Tag: Abandoned

Deep South and close to Africa

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The island knows no other human voices, no other footprints. On the Offshore Lights, you can live any story you want to tell yourself, and no one will say you’re wrong: not the seagulls, not the prisms, not the wind. (M.L. Stedman) Down, down, down to the extreme tip of Sicily until there is no path anymore. Only a tiny beach and a rocky shoreline. But you can walk further towards the South, along a boulders walkway that surfaces only with the low tide. We are deep South and close to Africa. Once at the end of the walkway, we

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San Pietro Infine, the centre point of an epic battle

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San Pietro Infine is a tiny medieval village in Southern Italy, almost halfway between Rome and Naples. It is uninhabited and completely in ruins. If you’re interested in history, you probably know what Cassino means in WWII. But does San Pietro Infine tell you anything? Probably not, even if it lies a few kilometres south of Cassino. Centre point of an epic battle Because of its position, on the slopes of Monte Sambucaro, it was the centre point of an epic battle between the American V Army, and the German 29th Panzer Grenadier Division. Americans were on their way to

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The Beginner’s Guide to Berlin Tempelhof Airport

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Closed in 2008, Berlin Tempelhof airport was the main airport of Germany during the Nazi era.  It fights for the title of the oldest operating commercial airport and still is an iconic landmark. It’s one of the few airports in Europe still showing its pre-World War II architecture.   All the other classical airports in Europe have been demolished or refurbished. Think for example of Saint Petersburg’s Pulkovo 2 airport terminal. You can visit the airport.  There are regular tours throughout the year that show the visitors most part of the structures, from hangars to the hotel and offices. It’s

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Safranbolu: Silk Road and traditions in Northern Turkey

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When in Safranbolu, sip a cup of salep under a vine; the sun sparkles through the green leaves and the purple grapes. Around you are mosques and Ottoman houses, three caravanserais and the Arasta Bazaar. It once housed all the cobblers of the town and is now a gem of wood and peace, surrounded by vines, with a great bar that serves traditional Turkish coffee. Safranbolu, UNESCO World Heritage town In Safranbolu, the Silk Road was one step from its longed Mediterranean end. I can imagine how the caravans would welcome this green and shady valley just before the infinite

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