(This set of posts comprise an addendum for Time and Place 2015-16, accounting for previous travels and events.) 

In late summer/early fall, 2011, I set off to explore the very big ‘neighborhood’ of much of Eastern and Central Europe. Altogether I visited 13  countries (Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia Herzegovina, Serbia, Moldova, Ukraine, Greece and Turkey), finding the region more fascinating than I could ever have imagined, even from the many books perused prior to the trip. It was a journey of five or six weeks which I blogged about at the time…both during the days when I was glorying in the excitement and discovery of travel, and hours when I longed for my apartment, neighborhood, family, friends and job. I traveled almost exclusively by bus, train and long-distance taxi although I did finally succumb to flying into and out of Greece and Turkey. In previous posts I didn’t cover any of these historically rich and geographically beautiful cities and lands as they deserve but I neglected two of my favorites almost completely—Sofia, Bulgaria and Skopje, Macedonia. Here’s an album from my rainy entrance and sunny days in Sofia where I was smart enough to take an extensive city walking tour—but those few hundred photos cannot all be included here. Join the shorter tour…