History travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises spa and resorts

The Roman Epoch (1st-6th C.) represents a peculiar golden age in the development of the antique Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Time when its ancient town structure took shape, including splendid public buildings, an enormous forum, an impressive stadium, a beautiful amphiteather, heathen temples, aqueducts, aristocratic houses, imposing fortress walls.

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The Lanesborough is a very prestigious 5-star hotel in elegant Knightsbridge, central London. Located on Hyde Park Corner, this historic landmark London luxury hotel is minutes away from Buckingham Palace.

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The famous Robben Island, whose prison was once home to former South African president Nelson Mandela as well as many other black political freedom fighters, is now a World Heritage Site and provides views across the bay with Table Mountain as its backdrop. A journey to the island is an amazing experience offers a glimpse into the life and times of the apartheid era. The island was also used as a leper colony and animal quarantine station. The island is nearby Whale Rock and have been the nemesis of many a ship and its crew. The surf of the open Atlantic Ocean thunders continuously at its margins and any vessel wrecked on the reefs offshore is soon beaten to pieces and disappears.

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The Temple of Debod is one of the best Madrid‘s treasures, situated on the West side of town into Parque Oeste. This Egyptian structures are striking by day and luminous by night. The temple was built originally 15 km south of Aswan in southern Egypt very close to the first cataract of the Nile and to the great religious center dedicated to the goddess Isis, in Philae. In Spain, it is a gift to the government after helping to save various historical buildings from the Nubia region in 1960 which was under threat of flooding from the construction of the Great Damn of Aswan.

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The Bulgarian St. Stephen Church, also known as the Bulgarian Iron Church, is a Bulgarian orthodox church in Istanbul, famous for being made of cast iron. The richly ornamented church is a three-domed cross-shaped basilica. The altar faces the Golden Horn and a 40-rn-high belfry, the six bells of which were cast in Yaroslav, rises above the narthex.

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The marble pieces that are located on Beyazit Square, Istanbul, belong to the triumphal arch and the forum built by and named after the last emperor of the Roman Empire – Theodosius “The Great” (4th century A.D.). The triumphal arch was situated on the southwest corner of the Theodosius forum (today, Beyazit Square). This area used to be called “Forum Tauri” (“The Bill Square”) but in the 4th century A.D., the name was changed into the “Forum of Theodosius”. During this record, the forum was surrounded by marble public and civil buildings decorated with porticoes.

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Richard Meier Model Museum in Long Island City will be open its doors this year on Friday, May 13, offering a rare glimpse into the process behind his distinguished 40-year career as an architect, Mr. Meier is once again unveiling his vast breadth of works to the public for its fifth consecutive season. The museum occupies 3600-square feet and features works from the 1960’s to the present. Most prominent in the museum are large scale presentation models and study models of the Getty Center in Los Angeles, an institution widely regarded as Mr. Meier’s most ambitious project and one that required fifteen years to complete.

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This museum garantees a well-spent afternoon, set in a beautiful new building in Brussels. Various instruments, European and non European, are at display. Infrared headphones offer the possibility to hear extracts from the instruments you are viewing. The museum has a large sample of extracts for you to listen to, making a visit to this museum a feast for body and soul. In September until June concerts are organized there. These concerts make use of the enormous rare and ancient instruments in the collection.

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Akershus Fortress or Castle is a medieval castle that was built to protect Oslo, the capital of Norway. It has also been used as a prison. It is located along the coastline, very close to the touristic harbor and the City hall. It’s in walkable distance from any place between the Central Station and National Theater. The trails of the castle are all paved with grey stones and it feels like they only go up. On the highest points located towards the sea, it’s wonderful having a look at one of the many displayed cannons, the huge cruise boats or simply enjoy the awesome panorama over the harbor and Aker Brygge.

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The worlds of flamenco and the bullring have always shred deep roots, and in no place is this truer than in Seville. With its old photographs, wooden windows and beautiful mosaic floor, Casa del Maestro has been lovingly maintained with its history and architecture in mind.

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