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NC500 – far North Scotland
The NC500, or The North Coast 500, is one of Scotland’s most famous road trips – around 830 kilometres through the northern Highlands, following the coastline and winding through mountains, small villages, beaches, cliffs and places where it’s sometimes hard to believe you’re still in the UK. The more miles I covered along this road, the more I felt as though Scotland was slowly disconnecting from the rest of the world. The landscape became increasingly rugged, wild and empty. Larger towns disappeared, the roads grew narrower, and instead of more buildings, there were cliffs, heather-covered moorland, mountains and sea. And that was when the part of the route I had…
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Trieste and the Giant Cave: a Mountain of Steps, a Sea of Experiences
Grotta Gigante is one of those places that sticks in the memory. Initially, I hadn’t planned to visit it, but I stumbled across it on a map and… well, who could resist a cave proudly calling itself “the largest tourist cave in the world”? There was just one problem: officially, I wasn’t supposed to leave Slovenia. When I rented the car, I declared I wouldn’t cross the border, but plans are made to be changed. Foolish and risky as it was, I decided to follow my heart—and take full responsibility if anything went wrong with the car. The result? Every step down into this cave was completely worth it. Grotta…
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Lebanon – off the beaten path
Lebanon is a country that not only delights with its history and culture, but also with its rich nature. Picturesquely located religious buildings, spectacular waterfalls, huge caves, and the ruins of ancient metropolises are just a small sample of what you can discover while traveling around this amazing country. So far, I’ve written about Lebanon from a geopolitical perspective, I’ve tried to show the realities of life and the problems it encounters. Leaving aside the uncertain political situation, Lebanon is one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever seen. Less than 30 kilometers from Beirut, in the town of Harissa, there’s one of the most important Christian sanctuaries in Lebanon…
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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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St. Beatus caves – a short visit to elves’ wonderland
St. Beatus caves which are located close to the town Interlaken, at the picturesque Thun lake, is an exceptional place. Here one can move to the magic world of the Rivendell – the elves’ residence, created by J.R.R. Tolkien. The similarity isn’t coincidental because this place was the inspiration for the author of the Lord of the Rings, who visited it during his voyage through Switzerland in 1911. What’s more, the visualization of The Last Homely House, presented in Peter’s Jackson movie was made by John Howe – Canadian book illustrator, who lives in Switzerland. The name of the caves is connected with St. Beatus – English missionary…
