r/Balkans

(Stauros Larios)

-What does the name "Arvanites" mean?

-I dont know, to tell you the truth.

-Are Arvanites something different from Greeks?

-No they considered themselves Greeks, but they spoke Arvanitica and did not know where they came from. And they didnt know why they spoke it, if you asked the elderly "do we know why we speak Arvanitica" they didn't know.

-Is there an ethnic division (from Greeks)?

-No, no, "Greeks" they said they were.

-Does something distinguish them from the natives? A difference in mindset or way of life?

-They are different, because they are tougher/colder, certainly less educated, and they were employed in ships later by the natives.

(Alexandros Stauras)

-Are Arvanites different from the rest of the inhabitants of the island?

-No, we are all from the same cut of cloath.

-Are they different in any way?

-No, how would they be different?

-Are you an Arvanites?

-Arvanites let's say: Bastardarvanites, with the Albanians we can't communicate, only a bit can we say a few things.

-What does the word "Arvanites" mean now?

-There are no pure Arvanites here.

-When were your parents born?

-I dont know.

-Are you from Andros?

-My mother is from Amolochos and my father from here. The amolochites are not really arvanites. They are unique even now.

(Tsourmpis Takis)

-What does the name "Arvanites" mean?

-Arvanites are the only tribe noone likes. We dont like them. I speak (Arvanitica) too, and understand them.

-What do you mean? Those who spoke Rhomaica made fun of those who spoke Arvanitica?

-In the country (the south part of Andros) noone knew (Arvanitica), not at all. They cursed them. And the Arvanites called them "big dicks", and did not like us. They didn't care about Arvanites because they had a negative view of them.

-Despite not speaking Rhomaica they felt Greek?

-Of course, they are Greek. In the (revolutionary) war they feared arvanites because they were savage.

(Elena Mamais-Makrina)

-What a characteristic of Arvanites?

-They are hard workers, but the women lived beastly. The husband would ride the donkey carrying flour and fruit and the wife would be walking. If they had a baby the woman would carry it too to work. There were no roads back then. When roads finally came to Gaurio, only men came. The women never came, the men would shop and then drink.

-Whats the difference between the North (Arvanitic) and the South (Rhomaic) side? Where there issues or differences?

-The Andriotes(Southerne) would be working on ships, an entirely different world. Here these were the poorer places, the wilder places as they said.

-Did they curse at eachother?

-If they (Arvanites) went south they wouldn't even give them a chair to sit, they considered them degraded. But after the (German) occupation came there was hunger, they all left (the south) and came here where they would find food and settler and would make friends with the Arvanites.

(Demas Mamais)

-When you went South, did you say you were Arvanites?

-Sometimes they would tell me to make fun of me, not much. With that word (Arvanites) they would be degrading us. It meant "the poor people" the second grade houses.

-Was it an issue of being "less Greek" than the Southerners?

-No that wasn't it.

-So you Arvanites feel like Greeks and not foreigners.

-No they never called us foreigners.

-When you were in Athens, were did you say you were from?

-We didn't say we were Arvanites, we said we were from Andros. Arvanites are a tougher, colder and crueler people. As warriors say, a strong people.

Source: https://dspace.uowm.gr/xmlui/handle/123456789/1672

Zeriki (Ζερίκια/Ελικώνας): From Slavic "Ezernik" meaning puddle, similar to Bulgarian "Ezerec".

Lygourio(commonly thought to be a misspelling) or Ligourio or Legourio (Λυγουριό): From Arvanitic "Liekura" meaning animal skin. Cognate with Albanian "Lëkurë". Alternative from Greek "Eleourgio -> Leourgio -> Legourio".

Steiri (Στείρι): Possibly pre-greek etymology or from ancient Greek "Stereos" meaning "steady".

Marathon (Μαραθώνας): Either from the mythological Greek hero "Marathos" or the plant "marathos" (fennel). Might be pre-greek as well.

Belgradi (Μπελγκράδι): Serbian loanword "Belgrade" meaning "white fortress".

Kalyvia (Καλύβια): From Greek "Kalyvia" meaning "huts".

Martini (Μαρτίνι): Named after its founder, a catholic named Martinis Vitaliotis.

Sulima (Σουλιμοχώρια) : Named after its founder, an Ottoman bey called "Suleyman".(An explanation from Arvanitic "Souli" (pointy peak) is unlikely)

Kukuras (Κούκουρα/Αγία Άννα): From a medieval Greek word for the crossbow "koukoura".

Buzi (Μπούζι): Either from Arvanitic "buzi" meaning "nozzle" or from Turkish "buz" meaning "cold".

Dombraina(Δομβραίνα): From Slavic "Dobr" meaning "good" and "-ena" being a common word ending in Greek and Slavic.

Hi all,

I've wanted to visit the Balkans for a long time, and this year I've finally carved out several months to do it!

I recognize this itinerary will look ridiculous to some people (either due to its length, rapidity or omissions), but my goal here beyond having an epic trip is general reconnaissance to determine whether there's a country/city/culture I want to revisit for a longer time and deeper exploration in the future.

Here's the itinerary:

Thessaloniki	3 Days
Skopje (North Macedonia)	3 Days
Ohrid (North Macedonia)	4 Days
Pristina (Kosovo)	3 Days
Prizren (Kosovo)	4 Days
Shkoder (Albania)	4 Days
Theth/Valbona Loop (Albania Alps)	3 Days (or more as needed)
Kotor (Montenegro)	3 Days
Herceg Novi (Montenegro)	4 Days
Durmitor National Park (Montenegro)	3 Days
Trebinje (Bosnia)	3 Days
Mostar (Bosnia)	3 Days
Sarajevo (Bosnia)	7 Days
Belgrade (Serbia)	7 Days
Timisoara (Romania)	4 Days
Sibiu (Romania)	5 Days
Brasov (Romania)	4 Days
Bucharest (Romania)	4 Days
Sofia (Bulgaria)	4 Days
Plovdiv (Bulgaria)	4 Days

Some context:

• I am technically starting in Athens after a seven-week trip to Greece.
• This trip will occur over the summer (June-August with the possibility of extension into the fall depending on how it goes).
• Originally, I wanted to transit from Thessaloniki to Ohrid, but after some deep diving into the details (train to Florina, taxi across the border, bus to Ohrid), I think I'd rather take the less efficient but simpler route through Skopje and then back again after Ohrid.
• I'll probably head to Istanbul for a flight to Asia at the end.
• The durations for each city are rough estimates. I'm open to spending longer (even up to a month) in some locations if I feel a connection or need to recharge more fully.
• Right now I've pre-booked everything 100% refundable up until check-in all the way to Theth/Valbona. I can envision some messiness in the planning there (weather, extra hiking days, etc.), so I'll probably build in buffer before booking the next series of destinations.
• I know I'm missing fabulous locations in each country that are so worthy of being visited, but I'm trying to balance breadth vs. depth of exploration.
• I've identified activities for each location (either within the city or within day-trip range), but would be super happy to have any strong recommendations from locals.
• I've purposely added a few extra days in Timisoara, Sibiu and Brasov - I know these are smaller cities, but I suspect I'll find them charming.
• Albania and Croatia will almost certainly get more exploration in a future trip! I want to focus a bit more on Kosovo and Bosnia on this trip.

Major thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts! 🙏