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Cinque Terre – the five lands
Cinque Terre which can be seen in many photos or folders advertising tourism in Italy might seem to be just the one picturesque village. Meanwhile, the name Cinque Terre means “the five lands” and is used to describe five fairy-tale towns, situated on the high cliffs by the Mediterranean Sea. These include: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. Each of them has amazing views and pastel-coloured buildings. In fact, this place gained popularity only in the 70s of the 20th century. Before that, Cinque Terre had been a place difficult to access. Only the construction of the railway connecting all five towns contributed to the significant development of tourism in…
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Visit Chernobyl… before it fades
Chernobyl, the name of this city to this day gives a lot of people the creeps, although many years have passed since the catastrophe. It took place on the night of April 25-26 in 1986 as a result of the nuclear reactor accident of the power unit no. 4. It’s one of the biggest disasters in the history of nuclear energy. A huge area was contaminated in Belarus and Ukraine, many people were forcibly displaced, a large part of the area was closed, and the radioactive cloud spread throughout Europe. How does this place look like now, 35 years after the catastrophe? This question has been bothering me for a…
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Russian Woodpecker – Duga in Chernobyl Exlusion Zone, Girl off the Trail
Russian Woodpecker (Duga) was my first point during exploration in Chernobyl, although I must admit that I would prefer it to be the last – such a cherry on the cake of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. I won’t hide that I went to Chernobyl, mainly to see the famous Moscow’s Eye not the site of the nuclear power plant disaster. Moscow’s Eye is the colloquial name given to the Soviet over-the-horizon radar system, which in the USSR was called Duga, or “bow”. The system consisted of three radars with a range of 3,000 km. Radars were transmitting and receiving devices that used the reflection of short radio waves from the…
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Nicosia – the divided capital, Girl off the Trail
I’m in the suburbs of Nicosia, it’s 8.00 in the middle of the week. I chose the perfect time for a trip to the capital of Cyprus. Three-lane highway, traffic jam to the horizon. I won’t hide, I’m irritated, I wanted to come at dawn, to have more time for sightseeing, definitely the day is too short and the plan is quite tight. I’m covering the next meters at a dizzying speed of 5 km/h, at least it’s time to look around. There’s one thing that attracts my attention on the horizon, so more or less in the place where the globe curves and the damn cork ends, I see…
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Cyprus – the most interesting attractions on the island
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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…
