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Hezbollah’s Disneyland – where “the land speaks to the heaven”…
Hezbollah’s Disneyland – the Tourist Landmark of the Resistance, created by Hezbollah, is located right next to the village of Mleeta in southern Lebanon, about 50 km from the border with Palestine. The museum was opened on May 25th 2010, on the 10th anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon. The road to Hezbollah’s Disneyland, as this place is commonly called, leads through picturesque mountainous areas. Along the way, you pass numerous checkpoints that clearly indicate who manages the territory of southern Lebanon. By no means is it a government with the Lebanese Army… Hezbollah, or the Party of God, was founded during the Lebanese civil war. The beginnings of…
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The Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) – a country that does not exist…
The Southern Caucasus is famous for its beautiful views, excellent food, incredible hospitality, but it also has its dark side. The strategic position linking Asia to Europe has always been the cause of clashes among world players like Russia, Iran and Turkey. This area consists of three countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Before the trip, I did not expect that countries with such a small area, could be so different in every way: religion, culture and even origin. The Southern Caucasus is an area of very turbulent history, which is even now visible. Many conflicts remain unexplained, resulting in the existence of three self – appointed counries: Abkhazia, South Ossetia…
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Girl on a Trail – Kosovo
In the very centre of Kosovo, there’s a huge statue – inscription NEWBORN. Born in February 2008 the Republic of Kosovo has not yet been officially recognised by many countries. The recognition of the Republic, was refused mainy by the countries which have internal problems with separatist regions like: Russia, Spain or Georgia. It has been almost 20 years since the end of the war with Serbia. Kosovo is still under international control and it’s the territory shared between Serbian and Kosovan Albanians. At Present, 90% of the population is of Albanian nationality, while Serbs represent only less than 10 % of the whole population. However, for centuries, the proportions…
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Bosnia and Herzegovina – Mostar, the city of hatred?
It’s 11.00 am, delighted with views on the way from Sarajevo, I look forward to getting out of the bus and seeing marvelous Mostar. The door of the bus opens and I feel like I’m going straight to hell. The temperature is 35 Celsius degrees, and it’s not a noon yet. I take my backpack and I move towards the hostel, expecting to see this picturesque city with a famous bridge. But what I see along the way in no way doesn’t look like images from a catalogue which I’d seen before. In addition to the beautiful panorama of the city from the Musal bridge, you can see the ruins…
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Bosnia and Herzegovina – Sarajevo
There are places that may not stand out in particular way, but they are like a magnet and evoke imagination. Sometimes, it’s an inspirational photo or an article, and sometimes it’s just their name that causes strange, poignant chills. Sarajevo and I were connected by all these things together. For the first time, I heard about this city at the elementary school in History classes. I must admit, the moment I bought the tickets to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), I felt a certain excitement that I would be at the places, let’s say where modern history began. The Latin Bridge – the place of the assasination of Austrian Archduke –…
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Girl on a Trail – Vietnam war, lost victory?
Vietnam War is the most brutal conflict since World War II. Sophisticated techniques of tortures and killing, chemical weapons like: agent orange, napalm or phosphorous bombs, and thousands of dead and wounded. So it isn’t surprising that in memory of the Vietnamese, the war is still alive. Just take a short walk along the streets of Hanoi and you’ll see the remnants of the war…. The first point in Hanoi – Long Bien bridge. Its story dates back when Vietnam was a French Colony. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century and was one of the longest bridges in Asia. Architect of this great achievement of…
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Artistic Warsaw – murals
Warsaw keeps surprising me everyday. It’s nice to see how it transforms into modern metropolis which in my humble opininion can compete with other famous European capitals. This modernity relies not only on urban infrastructure development but also on public space diversification. Street art is one of these components which create city atmosphere. Interesting murals can be found in various places in Warsaw such as gates or walls. What’s more, they aren’t only art for art’s sake but also they present an alternative and interesting way of depicting Warsaw history and people who lived here. The best way to see this uniqe pices of art is a bike tour, just take…