Tagged With "Byzantine"

Reminds me somewhat of the interior of St. Mark's basilica in Venice. Beautiful photos, PHeymont. Love the detailed art on these old churches.

Next door to https://www.travelgumbo.com/blo...4#384386029277779564 May 1st 2014 Picture of the day !

Nice photo PHeymont, and mentioning my name just adds that extra nice touch.

Originally Posted by Ottoman: Nice photo PHeymont, and mentioning my name just adds that extra nice touch. Didn't know that you owned an empire?!? Next time YOU buy the drinks.

Spectacular!

I remember that restaurant fondly. A woman on her own was seated with us and we became instant friends, still in touch after 12 years.

Remarkable.

It is remarkable, PortMoresby! And it reminds me I need to get some new tile in the bathroom soon......

What an interesting group of islands. Thanks so much for this article. Wondering - Do people get around mostly by boat ? Is English widely spoken ?

Hello F-car, people mainly use their cars to get around, which is a pity as the roads are not the best and there are far too many cars for the roads to cope with. There is an extensive bus network which I found more preferable to driving. Boats are used more for leisure but there are many fisherman who make their living from the sea. Although the Maltese have their own language, English is widely spoken and visitors get by without problems. Many locals also speak Italian (them being our...

Thanks so much Island Man.What a great post! I'll definetly include a visit to Malta in my future travel plans.

Ravenna is not at the top of most people's lists of places to visit in Italy--it certainly wasn't on mine--and I only added it to my trip at the strong urging of online friends. I'm glad I did. The city is not only a pleasant place to eat and walk--it...

Almost every city has something unique or distinctive to show off, and in Ravenna’s case it is the largest and most spectacular collection of Byzantine mosaics you can find. Together, the mosaic sites have given Ravenna, a not-especially-large...

I have an affinity with the Maltese islands . The fact that I was born there may have something to do it, but, as I have lived most of my life in Australia, the distance between the 2 countries has made this affinity more special. I was constantly reading about it and wanted to know more. I returned there many times for short holidays, and my fondness grew with each subsequent visit. Sliema Waterfront I am now a permanent resident of the country, and, while I may seem biased towards it, it’s...

Torcello, the most distant of Venice's islands and once a rival of Venice, has almost no residents, but two splendid ancient churches.

Under the Basilica di San Francesco in Ravenna lies an earlier church, whose mosaics, flooded by rainwater, can be seen through an opening in the floor.

Ian Cook shares a visit to the fascinating Kykkos Monastery, Cyprus!

One of the many hidden gems of Venice and area. Unfortunately my one visit to Venice in 1988 did not include going here. My loss but another reason to return to Venice. Thanks.

Ian, once again you bring back some great memories for me. The Kykkos monastery is an interesting site to visit. Cyprus was the only place I have been where I was able to ski in January up at Troodos one weekend and scuba dive the next weekend in Limassol. Another site worth the visit to is the ruins of the Bellapais Abbey, on the Turkish northern part of the island. It is south of Kyrenia and has amazing views of the northern coastal plains of Cyprus. Thanks for the amazing blog.

The best-known active mosque in Istanbul, the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, popularly known as the Blue Mosque, stands next door to Hagia Sophia, which it replaced as the mosque of the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire. It was built in the early 17th century, on...

A visit to fabled Topkapi, imperial and administrative center of the Ottoman Empire for 400 years