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Pieniny – Love at first sight!
I’ve always avoided going to the same places. I love exploring new spots, and staying in a one I’ve seen just bores me. On the other hand, Pieniny is one of a few exceptions. I love them and every time I miss them enough, I jump into the car to see once again the characteristic pine tree at the top of Sokolica Mountain. Actually, I can’t explain why Pieniny are so special to me. Maybe it’s a matter of the diverse landscape of this place. The mountain trails are green here and aren’t as monotonous as in the Tatra Mountains. At the same time Pieniny is an excellent observation point…
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Liechtenstein – somewhere in a faraway land…
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a tiny duchy. This duchy had no access to the sea, it did not have its own language, army and currency. There wasn’t even an airport there because the duchy was so small that few people visited it. Its neighbors sometimes even didn’t realize that it existed and accidentally entered its territory with an army. Despite this, the people in this duchy were very rich and happy, and their ruler invited everyone to a party every year. If anyone likes this fairy tale, I have very good news. It’s not a fairy tale, but the reality of Fürstentum Liechtenstein, or…
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Kotor, Montenegro – an alternative to Dubrovnik?
Kotor was my next destination after overcrowded Dubrovnik. Kotor is the main tourist attraction in Montenegro, however I must admit that I hoped that it wouldn’t be besieged similarly to its Croatian counterpart. When I saw huge luxury ferries in the distance, I realized that I was on my way, straight to another “tourist hell”. Fortunately, to my surprise I found out that my concerns had been unfounded. Certainly no one was treading on my heels or attacking me with a selfie – stick, apparently the advantage of this place is that neither Game of Thrones nor Star Wars were filmed there. Kotor, probably due to the impressive defensive walls…
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Kehlsteinhaus, Germany – a visit to the Eagle’s Nest
Kehlsteinhaus or the teahouse on Kehlstein – it’s a legend itself. Beautiful Alpine views clashes with the difficult history of the World War II. The teahouse is widely known by another name, which speaks more to the imagination. It’s famous Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest. The teahouse was built on the initiative of Martin Bormann as a gift from NSDAP for Hitler’s 50th birthday. The best architects and engineers in the Third Reich were involved in the construction of the Kehlsteinhaus. This project cost over 30 million Reichmarks, which is currently worth around 150 million €! According to the Bormann’s intention, in addition to the diplomatic function, Kehlsteinhaus was supposed to be…
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National Park Durmitor – far, far away in Montenegro…
The first day in Montenegro, actually in the village of Žabljak, located near the picturesque Durmitor National Park will remain unforgettable. The flat tire turned out to be the “perfect”beginning of my adventure on the Balkanian roads. The call for road assistance left no illusions: -“of course no problem assitance will be in 15 minutes, please give me the address” – ” thank you very much, I’m in Žabljak…” – ” where?!” – ” in Žabljak…” – ” Oh, I get it, I’ll call you back in an hour, I must check if anyone will be able to drive there…” As a result, there was no other option than to…
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Armenia – Yerevan, even more Eternal City
A very long time ago, the moment I saw on TV the culinary program about Armenia, I knew that one time I would go there. Actually, it’s hard to tell what made me interested in Armenia. Perhaps the traditional cuisine I saw in the show, maybe beautiful views with the mountain Ararat in the background, or maybe information about the difficult political situation was the result that Armenia was added to my bucket list. However, it took me quite some time to decide finally to go there. Armenia once again reminded me of herself in Lviv, in the wonderful Cafe Virmenka. The taste and smell of coffee brewed on the…
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Vietnam – Sa Pa, somewhere far, far away…
We’re arriving to Sa Pa at the crack of dawn.It’s 6 am in the morning, I’m bruttaly awaken by the terrible squeak of the breaks and a heavy hit on the head, when the train bounced on uneven rails. I’ve lost count of these hits, during 9-hour travel in a sleeping car, within this time we’ve covered only 380 km, the distance between Sa Pa and Hanoi. Sa Pả is located in the province of Lào Cai, at the border with China in north-western Vietnam. The landscape of this region is dominated by Hoang Lien Mountain range, which is the south-eastern extension of the Himalayas. The biggest peak is Fan…
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Girl on a Trail – Jordan Seven Wonders
Since recently, Ryanair has launched a new connection from Warsaw and Cracow to the capital of Jordan – Amman. Tickets can be bought at a very low price. Especially in winter, this is an interesting proposal for a weekend or even a longer trip. Just in less than 4 hours, you can find yourself in a warm, exotic country, characterised by an amazing story, excellent cuisine and wonderful countryside. First stop – Amman In Amman, one can feel the specific atmosphere of the Middle East. Bright, high – desity housing, seems to grow straight from the desert. The most interesting place in Amman is Jebel al-Qala – the Citadel (adm.…
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Ohrid Lake – weekend break in Macedonia!
Macedonia isn’t a popular holiday destination. It’s located much farther than for example Croatia and in addition, furthermore it has no access to the sea. However, this small country has a lot to offer and prices here are really low in comparison to other holiday directions. In Macedonia there are over 50 lakes surrounded by high mountain peaks, which can reach even 2000 meters. Macedonia is recognised as one of the highest countries in Europe, right after Switzerland and Austria. What’s more, this country has a huge number of monuments, temples and old monastries. All of this in the area less than 26 000 square kilometeres. In a word, the perfect…