The Spirit of the Balkan

Arrival at Split airport, reception of the group, drive to Medjugorje and check-in at hotel Herceg, dinner and overnight stay

This morning is reserved for a visit to Međugorje, a mountain village that became known for a series of apparitions of Mary that have taken place there since 1981. It has since become a place of pilgrimage. Since the apparitions began, more than 25 million pilgrims have visited Međugorje. With more than 1 million visitors per year, Međugorje is the largest Roman Catholic pilgrimage site in Southeastern Europe. During the afternoon we drive along the Adriatic coast, to the extreme southeast of Croatia. During the ride you can really enjoy many natural beauties and the fishing villages that lie like jewels on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Arrival in Dubrovnik late afternoon. The old town of Dubrovnik is the largest tourist magnet on the South Dalmatian coast. Due to its cultural-historical value, the old town has been placed on the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage. In Dubrovnik we visit the most important cultural-historical sights of the city with the four Catholic monastic orders (Franciscan, Benedictine, Augustinians and Jesuits). Our journey continues towards Montenegro. Arrival in Igalo and check-in at Palmon Bay hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

After a leisurely breakfast we take the time to visit Perast. Short boat trip to the island with its church Gospa od Skrpelja. Visit to the church, back to Perast and then drive to Kotor at the Bay of Kotor, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The old town with its narrow shady streets is surrounded on three sides by city walls of ten meters thick and fifteen to twenty meters high. On the fourth side rises the bare mountain wall of the Lovćenberg, against which the Sveti Ivan fortress is located at a height of 260 meters, which is connected to the city wall by a triple wall of almost four kilometers in length. In Kotor we receive extensive explanations about the most important cultural monuments, including the church of Saint Tryphon. After our break for lunch, we drive all the way to Albania. Arrival in the city of Shkoder and check-in at the Grand hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Today we make a long drive via Albania and Kosovo to North Macedonia. In Kosovo we take a short walk through the center of Pristina and then take free time for lunch. With enough time we also visit Merelveld and the monument of the Battle of the Merelveld (Battle of Kosovo Polje). On June 28, 1389, the Serbian army, supported by Hungarians, Bosniaks, Bulgarians and Albanians, led by Prince Lazar, suffered a defeat against the Ottoman Empire led by Sultan Murad I. The battle was fought at Kosovo Polje (literally 'Field of the black birds') in southern Serbia. After both monarchs were killed, Prince Baizid I led the Turks to victory. With this victory the Turkish Ottomans gained access to the Balkans and Central Europe. According to Serbian epic tradition, Murad did not die on the battlefield, but in his tent, where he was allegedly murdered with a stab by the Serbian nobleman Milos Obilic. The Turks are then said to have beheaded the Serbian Tsar Lazar on the corpse of their murdered sultan in revenge. At the end of the day, drive to Skopje, have dinner and overnight at the Holiday Inn hotel.

Morning breakfast tour of the capital of Norod-Macedonia. Interesting things in Skopje include the old train station hit in 1963 by the Skopje earthquake, which now serves as a museum, the monument in memory of Mother Theresa (born in Skopje), the old town with the bazaar and many mosques such as the church of Sv. Spas with the special iconostasis. We then drive to Ohrid. Check in at hotel Tino, where we will stay for two nights. Dinner and overnight stay at hotel Tino.

In the morning, together with our guide, we will make an organized city tour of the historical sights and natural beauties of Ohrid (the Jerusalem of the Balkans, city of 365 churches and monasteries). Then we drive to the Monastery of St. Naum. The monastery is best known for the activities of St. Naum and St. Kliment. The latter was a leading student of the spreaders of the (Slavic) enlightenment, Cyril and Methodius and creator of the Cyrillic script which is still used by various Orthodox countries, followed by a rowing boat trip along the

sources of the river Black Drim. The springs of Lake Ohrid are one of the rarest places where natural beauty and harmony perfectly intersect with human wishes and dreams. It is therefore one of Macedonia's most popular tourist attractions. Return by boat to Ohrid late in the day. Dinner and overnight stay at hotel Tino.

Organized visit to the town of Bitola, with a walk along the main historical sites. Bitola is the second largest city in the country and has historically been a political, cultural and economic center. In the Ottoman Empire, Bitola became the city of consulates and diplomacy between 1870 and 1930. The splendor of the consular buildings and the houses of wealthy merchants and the Macedonian guilds still dominate the townscape today. Your journey continues to Greece. Continue to Thessaloniki and check in at the hotel.