This is part of a series called Pan European Sojourn 2023 Today, we went into Bulgaria to visit the ancient capital, Veliko Tarnovo, and a small village named Arbanasi know for the frescoes in their Nativity Church. It’s interesting that while Romania and Bulgaria had similar histories (e.g., former Roman territory, challenges in bring together…
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This is part of a series called Pan European Sojourn 2023 After the longest sailing day on the Danube, we arrived in the regal town of Viden, located in northwestern Bulgaria. This area has been continuously inhabited since the time of the Romans because of it’s strategic positioning in a bend in the Danube across…
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This is part of a series called Pan European Sojourn 2023 Today we went to Bran Castle, the supposed home of Dracula. This is the second castle on the site, built in the late 14th century (an earlier wood castle was built in the 13th century by the Teutonic Knights). The castle is a national…
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This is part of a series called Pan European Sojourn 2023 This morning we took a walk around Brasov. To me, this city showcased the best in preservation of it’s medieval past and innovation for the future (they have already migrated their bus system to total electricity). It is a very clean city with much…
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This is part of a series called Pan European Sojourn 2023 While we wished we had more time to explore Bucharest, it was time to head to Transylvania (one of the three provinces that make up Romania) and the Carpathian Mountains. As the three, oftentimes warring, provinces in the region wanted to combine in what…
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This is part of a series called Pan European Sojourn 2023 Leaving Paris, we started the next phase our trip — Eastern and Central Europe. Â This would be the challenging part — trying to understand and sort out the complex, and often violent history of the Balkans. On its surface, it was difficult for me…
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This is part of a series called Pan European Sojourn 2023 Before meeting friends in Bucharest for the Eastern and Central Europe portions of the trip, we decided to take a little time off in France. Â We hadn’t been to Paris for nearly 20 years and decided that would be a great place to hole…
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This is part of a series called Pan European Sojourn 2023 We made our last port call of the cruise in Portofino, a small commune with Liguria. And when I say small, I’m not kidding — the population is about 400 people. As in the case of St. Tropez, this started out as a tiny…
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This is part of a series called Pan European Sojourn 2023 Today we arrived in St. Tropez. Unlike Marseille and Nice, St. Tropez is actually in Provence. There has been a settlement here since 68 AD when it was known as Heraclea. Until the 1950s, St. Tropez was a quiet little fishing village. That all…
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This is part of a series called Pan European Sojourn 2023 This morning we arrived in Sète, known as the Venice of Languedoc, France. It was founded by Louis XIV in 1666 to create an exit for the Canal du Midi into the Mediterranean Sea. It rapidly grew and expanded, moving from just an important…
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