Europe

Antibes, France, Oct 2024

Antibes, France, Oct 2024

Monaco My fourth and last day in France was in Antibes, a small town on the coast about 20- minute train ride from Nice. The main reason for going there was to see Fort Carre. I love forts, fortresses, castles and alike and I had an extra day to kill in France. Fort Carre was […]

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Monte Carlo Monaco

Monaco, Oct 2024

Nice Not going to Monaco while staying in Nice would have been a big mistake. So, I took the train to Monte Carlo, the capital city of this tiny state, and spent a day visiting the main attractions there. Next was the Oceanographic Museum founded by Price Albert I over 100 years ago. The two

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Nice, France, Oct 2024

Nice, France, Oct 2024

Two weeks on the road during the Syria trip with not enough sleep took the toll on me. I spent 3 weeks in Bulgaria recovering and getting ready for my next destination, Algeria. It was possible to fly from Bulgaria to Algiers on one ticket but this meant a long journey and sleepless nights again.

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Casa Chaushesku, Bucharest, Romania, July 2024

Ceausescu Mansion, Bucharest, Romania, July 2024

I bought online a ticket to see the house where Nicolae Ceausescu lived with his family for a quarter of the century. There is no need to do that if you do not mind waiting 20-30 minutes. A guided tour takes 45 minutes, tours are available in Romanian and English. It says everywhere that “taking

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Bucharest, Romania, July 2024

The trip to Bucharest was totally unplanned. I spend every summer in my favorite place, a small Bulgarian town of Byala, and use it as an opportunity to visit the Russian consulate in Varna to do some paperwork. This is a lot cheaper and less time consuming than to fly from Denver to Houston. Last

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Razlog, Bulgaria, August 2022

The last stopover of this trip was a ski resort, Razlog. The city must be packed in winter with skiers. In August, it was a quiet place with few visitors. The city center is a nice place to take a walk. Razlog has a viewing platform on top of one the mountains. The hike to

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Rupite, Bulgaria, August 2022

Heraclea Sintica Shortly, I was at the mineral springs. The area was clean and unspoiled by human presence but all facilities were there – change rooms, showers, and toilets. This water does not contain sulfur and it does not smell. The list of what it does contain is long including rare-earth-elements, metals, and minerals. I

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Heraclea Sintica, Bulgaria, August 2022

Macedonia – Petrich, Bulgaria There were three places in the vicinity of Petrich that I wanted to visit: the ancient city Heraclea Sintica, the other Vanga Museum and hot springs in Rupite. All three places are located within several kilometers from each other which makes it possible to see all of them the same day.

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Macedonia – Petrich, Bulgaria, August 2022

Strumica, Macedonia I was up early and at 7 a.m., I was already outside with my backpack. I shut the door of the apartment leaving the key inside as it was agreed with the owner, Dragan. I heard nothing from him the night before and, running ahead of the story, I can tell that Dragan

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Strumica, Macedonia, August 2022

Prilep, Macedonia From Prilep, I needed to continue toward Bulgaria, so I took the bus to the city of Strumica which is close to the border. Among attractions in the area were old monasteries, mineral springs, and good hiking trails. I set aside 2 days for exploring Strumica’s surrounding and was worried that perhaps it

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