Europe
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One day in Gozo
I start my tour around Gozo at the Ta’ Ċenċ cliffs, located on the southeastern coast of the island. This is one of the must-see places in Malta. From a height of over 130 meters, you can admire an amazing panorama of the Mediterranean Sea. A little further, you can admire an equally spectacular landscape at the so-called Sunset Cliff. To get to know the island not only from the perspective of the cliffs, it is worth visiting the capital of Gozo – Victoria, also known as Rabat. Victoria boasts interesting monuments and architecture. The main tourist attraction is the Il-Kastell citadel. Walking along the defensive walls, you can admire…
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Belfast and (London)Derry – in short, The Troubles…
Belfast had been on my travel bucket list for a looooong time. My initial plans to visit the capital of Northern Ireland were thwarted by COVID, but as I’m stubborn as hell I finally made it there this year. So, why has Belfast intrigued me for so long? There are two reasons: one is quite significant, and the other is rather quirky. Let’s start with the significant one. The main reason for my visit was to witness the city’s transformation after nearly 30 years of bloody conflict. I wanted to see firsthand how Belfast had healed and evolved since the Troubles. Has peace truly taken root, and what does the…
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Northern Ireland – abandoned places
From the 19th century to the early 20th century, Northern Ireland was the center of the textile industry. A reminder of these times are numerous factories that have been preserved in relatively good condition to this day. What’s more interesting, although access to these places is easy, they aren’t demolished. The only factors shaping their unique appearance are the passage of time and nature, which takes control of these places from year to year. The first industrial complex I visited was built in the 1820s. In its heyday, the main product produced in this factory was linen. This facility makes an amazing impression due to its interesting industrial architecture. Tall…
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Locomotive depot – Girl off the trail
The locomotive depot was built in the 19th century during Prussian occupation. Its design was innovative on a European scale at that time and was used to build similar facilities in Berlin and Magdeburg. The locomotive shed was used for the maintenance of steam locomotives. Renovation works were carried out there. In the central part you can see a turntable that allowed locomotives to be moved to the repair hall. There are inspection channels on the sides. The specific atmosphere is created by the characteristic dome, with a vent for removing steam and smoke in the middle. Only minor repairs were carried out in the locomotive shed, using parts supplied…
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One day in Stockholm
I spent one day in Stockholm and it was certainly not enough to see everything that the capital of Sweden has to offer. Actually, the reason I was there was my birthday, which I simply wanted to spend traditionally, traveling ? I didn’t care about a long trip and I was considering a budget option. Stockholm doesn’t seem to be cheap destination, but for me it turned out to be the cheapest option. However, the cheapest does not mean the most convenient. To save on expensive accommodation, I went to Gdańsk. There, after a short evening walk around the Old Town, I went to the airport for the night. Next…
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Albania – bunkers, Girl off the trail
Albania is a country of bunkers, there are over 750,000 of them. They were built during the dictatorship of Enver Hoxha to defend the country in the event of an invasion. However, this invasion never occurred… After World War II, Albania was neither incorporated into Yugoslavia nor the Soviet Union. However, it doesn’t mean that it remained a democratic country. In 1946, the People’s Republic of Albania was established here. What’s more interesting, in 1961, Hoxha completely broke off contact with the USSR, and Albania left the Warsaw Pact. Over time, after Mao Zedong’s death, he also put an end to cooperation with the People’s Republic of China. After breaking…
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Albania – north direction
Albania has recently become a popular destination. There’re many reasons: beautiful beaches, interesting monuments, good food and even better prices. During my 10-day stay, I managed to visit a large part of this country. I must admit that Albania has enormous potential, which the country seems to have not fully exploited. There is no investment in tourist infrastructure and no waste management. Rubbish seems to be an inherent element of the Albanian landscape. However, the main problem for me was the dramatic condition of the roads, which significantly limited the number of places I could see in such a short time. Despite everything, I believe that Albania is a country…
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Cyprus – the most interesting attractions on the island
I didn’t plan to travel to Cyprus last year. I did it on the spur of the moment. I saw cheap tickets for the beginning of November, when I have my birthday, and I thought to myself: why not leaving everything behind and celebrate it there? I had just 5 days to see the island so the best solution was to rent a car. It wasn’t the economical way because I didn’t have anybody to share the costs with, however, I rationalized this expense as a birthday gift. The second obvious solution to visit the whole island in such a short time was getting up at unsocial hours, this was…
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Moldova, a walk around Chisinau
A walk around Chisinau leaves no illusions. Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe and can be seen at first glance. Destroyed buildings and broken sidewalks can be seen when you deviate from the main street. Representative streets, on the other hand, reminds the former glory days. Built with a typical Soviet grandeur, now they look quite grotesque and ask for at least some facelift. However, such a charm of Chisinau, I personally liked this city very much. Some buildings are slowly being brought back to life, such as the State Circus. Shortly after opening in 1981, it was the largest facility of this type in Moldova, equipped…