Stop #21 I wanted to visit Veliko Tarnovo because a colleague from Deloitte was born and raised in this city. I did enjoy seeing some of the history that she described come alive. Highlights: Grand old city of the czars – Veliko Tarnovo was the capital in Medieval times. Bulgarian czars lived in a palace […]
Stop #19 Wow! Wow! Wow! This place makes you feel like royalty! I’ve never been this intimate with such gorgeous woodwork (all walnut, which is by far my favorite), Murano glass, marbles, expensive artwork and tapestries. If you visit one thing in Transylvania, this is your stop! Highlights: The beautiful Bucegi Mountains are in the […]
Stop #14 Corvin Castle is one of the largest castles in Europe, and definitely Randy’s favorite visit of the trip. The castle was was laid out in 1446. The castle is Renaissance-Gothic style. The castle also has a double wall for fortification and has both rectangular and circular towers, typical for Transylvanian architecture. Some of […]
Stop #11 Built in the 12th century, Spiš Castle was part of the Kingdom of Hungary and then owned by several families and later by the state of Czechoslovakia then Slovakia. Originally a Romanesque stone castle with fortifications, a two-story Romanesque palace and a three-nave Romanesque-Gothic basilica were constructed by the second half of the […]
Stop #28: One of my favorite cities on this trip was medieval Guimarães. We stayed at an old monastery converted into a hotel. In the fact, the history of the monastery is described below. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a 2012 European Capital of Culture. You will see a picture below […]
Stop #17: While I like Madrid, I prefer to be driving through all the beautiful smaller cities throughout Spain. I visited Madrid when I was in my 20s, and it looks much the same. The weather wasn’t the greatest on this visit, but luckily the Prado can keep one entertained for quite long time. We […]
Stop 15: Fodor’s says that Alhambra is Spain’s most popular attraction. It has three main parts: the Alcazaba, the Palacios Nazaríes (Nasrid Palaces), and the Generalife, or ancient summer palace. We didn’t spend any time in Generalife, but we did spend a good bit of time in the Palaces and Alcazaba. Alhambra’s history dates to […]
Stop 12: Highlights: The Roman Walls surrounding Cordoba were built after the Romans captured the city in 206 BC. The walls are now part of a UNESCO World Heritage site designating the town’s historic center. Mezquita (Mosque) – see this portfolio here. The Mezquita is Córdoba’s mosque that was converted to a Cathedral in the […]
Stop 10: Seville was amazing. I had no idea how much I would see there. In fact, the Alcazar is so incredible that I have separated the pictures into a separate portfolio from the rest of Seville. A compact city, Seville appears to be a bigger city than it is. In the Centro, around the […]