Balkans

Round the World 6 1/2 – The Balkans Edition

If it’s summertime, then it must be time for another month-long world adventure! This summer - true to form – I’ll be squeezing in 19 countries in a ridiculously-short amount of time and will bypass the “100 countries” mark along the way. The trip will begin with a few days in the French Alps to run the Mont Blanc Marathon. From there, I’ll head to Barcelona to meet up with my friend Shannon who will be travelling with me for 2 1/2 weeks of the trip. We’ll be boarding the MSC Splendida in Barcelona for a week-long cruise around the Mediterranean.

After the cruise, it’s off to my favorite island in the world - Mykonos, Greece – for a few days of R&R before heading on to Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia. From Slovenia, Shannon will head back home and I’ll spend the final two weeks exploring the rest of the Balkans. It’s a part of the world I haven’t seen much of in previous trips and I’m really looking forward to learning more about the troubled history there and seeing the countries for myself. Here’s to another fantastic summer overseas!

Here’s the itinerary (updated 7/29/11 to reflect the actual posts from the trip):

June 28, 2011 France for the Fearless: Chamonix & the Mont Blanc Marathon

July 8, 2011 Spain, France, Italy, Tunisia & Mallorca – A Week at Sea in the Mediterranean

July 11, 2011 The Meaning of Mykonos

July 12, 2011 Montenegro & the Bay of Kotor

July 14, 2011 In Dubrovnik, Summer Sizzles but Winter is Wiser

July 15, 2011 (Not Exactly) A Ferry Tale: The Jadrolinija Ferry from Dubrovnik to Rijeka

July 17, 2011 Ljovely Ljubljana

July 18, 2011 The Jerusalem of Europe: Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina

July 20, 2011 Surprisingly Serbia

July 21, 2011 Skopje, Macedonia: A Work in Progress

July 22, 2011 Sofia: A Bulgarian Beauty