The Balkans region.... Anyone done any...

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... touring about using trains and buses?
Slovenia
Croatia
Serbia
Bosnia/Hercegovina
Montenegro
Kosovo

Any helpful hints welcome ta.
 


Bosnia is absolutely stunning to drive through mind.

See if you can get a tour of the old Bihac air base. Built into a mountain like a Bond villains lair.
 
shaun61 said:
... touring about using trains and buses?
Slovenia
Croatia
Serbia
Bosnia/Hercegovina
Montenegro
Kosovo

Any helpful hints welcome ta.
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Just Montenegro. Kotor is great and definitely worth a visit. Podgorica isn’t great, had 4 days there with nothing to particularly see/do. A day would be enough if you want to see the capital.

Off to Kosovo in November.

Also buses are usually better than trains in that region (more frequent and reliable)
 
shaun61 said:
... touring about using trains and buses?
Slovenia
Croatia
Serbia
Bosnia/Hercegovina
Montenegro
Kosovo

Any helpful hints welcome ta.
Click to expand...

Been to all of those mentioned except Kosovo. All worth a visit, the best of them being Serbia and Bosnia, but Belgrade dangerous late at night. Belgrade and Sarajevo top class.

Locke's SAFC said:
Been to all of those mentioned except Kosovo. All worth a visit, the best of them being Serbia and Bosnia, but Belgrade dangerous late at night. Belgrade and Sarajevo top class.
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As an aside I'm currently in Istanbul, and the only place I've ever been where I've been mugged. 'Happened yesterday. Being a lad out of a mining village in East Durham I tend to trust people naturally and got a right old going over yesterday as a result. 'Was getting a taxi back to where I'm staying and the driver is all we're mates and I fell for it like a right dick. Wanted to talk about England and so on, and in turn we're talking about Istanbul, and I'm in the back thinking get in there, sun's shining, having a bit crack with the locals, life's good, it's only about half four so plenty of time for a beer and see what happens. It was red hot here yesterday so felt a bit dehydrated and wasn't quite feeling on form. So, all the way back he's reeling me in with the mates routine, talking about football and so on, and then the taxi stops. And, I've never seen anything like this. It was clearly a well rehearsed routine that he'd done many a time. He said 80 lira. I gave him a 50 with more to follow and like a fuckin' magician he said that's a five and showed me the five, and I'm a bit dehydrated not sure what I've given him, and did the same again and again he showed me a five, and I'm thinking what the fuck but it was that quick I'm thinking I must have given him a five, honestly like a fuckin' magician pulling rabbits out of a hat. At this point, I'm thinking he's right I must have given him a five. This went on a for a few minutes, fives and fuckin' fifties, being dehydrated I'm f***ing confused. And, then he starts screaming at me I want all your fuckin' money! And I'm looking at him thinking what the fuck is going on, and being numb I still don't realise at this point I'm being mugged, part of it is dehydration, but part of it was he was he done me good and proper with the mates routine. And, then it dawns on me, the fucker's after me money. But, it still doesn't dawn on me he's taken about 30 quid off me with that magician's trick. So, I'm in the front next to him in the middle of nowhere and thought fuck it chance your arm so I told to him to fuck off you're getting nowt and he bottled it and I got out. It was only when I got to the pub and opened me wallet thirty quid lighter I realised that trick he'd pulled, never seen owt like it so fuckin' quick you thought he must be right. To be fair to him, I think he's done me a favour, because I was swanning around like I was at Crimdon beach without a care in the world, but this place is dangerous. There are about 4 or 5 English lads drinking on the corner of Taksim Square, where the Leeds lads got stabbed/killed, every night, one from South Shields, one from Leeds, and a couple of others, and they don't give a fuck, but there are swarms of Turks sat around and I wouldn't want to be there late at night. He's done me a right old favour as on me guard from now. Could have been a lot worse than 30 quid.

To be fair, on the other hand, on the morning of the same day, I got a taxi over to the same place and it was about an half an hour drive due to traffic. The Turkish lad bought me a water as we were stuck in traffic, and when we got there he said on the house don't worry about it and that's his livelihood.

The two sides of Istanbul and Turkish people.
 
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Locke's SAFC said:
Been to all of those mentioned except Kosovo. All worth a visit, the best of them being Serbia and Bosnia, but Belgrade dangerous late at night. Belgrade and Sarajevo top class.



As an aside I'm currently in Istanbul, and the only place I've ever been where I've been mugged. 'Happened yesterday. Being a lad out of a mining village in East Durham I tend to trust people naturally and got a right old going over yesterday as a result. 'Was getting a taxi back to where I'm staying and the driver is all we're mates and I fell for it like a right dick. Wanted to talk about England and so on, and in turn we're talking about Istanbul, and I'm in the back thinking get in there, sun's shining, having a bit crack with the locals, life's good, it's only about half four so plenty of time for a beer and see what happens. It was red hot here yesterday so felt a bit dehydrated and wasn't quite feeling on form. So, all the way back he's reeling me in with the mates routine, talking about football and so on, and then the taxi stops. And, I've never seen anything like this. It was clearly a well rehearsed routine that he'd done many a time. He said 80 lira. I gave him a 50 with more to follow and like a fuckin' magician he said that's a five and showed me the five, and I'm a bit dehydrated not sure what I've given him, and did the same again and again he showed me a five, and I'm thinking what the fuck but it was that quick I'm thinking I must have given him a five, honestly like a fuckin' magician pulling rabbits out of a hat. At this point, I'm thinking he's right I must have given him a five. This went on a for a few minutes, fives and fuckin' fifties, being dehydrated I'm f***ing confused. And, then he starts screaming at me I want all your fuckin' money! And I'm looking at him thinking what the fuck is going on, and being numb I still don't realise at this point I'm being mugged, part of it is dehydration, but part of it was he was he done me good and proper with the mates routine. And, then it dawns on me, the fucker's after me money. But, it still doesn't dawn on me he's taken about 30 quid off me with that magician's trick. So, I'm in the front next to him in the middle of nowhere and thought fuck it chance your arm so I told to him to fuck off you're getting nowt and he bottled it and I got out. It was only when I got to the pub and opened me wallet thirty quid lighter I realised that trick he'd pulled, never seen owt like it so fuckin' quick you thought he must be right. To be fair to him, I think he's done me a favour, because I was swanning around like I was at Crimdon beach without a care in the world, but this place is dangerous. There are about 4 or 5 English lads drinking on the corner of Taksim Square, where the Leeds lads got stabbed/killed, every night, one from South Shields, one from Leeds, and a couple of others, and they don't give a fuck, but there are swarms of Turks sat around and I wouldn't want to be there late at night. He's done me a right old favour as on me guard from now. Could have been a lot worse than 30 quid.

To be fair, on the other hand, on the morning of the same day, I got a taxi over to the same place and it was about an half an hour drive due to traffic. The Turkish lad bought me a water as we were stuck in traffic, and when we got there he said on the house don't worry about it and that's his livelihood.

The two sides of Istanbul and Turkish people.
Click to expand...

Had absolutely no worries at all in Istanbul like. Went everywhere anarl.
 
Locke's SAFC said:
Been to all of those mentioned except Kosovo. All worth a visit, the best of them being Serbia and Bosnia, but Belgrade dangerous late at night. Belgrade and Sarajevo top class.



As an aside I'm currently in Istanbul, and the only place I've ever been where I've been mugged. 'Happened yesterday. Being a lad out of a mining village in East Durham I tend to trust people naturally and got a right old going over yesterday as a result. 'Was getting a taxi back to where I'm staying and the driver is all we're mates and I fell for it like a right dick. Wanted to talk about England and so on, and in turn we're talking about Istanbul, and I'm in the back thinking get in there, sun's shining, having a bit crack with the locals, life's good, it's only about half four so plenty of time for a beer and see what happens. It was red hot here yesterday so felt a bit dehydrated and wasn't quite feeling on form. So, all the way back he's reeling me in with the mates routine, talking about football and so on, and then the taxi stops. And, I've never seen anything like this. It was clearly a well rehearsed routine that he'd done many a time. He said 80 lira. I gave him a 50 with more to follow and like a fuckin' magician he said that's a five and showed me the five, and I'm a bit dehydrated not sure what I've given him, and did the same again and again he showed me a five, and I'm thinking what the fuck but it was that quick I'm thinking I must have given him a five, honestly like a fuckin' magician pulling rabbits out of a hat. At this point, I'm thinking he's right I must have given him a five. This went on a for a few minutes, fives and fuckin' fifties, being dehydrated I'm f***ing confused. And, then he starts screaming at me I want all your fuckin' money! And I'm looking at him thinking what the fuck is going on, and being numb I still don't realise at this point I'm being mugged, part of it is dehydration, but part of it was he was he done me good and proper with the mates routine. And, then it dawns on me, the fucker's after me money. But, it still doesn't dawn on me he's taken about 30 quid off me with that magician's trick. So, I'm in the front next to him in the middle of nowhere and thought fuck it chance your arm so I told to him to fuck off you're getting nowt and he bottled it and I got out. It was only when I got to the pub and opened me wallet thirty quid lighter I realised that trick he'd pulled, never seen owt like it so fuckin' quick you thought he must be right. To be fair to him, I think he's done me a favour, because I was swanning around like I was at Crimdon beach without a care in the world, but this place is dangerous. There are about 4 or 5 English lads drinking on the corner of Taksim Square, where the Leeds lads got stabbed/killed, every night, one from South Shields, one from Leeds, and a couple of others, and they don't give a fuck, but there are swarms of Turks sat around and I wouldn't want to be there late at night. He's done me a right old favour as on me guard from now. Could have been a lot worse than 30 quid.

To be fair, on the other hand, on the morning of the same day, I got a taxi over to the same place and it was about an half an hour drive due to traffic. The Turkish lad bought me a water as we were stuck in traffic, and when we got there he said on the house don't worry about it and that's his livelihood.

The two sides of Istanbul and Turkish people.
Click to expand...

Don’t get the link between a taxi driver trying to pull a fast one and rip off a tourist and a Leeds fan getting stabbed. Also, that’s not a mugging, and it has no bearing on Turks in general. They have Uber in Istanbul by the way.
 
MackneyHackem said:
Don’t get the link between a taxi driver trying to pull a fast one and rip off a tourist and a Leeds fan getting stabbed. Also, that’s not a mugging, and it has no bearing on Turks in general. They have Uber in Istanbul by the way.
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You might be right there, mate, because those lads I mentioned have been there for a good few days and drinking in that same spot and they have absolutely no concerns whatsoever. Maybe it's me being paranoid after a bad experience but English football fans have caused bother there and so as a people we're not exactly loved by the younger Turks, add to that English people there have money, so prime targets for being robbed and it's not a wealthy country.

And, if someone screaming at you I want all your f***ing money is not an attempted mugging I don't know what is.

But, as I say some good experiences too like the taxi driver who got me to where I wanted to be which took half an hour and wanted nothing for it.
 
Would like to hear about cities and towns worth visiting etc tbh.
It's all very well buying expensive guide books, but wud like to get views on likes of Llubjana, Sarajevo etc plus what train journeys are worth doing etc.
 
shaun61 said:
Would like to hear about cities and towns worth visiting etc tbh.
It's all very well buying expensive guide books, but wud like to get views on likes of Llubjana, Sarajevo etc plus what train journeys are worth doing etc.
Click to expand...

Sarajevo top class, I could write about it, but you'd have to go to understand. You can get a bus up to Belgrade that takes 7 hours but it's such an outstanding drive that it feels like 3 hours. Belgrade has a bohemian quarter with all the usual Bohemian stuff and local folk music.

If it helps you say you've been to Istanbul? I rate both Sarajevo and Belgrade much higher than Istanbul from what I've seen of Istanbul so far.

Locke's SAFC said:
Sarajevo top class, I could write about it, but you'd have to go to understand. You can get a bus up to Belgrade that takes 7 hours but it's such an outstanding drive that it feels like 3 hours. Belgrade has a bohemian quarter with all the usual Bohemian stuff and local folk music.

If it helps you say you've been to Istanbul? I rate both Sarajevo and Belgrade much higher than Istanbul from what I've seen of Istanbul so far.
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And, they're much better cities than anything in Slovenia or Montenegro.

But, you many want to give Zagreb a try.

MackneyHackem said:
There isn’t a city in the world where a mugging hasn’t occurred. The people who get on here could get fleeced sitting in their own front room man.
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I wasn't sat in my front room you massive tit. I was in a taxi on me own in Istanbul with not many people around, not speaking the language and no idea whether or not he could call on mates to take everything off me and leave me penniless for 14 days. You see the difference gobshite?
 
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Locke's SAFC said:
Sarajevo top class, I could write about it, but you'd have to go to understand. You can get a bus up to Belgrade that takes 7 hours but it's such an outstanding drive that it feels like 3 hours. Belgrade has a bohemian quarter with all the usual Bohemian stuff and local folk music.

If it helps you say you've been to Istanbul? I rate both Sarajevo and Belgrade much higher than Istanbul from what I've seen of Istanbul so far.



And, they're much better cities than anything in Slovenia or Montenegro.

But, you many want to give Zagreb a try.



I wasn't sat in my front room you massive tit. I was in a taxi on me own in Istanbul with not many people around, not speaking the language and no idea whether or not he could call on mates to take everything off me and leave me penniless for 14 days. You see the difference gobshite?
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You said you were talking to him about football so i’m guessing you had at least one language in common. You keep saying you were confused because of being dehydrated. I’ve never experienced that. Were you dehydrated from drinking too much alcohol? You’re being quite rude that’s all.
 
MackneyHackem said:
You said you were talking to him about football so i’m guessing you had at least one language in common. You keep saying you were confused because of being dehydrated. I’ve never experienced that. Were you dehydrated from drinking too much alcohol? You’re being quite rude that’s all.
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What does that mean: one language in common? Most people in the world have a chat about football and it very rarely leads to give me all your fuckin' money.

I already said, dehydrated from the weather - didn't you read the post properly? the one you were so keen to jump into? And, to be frank, I really couldn't care less what dehydration you've experienced because of the weather.

I was being rude? Someone got mugged in a country where the English language is not widely spoken so God knows what could have happened and you're talking about being sat in a front room.

No point in continuing this with you.
 
Locke's SAFC said:
What does that mean: one language in common? Most people in the world have a chat about football and it very rarely leads to give me all your fuckin' money.

I already said, dehydrated from the weather - didn't you read the post properly? the one you were so keen to jump into? And, to be frank, I really couldn't care less what dehydration you've experienced because of the weather.

I was being rude? Someone got mugged in a country where the English language is not widely spoken so God knows what could have happened and you're talking about being sat in a front room.

No point in continuing this with you.
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Should I respond the three questions you’ve asked or leave it alone?
 

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