Europe
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Linderhof Palace
With the beautiful Balavarian Alps in the backdrop, Linderhof Palace looks specutacular.
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Barcelona’s Chocolate Museum
I had never heard of a chocolate museum, until I starting reading about Barcelona’s tourist attractions. A chocolate museum! How cool is that? Without any hesitation, I put Barcelona’s Museu de la Xocolata on our World Trip travel itinerary. At the chocolate museum, we spent an hour or so, learning about the origins of chocolate in Europe and looking at some awesome chocolate exhibits. I was truly impressed by the details and creativity of each of the exhibits. Below are some of the chocolate displays we saw during our visit. At the end of our tour, we treated ourselves to hot chocolate. We were given a spoon with our cup…
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The Yanartas: The Flames that Never Stop Burning!
We waited patiently all day. As soon as it started getting dark, a group of us grabbed our flashlights and began ascending the rocky mountain. We were in southwestern Turkey, near a town called Cirali, about to witness a phenomenal natural wonder, the Chimera Flames. In Turkish these fires, which have been burning for thousands of years, are called Yanartas. The Yanartas, never stop burning! These flames are said to be fueled by methane gas, which is released from the vents on the rocky mountain. There are about a dozen of these extraordinary eternal flames burning constantly. It is best to see the Yanartas at night when it is possible…
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A Day in Pamukkale, Turkey
We woke up early and headed to Pamukkale, a small city located in southwestern Turkey. This city has become a popular tourist destination for its incredible hot springs and travertines. These picturesque terraces are made of travertine, a sedimentary rock deposited by water from the hot springs. In Pamukkale, there are 17 hot water springs with temperatures ranging from 35 °C to 100 °C. Before visiting the terraces, we toured around the ancient Byzantine city of Hierapolis, which is now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We made another detour at a Turkish market. In this photograph, the vendor is bagging Turkish delights. We thought the Turkish delights were…
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Quaint German Towns in the Harz Mountains
Some of the most picturesque towns I have seen were in central Germany. Wernigerode and Quedlinburg are two small but quaint towns located in the Harz Mountains. These two towns were particularly memorable for their unique and cozy looking timber buildings and beautifully paved walkways. After spending a night in a cozy half-timbered house, we woke up early to some wonderful German hospitality and breakfast. It was not long before we were strolling leisurely around Wernigerode. The atmosphere in the streets was very peaceful and pleasant. There were plenty of unique cafes and patios everywhere in this small town. This is Wernigerode’s Town Hall. This is a market area located…
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The Enchanting Castles near Fussen, Germany
We had decided to stay in Fussen for a few days while we explored the Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenschwangau Castle. These two castles are some of the most popular and beautiful castles in all of Germany. Fussen is a small town located in Bavaria, Germany. While in Fussen we walked aimlessly through the open fields, simply enjoying the beautiful landscape. In the evening, Fussen is just as beautiful with its glowing sunset spreading across the sky and high above the mountains. We could have rode a horse up the hill to Neuschwanstein Castle, but instead opted to walk up the steep hill. Upon approaching the castle, I was instantly awed…
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Spain’s Cruel Bullfighting
This is Madrid’s famous bullfighting arena, Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas. It is regarded as the home of bullfighting in Spain. Typically between April and September, bullfighting events are held every Sunday throughout Spain. During special festivals like San Isidro and San Fermin for example, bullfighting events are held daily. It is interesting to note, the price of the ticket depends on whether you choose to sit in the sun or shade. The higher prices are for the shaded seats. As I entered my first bullfighting event in Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, I really didn’t know how I would feel about this experience. Usually the bullfighting lasts…
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Partying at Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany
When we were organizing the itinerary for our one year World Trip, we planned it so we would end up in Munich, Germany during Oktoberfest. But, what we didn’t plan for were our accommodations. When traveling, we usually never booked our accommodations in advance because we figured we will somehow find a place, which we always did. However, when we arrived to Munich, it was next to impossible to find accommodations. We should have known better. After all, thousands of people from all over the globe were flocking to Munich for one of the world’s largest drinking parties. Luckily we did manage to find a campsite, and put up a…
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Stunning Cappadocia, Turkey
This is beautiful Cappadocia in Turkey. This region is formed of soft rocks made by volcanic deposits. It was absolutely amazing to see how people historically carved out spaces for their homes, churches, and monasteries from these rocks. Cappadocia, with its natural beauty and huge monasteries, was simply picturesque. We had the fortune to meet some knowledgeable young boys, who toured us around the monasteries. The spaces were extremely small, and walking from one room to another was definitely challenging. It was hard to believe how people once inhabited these spaces. This was one of the most amazing places we visited during our 3 weeks in Turkey.
