ROMANIA: Libearty Bear Sanctuary

Romania has the largest population of wild brown bears in Europe outside of Russia.

It is estimated that there are over 10,000 brown bears, found primarily in the Carpathian Mountains in central Romania.

Sadly, at one time it was common to see brown bears kept in cages as tourist attractions outside of restaurants, gas stations and hotels, or, dressed up performing in zoos, or, in cages as private family novelties.

When Romania joined the EU in 2007 bear captivity in Romania was banned.

Luckily, many of those captive bears ended up in sanctuaries like the 135 hectares (over 330 acres) Libearty Bear Sanctuary in Padureni, which now houses over 130 rescued bears in large forested enclosures.

HUNGARY: Historical Villages and Old Town Squares

Many of Hungary's cities date back  hundreds of years.

We always enjoy going into the historic old towns because they are so interesting and different from where we grew up.

In Canada, buildings that date from the late 1800’s or early 1900’s are “old” for us.

So, buildings or old town squares that go back hundreds of years are fascinating.

Hungary has some very cute old town squares that date back to the Middle Ages, and now they also combine the history with current trends.

Following are a couple of highlights from Hungarian old historical towns, Eger, Pecs, Kőszeg and Győr.

HUNGARY: From Cave Dwellings to Palatial Palaces

For some unknown reason, I always find it interesting to see how people live.

While we were in Hungary we got to see both ends of the economic housing continuum.

Outside of Egar, in Eastern Hungary, we saw cave dwellings made from abandoned quarries where incredibly poor people lived.

And at the other end of the continuum, near the Austrian border, we saw the Versailles of Romania.

HUNGARY: Wine Making in Tokaj

The Tokaj wine region is in northeastern Hungary, near the Slovakian border, around the town of Tokaj.

It is a historic wine-growing region of rolling hills and small villages where the Bodrog and Tisza rivers meet.

Wine has been produced here since at least the Middle Ages, around the 12th–13th centuries.

The Tokaj region produces both dry and sweet white wines, but is especially famous for Tokaji Aszú, a sweet wine made from grapes affected by Botrytis cinerea, known as “noble rot.”

In 2002, the Tokaj wine region was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its historic vineyards, villages and wine-making traditions.

HUNGARY: The Impressive Parliament Building on the Danube River

The Hungarian Parliament Building in Budapest sits on the eastern bank of the Danube River.

The building is impressive because of its enormous size, making it an iconic image of Budapest.

The colossal building is about 268 metres (880 feet) long and has nearly 700 rooms, making it one of the largest parliament buildings in the world!

Construction began in 1885 and was completed almost 20 years later in 1904.

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.