Stephanie is a friend and fellow blogger from the US who now lives in Europe. She combined her love for history and travel by creating HistoryFangirl.com where someone can read all about her adventures around the globe and her passion for history. She is also a great photographer and maintains a regular podcast worth listening.…
Deep in the heart of Greece, at the north western edge of the fertile Thessalian plain, is a place of mystical awe and medieval mystery. Meteora is the plural of a Greek adjective meaning “hovering above ground.” This word perfectly describes a number of monasteries that are built on the top of monumental monoliths made…
The Return Day 7 Last day of hiking and our luck had eventually run out. Outside it was pouring and the gloomy horizon wasn’t showing any sign of improvement. Originally, we had planned to hike back to Monodentri through Vitsa but even though we could still go—rain or not, we just preferred to take it…
Photo Story All cities have character but not all cities have “characters” as Bruce Gilden likes to call them. Some cities aren’t very photogenic at first glance and some cities show it off on every corner. Tel Aviv definitely belongs to the latter and I fully took advantage of it during the three days I…
A Day in Tel Aviv It was my second day in Tel Aviv and I had decided to devote it mostly to street photography. In order to do that I would visit two of the city’s greatest sites, the Hayarkon Park and the famous city promenade. I would start at the east part of the…
The Break Day 6 Even though today would be something like a day off. We still agreed to walk for a couple of hours, so that our legs wouldn’t get stiff. The guys from Hikes4all had arranged a small route to Dilofo village just to stretch a bit. After having lunch there, a car would…
The Viewpoint Day 5 Our fifth day in Zagori started with a hearty rural breakfast. It was splendid with five types of homemade jam and cheese produced by the owners among other things. You just can’t beat top ingredients no matter what you cook out of them. The day’s hike was simple and fairly…
Tel Aviv wasn’t exactly in my plans this year, but since I was in Jerusalem for a conference I grabbed the opportunity to stay for a couple of days. Tel Aviv Yafo, as its full name is, was founded by Jewish immigrants at the beginning of the 20th century just north of the ancient port…
The Descent Day 4 It was pitch–dark and I could only hear the intense activity that took place in the refuge. Time was half past six and most people were already up, getting dressed and fixing their equipment. Me and Veronika were the last ones as usual. The majority would cross Mt. Tymfi and get…
The Ascent Day 3 I waited five minutes for the alarm to ring, then I quietly got dressed and went out. Darkness was still covering Mikro Papingo as I was navigating through its narrow alleys. Outside the gate, Astraka towers looked imposing above the tiny village. Rogovo As I was walking the only road leaving…
Known by everyone and roamed by few, the legendary Mt. Olympus may not be a popular destination, but it is one of the few big mountains in Europe where, at least on weekdays, one can still hike in peace and…
Deep in the heart of Cyprus and away from its blazing coastal line, the luxuriant forest of Machairas thrives against the arid climate of the subtropical Mediterranean island. Especially known to the Christian world for the homonymous monastery that was…
I’d never intended to visit Kinsale, but more times than not, unexpected encounters prove to be the most fruitful. Wandering around the gloomy city of Cork for a couple of days, I was scouting the county for a gripping seascape…
Deep in the Small Cold valley, resting at the edge of a cirque, Teryho chata has been weathering the abrupt summer storms and blinding winter blizzards of High Tatras for more than a century. Built in 1899, by the Hungarian…
The forecast said it was going to snow, and indeed, thick flakes had started to fall with the first light of the day. I was looking at them slowly drifting down, layering the dark cobblestone outside the window, thinking what…
Bratislava has an array of excellent museums and galleries to visit, but the most prominent, in my opinion, is actually a few kilometers outside the Slovakian capital, where the borders of Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria meet. There, engulfed in a…