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Day Trips from Larnaca without a Car
Cyprus is an island steeped in history and mythology. Known for being the legendary birthplace of the Greek Goddess, Aphrodite, the ‘Island of Love’ is home to sun-kissed shores and a rugged mountainous interior. Cyprus is a country with natural beauty and cultural richness that is wholly disproportionate to its size. The country’s tumultuous and multilayered past has left ancient riches strewn across this island. Remnants of these archeological relics can still be seen today—littering wildflower-splashed mountainsides and overlooking azure seas. During my six day Cyprus vacation, I took day…
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Intriguing Places to Visit in North Cyprus
Cyprus is a country divided. Renowned for being the birthplace of Aphrodite and one of the Mediterranean’s crown jewels, the historically rich island has been effectively partitioned in two since the Turkish-led invasion of 1974. Cyprus’s position at the crossroads of the Eastern Mediterranean has led to repeated conquests by vying powers throughout history. Each vying power created legacies that survive to this day, adding to the country’s rich cultural milieu and complicating its reconciliation process. To gain some understanding of Cyprus’ modern political and territorial situation, I traveled across…
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Visiting the UNESCO Sites in Albania
Before visiting Albania, I had pre-conceived ideas about I might expect. What little I knew about Albania had to do with its repressive former dictator, its 20th century isolationism, its thousands of concrete bunkers, and its relative obscurity. Yet, Albania took my assumptions and turned them upside down. From the moment I stepped foot in Tirana, I realized I had become privy to one of the world’s best kept travel secrets; a secret that is spreading quickly amongst the travel blogging community and slowly leaking to the general public. Albania…
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Lake Ohrid: The Pearl of North Macedonia
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Visiting Prizren: Kosovo’s Capital of Culture
Studded with minarets and bell towers and picturesque architecture, Prizren Kosovo is, without a doubt, one of the prettiest towns in the Balkans. With one foot planted firmly in Europe and the other steeped in Ottoman traditions, the city’s delightful architecture reflects a complex tapestry of cultures and religions that lay claim to this small corner of southeastern Europe. Prizren was my first and only stop in Kosovo. Though I was not able to spend as much time in Kosovo as I would have liked, my two day whirlwind tour…
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Exploring Northern Albania’s Accursed Mountains
Once a mysterious and closed-off land, Albania is now a burgeoning tourist destination that boasts some of Europe’s most intriguing gems. The formerly insular country has long been a Mediterranean enigma—its unspoiled nature and rich history all but erased from itineraries of even the most intrepid explorers. But today, Albania is beginning to receive some of the credit it deserves. The country boasts pristine beaches, ancient ruins, and And in northern Albania, the Accursed Mountains conceal incredible hiking opportunities, including the epic trail from Valbona to Theth. NORTHERN ALBANIA’S…
