Throughout my life I am constantly reading about the history of women, their position in society, and the struggle for power. The more I read about them as the background rulers in a particularly male world, the more inspiration I find, the more I identify myself. The last in the series (from the Book of Wars of the Cousins, ie War of the Roses) is … Continue reading The Constant Princess
Last year I went to see football match Croatia vs Portugal in quarter finals at Euro 2016 in Lens, France. Small city on the north – east of France, close to Lille. The city is not so big at all, but it became famous as the French built the football stadium which can accommodate more fans than the city holds the inhabitants. 🙂 Crazy, right? … Continue reading Lens, France and EURO 2016
What I am mostly surprised of this region of Belgium, is its nature. The heavily forested Ardennes massif occupies the southeast of the Walloon region. Mostly cliffs, forests, river Meuse and many streams. The legend said Hitler will never manage to break through the Ardennes and take over Belgium and later Netherlands. Happens to be the guy invented tenks. Anyhow, this topographic peculiarity gave the … Continue reading Wallonia: Liege, Mons, Namur, Dinant – down the Meuse river valley
Upon my arrival to this small city in the southeast of Netherlands, located on both sides of the Meuse river, I could have not notice so many bikes parked along the the train station building. 🙂 Afer all, it is a Dutch city! There is some debate as to whether Maastricht is the oldest city in the Netherlands. However, Maastricht has become known, by way of the Maastricht … Continue reading Maastricht, Netherlands
Upon my arrival to Brussels, I started to explore Belgium by visiting other cities. Everyone’s recommendation is always the Flanders and the most popular tourist place Brugge. Although, later I will discover the south of Belgium, Valonie. 🙂 Flanders is a Dutch speaking part of Belgium, at the north of the country with important place in European history. During the late Middle Ages, cities such as … Continue reading Flanders: Brugge, Gent, Antwerpen, Leuven, Oostende
RSecrets are always fun, aren’t they? Well, I found the second biggest french city very mysterious. Between courtyards and through buildings, there are many secret alleyways and staircases once provided safe and efficient passage for silk workers to get their wares to and from market unmarred. Now partially open to the public, many of the traboules worm through several buildings forming a secret continuous covered passageway … Continue reading Les Traboules de Lyon, France
Trieste has been called the ultimate nowhere-place: officially part of several successive countries and empires through the ages, yet spiritually bound to none of them. Many of the 200,000 Triestine, I came to learn, do not see themselves as truly Italian. They belong to Trieste, and Trieste alone. In fact, a small but committed independence movement is seeking the recognition of Trieste as a free … Continue reading Trieste, Italy
Being placed atop a small hill in northern Croatia, Trakošćan Castle looks like a fairytale castle, proudly peeking its spires. It dates back to the 13 century as pat of fortification system and small observation fortress for monitoring the road from Ptuj, Slovenia. According to a legend, Trakošćan was named after another fortification (arx Thacorum) that was built at the same spot back in antiquity. Another source claims … Continue reading Trakošćan castle, Croatia
Boč Boč, also called the Triglav of Slovene Styria is just a few kilometres away from Ptuj. It is 978 metres high and I climbed it in all its essence. 🙂 Boč, which is among the southernmost extensions of the Karawanks mountain range – the Southern Limestone Alps – is covered with forest and protected as a natural park. I was particularly intrigued by the mountain house that … Continue reading Ptuj castle, I feel sLOVEnia
The very beautiful Macedonia (FYR of Macedonia, to be more exact) 🙂 after belonging to many empires over time, it is nowadays mostly shared by Christians and Muslims, who still come together at the fascinating Old Bazaar in Skopje, one of the Balkans’ largest markets. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since the times of Neolithic and later Bronze ages. The most famous settlements have been … Continue reading Macedonia: Skopje & Mavrovo and Lake Ohrid
RED RIDING HOOD 