Travel series production of 2023.
'Balkan Express' is a series that marks its second decade on the ERT television program. It's a continuous journey through the Balkans, aiming to reconnect the Greek audience with a region of our geography that holds significant importance for our history, culture, economy, and future. The Balkans stand as the Bible of European civilization, a workshop shaping history, a geostrategic crossroads, and a space fostering Greek outwardness.

'Balkan Express' forges a bond with a neighborhood where we are called to coexist within a European framework and collectively manage vital issues. It's an enthralling experience in an unexplored part of Europe, rich in unique natural diversity, gastronomy, music, folk culture, modern life, and innovative spirit, offering much to the present day.

In this episode, we continue our journey to the Beles tri-nation, between Greece, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia. We start from Rupite hot thermal springs (76°C) and from Baba Vanga “oracle”, where the church of Agia Paraskevi and its tomb are located. We continue to the archaeological site of Heraclea Sintica and the neighboring town Petrich, where we visit its Museum, full of findings from recent excavations. Our next stop is Sandanski, the city of Spartacus, a commercial and business hub of the Bulgarian south, favored by its rich history, hot springs, and an emerging tourist destination. We make a stop at the Samuel's Fortress and the battlefield of Battle of Kleidion in Belasica (1014), where one of the most tragic events of the Middle Ages took place, the blinding of 15,000 Bulgarian prisoners by the Byzantine troops of Basil II the Bulgar Slayer. Then we cross the border with North Macedonia and enjoy the riparian "riviera" of our neighboring country, the tourist resorts of Star and Nov Dojran. We talk to fishermen, learn the history of the legendary "Fuk Tak" tavern, and talk to Mayor Ango Angoff, about the advantages of cross-border cooperation. Our journey ends on the Greek side of Doirani Lake and the homonymous village, where we present the war monuments and cemeteries of the First World War, as well as the ancient riparian forests, which constitute an important and protected wetland. Finally, we meet a visionary, Savvas Tassidis, who struggles to give life to his homeland by creating with his own hands an ecotourism park in the area of Mouries Forest or Hilia Dentra which translates to “Thousand Trees” .