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Europe Summer 2023

May - September 2023
  • Ella Balagula
A 110-day adventure by Ella Read more
  • Ella Balagula
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  • Slovenia Slovenia
  • Tajikistan Tajikistan
  • Uzbekistan Uzbekistan
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  • Ella BalagulaTravelerEurope Summer 2023

    Tashkent

    August 26, 2023 in Uzbekistan ⋅ 🌙 31 °C

    We spent an afternoon in Tashkent, as our transition point. We went to one of the beautiful parks, and rode Tashkent metro. The stations built during the Soviet times are stunning - each decorated in a different theme. We then had delicious dinner at Afsona, tasting our first plov and manti of the Central Asian trip!Read more

  • Ella BalagulaTravelerEurope Summer 2023
    Open air part of the mosques called aivan
    First introduction to tbe gorgeous blue mayelica tiles of UzbekistanInterestingly, there is a small Mennonite museum of the once large amish population hereOld mosque with 280 wooden columnsDinner on the rooftop terrace

    Uzbekistan - Khiva

    August 27, 2023 in Uzbekistan ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We took a very early morning flight from Tashkent to Urgench and then a 40 min taxi ride to Khiva. There, we met our guide and spent a few hours walking the old town. Khiva was a very very old town, but it was mostly destroyed in 13th century by Gingis Khan during the Mongol invasion. It was then rebuilt in the 18th century. There are city walls that are made of mud and straw and they get updated almost every year as they are very vulnerable to the elements. We saw many Medresses which were Islam religious schools for boys. And we even saw one still functioning medresses where one can study to become an imam. In the evening we had a wonderful dinner on a rooftop terrace overlooking the old town.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaTravelerEurope Summer 2023
    Lone train in the dessert
    Caravansaray where we had dinnerOne of many hand carved beautiful Bukhara doorsLively Lyabi Havuz squareStatue of Hodja Nassredin - local equivalent of Robin Hood. His stories were very popular in USSR

    Arriving to Bukhara

    August 28, 2023 in Uzbekistan ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We departed Khiva early in the morning and rode for 7 hours in the car across the dessert to Bukhara. Once in Bukhara, we walked around the main square centered around the Lyabi Havuz, or main 17th century pool which people used to wash and drink. We had dinner at Joy lounge which is based in the former caravansaray - or guesthouses that were used by the tired caravans traveling the old Silk Route.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaTravelerEurope Summer 2023
    Absolutely stunning mayelica tileworkThe Ark - citadel of the Emirs10th century Mausoleum of the Simonides with incredible brick patternsVarious brick patternsMarionets in the puppet workshop10th century Minaret with the incredible brick workHammam that I went toOur room in the 17th century jewish merchant house

    Bukhara

    August 29, 2023 in Uzbekistan ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Today we took a 5 hour walking tour around the old city of Bukhara. It was quite incredible to learn about the layers of history. Bukhara is very old town in the Sill Route but only three buildings remain from the 10th century because the rest of the city was completely destroyed by Gingis Khan. Then the city was rebuilt during Amir Timur times in 15th century. The last emir was in early 20th century - he ran away from the Bolsheviks to Afghanistan. There are many stunning Medresses but also some uniquely gorgeous minaret and mausoleum made from the bricks, with different brick patterns. Old city is so beautiful with the labyrinth of narrow streets and a large Jewish quarter. Sadly, most Bukhara Jews left in the 90s. There is one synagogue bug it was closed. In the evening I went to the hammam, and took pictures of the minaret and Medresses in the dark.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaTravelerEurope Summer 2023
    A quick breakfast photoshoog in a traditional costume in our hotel breakfast restaurant
    Decorations in the emir's summer residenceThe emir's palace had peacocks brought from Iran, wnd they still procreate and florishInteresting decorations - stars of david were commonly and freely used as Islam saw David as KingGraves in the Chor Bakr necropolisMosque as part of the necropolis complexBukhara central train station from the Soviet timesMajestic RegistanEvery square inch is covered by the tile work

    Outside of Bukhara; Registan at night

    August 30, 2023 in Uzbekistan ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    In the morning, we took a taxi to the summer residence of the last emir. It was a very beautiful “dacha” with exquisite decorations and lavish displays of the many gifts that emir received from various emissaries. We then went to another interesting site - a necropolis of many 10th century graves of the prophet Mohammed relatives, named Chor Bakr. It was a very quiet and peaceful place, and our guide, a local woman, displayed reverence over this sacred place. After the tour, we left to the train station and took a high speed train to Samarkand. We arrived to Samarkand in the evening, and stayed right next to its main square, the Registan. We went to see the three Medresses of this square in the dark, and enjoyed the music and light show of traditional songs, with the colorful lights dancing across the majestic buildings.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaTravelerEurope Summer 2023

    Samarkand - Bibi Hanum and Shah-i-Zinda

    August 31, 2023 in Uzbekistan ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Today we went on a tour of Samarkand. Interestingly, unlike Bukhara old city, which is concentrated in a small walkable area, Samarkand sites are spread out, so our guide took us around in a car. Samarkand is an overwhelming feast for eyes and soul. The sparkling beauty of the tile work on soaring Medresses and mausoleums is just incomparable. You can imagine how the tired caravan leaders who arrived to this crossroads oasis on the Silk Road, felt, after traveling for weeks across the mountains and deserts. We first went to the mosque named after Bibi Hanum - she was the favorite and most powerful wife of Timur (Tamerlane). He married her because she was the great granddaughter of Gingis Khan and he wanted to connect with the Mongol empire. We then went to the mausoleums of Shah-i-Zinda - many smaller mausoleums cramped together on the hill, in a stunning alleyway. Every square inch covered by the title work of intricate patterns and Arabic calligraphy is incredible, and so are the translations of the poetry on the buildings. Every corner and every building demanded to be photographed!Read more

  • Ella BalagulaTravelerEurope Summer 2023
    Huge anount of gold leaves covers every swuare inchSynagogue outsideBeautiful door with the mezuzaMany old prayer books

    Samarkand Tour - Part 2

    August 31, 2023 in Uzbekistan ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    After Shah_i-Zinda, we drove to the mausoleum of Amir Timur (Tamerlane). If a stunning building, with several tombs inside - the back granite tomb of Timur and the rest of some of his family members, including his grandson Ulugbek, the famous astronomer and scientist. And interesting story - in June 1941, Russian anthropologist Gerasimov, opened all the graves in order to study the bodies. The public was against it, saying that it would bring a curse. Indeed, 2 days later, Nazi Germany invaded Soviet Union - you can decide for yourself whether this was a coincidence! Afterwards, we went to the Plov Center (yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like!) and had a huge bowl of delicious plov! We then stopped by at the only remaining synagogue in Samarkand. Sadly, it does not have services anymore, because there are only about 100 Jews left, mostly old, and there is no minyan. We then went back to Registan as the sun was setting, and visited the gold covered mosque inside one of the three Medresses. Later, we had dinner of one of the best shashliks I ever had at a local place,cafe Bobur.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaTravelerEurope Summer 2023
    Tbe border
    The roadstand of the popular Tajik treat - salty and crumbly cheese like substanceThe horizon became covered in the fog caused by the sand storm from AfganistanIncredible watermelons and melons are part of my every meal here

    Drive to Dushanbe

    September 1, 2023 in Uzbekistan ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Today we had a long transfer from Samarkand to Dushanbe. We first took a taxi to the Uzbekistan-Tajikistan border, which took about an hour. From there, we walked and crossed the border on foot, which involved many customs and passport control checks. We then took a 20-min taxi to Penjakent, and from there took a car for 4-hour ride to Dushanbe. The ride was through stunning and rugged mountain scenery, including 5-km ride through the scariest tunnel I’ve ever been in - no lights, just a narrow dark dugout long tunnel.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaTravelerEurope Summer 2023
    Cottage cheese paradiseMounds of thinly sliced carrots used for plovFamous tajik tandor breadKids playing in an "arik" or water channel nearby the general area where i livedNearby school - kids still wear uniform, with tajik flag as their neckties, instead of soviet redOpera and Ballet theater where I perfomed once with the children ballet groupThe dining room in the sanatorium that i rememberedThe walkway near the sanatorium- exactly as on the picture that i haveThe house where we lived in KaltuchCurrent residents of our old apartment who have been living there since 1981

    Dushanbe and Kaltuch

    September 2, 2023 in Tajikistan ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Today we started the day by visiting the main Dushanbe market. The old outdoor Green Market has been closed about 7 years ago, and instead, a clean big indoor market has been built - in my view, taking away the magic authenticity of the central Asian bazar. We then spent a couple of hours asking old people in the market and the streets about the “communal apartment building of the shoe factory”, which is the only “address” that I remember from when we lived in Dushanbe in early 1980s. We didn’t find the exact building, but got somewhat close to the general area, before giving up the search. We then hired a car with the driver that took us to Kaltuch - the nearby village with the sanatorium where we lived for a year in 1979. It was a very fruitful trip - we saw the sanatorium, which is still functional, albeit extremely rundown, and I remembered many spots both from my memory and from the old photos I had. A very powerful and meaningful experience!Read more

  • Ella BalagulaTravelerEurope Summer 2023
    Bust of the Tajik ballerina popular in the Soviet times - I remember worshipping her!10th century Muhrab from a mosque in BukharaOne of the numerous portraits of the President - his eyes follow you everywhere!Once, the tallest flagpole in the world (until 2010)11The President is literally everywhere1Outside of the building that used to be a Palace of the Young Pioneers where i took ballet classesInside the Palace of the Young PioneersView into the modern history museumThe seat of the President look exactly like the White House (and it is called the same!)Beautiful Tajik dance

    Dushanbe - exploring the city

    September 3, 2023 in Tajikistan ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Today, we had a free day in Dushanbe and walked around. First, we visited the history museum, which had a nice small collection starting with the Stone Age artifacts from the region. There was a huge reconstructed statue of a reclining Buddha made from clay, uncovered near Pamir mountains. Fascinating how there are layers of history and religions here, with Buddhism at some point spreading into this part of the Silk Road. We then went to a huge and beautiful museum that covered tajik history but also had an interesting view into the recent and modern times, including large exhibitions dedicated to the current president who has been in power for 30 years! We then had a nice lunch in a local eatery and walked around some modern grandiose boulevards, parks and monuments. In the evening we went to a restaurant with live singer and a folk dancing show - both the food and performance were great!Read more

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