Flashback: Balkan trip (2010)

Frying some tofu in Slovenia

Me and my friend Sasha from Minsk, Belorus, packed our backpacks and hit the road in summer of 2010. Our destination was Balkans.

We wanted to visit our friends, meet friends of friends, explore the cities and rural areas, listen to some Balkan music in Guča festival (Serbia), see a movie in Sarajevo film festival, eat a lot of watermelons, enjoy a salty corn cone bought on the street of Belgrade.

Hot summer sun, warm and salty sea, forests full of mushrooms and berries, parks full of peaches and almonds - I loved all of this.

And the best surprise awaits in Serbia where they sells amazing soy yogurt in health food stores.

Croatia is a great country: beautiful inland and stunning coastline with sky-blue sea and thousands of tiny islands.

The market in Sarajevo tells many stories: it was not always a peaceful place. In 1994 and 1995 it was bombed by the Army of the Republika Srpska. Lots of people were killed or injured.

Today the Sarajevo market is the best spot to get your fresh fruits and vegetables. Don't forget to bargain!

Albania also has much to offer. However, fruits and veggies did not taste too nice, but visiting a market was a great experience. The vendors decorate their stands in an interesting way, e.g. you can see some stuffed animals standing next to boxes full of apples, or even a real bear walking past with his owner...

Cows on a beach is also a common sight in Albania, Velipoje.

 

 

Serbian nature  was a little bit similar to Lithuanian, so when we were camping in a forest near a lake with a lot of fellow travelers and couchsurfers, I had a chance to show how to survive in wild.

Showing the edible mushrooms, grilling them on our fortnight fire, picking some berries and wild apples, as well as picking some herbs for tea and veggie stew - yes, there are so many things I am capable of!

Serbian breakfast: fresh bread, coffee, ajvar and elderberry jam. Both ajvar and jam were made by our friend's mother. She is a great cook, I must say!

Even if you eat vegan, it's easy to make fluffy friends in Serbia!

It was the end of the season for plums and figs. My friend was lying with a common cold and our host was limping with a twisted ankle. Since I was the only healthy woman in the house, I cooked a lot, from early morning to late evening. This is my gorgeous crumbled plum pie. It was gone in seconds!

What is happening here?

What are those girls doing on this broken path in Timisoara, Romania?

Ah, it's just some food growing everywhere around. Some almonds. You pick them, you smash them and you eat them. Perfect!