Comments on: A few reflections from a trip in the Balkans

By: Andy Jarosz

Andy Jarosz — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:47:29 +0000

Hi there, I would stress that most people DON’T speak English – you heard correctly. I was only saying that in most places we went, even the remote ones, there was someone who was able to speak the language.
Agree on guidebooks in most parts of the world, although here even with a LP book there weren’t many tourists around.
Thanks for commenting and I look forward to hearing about your adventures

By: World Nomad

World Nomad — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:28:22 +0000

Interesting to read that most people speak English in Albania, I heard the opposite. The future will tell =).

By the way, don’t you meet a lot of tourists when following guide books? I prefer just improvising like your point 5, that gets you into the most interesting situations!

By: Andrea

Andrea — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 16:57:35 +0000

I just spent 3 weeks in the Balkans and I had a great time too. Croatia is one of the most amazing countries I have ever visited and I would love to spend more time in Bosnia and Montenegro. The whole region is fascinating and I can’t wait to go back.

By: Laura

Laura — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 06:00:08 +0000

Sometimes it catches me off guard as well to hear language spoken in such remote villages. Sounds like a fun trip!

By: Andy Jarosz

Andy Jarosz — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 15:36:57 +0000

Thanks for the comments Keith and Mary. It was a great trip and am now enjoying putting my thoughts and memories down while they are still fresh. Very true about the outdated information. It’s easy (and lazy) to repeat what others have written before and assume that nothing has changed. In a place like Albania where things change so regularly you’ll soon get caught out.

By: Mary Novakovich

Mary Novakovich — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 07:32:16 +0000

Really looking forward to reading your posts about the Balkans, Andy. As you know, it’s a subject close to my heart.

It’s interesting what you say about what guide books leave out. I remember having an old Lonely Planet one to France years ago that neglected to include some major cities (eg Orléans). God knows what criteria they use to include certain destinations.

I know how hard it is to find the latest information about the Balkans, though, as things are constantly shifting. Unfortunately, people are still peddling old information, even on supposedly up-to-date websites.

By: Keith

Keith — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:34:34 +0000

I really enjoy this kind of post. Interesting to hear about your experiences in the Balkans and I look forward to more content!

By: Andy Jarosz

Andy Jarosz — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:46:58 +0000

Melvin, thanks for the nice welcome message. Yes, lots of posts to come!
Jools, sounds like a great trip planned. If you want to see some of Montenegro consider doing a bit on the bus. It’s cheap and you can get to most places within a couple of hours of the nearest train stop.
Yes, reading Cyrillic will be handy for Serbia (and Bulgaria). Even with widespread English you’ll find the ability to read all of the signs an advantage. Look forward to following your travels!

By: Jools Stone

Jools Stone — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:32:01 +0000

Hi Andy, thanks for this. Am inter railing through parts of your route soon, Croatia, Bosnia, then through Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. Would like to see Montenegro too, but sadly the train lines are limited there as am sure you know.
Bit frustrated by the apparent lack of a rough guide covering all of these Balkan countries though. For now I will have to keep an eye on your blog as well as the excellent Balkanology site. Nice to know that English is so widely spoken too, must swot up on my cyrillic alphabet soon though!
Jools

By: Melvin

Melvin — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:54:28 +0000

Sounds like 2 good weeks… especially without being connected. But me & for sure many others missed you on Twitter! But on the other side… there will be many nice articles to come & to read now!