After a couple of days in the city we were in need of fresh air. Also, if we want to reach China this year we need to keep going. Our next stop would be Cappadocia but that will take about 10 hours. We found two nice stops along the way. One would be Burj al Babas.
Burj al Babas
Burj Al Babas is a residential development located near the Turkish town of Mudurnu. The homes in the development are designed to resemble miniature chateaux.
They started construction in 2014 and was originally successful. However, sales stalled causing the developer to enter bankruptcy. As of January 2019, 587 of the planned 732 homes were started but none were finished.
We visited the sight, couldn’t enter though but did enjoy the view. And quite close to it happened to be a very nice location to stay for the night. And another night. Not planned but we felt we needed a day ‘off’.
A day to clean the van, read a book, enjoy the sweetness of doing nothing. Only one day and we felt reloaded. Reloaded for the rest of our journey East.
Tuz Gölü
The second stop on our journey to Cappadocia would be one of the most underrated tourism attractions of Turkey. At least that’s what we think. The way too it was uneventful. Some mountains, grass plains and not so good roads. We saw lot of migrant workers which was interesting. Most of them live in tents near where they work.
Anyway, after quite a few hours (6 or 7) we finally reached Tuz Gölü, also Salt Lake. It’s not only a salt lake it’s also the second biggest lake of Turkey. There are some stops next to the road but those are very crowded and touristy. We had other plans. So we continued a bit further, drove the worst Turkish road we had up to now and found our spot. Alone at the lake. The lake stretches in front of the car, everywhere we look we see White and a little bit of pink. The lake turns pink due to the algae. And the algae are eaten by no other than the pink birds of course, flamingos. We didn’t see the birds, neither did we see the lake in pink. Nonetheless it was still very impressive.
We watched an amazing sunset, a million stars and had a great nights rest.
In the morning we walked quite a while on the salt lake. Not much water in it at the moment so one can walk pretty far into the lake.
Cappadocia
Finally we arrived in Cappadocia! Not hidden, not untouristy but a gem. 10 years ago I, Milene, graduated from university with a thesis about this magical place. My thesis was about finding a way that a cultural heritage and historically important place like Cappadocia can also hosts tourism. During my time in Cappadocia I researched it’s history, explored it’s culture and started understanding its value. Besides it being a natural and cultural place which needs to be preserved, tourism is the main economy of the area. Luckily one can live with the other and the outcome of my thesis was hopeful. Hopeful of the local community, tourism organizations and government branches work together.
It all started in 2018 when I, Milene, moved to Turkey as part of the Erasmus program. For half a year Ankara was my home and Atilim Universitesi my university. That half year turned into almost two years as i also did my internship in Turkey. My internship brought me to many places as I worked at a travel agency. I learned a bit of the language, got to know the culture and most important; got to taste all of the local cuisine. I say all but lets say; most.
Our Turkish story starts five and a half years ago. We had just met a couple of months ago. Both came back from a long journey and were ready for another adventure. That being; starting a relationship together. What better place for a first travel test as Istanbul?! For me a very well known place (eventhough I lived in Ankara ive been to Istanbul many many times) and for Yuri something new.
Five and a half year later and we find ourselves once again in the city where everything comes together. Istanbul is so much more than the Blue Mosque, the grand bazaar and the Bosporus. Its where you walk into a neighborhood where you find 1001 shoeshops and when they dont have your size? No worries, they call their friend from another shop who brings the shoe in your size. Who needs big ass brands here? Istanbul is also the city of three major football clubs; Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Besiktas. When one becomes the champion you’ll find flags of that team everywhere! It is also the city where you can find the same food for €30,- but also for €3,-, depending on the neighborhood. It’s the city with simit (type of bread) sellers on every street corner and people running with trays of cay from one shop to the other. In Istanbul you can treat yourself to the real Turkish delights, have meze and raki in the busiest of streets surrounded by Turks and find a hamam to your likings: expensive and touristy or cheap and traditional.
The first time we travelled to Istanbul we went to see all the highlights. From visiting Kadiköy and the Princes Islands to watching the Tünel on Istiklal Caddesi and talking to the fishermen on Galata Bridge. We ate köfte, iskender and manti. Drank kahve, cay and Efes. Got inside Topkapi Palace, Ayasofya and Sultanahmet Camii (the Blue Mosque). We saw the head of Medusa in Basilica Cistern and explored the nightlife with friends. We did all one absolutely has to do in Istanbul.
This time we had no rush to do all the touristy things. We were here to get some shopping done. It was time for new flip-flops, a Turkish simcard and after some days without showering the hamam would be a good idea. So thats what we did; shopping and scrubbing our bodies.
Of course we visited Ayasofya as its not a museum anymore but a proper mosque. (in 1935 Mustafa Kemal Ataturk converted Ayasofya into a museum) So we joined in the prayer there. We peaked inside Sultanahmet Camii cause it is renovated at the moment. Not really worth the visit at the moment.
We also visited four shopping malls because for Yuri there is only one pair of flip-flops and those are almost nowhere to be found. To enter the shopping malls one need a HES code. This QR code shows whether your corona status is riskless or risky. We didnt have a code so got in with our passport. Except for the last mall, they insisted on a QR code. After some discussion they got a security guy getting the code for us and we could enter. Only to be escorted out of the shopping mall in ten minutes. Apparently Yuri is risky. Luckily we got to buy his flip-flops before we were kindly requested to leave the premises.
Our stay this time was also a bit different. We stayed at the parking lot of a football pitch in our van. We had a toilet, a shower and even a washing machine (which we didn’t use). The fun thing was also that the area was new to us both and very vibrant. Full with shops, restaurants and some hamams. Lot’s of people from Africa here which gives the are an extra vibe.
After three nights, lots and lots of walking and eating more than the kilometers could make up for it was time to leave this wonderful city behind. Its time to explore more of Turkey. We are not heading to the beautiful coastline in the South West, but we are going East.
Cappadocia is about 10 hours drive from Istanbul so we will have two stops before reaching there. The moment of long drives through bare lands has also begun. Alright not entirely cause part of Turkey is actually very green. More on that later!
One of my favourite writers is Herodotos (writer of ‘The Histories’), but even more do I love stories about him. Like the travels of Herodotos by Ryszard Kapuschinsky, definitely my second best book (after The Hobbit by J.r.r. Tolkien). In this book Kapushinksy follows Herodotos on his travels. It’s not about the Greece we know now but expands beyond its recent borders. Besides two Greek islands I haven’t explored Greece truly. So when we had the chance to vanture through the mainland of this interesting country we couldn’t resist.
From Herodotos to Alexander the Great
Herodotos was a famous writer and geographer who travelled beyond borders and imaginations in a time where travel was even more adventurous than it is now. He was born Halicarnassus, part of the former Persian Empire.
“It is clear that not in one thing alone, but in many ways equality and freedom of speech are a good thing.”
But we aren’t following in Herodotos footsteps yet, we do however find ourselves in the footsteps of another famous person. Alexander the Great, a Macedonian, was born in Pella which is located in modern time Greece. And as we follow the footsteps of many man, once great explorers, and visit some of their birthplaces we couldn’t skip this one of course.
Pella, originally known as Bounomos, the city developed rapidly under Philip II, but, after the defeat of the last Macedonian king by the Romans (168 BC), it became a small provincial town.
And with small I mean tiny. There is not much except for some restaurants, statues and a square named after Alexander. Not far from the village there are some archeological sights which we didn’t visit because it costs €8,- per person and even though it includes the museum we found that a bit too much for just a quick in and out.
Mount Olympos
From heroes to gods. We left Pella behind and headed towards Mount Olympos, also known as the home of Zeus. Mount Olympos is the highest mountain of Greece and the basis of many stories.
Mount Olympus is snowcapped and often has cloud cover. According to Homer’s Odyssey, however, the peak never has storms and it basks in cloudless aithēr (Greek: “pure upper air”; thus “ether”). Later writers elaborated upon this description, which may have originated from the observation that the peak is often visible above a belt of relatively low clouds.
We hiked up the mountain, not to this cloudless peak so we didn’t find the throne of Zeus but we did follow the river to a holy cave and a monastery that is renovated after 60 years of being a ruin. It was bombed by the Germans during the Second World War and ever since left alone until recently. We saw some monks there as well but mainly builders and I was wearing undecent clothing (read; shorts and a tank top).
The hike took us a bit more than two hours before we headed towards our next stop.
The monasteries and mountains of Meteora
It feels like we are racing through Greece. Going quickly towards Athens because we don’t have much time. We want to be in Turkey soon. But of course we couldn’t miss Meteora and as it was on the way to Athens we had a quick stop here.
The name ‘Meteora’ was derived from a Greek contraction meaning “suspended in the air.” Rising high above the Thessalian plain, the sandstone megaliths on which the monasteries were built average 300 metres in height, with several reaching 550 metres. The rock masses were formed some 60 million years ago, their distinctive and varied shapes sculpted over time by earthquakes, rain, and wind.
Religious life in this region can be traced from about 1000 CE, when hermit dwellings were established in the lesser peaks of the rock mounds.
Although 24 monasteries were built, each containing a church or two, monks’ cells, and a refectory, only 6 remain: Great Metéoron, Varlaám (also called All Saints [Áyioi Pándes]), Roussanou, St. Nikolas (Áyios Nikolaos), Holy Trinity (Áyia Triada), and St. Stephen (Áyios Stéfanos). Some still serve a religious function, though they are now only sparsely populated by monks and nuns.
The monasteries are accessible by bridges and stairs cut into the rocks, although before the 1920s ascending the rock columns involved the perilous enterprise of climbing ladders or being hauled up by ropes and nets.
We visited two of the monasteries, had a coffee with one view and baked a sausage at another. Of course we also took the drone out for some insane shots and watched the sun set.
Athina
Not only a goddess but also a great city. We went all the way South to visit Athens, more particularly a Syrian family I know from Lesvos. They made their way to Athens a couple of months ago and welcomed us into their home.
Athens is the first European city when approached from the Middle East. When approached from the west, from elsewhere in Europe, what strikes us is the influence of the East—in the food, music, and clamorous street life—perhaps vestiges of a time when Athens was divorced from European society under the yoke of Ottoman rule.
And that different part of Athens we got to see these days. We skipped most of the tourist attractions and got to see Athens from a migrant point of view. Streets full with Bangladeshi and Pakistani shops, the chaos as if one walks the streets of Damascus and the selling of very cheap phones. “It’s not stolen, it’s my own phone” he says while holding five phones in his hands.
We ate the most delicious Syrian food, drank Arabic coffee and played with the five kids of the family. Especially the baby whom I saw grow up these past 7 months of her life. She got born on Lesvos, was quite ill when I last hold her on the island but is now doing so great. Such a strong girl.
We stayed with the family for three nights and left with the van full of Syrian food. They don’t know ‘no’ in Syria so even though I tried to explain we don’t have enough space we still got a box full of delicious food.
But it was time to leave, way to soon for that matter but the rest of the Silk Road is waiting and days pass by too quickly.
We hopped on the ferry to Kavala. After one night of sleep we decided to go for it and try to enter the Turkish border.
We have now truly exited the Balkans. We said goodbye to this wonderful part of the world, but not for forever cause im sure we will be back.
Not only did the many many beehives show me there is a lot to learn here, but also did the very very expensive cars in rural and poorer areas trigger my interest to dive into life in the Balkans a bit deeper. We met the kindest of people here, ate various types of börek and were offered and drank way to many types of raki.
The Balkans are usually characterized as comprising Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia—with all or part of each of those countries located within the peninsula. The word Balkan is Turkish and means “mountain,” and the peninsula is certainly dominated by this type of landform, especially in the west. The Balkan Mountains lie east-west across Bulgaria, the Rhodope Mountains extend along the Greek-Bulgarian border, and the Dinaric range extends down the Adriatic coast to Albania.
While driving around we saw not only many little shrines but also lots of memorial stones of people who passed. However, if we would place a memorial stone of every roadkill, especially hedgehogs and snakes, it would be a memorial guardrail. Luckily we also saw a lot of turtles on the road, alive still. Made us think of the impact we make with our roads and other manmade structures. Even in the Balkans where there is still more nature than tarmac luckily.
Another thing that didn’t escape our eyes were the many police checkpoints. We were only stopped two times, probably because we are foreigners and we cant drive that fast. Many police checkpoints and many different gasoline stations. Lots of different brands, even in tiny towns. Especially in Bayran Curri – North Albania one could choose from the many many gasoline stations.
Ethnic diversity is one of the Balkan region’s most characteristic social and political features. The most numerous of the groups is the South Slavs, who form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, North Macedonia, and Montenegro. The Bulgarians, North Macedonians, and Slovenes speak their own Slavic languages, while the Slavs of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro all speak dialects of Serbo-Croatian.
As we are on the road to China, about 10.000kms further, we couldn’t stay for too long in every place. If we had the time we would and I’m sure we would taste every type of wine there is, cause there are many. We would explore more of the incredible mountains and tropical beaches, taste even more types of raki and submerge ourselves into the culture by visiting the smallest villages.
Of course we’ve also seen so much rubbish one can barely see the beauty of the place through it. It transforms nature into a huge ass bin and instead of protecting the last pieces of nature and cleaning it people add their rubbish to it as if it doesnt matter. “Its part of our culture, when we bbq we do not take our rubbish with us, it’s what we do” a girl from Serbia told is giggling. I didn’t find it laughable but that’s me, a privileged woman from Holland who’s parents taught her to pick up her rubbish and dispose of it in the appropriate waste bins.
After a one and a half month in the Balkans one doesn’t understand the Balkans, one hasn’t seen all of the Balkans but one gets an idea. The idea of certainly going back and exploring more of this gem.
We now travel to our last European country on this journey: Greece. A country with an inspired history. From the Gods of old mythology to legends like Alexander the Great (alright he’s Macedonian) and Leonidas. Oh and lets not forget the explorers like Homer (also famous poet) and Herodotos or the philosophers Socrates, Aristotles and Plato.
Lets dive into yet another interesting and beautiful part of the world. For a short while though because Turkey is giving us the (non sexual) glad eye 😉
For the first time in our lives we experienced the feeling of being rejected when wanting to cross a border. Alright, Bosnia and Herzegovina already denied our entry but we were alright with that. Now Greece denied us entry. While Bosnia and Herzegovina is not part of the EU, thus no shengen-country, Greece is. I think it’s good to let us sweat a little bit at the border. We are too spoiled and used to our privilege of carrying a Dutch passport that we need to be stopped once in a while.
Back in Macedonia
After a lovely stay at the Blue Eye we tried to cross the border from another point of Albania. The Albanian border officers were very kind and were keen on letting us through. But to be sure we would get through they told us to walk to the Greek border and talk to the officers there. Well, they were quite clear: no Dutch people are allowed to enter Greece. “Go to Bulgaria” he unkindly said. “Go to Bulgaria? But that’s like two days driving and crossing two borders!” “Your problem.” Alright he didn’t say that with words but his face showed us. We even showed him a photo of our beautiful van in the hope he would realise that it will take us a couple of days because the quickest we go – on a highway – is 80 km’s an hour. But he didn’t give in. And so, we left…
The road to Macedonia is one we had already taken when we left Ohrid about a week ago. Driving the same road back is normally not a feast, but in Albania it is. You get to see the mountains from another side and that’s lovely. Nonetheless, after three hours of winding roads through the mountains and dodging potholes I grew a bit tired of the driving. After 6.5 hours we crossed the border from Albania into Macedonia without much fuzz and ended up at a nice and quiet parking lot at lake Prespa.
The next day we took the fast road to Bulgaria and it was quite boring actually. Except for the last kilometers, those were magnificent. Very green and hilly.
A new unexpected country
The crossing into Bulgaria wasn’t that easy. Getting out of Macedonia was easy, they didn’t really care about where we come from, nor where we are going. However, getting into Bulgaria was a tad difficult. Of course they asked for a PCR test, which we don’t have. So, what to do now? There were many people at the border and only one car; us. You can imagine they had lots of time to discuss what to do with us and to ask us all sorts of questions. In the end they agreed upon 12 hours entry. “But it is late now and we are not fast, we can never reach Turkey”. “Ok, 24 hours then. You can sleep somewhere and go to the nearest border tomorrow”. Agreed!
What to do in Bulgaria when you have 24 hours?
We decided to go to the Jerusalem of Bulgaria: Rila Monastery. Well, we would first go to a campsite close by and tomorrow morning it would be the first thing we would do. The campsite was very cute, yeah I’m sure nothing changed since the Sovjet times but it was surrounded by nature, owned by a man nor dead nor alive and had a warm shower. I didn’t shower for a week so this was very welcome! We roasted some sausages, had a nice hike and went to bed.
Rila Monastery
Another UNESCO heritage site on our list! But what is it? Let me explain briefly:
Rila Monastery was founded in the 10th century by St John of Rila, a hermit canonized by the Orthodox Church. His ascetic dwelling and tomb became a holy site and were transformed into a monastic complex which played an important role in the spiritual and social life of medieval Bulgaria. Rila Monastery was founded in honor of the ascetic St. Ivan of Rila (also know as St John of Rila) in the 10th century. He spent the last 20 years of his life praying in relative solitude at a cave some four kilometers away. St. Ivan was revered as a saint during his lifetime. Believers flocked to the remote cave to receive his blessing. The monastery was destroyed by fire at the beginning of the 19th century and the complex was rebuilt between 1834 and 1862. A characteristic example of the Bulgarian Renaissance (18th–19th centuries), the monument symbolizes the awareness of a Slavic cultural identity following centuries of occupation.
Normally lots of tourists flock to the site we had the place to ourselves. That truly adds to the experience of the monastery. Even though we are not religious, these religious monuments have some sort of impact. Not sure why but they always make you whisper, be quiet with your thoughts and be in awe with the grandeur of these religious buildings. Like I wrote before it also makes me question the idea of religion to be honest. This hermit St John of Rila lived his life in solitude in a cave, so I wonder, if he lived his life like that why would we have to built a monastery filled with gold and paintings selling postcards and other knick knacks. Would he be happy that all this was built in his name? Whereas he chose to be living his life in a cave. And what about all the gold? The more you have the better God listens to you? Or is it just about showing off to people who can barely afford to buy themselves some bread?
But we have to be honest, the monastery IS amazing, truly. It’s magnificent, the woodwork, the murals, the nature surrounding it.
Back to our travels. We visited the monastery and were all alone, which was great! After a coffee we moved towards the border.
Third time’s a charm
Or not. A busy border but the one of the two borders that is actually open to tourists, so we didn’t have much choice. The Bulgarian man was very kind but we soon found out they had almost no authority here. The border is ruled by the Greeks and their regulations are the most important ones. We did not do a PCR test, to be honest I think PCR tests are rubbish and I truly hope this will soon end because it doesn’t make much sense to me. Of course we understand the impact of the virus and the serious situation, but this PCR test feels like another way to earn money quickly. Different rules apply to different nationalities. If you’re Greek you can go in quarantaine, if you’re Bulgarian you can do an antigen test and if you’re a tourists you have to do a PCR test AND do an antigen test at the border.
The Greeks were clear; we wouldn’t get through without a PCR test. What to do? We do a PCR test.
The spiritual powers of Petrich
Luckily for us about 20 minutes from the border is the Rockefeller Hospital of Petrich where they were so kind to help us out and do a PCR test even though we were late. The same evening we would get the results. In the meantime we explored the town of Petrich. Not a very big town but nice. We checked out the market and some shops. What we did not know is that Petrich is not just a village but a village with apparently spiritual powers. Close to Petrich one can find the mineral water and thermal baths of the Roupite Springs, which of course have medicinal powers. Also close to Petrich are remains from the ancient fortress of Istra and Baba Vanga resided her until her death.
Baba Vanga was a Bulgarian mystic, clairvoyant, and herbalist. She was blind since early childhood and possessed paranormal abilities. Some sources claim that she foretold the break-up of the Soviet Union, the Chernobyl disaster, the date of Stalin’s death, the sinking of the Russian submarine Kursk, the September 11 attacks, Topalov’s victory in the world chess tournament and the tensions with North Korea. Some say it’s all false and none of it is true. What do you think?
After a delicious Bulgarian lunch we headed back to the hospital where we received the result. A big NEGATIVE. We weren’t really surprised, didn’t feel ill or experience any of the symptoms.
Instead of crossing the border we decided to visit the springs and home of Baba Vanga. Next to the springs is a big field full of flowers, and soon we found out; a heaven for mosquito’s, where we parked the van for the night. We were surrounded by a couple other vans and campers of which one was from Ireland. After having a nice bath in the HOT spring (some were just too hot for anyone who wouldn’t want to end up with burn wounds), we chatted with the Irish until midnight.
Not 24 but 48 hours
We overstayed in Bulgaria, but it didn’t matter. At the border they barely looked at our passports. The Greeks did though: PLF, PCR, passport, car insurance, registration certificate. They asked for it all and had to go through it all. And then I had to do another antigen test, which didn’t make sense to me at all, but I did spend some time in these thermal baths with other people. Although I’m sure nothing would survive for too long in those hot springs, it might also give me some spiritual powers from Baba Vanga. Who knows. But no, again NEGATIVE and that means: Γεια σου Ελλάδα or: Hello Greece!
Goats crossing the road, deserted gas stations and bee-friendly flowers. Turquoise rivers, rocky roads and green hillsides. High mountains, deep valleys and farming villages. Friendly people, delicious börek pie and raki’s in the morning glory. Lake ferries, white Sandy beaches and snakes everywhere.
Albania has exceeded all our expectations, if we even had any. It’s gorgeous, travellers friendly and too beautiful to ignore. Making a campfire while wild camping and cleaning yourself in one of the many natural springs. That’s what life is about.
I can’t imagine I was once happy sitting behind a desk in The Hague working for a bank. Nor can I imagine that instead of watching the sunset on our beach every night I chose to watch Netflix day in day out. Or that I preferred scrolling through Instagram watching other people living their life’s instead of living my own.
Sleeping on the cliff
In the last post I told you about the difficult but amazing road we took. Well, Albania is full of roads with views that words fail to describe well. After the city of a thousand windows, Berat, we travelled to the coast. Apparently Albania has tropical beaches so of course we were curious. The first night we stayed on a cliff near Vlorë, we even drive on the beach here.
It was beautiful, although the wind was a bit too much to cook outside unfortunately. Also, the garbage everywhere makes it less idyllic than we thought it would be. Things you don’t see on Instagram unfortunately.
After one night we decided to travel to Gjipe beach of which we heard from several sources. The SH8 from Vlorë (the Miami Beach of Albania) to Gjipe is fantastic! On the one side you see huge mountains and on the other side you see the turquoise sea and white sandy beaches. The winding road goes up and down through changing landscapes and tiny towns. It’s wonderful just driving this road. And then there is Gjipe Beach, a gem. Not hidden online but hidden offline as one has to walk down for about 30 minutes to get to the beach. The beach is located at the end of a gorge and looks like paradise. Reminded me of the Turkish Butterfly Valley – which is more remote than Gjipe though. Lots of rock climbers and beach lovers here. You can stay here with a tent or if you dare go down the road with your 4×4. Alexine couldn’t handle the road and if she could my heart couldn’t.
After Gjipe we travelled more South to Ksamil beach. Well, I suggest all people booking a ticket for a very very long flight to the Caribbean to reconsider. Albania is all you need. Ksamil had it all: white beaches, turquoise coloured sea and islands you could visit. It has nice restaurants and bars with good and not so expensive food. I’m not the one to be hanging around a beach for too long so we had lunch here and left.
The Greek border
We headed towards the Greek border. But, unfortunately it was closed. With closed I mean: big fences and no one in the office. We walked through the border office and only found someone coming out of the shower who just told us to find another border crossing. So we left, not to another border crossing but to the Blue Eye.
The Blue Eye
Too busy and touristy for my taste. Busses with children and adults who catch insects for a selfie. You can imagine my mood changing… But, the great thing is that you can stay here with the van and have the Blue Eye all to yourself after closing hours.
We were not alone though. Here we met Lucca from Italy and Wolfgang from Germany. They are both travelling full time with their families in these huge machines. That’s like travelling 3.0. With these over landing trucks they’ve travelled to many places of the world. From China, Nepal, Tibet to Mali, Libya and Tunesia. For months they are on the road, homeschooling their kids and exploring every bit of the earth. Lucca is a documentary film maker and works in between travelling, Wolfgang is an electrician and works for about two to three months a year in Germany. They were both very interested in Alexine, of course, and we had a nice chat and night. Learned a lot from their travels. I mean; Lucca travelled through the Sahara in the 90’s with compass and map, we use Google to find our way. It’s so great to meet likeminded people with lots of experience.
After a nice night and ice cold dip in the Blue Eye we travelled to another Greek border. Whereas the Albanians would want to let us through the Greeks stick to the rules: no tourists can travel from Albania to Greece via land. Meaning; we had to go all the way back to Macedonia and try via Bulgaria. But that means like we’re already near Turkey which is on our route. So, while driving the same way back as we came we debated if Greece was worth it.
Hi there! We are Milene & Yuri. We are travelling the world together since 2015. Our endless curiosity and will to explore has resulted in many cool, and somewhat extreme, adventures. On MYgrations you'll read all about our adventures, you'll find lots of information about the countries we visit you won't find anywhere else and more. Enjoy!
We’re also grammin’
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