I was a bit surprised to run across the following article, "Trip Lives up to Eastern Promise: Croatia, Montenegro and Albania provide a rewarding alternative to tourist traps," for the simple reason that those are exactly the same three countries I will be visiting shortly.

Writer Cath Bennett did somewhat of a whirlwind tour in order of the most commonly visited (Croatia) to least commonly visited (Albania). She writes most fondly of Dubrovnik where she basked in a luxury hotel and strolled the town's 13th century city walls. Montenegro, however, presented some hotel problems (no running water) but redeemed itself with the ancient city of Budva--a "veritable maze of winding streets featuring a mix of museums, shops and bars."

Lastly, Bennett spent time in Albania--which she describes as a fascinating country of extreme contrasts where ox carts and Mercedes share the roadway.

It's not the most detailed article, but it still gives a flavor of what to expect when traveling through this region of the world.

Filed under: Albania, Croatia, Serbia, Red Corner