Ahhhh Tallinn, We meet once again! After visiting the city over 10 times and having lived here twice in the past, I really never get tired of Tallinn. The best way I can explain how it feels to walk around in the old town is to imagine shrinking yourself and walk into a gingerbread city. The feeling is a mix of a fairy tale and being transported in a time machine back in medieval times. This is why I rank Tallin as my favorite city in Europe! In This Article…1 Tallinn the Medieval Town2 Best 2 Days Itinerary3 Top 10 Things to do in Tallinn4 Top Rated and Recommended Cafes in Tallinn5 Top Rated and Recommended Restaurants in Tallinn6 Tallinn In Pictures7 Pin to Pinterest Tallinn the Medieval Town I first came to Tallinn 12 years ago, when it was still considered by many to be a no-go area! It had the reputation of a gray Soviet city and people called it dangerous and out of […]
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Visiting Liepaja: a Wannabe Beach Resort Stuck Between Soviet and Western Times
Having been one of the most important military ports in the world where Soviets had stationed a massive fleet 3 times the size the what nowadays Fleet in Brittan, Liepaja is trying to detach itself from its military past and embrace a more baltic beach resort style such as Palanga, Parnu or Jurmala. But somehow, its struggling to get there. There is a definite feel of industrial military vibe all over which, to be honest, is not the most appealing… In This Article…1 A Beach in the middle of a Soviet Past2 Best 2 Days Itinerary in Liepaja3 Top 10 Things to do in Liepaja4 Top Rated and Recommended Cafes in Liepaja5 Top Rated and Recommended Restaurants in Liepaja6 Liepaja in Pictures7 Pin to Pinterest A Beach in the middle of a Soviet Past Coming from Palanga where I had spent a few amazing days, Liepaja had a hard task of impressing me after such a nice time on the Lithuanian coast. And as soon as I […]
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A Few Days in the Cossack Capital of Rostov-on-Don in Russia
Before 2018, I would have never thought about visiting Rostov-on-Don, as its name resonated too much with the problems of Donbass and Lugansk of Ukraine. But since I had a World Cup Ticket for the Uruguay-Saudi Arabia Game this year, I was kind of obligated to give it a try. And what a surprise! Rostov-on-Don is a Big and Lively city that definitely deserves its share of tourism! In This Article…1 My experience in Rostov-on-Don2 Best 2 Days Itinerary for Rostov-on-Don3 Top 10 Things to do in Rostov-on-Don4 Top Rated and Recommended Cafes in Rostov-on-Don5 Top Rated and Recommended Restaurants in Rostov-on-Don6 Pin to Pinterest7 Rostov-on-Don In Pictures My experience in Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don is known to be the capital of the Cossacks, these ancient warriors who have defended the region over centuries. Even some special police units today have uniforms of Cossacks warriors which you could spot on your visit. I had the chance to be here during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, so the city […]
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World Map of the Hardest Countries to Travel – in the Eyes of a Man Who Visited Them All
This map is part of my series about mapping different countries and comparing them with each other against different aspects, from the perspective of a person who has visited them all (188/196 to be precise). After creating the most beautiful countries map, the best food in the world map or even the best quality price countries, this map focuses on the easiest and hardest countries to travel to and to explore as a regular or a budget backpacker. This is a question that I often get from travelers and comparing them to each other will give you valuable information about what to expect. In This Article…1 The Map of the Hardest Countries to Travel to2 The Top Tiers: The Easiest3 The Middle Tiers4 The Hardest Countries5 Conclusion6 Pin to Pinterest The Map of the Hardest Countries to Travel to So from dark red (the most difficult to travel) to dark green (the easiest to travel), here is the map in question. I provide details on my choices […]
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The Republic of Abkhazia: An Unrecognized Country That Has a Lot to Offer
Considered by many to be the most beautiful region of the Caucasus with its beautiful semi-tropical sunshine coast and some of the highest mountains in Europe, all packed in a tiny country, Abkhazia has had its share of drama in the past 20 years. No doubt that the beauty and strategic location of this land have played an important role in the long-lasting disputes with Georgia, which led to one of the bloodiest conflicts in the post-soviet area. Nowadays, the country still feels like it’s freshly out of war with destroyed houses everywhere, bullet holes still visible on building facades and very little rebuilt infrastructure. But its Natural beauty definitely compensates for the ruins left behind for the Visitor. In This Article…1 A bit of history2 Ruins and Luxury Cars3 How to get an Abkhazian Visa4 Wines of Abkhazia5 One Week Itinerary around Abkhazia6 My Opinion on Abkhazia7 Top 10 Things to do in Abkhazia8 Top 5 Restaurant in Abkhazia9 Top 5 Cafes in Abkhazia10 […]
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3 Days in North Ossetia – Visiting Vladikavkaz
I knew very little about Ossetia and Ossetians before coming here, except for what international media has been talking about in the past 15 years, which can be summarized as conflicts and unrest. But it turns out they have a very interesting past and history around the Caucasus. This time around my journey brought me from Georgia through the Caucasus mountains to reach North Ossetia, the big brother of South Ossetia which received a lot of media attention in the past years. In This Article…1 The Difficult Past of Ossetia2 Visiting Vladikavkaz3 3 days itinerary of Vladikavkaz4 Top 10 things to do in Vladikavkaz5 Top 5 Restaurants in Vladikavkaz6 Top 5 Cafes in Vladikavkaz7 Ossetia in Pictures8 Pin to Pinterest The Difficult Past of Ossetia The past few years haven’t been easy for their cousins in the south Ossetian part of Georgia, which resulted in a bloody war that Russia supported and resulted in a unilateral declaration of independence of the South Ossetian Republic that […]
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Athens On & Off the Beaten Track – 3 Days City Guide
Athens is this city where you can spend endless time exploring every corner of every street and you will always find something interesting. It’s just incredible how much a single city can hold, its a playground for history lovers, having literally layers over layers of civilizations stacked on top of each other, dating back more over 5000 years ago. On top of this, Greek people happen to have an extremely refined sense of design and their creativity gave birth to tons of stylish restaurants, cafes and bars spread around the city. These places are focused more on the experience rather than only consumption. I’ve been to Athens several times, and usually the first visit to Athens is the same for everybody: Visit the same most important sights: the Acropolis, the Parthenon, at least 3 museums and enjoying the streets of Plaka in the center. All of that is time-consuming and takes 3 to 4 days which is about what most people have in one visit. But […]
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Visit Crete: 2 to 3 Days Itinerary in Chania
Ever since I came to Chania 15 years ago as a novice traveler, I’ve been bragging about it as my favorite city in Greece. So being here again after such a long time definitely brought excitement to rediscover it. Chania offers a different feeling of the typical islands of the Cyclades with their white and blue architecture. Chania has a Phoenician, Venetian and Ottoman background where many remnants are still visible today. But its history goes even further with traces that are harder to see, such as its Minoan roots that date over 3500 years. Some open-air Minoan Archaeological sites can be found in the center of the old town. The most scenic part is concentrated around the Venetian port, which ads an interesting taste of Ottoman occupation, especially with the mosque of Kioustsouk Hasan situated right on the port on the eastern side. For me, the Venetian port makes it the most pittoresque port of all Greece and one of my favorite of Europe! sitting […]
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Visiting Valletta, Malta: World Capital of Balconies
Malta is one of those European countries that “awe’s” me as soon as I set foot on its streets. The proof that a city doesn’t need any fancy activities to make it a great one. A short walk around Valletta, Malta’s tiny capital of less than 10000 people, will convince anybody that preserving its authenticity and showcasing its historical traits is the secret to making any city a great one! I’ve been in Malta for the first time in 10 years ago, and it hasn’t changed that much since then, except for the obvious restorations of the walls. At the time I had the opportunity to dig deeper into the suburbs of Valletta and all around the Island, which is definitely worth it! Mdina is the other highlight that I wish I had time to visit again, but this time I was on a short visit to the country and I would concentrate on the Capital only. Beautiful view of Valletta from the Mediterranean Sea […]
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Menorca: The Baleares Islands Best Kept Secret
You know the feeling when you go to the cinema to see a movie you have hardly heard of and see it with little expectations? And When you finally leave you are amazed by it? Well that’s what happened to me when I visited Mao, the capital of Menorca, the lesser known island of the 3 Baleares island. If you haven’t heard of Menorca you probably have of its bigger brothers who will surely ring a bell. Mallorca’s beaches and Ibiza’s Party have stolen the show for many years, but Menorca definitely deserves some credit as an amazing destination. My guess is the more people end up going, the more it will gather attention in the next few years which will help it grow exponentially, at the expense of its “little town” charm. Already, the mainstream cloth shops such as Zara, Mango, and Stradivarius have found home inside its old center, so make sure you hurry to pay this one a visit before Mcdonald and Burger […]
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