Charm of an Outcast: 10 Must See Destinations in Belarus

Belavezhskaja Pushcha National Park

Brest Fortress

Gomel

Grodno

Minsk

Mir Castle Complex

Mogilev

Nesvizh

Sharkovshchina

Vitebsk

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Beautiful as a Postcard: 12 Must Visit Places in Austria

Bregenz

 Bregenzerwald

 Eisenstadt

 Innsbruck

Kaprun

 Lake Constance

Pinswang

 Salzburg

St. Anton

Vienna

 Wörthersee

Zell am See

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Nestled Within a Mountain: 10 Finest Places in Andorra

Andorra la Vella              

Andorra la Vella is the capital of Andorra. The site of Andorra la Vella (literally, "Andorra the Old") has been settled since prior to the Christian era — notably by the Andosin tribe from the late Neolithic. The state is one of the Marca Hispanica created and protected by Charlemagne in the eighth century as a buffer from the Moorish settlers in the Iberian Peninsula.

The principal industry of Andorra la Vella is tourism, although the country also earns foreign income from being a tax-haven. Furniture and brandies are local products.

               

Most travellers to Andorra la Vella also liked The church of Sant Esteve,  It is in the old part of the Andorra la Vella. And also the Church of Sant Andreu, a romanesque church dated from the 12th century.

El Pas de la Casa              

El Pas de la Casa is a town in Andorra, a small mountainous country in the Pyrenees Mountains in Europe.

               

The pass marks the watershed of the Pyrenees, being the only point in Andorra where water drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and is the source of the Ariège River.

               

El Pas de la Casa has a fantastic ski resort which also has a variety of different bars to visit during the evening.

Santa Coloma   

Santa Coloma is an Andorran town in the parish of Andorra la Vella. It houses a historic church that was nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage site on 22 February 1999 in the Cultural category.

Ordino is the most northerly parish in the Principality of Andorra. Ordino is also the name of the main town of the parish.

               

The main other settlements are El Serrat, Ansalonga, Sornàs, La Cortinada, Llorts, Segudet, Arans, Les Salines and Arcalís. It is home to the Sorteny National Park. It has a population of 3,066, as of 2005.

It is famous for the Church of Sant Corneli and Sant Cebrià, parish churches which are built initially during medieval times and changed between the 17th and the 19th centuries.

In the town square, The Ordino Main square, attached to a wall there is an iron ring that was formerly used to fasten offenders for public exposure.

Caldea 

Caldea is an urban area in Escaldes-Engordany parish, Andorra. There was a textile industry from the Middle Ages, producing woven fabrics and umbrellas in several guilds. The area is also known for its traditional Catalan dance, the Santa Anna.

               

               

Sant Julia de Loria          

Sant Julia de Loria lies on border to Spain in the southern parish in Andorra between Andorra La Vella and Spain. It has one of the parishes of Andorra, in the far south of that country. It is also the name of the main town of the parish, which at 908 m is the lowest settlement in Andorra.

               

Most travellers go to Sant Julia de Loria to see the Sanctuary of Canòlic, Romanesque style. Every year, on the last Saturday in May happens a pilgrimage with the attendance of most of the people of Sant Julià de Lòria and many from elsewhere in the country. Another attraction for the travellers is the  Sant Serni de Nagol, a church dated from 11th century – Romanesque style. It is outside of Nagol village.

Escaldes-Engordany      

Escaldes-Engordany is a parish mainly to the east of Andorra La Vella. The parish is composed of the areas of les Escaldes, Engordany, Els Vilars d'Engordany, Engolasters, and El Fener.

               

It is home to the Roc del Metge it is a hot spa, considered one of the hottest in Europe

La Massana        

La Massana lies in the western border parish (administrative division) of the same name and en route to the town of Ordino in Andorra.

               

The parish is extremely mountainous and contains the highest mountain in Andorra, Coma Pedrosa (2,942 m, 9,652 ft). Its western side limits with Tor, Pallars municipal term, in the border with Spain.

Encamp

Andorra is also known for Encamp a parish and town 4km NE of the capital of Andorra between Andorra La Vella and the French border at Pas de la Casa.

               

It is also famous for the Sant Roma de les Bons Church dedicated to Sant Roma, is a Romanesque building from the Lombard period.

Grandvalira

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10 Must Visit Places in Albania

Tirana 

Tirana is the capital of Albania. Chronicles from the first land registrations under the Ottomans in 1431–32 reflects that Tirana comprised of 60 populated areas, with nearly 2,028 houses and 7,300 people. 

In 1614, Sulejman Bargjini, a local leader established the Ottoman settlement with a mosque, a commercial centre, and a hammam (Turkish sauna). 

In 2000, past Tirana Mayor Edi Rama commenced an essential movement to annihilate illegal buildings nearby the city centre and on Lana River banks. It comprised the makeover of the area to its pre-1990 state. In addition, Rama led the creativity to paint the façades of Tirana's buildings in bright colours, even though much of their interiors continue to degrade.

It is home to the Clock Tower, situated in the city centre, this tower has become a figure of Tirana. It is one of the first structures in Tirana, built in the 1820's. Also famous in Tirana is the Et'hem Bey Mosque, Construction of this mosque taken about 28 years and completed in 1821. It is considered one of the most stunning mosques in Albania with very fascinating decorations and art-work inside it.

Berat

Berat is a municipality set in south-central Albania. The town became part of the unsound frontier of the Byzantine Empire following the descent of the Roman Empire and, along with all of the rest of the Balkan Peninsula, it suffered from recurrent attacks by Slavs and other "barbarian" tribes. Throughout the Byzantine period, it was known as Pulcheriopolis.

It is famous for the Onufri Iconography Museum, The museum hold other artifacts collected from nearby churches and others around Albania. While Berat Ethnographic Museum, features traditional local furniture and house utensils.

Rozafa Fortress  

Rozafa is a woman buried in the ramparts, who supports the structure. Rozafa Fortress is a castle near the city of Shkodër, in northwestern Albania. It was founded by the Illyrians, rebuilt by the Venitians and the Ottomans. 

The castle has been the site of several famous sieges, including the siege of Shkodra by the Ottomans in 1478 and the siege of Shkodra by the Montenegrins in 1912.

Sarandë

Sarandë is the capital of the District of Sarandë, Albania. In 1878, a Greek rebellion broke out, with revolutionaries taking control of Sarandë and Delvinë. This was blocked by the Ottoman troops, who burned twenty villages in the region. The town was included in the newly formed Albanian state in 1913 under the terms of the Protocol of Florence.

The village of Ksamili is near Sarande. It has a beautiful beach with several small islands you could swim to.

Gjirokastër

Gjirokastër is a city in southern Albania. The city was part of the Byzantine Despotate of Epirus, and it was first mentioned, by the name of Argyrokastro, by the Byzantine Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos in 1336. During 1386–1418 it became the capital of the Principality of Gjirokastër under Gjon Zenebishi. In 1417 it became part of the Ottoman Empire and in 1419 it became the county town of the Sanjak of Albania.

Gjirokastër is principally a commercial center with some industries, notably the production of foodstuffs, leather, and textiles. Recently a regional agricultural market that trades locally produced groceries has been built in the city.

It is popular to travellers because of the Gjirokastër Castle; The Castle also contains two Bektashi tekes, the stage for the internationally-renowned Gjirokaster National Folk Festival, a prison (now part of the Armaments Museum and available with an extra charge) and numerous chambers, some in ruins, open to exploration. Most travellers to Gjirokastër also liked Ethnographic Museum,  it is a well-restored Ottoman house which displays clothing, kitchenware, tools and other cultural artifacts.

Ionian Coast

Ionian Coast is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea.

Adventure tourism is in its infancy in Albania, and the national leaders are the enthusiastic young team at Outdoor Albania. Swimming is great along the Adriatic and Ionian coasts, except for the polluted section from Durrës to Fier.

Korce

Korce is the principle city in the district of Korça in Southeastern Albania.

Ottoman rule over Korçë lasted until 1912; although the city and its surroundings were supposed to become part of the Principality of Bulgaria according to the Treaty of San Stefano in 1878, the Treaty of Berlin of the same year returned the area to Ottoman rule.

During the 20th century, Korçë gained a substantial industrial capacity in addition to its historic role as a commercial and agricultural centre. The plateau on which the city stands is highly fertile and is one of Albania's main wheat-growing areas.

Favourite destination by travellers is the The National Museum of Medieval Art of Albania, has a rich archives of ca. 6500 icons and 500 other objects in textile, stone and metal. Also The National Museum of Archeology is located in Korçë.

Butrint

Butrint is in Sarandë, Albania. It remained an outpost of the empire fending off assaults from the Normans until 1204 when following the Fourth Crusade, the Byzantine Empire fragmented, Butrint falling to the breakaway Despotate of Epirus. 

In the following centuries, the area was a site of conflict between the Byzantines, the Angevins of southern Italy, and the Venetians, and the city changed hands many times. In 1267, Charles of Anjou took control of both Buthrotum and Corfu leading to further restorations of the walls and the Great Basilica.

The Albanian Government established the Butrint National Park in 2000. Its First Director was Auron Tare, followed by Raimond Kola. Butrint became an important center of cultural management and a great example how to manage this Heritage. 

Butrint, today is a UNESCO World Heritage site for being an ancient city throughout Greek, Roman, bishopric and Byzantine periods. The city was finally abandoned during the Middle Ages perhaps due to the marsh surrounding and subsequent malaria epidemic.

Pogradec

Pogradec is a town in the east of Albania on the shores of Lake Ohrid. The shores of Lake Lychnidus were inhabited as early as (6000-2000 BC).Lake Ohrid is one of the locations for the Illyrian tribe of the Encheleans that is near Pogradec.The area in the antiquity was at the border between Chaonia and Illyria. This is one of the locations that the Illyrians had started copying the styles of the Macedonians.

Most tourist travel to Pogradec to see the Pogradec Castle. At its highest point, it stands 205 metres above Lake Ohrid.

Albanian Alps

Albanian Alps sometimes called the Accursed Mountains are a range in northern Albania. Both the highest peak in Montenegro, Zla Kolata at 2,534m and Kosovo, Đeravica at 2,656m are located here. The highest peak in Albania though is Mount Korab which is 2,764 m (9,068 ft) high and is located in the east of the country on the border with Macedonia.

Albanian Alps is known to travellers for the Lock-in tower, it is one of the last remaining examples in Albania. The lock in tower was used to protect the male members of a family while they were under blood feud.

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