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Asia & Oceania Travel

Turkmenistan – Ashgabat and Beyond

The Good, The Bad & The Beautiful

November 29, 2024

Laureen

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Location: Turkmenistan

Welcome to the fourth of a series of eight weekly posts covering the eight countries I visited this fall. My journey was epic and I chose not to write posts while traveling, in an effort to be engaged and present on this amazing odyssey. This is my honest opinion of my personal experience. I hope you will enjoy reading my posts covering all that happened over the two months of travel – The Good, The Bad & The Beautiful. Today I share about the unusual country of Turkmenistan – Ashgabat and Beyond.

Where The Heck is Turkmenistan?

Don’t fret if you have never heard of this country. It definitely is under the radar for most people. This map shows Turkmenistan, a landlocked country in Central Asia. With only 7 million people, it is the smallest of the Central Asian countries. Turkmenistan is one of the least visited countries in the world due to the difficulty in obtaining a visa, and its totalitarian regime.

The Good

Our visit to this somewhat strange and interesting country was the start of a month long tour with Intrepid Travel. On arrival in Turkmenistan we met the ten other seasoned travelers we would spend the next four weeks with. This is our second tour with Intrepid, which does unique small group tours. We loved our Bolivia tour and felt confident Intrepid would be perfect for us to visit the Five Stans. It surely was, and our group was wonderful too.

Turkmenistan – Ashgabat and Beyond is not an easy place to visit…or to understand. But being with a tour certainly helped smooth the way.

Independence Park and Memorial, Ashgabat

The Bad

The country is widely criticized for its poor human rights, including for its treatment of minorities, and its lack of press and religious freedoms. Since its independence from the Soviet Union was declared in 1991, Turkmenistan has been ruled by repressive totalitarian regimes: that of President for Life Saparmurat Niyazov until his death in 2006; Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, who became president in 2007 after winning a non-democratic election (he had been vice-president and then acting president previously); and his son Serdar, who won a subsequent 2022 presidential election described by international observers as neither free nor fair, and now shares power with his father. (Wikipedia)

The Turkmenistan government has been described as stricter than North Korea. Few Turkmen citizens leave their country. Some do go abroad to study, and others travel if they can afford it. But most do not.

But our visit to Turkmenistan did not include any information on the above. The Turkmen people, including our guide, are very proud of their country and respectful and cautious of criticizing. But as an outside observer, I have to tell you, Ashgabat felt like Disneyland. A movie set. A facade. Let me start from arrival.

Entering Turkmenistan

After an overnight flight from Istanbul we arrived Ashgabat at 2:00am to find a long and confusing entry process. To visit Turkmenistan you must have a “Letter of Invitation” which we obtained before arrival with assistance of Intrepid. On arrival we got in line to purchase our visa at a cost of $125 USD, paid in cash on arrival.

Soaring marble ceilings Ashgabat International Airport

What we didn’t expect though, was a requirement also to have a Covid test before being allowed to enter. At an additional cost of $50 USD – cash of course. All of this line waiting and cash exchanging took about an hour. Eventually we retrieved our luggage and found our tour guide waiting for us and four others who were on the same flight. As we waited, we had time to admire the marble airport, with soaring ceilings. Most of the people at the opulent airport were armed guards rather than visitors -our first sign that something strange is happening here.

Designed to look like a bird, Ashgabat International Airport

Hotel

Our lovely guide Ejesh explained to us in the van on the way from the airport that we had been moved to a different hotel than what we expected. Apparently the original hotel was now being taken over by the government to host some foreign dignitaries. Instead we ended up in a strange little hotel outside of the city. We had expected to be in the city, and had paid for a nice hotel. Disappointing and all very strange.

When we woke in the morning we had a full day until our group arrival meeting at 5:00pm. But now that we were so far out of town we couldn’t really wander. We didn’t feel confident enough to take a taxi into town, not knowing even where to go, so we napped and relaxed until our meeting.

Internet and Social Media

Despite my study and feeling prepared to enter Turkmenistan, I was astonished to learn social media is banned. No where in all my reading before leaving the USA did I see this. Internet was nearly impossible to come by and all social media platforms are banned. We could not get VPN to work.

Welcome to Turkmenistan – Ashgabat and Beyond

We were jet-lagged but very curious about this country. We were also anxious to meet our group who we would spend the next four weeks with. In a situation like this it takes a little time to feel each other out, but soon we all felt comfortable together.

Ashgabat

Our first evening after the meeting we headed out to a traditional Turkmenistan restaurant. The restaurant was inside a huge and sparkling marble mall. Like all the buildings in Ashgabat it was new and fancy in keeping with the Ashgabat image of rich and beautiful.

I’m not even sure how many stories there were in this place – Berkarar Kinoteatry Mall

It’s hard to say if Ashgabat is good or bad. There is some of both. It is certainly beautiful I’ll give it that, but it just did not feel ‘real”.

Day two we headed out for a very full day of sight seeing. We were shuttled from monument to monument on what seemed a very restricted tour. Dozens of monuments honoring the great men that are deemed important by the government. Everyone from historic Turkmen philosophers to Lenin to the current President and his family have monuments built to them. As you drive around this city you can not miss that there is not a pothole, or a dead bush or a piece of litter. Everywhere workers are touching up paint, sweeping and pruning. The white marble city is perfect in every way. And every car in the city is white. Only white cars are allowed. It was a bit freaky.

Things will be quite different a couple of days later when we leave the city. More on that below.

All That Glitters

The full day tour turned into a night tour after sunset with the glittering city aglow in sparkles. Every monument and every building fully lit – from our rooftop restaurant we could admire the colorful scene.

Throughout the city we also noted that there was a uniform way of dressing; men and boys in black suits. School age women in girls all wore the same long dress and head covering; young girls in pink, high school girls in green, university in red. We had the pleasure of meeting a group of high school kids on a field trip. They were all thrilled to meet us. Meeting visitors is rare.

Many recent restrictions have been imposed on women regarding the right to drive and beauty care. This article is astonishing to those of us who take those freedoms for granted.

All of that said, the people we did meet seemed happy.

Akhal-Teke

On the day we were scheduled to leave Ashgabat we had a half day more in the city. Due to the debacle with the hotel, we were given an added activity for the morning. We could visit the Turkmenistan History Museum or go to a stable to learn about the famous Akhal-Teke horses. Arne and I chose the horses and everyone else chose the museum.

The Akhal-Teke is a horse from Turkmen, in the southern region of the modern country of Turkmenistan. These horses have been renowned as cavalry mounts and racehorses for some 3,000 years. The Akhal-Teke has superb natural gaits, and is the outstanding sporting horse from this area. Queen Elizabeth was a fan and owned several.

We had a private guide take us to a gorgeous stable about 40 min outside of the city. Back home we would call this a ranch and it was hands down the cleanest most pristine ranch/stables I have ever been to. We had a personal tour by the lovely gentleman owner whose family has been raising Akhal-Teke horses for multiple generations. We did not regret choosing this option over the museum. In fact, when our time in Turkmenistan was done, this was my favorite thing we did.

The Bad & The Beautiful

That afternoon we loaded up our group into three separate jeeps to begin the long trek out of the city. We were warned the roads would be bad. Bad is an understatement. After the perfection of Ashgabat, the quality of the roads on this very long drive was downright appalling. For hours we bumped and swerved over huge potholes and unbelievably poor conditions. It really began to dawn on us that Ashgabat is the only place in this country that the government is investing in. Out here along these dusty horrific roads the people are living in simple villages, tending gardens, herding goats and subsisting.

Not far outside of the city things began to look very different

The average salary in Turkmenistan is between $200-$400 USD per month. The few meals we paid for in this country were in Ashgabat and we paid about $30USD including wine. These meals were at pretty fancy restaurants. Incredibly though, gas here is .40 cents a gallon. Turkmenistan is rich with oil and natural gas.

This was actually one of the good roads….trying to take a photo on most of the roads was impossible since we had to hang on

Darvaza Gas Crater

Often called The Door to Hell, Darvaza Gas Crater was our destination – finally arriving after dark. What is this crazy place?

The Darvaza gas crater is a burning natural gas field collapsed into a cavern near Darvaza, Turkmenistan. Hundreds of natural gas fires illuminate the floor and rim of the crater. The crater has been burning since the 1980s. How the crater formed is unknown, but engineers ignited the crater to prevent poisonous gases from spreading.

Located about 260 kilometres (160 mi) north of Ashgabat, it has a diameter of 60–70 metres (200–230 ft) and a depth of about 30 metres (98 ft). (Wikipedia)

Over the years there have been concerns about the health affects of the gas on the surrounding area. Nonetheless the Door to Hell has become a very popular tourist destination. Recently many Yurt villages have popped up to accommodate tour groups like ours. We stayed one night here and headed out early again in the morning for more bumpy roads.

Kunya-Urgench

The very long and bumpy ride brought us to Kunya-Urgench UNESCO Heritage site, one of the oldest sites in Turkmenistan. Also known as Old Urgench or Urganj, it is a city of about 30,000 inhabitants in north Turkmenistan. It is the site of the ancient town of Gurgānj, which contains the ruins of the capital of Khwarazm. Its inhabitants deserted the town in the early eighteenth century in order to develop a new settlement, and Kunya-Urgench has remained undisturbed ever since.

This site contains several ancient structures including a mausoleum. The ancient buildings are considered some of the first where intricate tile work was used. For thousands of years these buildings have survived, even including a rampage by the infamous Genghis Khan.

I really enjoyed this stop on our tour, although getting here was not fun. I’d be hard pressed to recommend it to most people, as it really was painful driving. If Turkmenistan wants to attract visitors, the roads outside of Ashgabat are a huge problem.

And guess what? After our tour we had to get back into the jeeps. Ugh.

Border Crossing

A quick lunch stop and then a bat-out-of-hell drive to get to the border with Uzbekistan before it closes at 6pm. Seriously? Wow. And we made it with 30 minutes to spare. It was all a bit frantic. I hope Ejesh our guide was shown gratitude by everyone in our group, despite the border chaos. She helped us through the first part of the exit from Turkmenistan and showed us where we get on a small bus to ride through what is known as “no mans land”, the buffer zone between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Then she was gone and our little group was on our way.

The bus takes us to the Uzbekistan entrance where we went through passport control and luggage screening and then on foot continued to the final entrance to Uzbekistan where our new guide Svetlana was waiting. She was a sight for sore eyes, as was the beautiful huge and comfortable coach and well paved roads. Uzbekistan was looking pretty good…and we were happy to arrive.

Final Thoughts

I am grateful I had the opportunity to experience Turkmenistan, but I don’t have any desire to return. Looking back on it now I really wonder what is going on behind the scenes. I felt like I was being watched. What was happening behind the walls of all those marble buildings? Are people really happy? Safe? Turkemenistan Ashgabat and Beyond.

It was a crazy start to what would be an amazing 28 day tour, and things got better and better in the weeks ahead. Please come back next Friday for a post about Uzbekistan…a gorgeous and interesting country I would certainly return to.

Thanks for reading my post Turkmenistan – Ashgabat and Beyond. We love it when you pin, share and comment on our blog posts. Be sure to check out last week’s post Baku Azerbaijan and continue to follow our odyssey in Central Asia – next Uzbekistan.

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Here We Go Again The Grand Adventure Part Nine

The Grand Adventure Part Nine

September 13, 2024

Laureen

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Well, it’s hard to believe we have been in the USA already for four months. I really tried to keep this summer quieter. More open. Free. Ha! Well, I guess I’ll try again next summer. But I have no regrets. We had wonderful time with our adult children, our moms and our friends. What a blessing it is to spend summers in the Pacific Northwest. And now, here we go again – the Grand Adventure Part Nine.

What’s Next?

We are making some changes to how we travel and to how we share this all with you. Crazy to think we are starting YEAR NINE of The Grand Adventure. Amazing how much we have experienced over the years. And we are not done yet. We will finish off 2024 with a seven week trip in the region known as the Caucasus and the Central Asian countries often referred to as The Stans. We will be on the go from September 15th – November 1st and then return to our home here in Washington State for the winter holidays.

Some changes though – I plan to write fewer blogs and instead share more videos and reels, in keeping with the changing audience. I’ll still have blogs but not every Friday, and particularly on this intense itinerary not as frequent. See more about this below.

The Caucasus countries are Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In spring of 2020 we were supposed to travel by train through these countries as well as visit Ukraine. Well of course Covid put a stop to all of that.

The first three weeks of our seven week itinerary has us spending a week in each of these countries, staying in the capital cities of Yerevan, T’bilisi and Baku and enjoying the cities and day trips from each home base. I am really excited to see this unique region of the world.

Intrepid

After the Caucasus we will once again join Intrepid Travel for a group tour of Five Stans; Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.

This is our second time using Intrepid Travel. As you know it’s rare we travel by tour, and even more rare that we do a group tour. But we had such a positive experience with Intrepid on our eleven day tour of Bolivia we are confident and excited to do it again.

This time however we will be traveling for 24 days. It’s a very long tour, we cover a lot of territory and five countries. Fingers crossed it all goes as planned. Lots of moving parts! I remain optimistic.

Dubai

On our way back to the USA we will spend a couple of days in Dubai, relaxing and enjoying this beautiful city. We have been here before, and we look forward to seeing a bit more. Then it’s back to the USA for the holiday season before departing again mid January.

Lots of Planning

This seven week trip has included a great deal of detail oriented planning and we feel we are ready. We are excited to explore new places to us – nine countries in seven weeks.

I will not be blogging while I’m on the move. Instead I will be focusing on daily videos, reels, YouTube and posts on our Instagram , Threads and Facebook pages. I’m looking forward to sharing in this format instead of blogging but will do in-depth blog posts when I return. Click the links and follow along – . Here we Go Again the Grand Adventure Part Nine! And by the way – if you have been following us on Twitter X we have left that platform so join us on one of our other options.

Be sure to read last week’s post Travel Wardrobe – Seven Weeks and Nine Countries and you might also like this older post How to Prepare for a Long Haul Flight.

We love it when you share and comment on our blog posts. We can’t wait for you to follow along on this exciting next adventure. Here We Go Again – The Grand Adventure Part Nine. Thank you!!

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Reading Wednesday

Book Review Martyr by Kaveh Akbar

September 4, 2024

Laureen

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Breathtaking and poetic writing captured me from page one in Kaveh Akbar’s novel Martyr. My dream is to write like this…in sentences that pull the reader in, take your breath away, make your heart flutter. Here is my book review Martyr by Kaveh Akbar.

The Art of Language

There are thousands of really good writers. And then there are the masters. Akbar’s first novel, Martyr is a mastering of the art of language. Akbar has previously been an award winning poet, and that comes through in his masterful novel Martyr. I listened to this book on Audible and was mesmerized. It’s not a happy story. But it is beautiful. I have no doubt it would be just as beautiful for a reader as it was for a listener.

Welcome to America

Cyrus Shams, an Iranian young man, moved to America as a child with his father. He has struggled through his life with the tragic knowledge that his mother died on commercial plane, shot down by Americans over the Persian Gulf. Cyrus’ father struggles to provide as a single father, but gets Cyrus into college before his life ends too.

Cyrus finds himself depressed, addicted and drifting, searching for something he doesn’t understand. With a handful of friends Cyrus get’s sober, but can’t stop thinking about suicide and what it means to be a Martyr. Though his story is full of troubles and trials, Akbar in turn writes with humor and hope, passion and reflection.

A Writer Himself

Our protagonist Cyrus is a poet himself, much like the author. His obsession to write a book about martyrdom leads him to the Brooklyn Museum to meet a terminally ill artist who is spending her final days holding audience with museum guests. This encounter for Cyrus affirms in him many ideas about things he has been conflicted with all his life; war, poetry, addiction, love, gender, family and martyrdom. The four short days Cyrus has with the artist will change his life and create affirmation for him like nothing else before.

Stunning

I found this book stunning. I want to read it again, and that never happens. Destined to be highly awarded novel of 2024, I can’t wait to see how many awards this masterpiece takes.

My favorite book so far this year. ***** Five stars and more. Thank you for reading my book review Martyr by Kaveh Akbar.

Be sure and see our favorite books of the past year with our Seventh Annual Reading Round Up 2024.

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Africa & The Middle East Travel

Mad About Madagascar

June 7, 2024

Laureen

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Madagascar had long been a bucket list item for me. We had begun researching Madagascar the year before Covid…but of course had to put it on the back burner. I’ve been anxious to get it back in our travel itinerary, and well, let me tell you, it was worth the wait. You may know how much my husband and I love a wildlife and birding adventure. Madagascar really delivered on that front…but in many other ways as well. I am now totally Mad About Madagascar and hope I can impress upon you what an incredible destination it is.

Touring Madagascar

You can do independent travel in Madagascar, but frankly I wouldn’t recommend it. Infrastructure in Madagascar is poor. Roads are long, bumpy and poorly maintained. Having a driver who can expertly and safely maneuver the roads is important. Secondly, the wildlife. Throughout our ten day visit to Madagascar we had two different regional driver/guides and an additional five other site specific guides. The site specific guides played a very important role in the success of our tour. Their expertise in finding wildlife, birds and plants as well as teaching us about the local history, culture and people was immeasurable. Do a tour. You won’t regret it.

There are dozens of tour companies…probably hundreds. We used a company called Fosa and booked a private ten day tour and upgraded our hotels. We also upgraded to add a flight between the long distance of Antananarivo and Morondava…saving us from a full 10 hour day of treacherous driving. Do your research to find the best fit for you.

Mad About Madagascar

Madagascar was so much better than I expected. After our first two days I thought – well we can go home now, it can’t get any better. And yet…it did. It was unexpected at every turn. So let me tell you the highlights of the things we saw, did and experienced. Let me tell you why I am now Mad About Madagascar.

Baobabs

It’s these amazing trees that I wanted to see in Madagascar. I really wasn’t prepared for all the other astonishing things…so that was a bonus. But these amazing Baobab trees were everything I had hoped for. Avenue of the Baobabs, also called Alley of the Baobabs, is not the only place you can enjoy the Baobabs. They are scattered all over the region between Morondava and Kirindy in the south. We first sighted them from the airplane.

Adansonia is a genus made up of eight species of medium-to-large deciduous trees known as baobabs(/ˈbaʊbæb/ or /ˈbeɪoʊbæb/) or adansonias. They are placed in the Malvaceae family, subfamily Bombacoideae. They are native to Madagascar, mainland Africa, and Australia.^[2] The trees have also been introduced to other regions such as Asia.^[3] A genomic and ecological analysis has suggested that the genus is Madagascan in origin. (Wikipedia)

Baobab trees can grow to enormous sizes and carbon dating indicates that they may live to be 3,000 years old. Baobab trees grow as solitary individuals, and are large and distinctive elements of savanna or scrubland vegetation. They grow from 5–25 meters (16–82 feet) tall. An amazing site to see. I think every tour will take you to The Avenue of the Baobabs.

Other Flora

Throughout our tour we enjoyed many other species of plant life. From the giant Baobab to the tiniest of fungus. Because we showed a lot of interest in plants and birds as well as wildlife, all of our guides went to great lengths to point out the beauty of Madagascar underfoot and overhead.

Chameleons

I wasn’t very familiar with chameleons before arriving in Madagascar, and I have to say, I think they are my new favorite creature. These handsome docile bug eaters just hang out and mind their business in the jungles of Madagascar, all while sporting a beautiful and showy suit. I love them. Madagascar is home to over 150 kinds of chameleons and we saw many of them, both in the wild and at a reserve that is working to conserve the reptiles who are threatened from deforestation. Our wonderful guides with their eagle eyes spotted sleeping chameleons during our night-walks and camouflaged chameleons in the bright day. Additional reptiles we found were frogs, snakes and geckos. What a show they all gave us.

At the reserve this one matched my headband

Birds

As loyal followers of this blog well know, travel has turned my husband and I into birders. I used to be pretty ambivalent about birds…but once you travel around the world the presence of birds becomes such an important part of each day. We love birding and our guides were incredible at helping us find more than 20 new-to-us species during our ten day tour. And one beautiful giant moth.

One thing I want to point out is, for the first time ever, we saw sleeping birds. I never have given much thought to where birds sleep. But on our night walk in Kirindy National Park, with our guide, we saw beautiful birds, sound asleep on low branches. A brand new experience for me.

Lemurs

Lemurs are probably the biggest attraction for visitors who come to Madagascar. The island is home to more than 50 kinds of Lemurs, a tree dwelling primate. And despite its close proximity to mainland Africa, the lemurs are found only on the island.

We did not see all of the species of lemurs, but we were pretty impressed with how many we did see. I was hoping we would just see one or two but we saw dozens. From the smallest mouse lemur, about 11 inches and nocturnal, to the largest – the Indri. The Indri can weigh up to 9.5 kg (21 lb) and perhaps up to 15 kg (33 lb). We encountered many families of indri in the Analamazoatra national park, and were astonished by the screaming noise they make to mark their familiar territory. Absolutely fascinating.

Most of the lemurs we saw, both during the day on night walk, were regional to the two areas we visited; Kirindy National Park and Analamazoatra National Park. But we also visited a private reserve near Andasibe where we saw many lemurs from other parts of the island, including the ring-tailed lemur the one most people are familiar with.

Culture and History

We had several opportunities during our ten day tour to engage with the local Malagasy people. Everyone we met was kind and welcoming. Tourism makes up 5% of the island economy, and most people work in farming and fishing and live a sustenance life. Everywhere we went people were toiling in some fashion. We particularly enjoyed a canoe ride in Morondava to see the fishing boats. We also waded across a shallow estuary at low tide to visit a small fishing village. Here about 1000 people live with no running water or electricity growing vegetables, fishing and boat building.

Walking to the fishing village at low tide

We also had the opportunity on our final day to do a walking tour of Antananarivo, called Tana by the locals. Antananarivo is the capital and largest city in Madagascar, home to nearly 4 million people. We visited some historic sites and walked through the very busy daily market swarming with people. This was the only place in our entire visit we were warned to be diligent about pickpockets.

Looking at the massive market downhill Antananarivo

Antananarivo is sprawling and home to 4 million people

Things to Know

Logistics

There are two official languages in Madagascar; French and Malagasy. Malagasy is just one of 18 tribal languages in the country. Most people in the tourism industry speak a bit of English. All of our guides spoke excellent English.

Don’t expect to use your credit card. We paid cash for all but one transaction over our ten day tour. Even hotels and restaurants operate in the local currency of Ariary. As of this writing the exchange rate is one Ariary = .23 US cents

Safety

I felt safe everywhere I went, and I was always with a guide. The only time we were warned to be aware of pickpockets was in the city of Antananarivo – a city of 4 million people. Crime is a problem in the city so be aware. But very little of our time was spent in the city.

Though not all areas of Madagascar are prone to malaria, we did take malaria medicine while in the country. Discuss it with you doctor.

Lodging

We stayed in five different hotels during our tour. All were excellent, clean, had delicious restaurants and friendly English speaking staff. Only one did not have Aircon or wifi due to it’s remoteness.

In Morondava we had a lovely beach-side hotel

Our stay Kirindy was the most remote lodging with no WIFI and power only a couple hours a day

In Andasibe we had a really nice bungalow surrounded by the most beautiful gardens

Costs

Our tour for two people with the upgrades I mentioned above cost $5076 for ten days. Our tour included breakfast but not lunch or dinner. We ate all our dinners at the hotels and and few lunches elsewhere. Over the ten days we spent about $400 on food and drinks. We tipped our drivers and guides generously…a total for tips over the ten days was about $250. Our round trip flight from Vienna via Addis Ababa cost $910 per person.

Mad About Madagascar

My bucket list of destinations got significantly shorter after this long awaited trip to Madagascar. It was the final destination of an 8 month long journey that started in remarkable Papua New Guinea and ended in magnificent Madagascar. What a life. My Fab Fifties Life.

I highly recommend Madagascar. If you have considered it, ask me questions. I am Mad About Madagascar and am so grateful it turned out even better than I had always imagined.

Thank you for reading my post Mad About Madagascar and for your continued interest and support of our travels. Be sure and see last week’s post Visit Vienna Austria. And come back next week for even more of our grand travel adventures.

We love it when you pin, comment, and share our blog posts. Thank you.

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Europe Travel

Visiting Vienna Austria

History, Beauty, Music & Charm

May 31, 2024

Laureen

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Location: Vienna Austria

Vienna. Wein. Wow. Somehow in all my travels Vienna had eluded me. Now that I have been there, I have no doubt I will be back. It’s one of the most beautiful cities in Europe – right up there with Budapest and Paris, two of my favorites. But Vienna is not Paris and it’s not Budapest. It is its own unique city with fascinating ancient and recent history and a charm and beauty like no other. Today let’s talk about Visiting Vienna Austria.

Vienna is home to incredible art and antiquities

UNESCO

The rich and varied history and significant cultural and archaeological influence of Vienna have made its historic core a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here is what the UNESCO website has to say about the distinctive history of Vienna.

Vienna, situated on the Danube River in the eastern part of Austria, developed from early Celtic and Roman settlements into a medieval and Baroque city, eventually becoming the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

During the Ottoman conflicts in the 16th and 17th centuries, the medieval town’s walls, which surrounded a much larger area, were rebuilt and provided with bastions. This remained the core of Vienna until the medieval walls were demolished in the second half of the 19th century

n 1683, Vienna became the capital of the Habsburg Empire and developed rapidly, becoming an impressive Baroque city. The Baroque character was expressed particularly in the large palace layouts such as the Belvedere Palace and garden ensemble. A growing number of new palaces were built by noble families, many existing medieval buildings, churches, and convents were altered and given Baroque features, and additions were made to representative administrative buildings.

Several historic Viennese buildings are now associated with the residences of important personalities such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert, when the city played an essential role as a leading European center for music. (Source UNESCO)

Habsburg Dynasty 600 Years

Charles II of Spain – Born 6 November 1661, Charles was the only surviving son of Philip IV of Spain and Mariana of Austria, who were uncle and niece. While European nobility commonly married within the same extended family to retain property, the Spanish and Austrian Habsburgs were unusual in the extent to which they followed this policy, resulting in poor health and disfigurement as seen here. (Wikipedia)

The Habsburg Dynasty was in power for more than 600 years.

The Second World War created havoc in the city. Vienna was bombed 52 times during World War II, destroying much of the city. However, today the city is fully restored and more beautiful than ever. (Photo Google Images)

Visiting Vienna Austria

We had six days to explore this beautiful city. Prior to arrival we had booked several activities, as well as a room at the Mercure City Center hotel, an easy walk from the main historic center of the city. Our room was comfortable, staff was excellent and the breakfast was well done each morning. Here is how we spent our time Visiting Vienna Austria.

Stephen’s Cathedral, built in the 12th century, in the historic center

Arrival

Our early flight from Belgrade got us to Vienna around 10am. Efficient exit process through Vienna International Airport and to our hotel before 11am. Too early to check in, we dropped our bags, and headed out for a full day.

Visitors flock to Vienna and carriage rides are popular

Kunsthistorissche

We started at the world renowned Kunsthistorissche Museum. We had purchased tickets in advance, but I think in April we could have walked in. But during the busy summer months, you should reserve your tickets. Built in 1891 the museum is home to a vast collection of the Habsburg Imperial Family and considered one of the premier museums in the world. You could easily spend an entire day. We were there for about three hours and barely made a dent. We focused primarily on painting and sculpture. When I return to Vienna I will certainly see this museum again.

Leopold Museum

Our next stop was the Leopold Museum, Vienna’s Art Nouveau collection featuring Austrian artists including the incomparable Klimt. The modern art collection of Dr. Rudolph Leopold makes up the majority of the work, including a vast collection of the works of Egon Schiele and many other artists of the Vienna Succession Movement.

Austrian National Library

We popped into this beautiful building on our way to the MozartHaus and found a wonderful surprise. Since 2005, the collections have been located within the Baroque structure of the Palais Mollard-Clary. Founded by the Habsburgs, the library was originally called the Imperial Court Library. Stunning architecture as well as antiquities share the space with a vast collection of ancient tomes

MozartHaus

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived the final ten years of his short life in Vienna with his family. The house he lived in and composed some of his greatest works, is now a museum to his life. Surprisingly ordinary, the house sits on a main street within the historic core. Touring the MozartHaus museum includes a well done audio guide with facts and details about the life of this remarkable talent. However, the movie Amadeus was actually filmed mostly in Prague.

Griechenbeisl

It had been a long and productive day and we were starving. Time to visit Vienna’s oldest restaurant Griechenbeisl serving traditional Viennese food for 550 years. We dug into this giant Pork Knuckle with sauerkraut and potatoes and delicious local beer. Perfect end to our first day in Vienna.

Art & Music

Guten Morgen Wein – day two. Today we had booked a walking tour through Get Your Guide of the Imperial Palace area, which encompasses most of the historic center of the city. Our tour included an orientation of the area with stops outside the Hofburg Imperial Palace, the Austrian National Library, the Imperial Gardens, many pedestrian streets and the stalls of the Lipizaner Horses (more on that tomorrow). Inside the Hofburg Imperial Palace Additionally we toured Sisi Museum, where numerous personal items that once belonged to Elisabeth (Sisi) illustrate the true personality of the frequently misunderstood Empress.

Belvedere

We used Vienna’s easy tram system to head out to the Belvedere Museum, the former summer palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy. Today the beautiful Baroque buildings are the heart of the Belvedere collection including 24 paintings by Gustav Klimt with his golden images “The Kiss” and “Judith”. “The Kiss” is probably Austria’s most famous work of art.

In addition to fantastic art collection, the gardens at the Belvedere are exquisite. Be sure to save time for a lovely stroll around the pond to enjoy the gardens on a sunny day.

To Market to Market

After the Belvedere we hopped back on the tram and headed to the Kutschkermarkt, a neighborhood market outside of the center. Still early in the season, but we enjoyed the beautiful selection of flowers and produce, live music and crafts. Lots of seafood outdoor restaurants here as well, but we opted for a lovely and authentic Italian meal instead.

Mozart Concert

After a quick rest and change of clothes back at the hotel, we were back on the tram heading to a Mozart Concert by the Vienna Music Society. The wonderful concert, with orchestra in period costume, was so much fun, and the Golden Hall was exquisite.

The Musikverein was inaugurated by Emperor Franz Joseph in 1870. The Golden Hall in the Musikverein is known all over the world, not only because of the annual worldwide broadcast of New Year’s Concert by the Vienna Philharmonics, but also for being permanent seat of the Vienna Philharmonics and main stage of the Vienna Mozart Orchestra. I highly recommend this when in Vienna.

The Vienna Music Orchestra preparing to play

Lipizzaner Stallions

When I imagined visiting the Lipizzaner Stallions in Vienna, I imagined traveling outside of the city to big green equestrian field, like I might in Kentucky or Maryland. Oh no. These spectacular horses perform right in the heart of Vienna, in their own Baroque chandelier-ed arena built for the Spanish Riding School in 1729.

The Lipizzaner horse is one of the oldest breeds in Europe. The breed got its start in 1580 when Archduke Charles of the Austro-Hungrian Empire established a stud farm at Lipizza near the Adriatic Sea in modern day Slovenia. This occurred shortly after his brother, Maximilian II, had imported Spanish horses to Austria and founded the court stud at Kladrub. It was from the stud farm at Lipizza that the breed gets its name. Archduke Charles greatly desired to create a horse that was not only suited for war, but also for pulling carriages and performing in the manner of classical riding. Learn more here.

We booked our tickets in advance to see the morning performance of The Spanish Riding School. Not being a horse person myself, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I loved it. Absolutely astonishing the beauty, grace and athleticism of these magnificent animals. The riders also were amazing. It is highly competitive to be a rider at the school and it takes commitment.

To undergo training at the Spanish Riding School means a lifelong education, which is always subjected to the needs of the horses. It is tough, takes eight to ten years and requires iron discipline. The handed-down oral tradition of classic equestrian art still applies today and is passed on from generation to generation. The horse takes center stage and determines the duration of the training. Currently, there are three chief riders, eight riders, five assistant riders, as well as five trainees at the school. Learn more. Do not miss a Lipizzaner performance when in Vienna.

Performance venue for the Lipizzaner Stallions

Weinerschnitzel

Day three in Vienna and I still hadn’t had any Weinerschnitzel – Vienna’s signature dish. So I had read about a restaurant near to the Lipizzaner Stallions called beim Hofmeister. Their website said serving Weiner Traditional food since 1725. So we not only enjoyed a giant Weinerschnitzel but we ended with delicious Austrian Sachertorte as well.

Sound of Music in German

We booked ahead tickets for Rodgers and Hammerstein iconic Sound of Music at the beautiful Volksoper theater. Even though the show was in German, we know the songs and the story well enough to enjoy it nonetheless. It was a great performance, with highly talented cast and great sets. I recommend it when in Vienna.

Bratislava

I will have a separate blog post coming up about our day trip to Bratislava Slovakia (my 134th country), but let me suggest here what a nice day trip it is. If you have the time, take a day to cross the border and visit this lovely medieval city of Bratislava Slovakia. An easy one and half hour drive on a clean and efficient Flixbus bus system is a perfect way to go for less than $20 round trip. During the summer months you can also enjoy a Danube River cruise from Vienna to Bratislava and back with a six hour stay in the city. Watch for an upcoming blog post with more details about our day four visit to Bratislava.

Two Icons

There is still much to see in beautiful Vienna, and on day five we hit two iconic Vienna sites. I recommend booking tickets ahead for both the Vienna State Opera House and the Schonbrunn Palace.

Vienna Opera House

I have been to several opera performances in my travels, and I’m not personally a connisseur of opera. But you don’t need to love opera to love this tour. We booked ahead and I’m glad we did as the tours were sold out. This backstage tour of how this beautiful theater puts on over 300 performances a year was one of the most interesting things I have ever done. Get your tickets here.

Schonbrunn Palace

Schloss Schonbrunn is not to be missed on a visit to Vienna. It is Vienna’s most visited site so get your tickets ahead. Lots of tour busses full of visitors come here, so be prepared for lines, even if you have advanced tickets.

Tickets include an audio guide, which was really well done and easy to understand. The wealth and opulence of this summer residence of the Habsburgs is mind-boggling. Reminiscent of Versailles, Schloss Schonbrunn became the glittering focus of court life during the reign of Maria Theresa. From this time on, it played host to the leading statesmen of Europe.

We arrived an hour before our ticketed entrance time and spent an hour exploring the gardens, forest, labyrinth and walking up the hill to the summer gazebo. Here the view back towards the city, and down to the palace is beautiful.

We entered the palace at our ticketed time, dropped our backpack and went through security. Picked up our headset and then began the tour. All of that took about half an hour. The tour itself you can take as long as you want going from room to room guided by the audio. We spent about two hours.

We found the Vienna tram an easy way to get from the city to Schonbrunn Palace, about 5km outside of Vienna.

Evening Refreshments

Since it was such a hot and beautiful day, we ended this day five with beers sitting along the river watching the boats go by. Then a simple cold meal of the popular Vienna Brotchen open faced sandwich at Trzesniewski. Delicious.

Final Day

There are many more museums in Vienna that we did not see…we will save these for our next visit. We had a late flight on our final day, so we decided to get a late check out at the hotel, and spend the day on the Danube River.

First we enjoyed a walk from the Tram station on the Danube island in the middle of the river. Then we walked along the river front near the river cruise port. Sitting along the river we enjoyed a cold drink before boarding the cruise. We had booked the cruise onboard Blue Danube City Cruise. Our choice was the shorter option of about an hour and half, but a longer three hour cruise with lunch is also available. Although the loud speaker was very difficult to understand when sitting outside, we still learned a lot and enjoyed just seeing the sites from the water on a very beautiful day. Of most interest was passing through the locks.

Lugeck

We hated to leave beautiful Vienna, but it was time. So we booked at table at the famous Lugeck in the heart of the beautiful historic center. We enjoyed a lovely meal outside under the umbrellas, as we reminisced about this fantastic city and all it has to share.

Danke Schön Wein

What an amazing city and I truly think I could spend a couple of months here. Thank you Vienna. Danke Schon Wein. You are a shining example of preservation and graceful growth in the modern world. I will return. Danke.

Thank you for reading our post Visiting Vienna Austria. See last week’s post Visiting Serbia for the First Time here. Be sure to come back next week for a mega post about my ten days in Madagascar.

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At Home

Home Again Home Again Jiggety Jig

May 10, 2024

Laureen

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Location: Washington State, USA

Eight months. Yep, it’s been 8 months today since we left the USA and it is time to turn our compass towards home. I love our travel life. But I love our little Villa de Verano as well, and we love spending summer in Washington State. So, it’s time. Home Again Home Again Jiggety Jig.

A Look Back

This is year 8 of our Grand Adventure. What a crazy life this is, but also rich and rewarding. This past 8 months we have tackled some difficult places (Papua New Guinea), some favorite places (Brisbane, Melbourne, Tasmania) and some chilly places (Bologna, Puglia, Sicily). We have learned new things and enjoyed watching spring arrive in places like Crete.

More Blogs Coming

I have not finished writing about our adventures in year eight. Coming up North Macedonia, Serbia, Vienna, Bratislava and Madagascar. All worth a read. But meanwhile, this week I just wanted to talk about home. The Grand Adventure is not the kind of life everyone wants, but for us it really is satisfying, particularly knowing we can always go home. Homeward bound. Home Again Home Again Jiggety Jig.

What’s Next

What’s next is the question we get probably more than any other question about our travels. So in brief let me share. We will be back in the USA for four months this time from Mid May to Mid September. In September we will travel for six weeks and then return to the USA for the holidays. During this six weeks we will visit three countries we dropped when we had to return home during COVID; Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Then we will do a tour once again with Intrepid Travel to the Five Stans before returning to the USA for holidays with our family.

After our time home for the holidays (November – January)we don’t know yet, but we have some ideas. We will definitely travel and are considering the South Pacific and Australia in the winter and Europe again for spring. Our trips from now on will be shorter, possibly three to four months. We have learned over the past few months that eight months is too long, our bodies can’t take it anymore. So the continuation of the Grand Adventure will revolve around shorter adventures and longer periods at home. It’s been an evolution, and luckily we both are on the same page about this.

Home Again Home Again Jiggety Jig

I am amazed and grateful at how many people follow our adventures, ask questions and seem genuinely interested in this travel life. Thank you for that. While in the USA, we plan to stay put for most of the four months, with the exception of one short trip to Las Vegas to see Elvis Costello for my husband’s birthday. We really want a quieter summer without travel. Spending time with our adult children and our moms close to home. Time to get some projects done around the house (new laundry room and more). We look forward to golf, hiking, and getting back on a running schedule – I need to drop a few pounds travel has gifted me…so much great food. I’m looking forward to gardening, quilting and some redecorating. I need to continue the photo project I started last summer. I just need to be HOME. These are things that make us happy and keep us healthy. I hope to see some of you this summer.

Be sure to stay tuned for upcoming blog posts. See last week’s post About Albania – Tirana & Beyond. Thank you for your comments, shares, pins and continued interest in what we do. This life – a real Grand Adventure.

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Europe Travel

About Albania – Tirana and Beyond

May 3, 2024

Laureen

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Location: Albania

We had Albania on our itinerary in 2020 when we had to cut our travels short and return home due to the Pandamit. It’s taken four years to get Albania and other Balkan countries back onto our itinerary. We are so glad to finally visit and to learn all About Albania – Tirana and Beyond.

Balkans

As is true for all the Balkan nations we have visited, the history here is wildly chaotic. And yet the people are steadfast and resilient. A product of oppression and occupation and much more over thousands of years. In all the Balkan countries we have visited, from Bulgaria to Slovenia, Croatia to Romania, we have found wonderfully welcoming people happy to share their homeland.

Born to Albanian Parents, Mother Teresa is much revered

History

History here, well it would take volumes to cover it. As is true through out Central Europe the area known today as Albania was passed from Byzantines to Venetians to Ottomans. The Romans made an appearance, as they always do. But it is the more recent history of the past century that is so fascinating, frightening and frankly it’s a story that needs telling. I knew very little about this tyrannical leader and totalitarian regime of the recent past and I expect most other people are the same. I certainly am no expert, but here is a brief timeline from what I learned;

Communist era gun bunker in the middle of the city

About Albania – Tirana and Beyond

1918 -At the end of World War I Italy occupies Albania

1921 – Yugoslavia invades Albania

1921 – Ahmet Zogu comes into power and will continue in and out of control of the country for the next 18 years, declaring himself King.

1939 – Mussolini attacks Albania

1941 – Albanian Communist Party founded; Enver Hoxha becomes first secretary. He is a staunch Stalinist.

1946 – Enver Hoxha becomes prime minister, defense minister, foreign minister and commander-in-chief.

1961 – Under Hoxha, Soviet Union breaks diplomatic relations, Albania looks towards China for support.

1967 – Hoxha regime conducts violent campaign to extinguish religious life in Albania; by year’s end over two thousand religious buildings were closed or converted to other uses. Albania is declared “the world’s first atheist country,” religious leaders are imprisoned and executed.

1975 – 1991 – Hoxha creates authoritarian state with no roads in or out. A complete closure to the outside world and absolute isolation for Albanian people.

1985 – Hoxha dies and Ramiz Alia is his successor.

1991 – Communism falls in Albania.

1992 – Democratic Party wins election. Former President Alia and eighteen other former communist officials, including Nexhmije Hoxha, wife of late dictator Hoxha, arrested and charged with corruption and other offenses.

The “Pyramid” originally a shrine to Hoxha is now a school in Tirana

A piece of the Berlin Wall displayed in one of Tirana’s parks.

Albania Today

Thirty-three years after the fall of communism in Albania, it is a much different place. The country continues to find its way out of the decades of oppression. As a visitor however, you will find a vibrant city in Tirana, despite traffic gridlock and some persistent air pollution. Efforts are being made for new roads and infrastructure upgrades, but as of this writing there are way too many cars for the quality of the roads. Both parking and driving etiquette is non-existent. Multiple high-rise buildings are under construction and unique and beautiful architecture abounds.

Albania awaits entry into the European Union, and they have waited for a couple of decades. Government corruption seems to be the stumbling block. Hopefully they can move forward in a positive way.

Our Six Day Visit

During our time in Albania we based ourselves in Tirana in an Airbnb. We had a car, although we regretted it on several occasions. Driving here is not for the faint of heart and gas is $8USD a gallon. To get around Tirana however, we parked the car and walked and took the bus. Multiple taxi options are also available. We spent two days in the city of Tirana and we recommend the following.

As we often do on day one of visiting a new city we signed up for a free walking tour with FREE TOURS. Our guide was excellent, spoke perfect English and had a great grasp of the complicated history of Tirana. During our two hour tour we visited the Skanderbeg Square, which is the heart of the city and named for Albanian National Hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu. Skanderbeg is revered for defending the country against the Ottoman Empire in the 15th Century. Our guide described all the new construction in the city and changes being made to attract tourism. We visited the “pyramid”, originally a shrine to Dictator Enver Hoxha but today a school. He also explained the Bunk Art Museums (more on that below) and pointed out several other museums in the city. Finally he shared with us some great restaurant options. A perfect introduction.

On Our Own

Following our tour we headed out to explore more deeply several places in the city. We started at the Et hem Bey Mosque, a beautiful historic mosque right on Skanderbeg square. Throughout all the occupations and historical violence, this mosque was saved partly because of its unique beauty and design. The minaret was broken in WWII but replaced after the war.

Unique and beautiful exterior Et hem Bey Mosque

Next we visited Bunk Art Two. There are two Bunk Art museums, Bunk Art One is further out of town (more on that below) but Bunk Art Two is located right behind Et hem Bey mosque. Both museums are built inside former bunkers, built to protect the communist elite in times of war or nuclear attack. Bunk Art Two is smaller and easily accessible from the city. Learn more here.

PizarirRi New Bazaar – we ended our day strolling through the city’s New Bazaar, a colorful and lively area for locals and visitors alike. Our guide recommended this to us for traditional Albanian foods as well as crafts and people watching. We had an excellent meal at Oda, a old family restaurant serving traditional local food.

Local salad always has cucumber and tomato

Stuffed peppers are a traditional Balkan food

Day Two in Tirana

Dajti Express Gondola – we took the bus to the foot of the gondola, and we are so glad we didn’t try to drive in the crazy traffic. The bus was clean and efficient and cost 40 cents USD. We arrived pretty early to the gondola and there was no one there. It was Sunday and we were surprised. We rode the gondola up and admired the views. Slowly more people started to arrive so we headed out to do a hike. We had trouble finding the trail head, because a big fence had been erected. But we eventually scooted around it and did a nice but not too strenuous hike traversing the side of the mountain. The area is a bit run down with tacky tourist tzotskis, but I recommend you do the gondola when in Tirana especially for the views. The Gondola is closed on Tuesdays.

Bunk Art One – Located at the foot of the gondola, so a perfect activity to do at the same time. This is the original Bunk Art museum, opened in 2014. Located inside this massive bunker designed to protect the communist elite in case of nuclear or other warfare. It is five stories deep set into the mountain. Be sure to have a light jacket or sweater because it is very chilly. Most of the displays are available in English. It’s a fascinating look into the mindset of the communist leadership of the time. Sad and frightening for those who died and those who lived through the tyrannical leadership of Enver Hoxha.

Day Trips Outside of Tirana

With our car we chose to do day trips from Tirana on three days. All of the places listed here can be done with a tour, or a taxi from Tirana. All can also be overnight destinations on their own. But we chose to do them as day trips. Let me reiterate however, driving in this country is not for the faint of heart.

Seashore

Duress – a popular summer destination, Duress sits on the Mediterranean Sea about 30 min from Tirana. But, of everything we did in Albania, Duress was my least favorite. The town has a few historic sights including a Roman Amphitheater and Venetian Tower, but the sites and the town overall seemed rundown and in need of some tender loving care. The beach was covered in sea-grass during our early April visit.

UNESCO

Berat – Possibly my favorite place we visited in Albania, the UNESCO World Heritage site offers a beautiful river front location on the Osum River with ancient 2500 year old village and winding cobbled streets. Berat is known for its “one over one” windows and a is showcase of traditional Albanian life. It’s a straight up walk to the fortress above the city (also driveable) but absolutely worth seeing this beautiful Castle of Berat and walled site dating to the 4th century.

Osum River and The Arched Bridge of Gorica

Recreation

Lake Bovilla – the drive to Lake Bovilla was crazy. We probably would not have done this day trip if we had better understood how rough the road was going to be. But, we made it and were so glad we did. We arrived early and were the only people there. We assumed no one else was dumb enough to tackle the road. But then vans of tourists started to arrive and even taxis. So if you want to come to Bovilla but don’t want to try and drive it, there are multiple transportation options.

Lake Bovilla is a reservoir built high in the mountains and the crystal clear turquoise water is a sight to see. You pay 100 lek (1 USD) to climb stairs to the look out at the top, and this is what makes the drive worth it. Mind blowing beauty.

Just a snapshot of what the road was like

Close By

Kruje – It’s another winding drive to the medieval village of Kruje, but it’s not so far and I’m glad we went. We enjoyed climbing up to the old castle and shopping in the colorful historic bazaar. There are several museums too as well as hotels and restaurants. Kruje is the birthplace of Albania’s National Hero Skanderbeg.

Kruje is famous for it’s colorful and traditional bazaar

Final Thoughts

Be sure not to miss the local coffee culture. Albanians spend hours in sidewalk coffee shops. It really is a huge part of the daily social life of nearly everyone. In fact our tour guide, somewhat tongue in cheek, said he thinks all the coffee shops make people lazy…they spend too much time drinking coffee with friends. During our stay we of course tucked in to as many coffee shops as we could. And, we made a visit to Tirana’s only Microbrewery, The Taproom by Pan’s Microbrewry.

Refreshing stop at The Taproom by Pan’s Microbrewery

About Albania – Worth a Visit

Rough around the edges, indeed. But for me, it’s beautiful to see this rising star of a destination working to overcome all of its troubling past. If you love history like I do, unique culture and strong and resilient people, you will love Albania. Come and see why Albania is one of the most anticipated emerging destinations in the world. Come and see what is happening here – About Albania – Tirana and Beyond.

Coming up in a future post I’ll tell you about our visit to Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia. This could be a day trip from Tirana, but we chose to spend several days. Stay tuned to learn more about this beautiful region of the Balkans.

Thank you for reading my post About Albania – Tirana and Beyond. See last week’s post A Visit to Knossos Palace, Heraklion Crete here. We thank you in advance for commenting on our posts, sharing and pinning. And for being faithful followers of My Fab Fifties Life adventures around the world.

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