the Et’Hem Bey Mosque started construction in the 1790s and was finished around 1820. It was closed of significant period of time under the rule of communism, coming back into use in the 1990s.
Liqueni is an artificial lake created in the 1950s. With its leafy forest and great views it makes for a wonderful relaxing walk.
Less than a minute’s walk outside my apartment, it was market day today. I had seen the no parking signs go up the day before and they don’t mess around here in Athens. I was a huge market spanning several closed streets with endless fruits and vegetables, the occasional olives, nuts and dry beans. From…
It’s a bit of a love/hate relationship with the Louvre. It’s stunning, the largest and one of the most important art galleries in the world. Some 35,000 pieces of art across 780,000 square feet. It hosted 8.7 million visitors in 2024. Thankfully I had a 09:00 am entry and headed for the Richelieu wing, which…
A short half hour train ride away is the small city of Asti. It may be familiar as a wine growing region -both their red wines including Barbera D’Asti as well as their sparkling wines like Asti Spumante. After reading a bit about it, it seemed like an interesting place to visit and pretty easy…
Coming out of the shadows of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Tirana is a youthful feeling city with with one eye keenly on the future. Originally opened as a museum and conference centre under communist rule, the Tirana Pyramid had staircases installed on the outside of it and now provides great views across the city. The…
