CROATIA - Solin and Salona

Located about 5km northeast of Split is the town of Solin. The main attraction here is non other than Salona, an ancient city and capital of the former Roman Dalmatian province. The site was seized by the Romans in 78 BC and ruins of this ancient city is of archaeological importance in Croatia.

CROATIA - Klis Fortress

Klis Fortress is situated on a hill near the town of Split, between the mountains of Mosor and Kozjak, Klis Fortress is also one of the filming locations of the popular HBO series “Games of Thrones”. Many outdoor scenes of Meereen were shot here. If you’re visiting Split, then I definitely recommend you to take a day trip to Klis Fortress where you can get the best view of Split, even if you are not a GOT fan.

CROATIA - Split

Split is the largest city of the region of Dalmatia and is the second largest city of Croatia. Founded in the 4th Century BC, Split houses the Diocletian’s Palace which is known to be the most complete remains of a Roman palace. While other Roman palaces lies in ruins, here in Split you can actually see an actual Roman palace. The Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

CROATIA - Trogir

Trogir is an old Croatian town first inhabited by Greeks and Romans, not far away from Split. It is world-famous as a UNESCO World Heritage site, a title it gained thanks to a fabulous mixture of well-preserved Romanesque, Renaissance and Baroque buildings.

CROATIA - Zadar

Zadar is the 5th largest city in Croatia with a population of about 75,000. It is also the centre of its region and the historic capital of Dalmatia. It has a rich history dating from prehistoric times. This is evident in its numerous archaeological findings in the city centre.

CROATIA - Plitvice Lakes National Park

Plitvice Lakes National Park is the largest national park in Croatia. It was founded in 1949 and listed in UNESCO World Heritage register in 1979. The beauty of the National Park lies in its 16 interconnected crystalline lakes and a series of waterfalls, set in deep woodland. The lakes are definitely a must-see in Croatia. Located roughly halfway between Zagreb and Zadar, most people usually depart from these two cities to visit Plitvice Lakes National Park.

CROATIA - Rovinj

Rovinj is located on the western coast of the Istrian Peninsular in Croatia. It has been inhabited since prehistory. It came under Venetian rule in the 13th century, and progressed considerably until the 18th century, by which it had become one of the most densely populated towns on the entire Adriatic coast. Now it is a popular tourist destination and an active fishing port.

SLOVENIA - Travel Recommendation

Slovenia is a relatively small European country with approximately 2.05 million population, bordered by more well-known European countries such as Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia. Slovenia became independent since 25 June 1991. It was recognised as an independent state by the European Union and accepted by United Nations as a member in 1992.

SLOVENIA - Piran

Piran is an old medieval coastal town in Slovenia. It is interesting to note that Piran was once part of Venetian Empire from late 13th century to early 18th century and was part of Italy from 1918 until 1947.

SLOVENIA - Predjama Castle

Predjama Castle holds the Guinness World Record of being the largest cave castle in the world. This castle has been perched up in the middle of a vertical 123 meter high cliff for more than 700 years. The most famous inhabitant of the castle was the knight Erazem of Predjama, who rebelled against the imperial autocracy in the 15th century.

SLOVENIA - Postojna Cave

Postojna Cave with its 24km of galleries, tunnels and magnificent halls makes it one of world’s best known tourist caves. It is the only cave with an underground double tracked railway and it has been a tourist attraction for 200 years!

SLOVENIA - Ljubljana Castle

Ljubljana Castle, situated on top of Castle Hill is impossible to miss in downtown of Ljubljana. The castle was rebuilt several times and some parts of today’s structure originated in the 15th century.

SLOVENIA - Vintgar Gorge

The 1.6km long Vintgar Gorge carved by the Radovna River is one of the most popular natural features of Slovenia.

SLOVENIA - Bohinj

Bohinj is a basin within the Julian Alps, measuring 20km long and 5km wide. Lake Bohinj within Bohinj Valley is the largest permanent lake in Slovenia.

SLOVENIA - Bled

Bled is a beautiful small town, known as the ‘Alpine Pearl’ in Slovenia. It is a popular tourist destination, best known for its emerald green Lake Bled with an island in the middle and Bled Castle perched high up on the rocky cliff overlooking the lake. Bled is set against the backdrop of the forested slopes of the Julian Alps and the peaks of the Karavanke Mountains.

CROATIA - Zagreb

I just came back from my summer holidays to Slovenia, Croatia and Greece. It’s a great trip and I’m excited to share my trip here. Zagreb was my first stop in this trip. It is also the capital city of the Republic of Croatia. The city is a lovely Austro-Hungarian style city which is divided into an upper and lower town, each with its own distinctive character.

QATAR - West Bay, Doha

A newly developed area of Doha, West Bay is the central business district of Doha. The district was literally created in the 1980s following a massive land reclamation project along Doha’s Coastline.

QATAR - Museum of Islamic Art, Doha

The Museum of Islamic Art basically exhibits Islamic artefacts dating from the 7th century to the 19th century. Because of its beautiful architecture, the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) is one of the landmarks of Doha.

QATAR - Katara, Doha

Katara is a cultural village in Doha, Qatar. It is located between the Pearl and West Bay. The buildings were deliberately designed to look like a traditional Qatari Al Fereej. Many Qataris, residents and tourists like to spend their weekends here with their families. It has plenty of restaurants, a private beach and art & exhibition facilities including an amphitheatre, opera house and drama theatre.

QATAR - My one year in Qatar

I have resided here in Qatar almost a year now. Currently, I’m on my summer holidays in Europe and I’ll just summarize some of the places I went during the weekend.
   

ARMENIA - Travel Recommendation

My 16 days Caucasus countries trip ended in Armenia. It is not the easiest country of the Caucasus to visit as both its border with Azerbaijan and Turkey are closed. To my pleasant surprise, the world’s first Christian nation has more to offer than countless monasteries.

ARMENIA - Yerevan (History Museum of Armenia and Opera House)

Located at the Republic Square, the History Museum of Armenia is regarded as Armenia’s national museum. Opened since 1921, this museum has a national collection of 400,000 objects.

ARMENIA – Yerevan (Blue Mosque)

The Central Mosque (Blue) of Yerevan is the only operating mosque in Armenia. It was built in 1765 by the Persian Governor Hussein Ali Khan for Friday prayers and features a religious school built around a garden courtyard. 

ARMENIA - Yerevan (Cascade)

The Cascade is a mix of park and building, creating a unique architectural composition. Constructed by the Soviet Union in the 1980s, the Cascade was deigned like The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Stretching more than the height of the Empire State Building at 450 meters from the bottom of the Cascade to the Monument Terrace, the Cascade is massive!    

ARMENIA - Yerevan (Mother Armenia & Armenian Genocide Memorial)

Mother Armenia is the live symbol of Armenian strength. She symbolise peace through strength. This monumental statue is located in Victory Park which is strategically located on a hill as if she is overlooking and guarding the Armenian capital, Yerevan.

ARMENIA - Yerevan (Matenadaran)

Matenadaran or Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscript in Yerevan, Armenia was designed by architect Mark Grigoryan and built in 1957. The Matenadaran is a major centre for the study and preservation of Armenian works of literature. It houses a collection of approximately 17,000 manuscript and 30,000 other documents. This museum holds one of the world’s richest depositories of medieval manuscripts and books.

ARMENIA - Yerevan (Ararat Brandy Factory Visit)

Brandy tasting is one of the main things to do in Yerevan. Although Armenia does not springs to mind when you think of brandy, Armenian brandies have been recipients of many awards and medal over the previous century including the brand Ararat which won the ‘Product of the Year’ for four years in a row in Russia.  

When asked about the secret of longevity. Winston Churchill answered without hesitation, “Never be late for dinner, smoke Cuba cigars and drink Armenian Brandy”.

Armenia - Yerevan

Yerevan, the capital of Armenia is one of the world’s oldest inhabited cities. The history of Yerevan dates back to the 8th century BC and has been the capital city since 1918. Known as the Pink City since the Soviet era because of the colour of the stone used for the buildings.

ARMENIA - Echmiadzin (Archaeological Site of Zvartnots)

The magnificent cathedral of Zvartnots or St. Grigor by medieval historians, was commissioned by Catholics Nerses III from Taik region, between year 643 – 652. According to historian Sebeos, this cathedral was built on the spot where Gregory the Illuminator met the Armenian king Tr’dat; initiating the king’s conversion and leading to Armenia adopting Christianity as the state religion in 301.

ARMENIA - Echmiadzin (Saint Hripsime & Saint Gayane Church)

Vagharshapat is one of the historic capitals of Armenia and is commonly known as Echmiadzin. Along with other historical churches of Vagharshapat, Saint Hripsime & Saint Gayane Church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

ARMENIA - Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is the holy seat of the Supreme Patriarch-Catholicos of All Armenians. The Etchmiadzin Cathedral inside the complex which encompasses an area of 150,000m², was built in 303 on the site of a pagan temple after the adoption of Christianity as a state religion in 301.

ARMENIA - Areni

Still in Southern Armenia, I headed to Areni. Areni is well known for its wine production and is also the cradle of viticulture. This is where the world’s oldest winery was discovered, dating back 6,000 years ago!

ARMENIA - Noravank

Noravank Monastery is situated deep in the Noravank Canyon. It was built in 13th century and was designed by the renowned calligrapher, miniature painter, sculptor and architect from the late 13th to mid 14th centuries, Momik. He developed a completely new approach for the church called ‘Burtelashen’ at Noravank, with a two-storey crowned rotunda.

ARMENIA - Khor Virap

Khor Virap (meaning deep pit) is a monastery rests atop a hill in Ararat Valley, near the border with Turkey. It is where Grigor Luisavorich who later became St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for 13 years before curing King Tiridates III of a disease. And this caused the conversion of the king and Armenia into the first Christian nation in the world in year 301.

ARMENIA - Garni

Along the road from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Gerhard Monastery lies Garni. This village has an ancient history and is best known for the Hellenistic Garni Temple, built more than a thousand year ago.

ARMENIA - Geghard Monastery

Geghard is another incredible medieval Armenian monastery, partly carved out of a mountain, which located in northeast of Garni, higher up the gorge of the Azat river.

ARMENIA - Sevanavank

Sevanavank monastery is located in Gegharkunik Province, not far from the town of Sevan. Initially the monastery was built at the southern shore of a small island. After the artificial draining of Lake Sevan, which started in the era of Joseph Stalin, the water level fell about 20 metres, the island transformed into a peninsular.

ARMENIA - Lake Sevan

Being a landlocked country, Armenians flock to Lake Sevan during summer to enjoy their holidays. With a total surface area of its basin at 5,000km2, Lake Sevan is the largest lake in Armenia and the Caucasus region. At an altitude of 1,900m above sea level, it is one of the largest freshwater high altitude lakes in the world.
  

ARMENIA - Haghpat & Sanahin

Armenia is the last country that we visited in Caucasus region. It is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east and Iran to the south. It is the first state in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD and became the first Christian nation.

GEORGIA – Travel Recommendation

The main attractions in Georgia are monasteries, cathedral and churches. I visited two or more during my stay in Georgia, everyday. It does get confusing sometimes. Some monasteries are really worth it to visit; others not so much.

GEORGIA - Tblilisi (Part 2)

After I reached Tbilisi, I still had some free time. Decided to explore Tbilisi on foot since the hotel I stayed is near Europe Square and Old Tbilisi.

GEORGIA - Tbilisi (Part 1)

Tbilisi is the capital city of Georgia and also known as the heart of Caucasus. This vibrant capital is surrounded by mountains with amazing architecture, filled with nice food and wine.

GEORGIA - Kutaisi

Kutaisi is the second largest city and is the legislative capital of Georgia since 2012 when the parliament of Georgia was relocated to this city. Capital at various times of several kingdoms, Kutaisi has a rich history which incidentally houses two UNESCO sites.

GEORGIA - Uplistsikhe

Uplistsikhe is an ancient rock-hewn town, dating back to the 1st millennium BC. It is where the foreman of Shida Kartil lived which is how the town got its name which means ‘the Lord’s Fortress’. Built on a high rocky left bank of Mtkvari river, it is notable for its unique combination of various styles of rock-cut cultures and the co-existence of pagan and Christian architecture.

GEORGIA - Gori

Gori is known as the birthplace of the Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin. A museum that has honoured the life of Joseph Stalin since 1957 is now a tourist attraction that mostly attracts foreign tourists and a few die-hard Communists.

GEORGIA - Kazbegi

Kazbegi (officially named Stepantsminda) is a mountain town on the famous Georgian Military Highway. It is also famous for its view of the Mount Kazbeg and the Gergeti Trinnity Church (Tsminda Sameba).

GEORGIA - Ananuri

Ananuri is a castle complex situated on the foreland by Aragvi River, not far from Zhinvali Dam. Ananuri was built by the Dukes of Aragvi region and its earliest parts date from the 13th century.

GEORGIA - Mtskheta

Mtskheta is an ancient capital of Georgia, located at the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers and it was here where the adoption of Christianity by Georgia began in the year 334. In 2014, the Georgian Orthodox Church declared it a “Holy City”.

2015 - Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone!


And hello, 2015. Looking forward to a better year ahead.