Tarragona - Spain

Tarragona – Spain

Post published:14 November 2015
Post category:Europe Southern Europe Spain

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Capital of Hispania Tarraconensis

Just a week after being in Barcelona and Girona, we returned but this time with the main objective of spending Saturday sightseeing another city we’ve not been before: Tarragona. This is one of the great advantages of flying to Barcelona, and it’s that the entire autonomous region of Catalonia is filled with history and sights everywhere, hence it’s a perfect place to keep returning year after year. Not only to be with my Catalan friends, but also for going together to the many places around. After all they are also great guides since they’ve been many times before in these cities.

Tarragona was in our agenda for a long time. It is one of the few Spanish cities where so many Roman remains can be visible and integrated in the new city that constantly grew since the fall of the Roman Empire. Nowadays the ruins of Tarraco are listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. I can only recall the city of Merida, in Extremadura, as one of the best examples in the whole of Spain for the largest amount of monumental structures greatly preserved from the Roman times.

Once again as it was last weekend in Girona, the city is not too big and it is perfect for a day visit. Majority of tourist are day-trippers from Barcelona or the coastal resorts, and so we were coming for the day from Barcelona where we had our hotel. I cannot imagine however, any longer in the city should be your plan only stay here as you will end up with nothing else to do on your second day. (more…)

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Girona - Spain

Girona – Spain

Post published:7 November 2015
Post category:Europe Southern Europe Spain

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Iberian and Roman Gerunda

One of the yearly commonly weekend trips to Barcelona that we tend to do around October – November, but finally this time and after being so many times in Barcelona we though it was long due the visit to the many other cities and places nearby. To start this weekend, Girona. As for the weekend after this that we will return again to Barcelona, it will be Tarragona the main sight, and so until the next year already when we will book further flights to Barcelona to most likely keep touring around the beautiful region of Catalonia with the countless sights and places to visit on offer.

Girona lies to the north of Barcelona 100 kilometres and it is the last province within Spain, south of the Pyrenees mountain range, before the direct border with France being Perpignan the first large city in France at only 35 kilometres farther north. Conquered by the Moors and reconquered from them saw in turns between the 7th and 10th centuries becoming afterwards one of the most important Jews centres in Europe, finally expelled in 1492. Its legacy can be still seen today as one of the major tourist attractions in the city, the Jewish ghetto, the best preserved in Europe.

The city is filled with charm and history everywhere, with numerous important buildings and monuments of special mention the beautiful examples of Catalan Gothic architecture making it a great tourist destination. Most tourists who visit the city are day-trippers, either from Barcelona or from elsewhere along the coastal resorts, or even from the southern region of France like Perpignan. (more…)

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Cesky Krumlov - Czech Republic

Cesky Krumlov – Czech Republic

Post published:31 October 2015
Post category:Czech Republic Eastern Europe Europe

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Bohemian Crumlaw

At only 5 days ago since we returned from a long trip in Indonesia and yet today once again, as most Fridays are for us, we flew to Prague, and yes, once more to this city, it’s never tiring to repeat the places you admire the most. Although the original purpose was actually not doing any sightseeing whatsoever, but instead taking the time for doing “nothing” and simply enjoy at the many coffee places, food and nice beer; we changed the plans around in order to have a day excursion to Cesky Krumlov, the wonderful UNESCO World Heritage city some 170 kilometres to the south of Prague for the whole of Saturday. As for Sunday in the other hand we retained to the original plan and enjoy the free time.

For a city of this small size its castle is second in size only after the one in Prague! That is in fact very big. Other than the castle, it is also about the incredibly well preserved old town with most constructions dating from the 14th through the 17th centuries Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architectural styles. The Vltava River also adds charm as it crosses the city in many meanders, giving many different perspectives from each angle.

Due to its small size and easy to navigate through when visiting I cannot think of anything else to give you as a note in this brief introduction. Furthermore when planning for lunch I cannot even give you a recommendation here either because our lunch was included as part of the tour hence we did not need to be looking around for restaurants, but as for any city in the world and specially if highly touristy as Cesky Krumlov is, care to have a look around at few places as you might end up in a tourist trap, or paying twice for the same, or having pretty low quality. (more…)

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Opole - Poland

Opole – Poland

Post published:3 October 2015
Post category:Eastern Europe Europe Poland

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Historical capital of Upper Silesia

Another weekend flying to Wroclaw after a year we went there, yet with a different reason this time which was reaching Opole, 100 kilometres to the southeast. Not a city of special importance or any great sights, but fully meaningful to my travel companion as it is his birthplace before having to move to Germany when the borders changed and Opole returned to be a city in Poland and no Germany.

Also a good reason for returning to Wroclaw was to be with my friend whom I did not see for almost 12 years!. And of course, for the city itself. It is still among one of my favourite in Poland with so much to see and do. While the last time we visited it was almost December and the huge Christmas market was already on in the main square and streets, this time we got just in time to enjoy probably the last days of sun and warm temperatures before the Autumn drop. We’ve been very lucky on both Wroclaw and Opole with the weather, it could have been already very bad.

I know this guide is going to be quite explicit, but for the shake of it I could not pass the occasion and give it a go in creating it as I got some spare time right before our main long holidays for this year just 5 days ahead of us. But not minding the very small size of it and that there is not much to see, it was still worth to come for the day and enjoy the cute old town knowing most of it is a reconstruction since the World War II made a great loss and destruction in Opole. (more…)

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Vienna - Austria

Vienna – Austria

Post published:27 September 2015
Post category:Austria Europe Western Europe

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The City of Music

Vienna, how to even start creating a guide for one of the most stunning cities in the world. Not only its impressive elegance from the incredible architecture all over the place, but its rich history and culture on every corner. And if with the eyes was not enough, this is a delight to the ears as well. No other city in the world has such a vast history and legacy from the greatest classical music composers of all times. That’s the fact in the city’s nickname, the “City of Music”. Now glad to return few years after the first time and continue to explore this magnificent place.

Few years back, we did arrive in Vienna after little over 4 hours train ride from Prague, the enchanting city of Central Europe. And if 3 days were definitely not enough back in Prague, we experienced the same conclusion here in Vienna back in the days. That trip was for merely 2 days and an extra evening since we planned a very busy day tour to Salzburg, therefore cutting short the overall stay. Now, talking from extra fresh new experience after this trip, I can finally say my visit is complete and definitely looking forward to the next time and more.

The city has a great urban plan and follows what is pretty much a circular pattern. The Old Town, which is the historic area is called Innere Stadt and is completely encircled by the first ring road, the Ringstrasse, which was built with magnificent palaces, buildings, fountains and monuments all the way along. Both the Old Town coupled with this ring road are mandatory places for sightseeing, leaving for last the sights on the outer neighbourhoods from the Ringstrasse, being the major landmarks the Prater, Central Cemetery and Schönbrunn Palace.

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Bratislava - Slovakia

Bratislava – Slovakia

Post published:26 September 2015
Post category:Eastern Europe Europe Slovakia

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Beauty on the Danube

Another of the jewel cities in Central Europe, yet the smallest capital city from the neighbouring countries such as Prague, Vienna and Budapest. Even Salzburg feels bigger although it is smaller by population. This makes Bratislava perfect for a short visit like a weekend cultural trip, that’s well more than enough but it is also one of the cities I don’t mind returning, hence this is for now, the second time.

Without minding the size, the old city is truly worth the trip itself. Recently revamped and gentrified with most of the houses around the historic old town restored and beautifully painted and many sculptures embellishing the streets, some of them as original as I have not seen before elsewhere as you can see down below in the photo album. Really charming Central European city with an enormous potential. And comparing the 6 years in between both visits, I felt very lucky to have come in 2009 when there were still not that many tourists and everything was somehow, more unique and traditional.

Finding your way along the city is as easy as walking the main street in the old town and some parallel ones, and the one leading to the top of the castle. There is not really much more out there from the historic centre, therefore great for visiting everything without the need of any public transportation to get anywhere.
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Stavanger - Norway

Stavanger – Norway

Post published:20 September 2015
Post category:Europe Northern Europe Norway

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Stafr: Branch, Angr: Bay

Coming back to Norway only after few weeks since we re-visited the capital city, Oslo; but this time to a new destination never been before: Stavanger. Fortunately as a rare exception to any Norwegian city, here money seemed to last a little bit longer. Nothing to compare with the most expensive city we’ve been so far in the country, Bergen, and even still, a bit cheaper overall than Oslo. This is in a way good to know, but remember that a meal for two in a normal and “not expensive” restaurant will come to a minimum of £40, that is over 400 NOK.

Nicknamed the Oil Capital City of Norway can self-explain a lot. Yet it is not only about the oil and energy, but on the more demanding tourists coming here to enjoy some of the most spectacular natural landscapes on earth that lie only few kilometres away, being its highlight the world known Lysefjorden Fjord, which is the icon and symbol taken to represent any fjord on any catalogue about Norway.

If you are expecting a beautiful city to the likes of Oslo, Bergen or Tromso, then you might be a bit disappointed, but only due to its very small size. However, Stavanger is one of the oldest cities in Norway and ranks among the best examples in wooden architecture from the 18th and 19th century that can be found everywhere around the city centre and outskirts and are beautifully preserved and restored. (more…)

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Potsdam - Germany

Potsdam – Germany

Post published:13 September 2015
Post category:Europe Germany Western Europe

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Residence of the Prussian Kings and the German Kaiser

Our second day of this quick weekend we spared to visit the beautiful city of Potsdam, just 24 kilometres to the south west of Berlin. This was for us the main reason for this weekend trip, and since we’ve already been to Berlin some years back where we got to spend 4 days full days, more than enough time to visit everything, it is why we took on this occasion Saturday only to remember a bit and walking along the major tourist areas and attractions without any rush.

Sunday, in the other hand was a very different story. Even the day was planned to start early, which it did, was definitely not enough time to visit every place I will be listing below in the next section of what to see and do. There are way too many places to see in Potsdam, and distances in between too vast, but it’s not only about visiting those places from the outside alone (which in any case for this first time in this city we did), but once you start entering the palaces and acknowledge the real size of them, time will fly away. As few weeks ago we got enough from spending the entire day in Versailles in Paris, and in matter of 2 weeks we will be in Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna, we decided to stick to the plan of see as much of the countless amount of palaces, pavillions, sculptures, fountains and parks just from the outside.

So what’s all this buzz about this place then that everyone talks about and ranks among the top 5 attractions in the whole of Germany? It is nothing else than the history that represents. The city became the full permanent residence of the Prussian royal family, who started to create such palaces, castles, pavillions and parks. The highlight came during the reign of Frederick the Great with the creation of Sanssouci Park and Palace in 1744 with its impressive Rococo architectural style instead of classic that was the norm elsewhere in Europe. The legacy after the centuries is what you can see today, all in its former glory after the vast long program or reconstruction and restoration that took place after the loss and destruction that happened here during the WWII and the Cold War afterwards. (more…)

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