Asia
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Gyumri – Vardzia – Khertvisi – Brojomi – Caucasus tour
Last stop in Armenia, during our Caucasus tour – Gyumri City. It’s the second largest city in Armenia, right after the capital of Yerevan. Although it’s the second largest, it has only 120 thousand inhabitants. This city used to be full of life and the cultural capital of the region. However, on December 7, 1988, it was hit by the largest earthquake in the history of Armenia, which almost razed it to the ground. Thousands of people lost their lives then, not to mention those who lost the roof over their heads. The cause of such huge loss was the poor quality of the buildings. Gyumri’s fate was sealed due…
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Moscow – Gallery of the Fallen Sculptures
It was about 5 years ago or more when for the first time in my life I saw Lenin’s monument somewhere on the streets of Hanoi. That hit the spot! I’ve always been interested in history and such monuments are the symbol of an ideology that has long changed the fate of the world. However, I have to admit that after visiting Belarus and Moscow this year, Lenin has ceased to impress me. In Moscow you can meet him mainly at metro stations. There’re numerous mosaics or paintings. What’s interesting, Lenin is presented there as a proud chief looking straight, or what is incomprehensible to me, to the right. In…
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Phong Nha-Ke Bang – amazing, underground Vietnamese world
Phong Nha-Ke Bang is one of the most amazing places in Vietnam. Located about 500 km south of Hanoi, right next to the Laos border and the former Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone. It’s a huge complex which consists of around 300 caves. It’s estimated that underground corridors are 126 km long and a large part of them has not yet been discovered. Park was opened for visitors in 2010 and since then it has expanded its offer. I visited this place in 2014 when Phong Nha-Ke Bang was not as popular as it’s today. Can you imagine a cave that would house a 40-floor skyscraper inside? You don’t actually have to…
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Russian cuisine – what and where to eat in Moscow?
Russian cuisine consists of many different dishes. A large number of nationalities in the area of both the former Soviet Union and the current Russia have contributed to the culinary tradition of this country. Russian cuisine is influenced by European, Siberian, Caucasian or Asian traditions. Therefore, in the traditional set of recipes we can find simple potato pancakes or Uzbek pilav. Appetizers Appetizers are mainly composed of cold cuts, herrings, salads, caviar and pickled vegetables. Russians are well-known for pickling everything. I suspect that it’s no longer a surprise that they “pickle” even their former dissidents. But can you imagine, for example, a pickled tomato? That’s the idea! Soups Soups…
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Mea Shearim – far away from reality, Girl off the trail!
So far I’ve visited a few less tourist places, like self-proclaimed countries: Nagorno-Karabakh or the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. However, if anyone ever asked me about a place where I felt uncomfortable and insecure, just one comes to my mind – Mea Shearim. Mea Shearim is one of the districts in Jerusalem, literally a stronghold of ultra-orthodox Jews. It was founded at the end of the 19th century and time has stopped here ever since. It was Friday morning, Mea Shearim was our last point in Jerusalem. We had to hurry to visit it before Shabbat that starts in the afternoon. We didn’t want it to be our last point to…
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Moscow, museums – places worth visiting
Moscow has been on my mind since visiting St. Petersburg which was about 5 years ago. Like most tourists, I wanted to set my foot on the Red Square. For many, such an expedition is comparable to setting foot on the moon. Personally, I didn’t make a giant leap for mankind, but I realised the main purpose of my trip. I reconsidered my stereotypes about Russians. Russia, and above all Moscow are treated a little standoffishly by foreign tourists. It’s particularly visible in tourist places where apart from Russian, almost you cannot hear any other language. I only heard Polish once during all week, however sometimes it seemed that I…
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Tbilisi, Georgia – all in one!
Georgia’s strategic position on the border of two continents: Europe and Asia, between two cultures: Christianity and Islam has long been the cause of numerous wars. The Romans, the Arabs, the Persians, and also in the modern history Russians, all they tried to occupy Georgia permanently, but no one actually has managed to do so. The incredible determination of the Georgian nation, cultivating tradition, including the ancient Kartuli ena language, allowed the country to preserve national identity. The history of this country is shown in many aspects, starting with the stubborn character of the Georgians and ending with the various architecture. How is the capital of this country? It’s as…
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The capital of Russia, less serious side of Moscow
It would seem that visiting Moscow is constrained only to the Red Square, Cathedral of Vasily the Blesseed, Kremlin, Bolshoi Theatre and other must-see places. Travel guides skip the places showing the capital of Russia from a slightly different perspective than exclusive and full of splendor, in a style characteristic of the Russians. Meanwhile, there are many beautiful places in Moscow, some of which are located close to famous tourist attractions. One of them is the popular Arbat district. Most tourists visiting this place head straight to the main boardwalk – Arbat street, which is the oldest in Moscow. Unfortunately, looking for Moscow from the old years is in vain…
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Israel, Eilat – escape from winter, a perfect plan for the weekend! Part II
As I wrote in the previous post, tickets to Eilat are currently at very bargain prices. However, Israel is a rather expensive country, the cost of food and accommodation, are much higher than in Poland. So what can you visit here for free? Where to eat and how much does a weekend trip actually cost? The Red Canyon Who said that the most interesting attractions must be expensive? If you want to see something amazing and completely for free, be sure to go to the Red Canyon. It is about a 20-minute drive by car from Eilat (road no 12). The road leads right at the very border with Egypt,…
