The weird and fabulously formed rocks of Belogradchik, Bulgaria, turn fiery red at sunset. Composed of sandstone, limestone, and conglomerate, the formations resulted when ancient seas that covered the area millions of years ago receded. Over time, the sediments that had lain at the bottom of the sea were eroded by wind and water. Legends … Read more
My goal to travel to every country in Europe was upended a couple of years ago when I started researching how to visit Belarus. I was eligible for a single-entry tourist visa on arrival at the Minsk National Airport, but the $480 price was prohibitive. I could have gotten a visa at a Belarusian embassy … Read more
The Opera House in Minsk, Belarus, is officially named the National Academic Grand Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus, but most just call it the Bolshoi Theatre. Originally completed in 1939, the venue was subsequently renovated and reopened in 2009. During the renovation, sculptures were added inside and around the grounds, the … Read more
These days, Belarus is a truly European country, but emerge from the Metro onto Independence Square in Minsk and you would be forgiven for thinking you’d been transported to Russia. Construction on the square began in 1964, well before the breakup of the Soviet Union, and in some ways it perfectly reflects the Russian penchant … Read more
As I often do when visiting a new country for the first time, I asked a number of people I met in Kiev what one thing best describes Ukrainians. Without exception, they all proclaimed, “We want to be free.” My first foray into the city center reinforced what I’d been told. At Independence Square, a … Read more
