In October 2026, after a few lovely days solo in Venice, I joined a group of 52 travelers and boarded the Golden Eagle Balkan Express for an 11 day trip on a sleeper train from Venice to Istanbul. Here is the map of the journey.
On September 30, Pippi Longstocking and I took a 2 hr 25 min
flight from London to Venice! We are here for two extra days before I join the
train trip from Venice over the Balkans to Istanbul. I will have to look at my
old passports, but I think I was last in Venice in 1969. The transfer-guide
arranged by Golden Eagle Trains assured me that not very much has changed,
perhaps a few shops have gone out of business in the interim, but the essence
of the city persists. We took a taxi – – a water taxi! – – from the dock of the
airport to our hotel. Pretty exciting!
If you’d like to experience a ride on a water taxi in the
canal of Venice, here is the QR code to scan for the short video
Or, go to https://www.facebook.com/592039044/videos/pcb.10167744596034045/1375170591456470
I had a small panic yesterday when British Airways informed
me they were canceling the flight that I had so carefully arranged two months
ago. The cause was “industrial action“, which meant that there was a strike by
workers at the Venice airport. Apparently, how this works is that the Italian
airport authorities will let the London airports know of the intended and
scheduled work action, and then it’s up to the Airlines to figure out which
flights they have to cancel in order to maximize the number of flights they can
take to Venice. So I missed an opera performance that I’d hoped to see on
September 30, but I did fit it into another day.
Oct 1 - first day in Venice. Our tour organizer chose the
Baglioni Hotel Luna, which happens to be right outside the gondola stop near
Piazza San Marco. It’s just a few steps to the famous plaza, which is a
favorite destination for all tourists to Venice, and in the videos posted, you
can understand why.
Walk with me from my hotel to the Plazza San Marco …. Scan
the QR code for the video:
https://www.facebook.com/592039044/videos/pcb.10167749091974045/854130697727158
Lunch on the plaza:
scan the QR code to see how it feels to sit down for a light lunch,
complete with music…
or go to: https://www.facebook.com/592039044/videos/pcb.10167749091974045/1660177555772610
Oct 1 - the Palazzo Ducale, or Doge’s Palace, is an
important symbol of Venice. The palace used to be the Doge’s (Duke’s) residence
and the headquarters of the state judiciary. there are several museums inside
the palace, including an opera museum. From the website, more info: The Doge’s
Palace in Venice is a masterpiece of Gothic art, a symbol of the city’s
history, and the former residence of the Doge — the highest and oldest magistrate
of the Venetian Republic.With its unique structure combining Gothic,
Renaissance, and Mannerist elements, the Doge’s Palace captivates visitors with
its architecture and centuries-old history. https://palazzoducale.visitmuve.it/en/building-and-history/
Oct 1 - part of the Doge’s Palace — La Scala d’Oro — the
Golden Staircase. The name is due to the rich decoration of the vault in
white stucco and 24 karat gold, upon which work began in 1557. It was
commissioned by the Doge Andrea Gritti, and finally completed in 1559. This
ceremonial staircase led up to the Doge’s apartments and into the chambers in
which the main bodies of state government met. The entranceway is surmounted by
two marble sculptures – on the right, Atlas bearing up the vault of the
heavens, and on the left, Hercules slaying the Hydra. However, my feet got
tired, climbing four marble staircases and going down what seemed like miles of
marble hallways, and I didn’t make it all the way up to see those statues
myself, so forgive me but you are seeing statue photos from other websites.
Pippi and I decided we would be happier having a soft drink on the plaza.
After our snack, Pippi and I took the elevator ride to the top of the Bell Tower on the Plaza, and really enjoyed the wonderful views over Venice. It is pretty easy to get a ticket on the spot, although that requires downloading yet another app! (grrr). But worth the aggravation. Just look at these views!
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| the bells in the Bell Tower |
Oct 2 – I took a public water taxi/ferry across the Grand
Canal to the Peggy Guggenheim
Collection, an art museum in the
Dorsoduro Sestiere of Venice. It is one of the most visited attractions in
Venice. The collection is housed in the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, an
18th-century palace, which was the home of the American heiress Peggy
Guggenheim for three decades. She began displaying her private collection of modern
artworks to the public seasonally in 1951. After her death in 1979, it passed
to the Solomon R Guggenheim Foundation, which opened the collection year-round
beginning in 1980. The collection
includes works of prominent Italian futurists and American modernists working
in such genres as Cubism, Surrealism and abstract Expressionism. It also
includes sculptural works. (thanks to
Wikipedia for the summary of the collection!)
I really couldn’t figure out the payment system for the ferry and so ended up paying three times…. Oh, well.
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| What the ferries look like |
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| The Peggy Guggenheim museum as seen from the Grand Canal |
Art in the museum and near the exterior walls was very
interesting! And the museum has a lovely
outdoor café with terrific well-priced food.
There is an admission fee to the museum.
Caption: Saint Clare
of Assisi, 1928, artist Marie Vassilieff
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| The lovely outdoor cafe at the museam |
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| Yum! |
Nearby the museum, where the ferry stops, is the Basilica
Santa Maria della Salute. It is
situated in the n the Dorsoduro sestiere at Punta della Dogana, just a short walk from the Peggy Guggenheim Museum along
the Grand Canal. This Basilica is a monumental 17th-century Baroque basilica
designed by Baldassare Longhena, famous for its massive octagonal shape, grand
dome, and picturesque bell towers. It
was built as an offering from the Venetian people to the Virgin Mary for
delivering the city from a devastating wave of the black plague. The interior features a striking octagonal
plan and houses masterworks by artists like Titian and Tintoretto.
Oct 3 - today our group tour schedule involves leaving the
historic center of Venice, which is actually built across 118 small islands
linked by over 400 bridges. We begin the day with a wild water taxi ride to the
island of Murano which is famous for its glass blowing artistry, an
industry which started in 1291.
The departure dock for the water taxi to Murano…
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| A wild ride! |
See the video of the glass making artisan at work:
Or go to: https://www.facebook.com/592039044/videos/pcb.10167761076889045/1479273694049056
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| A famous lace-making family! |
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| An apprentice in the lace-making art. |
Burano is also famous for its colorful buildings!
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Oct 3 evening - St. Mark’s Square has a special appeal at
night, when there are no crowds. Our group was fortunate enough to have a
private tour of the Basilica, beginning at nine in the evening. In the
meantime, as we gathered, some highlights of the square to enjoy…
Saint Mark's Basilica is a masterwork of
Italo-Byzantine architecture in Venice, celebrated for its opulent gilded
interior and golden mosaics covering over 8,000 square meters. Built starting
in 828 and consecrated in 1094, the structure was created to house the stolen
relics of Saint Mark the Evangelist brought from Alexandria, Egypt. It served
as the private chapel of the Doge of Venice for centuries before officially
becoming the city's cathedral in 1807. Its grand design mirrored the rising
power and maritime dominance of the Venetian Republic. For more information.. https://aviewoncities.com/venice/st-marks-basilica
To see a video of these mosaics, at the entrance to the
Basilica, scan this QR code. It is worth
your 30 seconds to watch the video!
or go to
https://www.facebook.com/592039044/videos/pcb.10167765848979045/1572509450805531
More on St Mark’s Basilica: behind the high altar- Pala
d'Oro: A magnificent Byzantine altarpiece behind the high altar, adorned
with thousands of precious gems and enamel plaques.
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| Front of the high altar… |
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| Detail from a column at the sides of the high altar… |
October 3 - finishing up the evening by enjoying the music
at Cafe Florian, reputedly the oldest Cafe in Europe. It is one of the many
cafés flanking the square.
Listen to the music at the café…. Scan the QR code for the
video…
OR GO TO… https://www.facebook.com/reel/1501720425084334
Sunday Oct 4 - a
final farewell (for this trip at least) to St Mark’s Square.
To hear the bells ringing for Sunday church services at the
Basilica, scan the QR code
Or go to: https://www.facebook.com/592039044/videos/pcb.10167766430604045/1825994951866371
Oct 4 - so off we go! A big water taxi took us from near St.
Marks Plaza to the docks of train station Santa Lucia which is located on the
Grand Canal. The train first moves onto the historic 3 mile
Causeway over the Venice Lagoon, en route to Trieste. There are 14 sleeping
cars on this train, I am in car C, cabin 3. (In case you need to reach me.)
Nicely enough, one of the cabin stewards from my Eastern European trip with
Golden Eagle trains is also on board. Nice to see him! However, the cabin
attendant in my train car is new to me, but seems to know that I’ve traveled
with the company twice before – – once in Eastern Europe, and once in Iran. You can see those previous trips on Golden
Eagle by searching for “Iran” and/or
“Poland” in the upper left search bar of this blog..
Oct 4 -Trieste. ITALY
was part of Austria for 500 years. It is a lovely city, filled with grand
Hapsburg-era plazas, including the Piazza dell Unita which is the largest
plaza in Europe, that faces directly onto the sea. The city is sometimes
referred to as “the little Vienna”. For my literary friends, it is interesting
to note that James Joyce spent 10 years in Trieste and it’s said that it is
here that he got inspiration for some of his chapters of Ulysses.
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| Aerial view of the Piazza |
Trieste has a significant Roman history. In 2nd
century A.D., the Romans built a large theater with a capacity of 3,500
spectators. The lower rows of seats in brick (partly restored) are still
visible, with the great wall that enclosed the audience section, while only the
“pit” section remains of the stage, which was covered in wood, and a few set
structures. The stage structure must have been two stories high, with doors,
columns and sculptures. For more info on Roman history, go to https://itinerari.comune.trieste.it/.../archeological.../
And….some various views of Trieste- blessing of animals
because it’s St Francis day; lots of cafes; busy marina, beautiful sculptures.
Trieste is also the home of Illy coffee. And the big insurance company Generali
was founded here (they write a lot of travel insurance policies, by the way). Lovely
town and worth a longer visit!
After the quick trip to Trieste, we go onward…. To SLOVENIA!
Oct 4 – Our major stop in Slovenia was to explore parts of
the Postojna cave system which was carved over millions of years by the Pivka
river, disappearing into the limestone heart of the Kras plateau. Illuminated
by electric lighting since 1884, the subterranean labyrinth is home to an
eyeless cave salamander, which historically local people once believed were
baby dragons hatched from beneath the Earth. Today the known parts of the
system comprise 24 km, which means that this cave system is the largest show
cave of classic Karst in Europe. This is the only place in the world where the
underground landscape can be transversed in part on an electric train. Once we
got off the train, we followed a trail of 1 1/2 km. And then, back on the
train. And yes, it’s cold in there!
To go on the train into the cave system, scan the QR code:
Or go to: https://www.facebook.com/592039044/videos/pcb.10167772308024045/1613101453683113
A very special event at the end of the cave tour…. A concert
of a saxophone playing “Hallelujah”, the famous Leonard Cohen song.
Do please can the QR code for this other-worldly experience…
Or go to …. https://www.facebook.com/592039044/videos/pcb.10167772308024045/1047877241415684
Oct 5- Piran,
Slovenia, is an interesting medieval coastal town with Venetian
architecture. It is famous for its historic salt pans (which we did not see….);
The salt pans of Piran (Piranske soline) are a historic and ecological
treasure on the Slovenian coast, with a tradition of salt-making that dates
back more than 700 to 1,200 years (first recorded in 804 AD).
In the
heart of this Mediterranean seaside town is Tartini Square, which looks over
the marina.
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| The square |
From the Slovenia tourism website, here are the salt pans
located not far from Piran, in the Sečovlje Salt Landscape Park. This might be worth a visit in the future,
as there is a cultural heritage and saltworks museum there.
Oct 5 - crossing into Croatia in the Istrian peninsula, lots of wine
grape growing and also olive trees. The red clay soil has for millennia lent
itself to the manufacture of amphorae, or containers…but these amphorae were
porous and therefore single use, which is why old amphorae are found in many
archaeological sites.
The
hilltop town of Motovun in Croatia is known for its many medieval
characteristics, such as the cobbled roads that twist and turn on the way to
the top of the town. The town dates back to the Celts and Iliyads and Romans,
but it became wealthy between the 14th to 17th centuries. A walk or drive along
the old walls provides stunning views of the surrounding countryside, including
an extremely truffle-rich forest. Truffles are everywhere! Our luncheon menu
featured two dishes with truffles - a pasta main course, and a dessert – and
they were delicious. Lots of shops to buy truffles and products that contain
them!
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| View from the top of the town… |
Our hilltop restaurant…. Worth 20 seconds to see the
video. Scan the QR code
or go to: https://www.facebook.com/592039044/videos/pcb.10167774104274045/1100299489379582
Oct 5 - from Motovun in the middle of the Istrian peninsula
not far from the border of Slovenia, we drove east to Opatija, a historic seaside resort town on
the Kvarner Gulf in western Croatia, known for its grand 19th-century
Austro-Hungarian architecture, mild climate, and status as the cradle of
Croatian tourism. It was once known as the Vienna of the Adriatic. A lovely
promenade, lots of green spaces, beautiful hotels, incredible views!
Oct 6 - we
are on our way to Sarajevo, which is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Pippi and I are enjoying a morning cup of tea, courtesy of our train car
attendant, Tibor. We needed a little extra caffeine because last night, at 3
AM, customs officers knocked on everyone’s cabin door to see their passports
and take photos of our actual real live faces. Something about leaving the
European Union and entering the Schengen zone. Kind of confusing. Tibor
explained that we will be going through this several more times as we proceed
through Serbia, Bulgaria, and Turkey. Hopefully, not at three in the morning,
however!
If you want to see what it’s like to be on the train in
Bosnia, scan the QR code:
Or go to: https://www.facebook.com/592039044/videos/pcb.10167778972034045/1071746705856787
Oct 6 - after several delays, since the rail infrastructure
leading into Bosnia is not that great, we finally got started on our tour of Sarajevo in the early
afternoon. Our local tour guides were great, one of them a lawyer, who is doing
Tours as a side gig. The history of this city and the country as a whole is
complex and somewhat fraught. I couldn’t take notes as fast as I wanted to, so
you’ll forgive me if I resort to AI for the highlights. They are: Sarajevo is
the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, renowned for its rich cultural mix of
Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, and European influences.
* Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Eras: Founded in 1461 by the Ottoman Empire's
first Bosnian governor. grew into a major trading hub featuring mosques,
bazaars, and a famous marketplace.
* Austro-Hungarian Rule: Annexed by Austria-Hungary in 1908
following a 1878 occupation, bringing Western European architecture and an
early electric tram system to the city.
* 20th-Century Turning Points include World War I: The 1914
assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand near the Latin Bridge sparked World
War I.
* Yugoslavia: Became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia after
WWI and later a prominent capital in socialist Yugoslavia.
* 1984 Winter Olympics: Hosted the Winter Games, marking a
peaceful high point in modern history.
* Recent History and Recovery ~ The Siege: Endured a
1,425-day military blockade (1992–1996) during the Bosnian War, the longest
siege of a capital city in modern times.
* Today: Rebuilt as a vibrant cultural and tourist
destination known as the "European Jerusalem" due to its
multi-religious heritage
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| The Latin Bridge |
The fort/palace looms over the city.
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| Probably the most famous historical event in this city’s history… the assassination triggered World War I. |
Lots of mosques! Oct
6 in Sarajevo, we visited Gazi Husrev Beg’s mosque, built in 1530 and
one of the most monumental mosques of the Ottoman period and one of the finest
examples of Islamic architecture in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We were fortunate
to be there just as a muezzin was doing one of his five calls to prayer daily,
alerting believers that it is time to pray.
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| Performing ablutions before entering the mosque… |
To hear the call to prayer…. Scan the QR code
Or go to…. https://www.facebook.com/592039044/videos/pcb.10167787417394045/1645120343642878
In Sarajevo there is a street devoted to the manufacture
of items from copper. The artistry and intricacy of these articles is
simply amazing, almost impossible to catch in a photograph. Of course, there
are many sets of coffee service items, as the local coffee is much lauded, and
Bosnia-Herzegovina seems to be a country where everyone drinks coffee, all of
the time. This coppersmith street has been designated a UNESCO cultural
heritage site.
We ended our day in Sarajevo at a coffee shop in the
historic District of BASCARSIJA. The “House of Sevdah” is dedicated to
preserving and showcasing SEVDALINKA, the traditional Bosnian urban folk music,
often referred to as the “Bosnian fado“. It certainly is fado-ish in sound, as
you can hear from the video posted below, with its somewhat atonal and very
much moaning sounds. I ordered the traditional coffee, SEVDAH, which is
somewhat like Turkish coffee, and of course a traditional sweet to go with it.
The shops in the area surrounding this coffee shop feature all kinds of
wonderful types of baklava and other sweets, including Turkish delight of many
varieties.
Baklava anyone? So
many varieties available at the shops here!
Oct 7 - overnight we moved the train to Mostar and it stayed on
the platform all night long, which meant it was possible to sleep without the
rocking and rolling of a train moving through the night, which has been our
experience for the last four nights. Mostar is in the Herzegovina part of
this country, and there are differences between this city and Sarajevo .
There are also a lot of similarities in terms of small, winding streets, and
architecture. Mostar was one of the most important cities of the Ottoman
empire, and the chief city and historically the capital of Herzegovina .
Our first stop was a museum house, a Turkish house
with beautiful inlaid stone work in the courtyard - a little precarious to walk
on, but beautiful to see. We had a demonstration of traditional handheld coffee
grinders, which are used in practically every home, where it is still the
morning job of the family girls to grind coffee for the family. The upstairs
portion of this Turkish house contained a small bedroom, but the really
beautiful place was the living area where guests were received. Beautiful
woodwork throughout the house, and of course, beautiful carpets.
Mostar is renowned for its striking stone arch Bridge,
which gracefully spans the Neretva River, and thus symbolically links the
Christian and Muslim quarters of the town. This bridge was destroyed during the
conflict of the 1990s, but was meticulously rebuilt with donations from all
parts of the world. It reopened in the summer of 2004, and is considered a
powerful emblem of reconciliation and continuity. However, the stories we
heard from our Guide today of what it was like to be in the Muslim minority
during this conflict of the 1990s, when she, as a girl of seven, was put into a
concentration camp along with her family, and her stories of the horrors of
that brutal war of ethnic cleansing are unforgettable… So I’m glad they think
that there will be reconciliation eventually, but boy oh boy, it’s got to be
difficult to go there…
Oct 7 - as the train departs from Mostar and heads north
towards Serbia, beautiful landscapes captured from the train windows
Morning of Oct 8 - it is 4:23 AM in the morning, and we are
leaving the country of Bosnia & Herzegovina (two names, one country…),
where we’ve just had a border control check which made everybody get out
of our beds on the train and throw on clothes to have our photo taken by a
customs agent who came on board and checked our passports, and soon will we be on
our way to Belgrade, which is the capital of Serbia. This reminded me
of the time (1970?) that my brother and I were on a train through East Germany
when the customs agent discovered my passport had expired, and ordered me to
get off the train… Which I refused to do, because then what?… And so he shouted
at me “your laws are not our laws, and our laws are not your laws” … and I
still refused to get off the train and just said that when we get to our
destination of West Berlin, I would renew my passport. (Which I did). But it
was still a little intimidating to 24-year-old me. This was years before the
Berlin wall was torn down. In that incident, the communist customs control
people walked through the train with huge metal spikes, which they thrust up
through holes in the ceiling to make sure nobody was trying to escape from East
Germany by riding flat on the top of the train.…ah, the good old days!
Take a walk around the interior of the church, one of the
largest Christian Orthodox churches in the world! During the war, Hitler parked vehicles inside…
Scan the QR code to see the video:
Or go to: https://www.facebook.com/592039044/videos/pcb.10167792940004045/29211908755093501
Oct 8. - We stopped for lunch at the restaurant of Panajotovic
wine cellar to taste some Serbian wines, taste regional foods and hear
Serbian traditional music. The restaurant is considerably underground (almost
impossible to reach by those with significant handicaps…), in one of the
many tunnels under the city of Belgrade. The first tunnels were built by
the Romans 2000 years ago, and have often been used as shelters by civilians
during the many wars in this area, and also as bivouacs for soldiers.
Hear some traditional Serbian music, as our group was serenaded
in the cave restaurant… Scan the QR code
Or go to: https://www.facebook.com/592039044/videos/pcb.10167792959169045/2067503673929356
Oct 8 - Belgrade is one of Europe’s oldest cities, located
at the dramatic meeting point of the Sava and Danube rivers (Sava on the
right, Danube on the left in the photo below, taken from the fortress). It is a
hilly town, featuring 32 elevations which comprise the city’s districts. The
old town is charming and features the imposing Kalenegdan Fortress, which has
wonderful views across the rivers. Located on a strategic limestone ridge
overlooking the Panian plane, this fortress has been destroyed and rebuilt
dozens of times during its history. The name combines the Turkish words kale
(fortress) and megdan ( battlefield). It is considered a geopolitical gateway
of the Balkans.
Lots of family fun locations in the Belgrade fortress park!
The streets of Belgrade feature many beautiful buildings,
some of them Art Deco style. More than 70% of Belgrade was decimated during
World War II, first by the Nazis, and then by the allies. The region has an
incredibly complex history of invasion and Civil War, much of it due to its
location on two important rivers.
Oct 8 - we had an overnight off the train, at the Hotel
Bristol in Belgrade. This is located in an up-and-coming part of Belgrade,
referred to as Belgrade waterfront.
Oct 9 - we started the morning in Belgrade by driving half
an hour to the edge of town where there is a train shed that houses Tito’s
historic Blue Train. Tito was one of the most influential figures in
Yugoslav history, although there is a lot of controversy about whether or not
his autocratic regime is to be lauded or not. This train was used by Tito for
his official and personal travels across Yugoslavia and Europe, and it served
as a presidential residence on wheels, and was a setting for high level
diplomatic meetings. We were met at the entrance of the train shed by a couple
dressed in typical ethnic costume, offering bread and salt as a greeting. We then
saw a Serbian folk dance performance, and toured the various cars of the actual
train. I was astounded to find a full bath on the train, including a full-size
bathtub! Considering our somewhat abbreviated quarters on the Golden Eagle
train, this was notable to me…
We were treated to an exhibition of traditional Serbian folk
dancing… Scan the QR code to see the
video:
Or go to: https://www.facebook.com/592039044/videos/pcb.10167799570219045/1075423841949575
Oct 9 - Tito‘s Legacy is a fascinating study in Cold War
geopolitics, so our train guidebook notes. As the leader of socialist
Yugoslavia, he successfully balanced between the Western Bloc and the Soviet
Union, while spearheading the Non-Aligned Movement. He has a complex dedicated
to his memory, called the House of flowers, where we stopped for a
visit. I found the history museum there more interesting, as it houses
all of the gifts which were given to this autocrat during his reign. An amazing
amount of loot!
Oct 9 afternoon - our train rolls slowly southeast across
the Serbian countryside, which is largely agricultural. We are en route to the
border of Bulgaria.
Dawn Oct 10 - after a night of the roughest train travel
I have ever experienced in my whole life, we arrive at the Serbian border.
Sunrise at 7:23 this morning, and it is 53°F. The train travel was so rough
last night, that even though the train was moving at extremely slow speed, that
was not enough to counteract the terrible condition of the train tracks in
this part of Serbia. Branches scraped against the side of the train, the
jolts from below were so severe that I woke up in the middle of the night with
shoulder pain, and so it’s nice to just have the train sit still for a little
while. Our cabin attendant, Tibor, informed me that there’s more bad track
ahead as we proceed towards the Bulgarian side of the border.
Oct 10 - Sofia,
Bulgaria: Sofía is the capital of Bulgaria, and it is set at the
foot of Mount Vitosha. (Mount Vitosha is a massive dome-shaped peak rising 7500
feet and is protected as the Balkan‘s oldest nature park.) Evidence of human
habitation here dates back to 7000 BC. In recorded history, the city was
originally settled by the Thracian tribe of the Serdi which were originally a
Celtic tribe that arrived in the region during the Celtic migrations around the
late 4th century BC. The Romans invaded in 28 A.D. Today the city is a blend of
ancient and modern influences. We took a morning tour and spent considerable
time at the golden domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. (More about the Thracians
at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thracians)
Oct 10 - there is a lot to explore in Sofía, and most
of it is within walking distance of the Nevsky cathedral or the main Square.
Our tour was a bit of a whirlwind, with our guide rattling off historical
information at quite a rapid clip, so forgive me if I can’t identify these
various buildings. But it strikes me as a city worth visiting more than once. Public
transportation seems to be quite good, and the pace in the city is not frantic.
Souvenirs that are classic are embroidered fabrics and table linens, rosewater
perfumes, and lots of icon replicas from the various churches.
Oct 10 in Sofia - The Church of St. George, a red brick
rotunda, was built in the early fourth century first as a Roman bath. It became
a church within the walls of Serdica, the historical Roman City located within
today’s Sofia, during the Byzantine era . It is considered the oldest building
in Sofia and is part of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
Back on the train, and on our way to BULGARIA!
Oct 10 afternoon in PLOVDIV, Bulgaria, sometimes referred to as the
“City of Seven Hills”. It has more than 200 archaeology sites, many dating from
Roman times or before. In addition to being able to walk on the old Roman Road (which is now part of an underpass between the
Basilica museum and the rest of the city),
you can see broken columns, and parts of marble almost casually laid out
on small pieces of grass.
The old Roman road, in the underpass….
But the most
incredible place in Plovdiv is the old Basilica. The entrance to what is now a
museum is a courtyard with some columns re-erected (see below). Prior to the
Basilica’s surprising discovery in the early 1980s, a residential neighborhood
existed on this site. No trace of the Basilica was visible as everything was
completely buried under a thick layer of soil that had accumulated after the
15th century.
At the Basilica in Plovdiv: The magnificent Peacock in the
Basilica’s main entrance symbolized immortality, a pagan idea adopted by the
early Christians. It conveyed to all visitors that Christianity is the way
toward eternal life. In Pagan art, ivy represented immortality as it stayed
green even in winter. The Christians adopted the symbol as it resonated with
their religious beliefs.
Mosaics
at the entryway of the Basilica
The Basilica is huge!
It’s a great indoor museum with various stops on the elevated sidewalks
sporting information boards.
The bird mosaics in the Basilica in Plovdiv, Bulgaria,
represent the souls of believers striving for God and symbolize the Garden of
Eden in early Christian thought. The floor depicts over 100 unique bird
designs—including peacocks, ducks, roosters, and parrots—which ancient
Christian communities viewed as representations of faithful souls reaching
toward heaven.
Oct 10, evening walk in Plovdiv … a five minute stroll down
the main shopping street takes you to the remains of the Roman forum. The model
of the complete Forum helps me understand why only this small bit has been
excavated… The total length of the forum extends under the main street, so we
cannot see all of it. It was huge and did hold 20,000 people who were there to
see the various events.
From the sidewalk, you can see this part of the Forum, which
is excavated.
The 
The model of the Forum.
Most of it lies under the city streets….
Oct 10 evening in Plovdiv, Bulgaria / a very active
nightlife with lots to see!
Statue of Plovdiv’s version of Casanova…. Take a walk with
me via video and hear the story…scan the QR code.
Or go to… https://www.facebook.com/592039044/videos/pcb.10167810796434045/1117047684050333
Then, on to Turkiye, and Istanbul!
Oct 11 afternoon in Istanbul - As we took a cruise on the
Bosporus, it was interesting to see the number of mosques in all the areas we
passed. According to the official statistics released by the Turkish
Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), Istanbul has 3,643 mosques, making
it the city with the highest number of mosques in Turkey. The total includes
dozens of historic "Selatin" mosques (commissioned by Ottoman
sultans) as well as hundreds of neighborhood prayer halls and modern
structures.This equates to roughly one mosque for every 4,500 residents in the
metropolitan area. There are almost 16 million people in the metropolitan area.
October 11 in the evening, Pippi Longstocking is settling
into her hotel room for the next couple days. It is at The Four Seasons in
Istanbul, and the room overlooks cobbled streets, a charming old building that
houses a wonderful Turkish restaurant, and of course, a dozen souvenir shops.
The cats of Istanbul are very well treated. Everyone feeds
these feral animals, and there is a special number that citizens can call if
one appears to be sick or injured. The city sends a veterinary crew to the
animal within three hours, and informs the concerned citizen who called in the
crew about the cat’s progress toward healing. After it is doctored, it is
returned to the area in which it lived. All of these feral cats are neutered,
and they are very well cared for by the citizenry. They hang out in the
courtyard of the hotels, near the doors of souvenir shops, and are not harassed
in any way.
Oct 12 - The Blue Mosque (officially the Sultan Ahmed
Mosque) is a 17th-century historical imperial mosque in Istanbul, Turkey,
famous for its cascading domes, six slender minarets, and interior covered in
over 20,000 blue-and-white Iznik ceramic tiles which features more than 50
different tulip designs. It is an active Sunni place of worship and a UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
Oct 12 - views from the rooftop terrace in The Four Seasons
hotel, where we met to celebrate the end of our train journey.
Oct 13 - a wonderful day with Meriwether Falk, daughter of
my writer friend Susan Hauser who was among a group of photographers and
writers with which I traveled to wine areas of Argentina and Chile in 2012. Meriwether
is teaching English in an international school in the suburbs of Istanbul. Our
first adventure was riding on the tram to the area of the spice market. (An
adventure for me …she knows the Istanbul transportation system as befits an
expat resident). From there we walked to the Rüstem Pasha Mosque,
a 16th-century Ottoman mosque located in Hasırcılar Çarşısı (Strawmat Weavers
Market) in the Tahtakale neighborhood, of the Fatih district of Istanbul,
Turkey. I have visited this lovely little mosque in prior trips to Istanbul;
it’s my favorite. It is known for its Tilework: The interior walls, columns,
and exterior porch are densely covered in hand-painted blue, turquoise, and red
Iznik ceramic tiles featuring intricate floral and geometric patterns.
According to AI, many art historians consider it even more intensely tiled and
"bluer" per square inch than the larger Sultan Ahmed Mosque (the
famous Blue Mosque).
Tram stop
Meriwether and I had late lunch at a rooftop restaurant that
overlooked Hagia Sofia. Although we did not order the clay pot kebab
offering, next time I come to this restaurant (The Terrace) , I’m definitely
having it. Not only did it look delicious, but the spectacle of having the meal
cooked in the clay pots, which are them broken before being served looks well
worth the time and the cost is moderate to boot!
Our view from the restaurant….
Oct 14 - en route to the airport in Istanbul in today’s
pouring rain to catch my flight back to the USA. I will stay in Boston a few
days with son Martin and wife Allison and grandkids since it is on the way back
home to San Francisco . 
The taxi passes
along the promenade near the coastline of Istanbul , and I see a cruise ship
anchored just across the way. Istanbul is a huge destination for cruises.
Oct 14 evening - so Pippi and I are at a hotel near
Frankfurt Airport, because the rain in Istanbul was so heavy today that there
were flight delays out of that airport, and I missed my connection to Boston.
The Europe Union regulations on such snafus by Airlines are pretty strict it
seems, because Lufthansa organized a hotel for me and a dinner and breakfast
voucher, all gratis. Still, I’d rather be in Boston with my family tonight. There
were 40 of us on this flight who missed connections to places like Chicago,
Austin, etc. But I must hand it to Lufthansa, they are very well organized. I am a bit disgruntled, however, because
Lufthansa denied the compensation that the EEC requires when something like
this happens… because my flight originated in a non-EEC country. Pooh on them!
So I missed an extra day with my family in the Boston
area. But it was a beautiful time of
year to visit there!
And that’s it! 41
days later, back home to San Francisco.
From England (see https://adventures-of-barbara-keck.blogspot.com/2026/10/learning-about-mystery-writers-in.html)
to Wales and many interesting parts of
England (Hereford, Malvern) and of
course lots of great things to see in London as always! (see https://adventures-of-barbara-keck.blogspot.com/2026/11/road-trip-to-wales-with-stops-in.html),
then to Italy for a few wonderful extra
days in Venice and then the train all across the Balkans to Istanbul, and
finally ending in the Boston area. Just
about the longest trip I’ve taken.
Travel is becoming harder to recover from now that I am in my 80s, but
that doesn’t mean I’ll stop. It just
means I won’t mentally beat myself up if it takes me 10 days to unpack a
suitcase.
