The Great Balkan Ride offers the chance to see some of Europe's most underrated countries. The Balkans are almost* certainly Europe's most underrated region. This tightly packed peninsula of small nations has it all: you can explore untouched nature, relax (or party!) on luscious beaches, discover the area's complex history, or be welcomed by the locals' culture of extremely generous hospitality. Joining the Great Balkan Ride is the perfect way to explore: with everything so close together, it really pays to take the scenic route. We know all the most astonishing mountain roads, testing the limits of what your car can handle, and what your eyes will believe! Here's our brief guide to the sights you'll see on the way: (*The "almost" depends on whether you think the Caucasus are in Europe!) Bosnia The Great Balkan Ride sets off from Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia. Only two decades ago this city was crushed by the longest siege in the history of modern warfare, and the country as a whole suffered terribly through brutal conflicts with its closest neighbours. There are various tragic sights which should be on any tourist's itinerary, including Gallery 11/07/95, a photo exhibit remembering the terrible events at Srebrenica. And from further back in history you can see the Latin Bridge, beside which Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot in 1914, sparking the First World War. Though dark memories linger, there is much more to Bosnia than its troubled past. Sarajevo's historic Ottoman quarter, home to a vibrant outdoor bazaar, is a reminder of many centuries of peaceful multiculturalism. The city was host to the 1984 Winter Olympics, and you can walk along the now-abandoned bobsleigh track. The Bosnian countryside is also worth celebrating: the rally passes the supposed pyramids of Visoko. You'll have to decide whether they are
The Great Balkan Ride offers the chance to see some of Europe’s most underrated countries. The Balkans are almost* certainly Europe’s most underrated region. This tightly packed peninsula of small nations has it all: you can explore untouched nature, relax (or party!) on luscious beaches, discover the area’s complex history, or be welcomed by
This year's Baltic Run winners answer our questions. The Baltic Run is over for another year, so we took the chance to interview this year's champions: Team Oachkatzl. They excelled at the various challenges set throughout the Baltic Run, and for their victory were presented with a remote-controlled car. We caught up with Christina and Christian a few days after the rally. Hello! How are you? Christina: Christian and I arrived safely in our snow-covered home in Austria and now I want to thank you again for those unforgettable, adventurous days we spent with you on the Baltic Run. It was GREAT ! Why did you decide to do the Rally? Christina: We are still in contact with participants of previous rallies, and we knew that Annie and Simon, as well as Dirk, wanted to participate, so we thought signing up for the "Baltic Run" would be a nice occasion to meet them again. Christian: And we visited the Baltics including Kaliningrad in the summer 2015 and we wondered what it might look like in winter and it definitely was worth a second visit! Were the Baltics what you expected? Christina: We knew the beautiful Baltic States already from a holiday in May and June, so we were afraid of the dark, long winter-nights and thought we would miss the blooming meadows and the sun. Instead we were surprised how wonderful it was in winter: we enjoyed the Christmas decoration in the lovely towns, the snow-covered backroads and all the interesting sights we got to visit. What was your craziest experience? Christina: The stay in the Hotel "Fontaine Royal" in Liepaja [where the owner was a very eccentric, but generous, host]. Christian: We even spend Saturday night 3 more hours in the Fontaine-Lobby waiting for our ferry. Regrettably, Louis didn't show up. Kaspar was disappointed and
This year’s Baltic Run winners answer our questions. The Baltic Run is over for another year, so we took the chance to interview this year’s champions: Team Oachkatzl. They excelled at the various challenges set throughout the Baltic Run, and for their victory were presented with a remote-controlled car. We caught up with Christina and Christian a few days after
