Balkan without the politics is a gem. Im glad that you have discovered the truth of general peace between people here. I am from Serbia but live in Macedonia now with many members of my family living all over the Balkans and that is quite common for many people here. Other countries feel like home to me as much as my own, and I'm thankful for your time here. Hope to see you soon again!
Ohh nooo my friend... Balkan without nationalism is a gem. Politics is a mere reflection of it. I'd add corruption, bribe and nepotism to that list. If it were only politics, Balkan the way it's agile, would easily deal with "politics".
I was born in Croatia, settled in Bosnia, but lived in Serbia for 7 years. All I can say is thank you for this video :) Please come and visit each of the countries individually, there is so much more to unpack, you barely scraped the surfcace! You could even make a mini series about the Balkans and probably bring peace to this area :) Great job man, and thank you once again ^^
This might be a too personal question, but were you displaced during operation Storm in 1995? I've always wondered, how and if their right to return is implemented. Is it that they just don't want to live in Croatia (i.e. nationalist reasons), or is the climate for Serbs in Croatia this bad?
@@YourD3estinY Well, yes, we escaped Croatia during the operation Storm. I was 11 back then so I (unfortunately) remember everything. Return of the people is a pretty hard thing to achieve if it is not done immediately. People settle and create lives somewhere else and it is so hard to come back to the empty town/village that is led by the people that wanted you out (and many of them wanted you dead). Serbs in Croatia, before the exodus, lived in the areas that were 90% populated by Serbs, so return cannot and couldn't work if everyone or the majority didn't return. The same thing happened in Bosnia. The funny thing with me is, my father is Croat and my mother is Serb. They divorced before the war and I lived with my mother. My father was in the Croatian army during the war and I managed to finally meet him again only in 2009, almost 20 years since we last saw each other. Now we have a great relationship and we see each other regularly. I can just tell you, war is a horrible thing without winners where each side does horrible things and where the innocent suffer and politicians are getting richer.
@@woochitelj That is why cycles of violence are always vicious, as they can be used to justify violence, while remaining within in the role of the victim. It is good to see that most of the region has been pacified and was able to break this cycle, though there are still remaining issues. From what I read, it seems that especially in Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, there is a lot of work to do in this regard. How would you describe the situation there. Is it getting worse? Would joining the EU help, like it did with Slovenia and Croatia? Do people even have faith in joining the EU?
@@YourD3estinY People are sick of tensions and ethnic quarells. The problem is that all these tensions and talks about war and ethnicities are artificially pushed in the media by politicians. They benefit from it because the BiH is the money laundering machine of the International community. They have to keep tensions up so the money for various projects and the international forces and organisations within the country can flow. Regular people are living peacefully, trying to push through financial and general existential issues. They do not have time nor will for hatred and fighting. Joining the EU, while it might resolve some issues, would certainly bring many others. But that is an extremely wide topic to start here 😀
Props to Croats. One time my bike tire got pierced on the highway. I parked in a village, where at one cottage house they let me in, phone a friend to seal my tyre, all the while they got me drinks and snacks. Same another time. I had troubles to get a hotel on the go. Some family took me in, and prior to that we had a huge dinner with a few families. Serbs do same. Bosniaks do same. Slavs are about hospitality. I lived in the North for many years, who got many other pluses I dearly respect, but Slavs are about community
This video came as a great surprise, as I have just visited Bosnia & Herzegovina a week prior. Been to Mostar, Blagaj, Jajce, Kravica, Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Višegrad. It was an amazing experience, greetings from Hungary! 🇭🇺 (And fun fact, we also have a city called Visegrád in Hungary.)
And fun fact that I found out recently - Zoltan (common name in Hungary comes from Sultan. Lots of Turkish influence in Hungarian language from Turkish, right?! !
I traveled to Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia to get my US student visa renewed back in 2022. It was a very stressful trip for a lot of personal reasons but, I look back on it very fondly. To this day, I cannot stress enough how gorgeous The Balkans are. I am studying in the PNW here in the US and Bosnia looks exactly like the Cascades with all the pines and alpine lakes! I took the same exact route between Sarajevo and Belgrade as you did as well as, got to see Herzegovina on a separate day. Truly the hidden gems of Europe!! 💚
Man's making "Letter to..." series like he's going to other regions for friends' social events but he turned it into a Lonely Planet/Globe Trekker series. Edit: 6:40: "We're now entering Bosnia and..." "CONTINUE STRAIGHT TO STAY ON M-4!!!"
And that was the initial intention according to what he mentioned in some videos. It's great to see it has been a success for the channel. I'm really enjoying this series.
Paul I have been your fan for nearly ten years. You have always kept an eye on everything. You always took into account all viewpoints. You are truly amazing creator.
first off, breakfast in the opening scene looks amazing. Secondly, I absolutely love how you keep your mom by your side at all times. Your video in memory of your dad after he passed was one of the most heart felt pieces I have ever seen. It is awesome that you actively keep her involved in all that you do (except when you abscond to Afghanistan for a bit, lol)
Stayed in Skopje for a few days last year. Lovely city, people are really friendly. Watched my team win the European trophy and the guy next to me paid for our food and drink that night to celebrate. I would love to visit Ohrid as well sometime soon.
Sometimes I wonder if Geography Now should get a Nobel peace prize nomination just for the fact that Barbs adresses tensions and conflicts in our world in a professional manner that often forces us observers to see each sides perspective instead of just jumping to one side immediately based on bias. Pluss forcing us to see beyond politics and see the people, with their own lives, struggles, culture and beauty that others across the border will find unique.
I agree, it is a breath of fresh air when he covers a controversial topic and presents both sides equally, honestly, with no bias. You can see how in the comment section most people are civilized. On the other hand, most documentaries on TV and youtube have a biased agenda and the comment section is a hellhole. Hmmm, i wonder if there is a connection there...
Yeah not really, he didnt even mentioned even once Kosovo since he knew what it would start. Honestly Serbs don't care about Croatia, N. Macedonia, or Montenegro, they care about Kosovo. And the fact that Barbs shows Kosovo as an "part of Serbia" which if he visited Kosovo he would see what Kosovo really is ^^
Love from Belgrade to our Yugo and Balkan friends 🇷🇸❤️🇭🇷🇧🇦🇸🇮🇲🇪🇲🇰🇦🇱🇧🇬🇬🇷🇷🇴 I don't care what polititians say or do, I love all of you! Sidenote: 17:00 is probably popeci or some form of mini Karadjordjeva snitzel, either way pretty cool
Barbs, I just wanted to say, one of the most honorable things I’ve seen and love most and admire about your travel videos and your channel in general, is how you include your mom in a lot of the things you do. Cheers to you my friend. 👍
Barbs is one of the most informed American citizen about geography but still harbours lingering negative connotations about places he visits, it's very good he intends to go around these places, learn for himself and also in the process educate and inform the American public and the public the general. but it's somewhat sad a nation pushes its citizens usually through mainstream media and hollywood to have a certain view about places which doesn't truly represent it Imagine if everyone else thought of the U.S. as this place with school shootings, police brutality, drug abuse, homelessness, poor healthcare structure and questionable foreign policy, it would be an injustice to the good things it has like pro American sports, NASA, MIT, Google the several nature reserves and more.
Does he actually try to fight off these preconceived negative connotations that he harbours though? He considers Albania to be the black sheep of the balkans, providing virtually 0 reasons why this is (he did say he grew up around Serbians so I'd say that's a reason right there). He also purposely avoided Kosovo in this trip even though it was right there along the way and he could have included it seeing how he visited every country in the balkans. So yeah... He may try to hide it, but if you're from this region you can easily see the bias ;)
@@imanuelcaushi4711 Don't start with that nonsense, if he grew up around Serbs then he would know exactly what happened in Kosovo to the Serbian people. The whole point of the originall comment is how he's trying to go against mainstream media who completely manipulated the information in your benefit and hide the atrocities you did to my people. It's like defending what Turkey did to the Armenians or what Israel is doing to Palestinians right now.
Hey Barbs, I know you were unsure about how to continue with the channel after the Zimbabwe episode, but this new concept is really fun. Your production skills are getting better with each episode. It is fun to watch, and I appreciate your objectivity on political topics that are not always easy to discuss, as well as your outsider's perspective. You are not like every other RU-vidr/traveler searching for sensationalism; instead, you provide a valuable geographical point of view. Keep up the good work!
Hi from Varna, Bulgaria, what an interesting journey indeed! Seems like you and your mom had a blast! Next time come visit Bulgaria (I know you've been here), perhaps Romania, Greece, Turkey. Best regards!
And in this episode, you are wearing a Bulgarian shirt with the Glagolitic alphabet script. Greetings from Bulgaria, love and respect to all my balkan neighbours.
@@GeographyNow Barbs: [Balkan blame game] doesn't hold much relevance in today's societal structure. Also Barbs: Puts an American flag in a car with Serbian plates so it doesn't get vandalized in Albania. Yeah, that thing which 'doesn't holds much relevance' is our day to day lives, especially for Serbs living as minorities in Croatia, non-RS part of Bosnia and Kosovo.
85% of the mountain Balkan after which the whole peninsula is named in Bulgaria, our bro skipped it… I guess we should be happy with the Trace episode😅 (Nice T-Shirt btw)
@@obiwanbulnah you guys are definitely Balkans. But being Balkan doesn't mean you could not be South European. In the contrary actually, Balkans are also the part of Southern Europe, both culturally and (obviously) geographically. Majority of the things Barb showed in this video also suggests that.
@@GeographyNowi as a mixed guy ( half serbian and half croatian) did enjoy it . Thanks for schowing the world that serb are not monsters and that you can have an excellent time in serbia . I wished you had more time there . Would have loved to show you around as well❤
Balkans aren't Putin or Jong Un so no you guys are far from monsters. Perhaps a family who doesn't always see eye to eye at the dinner table, still no monsters here.
@@miranblazek5303 bosnians are wearing a white vest they never did anything bad to anyone the only people during the ex yugoslavian wars next to the slovenians who fought for a multiethnic state grounded on specific values
@miranblazek5303 what discrimination? I've been all over the federation and the republic. There are biases and prejudices held by all three groups but no discrimination from what I can see. I even see a spread of Croatian and Serbian nationalist sentiment yet both groups are given positions of power in business and politics
So much fond memories of the west balkans. Bosnia and in particular Sarajevo stole my heart. The people, nature, the different cultures, the food, the language and ofcource learning more about the tragic historical events that happened here (and are in a way still happening right now) really made an impact on me. I absolutely wanna come back soon! It’s a quiet beautiful and underrated country with a LOT of caracter.
I can't wait to see your video for North Macedonia! I'm from the Netherlands originally but have lived in Macedonia for nearly two years now, and I love it! Yes, the Balkans are a strange, dysfunctional family, but they have the best food and the best drink and the sense of community here is unbelievable, even if they all say they hate each other.
@@teodorsvetoslav1948 while, yes it says Bulgaria on the T-shirt the alphabet/the script is glagolitic. which was used from Todays Czechia to Russia among Slavic population before being displaced by the chirilic script and only holding out in Croatia the longest (as a liturgical script all the way to 19th century in some areas)
@@reiu-xl1ib how can you not be a brother with someone you have so much shared past with? We are brothers of battle, and that means more then blood or genetics.
I was in Bosnia years ago, and it's honestly one of my favorite countries I've been to! As you yourself witnessed, it's gorgeous, and I'd recommend going whitewater rafting there if you have time
I live in montenegro right now, but I am not montenegrin. please come again to the sleepiest place on earth, it's incredibly beautiful and you haven't seen even the 1/4 of it :D
I just went to a balkan trip to the same places that Barbs went one month ago and now I can understand why North Macedonia deserves it's own video JAJAJAJA your're gonna love it
You missed out not going to Tirana in Albania, honestly the most slept on capital in Europe imo. Stayed there for 2 weeks a couple of years ago and I loved everything about the city. For anyone in Europe wanting a cheap lively city break I highly recommend it. You don't really need 2 weeks, we did that for other reasons, a long weekend would be enough to see most things
@@GeographyNow fair enough, I didn't particularly rate Durres personally, as far as coastal destinations they do have some excellent ones further south. Ksamil close to Greece is beautiful and there's a couple of cool old ottoman era cities worth seeing too in land
It’s just down to personal preference. South Albania was my absolute favourite including cities like Tepelene, Gjirokaster, Vlore, and Permet. The South just has a different vibe to it which I can’t explain. I didn’t really like Tirana and Durres.
I enjoyed my Greek frappe while watching this beautiful video about our neighborhood down in the south of Europe. Great work; thanks for making this! Greetings from a Greek man, born in Georgia, raised in Greece, and living in the Netherlands.
Im asian america, ive been to probably 80 or so countries in the world, the balkan is my favorite region to visit. I know western and north europe looks more polished and "wealthier", but i just like how the way it looks in the balkan. And i love the people, they were nice to me, not so much when i was in western and northern europe due to the anti-immigrant sentiment. Asians were often "disliked" in the world, even we dislike each other lol, so it's nice for once that the people actually are nice to me, and the beauty of this region doesnt hurt either, oh croatia, sooooo gorgeous, imma move there
@@XY-uc1tw Very well aware. But is youtube comment section really the place for me to spend my next 30 min to list out the things i know and the things i want to discuss? Who's gonna read them after we r done talking?
Yep, whole Podunavlje region (both Cro and Srb) is nice to visit and have a lot of hidden gems with some Hungarian mix. It's really underrated region. Greetings from Slovenia
Macedonia is a region in Greece and it has been so for 3000 years. You are NORTH Macedonian, stop the cultural appropriation and history of the Hellenic peoples
Please continue with this series! Its awesome seeing all the different culture, architecture, and civilizations all crammed into this tiny region of Europe. You should totally visit all if the other Balkan countries you missed out on!
LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BIG BALKAN. RESPECT TO YOU FOR VISITING US AND SHOWING OUR CULTURE OUR NATIONS WHAT OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS BUILT AND BLED FOR TO THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD. MACEDONIA GETTING A SEPERATE VIDEO ?? LETS GO. RESPECT, BIG BALKAN UNITED BALKAN.
I don't think Croats are as much "water people", as you think they are. While we do have a large coastline and flex it upon neighbours and tourists alike, only about a third of Croats actually live even close to the coast. The most populated part of Croatia is Central Croatia and that's where the most "basic" Croatian culture is. No tentacles involved. I'd say that, on average, Croats are an "arable, more or less hilly areas with large rivers people".
@@GeographyNow Sure we kinda go with the sport trend. Sometimes we are a football nation, handball nation and now we are a water polo nation as the world champions in water polo.
My father lived in Yugoslavia in the 70s and had his first child there, and he still speaks the language fluently. I always wanted to visit the Balkans and will do someday Insha allalh
As a Macedonian myself, allow me to pay you thanks for not only visiting the Balkans (potentially the most culturally rich place on the planet), but also for taking the time, patience and effort to make a separate video just for my country ❤🇲🇰 Macedonia in general (outside of geopolitical tensions) doesn't really get much media coverage, but it DAMN WELL deserves it. I've been to plenty of other balkan countries (Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Slovenia and Serbia) and i can say from my personal experience that we, like everyone else, have multiple layers of complexity to our historic and cultural heritage. Even the slightest mention or attention towards us is appreciated in showing the world what we have to offer. Everything from The Struga Poetry Nights, Galicnik weddings, Falconry fishing in Dojran, The Tikvesh Wineries, Matka Canyon and it's hundreds of caves and everything in the East and it's picturesque mountains, gorges, valleys and forests can bring any enjoyer of nature a smile on their face. And that's excluding the food, the meana culture, Oro dances, among other things. I hope you enjoyed your stay in the balkans, Barbs, as well as our little piece of heaven that we like to call home 🦪🇲🇰 Cheers! or as we say in Macedonian: На здравје одмор! Се гледаме друг пат!
Barbs I gotta say I love this series. I love how you preface what was your brief assumption of what a country is like before then showing what you saw and felt there. Especially with the Balkans, its easy to just loop all them together, but this really shows that they each have their own culture and food. Great video!
I have to say Barbs, I love this new format of episodes. When you finish all the countries for original series, you could possibly do continue with this stuff. Looking forward to that! Cheers from a fellow Serb who adores rakija xD
Having gone to school for nearly 13 years and being surrounded by Serbs, Croats, Bosnians etc has taught me one thing. The Balkan brothers are truly the most dysfunctional group of nations in history. Even compared to places like India/Pakistan, the Korea's etc they never cease to amaze me with how much they can both love and hate their neighbours. One thing they will all agree on (even the Muslims), Rakija is the one unifying force for all Yugoslav people's!
i just want to add that muslims historically never really stopped drinking alcohol bosnia is actually the best country to witness what real authentic historic islam is as it was hundreds of years ago when those long bearded salafists didnt exist
Barbs, Mate you're doing a bang-up job when it comes to showcasing countries. 'haven't really been there' my arse. You interact more with the locals than a lot of international tourists, you go to locals for pointers rather than take what the tourism bureaus say as gospel. That alone is respectable as all hell. With how many countries there are, cultures to experience and interact with, there's just not enough time for most people. You're doing fantastic work, for humanity as a whole. Providing a window into other countries.
Cliffhanger!? Dang it! “You’re killing me Smalls!(Barbs)” 😆 But truly I’m looking forward to when you release your experience of North Macedonia. Much love from N.C. 😌👍
Ahhh I'm so upset I didn't randomly stumble upon you in North Macedonia, I was out on vacation too past few weeks, must have missed my chance! Dang! Hope you enjoyed your trip!
I started watching your channel from 🇦🇱 episode and I learned alot from you. I'm originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina and im glad you like balkan countries i keep telling people wherever I go how amazing balkan is. Thank you for this video now I don't have to talk anymore I can just show them this. Thank you for everything ❤
When living in another country, people from the former Yugoslavian countries + Albania seem to get along very well. Atleast where i live, people who came here as refugees during the Yugoslav wars get along very well with eachother, even if they're were from the opposing sides.
@@GeographyNow We're telling you this because when you put it on a good piece of bread it elevates it to another level. But you did pick the best there is (argeta) so good job there
This was a great watch! I know you were on a time crunch, and I'm glad you visited Bosnia but if you come back, make sure you spend at least 3 days in Sarajevo and a day in Mostar (at least) to get a better glimpse of the culture there.
@@GeographyNow I'm in the US but I'm from Bosnia and I wish I could be there to be your personal guide for free :) In any case, glad you enjoyed that trip. All the best to you and your mom!
