Category: Uncategorized
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6 views showing how Tirana changed in the last 11 years
I visited Tirana in autumn 2007 and again 11 years later in autumn 2018. In those years, Tirana had become a lot more prosperous and the construction activity made some parts of the city hard to recognise — but the city still had the same exciting energy I remembered The biggest change for me was…
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How I rescued my boring travel capsule wardrobe for Tirana
I packed a really basic travel capsule wardrobe for Tirana, and I wasn’t enjoying wearing it at all, unfortunately. I knew we would be travelling about when we got to Albania, so I wanted to pack light. We are travelling with a single 10kg checked bag, a small carry-on wheelie case and my daughter’s child…
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My massive Bucharest thrift haul
Not long before I left Bucharest I discovered some amazing secondhand clothes shops … and I have to admit I went a little crazy buying clothes. Here’s the story of my massive Bucharest thrift haul. I have to admit that I didn’t NEED all these clothes I bought in my month-long Bucharest thrift haul…
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The adorable Christmas market in Romania’s ‘Little Venice’ Timisoara
I’d been keen to visit Timisoara, Romania’s third biggest city, so when we found cheap flights for a winter getaway I seized the moment. Timisoara is in the west of the country, close to Romania’s borders with Serbia and Hungary. The latter in particular is important; along with Arad it’s the closest Romanian city to…
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Calea Victoriei, Bucharest’s most fashionable street
I’m always proud to give my address in Bucharest because I live on the Romanian capital’s most fashionable street for centuries, the Calea Victoriei (Victory Street). Walking up and down the street daily past gorgeous historic buildings and tempting shops and cafes inspired me to write a north to south guide to what you will…
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From shepherds’ village to royal resort: the unlikely story of Busteni
Busteni is one of several small mountain towns lying on the stretch of railway line between Pitesti and Brasov, where the line from Bucharest to Transylvania climbs steeply up across the edge of the Carpathian mountains. Getting there is an easy journey of a couple of hours, and one we often made at weekends (finances…
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Romantic castles and breathtaking views on 4 unmissable day trips from Bucharest
I love Bucharest but sometimes it’s good to get out of the city. Here are four of my favourite day trips from Bucharest, all to historic destinations and reachable by public transport. Snagov Snagov is a popular lakeside resort 40 km north of Bucharest. It is set in Snagov Forest, the last remaining section of…
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Curtea de Arges: the ancient court of kings
After our alarming arrival in Curtea de Arges on an extremely dark, stormy and dog-ridden night, we woke the next morning to find a calm sunny day, with the town sparkling after the previous night’s deluge. After breakfast at the Pensiune Montana, we set off to explore what was once the capital of Wallachia, one…
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A dark and stormy night in Dracula country
Curtea de Arges has a better claim to a Dracula connection than many of the Romanian cities that also claim him as their own; Vlad the Impaler lived at the ruined Poenari Castle nearby. It shouldn’t be a surprise, then, that our arrival at Curtea de Arges late this evening was worthy of chronicling by…
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A medieval winter wonderland in Sighisoara
It was the depths of winter when we visited Sighisoara, one of the seven cities — Siebenbürgen — founded by the Transylvanian Saxons. Snow was falling lightly on the steep roofs and cobbled streets of the old citadel, and with few people venturing out it was easy to imagine ourselves back in medieval times. The…
Steppe in Style 