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Odessa, Ukraine – “Long Live the Bribe” and an elegant makeshift
Odessa – a popular resort at the Black Sea. It’s considered one of the most beautiful cities in Ukraine. In my opinion, of all the places I have visited in Ukraine, it’s certainly the most elegant city. However, my heart has long belonged to Lviv (which I wrote about here). In general, my thoughts about Odessa turned out to be in line with reality. Odessa aspires to be an exclusive seaside resort but on the other hand, makeshift and kitsch can be seen at every step. However, I must admit that this mix makes this city so interesting ? The most recognizable building in Odessa is the Opera House. Apparently,…
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The Leaning Tower – Pisa in the shadow of the pandemic
The Leaning Tower in Pisa was a place I had wanted to see for a long time. Ultimately, in the summer of last year, I managed to make it happen. I had a bit of a mixed feelings about traveling to Italy during the COVID pandemic. I was especially afraid of typical tourist places, because Italy is a rather popular destination during the holiday season. Meanwhile, to my surprise, it turned out to be the safest trip I could have ever imagined. Pisa was practically depopulated, we easily parked the car near the Leaning Tower. In the most important place – Piazza dei Miracoli, where there are four, most popular…
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Skopje, North Macedonia – the fantasy of a crazy architect
Skopje was on my list for a long time, mainly because I wanted to see the capital of the former empire stretching on three continents, created by one of the greatest strategies of all time – Alexander III the Great. However, what I saw on the spot completely surprised me. Skopje actually looks very bizzare. The strict center of the city resembles the realisation of the boldest fantasy of a crazy architect. This is a combination of monumentalism and kitsch. Neoclassicism mixes here with a lot of unnecessary details and disco illumination, while adjacent districts are totally ruined. Clearly, North Macedonia has some kind of complex. However, no wonder, looking…
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Turin and its surroundings – in the footsteps of Umberto Eco
I visited Turin with my friends during a weekend trip to Italy. I hadn’t actually planned to visit this city earlier, but when it turned out it was on the way we decided to look there. At first glance, you can see that this is one of the biggest cities in Italy. Between 1861 and 1864 it was even the capital for a while. However, architecture, driving habits, and people’s behavior are far from typical Italian culture. In my opinion, Turin is a more elegant and peaceful city. Turin is mainly associated with the football club – Juventus, Shroud of Turin and Fiat. However, that’s not all, this city is…
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Lucca, Tuscany – forests on the roofs, Girl on a Trail
Among the picturesque hills and vineyards of Tuscany there is a charming town – Lucca. At first glance, it looks the same as other Italian towns. However, there are some surprising places to explore. Lucca used to be a very rich city, inhabited by wealthy merchants. Its position was mainly due to the monopoly for silk production. Although silk clothes are still made here, Lucca is mostly famous for its excellent olive oil. Supposedly olive oil produced here is one of the best in Tuscany. Residents are proud of their city’s history and typical local dialect. Lucca maintained its independence as a city – state until 1837. Lucca’s unique attraction…
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Monaco and conrete houses… Girl on a Trail
The Principality of Monaco is one of the smallest countries in the world. Only there you can find the highest percentage of luxury cars and yachts per square meter. I perceived this place as full of splendour, wealth and it actually turned out to be like that. However, I must admit Monaco surprised me in several ways. NO TAXES ARE PAID IN CONCRETE HOUSES Monaco is one of the smallest countries, its surface is 2,02 km2, and at the same time is the most populous place in the world. For comparison, the density of the London population is around 5600 people per square kilometre, meanwhile in Monaco, there are more…
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New Year’s eve in Minsk – unexpected fireworks!
Originally, New Year’s Eve 2018/2019 was supposed to be nothing special. I’ve never actually put pressure on New Year’s Eve celebration, but this time I decided that I’d look for a nice trip option for a change. Unfortunately, I showed a chess player’s reflex, being under an illusion that at the end of November, I would find some accommodation in Poland at a reasonable price. Looking for possible options, I took a map. I glanced at the eastern part, I thought that after all, Brest is not that far from Warsaw… I checked the offers of accommodation: a lot of nice apartments at very affordable prices. Waiting time for visa…
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Mostar surroundings – an idea for a day trip
Mostar is one of the most popular places in Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially thanks to the pictures of the famous Old Bridge. However, it’s worth visiting nearby tourist attractions, which in my opinion can even compete with Mostar itself. The most interesting thing is that these places usually haven’t been discovered by mass tourism yet, and until recently they weren’t even described in well-known guidebooks. They are slowly gaining popularity, yet they still retain their wild character. Just seven kilometres from Mostar, there’s an interesting military area, forged in rock and hidden in the lush nearby forests. It’s a huge hangar where fighter aircrafts were stationed during Tito’s regime. Unfortunately,…
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Podlasie – fabulous Eastern Poland, Day 2 – Girl on a Trail
Heading from Bialowieza to northern Podlasie, it is worth visiting the ruins of the church of St. Anthony in the village of Jalowka. Arc vaults, high columns and huge windows, give the idea of the former glow of this place. The temple was ruined at the end of the war in 1944. At that time, the German army, for fear that this place was an excellent observation point, blew it up. In front of the ruins there’s a special altar where mass is celebrated every year on St. Anthony’s Day. Just 12 kilometers from the ruins of the church there’s a closed border crossing with Belarus, Zubki Bialystok – Brestowica.…
