Travel to the Balkans!

By the lake, by amiripz Flickr

Tourist season in the Balkans is in full swing. World media have taken a greater interest in the region, too. Yahoo adventures features Bosnia, and there you will find some great videos, pictures and commentary. Newsweek declares "Europe's one time wasteland, devastated by war, ideology and ethnic hatred, is staging one helluva comeback," in "Bosnia Reborn" in its International Edition.

New York Times brings a cool article about the Gorani (Slavic Muslim) community in Kosova, and some of its traditions. They also bring a slideshow of pictures taken during the traditional festival which takes place every five years. The festival brings together all communities for celebrations and games. And, it is a great show of peaceful inter-communal life in Kosova. What's more important, it also serves as a tourist attraction for the diaspora members who come to Kosova during the summer for vacations.

Neil Woodburn is in the 14th stage of his Balkan Odyssey through Albania and Kosova. His commentary is very useful por potential visitors and his pictures range from amazing to "very telling." We thank Neil for posting his impressions.

Ed in the meantime has been posting about his travels to Moldova, through Romania, Hungary and Serbia. We don't know where exactly he is right now, but we know he will update us with his impressions of wherever he is.

Not all news is good though, as the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedom reports, 25 Kosovars have been arrested by Montenegrin Police this summer. This arrests are being made based on indictments from Serbian authorities that were made during the 1990ies. The victims are usually Kosovar Albanian diaspora members who are travelling to Montenegro and Kosova for the summer. This, and a row in an Ulqin/Ulcinj beach caused some Kosovar tourists to protest in Ulqin.

Sunday times published some ractions to a previous article on Albania, which offended many people. You can find them here.