In brief: The surprise of discovery often stirs us in our travels. Uncovering remnants of Thracian culture along the Black Sea was a perfect example. Votive marble frieze The Thracians occupied more a spot on…
Glacial flow, Rila Mts We drove a leisurely loop around much of Bulgaria, which is roughly 500 km by 350 km (320 by 220 mi), and found so much enjoyable both in town and countryside.…
Grand boulevards, leafy parks of all sizes, pedestrian streets lined with bars and restaurants, majestic turn-of-the-century buildings, cafes and narrow streets...Sofia, like all sizable European cities, offers these impressive and delightful resources - for its…
In brief: Mongolia’s people, homes and even its landscape are naturally on the move. They say that the morin khuur, a traditional ladle-shaped Mongolian stringed instrument topped by a carved horse’s head, sounds like a…
In brief: The layers of history that emerge in Plovdiv provide a multi-faceted charm we couldn't resist. Bulgaria's second city Plovdiv - set on seven hills, 150 kilometers east of Sofia - has been called…
In brief: In Mongolia’s capital city, known as UB, old values like the Buddhist faith have found new strength and the new is slowly transforming daily life. Ulaan Baatar – or UB, as the capital…
In brief: The 17th c. monk Zanabazar has become a fitting hero for the newly independent Mongolian people, one whose legacy has been spiritual, practical and artistic. Born in 1635 in Tibet, Undur Gegeen Zanabazar…
Sometimes the least traveled places can be the most interesting, even in tough conditions. On a dark, bitterly cold day, we went to Kolomenskoye Park at the outskirts of Moscow because of the ravine. The…
View of old Lisbon from Sao Vicente We had seen quite a lot of Lisbon and its surrounding towns when we first visited in the fall of 2017. This time we kept quite busy with…
Waiting in Moscow for a few days before beginning a rail trip across Siberia, we were pleasantly surprised to see the old city in such fine shape. We had not been here for 25 years…