Prizren, Kosovo Aug 30, 2025 Rimmed by mountains in a large valley is Prizren, one of the best preserved towns of the Ottoman era. The red-roofed houses climb up the hillside, overlooked by the stone walls of the old Ottoman fort. The Sinan Pasha Mosque as well as other mosques date from this era as … More An Ottoman Town
Pristina, Kosovo Aug 28, 2025 It was almost the first thing I saw, getting off the bus in Pristina. Lady Liberty was small but immediately recognizable. Later as I wandered through the city, I saw a statue of Bill Clinton, a bust of Robert Dole and boulevards named after them. Clinton (spelled Klinton) and Hillary … More A Warm Welcome
From Nis (Serbia) to Pristina (Kosovo) Aug 27, 2025 I had heard tales from other travelers on this route about the weirdness of the border on this route. One said it had taken the whole day beginning with the bus that never showed up, to being bundled into a car with a family and being … More Strangest Border Crossing
Nis, Serbia Aug 26, 2025 In early 1800s, the vast Ottoman Empire held large swathes of western Asia, southeastern Europe and northern Africa. The Serbians led by Stevan Sindelic rebelled in what is called the First Serbian Uprising. And it came to a head in the Battle of Cegar in 1809. Surrounded by Ottoman troops, … More Enemies Beware
Nis, Serbia Aug 25, 2025 In 272 CE, in the city of Naissus was born Constantine, the son of one Flavius Constantius. Constantine went on to become the sole ruler of the Roman empire from 306 to 337 CE. Named Constantine the Great, he was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity and is … More Constantine called it Home
Belgrade, Serbia Aug 21, 2025 Wandering out to see Belgrade, I head to the central area. Outside the engineering department of the university is a statue of Nikola Tesla, a famous son of Serbia. Down a busy thoroughfare I come to the Terzije Fountain and next to it is the famed Moskva Hotel. An iconic … More In the White City
Belgrade, Serbia Aug 19,2025 I had intended to end this summer’s trip in Finland and was supposed to fly back home from Helsinki. But this trip felt unfinished in a vague way; something was not quite what I’d expected although I would hard put to put a finger on exactly what. More than one person … More Not quiet on the Eastern Front
Tampere, Finland Aug 17, 2025 On a blustery rainy evening in Krakow some weeks ago, a few of us were sitting around the kitchen table in the hostel and trading tales. That is when I met her. Merve is irrepressible with the gift of making ordinary comments bounce with laughter. She is from Diyarbakir in … More You Must Come Visit
Suomenlinna, Finland Aug 15, 2025 The Helsinki harbor is dotted with many little islands, some inhabited, some too small to support more than a cabin for occasional use. The most famous of them are a group of six islands; on these was built a sea fortress called Sveaborg, or Sea Fortress. Begun in 1748, it … More Fortress at Sea
For the curious: I had wondered about the gargoyles in front of a building but nobody I asked knew what they were about. It was only when I met a Finnish traveler in Serbia that I learned what they depicted. These are characters from the Finnish epic poem Kalevala, compiled in the 19th century from … More Postscript to: In the Northern Reaches
ITCHY FEET TRAVELS 