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Day: June 17, 2019

Sofia is at the same time full of history but modern, and one of the cheapest capitals in Europe. Sights from Roman ruins to communist-era. City guide to Sofia | FinnsAway Travel Blog

Sofia, the historical capital of Bulgaria

Published: June 17, 2019

Sightseeing in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria that is full of history, and hiking in Vitosha mountain right next to the city.

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Road trip memories from the Netherlands 🇳🇱 After Road trip memories from the Netherlands 🇳🇱After crossing the border from Germany in northernmost Netherlands, we stayed overnight in a very nice, small camping site in Midvolda. Then we had one day to drive through the country, so there wasn't much time for sightseeing.We decided to skip the most well-known travel destinations in the west, and headed to Groningen in the north instead. While kind of off-the-beaten-path, Groningen is the capital city and main municipality of the province by the same name. It's a historical city established almost 1000 years ago, and gained city rights in 1245.In the 13th century Groningen was an important trade centre, and strong city walls were built around the city. The city's most influential period was at the end of the 15th century, when also Martinitoren, city's most significant landmark, was built.During the past 500 years, Martinitoren, Martini Tower, has burnt down, been struck by lightning and nearly collapsed. Despite all that, and the wars, the tower is still proudly standing, and remains the city’s tallest building.We made a short walking tour in the old town of Groningen, admiring the Martini Tower and church as well as other architecture around the main square. We also headed to Forum Groningen, a modern landmark building that is like a second living room for the residents, and visitors too, with movie theatres, Smartlab, restaurants, the city library, exhibitions and Groningen's highest roof terrace.After the sightseeing walk, we headed to Reitdiep, to take a look at the colorful, wooden Pier Houses. The weather was (again...) against us, so the pics don't do justice, but these houses by the water are super cute!#finnsaway #nomadiclife #travelforlife #roadtrip #visitgroningen
Now that I was posting about Hamburg, I realized t Now that I was posting about Hamburg, I realized that we totally forgot to post here anything from the impressive city of Dresden, that we visited during our previous Europe road trip through Germany in June!So let's fix that with a collection of pictures from around the old town of the city. We started with a walk through the stunning Dresden Zwinger, a gigantic Baroque palace with beautiful gardens. The Dresden Zwinger is considered one of Germany’s most important Baroque works, and refers to the original position of the complex, between the inner and outer fortress wall.Probably the most well-known and most visited sight in the Dresden Old Town is the rebuilt Frauenkirche. The gigantic church was destroyed in the bombings of WWII, and reconstructed between 1993 and 2005. Miraculously, the Martin Luther statue right next to the church survived the firebombing and collapse of the buildings, and was standing alone in the middle of the rubble.The most unique sight in the Old Town is the Fürstenzug, a 101-meter-long mural made of Meissen porcelain tiles. The beautiful mural depicts the rulers of the House of Wettin as a procession on horseback, and forms a facade that stretches from the Palace Square along the Royal Palace towards the Neumarkt.The amount of impressive buildings and monuments in the Dresden Old Town feels almost overwhelming, especially when taking into account that over 75% of the historic center was erased in a single night in the massive bombings and fires in February 1945. Basically the whole old town was just rubble and ruins, and remained in miserable condition for decades, before an enormous rebuilding process after the reunification of Germany.#finnsaway #nomadiclife #travelforlife #roadtrip #visitdresden
In Germany we stopped for one night in Hamburg, to In Germany we stopped for one night in Hamburg, to explore the city both in daylight and after dark. This historical harbor city is fantastic for sightseeing, with plenty or architectural gems from along centuries.During the evening, after parking our van in a parking lot in St. Pauli (right next to the famous Hamburg DOM funfair), we made a small craft beer tour on our bicycles, and then headed to the famous Reeperbahn to see what the fuss is about. On Friday night the street and side streets were super busy, with a lot of tourists and locals alike.The next morning we moved the van to a free parking lot in Hafencity, and headed for a city tour. Unfortunately the weather was mostly very cloudy (and chilly, we couldn't believe that just like a day earlier the forecast said it would be sunny and +27!!), so the pics don't do much justice.The tour included a visit to the Plaza of the modern Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, a drive past the Hamburg Harbor, cycling under the river along the historical Old Elbe Tunnel, visiting the Beatles-Platz on Reeperbahn, and cruising through the elegant Hamburg-Neustadt to the historical Altstadt.We didn't have enough time for visits to museums or churches, but we admired from outside the St. Michael's Church, the impressive St. Nikolai Memorial and the Hamburg Town Hall on the atmospheric Rathausmarkt square.#finnsaway #nomadiclife #travelforlife #roadtrip #hamburggermany
Road trip memories from Denmark 🇩🇰 We drove throu Road trip memories from Denmark 🇩🇰We drove through Denmark rather quickly, starting late in the evening with a short leg from Helsingør to Frederikssund, where we stayed overnight in a bush park. The next morning we drove though Zealand, crossed the massive Great Belt Bridge and continued through Funen Island to the Jutland Peninsula, and to atmospheric old town of Ribe.With roots dating back to the 8th century, Ribe is oldest town of Denmark, and the historical heart of the country. It used to be a Viking stronghold, from where those fearless fighters sailed their wooden ships around Europe.🪓Ribe sure has quite some medieval charm, and a walking tour around the old town takes visitors back to the origins of the Danish kingdom. There are plenty of historical sights, beautiful architecture and paved streets, but also a lot of cultural treasures as well as restaurants and cafés.Ribe cathedral is a massive, Romanesque-style structure in the middle of the old town. Built in 1250, this architectural gem is the oldest cathedral of the country. Around the cathedral, there are several, scenic medieval streets to explore. Also the Ribe riverfront is also a charming area for a walk.We only had time for a short sightseeing tour (and unfortunetely on a cloudy day), but if you come to Ribe with some more time in hand, check out the Viking Museum, or, if you are travelling with kids, the Ribe VikingCentre.#finnsaway #nomadiclife #travelforlife #roadtrip #denmark
The new season of travels started with a road trip The new season of travels started with a road trip to Brittany in France. The first country, after a ferry ride from Finland, was Sweden. 💙💛As we had a rather tight schedule, we couldn't make longer stops, but still managed to visit plenty of interesting destinations along the route to France.In Sweden the first stop was in the idyllic town of Gränna in Northern Småland, on the western shores of Lake Vättern.Gränna is a charming small town, founded in 1652 by Count Per Brahe. Gränna is known for picturesque, wooden houses and cobblestone streets, as well as a charming harbor area. Furthermore, Gränna is hometown of Polkagrisar, traditional red-and-white candy canes.From Gränna we drove further south-west, all the way to Helsingborg, where we had a short walk before driving into a ferry to cross to Denmark.pics 1-3 Gränna
pics 4-6 Gränna harbor
pics 7-9 Helsingborg
pic 10 - Nännä the camper in Gränna 🚐#finnsaway #nomadiclife #travelforlife #roadtrip #sweden
Summer in Finland 🩵 🇫🇮 This year we stayed almost Summer in Finland 🩵 🇫🇮This year we stayed almost two months in our home country, meeting friends and family, enjoying the summer and working.We spent quite a lot of time in Rokua, right next to the Rokua National Park, building a travel business together with our friends / business companies. When not working, we often headed to the fantastic MTB trails and paths of Rokua, enjoying the beautiful nature of the area.Furthermore, we visited our former home town Oulu a few times, made one road trip in Lapland visiting family, and another road trip in the southern part of the country visiting friends ad family there.Blogs and social media have been quiet during the summer, but now are recharged and ready for new adventures! 🤩In this reel a short summary of pics and videos from along the past few weeks; great moments and memories were made. ❤️The beginning of August marked the ninth anniversary of our nomadic lifestyle, and today we are leaving Finland behind once again, as the tenth FinnsAway season begins! Right now our small camper van is loaded in a ferry, and the first leg is a drive from Sweden to France, more about that will follow soon! 🚐🇸🇪🇩🇰🇩🇪 🇳🇱 🇧🇪 🇫🇷#finnsaway #nomadlife #finland #rokua #oulu
📍Bamberg, Germany Bamberg in Franconia, northern 📍Bamberg, GermanyBamberg in Franconia, northern Bavaria is known for its beautiful, UNESCO-listed, historical old town, and also a city of culture and cuisine.Sometimes called as the Rome of Franconia, this picturesque German town with stunning architecture is a great destination for either a day tour or a bit longer visit ❤️The most famous landmark buildings of Bamberg are the Old Town Hall and the Bamberg Cathedral. The Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) was built on an artificial island in the middle of the Regnitz river, and features a baroque and rococo façade as well as a half-timbered structure. Known as one of the most unusual buildings of the whole country, the Old Town Hall is a must-see for everyone visiting Bamberg.The Bamberg Cathedral, or the St. Peter's and St. George's Imperial Cathedral, is a masterpiece of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. The special features of this huge building include four striking towers, and the cathedral houses the tombs of Emperor Henry II and Pope Clement II.Beer enthusiasts probably know Bamberg for its long history of brewing smoked beer, Rauchbier. During our visit back in June, on a sunny Saturday evening, beer was sipped on the cobbled streets and small bridges of the old town, and the city felt very lively and atmospheric. Should you be interested in the beers of Bamberg, check out the latest post in our beer account @craft.beer.nomads 🍻Have you visited Bamberg or tasted Rauchbier?#finnsaway #nomadlife #visitbamberg #germany #historicalplaces
📍Marakele National Park, Limpopo, South Africa 🇿🇦 📍Marakele National Park, Limpopo, South Africa 🇿🇦During the last week in South Africa, and Africa overall for now, we did one more safari drive, this time in Marakele National Park in the northeastern part of the country, in the Waterberg Mountains.Marakele is not one of the most famous national parks of South Africa, and that's part of the charm really. This picturesque park is quiet, lacking the long lines of safari vehicles "chasing" the best wildlife sights. The name of the park translates to “a place of sanctuary”, and the atmosphere sure is tranquil.This national park is best known for elephants, cape vultures and beautiful landscapes. Altogether Marakele is home to 91 species of mammals and 272 different species of birds. The most commonly seen mammals are kudus, elands and other antelopes, giraffes, rhinos and elephants, but there also are large predators, such as brown hyenas and leopards, and nowadays also lions.During our four hours morning drive around the park (yes, you can drive by yourself), we spotted a lot of giraffes, kudus and impalas, and were super happy to see three rhinos! Despite the seemingly endless amount of elephant poo on the roads, we didn't manage to spot any elephants unfortunately.One of the highlights of the visit was the drive on top of the Lenong Pass, along a very narrow road that winds up a steep mountainside. A rewarding drive with stunning views over the valley, with cape vultures soaring in the sky.The entrance fee to the park was R325, which is roughly 17,50 euros, and there was no fee for the car. There is accommodation available inside the park, but as it is not a large park, we found it very convenient to stay outside the gates, in an affordable lodge in Thabazimbi.#finnsaway #nomadlife #southafrica #marakelenationalpark #africansafari
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About FinnsAway

We are Anne & Toni, a Finnish nomad couple traveling the world since 2017. We left 9-to-5 life behind to be free to explore the world and work location independently.

We are adventurous backpackers and low-cost travelers, often following the road less traveled. We write detailed travel guides with quality photos, as well as short introduction posts about the destinations that we explore.

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