Travel, life, loves and laughs.
The Kapana is Bulgaria’s first ever dedicated creative district. Tucked in behind the Ancient Stadium of Philippopolis it is also known as ‘The Trap’. This is a direct translation and also a colloquialism. It refers to how one can easily become lost or trapped in the streets here.… Read the rest
Plovdiv is the modern site of the ancient city of Philipopolis. It is charming from the get go and given the range of things to see here, it is no wonder it was named Europe’s Capital of Culture in 2019.… Read the rest
Plovdiv has an Ancient Town within its Old Town and more layers of Old Town within this. Centered along ul. Saborna we walk up the steep cobbled street that crosses over Boulevard Tsar Boris III Obedinitel, one of the modern city’s main thoroughfares.… Read the rest
The Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak is a UNESCO World Heritage site in central Bulgaria. But first, perhaps, it is worth putting this into context.
The Thracians were Indo-Eurpoean inhabitants of the Balkan Region from about the 10th Century BC through til the 1st Century AD.… Read the rest
Usually a fan of beautiful rather than bizarre, this Russian Soviet monument, looks more like something from Space Jam than from Bulgaria’s Communist past. Locally referred to as simply as the Socialism Monument, even ‘bizarre’ does not quite describe what stands before me.… Read the rest
The Shipka Memorial Church is a Bulgarian Orthodox Church located in the city of the same name. We are middle of Bulgaria both figuratively and literally, having just crossed the picturesque Balkan Mountains from north to south. We are on our way from Veliko Tărnovo and the Etar Ethnographic Outdoor Museum to the Kazinlak Tomb.… Read the rest
As we arrive at Etar Ethnographic Outdoor Museum, it seems like just a few old huts along a small, albeit picturesque stream. However, as we enter this busy little slice of history, it is clear that it is much more than it seems.… Read the rest
Arriving through the cobbled streets of Veliko Tărnovo the first site we behold as we check into our accommodation at the Yantra Grand Hotel is Tsarevets Fortress. Tsarevets, the hillside fortress of this medieval capital, spans the horizon, across the river and over the green gorge, laid out before our eyes.… Read the rest
It hasn’t really felt much like Ramadan this year, if anything can remedy this it is Iftar at The Palace Downtown. Actually work restrictions in the office remain, as do equivalent on camera requirements for working from home.… Read the rest
We head out to the Bedouin Oasis in Ras Al Khaimah for the weekend with camels in mind. I am looking forward to riding a camel but before we even arrive we encounter a couple of friendly ones along the road.… Read the rest