One of the best ways to spend a day in Rothenburg is shopping. I don’t even like shopping, yet Rothenburg is just so charming, welcoming and relaxed, that it imbues with joy even one of the most stressful and tedious [for me] activities. Tiny Rothenburg is a GREAT shopping destination. But you won’t find Prada or…
Do you remember how I thought that Tallinn was the most whimsical place ever? Well, Tallinn has nothing on Rothenburg, which should be in the running for the title of “Real Life Town That Looks the Most like It Just Dropped Out of a Disney Fairy Tale.” Rothenburg ob der Tauber (which means “Red fortress…
I mean – just look at this place. Where have I seen this before…? Even their souvenirs looks like they were taken straight from Elsa’s and Anna’s wardrobes (that’s a “Frozen” reference for you heathens). I never thought any place in the world could have too much whimsy for my liking, but Tallinn came close…
When you think of the cities with the greatest collections of Art Nouveau architecture, what comes to mind? Probably Paris or Brussels, Prague or Budapest. But not Riga, right? Well, then you’re in for quite a surprise. I first heard of Riga’s collection of Art Nouveau architecture just a few months ago, through the Latvia’s…
Of all of Crimea’s palaces, the one that belonged to Count Vorontsov – the hero of Napoleonic wars and later the governor-general of Crimea – is probably the most peculiar and magnificent. I say “probably” because it’s the only major Yalta / Alupka palace that I got to visit, as my pre-purchased excursions to Massandra…
Breathtaking. That is the only word to describe the Eminé-Bayir-Hasar caves located at the bottom of Chatyr-Dag (“Tent Mountain”) plateau that is part of Crimea’s main mountain range. The name itself is a preview of things to come – translated from Turkic it means “a vortex on the side of a mountain near an oak…
Apparently, what’s considered extreme travel everywhere else is just a casual stroll in the park for Crimea’s tour guides and the unsuspecting Russians/Ukrainians they manage to lure in. My two guide-assisted ascents to mountain waterfalls – on the same day, no less! – made parts of my solo hike to Czar’s Beach seem positively tame…
Yalta, a city on the southern coast of the Crimean peninsula, is the resort capital of the region. For some two hundred years it has been referred to as the Nice of the Black Sea/ Russia/ Soviet Union, as thousands of summer vacationers descended on it every year from all over Russia/ USSR/ former USSR…
Today being Russian Orthodox Christmas and all. Nope, I am not ready to let go of the holiday cheer. Happy Neverending Holidays to all!
As promised, Moscow’s New Year & Christmas trees (Yolki), presented to you by Ded Moroz and Snegurochka: Most of these are from the Moscow Center, and a handful are from the area where I work. There will be more to come in January 2014!
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