mirelaiepurela

[mirelaiepurela]

The Wanderers Hostel

In Tirana, we parted ways with Simon. He went to Kosovo, and we continued our road trip through Albania. But until he left, he talked on an on about this wonderful traveler’s oasis called The Wanderers Hostel. He said we might meet him there again, but nothing was certain when it came to him, as he didn’t believe in mobile phones and other such technology. He left the room all four of us were…

[mirelaiepurela]

Radio Bar

If you ever find yourself in Tirana with some time to spare and wish to have an interesting drink in a very cool atmosphere, drop by Radio Bar.

The interior is quite retro, and the covered terrace can seem a bit whimsical, with cubic shelves filled with plants of all sorts, plus some interesting lighting.

In their menu, you’ll find classical drinks or you can try something new, should you feel a…

[mirelaiepurela]

Tirana, the colourful capital of Albania

Tirana, the colourful capital of Albania

We left for Albania, leaving the peaceful Lake Ohrid behind, and heading towards the busy, noisy, colourful and lively Tirana, the capital of Albania.

When we got to the border between Macedonia and Albania, I was a bit worried about my passing, as I was the only one without a passport, just with and ID card, and Albania is not in the EU. But everything was ok, and I got over this stressful…

[mirelaiepurela]

Rainy day in Bitola

Rainy day in Bitola

The next day, while Ana and Tim were visiting Ohrid Town, Simon and I went to a larger bus station, where we waited quite a while for one that would take us to Bitola, in Pelagonia Valley.

It was a rainy day, but we took our chances. The road was pleasant and the scenery was nice, though once it started raining, we couldn’t see that much out the windows. Luckily, when we arrived in town, the rain…

[mirelaiepurela]

Ohrid Town

In the morning, Simon and I had a quick breakfast, then went to take the bus to Ohrid Town, while Ana and Tim decided to spend a lazy day by the lake, in Lagadin.

The buses come quite frequently and on time, you pay the fare with the driver so it’s all very simple and easy, should you decide to travel this way.

In Ohrid, we mostly wandered through the old, narrow, cobble-stoned streets, then took…

[mirelaiepurela]

Lagadin, Peshtani, and Lake Ohrid

When we arrived at Lake Ohrid, we took in the sights and looked for some accommodation. We had nothing planned, we just looked for signs posted by people outside their homes or yards.  And we eventually found something in Lagadin, a very small village, where people come only during the warm months, according to some locals.

Our hosts offered us two double rooms. Ana was staying with Tim, so  had…

[mirelaiepurela]

Matka Canyon, Macedonia

Early in the morning (yes, somehow it’s always early in the morning), we had breakfast, said goodbye to the local cat, and met up with Simon. We were all heading to Tirana, so he joined our little party. And it’s a good thing he did, because he gave us some nice suggestions on the way! One of them was stopping in Matka Canyon.

The road there wasn’t very pleasant (I was sharing the backseat with…

[mirelaiepurela]

The Milleniun Cross, on Mount Vodno

As mentioned in the previous post, we stopped for lunch in the Old Bazaar, joined by Simon, one of the Germans met during the walking tour. We ate some delicious food: Tim and I went for Kebapchinya, Ana decided to get some of the ubiquitous Shopska salad and some potatoes, while Simon chose the baked beans.

We talked a lot and discovered that Tim and Simon had actually gone to the same…

[mirelaiepurela]

A walking tour in Skopje with Mika

Early in the morning, we woke up and had a quick breakfast at Urban Hostel & Apartments. We then went to Skopje’s center and split up: Ana and I went to the Memorial House of Mother Teresa, which was the walking tour starting point, while Tim went to walk around in the city on his own.

It was the first walking tour I had ever went on. It was interesting that we had a diverse group with Americans,…

[mirelaiepurela]

Supă-cremă de ciuperci

Supa-cremă de ciuperci e cea care mi-a deschis apetitul spre a gusta şi a încerca şi alte supe de legume, fiind destul de reticentă când eram mai mică. În oraş, dacă vreau o supă mai consistentă, aleg mereu supa-cremă de ciuperci. Acasă, pe vremea când locuiam cu ai mei, l-am tot rugat pe tata să îmi facă, însă nu semăna cu ce mâncam în oraş. Aşa că am acceptat misiunea, am căutat tot felul de…

[mirelaiepurela]

Supă-cremă de porumb dulce

Este o supă gustoasă, menită a fi servită caldă, imediat ce este gata. Reţeta este simplă şi poate fi abordată şi de începători în ale gătitului. Ingrediente (4-6 porţii): 40 g unt 1 ceapă 2 cartofi 25 g făină 900 ml lapte 1 frunză de dafin 650 porumb dulce, din conservă (fără lichid) 6 linguri smântână grasă sare şi piper după gust bacon prăjit şi mărunţit   Instrucţiuni: Începem cu ceapa, pe…

[mirelaiepurela]

Kantina, Skopje's friendliest restaurant

Kantina, Skopje’s friendliest restaurant

As previously mentioned, on the first day in Skopje, we were looking for a place to eat, recommended by Lonely Planet. Sadly, it no longer exited, as we soon found out after asking around. But our steps took us to a really nice place nearby, where we heard some good music.

We sat down on the terrace and a very friendly waitress brought us some menus. They were written in their alphabet, though,…

[mirelaiepurela]

Up next

My next post will be about an amazing restaurant from Skopje, Macedonia.

[mirelaiepurela]

Skopje, our first stop in Macedonia

Skopje, our first stop in Macedonia

It took us some time to leave the Rila Monastery and head towards Macedonia. Like on our arrival in Rila, there were works to expand the road, so we had to wait a lot for the machines to get out of the way or to move the recently cut trees out of the road.

Slowly, but surely, we made it, though. And we instantly started to appreciate the Macedonian music. I forgot to mention this, but we only…

[mirelaiepurela]

Top 5 things to taste in Bulgaria

Top 5 things to taste in Bulgaria

If you happen to travel to Bulgaria, here are 5 things you should try:

Banitsa This is a pastry product, kind of like a pie, which is usually enjoyed for breakfast. Depending on the stuffing, it can be salty (e.g. with sirene cheese,  spinach, mushrooms, cabbage) or sweet (e.g. pumpkin, apples, walnuts). Excellent as street food, for the on-the-go backpacker.

Tarator Soup Like the Spanish…

[mirelaiepurela]

Rila Monastery

After Sofia, we went on with our car trip and ended up at the Rila Monastery.

It was so nice to enjoy the mountain temperatures after the hot days we had experienced till then. In the parking lot, we actually switched to longer pants, discreetly.

The Rila Monasteryis quite a sight, due to its beautifully painted interior courtyard. It’s a very calm place and you can enjoy the quietness to reflect…

[mirelaiepurela]

Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria

Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria

In the afternoon, after visiting the Devetashka Cave, we ended up in Sofia.

I had passed through Sofia several times before, on the way to Greece, but I never got out of the car to visit anything until then.

We went and saw the Church of Saint George, which is said to be the oldest building in Sofia. It is an impressive rotunda made of red bricks, built by the Romans in the 4th century, and it is…