Substratas

• Full video of Ivanka Trump explaining how she’s going to use Albania’s largest island to experiment on, because she’s trying to go back to her ”real estate roots”. She’s calling this project a reflection & manifestation of ”how she wants to live”. Would your government even allow this to happen?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 276 comments

• SERIOUS TALK: Why are some Balkaners so obsessed with claiming that they’re Mediterraneans & not Balkaners? It sounds as absurd as a Swede claiming that they’re Scandinavian but not Nordic. One can be both at the same time…

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 380 comments

• CNN interviewing Edi Rama on Kushner’s new ”luxury project” in Albania’s protected areas - with a scene of Ivanka Trump also explaining how she ”discovered” the area before they decided to ”invest” in destroying it. Edi Rama’s flattery to the host didn’t work so he resorted to aggression. Thoughts?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 130 comments

• Another drone exploded in Romania today. As I said in my other post a few days ago, they are testing the waters to see if Romania reacts. Now they're starting to feel comfortable doing this. Do you think Romania should react once and for all? I find this completely unacceptable.

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 126 comments

• Another drone exploded in Romania today. As I said in my other post a few days ago, they are testing to waters to see if Romania reacts. Now they’re starting to feel comfortable doing this. Do you think Romania should react once and for all? I find this completely unacceptable.

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 0 comments

• More context on Albania’s current protests. Last night they found this year’s first turtle nest, right in the fenced area that is currently being plowed by bulldozeers - an area that is supposed to be protected. They’re destroying these protected areas in the name of ”luxury tourism”.

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 73 comments

• Why do so many Balkan people who move abroad only hang out with people from their countries / other Balkaners?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 212 comments

• Turkish flotilla activists have finally arrived back home after being tortured & humiliated by the Israeli authorities together with the Israeli minister Ben Gvir. Were there Gaza activists from your country who also faced the same treatment in Israel?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 887 comments

• Do you often get confused for a different ethnicity when you’re abroad? If yes, which ones do you mostly get mistaken for?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 270 comments

• Comedian Christos Petropopoudopoulos spitting facts. Does every Balkaner relate to this?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 35 comments

• Is it common in your country for your parents to live with you & your partner (and your children)?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 44 comments

• Which pop music icon out of these three was considered the biggest in your country: Britney Spears, Michael Jackson or Madonna?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 86 comments

• Greek news portal misleading the readers to believe ”Greeks are at the centre of dispute” against the Albanian Government about the protests happening in Albania right now against Trump & Kushner luxury resorts - when the vast majority of the protesters are Albanian. Is this a widespread narrative?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 78 comments

• Which Balkan nation is the most likely to think like this?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 527 comments

• Romania devoured on Eurovision tonight 💯 Are you watching? Who are you voting for?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 196 comments

• Russian drone hits residential building in Romania, two people injured. Do you think Russia is testing the waters within the NATO territory to see how far it can go? I find this completely unacceptable, even if it was an accident.

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 357 comments

• Edi Rama’s tweet at Greece’s ex prime minister, Aléxis Tsípras, about the current issue in Albania. Thoughts?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 25 comments

• Personal Remittances in the Balkans (% of GDP). Personal remittances are international money transfers sent from one individual to another, typically by migrant workers supporting family members back home. Which country surprised you the most?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 50 comments

• Why is the suicide rate so much higher in the Northern Balkans compared to the south?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 181 comments

• What are your thoughts on Lupita Nyong’o playing Hellen of Troy & Elliot Page playing Achilles in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming movie ”The Odyssey”?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 1987 comments

• How come Neum became part of Bosnia when ~98% of the locals are Croatians? What’s the history behind it?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 95 comments

• Which "brother" nations are generally more different from one-another: Albania & Kosovo or Greece & Cyprus? How so? Outsiders who have been to all 4 countries might have a better view on this, but everyone's opinion is welcome.

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 71 comments

• Has the rate of women wearing islamic headscarves increased in your country / city lately? In Albania, they were virtually nonexistent back in the 2000s up until early 2010s, but every time I visit Tirana now, I see a couple of them randomly around the city.

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 1134 comments

• How well-known is the Serbian anti-fascist heroine Lepa Radic in your country? Does your country have such heroines known for their bravery & loyalty during WW2?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 224 comments

• How come Bulgaria was the only South Slavic country that didn’t join Yugoslavia? Did Bulgaria ever come close to joining it?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 441 comments

• Can you guess which Balkan country is this?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 4 comments

• Why has this anti-Balkan sentiment grown so much lately, to the point that so many users in this sub are in a constant competition about who is ”less Balkan”? Not a single day goes by without seeing comments like these - something that was very unusual before. What caused this rapid shift?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 296 comments

• Generally speaking, which Balkan people do you think have the most attractive faces? Why?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 203 comments

• What's a completely normal foreign name that means something hilarious or inappropriate in your country? For Albanians it's Kari, a name not so uncommon in the Nordics.

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 40 comments

• What makes Balkan countries so nationalistic compared to the rest of Europe?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 201 comments

• How come there's so few people in Kosovo & so many people in Greece who never used internet?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 47 comments

• BALKANERS ONLY: Do you think ILGA’s LGBT maps are misleading when it comes to the average experience of LGBT people in each European country? Or do you find them accurate?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 72 comments

• To date, has any other gay singer from the Balkans been as iconic & famous as Azis?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 117 comments

• Is double cheek kiss greeting becoming a thing of the past in the Balkans? In Albania I feel like it’s slowly disappearing because I don’t see people doing it as much anymore.

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 90 comments

• How come rural grannies in other Balkan countries don’t dress head-to-toe black like the ones in Albania (especially in South)? I’ve noticed the traditional rural granny attire in other Balkan countries is much more colorful and I can’t help but wonder why…

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 129 comments

• SERIOUS TALK: Which capital city in the Balkans do you think is the ugliest? Why?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 666 comments

• What's a completely normal foreign name that means something hilarious or inappropriate in your country? For Albanians it’s Kari, a name that is not so unusual in the Nordics.

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 0 comments

• Points given to Israel from the public on Eurovision 2026. I was very surprised by the Albanian public giving 10 points to Israel. Did your country’s voting pattern surprise you?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 219 comments

• Why was the literacy rate so low in the Balkans, back in 1900?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 182 comments

• Do you think the bigger difference in Balkan cultures is between urban & rural areas, rather than between countries? Meaning that someone from Belgrade, for example, has more in common with someone from Sofia, Bulgaria, than with someone from a Serbian village.

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 25 comments

• It’s now officially confirmed by the director Christopher Nolan that Lupita Nyong’o is playing Helen of Troy & Helen’s sister - two roles! Do you think we should wait & see how well the movie is executed before forming an opinion based solely on the casting?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 53 comments

• How come the olive pollen load has decreased significantly in Albania, Croatia & even Cyprus, but increased in Greece & Turkey?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 14 comments

• Are there any historically accurate documentaries about the discrimination, massaccres & genocides commited against Serbian people, that you would highly recommend? I’m looking only for neutral & unbiased documentaries, preferably in English or at least with English subtitles.

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 77 comments

• Congratulations Bulgaria for winning Eurovision 2026!!! Who did y’all vote for?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 89 comments

• Are there any nouns in your language that make zero sense when you translate the literal meaning of them? For instance, in Albania we call bats ”lakuriq nate”, which literally means ”the naked of the night”.

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 37 comments

• Is Romania considered Balkans or Central Europe? I just googled ”Balkan map” and google doesn’t seem to include Romania in the map anymore…

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 507 comments

• What are some of the most common stereotypes in your country about other Balkan people?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 128 comments

• Is Small Island Syndrome a common trait in Balkan countries with lots of islands? People with this syndrome are often very proud, nationalistic & narrow-minded because of the inferiority complex they develop from living in a more underdeveloped & relatively isolated place compared to mainland.

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 27 comments

• Why are the gasoline prices so high in the Balkans?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 211 comments

• Are you gonna watch Eurovision this year? Which songs are your favorites?

  Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 114 comments