CZECH REPUBLIC: Storybook Scene out of a Fairytale

Every time I stepped out of my hotel into Old Town Prague I felt like I was walking into a storybook fairytale.

Prague’s Old Town (Staré Město) is the historic heart of Prague, centered around the famous Old Town Square.

Many of the buildings date from the Middle Ages through the 18th century.

 The square has been the scene of markets, celebrations, political events and, at times, executions.

Czech Republic: Time Waits for No One

If you’re in Prague a great meeting spot is in front of the Astronomical clock, one of Prague’s best-known landmarks.

The Astronomical Clock, known as the Orloj, was installed on the Old Town Hall in 1410, making it one of the oldest operating astronomical clocks in the world.

POLAND: Wawel Castle in Krakow

Wawel Castle sits on Wawel Hill overlooking the Vistula River in Krakow.

For centuries it was the home of Polish kings and where they were crowned and buried.

The castle began as a medieval residence and was rebuilt and expanded over time, especially during the 16th century.

And then for political reasons, in 1596, the King moved the royal court from Kraków to Warsaw.

After that, Polish kings were still crowned and buried at Wawel Cathedral and the city remained the traditional royal and religious centre of Poland.

POLAND: The Historic City of Krakow

Krakow is an historic and beautiful city in southern Poland.

It sits on the Vistula River and has been the country’s "royal capital" for centuries.

The Main Market Square (Rynek Główny) is the centre of the historic city.

It has existed since medieval times and has one of Europe's largest medieval squares.

The Historic Centre of Kraków became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, one of the first sites ever placed on the list.

TURKIYE: Sailing in the Turquoise Coast on the Southern Shores of Türkiye

What better way to end our time in Türkiye than sailing on the southern Turquoise Coast on the Mediterranean Sea.

Türkiye's Turquoise Coast runs along the southwestern Mediterranean coast, from around Antalya west toward Muğla and Bodrum. 

It gets its name from the unusually clear, blue-green water.

We had just spent 18 days on the northern Black Sea coast, which is green, wet, with villages, tea plantations and dramatic mountain scenery.

In contrast, we then flew down to the southern Turquoise Coast where it is sunny, dry, HOT, beach-oriented, with ancient ruins and lots of tourism.

Both have their own charms.

TURKIYE: Turkish Faces and Hospitality

When we were along the Black Sea coast in northern Türkiye, despite language challenges, we met some of the friendliest, nicest and most generous people.

I will post photos of some of the people that graciously posed for me. 

This lady, with a farmers stall at the Amasra's Women's Market, agreed to let me take her picture. 

I finally coaxed a reserved smile out of her. 

After I took her photo and showed it to her, she offered me a taste of some of her fruit.

She must have been satisfied with my efforts.

TURKIYE: Tea Cultivation

Turkish tea (çay, pronounced chai) is the country's most popular drink. 

The average person in Türkiye drinks several cups a day, making the country one of the world's highest tea consumers per person.

Most Turkish tea is grown around the city of Rize on Türkiye's eastern Black Sea coast on the steep mountain slopes.

The region's mild, rainy climate is ideal for growing tea, and it produces nearly all of the country's tea.

TURKIYE: Mystic Mountains and Living Simply

In Turkey's mountain regions a yayla is a high-altitude summer pasture and seasonal settlement.

Traditionally, families would move themselves and their livestock from the lowlands to the cooler lush mountain pastures for about 3–5 months during the summer.

They stay in simple wooden or stone houses, graze animals, make products like cheese, butter and yogurt, and then return to the lowlands before winter.

TURKIYE: Coffee Culture

It seems that in most places we have traveled to, coffee is part of the culture, in some way or another.

In Türkiye, drinking Turkish coffee is a social tradition.

Turkish coffee is different by how it is prepared and served, rather than by the type of coffee bean used.

Turkish coffee is concentrated and served in small cups, similar in size to espresso, but it has a different texture because the coffee isn't filtered.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I am not a coffee drinker, so, I have to rely on what coffee aficionados (i.e. John) tells me.

TURKIYE: Sümela Monastery

Sümela Monastery is dramatically perched on a sheer cliff 300 metres (1,000 feet) above the valley below, in the Pontic Mountains near Trabzon, northern Türkiye.

It was founded in the 4th century AD, making it one of the oldest monasteries in the region.

The monastery was built into the cliff for a combination of religious, practical and defensive reasons.

Sümela Monastery is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and was an important center of Greek Orthodox Christianity, in primarily a Muslim country, for more than 1,500 years.

TURKIYE: Horma Canyon

The Horma Canyon hike, in Küre Mountains National Park, is a scenic walk in northern Türkiye.

The walk follows an elevated wooden boardwalk that winds through the narrow gorge above the Zarı Stream.

With the suspended wooden platforms it reminded me a little bit of the Caminito del Rey that we did in Spain at the end of last year.

 

TURKIYE: Preserved Ottoman Old Towns

Our next footsteps led us to the northern part of Türkiye along the Black Sea coast.

The Ottomans controlled the area since the mid 1400’s, and held it for roughly 450 years, until WW1.

We stopped in Safranbolu, slightly inland, with a well preserved old Ottoman city.

The name Safranbolu comes from saffron, which has traditionally been cultivated in the surrounding area.

By the 17th century Safranbolu had become a prosperous city as a trading and stopping point on the East–West caravan route between Anatolia and the Black Sea, part of the wider Silk Road network.

Safranbolu is a UNESCO World Heritage site because so much of the old town has survived.

 

PERU: The Stunning Northern Coastline

We had visited the Must-See places in Peru and wanted to get off the beaten track.

We figured the northern coastline would fit the bill.

The northern coast is a very different experience from the Andes mountains, with warm sunny weather, freshly caught seafood and sandy beaches.

We flew to Trujillo and rented a car to drive about 600km (360 miles) north up the coast.

We passed through fertile farm land and also dry desert stretches to reach Mancora. 

PERU: The Mysterious Machu Pichu

Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel built high in the Andes mountains of Peru.

It sits at around 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) above sea level, surrounded by steep green mountains, clouds and valleys, creating a dramatic landscape.

Historians still debate exactly what it was used for. Perhaps a royal retreat, or perhaps a religious center, or perhaps a ceremonial place.

The unanswered questions add to its mystery.

PERU: High on Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in South America.

It is also one of the highest navigable lakes in the world, sitting at about 3,812 metres (12,500 feet) above sea level.

It is in the Andes and shared between Peru and Bolivia.

For centuries, the lake has been home to Indigenous communities that still maintain traditional farming, fishing, weaving and ceremonies.