Portuguese Odyssey

Sanctuary on the dark Cabo Espichel The winding mountain path is surrounded by the lush green vegetation of Serra da Arrabida nature park. At dusk we arrive at the terrifying Cabo Espichel. The heavy, wet fog reveals only the outlines of abandoned buildings at the very end of the cape. This is a cultic pilgrimage…

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The land of Alentejo

Windmill in Odeceixe The road north leads through a small fishing town Vale dos Homens. At the fish market we buy several doradas for dinner. This is a peaceful place, people rarely appear on the streets. We meet an old man sitting on a wooden bench in the shade of acacia lazily reading a newspaper.…

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A loop around Poland

A loop around Poland Enchanting trails of Bieszczady mountains First, we pick the most interesting places of Poland and then decide to spend around one month to follow the loop inside our country. We do our best to keep a safe distance of a hundred kilometers from the capital, as in order to stay a…

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Segovia (Spain)

Segovia Roman aqueduct in Segovia Segovia is a small town located north of Madrid. Like Toledo, fits perfectly for a one day excursion off the capital. The first impression is formed shortly upon the arrival. It is a deserted city. No, that is not. It’s just a siesta time, giving an opportunity to see the…

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San Fermin Festival in Pamplona

San Fermin Festival in Pamplona Bull chasing people in the streets of Pamplona San Fermín is an annual week-long festival taking place 6-14 July in Pamplona. The history of bull chasing goes back to the fourteenth century and since 1592 has been in the same form every year. I travel half of Spain for a…

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Spanish Corrida

Capeador waiting for the enraged bull to charge Corrida at the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas in Madrid brings the essence of Spanish tradition. A massive 65 meter diameter arena makes it one of the largest sites of that kind in the world. It has a simple design. Sandy area with a well-marked range,…

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The heart of Spain

In the middle of Spain Rabbit pate topped with walnuts and garlic butter with shrimp Spain is a voluptuous country. Not only because of the local Iberian cuisine. It is also a lack of haste and a slow pace of life. Its culture and casual people with their easy-going outlook on life which does not…

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Upstream Ganges river

Upstream Ganges river Loading the boat on the Ganges, Rishikesh An early morning wake-up to check-out the Star Palace Hotel. We leave our luggage to take advantage of an entire day in New Delhi. As for now we have no concept how to handle lack of connections to Varanassi. Problems should not be solved before…

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Kashmir

Kashmir Valley Shikara on Dal Lake, Srinagar Kashmir and the Pakistani-Indian border is a region of long lasting dispute. All the time the area remains restricted for visitors. Once in New Delhi we have to take obtain permission to enter Kashmir. We hire a jeep and our driver is supposed to take care of any…

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Canadian cuisine made in Asia

Canadian cuisine made in Asia Spices and herbs in Chinatown Vancouver has lots of shops, restaurants and bars, as in every big city. Both small groceries and giant shopping malls. A few decades ago wealthy Asians from Hong Kong started to buy Vancouver apartments in excessive amounts. Their investment contributed to a real estate boom.…

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Honduras and coffee plantations

Dorcia with two Honduran girls Copán is neat and peaceful town. Large variations in elevation, steep streets and plentiful palm trees make an orientation easier. Urban transport is carried out by red rickshaws ubiquitous on cobbled streets. After a long search we finally find a place resembling a bus stop. An additional difficulty to leave…

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Hidden beauty of Belize

Beach bar on the island of Caye Caulker The flight from Miami approaches the Yucatan peninsula. We land at the airport located half an hour from Belize City. Terminal looks quite unusual, more like a bus station back in the 80’s  rather than a modern establishment. People queue up waiting to be handed in their…

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Feel California Summer

Surfers in Huntington Beach Sometimes all you need is a good place to rest and spend some time with not much of wandering around. California sounds perfect. Now that I found a cheap flights the opportunity at fingertips. There remains only the task to find a good company for such a trip. In fact it…

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Mexican Operation Tequila

Mexican Operation Tequila Mexican folklore I always dreamed of a hot day in a Mexican park, sitting under a tree with a bottle of tequila in my hand and sipping it in absolutely the laziest way until late evening. .At first glance, Tijuana, a Mexican border town near San Diego, is a terrible tourist imitation…

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Heading southeast to Ukraine

Lvov Eaglets Cemetery I collect four of my friends to go to Ukraine. The train goes across Poland. It starts northwest to finish southeast, directly from Szczecin to Przemyśl, which is good as it stops in all our cities on the way. The ten hour journey to the Polish-Ukrainian border passes fairly quickly. All the…

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American Dream in New York City

Times Square by night This is my first trip to the USA. There are five of us to go. The trip will be both full of valuable experiences and shocking confrontations. Especially from the perspective of a person who previously lived in Europe only. New York is the most multicultural urban area in the world. …

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Atlantic City, the East Coast’s gambling capital

Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City Time for something a little bit different. Atlantic City is like a little Las Vegas on the east coast of USA. The city is located by the ocean. Except for a few liquor stores and a small amusement park the rest is only hotels and casinos. Names of the…

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Lithuania and Latvia

Recreation center, around Vilnius I visit Eastern Poland quite often with my family. This time my dad thought of visiting his cousin which he haven’t seen for about forty years. That’s pretty long period of time, isn’t it? Mati, a friend of mine, joins us and we set off for the trip to Lithuania. Sometime…

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Prague and the land of cheap beer

Idyllic views off the main road Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. Despite the recent emergence of hordes of tourists still quite an interesting place with varied historical architecture. However, it is a rich and extensive nightlife that makes every visitor to get to know two sides of the city. In the daylight the…

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