Is there any Balkan country you found shockingly different from yours after travelling there? If yes, which one and why?
Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 322 comments
Oberst_Reziik@reddit
PORTUGAL
GrandadPyjamas@reddit
Yes, Romania. We are constantly told how dirty and disgusting it is in the UK by our propaganda channels but it is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited and I’ve been all over. I’m going back again this summer.
InformationTop3437@reddit
Thank you!! <3
l_u_s_i@reddit
turkey oh my god. as a bulgarian, it was the first time I actually felt European. it was so disappointing it made me feel so good about my country. (I didn't go to the beach I was in istanbul living for a little like a turkish person with my boyfriend who does live there, got the og average person experience)
Putrid_Speed_5138@reddit
Istanbul is bigger and more diverse than all Balkan capitals combined.
Depending on where you go to and how much you spend, you can feel in Istanbul as if it is New York, Rome, Belgrade, Tirana, Cairo or Kabul.
FunLocation3218@reddit
I could believe it If I ddint see bulgary hahaahah
3esin@reddit
Not from the Balkans, but I realy found the differences between the Northern balkans like Slovenia or Croatia and more souther regions like Bosnia striking.
Like you can still see what a number the war did on the country and how divided the population still is just by driving through.
MrDDD11@reddit
Not just the war but Bosnia was never a priority to anyone until it gained independence. Croatia and Slovenia got some decent development from the Hasburgs, doring Yugoslavia it was much cheaper to take raw resources from Bosnia, Macedonia, Montenegro and South Serbia and send them to Croatia, Slovenia and North Serbia for processing this brought lots of the resource benefits from the place or origin to place of refinement. It's also why North Macedonia makes much less from less from its mineral wealth than Serbia and Bulgaria.
Melanchord@reddit
Lol, Slovenia and Croatia financed most of Yugoslavia, and most of it went to Serbia.
Most of the benefits of Yugoslavia went to Serbia
Automatic_Collar9133@reddit
Slovenia made up less than 10% of the entire YU population, but accounted for more than 30% of all its federal taxes. Pretty freaking wild. And, like you said, all that money went to Serbia (Belgrade, specifically).
MrDDD11@reddit
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ran on war Reparations paied to Serbia for WW1.
If there wasn't Yugoslavia Dalmatia would be part of Italy, and if there wasn't a Yugoslavia post WW2 Croatia and Slovenia would have been occupied.
Melanchord@reddit
No it didn't. It ran on money from slovenia and Croatia and most of it all went to serbia
lemonfreshhh@reddit
Slovenian here. As someone already stated, we profited greately from the Habsburgs and later, after WW2, from closeness to Italia and Austria who were much richer. And as someone else mentioned, we profited from resources from other Yugoslav republics. And let's not forget all the workforce, mostly men, that moved to Slovenia from other ex-Yu republics. We have some things to thank ourselves to as well, no doubt, but portraying it like "We got nothing from others but financed everyone" makes you sound like you didn't listen at history classes, or watched the 7pm news in your entire life.
Corp-Por@reddit
Still u/Melanchord is basically right
MrDDD11@reddit
You can cope all you want but Croatia got the best deal of Yugoslavia, Slovenia also would have been more fucked in WW2 because Hungary, Germany or Italy would have invaded it faster.
Melanchord@reddit
No cope here only truth, I know you don't like the truth but that is ok
MrDDD11@reddit
What ever helps you sleep at night
JRJenss@reddit
Who would've occupied Slovenia and Croatia post WW2?? Western allies? Perhaps, and that would've been way more preferable to Yugoslavia.
On the other hand Serbia would've been occupied by the Red Army if it weren't for Tito.
MrDDD11@reddit
It would have been Soviet occupation for all of Yugoslavia because it was the ones to reach it first.
And Yugoslavia was the reason Croatia got off for its part in WW2, no Yugoslavia means Croatia is forced to take responsibility for the Independent State of Croatia and most likely under the Soviets.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Which one did u find more similar to Austria, Slovenia or Croatia?
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Jesus Christ, not Croatians downvoting my comment to oblivion. Just why?
Quirinus42@reddit
Nowhere there does it say Croatians downvoted you. Stop being a p.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Jesus Christ, Croatians downvoting my comment en masse just for asking this question.
3esin@reddit
Slovenia. I don't live far of teh border and if it wasn't announced you would barely even recognise that you crossed the border.
Croatia is kinda similar in the beginning but you can see the "flair" changing the more southern you go.
NightZT@reddit
Yeah, the whole region north of Zagreb around Čakovec or Varaždin is pretty indistinguishable from south eastern Austria but it gets different the closer you are to the Bosnian border or to the sea
jfk52917@reddit
Honestly also the differences between northern, central, and southern Serbia. Subotica and Niš being in the same country is kind of fascinating.
PreWiBa@reddit
I know what you mean, but the difference in of itself between the countries isn't that big.
Especially in the north, crossing the border won't change anything regarding landscape, how villages and towns look, and cultures are after all very similar as well.
NightZT@reddit
It's a gradual difference but it's noticeable imo. If you'd put me in a random village near Varaždin I probably could only tell you that I'm not in Austria because of road signage and stuff like that, houses are pretty much identical while near the Bosnian border also the houses and the towns itself already look a bit different
getinthezone@reddit
thats pretty obvious no?
3esin@reddit
I think the biggest obvious sign of division can be seen by the number of Srpska flags being shown.
HerrKaiserton@reddit
Travelled to Turkey and Bulgaria. They have good roads, and don't seem like they were bombed for 50 years straight. The rest is basically the same 🤣💜
No-Championship-4632@reddit
Good roads in Bulgaria...where?
LorettaDiPalio@reddit
bahaha !! Drove from Sofia to Stara Zagora on a recently EU financed motorway which was full of potholes. That was in 2018.
Flechette-71@reddit
In Rodope mountain. Most of the roads are almost brand new. Trust me. I'm biker.
HerrKaiserton@reddit
Brother... Anything that doesn't look like a minefield is a better road then here. I've travelled all of Greece, south Bulgaria, and European turkey, and I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt. Thrace has THE worst roads ever
VoidYordle@reddit
If you think we got good roads, I dread to know what's the situation in your homeland.
HerrKaiserton@reddit
Potholes 20cm deep. You get used to it. That's why low cars ain't seen often 🤣
VoidYordle@reddit
I thought central and southern Greece would be very different from Bulgaria. I was wrong. It felt the same, just with better roads/sidewalks and more diverse in certain areas. Other than that it felt like home. Same laid-back mentality, same maniacal disregard of traffic laws, same ''0 fucks given'' attitude. The Greeks do smile more often, though.
LorettaDiPalio@reddit
After several stays in Bulgaria what impressed me the most was that people never smiled and also the lack of politeness of ppl working in shops and restaurants.
FeelTheKetasy@reddit
This is my experience after going from northern Greece to Sofia. Literally felt like I changed cities but not countries
Third_Rate_Duelist_@reddit
Croatia, because everything was more expensive, you couldn't find good cheese in the supermarkets and the architecture, statues of saints and churches had a catholic style.
Diermeech@reddit
No good cheese in Croatia?? What kind of cheese you bought
Third_Rate_Duelist_@reddit
The cheese I was looking for is similar to Greek Feta cheese
Diermeech@reddit
true but we have a ton of great local (hard) cheeses like paški,trdek/prga, truffle cheese...
Third_Rate_Duelist_@reddit
Those look great for a yellow cheese, but yeah, none of them are the type of white cheese I can easily find at home
No-Specialist-1435@reddit
If you wanted local macedonian cheese you should have stayed home. If you travel, try their own cheeses.
Quirinus42@reddit
Hahaha the high prices are sad, but true.
matthewvr8@reddit
Albania
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Which country are u from?
Etsikaietsi@reddit
Any predominantly muslim part of the Balkans. It feels alien and out of place. It always feels like they're larping.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Have you ever been to any? If yes, which cities?
Etsikaietsi@reddit
Novi Pazar, Sarajevo, parts of Ulcinj, Dragaš, parts of Skopje... All felt off. Like I traveled to the Middle East.
Not necessarily bad, but never have I felt that far away from home. And I've been around.
Fancy_Brilliant_4599@reddit
Islamophobe
Etsikaietsi@reddit
Call me whatever you want. It just transports me from the Balkans to the Middle East.
ExtremeProfession@reddit
Old Town of Sarajevo is the only place in the city that looks Ottoman, even it has many Austrian buildings and you're always within 5mins of that, much larger part of the city as well as the socialist housing.
Unless you have a problem with mosques or ezan and that's what makes you feel out of place.
Novi Pazar, Skopje, Priština and others are way more disorganized and Anatolia looking than Sarajevo.
Etsikaietsi@reddit
I don’t have a problem with anything. It just feels different than anything else in the region.
Sufficient-Heat1382@reddit
if Ulcinj etc are that muslim to u try going to, literally any western country. islam is like 50% of the world and the world is mixing with each other more and more every day. what i mean is i notice more religious islamism living in the netherlands than in albania/kosovo but also seeing other balkan countries as well.
Etsikaietsi@reddit
They don’t feel European either. I was talking about the Balkans but if there’s a large muslim population anywhere in Europe, it will feel out of place.
Vigmod@reddit
Only been to Serbia, and then mostly spent my time in Novi Sad for about a week (just a few months before the roof collapsed at the train station).
Honestly, apart from the expected language barrier (Serbian really isn't similar to Norwegian or Icelandic at all), there didn't feel that much of a difference. I could smoke inside at bars, that's about it.
mds818@reddit
come to croatia, you're not smoking anything inside
Vigmod@reddit
But I like the option of smoking inside. And saving a lot of.koney because the second-hand smoke is more than enough.
Quirinus42@reddit
He's lying, you can smoke inside many cafés.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
So cool! Thank you for your interesting perspective. Which part of Norway are you from?
Vigmod@reddit
I'm from Iceland, but I've lived in Bergen (Norway) for around 14 years.
stayinthebubbel@reddit
Visited all, and croatian waiters by far the most unfriendly.
Quirinus42@reddit
Depends where, when, and who, there are big differences. But overall, they're not especially friendly, yes.
Itsgxl@reddit
Quite the opposite, once you go to Greece from Turkey, your only cue that the country has changed is those little church miniatures with mother Mary on the side of the road ( what are they called?)
Antique_Thought_1047@reddit
They're literally called "little churches" in greek or "eklisakia". They're put there when someone has died in a car crush or survived one.
Quirinus42@reddit
We have them in Croatia too, but not that many.
Itsgxl@reddit
Ouch. There were too many for comfort if that's infact the story behind them. Well, when It gets slightly dark they give this very unsettling eerie vibe but they're also very comforting in a weird way. When you're driving through Greek countryside, it feels like youre a main character in a paranormal movie
afewnameslater@reddit
Croatia. Its like the Germany of the Balkans. Almost no trash or litter, happy people, affordable and modern public transportation, western-like “modernization” cultural and historical sites , generally happy and welcoming people. I was very very pleasantly surprised.
Quirinus42@reddit
As a Croatian, Slovenia is nice.
Etsikaietsi@reddit
Which Croatia are we talking about here?
BallAccomplished1669@reddit
Idk what Croatia you know but that's for tourists, for us degenerates living here nah
Go to Slovenija, Ljubljana is the cleanest and more modern city of the Balkans no comparison
No_Sun2410@reddit
In general I am from Slovenia, and I find Croatia, shocingly littered compared to Slovenia... Muuuch better in Cro compared to Serbia / Bosnia that I must admit.
PlayfulMountain6@reddit
As a tourist yes...
atzitzi@reddit
Cyprus is one country with one flag. A part of it is illegally occupied from Turkey in case you didn't know. This map is wrong.
atzitzi@reddit
volcano156@reddit
Womp womp
Ujemegaz@reddit
We find Albania shockingly different. Everywhere else seems orderly planned compared to us.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
And the way people in Albania drive
https://i.redd.it/iux6txqpu4wg1.gif
NightZT@reddit
I must say I found southern Italians worse. I could kinda adopt to Albanian driving by being attentive and simultaneously assertive. In southern Italy I had the perception they don't even notice you and do whatever they want. If you're driving 110 on a road and there is an intersection someone will come out directly infront of you and drive 40. If you're driving 150 on the highway and they want to overtake a truck they just pull over with 80 directly infront of you without looking
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Oh yes, I was talking about the Balkans. Southern Italians are on another level - even the intensity of honking there is WILD. It almost feels like sexual frustration.
AlternativeDraw1795@reddit
I saw a car with Albanian plates in Croatia and he overtook long line of cars by driving on opposite side of the road. Road was also very bendy with low visibility because of the trees.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
I have a very visceral reaction when I experience / hear about such stories because impatience mixed with rule-breaking is a very common combo in my culture. Just take a flight to Albania off season, when the plane is mostly Albanians, and you will see what I mean.
EarthToFreya@reddit
I mean, Bulgarians are a bit crazy, but trying to cross a road in Istanbul was next level, cars didn't stop and people somehow navigated through that. Is Albania worse than that?
Substratas@reddit (OP)
In Albania people don’t stop either, but I found Istanbul to be on another level.
grsk_iboluna@reddit
Istanbul is like living n a video game, but you don’t get extra lives.
whadefukk@reddit
Istanbul was easy mode compared to Egypt
EarthToFreya@reddit
I see, thanks. I will know what to expect if I visit Albania.
Golday_ALB@reddit
Tirana is bad, smaller cities are more or less very comparable to the rest of the balkans.
Kaer__Morhen@reddit
I think I was the only one waiting for pedestrian lights to turn green and somehow it was the most dangerous moment to cross the road, Istanbul is only for the brave
But the people there are really nice (especially if they want to sell you something)
Substratas@reddit (OP)
https://i.redd.it/77b9nhppc7wg1.gif
AbilityRich250@reddit
We tried to cross with a baby in a stroller and not even the police car stopped!! I’ve never seen anything like Istanbul!! It’s an awesome intense near-dead experience, never again!
l_u_s_i@reddit
oh my god same experience, nothing showed me how safe bulgarian streets are as well as being g a pedestrian in turkey
oblivion_mike@reddit
Cuckoldcadoo
Third_Rate_Duelist_@reddit
Yeah, they have an overtaking mentality
clib@reddit
That is what you get when you allow yourselves to be lead for 12 years by Berisha, the second worst psychopath of that region( Milosevic is still the top psycho of the last 35 years).
Ujemegaz@reddit
Fajin e ka Saliu has become international i see
clib@reddit
What is that?
Ujemegaz@reddit
Ironically implying that Berisha can no longer be blamed for the situation in Albania. Not after 13 years of uninterrupted rule of current party, which has enough votes to change constitution even.
clib@reddit
Oh i see. The guy that sent your country to shit cannot be blamed anymore because the blame time has expired. Solid logic. Do you remember when the west had to send a peace keeping force to save your country from the civil war that that psycho started?
So show me pictures of how Albania looked when it was governed by the other psycho Hoxha and pictures when Berisha governed. Let's see and compare when Albania looked more orderly planned.
Ujemegaz@reddit
I am aware of 1997 unrest. Honestly, i am aware that Berisha is a power hungry and a demagogue, but it was not his fault that people were greedy and naive. We had it coming.
Hoxha has caused one of the most ecological disasters to Albania than Berisha, Nano and Rama combined. By digging the terraces on every hill accessible to man, he made Albania look less green and you can easily view it if you travel by plane. When i was little, it was a common saying that we could spot the border line between Albania and Macedonia where the greenery started.
clib@reddit
Oh really? Just a 5 min youtube search and 10 seconds google translate . And I get this gem. Berisha: " I am the one responsible for the pyramid schemes in Albania"
Show me pictures/videos of Albania during Hoxha's regime and videos during Berisha's regime. Let's see which Albania looked worse.
Since you mentioned corruption i asked you a question about which Albanian politician is designated non-grata for significant corruption by the US & GB.
Ujemegaz@reddit
I see that you are onto some agenda. But i lived through 97 and i remember it like yesterday. Berisha was responsible, and we know that he is a cynical sob, we don't need someone from outside to tell us that. But, our people had a lesson to learn, that free market economy is harsh and wealth takes a lot of sweat to build up, you can't just sit drinking raki and playing cards and you can't afford to be naive.
clib@reddit
Yes my agenda is don't trust people who try to sell you their political biases as facts.
Make up your mind dude.In your previous comment you told me :but it was not his fault . I called your BS by posting Berisha's video where he admits it was his fault.
And I asked you about photos and videos so we can compare.
I also ask you who is the politician designated non-grata for significant corruption by the US & GB.
Ujemegaz@reddit
I never said it wasn't Berisha's fault. I said that people were greedy and got empty handed, and then they got mad. Of course everyone blamed Berisha, because he was a cynical sob. But clearly, you don't know shit about the real situation then. And why should i post pictures and stuff of that time. What does what happened in 97 even prove regarding the current situation in Albania. Almost 30 years have passed. Kosovo got burnt to ashes and they rebuild and have better highways, better medicine, schools, sports than we do. Croatia got burnt as well, and yet managed to join EU afterwards. You'd better stop patronising anyone because it is obvious that you are full of shit.
clib@reddit
Yes you did
Because you keep claiming that it was Hoxha's's fault and it is current government's fault that your country looks disorderly planned . If that is true, then you providing videos and pictures of Hoxha's Albania and Berisha's Albania will help us compare those two iwith today's Albania. Stand by your claims with facts.Provide proof, otherwise it is just your political bias.
But clearly i know enough to call you out on your BS propaganda. With facts.
Really? A civil war has left no long term consequences in your country? You guys might be very special then.
30 years huh? Berisha was designated non-grata for for significant corruption by the US & GB in 2021.That is five years ago. So that mofo still has something to do with the current situation in your country. Still stealing money. He is opposition leader now, right? Dude please don't try to sell your BS political propaganda as facts here.
Ujemegaz@reddit
It is not Berisha's fault that you are deranged. Also, it is not Berisha's fault that people were foolish enough to believe they could triple their savings in one month. Berisha's fault was not managing the situation properly, but probably he was on board and did not predict the implications would be so high as he did not know people were that stupid, for sure he knew Albanians were stupid, but not so stupid to sell their houses and invest in pyramid schemes, like many did...
In 97, the smart and cunning got rich, the stupid and naive got poor. Darwin would be ok with it.
Also, there was no civil war. Recently a lengthy documentary of various clips was brought together, and more or less you can understand better what happened, but it is not the whole story.
https://youtu.be/_Gpf7lhUKiQ?si=PSl0I8Lbm3GBVeew
Cautious-Opposite-10@reddit
oh trust me there are places in Serbia and surrounding countries where they are gonna have to reconstruct for years to sort out the lack of planning that occurred in the 90's
Ujemegaz@reddit
Well, the latest discourse now is about materials used in facades of big block apartments. Highly flamable. It took several hours to put down the flames and even helicopter was sent.
https://youtube.com/shorts/6fQTjc8BJpI?si=DaFEw1WUmQ_tiFGh
Zhidezoe@reddit
Nah, last month I was in Thessalonik and every second word I was saying was, this is just Durres
Sufficient-Heat1382@reddit
with extra steps
Beneficial-Shame9144@reddit
please come to Greece to see for yourself, we are the same 🤣
TheNinjaNarwhal@reddit
and 2x that in islands :')
Hefty_Jaguar4305@reddit
Greece alone is so different.
In Western Thrace (northeastern Greece), there are approximately 80,000 to 120,000 Muslims, including a significant Turkish minority protected by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne. This minority is primarily located in the regional units of Rodopi (Komotini), Xanthi, and Evros (Alexandroupoli). Turkish is a prevalent mother tongue in many villages of the region, and mosques and traditional customs are prevalent.
So, culturally, is it Balkan, or would you English speakers say it's Middle Eastern Greece?
Hmm?
Sufficient-Heat1382@reddit
greece is so balkans dude wtf r u talkin bout. literally same foods, style of urbanization, corruption, etc
Hefty_Jaguar4305@reddit
eee BREE gaco
Frosty_Bowl4911@reddit
i live in türkiye and never left because my family cant afford to because economy(if y'all ever traveled around the world how is it to be outside of your own country and see whats really diffrent?)
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Which part of Turkey are u from? It ain’t that different from the rest of the Balkans so u don’t have to feel like u’re missing much.
Frosty_Bowl4911@reddit
sivas şarkışla(basically im outside the 3% land area inside europe)
Independent_Cod_9395@reddit
Turkey is not a Balkan country
PreWiBa@reddit
Of course they are, at least the European part.
Independent_Cod_9395@reddit
The European part is a fraction of their land... And anyway their culture doesn't fit the Balkan one
Hefty_Jaguar4305@reddit
best compare with albania, bosnia and kosovo, and eastern thrace ...
stop you anti turkish hate spread.
we_wuzz_kangz@reddit
bro are most of the people outside of Istanbul in European Turkey Pomaks (Muslim Bulgarians) ?
Hefty_Jaguar4305@reddit
Pomak settlements in the Trakya region are numerous. A high concentration of Pomak settlements exists in the rural districts surrounding Kırklareli (e.g., Demirköy, Kofçaz), Edirne (e.g., Lalapaşa), and Tekirdağ. The estimated 300,000 to over 600,000.
we_wuzz_kangz@reddit
Love Pomaks ❤. one of the most unique groups of the Balkans. wish they were more well known
Hefty_Jaguar4305@reddit
Pomak people live in three countries: Bulgaria (in the Rhodopes Mountains), Turkey (East Thrace), and Greece (West Thrace).
The ancient language Pomakca is still spoken in Turkey, but Generation Z and subsequent generations no longer speak it.
we_wuzz_kangz@reddit
damn thats sad
Ujemegaz@reddit
I don't think their feelings will be hurt because you said this 😜
PreWiBa@reddit
The European part has more people than several other Balkan countries combined.
In the end, their culture and influences in cuisine, music are even what made Balkan Balkan to a huge degree.
bugog@reddit
Turkey (more likely Ottoman Empire) is the sole reason for common Balkan culture.
SOHONEYSAME@reddit
(no one considers them Balkan outside this sub).
Hefty_Jaguar4305@reddit
The people of East Thrace call themselves Trakyalilar and consider themselves Balkan.
We are descendants of Balkan Turks and other Balkan Muslims—we Albanians, Bosnians, Pomaks. What do you want?
Is West Thrace, with its Muslim population, also part of the Middle East? Yes? Greek Middle East or part of the Balkans?
Tell me...come on...
Hefty_Jaguar4305@reddit
So what is then Eastern Thrace the european part of turkey? it is in the balkan peninsula, and his inhabitants, are descendants from Balkan Muslims, also including ethnic albanians, bosnians, pomaks etc.
so what we then?
our music, dance, culture is of course not middle east or even east anatolian
Independent_Cod_9395@reddit
You are a minority in turkey... that doesn't mean that turkey is a Balkan country
Hefty_Jaguar4305@reddit
I never claimed that the whole turkey is a balkan country, I allways said only easthern thrace, the european part is balkan.
But nobody here post anything much of trakya, all posting is black sea region or deep anatolia .
LastHomeros@reddit
Turkiye’s landmass is larger than the Balkan, meaning that it can’t be narrowed down to a specific region. However, it has territories in the Balkans and has significantly reshaped the region culturally, to the point that today even the name we use to describe this peninsula is actually of Turkish/Turkic origin. Therefore, it would be a bold move to exclude them.
Miserable-Ground-379@reddit
Albania is culturally and mentally sooo different than Slovenia😅
Elmalukat@reddit
Have you been to Albania and what was so different if you don’t mind sharing?
SOHONEYSAME@reddit
everything.
no one wants to be "associated" for a reason.
Elmalukat@reddit
You know what is the worst part?
Your feelings have been hurt after being used by a sun burnt square headed Albanian construction worker. That is why you are so but hurt and insufferable.
Life should be difficult when you are an ugly troll
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Hefty_Jaguar4305@reddit
All the countries on the map you posted is Balkan for you? wow.
ThickCaterpillar9867@reddit
Yeas Slovenians are culturally and mentally similiar to Austrians ,right?😅
lemonfreshhh@reddit
We Slovenians like to think that we're close to what we imagine Austrians to be, which is something something that's supposed to be better than our idea of Balkans.
But the reality is that actual Austrians are so much like actual Slovenians, so just another Balkans tribe, albeit somewhat richer and when they do corruption they do it wearing a real suit instead of a track suit.
ThickCaterpillar9867@reddit
If we can call Austrians a balkan tribe then everyone is Balkan.
Extension-Detail-258@reddit
Austria is half Balkan btw
ThickCaterpillar9867@reddit
Vienna* not Austria!!
Extension-Detail-258@reddit
Its Беч, not Vienna. And I double what I said.
ThickCaterpillar9867@reddit
It is called Wien !!!
Greetings from Ivan Straussovsky
frape4serbia@reddit
Kosovo is Serbia
icancount192@reddit
Kayseri was wildly different. Izmir, Sarande, Gjirokaster, Edirne, Varnas are the most similar.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
But as a country overall, which one?
icancount192@reddit
Hard to say because Turkey is so big. It's one of the most similar and the most different.
Singular country, I guess Slovenia.
jaunmilijej@reddit
What the hell took you to Kayseri?
erelster@reddit
Well, at least it wasn't Yozgat.
icancount192@reddit
A trip with an NGO I volunteered at
jaunmilijej@reddit
Bro no NGO in this world can help Kayseri
icancount192@reddit
Lol, amazing pastrami though
jaunmilijej@reddit
Σκατα είναι
icancount192@reddit
Τα σπάει ο παστουρμάς στην Καισαρεία
jaunmilijej@reddit
Είμαι βιγκαν ρε…στην Αθήνα είμαι τόσο δύσκολο επίσης 🥲
icancount192@reddit
Αχ τι να σου κάνω, συμπονώ την κατάσταση σου
Gullible-Voter@reddit
Skiing?
apeaky_blinder@reddit
spor?
Dulduls@reddit
Yeah I always thought that eastern part of Turkey would be different than overall Balkans, but curious about people's thoughts
ThickCaterpillar9867@reddit
Slovenia similar to greece?have you been there??
icancount192@reddit
Read the question again in the post
Dunedan8@reddit
Hah some reddit police shii
ThickCaterpillar9867@reddit
I did ,so Slovenia the most different?
icancount192@reddit
Yes, now you reread it. So not "the most similar" as you said. The most different. Exactly the opposite.
ThickCaterpillar9867@reddit
Yeah but you were talking about the similars one ,I miss understood it when you got asked the 2nd time
icancount192@reddit
I was talking about most different and most similar. Then OP asked me to answer again with a country for his original post.
Entire-Let9739@reddit
Kayseri is neither in the Balkans nor in the cultural sphere of the Balkans.
Kry_08@reddit
I wanna add thassalonikki to that as well. the seaside was nearly identical to İzmir's
chandetox@reddit
Huh that's weird maybe there was some kind of connection
KPlusGauda@reddit
Not to be that guy, but... Kayseri? That's not the Balkans. It isn't.
Xela8Xe@reddit
But Turkey is
getinthezone@reddit
most of it isnt
Xela8Xe@reddit
Yes but we are talking here country based.
Because some parts of Serbia, Romania, Croatia and Slovenia are technically not in the Balkans.
getinthezone@reddit
it just doesnt make sense sorry
KPlusGauda@reddit
No we are not talking about contries here blindly. We cannot ignore the fact that Kayseri is 600 km from the nearest point of Europe. The same would be if someone asked what's the strangest mountain in a European country is and someone answered something on the Kamchatka peninsula.
Fluid_Intention_875@reddit
Bravo. Literally.
aznmh@reddit
As a Bosnian, I feel the most different countries are Albania, Greece, Turkey and Romania while the most similar to Bosnia is Croatia followed by Serbia.
SufficientAccount211@reddit
Which part of Croatia? I doubt Varaždin, Rijeka, Pula or Zagreb have that much ih common with Bosnia culturally or traditionally, mentality or language are somewhat similar, but everything else is different. If I was a Bosnian I’d probably find Montenegro and Serbia the closest, then Croatia. But then again I’m Northern Croatian and Slovenia is the most similar to us imo.
aznmh@reddit
Throwing your Balkan comment back at you: If I was a Croat I l would probably feel closer to Serbia or Bosnia, we Slovenes are more similar to Austria. 🤣
The only part of Croatia i find a bit different is Istria. Funnily enough, people from Bihac would not agree with me.
SufficientAccount211@reddit
So you completely ignored the fact regions I mentioned are not only linguistically different from the Shtokavian areas in Bosnia, Serbia or Montenegro, but also historically, culturally and traditionally have very little to do with Bosnia or Serbia, only sharing Yugoslavia as a part of common history. Before that, they were separate for 1000+ years, regions I mentioned also don’t speak Shtokavian and were also never conquered by the Ottomans so they have no Ottoman influence in their culture or achitecture(granted, today popular fast food in Croatia is ćevapi, burek, kebab but they aren’t traditional food and were mostly introduced during Yugoslavia). I get why someone from Dalmatia or Slavonian Posavina would find Bosnia the most similar place, but Croatia is generally more similar to Slovenia(Kajkavian and Chakavian areas), with most bigger cities lying in the Northern part of the country(Zagreb, Karlovac, Varaždin, Bjelovar, Rijeka, Pula…)
aznmh@reddit
Chill GPT powered dude, we will not fix centuries old “majorizacija” Yugoslavia did towards great Croatian empire on reddit. I would suggest you travel a bit more, not just to matica Slovenia for a job.
FYI: I lived in Zagreb. Mentally almost identical as Sarajevo.
SufficientAccount211@reddit
Mentality is your only argument, and it doesn’t make sense, as each person will have a different mentality. What about culture or tradition? You might’ve lived in Zagreb, but your personal experience doesn’t negate the factual. Look at Zagreb’s traditional food or music. Then look ar Sarajevo’s. It isn’t similar because Sarajevo has irreplaceable Ottoman influence while Zagreb doesn’t because it simply wasn’t under Ottomans, which isn’t a bad thing, I don’t see why you’re so triggered and only resort to saying “mentally it’s the same so traditions or general culture don’t play a role at all”.
aznmh@reddit
Jarane, promuhabetio si doktorat samo da kazes da zavisi od regije. Ako ti je lakse, evo upisat cu te u Slovence i mirna Bosna.
OkRepresentative4603@reddit
What do you find so different about Romania?
aznmh@reddit
Romania is the only Balkan country I haven’t visited so my opinion is based on the online interactions, and I found Romania online behaviour is similar to how Turks behave online. I might be wrong because you cannot understand someone until you spend some time interacting with people. I am planning to visit Bucharest in the future to change that. Cheers!
ExtremeProfession@reddit
Romania is very similar to us in many ways, organized chaos but with visible EU improvement lately.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
In which way did you find Albania different from Bosnia? Like, what were the things that were obviously different to you?
aznmh@reddit
I had wonderful time in Albania with really nice people and I got a feeling that people seems way more happier then rest of balkans. Besides that i found Albanians are not tying its national identity to religion which is different from most of the balkan and third thing is Italian influence. I was surprised to see more people speak Italian than english.
PayAdministrative436@reddit
Montenegro is a wasteland. Completely barren cities and villages without any people. Beautiful nature.
Kosovo is in contrast full of people everywhere you go
SOHONEYSAME@reddit
Greek public opinion is clear, on this.
(tho, generally, I don't believe Greece is similar to Balkan countries at all - I would say, it's probably more similar to even Egypt & Syria, compared to most Balkan countries, nvm Turkey or Persia).
8NkB8@reddit
I don't know what "looks" means in that context. I found Albania/Albanians to be the most similar to Greece/Greeks.
SOHONEYSAME@reddit
nah,
for one, majority of both Greeks & Albanians disagree.
Albania is more like North Macedonia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Turkey.
(& I don't see what Greece has in common, meaningfully, w/ the countries above, or even Bulgaria).
Balkan countries are, generally, considered "lower status" (and I personally like some).
however, Egypt (like Greece) is one of the countries w/ the greatest legacy & (somewhat) similar to Greek mainland.
on top of that, Albania diaspora "reputation" abroad (in Western Europe, I mean) is terrible.
(generally Balkan "reputation" isn't great which is y most of us don't want to be "associated" w/ them).
for me, (as someone from an island) Italy is first.
otherwise, Greece is really different.
PayAdministrative436@reddit
Hey, so ur a retard that obv never leaves the house. Most greeks disagree with you.
8NkB8@reddit
Greeks are much closer to Albanians genetically and culturally than Egyptians, let alone geographically.
SOHONEYSAME@reddit
irrelevant.
Giannis, for instance, is 100% Greek.
Albania is a Muslim country w/ (rather significant) Turkic influence.
& former communist. (similar to other Balkans).
Greece "belongs" to Western world, mostly.
(but in general it's too different from other countries, a really unique country, in that sense).
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Pay her dust, she is traumatized.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
SOHONEYSAME@reddit
yikes.
i'm, (thankfully) not Albanian.
Sweet-Blueberry-7533@reddit
Honestly Slovenia, even though its right above me every time i go there i feel like im closer to Austria and Germany than i am to Croatia. The language is always so confusing yet similar and overall culture and people feels like a weird mixture of balkan and central european.
With most balkan countries i still tend to feel like im at home with the culture but Slovenia always makes me feel lke an outsider.
erenpr0@reddit
I live near the border with Greece (Bulgaria), and It's shocking to me how different 2 towns, just 70km apart from each other, can be. Greece is weirdly similar to Turkey. The people, the streets, the cars, the food, the buildings. All the while Bulgaria is the total opposite from my point of view. The difference of course is related to the separation of the east and the west. Really interesting seeing how only few years of total separation via a border can cause such different outcomes to basically the same population.
jvb2989@reddit
I feel like there is a huge gap between Kosovo and Albania. If you travel through both countries with the awareness that their one people but countries with different pasts it’s just crazy how different things are.
Eveline-96@reddit
Of course there is a gap. Kosovo has been Serbian for centuries, Albanians can't erase that for 20 years.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Gap in which way? What are the differences?
jvb2989@reddit
Housing, the way cities look, food & restaurants, language, mentality, religion, infrastructure (roads, public transport), police officers in Kosovo are nicer imo, while Kosovars often look up to Albania, alb. Albanians often look down/don‘t care about Kosovo.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
The language part is funny because my husband is from Sweden and when he hears Kosovo Albanian he thinks it’s not the language I speak.
The Kosovo Albanian intonation & pronounciation of certain vowels (like A) sound surprisingly close to Swedish.
Golday_ALB@reddit
The same exact dialect spoken in Kosovo is also spoken in Albania. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gheg_Albanian
If you are not used to the dialect ofc you will have a hard time. Its the same thing in almost every single country in Europe
Substratas@reddit (OP)
It’s not the exact same dialect. Gheg is divided in different subdialects and Kosovo is easily distinguishable from the Shkodra dialect where my great grandmother is from.
Some words & expressions used in Kosovo I do not understand at all - some I do, but are different even from Northern Albania’s gheg.
Golday_ALB@reddit
Kukesi speaks the same dialect. But ofc you will find little differences, in Albania you can find little differences even in neighboring villages.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
This is so true!
jvb2989@reddit
omgg when I hear standard albanian I feel like it’s not albanian at all and I don’t understand it😂😭
vivaervis@reddit
Your last statement is not true. Everyone I know that has visited Kosovo talked good about our brothers and how much they have achieved in 18 years of independence.
taxirata@reddit
It really isnt, I’ve been to Albania like 15 times and they are always happy to meet me. I feel like people who have this notion have never actually experienced it in real life. My cousin was one of them. Once I took him to Albania it completely changed his mind.
jvb2989@reddit
It’s what I experienced and experiences can vary. I believe what you say though! :)
vivaervis@reddit
Are you an Albanian from Kosovo or from somewhere else?
jvb2989@reddit
I‘m German but been in a relationship with a Kosovar for years, therefore it’s an outside, probably biased perspective.
vivaervis@reddit
We as people tend to make fun of each other, south and north, villages vs cities. It's nothing harmful, I believe it's something it happens in most of the countries. Albanians from Kosovo have that eagerness to strive specifically because they just got their independence, their average citizen is relatively very young. It remembers me of Albania in the 90, where people finally felt free after communism and it had a joyful desire to make things better and very optimistic of the future. Reflected in music and art in general. If it wasn't for the Ponsi scheme of the 97' maybe that feeling would have lasted a little bit longer.
MrSmoke666@reddit
Slovenia alone is more Austria then Balkan.
Entire-Let9739@reddit
Turkey in itself.Even in two neighboring cities, things work differently, but somehow they are still governed by a central authority:Ankara. The state enforce the same laws,education and bureaucracy on four different men from Giresun,Urfa,Bursa and Alanya.
Sahmmey@reddit
Slovenia - too organised for our bunch
homerthefamilyguy@reddit
The half of cyprus is oppucied by the Turkish military, it's exactly the same situation like krimea in Ukraine. It's not Turkish.
Long_Cartographer492@reddit
To be honest, no. I have visited Croatia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia. Belgrade’s city center was really nice, and Serbians were very friendly to us Romanians. Podgorica is small but very clean and modern. Skopje has impressive statues, and you should definitely visit the Communism Museum, the Old Town, and the bazaar. For Romanians, Bulgaria feels very close to home—nice people, similar buildings, preatty much the same food and the border control officers often speak Romanian, which was unexpected. Sarajevo is a must for me. It’s diverse, and you really feel as if you’re in a different culture. Croatia in our opinion was more connected to Western Europe, good restaurants, good roads and great visiting spots, we thought is very similar to Italy especially the North.
So to summarise, visit all the Balkan countries, because you will be suprised by the experience. ✌️😁
Sorry for the bad english 🥲
amazingamy19@reddit
I just wanted to give you a thumbs up for the wholesome comment.
We need more of your energy.
Long_Cartographer492@reddit
Thanks ✌️😁
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Your English is great. ❤️
Long_Cartographer492@reddit
Our next destination is Tirana in July and maybe Pristina in the near future to complete the Balkan Trip Achievement. Greece is a side gig as Romanians visit it regulary. Turkyie is a diferent beast, as you should give it 2 weeks at least to propper visit and understand the culture
ApplicationBig1676@reddit
Slovenia is not part of balkan and never was. Neither geographic or demographic. Much closer to Austria since its part of central Europe. Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia.
I was in all true balkan countries, i would say Albania is most different. Both language and 'expectations vs reality'. Very kind people, roads from Tirana to Sarande are very good, traffic is wild west, but i enjoyed it. Kosovo havent been there but is just poorer version of Albania. Croatia is wanabe Slovenia with serb mentality. Serbia is what it is, greece without sea. Bosnia poor, but very dynamic regarding muslims and serbs. Montenegro, havent been there yet, but i would say language is a bit off, they do have nice sea. Greece is well developed Serbia. Macedonia mixture of very kind Serbs and Albanians. Rest of them is east europe.
ilijadwa@reddit
“Croatia is wannabe Slovenia with Serb mentality” 🤣🤣🤣👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 lol so accurate
ApplicationBig1676@reddit
Haha well croats do say Slovenia is 'podalpska Hrvatska' 🤣
Diermeech@reddit
No, we sometimes call you ‘Alpski Srbi’
Weekly-Foundation229@reddit
Ne bih rekla.
ilijadwa@reddit
Osjeća mi se kao to oko Vrgorca (di moja porodica žive)
Weekly-Foundation229@reddit
onda okkk
SufficientAccount211@reddit
Croatia is diverse.
Diermeech@reddit
Relax your tits and go sit back in your cuck chair
True-Blacksmith4235@reddit
What is a “Serb mentality”?
ApplicationBig1676@reddit
'we are the best' and 'we are descendants of old empire' and stuff as 'pricaj srpsko da the razume cjeli svet'
True-Blacksmith4235@reddit
You surely made a lot of generalisations and assumptions in that extensive comment of yours.
ApplicationBig1676@reddit
Facts
SituationRoyal6535@reddit
Just say it out loud, don't be shy: Die Slowenen gehören zum mitteleuropäischen Kulturraum.
dwartbg9@reddit
Are you serious? Bulgaria is literally the ultimate Balkan country, even simply because of the fact that the literal BALKAN MOUNTAIN RANGE where the peninsula is named after, is located in the country.
ApplicationBig1676@reddit
True, tho romania is not.
Glittery_Marshmallow@reddit
Oh, so you want to get everyone mad :D
Bulgaria and Romania are Balkan, though.
we_wuzz_kangz@reddit
"Saar Saar"
waudmasterwaudi@reddit
It is a great Mikrokosmos of its own. This alone is enough. I would by myself say that Hungary is different - not only by language.
WayAdmirable150@reddit
Well, Bosnia was different.
blazomkd@reddit
Kosovo feels like USA country towns, didn't like it at all
nikola87kg@reddit
well, when i travelled to Istanbul 🇹🇷 was shocked with the traffic, both drivers and pedestrians are insane 🤯
dpenchev@reddit
I've actually find all the balkan countries I've visited shockingly similar. There is this perception that we're way worse than everyone else, but really O
Substratas@reddit (OP)
In Albania we don’t have that perception thankfully, but I see many other Balkaners who do.
Glittering-Put-6729@reddit
😥🇵🇹
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Antique_Birthday6380@reddit
Greece most similar Serbia and Bulgaria - least
If Slovenia counts then Slovenia is the least of all, but nearly all the balkan countries are different from Slovenia (except probably northern croats)
bostanite@reddit
And where are you from my unflaired friend?
Antique_Birthday6380@reddit
From an northern neighbor that you don’t like at all.
Peter_Triantafulou@reddit
That's all Balkan countries basically..
Unable-Stay-6478@reddit
He made me slightly mad so I had to check. He's from Albania.
Slovenia and Albania are obviously very similar.
Ujemegaz@reddit
He said that Slovenia is the least similar, and he is right probably.
Unable-Stay-6478@reddit
Correct, I need to check my dioptry
Antique_Birthday6380@reddit
Why did i make you mad?
Unable-Stay-6478@reddit
For not having a flair
SOHONEYSAME@reddit
"Greece most similar"
according to polls, Albanians disagree.
Glittery_Marshmallow@reddit
The irony here being that Kosovo was built in the same vein as the rest of the Serbia, same architectural planing and style.
And then there are people that say that Kosovo looks most like Albania and Serbia the least. LOL, all logic has left the premisses.
vivaervis@reddit
I can draw a chart too and put it in the internet as facts.
SOHONEYSAME@reddit
okay, bro. lol.
https://www.eliamep.gr/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Public-Opinion-Greece-and-Albania-Relation-ENG.pdf
vivaervis@reddit
So I read all the charts there and I got this feeling people from both countries relatively speaking don't have a hatred towards one another. It was a positive to neutral sentiment.
The chart you put in the first comment was nowhere to be found in the link though .
SOHONEYSAME@reddit
okay, bro.
vivaervis@reddit
I just want to know who did this survey Sis. Is that so much to ask for?
SOHONEYSAME@reddit
yes.
vivaervis@reddit
Ok, sis, lol.
Antique_Birthday6380@reddit
How many times are you going to post this, for God’s sake?
Substratas@reddit (OP)
You don’t need to lose your shit, sis. Pull yourself together.
IdealJaded9298@reddit
Probably a right poll, no neighbouring state likes you
Targoniann@reddit
Wait till you realise people are not a hive mind and they have different opinions and experiences
7amdrei7@reddit
Driving in Albania is wild. Staying in your lane is not nearly enough to avoid a head-on collision.
s3rjiu@reddit
Drove from Sarande to Gjirokaster, had one or two of those. Have more of those in Romania tbh
Ujemegaz@reddit
I was there first
Particular-Highway89@reddit
As a Croatian, Slovenia, Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro seemed similar while Albania and Turkey seemed different. Turkey only because of the way some women dress
amazingamy19@reddit
I feel like North Macedonia is the country people always forget about, as the sixth one, in the Ex YU.
Particular-Highway89@reddit
I haven’t been to Macedonia thats why I didn’t include it
afewnameslater@reddit
Cause it’s fake country. Might as well call themselves western Bulgaria.
No-Championship-4632@reddit
Probably Turkey.
Expensive-Ad20@reddit
Romania- the hospitality is incredible compared to the USA
botle@reddit
I was very surprised how different Bulgaria was from the ex-Yu countries.
Unable-Stay-6478@reddit
Bulgaria and Serbia are pretty similar.
botle@reddit
In architecture yes, but in "vibes" I found people to be very different. I was a tourist in both though, so I had a limited information
FadeIntoYou2222@reddit
na sta lici ova propala jugoslavija ovo je BEDA
Mobile_Bat_376@reddit
La Croazia! Forse il meno balcanico di tutti, ma un paese favoloso! Bellissimo pieno di città d'arte, mare, isole e natura meravigliosa
Goblinz787@reddit
Portugal, but maybe I'm wrong..
Fast_potato_indeed@reddit
Been looking for this, sneak Portugal to Balkans folks. 😂
Well, from the same token, for me it’s Falkland Islands.
First it’s an island country and it’s shockingly in Southern Hemisphere…
Stverghame@reddit
Out of those I've visited, most were fairly similar. Most distant was Turkey, but I visited the parts that are more Europe-ish, so they were still fairly similar.
I have no idea about Slovenia, Croatia and Albania, as those are the only 3 I haven't visited.
X1phoner@reddit
Montenegro and Serbia were a surprise.. Especially the roads were terrible, even in and around tourist hotspots like Budva, and Belgrade seems so dirty and polluted. But north Serbia was awesome! Vojvodina is like a whole different universe compared to Belgrade, really enjoyed Novi Sad and Sremski Karlovci.
Unable-Stay-6478@reddit
Vojvodina, Belgrade and the rest of Serbia are 3 different worlds
TraditionalRace3110@reddit
As a Turkish person myself, I find Turkey shockingly different foe every 300km I travel.
Few_Construction9043@reddit
I have read on r/serbia that some people became sick after having been on Montenegrin beaches, one even wrote that a kid from Bosnia warned him of shit in the water.
Almost everyone preferred Greece, not to mention that since the early or mid 2000s Montenegrins can be divided into Serb and pro Serbian and rather cringe inducing Serbophobes.
_-Event-Horizon-_@reddit
No. These are my impressions from traveling across the Balkans:
Glittery_Marshmallow@reddit
The best answer.
Stock_Emergency_1507@reddit
Portugal :)
(Just to be clear, there's a common joke Portugal is Balkan despite being on the other side of Europe lol)
d2mensions@reddit
im Albanian from North Macedonia and Albania has a different vibe than Macedonia. The cities, the road signs, the buildings look different. Theres a visible Italian influence, i noticed supermarkets there have way more Italian products.
Kosovo feels more similar.
Never been to other Balkan countries, but have drove through Serbia, and Southern Serbia looks just like Macedonia, theres even mosques there. But noth Serbia looks like a different country, its so flat and the architecture is different.
AusCro@reddit
Dalmatia in Croatia and Montenegro also get a bit more from the Italians
SufficientAccount211@reddit
No. I already knew which were going to be closer, which were going to be further. But I think Bulgaria and Greece are the least similar to us.
HYBRIDLqTHEORY@reddit
Austria
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Slovenia?
fireswalkwithme@reddit
For me is Greece, they are very very chill people!
PasicT@reddit
Shockingly different no but there are some notable and expected differences like between Slovenia and the rest of the region.
amazingamy19@reddit
Bosnia kinda
Substratas@reddit (OP)
How so?
amazingamy19@reddit
I knew it is a Muslim country, obviously, but for some reason i thought they were less religious.
lovinGamin@reddit
Türkiye is so different in itself, it even suprise me sometimes
SpartanKing76@reddit
There’s no other real answer. Turkey borders Iran and Iraq, places like Batman couldn’t be more different than countries located in central/eastern and SE Europe.
The fact is that even places like Greece are only half Balkan. Sure across Northern Greece there are Balkan similarities but Crete and Mykonos may as well be in a different galaxy from Ljubljana.
Hefty_Jaguar4305@reddit
you right. If i compare Edirne with Adana nothing simlar.
Tank_Nerd141@reddit
What's that other flag on the North of Cyprus? It doesn't exist, I suggest fixing the map
NonickGG@reddit
Portugal looks a bit different
PreWiBa@reddit
As someone of Bosnian descent, i see similarities in all ex-Yu countries. Even Slovenian villages are, for what it's worth, like North Bosnian ones if they were much more well taken care of and in a better economic situation.
I'd argue Albania and Greece are different, but i haven't been there yet.