There's nothing like having a sealed train compartment full of Serbian farmers blowing smoke in your face on your 30th birthday. One of the strangest elements of expatriate life is that you sometimes find yourself celebrating major occasions with people you just met, rather ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Macedonia
A Traveler in the Foreign Service: A birthday that went up in smoke in Belgrade
There's nothing like having a sealed train compartment full of Serbian farmers blowing smoke in your face on your 30th birthday. One of the strangest elements of expatriate life is that you sometimes find yourself celebrating major occasions with people you just met, rather ...A Traveler in the Foreign Service: Ding Dongs and danger pay in Kosovo
When I worked at the American Embassy in Skopje, I looked forward to visiting Kosovo. Not because I liked the place, but because I wanted junk food. American junk food. I'm talking Hostess cupcakes, Chips Ahoy, Jif Peanut Butter and the like. And trips to Kosovo, if you were ...A Traveler in the Foreign Service: Ciao macho man (or how to help Albanian breakdancers win a grammy)
I was standing on a stage in an auditorium in front of about 500 people frozen in terror at Nota Fest, which is like the Grammy awards for Macedonia's ethnic-Albanian community. The organizers of the event had invited our Ambassador, Larry Butler, to present a lifetime ...A Traveler in the Foreign Service: Escape from a rock-star elevator in Skopje
Trapped in a private, "rock-star" elevator in a seemingly half-finished apartment building on my first day in Macedonia, I turned, in desperation, to a phrase book. I had spent the previous six months in language training at the Foreign Service Institute, studying full time ...Budget Vacation Guide 2012: Macedonia
Since the dissolution of Yugoslavia, Macedonia has hidden beneath the radar. While Croatia and Montenegro receive sustained coverage for their coastlines and Slovenia pops up here and there as a budget-friendly alternative to pricey Switzerland, landlocked Macedonia has ...A Traveler in the Foreign Service: My rock-star elevator in Skopje
The first thing I noticed about Macedonia was the Marlboro man and a group of short men smoking cheap alternatives. Six months after being handed the country's distinctive yellow and red flag, signifying a two year assignment to the American Embassy in Skopje, I'd finally ...European low-cost airlines fail to enforce charges and fees
Flying around Europe on low-cost airlines over the last few months has taught me a few things. Among the most useful lessons I've picked up: Baggage and check-in fees and charges are enforced quite unevenly.
European low-cost carriers present their customers with a ...Macedonia: what's in a name? A major controversy!
The erection of a giant statue of Alexander the Great in the Macedonian capital of Skopje is the latest round in an ongoing controversy with neighboring Greece.
The statue, erected on Tuesday as part of an ambitious urban development plan called Skopje 2014, drew ...From myth to Empire: Heracles to Alexander the Great
Today's royals have nothing on the ancients.
Alexander the Great and his predecessors enjoyed a sumptuous lifestyle that beats anything William and Kate will ever enjoy, not to mention real power as opposed to lots of TV time. Now an amazing new exhibition at the ...Five ways to get more European stamps in your passport
Lake Ohrid, Macedonia.
Yesterday, I wrote about the fact that European passport stamps have become harder and harder to get. The expansion of the Schengen zone has reduced the number of times tourists are compelled to show their passports to immigration officials. For ...Ten budget-friendly destinations in Europe
For Americans, Europe can be very expensive. Let's take a moment to acknowledge this fact. Tourist costs are high, and currently the euro is doing well against the dollar, even if the pound is down somewhat from its stratospheric performance a few years ago. So yes, ...Red Corner: Balkan Odyssey Tour
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We're usually not in the habit of plugging group tours here at Gadling, however, I recently came across one highlighted in the LA Times which covers many of the same places I recently traveled during my Balkan Odyssey this last summer.
Kutrubes Travel is offering an 18-day ...
