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Is That a UFO on top of a Bulgarian Mountain? No, It’s Buzludzha!
An unknowing traveler might momentarily imagine an alien space ship as the flying saucer-shaped structure appears at the crest of a barren hill.
Named for the mountain on which it “landed,” Buzludzha (buzz-lud’-ja) served as a grand and lavishly appointed ceremonial headquarters for communist leaders from throughout Bulgaria and the Soviet Union for a brief period of time. Of the six core Eastern European countries comprising the USSR’s “satellite countries” (politically independent, but closely aligned), Bulgaria was considered the closest to the Soviet regime in Moscow.
We Sail India’s Ganges River in Search of the Bengal Tiger
India. The name evokes a range of reactions and emotions, from wondrous and magical to crowded, noisy, and poor. From my seven trips to the subcontinent, I can confirm that India exhibits both extremes. I’ve made my own peace with this dichotomy, allowing myself to experience the rich aspects of this 5000-year-old civilization and culture that fall in between the extremes. The sum of these experiences has greatly impacted my life and opened my eyes to a broader way of being in life.
The Netherlands’ Keukenhof Gardens Dazzles with Acres of Spring Blooms
Amsterdam Central Station is a ten-minute walk from Dam Square, the city’s center plaza. Built in 1889, the stately Gothic and Renaissance Revival structure suggests a medieval cathedral, according to civic architects. About 180,000 passengers daily rush through its doors and off to other destinations in the Netherlands and to cities throughout Europe.
Travel Recommendations for Discovering Central Asia’s Spectacular Treasures
Our nineteen-day itinerary to visit Central Asia’s Stans countries proved to be the trip of a lifetime. Every day revealed new cultural experiences that amazed, thrilled, challenged and opened my eyes to an unknown world to me. Excuse the borrowed locational reference, but I felt I was living One Thousand and One Arabian Nights, and every day Scheherazade revealed a fresh magical story.
The Silk Road’s History Conjures Exotic Daydreams
We scheduled our nineteen-day journey to the far-off lands of the fabled Silk Road countries in Central Asia six months before our departure with Bestway Tours and Safaris. But I always begin planning way before that, and this journey required more thoughtfulness about the possible destinations. Part of embarking on any exotic expedition involves researching the internet; reading fiction books, non-fiction articles and guide books; and studying maps to set priorities for sight-seeing. Of course, I learn so much more once I’m on the ground submersed in the local culture. Yet understanding the history of a place and the dynamic influences that shaped it gives context for the real time experiences. Let’s look at what happened there over the centuries.
Kyrgyzstan’s Eagle Hunters Preserve an Ancient Cultural Practice
With four-inch razor-sharp talons, she grasps the leather glove that covers the trainer’s hand and forearm. Her large, protruding eyes peer fiercely, as she swivels her head to survey the surrounding landscape in search of movement along the ground. Her prominent curved black beak ends in a sharp hook, useful for piercing, tearing, and shredding fur, flesh, and bones. Golden brown feathers circle her neck, crown and shoulders, while dark chocolate brown plumage covers the rest of this huge raptor. The majestic golden eagle flaps and spreads her wings, showing off her six-and-a-half-foot span.
All Hell Breaks Loose at Turkmenistan’s Darvaza Gas Crater
You’ll find it on lists of “The Oddest Places in the World to Visit.” The gigantic hole in the desert floor is on fire, and it’s been burning continuously since 1971. Measuring 200-230 feet in diameter and about 100 feet deep, the “Gates of Hell” presents a spectacular, supernatural scene at night, an eerily glowing, gaping maw against the surrounding pitch black Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan.
Three Winning Perennials Attract Attention in My Spring Garden
The verdant shades of new growth in spring always promise a bountiful growing season in my Mid-Atlantic American garden (Zone 7b). Spring inspires the “visions of sugar plums” kind of fantasy; gardeners imagine vibrant colors, beautiful arrangements, succulent fruits and vegetables, and tasty herbs that we will enjoy and share into early fall.
Mid-Century Modern Architectural Style Promised a Bright Future for Fort Lauderdale and Palm Springs
Basic design elements of the Mid-Century Modern (MCM) style represent a radical departure from styles preceding it. Architectural lines are clean, a departure from the ornate, traditional ornamentation of previous styles. Instead, bold geometric shapes characterize both exterior and interior spaces. Floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass doors in offices and homes create strong connections to the outdoors. Bright colors and natural materials like stone and wood, as well as concrete and glass, embody this architectural mode.
Romania’s Merry Cemetery: Finding Humor In Death
What’s so funny about death?! After all, it’s no laughing matter, right? The ritual trappings of death in our western culture demand solemnity, as we lay to rest the recently expired and speak only of the best aspects of their earthly lives.
Eye-Popping Fall Scenery Dazzles Along the Mohawk Trail
Red maples, red oaks, sugar maples, sweetgums, sassafras trees, and ashes are among the most colorful October show-offs. The 69-mile Mohawk Trail now Route 2, winds its way from the New York border in northwestern Massachusetts east to Millers Falls on the Connecticut River. Indeed, originally the trail was a major east/west footpath for the Mohawk and other Native American tribes.
A Fall Road Trip to the Hudson Valley and Berkshires Stimulates the Senses
The Valley holds substantial riches. Majestic rolling landscapes form the banks of the river. quaint towns and villages charm travelers. Stately mansions of the nineteenth and early twentieth century’s rich and famous industrialists and a former U.S. president dot the river’s east side. Historic formal and contemporary gardens exemplify horticultural excellence. Public and private collections of historic and contemporary art surprise and excite visitors.
Traveling to Portugal: Douro Valley and Porto
I learned to drive with a manual transmission on a used 1960 Vauxhall and still enjoy a “stick shift” when driving in Europe. So it was, with our white Fiat hatchback rental. We packed our bags, loaded them in the trunk, and headed northeast out of Lisbon, towards the Douro River Valley. I “popped the clutch” a few times with lurches and stalls, but once I settled into the Fiat’s rhythm of gears, it was (mostly) smooth sailing on the good road
Traveling to Portugal: Lisbon & Sintra
Before I travel to someplace new, I pour over guidebooks, read travelers’ reviews, absorb its history, anticipate new regional dishes, and learn a little of the local language. Somehow, I still wasn’t prepared for Portugal’s unhurried ambience, its genuine friendliness and cultural sophistication, its rich and handsome architectural history, and its diverse natural beauty. After spending years on page two of European travel destinations, Portugal emerged
June is Gardeners’ Most Celebrated Month
“June is bustin’ out all over!” So goes the refrain of the Rodgers and Hammerstein’s tune from the Broadway musical Carousel. For weddings, Father’s Day, high school graduations, and now the annual celebration of emancipation from slavery, June brings the most beautiful weather of the year.
A Ferry Ride to Southern Italy’s Amalfi Cathedral
Crew members secure the ferry to Amalfi’s dock and lower the gangplank. I disembark, along with my tour companions, after the 45-minute sail from the town of Positano along Southern Italy’s acclaimed Amalfi Coast. We pass the queue of tourists and locals eager to board the boat and grab our now empty seats for the continued trip farther down the coast to Salerno and beyond.
Sailing Through Isle of Capri’s Faraglioni Rocks
One of three rocks off the Isle of Capri in the Bay of Naples, the trio are faraglioni, or sea stacks, coastal and oceanic formations eroded over centuries by wind and water. Waves bored a giant hole through the center of mezzo, large enough so that modest-sized pleasure crafts can sail through safely.
A Chance Encounter in
Santiago de Cuba Rewards Me
I get up early and leave the casa particular (a Cuban version of Air B&B) in Santiago de Cuba on the island’s east end to sit in the Parque Cespedes to write in my journal. The bright sun already begins to heat up the humid mid-summer air. In a short while, three of us will embark on a weeklong cross-country road trip to Havana with our hired driver Umberto at the wheel in his late model Toyota.
Shopping in Naples: The Grand Galleria Umberto I
This city kid has never been a fan of traditional shopping malls. I like open streets lined with stores where I enter a different environment as I step through a shop’s door. A mall’s artificial atmosphere is a fake experience.
Mount Vesuvius: Italy’s Sleeping God of Fire
After an eye-opening visit to the incredibly preserved ruins of Pompeii in southern Italy’s Campania region, we decide to climb that city’s destroyer five miles away, Mount Vesuvius. A popular activity for tourists and locals alike, hundreds of climbers make the trek daily to peer into the volcano’s caldera.