Cristian Dumitru - Bucharest

28/04/2023

| Topkapi Palace Museum. Set on top of the most visible hill of Istanbul, Topkapi Palace, is the symbol of the city.
Opulent, decadent, and steeped in history, it offers visitors a chance to get to know the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire rather more intimately.
It was built in 1461 by Mehmet the Conqueror and remained both the symbolic and political home of the Ottoman Empire until Sultan Abdülmecid I moved the imperial retinue to Dolmabahçe Palace in 1853. During the four centuries in between, it hosted 22 different Sultans and their families.
It was converted into a museum after the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of the Turkish Republic in 1924 and is a must-see for any tourist visiting Istanbul.
It is made up of four different courtyards and various exhibitions such as the treasury, weapons, watch collection, kaftans, portraits, and sacred relics of prophets.

↳ Istanbul, Turkey

11/03/2023

11/03/2023

| Chill waves ⛵️

↳ Marble Beach, Thassos Island, Greece

10/03/2023

| A Juliet balcony with flower pots and weathered, old shutters at the window in the historic Italian city of Bergamo, the medieval upper town.

↳ Città Alta, Bergamo, Italy

06/03/2023

| The unusual and stunning Marble Beach, Thassos Island, Greece.
Saliara ‘Marble Beach’ is a small exotic beach in the northern side of Thassos. It is 5 km far from Limenas.
The beach is magnificent with white small pebbles and with a splendid color in the waters. It is an organized beach that it is really popular during the last few years.

↳ Marble Beach, Thassos Island, Greece

05/03/2023

| Palace of the Parliament.
The Palace of Parliament is the world’s second-largest administrative building ( after the Pentagon ) and former dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu’s most infamous creation.
As a socialist country in Eastern Europe, at the time the Palace was built, it was meant to symbolize the triumph of communism in Romania while being an emblematic home of the Ceausescu family – this is why all the rooms are oversized and hyper-ornate. In fact, its opulence and ostentatious décor make it the most expensive administrative building in the world, with an estimated value of over three billion euro. The events of December 1989, culminating with the overthrow of the communist regime, changed the purpose of the People's House, from a palace fit for a dictator-president into the seat of democratic government.

↳ Bucharest, ROU

28/02/2023

| La Belle Époque.
Between 1912-1913, the Palace Hotel is being inaugurated, as the most modern of all hotels from this side of Bucharest. It had 200 rooms, which made it one of the largest hotel in town. Between 1916-1918, during the First World War, after Bucharest was occupied by the German army, the German Imperial Military Commandment locates inside the Bucharest City Hall on the Elisabeta Boulevard, next to the Palace Hotel.
The Elisabeta Boulevard becomes a sort of local Broadway, where buildings with big signboards, side by side, and large cinemas were situated, some of them still existing nowadays. In 1941, the Gambrinus Brewery is inaugurated at the ground floor of the Palace Hotel, belonging to a fellow Naumescu, who continued the 40 years tradition of the famous brewery originally opened in Bucharest by the Romanian writer I.L. Caragiale. In 1965, Hotel Cismigiu received its name after the famous public garden situated nearby, where 100 years before the first public fountain was installed.

↳ Bucharest, ROU

27/02/2023

| Curtea de Arges Royal railway station. The railway station is a listed historical
building, erected in the late 19th century. The style is a clever mix of Gothic Revival and traditional Romanian styles.
The station was built, in less than a year, at the request of King Carol I. It was designed by French architect André Lecomte du Nouy and it opened in 1899.

↳ Curtea de Arges, Arges, ROU

27/02/2023

| The Hungarian Parliament building at night in Budapest, the capital of Hungary.

↳ Budapest, Hungary

26/02/2023

| Fountain of Neptune in Bologna, with four mermaid statues.
The Fountain of Neptune ( Fontana di Nettuno ) in Bologna dates back to 1565, and was created by Jean de Boulogne, also known as Giambologna. It was a controversial artwork when it was created, and still raises eyebrows today.

↳ Fountain of Neptune, Bologna, Italy

22/02/2023

| Pirin Mountains, Bansko, Bulgaria

21/02/2023

| Accursi Tower (Torre Accursi), also known as the Clock Tower, is located in Piazza Maggiore. The owner of the tower was Accursio, a young man who had moved from Florence to Bologna to study law. After becoming an important jurist, he decided to have his own house built: the building was very big and included both a school, whose portico looked out on the square, and a corner tower.
The tower was added later to Accursio's house and after his death, it was bought by the growing Municipality of Bologna. On the façade of the building, a huge mechanical clock was added in 1444. Its initial aim was to mark daytime, mainly midday, but since 1451 it has also marked nighttime. In order to build the clock, the tower was partly modified and a little tower was added.
After being seriously renovated between 1885 and 1887 by Raffaele Faccioli, the Renaissance parapet was removed ans replaced by a group of bricks considered to be more suitable for the new medieval aspect of the building. As a matter of fact, today's portico under Palazzo D'Accursio (Accursio Palace) is quite new.

↳ The old City Center, Bologna, Italy

20/02/2023

| If you are starting to make plan to travel to Thassos by car from Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Bucharest and Turkey. There are excellent road connections with all the large towns in the region to getting Thassos. How to get to Thassos by car? It takes about 2 hours (165kms) to reach Kavala by car from Thessaloniki. It also takes about the same amount of time from here to the last European City to the east, Alexandroupoli (174kms). From Kavala and Keramoti, you are able to take the Ferry to Thassos.

↳ Thassos Island, Greece

19/02/2023

| Theologos history goes back to the distant past. The settlement received its modern name, presumably, in the Byzantine era. Until the beginning of the 20th century, Theologos played an important role in the political and economic life of the island. During the Turkish (1455-1813) and Egyptian (1813-1902) domination, the island was the seat of the government.

Walking along the narrow cobbled streets, interesting architectural structures, acquaintance with culture and traditions, as well as the picturesque surroundings of Theologos will give you a lot of pleasure and impressions. The local taverns, which are famous for their excellent cuisine, are also worth a visit.

↳ Theologos, Village in Thassos Island, Greece

18/02/2023

| Theologos, Village of Thassos. At an altitude of 220m and at the southeastern part of the island it is located the country-style hilly village called Theologos. It is 50 kilometers far from Limenas and 10 kilometers far from Poto. Its population is 800 people whose main avocation in summer is tourism while agriculture and kettle-breeding during winter.
The village is renowned for its cuisine and in particular for its meaty tastes such as the famous kiddling.
At the village you will have the opportunity to visit the folkloric museum in the mansion-house Hatzigiorgi as well as some churches. On your course towards Theologos you will meet the necropolis dating back from the 8th century B.C.

↳ Theologos, Village in Thassos Island, Greece

27/01/2023

| Dimitrie Sturdza House. Is a house with historical value, located in Bucharest, Romania, on Arthur Verona Street, no. 13-15. The house belonged to Dimitrie Sturdza (1833-1914), historian, economist, Romanian Academy member and the prime minister of Romania.

↳ Bucharest, ROU

18/01/2023

| Anker Palace in Budapest, Hungary.
Tourists often find themselves in Deák Ferenc tér because several metros intersect here. The square is named after a mid-19th century politician who helped create the Hungarian Assembly. “The Wise Man of the Nation” also promoted the Reformist’s “Ten Points” of freedom which led to the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. The Anker Palace faces this square. Ignác Alpár designed the Anker House in 1910 as apartments. The investor was the Anker Life and Pension Company. The building was later converted into the Anker Palace Hotel but has since closed.

↳ Budapest, Hungary

17/01/2023

| The Old Town of Sozopol, is an architectural reserve and the most popular tourist destination on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. Sozopol is considered the oldest Bulgarian town on the seaside and remains of ancient construction and life can still be seen around or exhibited in the local museums.

↳ The Old Town Sozopol, Bulgaria