Continuing on from my previous post, my friend Jessie (The Wandering Kiwi) and I were recently travelling together in the Wild Wild East of Europe (Ukraine, Moldova, Transnistria, Belarus and Poland) and we decided we wanted to track down statues, monuments and the like dedicated to the glory of the former Soviet Union and in…
Category: Fortresses
Snapshots of Europe: Dubrovnik by Night
A walk at night through the paved city streets of old town Dubrovnik is one to remember. The light simply gleams off all that polished stone to beautiful effect. You cant help but smile.
Snapshots of Europe: Dubrovnik, Croatia
The city of Dubrovnik on the Adriatic coast of Croatia shares much history from behind its mighty city walls and forts. The walls you see today date back to between the 12 and 17th centuries and the old city, including parts of the walls were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. The walls wind almost…
Snapshots of Europe: Kameni Most – Prizren, Kosovo
Prizren is a picturesque historic city in Kosovo, that formed part of the Ottoman Empire from the 15th to the early 20th century. The Ottoman culture remains evident today with the fully restored 15th century Ottoman stone bridge (Kameni Most) over the Lepenac River remaining an icon of the city. The bridge, with the nearby grand Sina Pasha…
Snapshots of Europe: Lake Bled, Slovenia
Lake Bled in the Julian Alps of northwestern Slovenia is a stunning place. I waited a day to travel from Ljubljana to Bled to avoid a rainy day and my decision totally paid off! Walk the shores of the lake, take a boat out to Bled Island to see the Assumption of Mary church or…
Snapshots of Europe: Bratislava Castle, Slovakia
From its hilltop perch, Bratislava Castle dominates the city skyline of Bratislava (it is a national museum with various exhibits). Construction of the various forms of the castle was conducted between the 9th century and 18th century (first it was part of the Kingdom of Moravia, then Hungary, then Czechoslovakia and today Slovakia). An accidental fire begun by soldiers…
Red Square – Day and Night
In 2007 I got to live a life long dream to wander the fabled streets of Moscow. It was grey and cold, yet beautiful… just like I pictured Russia to be! Visiting Red Square and The Kremlin was a highlight of that journey.
London Town
London was all bright and shiny, what with the Queens Jubilee (60 years on the throne) and the Olympic Games happening. Here are a few snapshots from my visit there prior to the games in early June 2012. There is always a buzz of activity around Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square. Many of London’s famous…
Mont Saint-Michel – the jewel of Normandy
Dating back to the 6th century, Mont Saint-Michel is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Normandy, France. Built on a tidal island it has been used as a strategic fortification and since the 8th century the site of the monastery for which it is today named. The Benedictine abbey that stands there today is dedicated archangel St…
D-Day June 6th, 1944: Normandy Beach Landings
On June 6th, 1944 the largest ever invasion fleet was massed off the coast of France. Code-named “Operation Overlord” the D-Day landings on the beaches of Normandy (code-named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword beaches) marked the return of Allied troops to Western France, including U.S., British, Canadian and Free French forces and another major…
Battle of the Bulge 1944
Over the years I had read a lot about the “Battle of the Bulge” that took place in the heavily forested Ardennes area of the Wallonia region in Eastern Belgium in the Winter of 1944/45. On my recent trip to Belgium I hired a car from Luxembourg and travelled through the major locations of this battle and associated fortifications,…
A visit to Belgium
In late May 2012 I spent a few days in Belgium. For a small country the Belgians speak a lot of languages! There are 3 official languages French, Dutch (Flemish) and German. In and around Brussels and the Southern part of the country French is the most common language with Dutch as a secondary language (and of course…
Deano's Travels 