SERIOUS TALK: Which Balkan country/ies were you positively surprised by when travelling there / meeting people from there? Which preconceived notions did you have about that country that you found out to be false (or not entirely true)?
Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 85 comments
bostanite@reddit
Romania. Back then you would hear so many bad things about the country. I went there for the first time in 2010/2011 and I was so pleasantly surprised. Beautiful nature, beautiful cities (Brasov, Sibiu, Timisoara, Sigisoara), beautiful monasteries, nice food and the people were super nice. Have thousands of times since then!
justafcknname@reddit
Literally all of these were saxon cities.š„² No hate for my romanian bros tho!!
43282348@reddit
Your capital is German btw, so Hungarians are not allowed to receive any compliments on it.
kemusso-nojta@reddit
And your capital was built by Greek and Jewish merchants with assistance from your German king, by your logic Bucharest is not Romanian, either.
Ignore the fact that a large chunk of the 19th century architecture in Budapest was designed by Hungarian architects and built by Hungarian bricklayers masons. Or what city could even be classified as a "proper Hungarian" city to you, do you believe we only built yurts or something?
43282348@reddit
I'm not the one going into threads and making snarky comments about Hungarian cities unprompted, so I don't know who you're talking to. Maybe tell your countrymen to stop being frustrated on the internet?
kemusso-nojta@reddit
All of those cities except Timisoara indeed had a Saxon majority, though, it'd be a bit of a cultural erasure not to mention that they were Saxon towns, even if you've succesfully gotten rid of most of the Saxons in the last century, they are notably different from a "proper" Wallachian or Moldavian city like Iasi, Pitesti or Craiova but many Romanians really want to act like everything from Constanta to Sibiu to Oradea beams with pure Dacian ethnic essence.Ā
Neither can you tell your own countrymen to not come onto news articles or social media posts about Hungary and troll with your 1930's race science about how the Mongolians are declining and now it is the rise of the white and native Dacian herrenrasse.
Neutrinomind@reddit
Holy fuck the victim complex is strong in you. Step outside of the self-pity wallowing you currently are, your history especially in regards to us does not warrant such an attitude as yours. And on another note, if this is the example of the average non-Fidesz hungarian feelings towards us, then the loathing is quite lopsided. Even our nationalists donāt think that much about you than hungarian liberals do about Romania, it seems.
kemusso-nojta@reddit
I don't have any victim complex, I'm just calling out cringe behaviour from Romanians online.
Romanian liberals on the Europe sub have come to the conclusion that Romania should consider invading us again, if this is what the liberal portion of the Romanian population thinks and acts like, I shudder to imagine what the average AUR or PSD voter is like. And I didn't even seek any of this out, I kept seeing it under news articles about Hungary, I now genuinely believe that the average Romanian will suffer from critical cell failure and explode in gore if they haven't called a Hungarian a Mongol at least once in their life, it's always Mongol this, Dacia that, it's almost a surprise you guys don't talk about having genetic memory of the dinosaurs. You can cross-reference it if you want, there are waaaaaaay more posts and talk about Hungary on the Romania sub than we ever talk about you or Trianon or whatever on the Hungary sub, or check out the Slovakia sub and their all time top posts and cross reference that with ours.
It's really funny when Romanians start believing in their Daco-Roman-Mongolian stuff to the point that they attempt to act uppity and westsplain to us, like an Italian trying to educate a Tuvan goat farmer about the Roman Empire and the Renaissance, but they tend to be really bad at it. Like when a guy tried to counter that Romanian loaned the name of TemesvƔr from Hungarian by claiming that the Romans named the place "Castrum Temesiensis" "while the Hungarians were in the Urals" - "Castrum Temesiensis" was the name given to the place by the Angevin king of Hungary, which is just the Magyar name of the place filtered through Medieval Latin. The actual Roman name of the Timis/Temes river was Tibiscus.
Neutrinomind@reddit
>I don't have any victim complex, I'm just calling out cringe behaviour from Romanians online.
You do.
>Romanian liberals on the Europe sub have come to the conclusion that Romania should consider invading us again, if this is what the liberal portion of the Romanian population thinks and acts like, I shudder to imagine what the average AUR or PSD voter is like. And I didn't even seek any of this out, I kept seeing it under news articles about Hungary, I now genuinely believe that the average Romanian will suffer from critical cell failure and explode in gore if they haven't called a Hungarian a Mongol at least once in their life, it's always Mongol this, Dacia that, it's almost a surprise you guys don't talk about having genetic memory of the dinosaurs.Ā
No, it is your worldview that somehow your country must be the good guy, and all your neighbours secretly hate you *just because*. Aur supporters liked your lider, psd voters don't think about you at all, liberals in general were more aware about your last elections and in general wanted Magyar to win. Not to say you are our favourite country, but thinking we want to invade you of some troll comments or jokes is just schizo thinking, however harsh that word may be.
>You can cross-reference it if you want, there are waaaaaaay more posts and talk about Hungary on the Romania sub than we ever talk about you or Trianon or whatever on the Hungary sub, or check out the Slovakia sub and their all time top posts and cross reference that with ours.
The opposite, and would bet my house on it. Search romƔn on your sub, ungur in our sub and start counting who talks more about who. And frankly, we should have talked even more about you because having a putinist country west and not east of you is not comforting, believe me.
>It's really funny when Romanians start believing in their Daco-Roman-Mongolian stuff to the point that they attempt to act uppity and westsplain to us, like an Italian trying to educate a Tuvan goat farmer about the Roman Empire and the Renaissance, but they tend to be really bad at it. Like when a guy tried to counter that Romanian loaned the name of TemesvƔr from Hungarian by claiming that the Romans named the place "Castrum Temesiensis" "while the Hungarians were in the Urals" - "Castrum Temesiensis" was the name given to the place by the Angevin king of Hungary, which is just the Magyar name of the place filtered through Medieval Latin. The actual Roman name of the Timis/Temes river was Tibiscus.
Romanians know you migrated to where you are now. Likewise, a favourite pastime of hungarians on the internet is calling transylvanian romanians(the ones they claim to like, at least inside the country) some filthy migrants, that fucked goats on their way from albania to here. Don't know who is more annoying, but you as a hungarian see every romanian under the sun that posts about you and not all the u/Raknel's you guys have.
kemusso-nojta@reddit
>thinking we want to invade you of some troll comments or jokes is just schizo thinking, however harsh that word may be.
Those weren't trolls, they were liberals who felt genuinely threathened by OrbƔn's gestures and felt the need to flaunt Romania's economic and military power on an internet forum. Again, significant difference here, Hungarian liberals didn't go on internet forums threathening Romanians with military invasion in the mid-2000's when you had people like Funar as the mayor of Cluj making similar statements and gestures, because we didn't care about him, we never cared about any of your politicians, I'd venture to say that we didn't care about Ceausescu when he was in power as much as you cared and continue to care about OrbƔn.
>The opposite, and would bet my house on it. Search romƔn on your sub, ungur in our sub and start counting who talks more about who.
I already checked it out, that's why I wrote my original sentence, like duh? Like I said, you're free to check it out yourself, you'd be shocked to see how little we care about Romania compared to how much you care about Hungary. Usually the ones who care, like me, do because they've been to Romania, or have relatives in Romania.
>Romanians know you migrated to where you are now.
We know, too, we never denied this, our oldest chronicles tell the story off how the Magyars came into the Carpathian basin. No one had an issue with this until the invention of 19th century race science.
I think the fact that we admit that we migrated here and aren't "indigenous" makes us a fair bit more honest than the Czechs, Slovaks, and South Slavs are, who spin all sorts of stories about Slavic indigenity and being eternally oppressed by Germans and Asians while 300 years before Hungarians arrived their ancestors, still living in Belarus, packed up their bags and conquered the remaining indigenous Roman and Greek population in Pannonia and the Balkans, hand in hand with their fellow migratory tribes, Germanics, Huns and Avars.
>No, it is your worldview that somehow your country must be the good guy, and all your neighbours secretly hate you *just because*.
How are you any different? I'm willing to bet that you live in the belief that Romanians know history and everything better than Serbs, Ukrainians, Bulgarians, and Hungarians.
Raknel@reddit
Didn't read it but I'll just assume it's the usual indoctrinated Romanian bs and downvote
Neutrinomind@reddit
Do as you want love
Raknel@reddit
Most historically literate Romanian
Vlad_Luca@reddit
You guys deserve Orban, hope he wins. There is a bit of that rot in each and every one of you. Even on the internet, even here on reddit.
Raknel@reddit
Who are you to speak about rot? You still beat up Hungarians on the streets in broad daylight for speaking Hungarian, thnaks to your degenerate indoctination.
Most of your national heroes are just petty mass murders who killed women and children.
Everything you're proud of you stole from others.
43282348@reddit
lmao, imagine even your capital not being Hungarian yet you have the balls to talk about the cities of other countries
Raknel@reddit
Conveniently ingoring the fact that the capital was under Ottoman occupation for 150 years, surrounding areas were genocided, and the resettlement efforts were led by the Habsburgs who settled in mostly Germans in the 18th century.
As usual Romanians don't know history, just some cherrypicked facts without context, because you're fed anti-Hungarian propaganda in school and nothing else.
43282348@reddit
Maybe you guys should worry about Orbanisztan instead of being frustrated and seething on the internet non stop, funny how the Germans that built many cities in Hungary, Poland and other Central European countries aren't as annoying as Hungarians are everywhere, I guess they don't feel like they have to compensate for something all the time.
Raknel@reddit
Said the guy whose country insists on putting their flag on every corner of cities they stole, and even their history is made up nonsense invented just so they can feel better about themselves. Dacians, lmao. Good one.
Fun-Incident-9216@reddit
in thr year 1000. Is like you are telling Paris and London are Roman city's.
Raknel@reddit
In the year 1900 more like.
You know, until you stole their land and sold the Saxons off to Germany in an ethnic cleansing campaign then settled in your own people and now proudly show off their heritage as yours.
Fun-Incident-9216@reddit
The ethnic cleansing did all of them Magyars i will argue the most intensive and successful. They founded the citys in the "year 1000" the ethnic composition of those city's they changed a lot after that. A lot of nobles who you proudly say are Magyars are actually Romanian forces to magyarisaion... because if you don't convert to Catholicism can't keep your status and wealth. So is a little more complicated.
Ok_Tie_7564@reddit
Siebenburgen.
Fickle_Syrup@reddit
>Have been thousands of times since then!
This implies you have been to Romania at least 2.000 times. If you went there for the first time in 2010, that's like 125 visits a year.
Public-Finger@reddit
I've heard Romanians are incredibly kind people. I worked with people from Moldova and they were lovely, but haven't been yet.
Apolon6@reddit
I was a bit sceptical when going to Bosnia (specifically Sarajevo and Mostar) because of what happened in the past, but boy was I wrong. I felt more welcomed there than anywhere else in the Balkans and the kindness of the people is simply unmatched. You can obviously feel the trauma from the war but does not change the fact that they have one of the best hospitality in Europe. May the terrors of wars never happen again there!
the_TIGEEER@reddit
I mean Bosnians are pretty used to living with Serbs as a third of the Country "is Serbian". The same in Slovenia, but no one likes those delusional history denying Serbs.
MrPsychSiege@reddit
Yeah I agree, I visited all of ex-YU and Albania and Greece and I everyone was hospitable but Bosnia stood out even more in that regard
LouderThanHell@reddit
Last year, I (a German) went on a two-week tour of the Balkans with my father. We visited Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Kosovo. Here in Germany, the usual Balkan stereotypes still exist: nice people, they drink a lot, they're a bit poor, and a bit lazy. On the trip, I discovered some very exciting countries with complex, interesting histories and numerous contradictions. But these contradictions exist almost everywhere. Germany is a country full of contradictions, many of which aren't immediately apparent. What I found remarkable was the cultural diversity and the often very beautiful, well-preserved old towns. Kotor, Ohrid, and Berat certainly don't need to hide behind more famous "Western" tourist magnets. In my opinion, you can see, especially in Albania and Montenegro, that a lot of money is being invested in tourism. I hope the investment pays off for these countries. I could write much more about my impressions, but in short, I'm very glad I took this trip and broadened my horizons. And the food was almost always excellent.
Evening_Surround8810@reddit
Positively surprised: Greece
SpiritedAddition8206@reddit
Serbia, incredible people. I honestly thought being Turkish could be āinterestingā letās put it that way. It was the first time I saw so many people interested about my country and wanted to talk about it. I was also surprised how similar we were in the way we acted and reacted to things. People felt and acted the same as back home.
Will be back, great great country with great people.
Otherwise_Tax3645@reddit
When you said we would be back, I had chills, but I realized quickly that you meant like tourists
Ok_Tie_7564@reddit
Why wouldn't you be similar? Weren't you part of the same country for five centuries?
Funny-Routine-7242@reddit
calling it a country, especially back then gives a wrong idea. it was an empire with dominions, many cultures and languages.
Fine-Ear-8103@reddit
None, all you mfers fit every preconcieved notion I ever heard about my own included. ā¤ļøš«¶
ocicrne@reddit
You hail (or heil) from Bondsteel though, not the Balkans.
tracystraussI@reddit
I love Romania and the Romanian people Iāve met. Itās my fav country in Europe and 3rd in the world.
veezy53@reddit
Portugal
Usernamenotta@reddit
Bosnia. We were not kidnapped on the road
Outside_Resist_8319@reddit
Not me but my Russian partner. When she traveled to Serbia because of the war which Russian army tried to conscript her husband. She said that Serbia looks like Moscow in early 1990's. To tell the truth I never paid attention to that when I visited Serbia. But Serbia differs much in my opinion. People are much more warm, kind and chatty at least
Fun_Selection8699@reddit
I knew it would be you again, can you stop posting so much
mstteff@reddit
Itās most likely a bot. Thereās a massive effor by our deranged goverment (Serbia) to penetrate Reddit, and start shilling their fucking message box propaganda here before elections this year. Just report this and similar accounts.
Saalle88@reddit
What nonsense.
Public-Finger@reddit
my feed has been filled with so much obvious state propaganda these past weeks. Maybe the war in Iran has turned everything up to 11
Aluman21@reddit
Itās my second day on this sub - i see his name all over the place
gushi1-@reddit
š¦š±š²šŖ
XrisVolt@reddit
Probably Romania
Extension-Detail-258@reddit
Every single one of those countries is Amazing and Legendary. History, culture, pretty people, kind people. You will eventually run in to an asshole or two, so you should know.
PlamenIB@reddit
Turkey.
I am born in the 1990 and tbh we where thought that the turks wish for the Ottoman Empire back. Absolutely not true.
RustCohle_23@reddit
I have never in my life heard about them wanting anything from us at present times. I think they don't even know who we are that much.
stack413@reddit
Yeah, Bulgaria and Turkey well and truly buried the hatchet after WWI or so. Well, apart from that one deeply braindead episode in 1989 where Bulgaria expelled a bunch of its Turks.
technotronica@reddit
Macedonian Turks love their homeland and don't wish such fantasies.
Vedroops@reddit
Definitely Serbia. I've been there a couple of times now, but the first time I've been there I was near NiÅ”, in the deep south, I've heard that part is the most nationalistic and picked what I say very carefully.
My friends I was meeting there read my nervousness like a book, and the random people I've met there were very friendly, fed me, and shared stories they managed to make me break these stereotypes in less than a day. Every time I've been there it's always been pleasant, but that first time will always be in my memory.
Love my Serbs.
Next-Lobster4306@reddit
The nicest people are the natives in rural areas and the the worst ones are in the capital city...from my experience anyway.
tipoftheiceberg1234@reddit
I literally thought Bulgaria was completely europeanized and that it had technologically progressed to be on the likes of Italy, Spain, France etcā¦ I was so jealous and wondered how they were able to do it but we werenāt.
When I came there I saw that it was not in fact the avant-garde country with face scanners and wifi everywhere. I was on the bus and I was able to understand this conversation between two women:
āThat money (coin Iām guessing), they say itās Godās money, the one that you know where and when youāre gonna spend itā like what š
WorldlinessRadiant77@reddit
Having lived in Germany and visited a bunch of āwesternā countries, Bulgaria is at least 10 years ahead technologically. Make it 20 if we discuss Germany.
tipoftheiceberg1234@reddit
Okay true, true, I see what youāre saying and yes for some things Bulgaria is not in bad shape at all.
But the parts that need workā¦they need a lot of work haha
ExoticAd7546@reddit
There is still lots of corruption and low taxes so yes the infrastructure is far from the west if you expected that. The main improvement is the purchasing power and the freedom of people since joining the EU. As for older generations, I wouldn't expect their mindset to change tremendously especially considering the indoctrination that they have experienced during the socialist regime, but newer generations are different.
roctac@reddit
The older generation is really holding Bulgaria back. Now russiaphile Radev is going to win the election after all the young people protested for nothing. Why not vote for a young candidate without all this baggage.
ExoticAd7546@reddit
Yeah of course it is to be expected. It is extremely hard to change your beliefs at an older age and most people are not mature enough to accept that what they have been indoctirnated with was almost entirely lies. It will take a few more generations.
Holiday_Pumpkin1279@reddit
Wait till that Bulgarian guy shows up here and starts telling you how Bulgaria managed to pave 2 km of highway with asphalt, and how after that Bulgaria is in a whole different galaxy compared to Bosnia.
No-Championship-4632@reddit
Ah, but we used to have wifi everywhere. Like in the parks or the metro. It was an easy project for the municipalities to skim money after all. Guess the telco lobby killed that. There is certainly no wifi in the streets right now and I think the service was killed in the metro around the COVID times. I remember that because at the time I was using an old fucked up subscription plan that wasn't good as far as data is concerned. Nowadays it's cheap though so public wifi is almost nowhere to be found (except probably in some cafeteria or bars).
bender__futurama@reddit
Bulgaria, people surprised me, they are very welcoming and hospitable once they found out I am from Serbia. They get insulted if I want to speak English with them. We need to speak Serbian/Bulgarian. They were great.
Country was just like I am imagined, but people surprised me. Everyone was so positive.
roctac@reddit
Glad to hear. I view Serbia and Bulgaria as cousins. Such similar countries. Same population, similar size, similar language and religion.
Educational-Rip-5572@reddit
I have been only in Greece really. But several times.
My first time was actually on Crete and I made a booking of car in rental company asked me āHow many times have you been in Greece?ā and I answered āItās my first time on Crete and first time in Greeceā And she replied āFirst time? Wow you gonna love this place I guarantee youā
And I suppose she was right because I really beloved Greece since then. Always felt good, safe, stunned by naturÄ and architecture. Never been treated bad or offended, never really faced any bad situationā.
Sometimes I get back to Greece two times a year, on continent too. I really love Greece because itās so different and so chill.
I would like to visit other countries as well, for now rather targeting Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia or Albania. But of course would like rest countries as well.
HighlanderAlien@reddit
I have been to croatia, montenegro, bosnia. I havent seen any tipical balkan people that i was expecting like those from diaspora we have here. I was surprised how white and skinny a lot of bosnians are. Usual diaspora bosnian is dark hair, beard, stomack (more ottoman like). Also i tried to thank some stranger for finding my airbnb in BB neighbourhood with 10ā¬ and he didnt want to take it.
bender__futurama@reddit
Racial theories, guys this is how you know that you are central European.
technotronica@reddit
LOL. I have relatives that look like gypsies, Arabs and others that look like literal Swedes. /A Bosnian
bostanite@reddit
Dude in Greece that would have been SUPER insulting. Giving a tip to a stranger for showing you the way?
HighlanderAlien@reddit
It wasnt a just a way, it was 20min search at 40Ā°c for apartman 'kod slavice' which was officialy 'dream apartments airbnb' and nobody didnt know it for its official name.
xesnoteleks@reddit
>And no large groups of people with airmax shoes walking in city center
Guess you'll have to visit Belgrade or any other Serbian city when our president is scheduled to have his monologue...
rowdyBob_@reddit
Serbia and Montenegro on motorcycles. Amazing rides and beautiful people!
WorldlinessRadiant77@reddit
Turkey honestly.
The first time I went I expected headscarves and mullahs. It turned out to be just like home, but (back then) more advanced.
Atlandios000@reddit
The cities that are in the Mediterranean are mostly Westernised.
You can absolutely see mullahs and headscarves in Turkey but you have to go deep in Anatolia.
1stFunestist@reddit
Each day I exit from my home I'm surprised how much my place have changed in a good way.
I dont need even to travel anywhere.
Lvd4aDrm@reddit
All of them. Politics and narratives are led from tiny people
xesnoteleks@reddit
All of them, to be fair. Visiting Croatia as a Serb was nothing but positive. The same goes for the Cro and Bosniak parts of Bosnia, like Mostar. Sure, there were some swastikas on some walls and questionable graffiti, but no one bothered me for being a Serb.
Exciting_East1159@reddit
Sono Italiano e ho girato per tutti i Balcani. Sicuramente, quello che mi ha sopreso di piĆ¹ ĆØ stato la Bosnia: bello, con una natura meravigliosa ed estremamente economico. L'unica cosa, gli adulti, come anche il padrone di casa che ci ospitava, mi sembrano persone colpite profondamente nell'animo dalla guerra
SwimmingAttention133@reddit
Qual ĆØ il paese Balcanico(not sure if that's a word) dove si parla piĆ¹ l'italiano?
TurkOmbre@reddit
Serbia, people were amazing
grympy@reddit
Bulgaria - every time Iām back home Iām surprised the country still functions. (Iām sorry)
ISV_VentureStar@reddit
Every time I see my bulgarian friends I'm surprised they still funcuton but somehow there they are. Same for the country as a whole I guess.
Admirable_Gas1653@reddit
Montenegro. I didnāt expect at all to enjoy it this much
Nearby_Professor_785@reddit
Albanian parts of the Balkans are the most beautiful and hvartska is beautiful
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Iāll start: Iāve been only to Greece, Turkey & North Macedonia and I liked all of them. I never had preconceived notions about any other Balkan country so I didnāt experience any surprise / shock.