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Europe and the 5 stans
  • Tanya Dalziel

Europe and the 5 stans

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  • Tanya DalzielEurope and the 5 stansTanya Dalziel

    Fjords and waterfalls

    July 26, 2024 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    I think I saw at least 100 waterfalls!

    This was a big day from Bergen to Oslo with a fjords cruise, a visit to a viking village, and seeing an amazing Stave Church.

    I had both good luck and bad luck today. Good - I scored the front seat on the bus for the most beautiful scenery you can imagine. The bad - it poured rain on the fjords cruise and severely limited our visabity. Argh, the cruise was the main thing I wanted to see in Norway. Such is travel. 😢

    The scenery on the drive reminded me very much of Switzerland. Stunning, like heaven.

    The Stave Church was very interesting. Boat builders used their skills to make these stunning buildings when boat making was no longer needed.

    If my axe throwing is any indication, I wouldn't make it as a viking. 🤣    Read more

  • Tanya DalzielEurope and the 5 stansTanya Dalziel
    2

    Stockholm

    July 28, 2024 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    I had no preconceived idea of what Stockholm was like...it's bloody beautiful. What a lovely city.

    Sweden has more islands than any other country. Apparently, 267,570 of them! So, based on this, you can imagine Stockholm is made up of many islands.

    Amongst many other things, we visited Stockholm's narrowest street (Mårten Trotzigs gränd). It is only 90cm wide. (Photo attached)

    Sweden also has ABBA, so what more can I say? I visited the ABBA museum - fun, but a little underwhelming. 😐 Not enough music. I did manage to sing on stage with their avatars - that video will never see the light of day!!    Read more

  • Tanya DalzielEurope and the 5 stansTanya Dalziel

    Riga (Latvia)

    August 3, 2024 in Latvia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    These Baltic countries are fascinating and their people resilient. They value their independence massively as it has been hard to come by. All 3 Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) have had a troubled past, They feel massively for Ukraine, and I imagine they are scared it may be them.

    Re Putin photo - the Russian and Ukraine embassies are near each other - they are only separated by a museum. There are messages of support outside the Ukraine embassy, and it has 24-hour protection.

    Then comes the museum. At the end of the museum building, there is the Putin picture. This picture directly faces the entrance to the Russian embassy. Lots of words of protest outside the Russian village.

    Re photo of feet - I love this story. In 1989, over 2 million people held hands and formed a human chain across the 3 Baltic countries. From Tallinn, through Riga , to Vilnius. The photo shows an exact point it went through Vilnius. This chain is known as the Baltic Way or Baltic chain. It was a peaceful political protest demonstrating the people of these countries wanting their independence.    Read more

  • Tanya DalzielEurope and the 5 stansTanya Dalziel
    1

    Tallinn (Estonia)

    August 4, 2024 in Estonia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    I love seeing 'old cities' on my travels. They're so different from what I see at home, and they have so many stories to tell. However, I'm starting to get 'old city' fatigue. The same as 'church' fatigue in some parts of Europe or 'citadel' fatigue in the Middle East.

    But Tallinn, it's sooo cute! And it's a place most people don't know much about other than it being near Russia. Estonia has a low population of under 1.5 million.

    Due to their history with Russia/Soviet Union, they're a bit concerned with what's happening in Ukraine as it could happen to them. They're watching very closely!

    I did my usual early morning walk, and there were heaps of young people still out partying. One girl had no clothes on and was wearing a doona. Those were the days! 🤣    Read more

  • Tanya DalzielEurope and the 5 stansTanya Dalziel

    Hill of Crosses (Lithuania)

    August 4, 2024 in Lithuania ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    The Hill of Crosses is exactly as it sounds - a hill of crosses!! Hundreds of thousands of them on a hill in the middle of nowhere in Lithuania.

    People started putting up crosses both as a pilgrimage and as an act of defiance in 1831. There are now hundreds of thousands of them. The pictures and video don't show how many there are.

    It's an interesting story. If you want to know more, here is a link - https://kryziukalnas.lt/?id=44    Read more

  • Tanya DalzielEurope and the 5 stansTanya Dalziel

    Gdansk, Poland

    August 7, 2024 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Gdansk, you were a surprise.

    The photos make Gdansk look like an 'old town'. But, it's not. The building facades are mostly less than 15 years old. And they're just facades. Underneath lay concrete buildings.

    Most of Gdansk was destroyed in WW2. It was replaced by many soviet type buildings. Their government wanted to redevelop the area, and instead of going down the modern skyscraper route, they decided to go a different route. It's paying off. More tourists are coming, and the locals are happy.

    So, no, you can't have the same appreciation as a 'real' old town. But it still looks pretty, and the town has a lovely feel.

    While here, I went kayaking. I thought it would be the easiest of my 3 kayaks on this trip. Spoiler alert, it turned out to be the hardest. I felt like I was going to capsize the whole time as I'd move a little, and I'd almost go over. I was too scared to even move my head. 🤣

    As we kayaked the main canal, I didn't want to fall out in front of the thousands of people watching me. Really. Imagine trying to get back in while being jeered. Sorry to disappoint you all, but I survived.

    I was passed by 2 pirate ships, though. That's definitely a first. It reminds me of the time I was passed by a submarine while scuba diving. Good times. 🤣    Read more

  • Tanya DalzielEurope and the 5 stansTanya Dalziel

    Bucharest

    August 12, 2024 in Romania ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    The land of the pigeons! It's probably not nice to say that, but it's true. I had to keep dodging them as they flew around my face/head. Gross. 😝 I think they're a real problem. There's probably more of them than people!! 🤣 And, I don't think the problem will be solved anytime soon with the locals feeding them.

    Bucharest is certainly not a stunning city, but there are a number of lovely buildings, but they're spread out. They have such a range of architecture styles, all next to each other. Some not so nice.

    There are lots of buildings in disrepair. Some look like they're being renovated. Others just continue to decay under the weight of pigeon poo. 😐

    Bucharest has a claim to fame of having the biggest parliament building in the world (apparently). It's huge, with over 1000 rooms, but 70% empty.    Read more

  • Tanya DalzielEurope and the 5 stansTanya Dalziel
    2

    Transfăgărășan Hwy, including wild 🐻

    August 15, 2024 in Romania ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    One of my favourite days so far! I saw wild bears! In fact, I saw 12 of them!😍😍😍 And even more amazing, I didn't die on the road with my driver doing 150km/h while texting! 🙈

    We headed out for a 12 hour trip along the Transfăgărășan Highway. If you're a Top Gear fan, you'll know it as the world's best road. I don't know about that, but it's pretty amazing. However, the road is now a tourist attraction, so it definitely isn't as good for driving!

    Along the way, we travelled along the part famous for brown bears. And it was so special seeing them in the wild. The first two I saw were making their way down the road, trying to break into cars! They were looking for food. Unfortunately, tourists keep feeding them, and many have lost the ability to hunt . Being that tourists only come during summer, the bears end up starving to death, especially during their harsh winter. They're trying to find ways to protect them, although I don't think they're working fast enough. 😔

    Saying that, it was special to see them. And the views on the Transfăgărășan Road were amazing.

    I highly recommend this trip if you're ever in Romania!

    (The bear photos were taken from within the car.)    Read more

  • Tanya DalzielEurope and the 5 stansTanya Dalziel

    Plitvice Lakes

    August 24, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    I've wanted to go to Plitvice Lakes for a long time. I had a trip booked in 2020... we all know what happened with that trip. 😐

    For my original trip, I was going independently. I'd booked accommodation at the Gate 1 entrance, and I planned to be the first one there. It was also meant to be early summer, meaning higher water and better waterfalls.

    This time, I was with a large group, later in the morning, entering Gate 2 and during late summer. I also had limited time. I really hate crowds of tourists... even though I am one! 🤣

    So, although I enjoyed this visit, it wasn't quite the way I would have liked it.

    It's a stunning place, though. Just beautiful. I'm fairly certain I'll come back in a different season and take my time appreciating its beauty.    Read more

  • Tanya DalzielEurope and the 5 stansTanya Dalziel

    Ljubljana, the sweet little capital

    August 25, 2024 in Slovenia ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    I'd been to Slovenia before, but I had only made it to Lake Bled. This time, I made it to the capital. And what a cute capital it is!

    Ljubljana is known as the city of dragons. Our guide told us a few different stories and myths why. However, now they are a symbol of power, courage, and wisdom.

    I did my usual sunrise walk to have it to myself and catch the beautiful light of sunrise.    Read more

  • Tanya DalzielEurope and the 5 stansTanya Dalziel

    Sofia, Bulgaria

    August 28, 2024 in Bulgaria ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Did Sofia live up to her lovely name? I guess so. There were some nice buildings, albiet a little spread out. It had quite a nice feel to it, and some cool areas to enjoy.

    I have nothing overly exciting to say about it, but it is somewhere to spend a nice couple of days.

    It's also the place where you can do a day trip to Rila Monstery, which I'll cover in another post.    Read more

  • Tanya DalzielEurope and the 5 stansTanya Dalziel

    Rila Monastery (Bulgaria)

    August 29, 2024 in Bulgaria ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Rila Monastery was a lovely side trip from Sofia.

    It is an Eastern Orthodox monastery founded in the 10th century and still houses about 60 monks.

    It is named after the hermit Saint Ivan of Rila (876 – 946 AD). Saint Ivan sounded like he had some significant mental health issues, although he was very important to the Bulgarian people, especially in medieval times. The monastery is still a popular pilgrimage site for Orthodox Christians.Read more

  • Tanya DalzielEurope and the 5 stansTanya Dalziel
    5

    Geghard Monastery, Armenia

    September 4, 2024 in Armenia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    I usually do significant planning for my trips. I research all the places I want to see. This mostly works well as I avoid missing anything important and make the most of my time.

    On this trip, I haven't researched as much. I'm going to too many places! A couple of times, this has meant I missed things I'd have liked to do. But in this case, it was the opposite. I had an unexpected, magnificent moment that I'll never forget.

    It started last night. I booked a last-minute spot on a day trip. I'd looked up the main things to see near Yerevan, and a few were on this tour. That was the extent of my planning.

    It was our second stop - a monastery called Geghard Monastery. Straight up, I was disappointed as there was scaffolding over the outside, meaning no decent photos (again)! We were given free time without any explanation of what to do. So off I trot. I went to the toilet 😄(grumpy lady let me use it even though I had no change to pay for it). I then started exploring. My free time was almost over, and I saw some random stairs I hadn't yet explored. There were no signs and no activity, so I didn't expect much. I was about to enter a cave when some singing started. When I say singing, I mean the type you feel viscerally. I knew something amazing was happening, so I turned my video on.

    I'll let you see and hear the rest. The video doesn't do it justice, but you'll get the idea.

    *Sorry for the poor video quality. It was spur of the moment. I also turned it off early as I wanted to be in the moment.

    The sound was incredible. The last time I felt singing viscerally like this was in 2011. I was in bed in Istanbul, and I heard my first call to prayer. These moments don't happen often.

    And, this is why I travel. 💚

    Side note : this singing only happens occasionally, so i was very lucky!
    Also, there are many more rooms in this monastery. I just didn't leave myself time to photograph them as I was caught up with the singing. 😍    Read more

  • Tanya DalzielEurope and the 5 stansTanya Dalziel

    Armenia, almost dying and undies 😁

    September 5, 2024 in Armenia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Armenia was a mixed bag. One of my favourite travel moments was here 😍 (Geghard, separate post). However, I also thought I was going to die on the roads .😮 Plus, my underwear was put on display at breakfast! 🤣

    Armenian drivers are lunatics. There is no other way to describe it. I decided to take a take a marshrutka (public bus/minivan) to cross the border to Georgia. I'd read all the stories about how people thought they were going to die on these trips. But I had limited options. And I'd also get to see the mountain scenery, take the same transport as the locals and arrive in daylight.

    Bloody hell, it was terrifying. Really, terrifying. We were travelling around 200km on the straighter parts of the road, passed cars on blind corners, almost hit 2 cows and a dog, and completed hair pin turns in the mountains on 2 wheels. I'm not religious, but I was praying for my life (and regretting my life choices!)

    Now, what you you've been waiting for...my underwear. I paid for my hotel to do my washing, and they told me it was ready to be collected. Ready to be collected meant it was dry and still on the 'line'. What I came to realise is that the line hangs over the tables in the outdoor breakfast area. And the area was full of guests!! Mortifyingly, I collected my underwear as it hung above people's heads. In hindsight, the looks I received were hysterical! And let's just say...I don't travel with nice underwear!

    *photos of Yerevan city, Garni, and Symphony Stones. Sorry, no photos of my undies or me praying for my life. 😐    Read more

  • Tanya DalzielEurope and the 5 stansTanya Dalziel

    Tbilisi

    Sep 6–11, 2024 in Georgia ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    I expected beautiful mountains and scenery. What I didn't expect was to like Tblisi as much as I did. It's really pretty, easy to get around (both by foot and transport), nice food, and lots of things to see and do.

    Of course, it's not perfect. You may have already seen my post about the stray dogs. 😔 But overall, it's a fantastic destination that I recommend, and I'd be happy to come back. (You probably shouldn't come if you're scared of dogs!)

    The 'old town' is being revovated, although my guide said it is not all traditional architecture. An interesting thing about Georgian architecture is how separate houses build a balcony that attaches to their neighbour's home (so they can drink wine together 😉) .They're very social and community minded.

    Every guide I had on this trip told me how much wine the locals drink per day. One guide said his uncle's record was 11 litres! But, don't worry, the large amounts are only white wine, as they don't want a hangover!! 🤣

    I'm not sure anyone would still be alive after drinking 11 litres of anything. 😮

    I hadn't realised Georgia was trying to get into the European Union. That explains why it's more westernised than I expected.

    Disappointing for you all, I didn't do anything embarrassing in Tbilisi!! 🤣    Read more

  • Tanya DalzielEurope and the 5 stansTanya Dalziel

    Georgian mountains ⛰️ 😍

    September 7, 2024 in Georgia ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Georgia is absolutely stunning.

    I only did one (long) day trip into the mountains along the Georgian Military Highway. I would have loved to do more. However, I needed a rest from being in fear for my life with the crazy driving! 🤪

    We visited Zhinvali Reservoir, Ananuri Fortress, the Arc of Friendship and Gergeti Monastery at 2200 metres above sea level, We also saw beautiful Mount Kazbegi and the confluence of the black and white Agavri rivers.

    Every place we visited was great, the mountain scenery was divine, we had (lots of) drink tastings, honey tastings (rasberry honey, yum 😍) and I tried khinkali.

    I also had another embarrassing incident. It's so embarrassing, I'm not sharing it! ☺️

    I intend to come back to hike in the stunning mountains. Hopefully, the locals' driving has improved by then!    Read more

  • Tanya DalzielEurope and the 5 stansTanya Dalziel

    The (stray) dogs of Tbilisi

    September 10, 2024 in Georgia ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    I wasn't sure about posting this as many of you love dogs like I do. This may make you a little sad, as I've certainly shed a few tears.

    But these beautiful babies deserve to be seen.

    There is a massive stray dog issue in Georgia. I've never seen so many! They say there are as many as 500,000 stray dogs. I spent most of my time in the capital, Tbilisi. They just roam the streets the same as people.

    I did not see any aggression. All the dogs I encountered were friendly and not scared of people. Stray dogs in many other countries I've visited have been terrified of people. These dogs aren't and are clearly not mistreated. They're well fed by the locals, and they're pretty much left to their own devices.

    The dogs with the tags on their ears have been vaccinated and fixed. My understanding is that it's a never-ending battle as they can't fix all the dogs. Often, it's the females who miss out as the surgery is more complicated. And I believe the situation is better in the city as there are more vets, and potentially more money than in remote areas.

    I love dogs so much. I found it very hard that these beautiful babies have no home or family to love them. This is the reality of travel - it's not all sunshine and rainbows.

    At times, I was like the pied piper and had a number of dogs follow me around. You give them a pat, and they temporarily adopt you. I had to restrain myself a number of times as they'd follow me blindly and run on the roads. I thankfully didn't see any accidents, but I expect it's a regular occurrence.

    At one stage, I saw a pack of about 10 dogs. They were all playing happily. I'm sure that's not always the case. Apparently, there are regular dog bite incidences and occasional cases of rabies. The dogs also have fleas. 😔

    I hope Georgia can get this under control so more doggies can have a home and don't need to rely on the kindness of strangers.    Read more

  • Tanya DalzielEurope and the 5 stansTanya Dalziel

    Bishkek

    September 14, 2024 in Kyrgyzstan ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan that doesn't feel like a capital. There's around 1 million people, and it felt like a comfortable and relaxed place.

    I was excited on the drive from the airport to notice the beautiful snowcapped mountains that surround the city. Bishkek has extremes in weather; 35 degrees celsius in summer, to minus 25 degrees in winter.

    There are no amazing buildings in Bishkek or Kyrgyzstan, for that matter. Not like some of the surrounding countries. They are mostly Soviet style. They were nomadic people, so they never settled in one place for long enough to build nice buildings.

    Bishkek is usually just a starting point for people to head off into the beautiful mountains.

    I enjoyed my relaxing stay here. There's not much 'tourist' stuff, but there sure is some nice people.    Read more

  • Tanya DalzielEurope and the 5 stansTanya Dalziel

    Eagle hunting (Kyrgyzstan)

    September 16, 2024 in Kyrgyzstan ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Using eagles for hunting has been happening across the world for a long time. It has been essential for the survival of the nomadic people in Kyrgyzstan.

    They only use females as they are bigger than males. They usually take the chicks from the nest. From here, they raise them and teach them to hunt.

    The eagle will hunt for only one person. If their owner does not treat them well, they won't treat their owner well in return. 😁

    Lightening was the eagle we met. She was gorgeous. She weighed about 6kgs and is not quite full size.

    I watched the interaction between Lightening and her owner closely. They were very affectionate towards each other and kept giving each other 'kisses'. 😍

    The eagle hunts with it's owner for about 20 years (their life expectancy is about 80 years). They are then transitioned to release so they can be free and have their own family. The owner finds this very hard as they are very attached to their bird.

    The cycle then continues.

    We watched the owner do recall with Lightening. Then, Lightening was released to catch a fox (which in training is just the fur with meat in it, video attached). And then they demonstrated with a live rabbit. I know it's life, but I didn't want to watch the rabbit die, so I found it a convenient time to find a rock for a bathroom stop!

    It was an awesome experience to get close to Lightening. She is a beautiful bird. Her time will come when she can be free. Until then, she is clearly loved and stimulated.    Read more

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