference between these two old & new worlds, they are so close and so connected to each other, that you can work in the crazy busy modern part and then come to relax in the old one. At one point we were in the underpass, right in the middle of the new city center, and I started to feel anxious about getting back on the surface; there were so many people around us, so many noises and voices, just like a true capital city sounds!

And one can’t say he really visited the capital city of Poland if he hasn’t eaten pierogi, right? The entire country is in love with this homemade dumplings, so we just had to go for it. We even bought the smaller portions, which was already too much, but we ate them all — that’s how delicious they are!

One of my favorite thing in Warsaw is the Nikołaj Kopernik monument. The great astronomer deserves a proper recognition for his work and this is for sure one of the nicest ways to pay respect for everything he had done. Also, the monument features the solar system, so you can always wake up your inner child and daydream among the planets!

At the end of the day, we decided to take dinner somewhere outside Warsaw. Actually, I decided we should go there, as it was my wish for a long time now to go to a Serbian restaurant located nearby the city. It’s so hard to find my traditional food in this part of the world so I just took this opportunity and don’t regret it at all. It tasted like home!

The Eastern Chronicles Poland road trip takes place between March 7th — 15th, so stay tuned for daily stories!

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Vanja Nedić — The road toward Gdańsk is called Amber, which is not a surprise, considering that this city is also known as the City of Amber. Therefore, our mission in Gdańsk was to buy presents — and it was a successful one. Actually, there is no way to fail on this, as the whole city is crowded with jewelry shops specialized in amber.

Gdańsk itself is magnificent , with its colorful streets and houses everywhere you look. It’s so easy to get lost because all the streets look alike! At the same time, each street is so special that it pulls you inside and you just have to wander around.

Fortunately, there is the Baltic Sea to prevent you from going in circles. It was very interesting for us to be next to the sea and freeze! We both come from seaside countries, but we’re talking here about the Mediterranean and Adriatic Sea, which are warm seas. The Baltic Sea is not warm at all — it was actually quite freezing! But I loved the fresh wind on my face. It wasn’t so cold outside, but with that wind blowing it felt like polar cold. Amazing experience!

As we are food lovers, always trying to find the best places in town to eat all kinds of meals, we were a little bit shocked to find out that most of the places are opening at 11 pm. And they even offer breakfast! Actually, until noon the city streets weren’t so crowded. This felt to me like everyone is at the Croatian seaside: lazy, with plenty of time for everything in the world, not bothering at all when the day starts.

We also visited the Westerplatte peninsula — famous for the Battle of Westerplatte, which marked the start of the Second World War. A giant obelisk stands there alone at the edge of the city as a true reminder of the brave Polish defenders. It was worth driving and then walking only to get there. We arrived there late in the day, just in time to catch the last beams of light.

Finally, I just want to mention this: the highlight of our stay in Gdańsk was the 5 stars hostel we stayed at. The interior, the staff — everything was perfect! But the special thing of all was the music in the showers. When you go in, it starts playing music automatically. I’m not a person who sings in the shower, but that environment just made me do so. :)

The Eastern Chronicles Poland road trip takes place between March 7th — 15th, so stay tuned for daily stories!

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Our latest articles: Chronicles on the road: Poland (Day 3), Chronicles on the road: Poland (Day 2), Chronicles on the road: Poland (Day 1), The oldest vine in the world can be found in Slovenia, The amazing city of Novi Sad, St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

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Vanja Nedić — We came to Poznań mainly because of the people here — friends and family we met with today. Stary Rynek in Poznań got me with a line of colorful houses and small shops under. With light music playing in the background, I had the feeling of being back in Croatia.

The interesting thing was that we were walking around Rynek and I wanted to take a picture, but there was a police van in sight. They were also circling the Rynek and we couldn’t get rid of them! So, eventually, I took pictures featuring them.

One thing we realised is that there is a lot of street art around Poznań. Randomly walking through the streets really gives a different view of the city and its culture. I especially liked the big building murals. Colorful and unique — like every city in Poland.

By the end of the day, we decided to visit Stary Browar shopping mall as we were told this mall is considered to be the most beautiful in the entire Poland. Located in an old brewery (this is how it got its name), the mall is a combination of different buildings, connected with bridges and passages. The setting is really amazing and, although it is a mall, it’s quite worth visiting from a historical point of view.

We talked to a lot of people about our trip and, whenever we mentioned Gdańsk, people said we would love it. Therefore, on our coffee break today at the mall, we decided to skip Łódź and Toruń and go for Gdańsk. We can’t wait any longer! We want to see if all of the stories about Gdańsk’s beauty are true.

The Eastern Chronicles Poland road trip takes place between March 7th — 15th, so stay tuned for daily stories!

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Our latest articles: Chronicles on the road: Wroclaw, Chronicles on the road: Katowice, The oldest vine in the world can be found in Slovenia, The amazing city of Novi Sad, St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Skiing in Mariborsko Pohorje.

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