Category: Europe

The Top 5 Things to do in Turkey’s Magical Cappadocia

Have you ever wanted to be in a fairy tale? Well here is your chance because Cappadocia is a Have you ever wanted to be in a fairy tale? Well here is your chance because Cappadocia is a whimsical magical place you have never seen before. From admiring unique land formations to exploring valleys to exciting adrenaline pumping activities – Cappadocia will not leave you disappointed. I was there in Nov 2019 for only 3 days (I wished I had at least a week there) and here are the Top 5 things to do!

1) See Amazing Views from Above by riding on a Hot Air Balloon

Going on a Hot Air Balloon Ride is one of the top if not the most sought after activities to do in Cappadocia. Prices are steep and can go up to 200-300€ in the Summer. I went during the low season in November and I paid 170€ through a booking on Viator. However, when I was there, the hotel owner said that he could have gotten a lower price for me if I had liaised directly with him. I booked my ticket online as I will only be there for 3 days and I wanted to secure my seat in advance. If you are going during the winter months, have more than a few days to spend there and would like to save some money, you can try your luck at buying the tickets in person. 

On the day of the balloon ride, I was especially nervous but not because of the ride but because I was afraid that the weather might not be optimal and the ride would be cancelled. And if that would happen, the tour would be rescheduled to the next day. There was a real possibility that the ride would not take place during the time I was there. So if you are planning on going on the ride, please try to do it on the first day you’re day to avoid disappointment.

I thought that I would have to wake up really early at 4 or 5 am but was picked up at 6 am instead and was even the first to get on the minibus to the lift-off point. At the waiting area, some refreshments were provided and were adequate. Everyone huddled around the fire as It was also really really cold in the morning, maybe about -5 degrees Celsius – the fire provided much relief.

It was a magnificent sight to behold watching them heat up the air inside.

Altogether, there were 26 people on board – 4 compartments with 6 people each and two pilots. I can’t complain about the number of people on board because that was what I paid for. If you want something more private, be prepared to fork out quite a large sum of money.

It is vital that you get a good spot either at the outer ring or at the corners to get an interrupted view.

Finally a shot without anyone else in it.

Every minute was well worth the money spent. I definitely do not regret taking the ride. One more item checked off the bucket list!

2) Get your Heart Pumping by Driving an ATV

What better way to cover the vast terrain of Cappadocia than to ride an Atv. I have never driven an ATV before this tour and that made me more excited than ever to do it.

I booked a Sunset Atv tour on Viator with Cappadocia Adventure Atv at about 34€. For 2 hours, this was a really good deal. Moreover, there were only two other people besides me on the tour.

I was geared up with a helmet and face mask and off I went to do a practice ride. The accelerator was just a push of the button with your left thumb and brakes were operated by both hands. I have both a car and motorcycle license but this felt a little strange.

A minute into the start of the tour and I lost control of the Atv for a second. The tour guide was worried and wanted me to sit behind him. But I couldn’t give up and continued trying. If you haven’t ridden an Atv before, there’s just a slight learning curve at the beginning and after that you will be fine.

The highlight of the tour was riding to the sunset viewpoint at Love Valley.

The view of the sun setting was just spectacular and while I was enjoying the view, I savored a cup of warm wine sold by the people in the car.

Combing the valleys on an Atv is one of the fastest and most thrilling ways to explore Cappadocia. The road may be bumpy and sometimes hard to maneuver around but I promise that you will have an awesome time. If you have a Gopro, bring it along to record the journey, they provide helmets with the attachment. 

3) Be Adventurous and Explore the Valleys on your own

Going on tours gives you the utmost convenience in having everything planned out for you. However, there is always that sense of excitement, adventure in exploring on your own.

I met Ahmet who was my tour guide on the Atv tour and because we shared a commonality in speaking broken Thai, we became friends. He offered to bring me around on his Atv on my last day to explore the valleys that are not populated by tourists and I’m so grateful for that.

We walked through what used to be water channels

Climbed into a cave house.

Exploring without a tour has its own advantages. Give it a try if you have the time, you will not regret it.

4) Take the Green Tour

If you do not have a lot of time to spend in Cappadocia, joining a tour would allow you to see the most in the shortest amount of time. The Green Tour costs a reasonable 40€ for a whole day pack with sight-seeing.

One memorable stop was at Derinkuyu Underground City. It is the biggest underground city in Turkey and the deepest in Cappadocia. It was interesting to see how small the rooms and passageways are and interesting to note how people then were much smaller than us right now.

We also visited Selime Monastery. According to our guide, he said that Star Wars was shot here. I can see the resemblance but I don’t know how true this is.

This was the most scenic part of the tour. We did a short hike at Lhara valley The trees were lush and in abundance – a stark contrast to the sandy eroded landscape I’ve been used too.

The last stop of the trip was to Göreme Panorama Viewpoint. From this viewpoint, you’ll get to see clear extensive views of Pigeon Valley. The valley is aptly named because of how people who used to live there used the small holes to attract pigeons and after which they utilized their poop as fertilizers.

This day’s tour was very informative. I got a glimpse into the lives of people who lived there and got a chance to revel in the most amazing landscapes on earth.

5) Visit Göreme Open-Air Museum – A Museum like no other

If you do not want to go on a tour and also do not have means to hike and explore the valleys and it’s structures on your own, Göreme open-air museum is a destination you do not want to miss.

The museum is accessible with just a 20 min walk from the center of Göreme. A complex of monasteries each with its own church is an amazing example of rock hewn architecture.

The only downside to this is that you would have to pay 75TL to enter. But of course the money is well spent considering the convenience and accessibility to this amazing place!

Cappadocia is an amazing place to visit if you are interested in embarking on a thrilling adventure to discover vast landscapes and rich histories. It is definitely a place not to miss on anyone’s itinerary to turkey!

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The Top 7 Places to Eat in Rome

From pastas to pizzas to delectable desserts, here are the top 7 places to eat in Rome.

1) Trattoria Dell’OMO

This family-owned trattoria is located very conveniently near Termini Station. I almost walked past it at night as I couldn’t see the sign and it seemed pretty quiet outside. But surprisingly, there were a lot of diners inside. The pasta was delicious and the cheese complemented the tomato sauce. While I was there, I saw a lot of locals eating this leafy vegetable dish called cicoria and I decided to give it a try. At first I thought it was something closely related to spinach but I found out that it is actually dandelion greens. The taste was quite unique, a little bitter but not unpleasant. I also loved the atmosphere of the place. They made the effort to go around asking people if they were happy with their meals. This place is a restaurant you must visit for traditional roman food.

Hours:      12:30 pm – 03:00 pm, 07:30 pm – 10:45 pm, closed on Sundays

Website:    http://www.trattoriadellomoroma.com

Address:    Via Vicenza, 18, 00185 Roma RM, Italy


2) Ba’ Ghetto

While looking for Jewish-Romanian food, I stumbled across Ba’ Ghetto.

As I wanted to try as many dishes as possible, I opted for their tasting menu. After some consideration, I went with the first option – Antico Ghetto as I knew I wanted to try the artichokes.

The appetizer – fried zucchini and anchovies pie, was really unique. It was mushy and seasoned well. The artichoke was crispy on the outside with a soft center – it was rather tasty. The pasta was not too soft nor too hard, it was cooked really well. And lastly, the dessert was a great end to all the dishes before. Overall, I was really satisfied with everything. Not only were the portions satisfactory, they tasted really good!

Hours:        11:00 am – 11:00 pm, Fridays 11:00 am – 03:00 pm, Saturday 07:00 pm – 11:30 pm

Website:    https://www.baghetto.com/en/

Address:    Via del Portico d’Ottavia, 2/A, 00186 Roma RM, Italy

3) La Renella Forno Antico Trastevere

After reading rave reviews about La Renella Forno Antico Trastevere, I finally visited it. I was spoiled for choices, everything looked so delicious. The pizza I loved the most was the one with the parma ham and the most unique pizza to me was the one with the zucchini flowers. Pizzas were sold according to weight and it was really affordable for large portions. Besides the pizzas, I tried a Cannoli. It was decadent and really rich. If you are looking for the best pizzas in Rome, look no further, you have to come here!

Hours: 07:00 am – 12:00 am, Fridays and Saturdays 07:00 am – 03:00 am

Website: https://larenella.com/en/

Address: Via del Moro, 15, 00153 Roma RM, Italy

4) Supplizio

Supplì is a quintessential part of Roman street food. In its most basic form, it is a fried ball of rice with tomato sauce and mozzarella. Where better to try this than to try it at a place aptly named Supplizio. I decided to try the classic version of the Supplì and I liked it very much. The outside is crispy while the insides were soft and well seasoned. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who wants to try Supplì.

Hours:        11:30 am – 16:00 pm and 16:30 pm – 22:00 pm, closed on Sundays

Website:    https://www.supplizioroma.it/en

Address:    Via dei Banchi Vecchi, 143 – 00186 – Rome

5) Pasticceria Regoli

After seeing multiple pictures of the fluffy humongous whipped cream filled Maritozzos, I was convinced that I had to try it.  What I really liked about it was that it wasn’t too sweet, making it possible to eat one whole Maritozzo in one sitting. I even ate another pastry that was filled with whipped cream right after the Maritozzo. However, two was my limit.

Hours:        06:30 am – 08:20 pm, closed on Tuesdays

Website:    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pasticceria-Regoli-dal-1916/218792384850472

Address:    Via dello Statuto, 60, 00185 Roma RM, Italy

6) Pompi Tiramisù

While searching for the best food in Rome, Pompi Tiramisu was mentioned quite a few times. And I’m glad I decided to give it a try. While they had a variety of flavors to choose from, I decided to go with the traditional tiramisu. The texture was creamy and the flavors were bold, I thoroughly enjoyed eating it.

Hours: 11:00 am – 09:30 pm

Website: https://barpompi.it/

Address: Via della Croce, 82, 00187 Roma RM, Italy

7) Giolitti

While there are many places that sell Gelato in Rome, Giolitti is a place you have to visit. The queue started outside the store but it moved quickly. However, once you reach the part where you get to choose your flavors, the orderly line disappears as everyone is crowding around the display to get their orders heard. It was all worth it as the Gelato was so creamy and delicious – definitely the best Gelato I’ve ever had.

Hours:        07:00 am – 01:00 pm

Website:    http://www.giolitti.it/en/

Address:    Via degli Uffici del Vicario, 40, 00186 Roma RM, Italy

These were the places I thought served the most delicious food in Rome. Let me know in the comments whether you have tried any of the food listed above and if you liked them!

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Visiting Zugspitze – the highest mountain in Germany and Eibsee Lake

Image credit: https://zugspitze.de

The plan for the day was to visit both Zugspitze and Eibsee Lake. The perfect round trip started by taking the cogwheel train from Garmisch-Partenkirchen station to Eibsee station, after which, the cable car up to the peak of Zugspitze. To get down, I took the cable car again but you can also take the cogwheel through the Zugspitze tunnel back to Eibsee station. At Eibsee station, I spent some time trekking around Eibsee Lake and lastly, I took the cogwheel train back to Garmisch-Partenkirchen.  

ZUGSPITZE

The Zugspitze mountain stands at 2,962m above sea level and it is the highest peak in Germany. It is possible to hike up to the summit but unfortunately I don’t think I am up to the task. Instead, I chose the route that most people would go which is to take the cable car up.

I managed to get the best spot in the crowded cable car which allowed me to film the spectacular ascent to the peak.

It took a total of 9 mins to reach the peak. The views were amazing and awe-inspiring.

It was really cold and what I wore was not enough to keep me warm.

I had some fun exploring the area on top. Even though it was really misty, the sun’s UV rays were very strong, so bringing sunglasses is a must.  

On a clearer day, you would be able to climb up to the highest peak. But unfortunately, it was clearly impossible for me to do so.

What is really unique is that you can actually visit Austria without having to use your passport! I took a little break at the restaurant on the Austria side and had a delicious apple strudel. 

Zugspitze is a mountain you should not miss when visiting Germany. While there may not be many activities you can do at the top, just being there is an unforgettable experience!

EIBSEE LAKE

Before going back to the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, I visited the beautiful Eibsee lake.

By using the measure distance function on google maps, I’ve estimated that the walk around the lake would be about 6.6 km long. I roughly took around 1 hr. and 15 mins to finish the circumference.

The lake is impressive in size and at whichever point you are at the lake, there will always be an opportunity to capture its beauty.

The path around the lake is mostly flat and easy to walk.

There are smaller lakes at the north-east side of the lake.

Besides walking around the lake, you can experience the lake in a different way through a really fun activity – paddling. I wished I had done this but unfortunately I was really tired from climbing Wank Mountain and I needed to get back to Munich on the same day.  

If you are looking to take great pictures, visit two countries at the same time and be enveloped in picturesque scenery, you have to visit Zugspitze and Eibsee Lake.

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Climbing Wank Mountain in Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Wank Mountain is a mountain situated at the southern part of Germany in the beautiful region of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It stands at 1,780 m with 700 m being below sea level.

Out of all the climbing routes in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, I chose this mountain to hike because of these various reasons. First, it was easily accessible being at the the edge of the town, it offers panoramic views of the town from above, it is also not that high thus making it possible to climb within a few hours and lastly it has a cable car station.

It was my first time travelling as a solo female and also my first time climbing a mountain alone. I had intended to find a travelling buddy on either Couchsurfing or the Hiking Buddies Munich Facebook Group. Unfortunately, people were reluctant to join because the period I wanted to climb in which was in late May, had long extended periods of rainfall; and they were not sure if the rain would cease on the day I wanted to climb While I was a little disappointed, I knew I had to do it as I don’t know when i’ll get the chance to do this again.

The constant rainfall made an otherwise relatively easy hike to something which was quite dangerous. Here’s my journey up Wank Mountain.

The foot of Wank Mountain is only a 10-15 min walk from the center of the town.

There were quite a few hiking routes to Wank Mountain and other mountains nearby but I chose to stick with the shortest walking route provided by google maps which was 6.4 km. While it says it only takes 2 hr 7 mins to climb, it took me 4 hours to finish as it was raining and that made the path really muddy and slippery and I also took many little breaks to rest and take pictures. Perhaps on a sunny day 2 hrs would be possible but realistically, 3 hrs would be a safe bet.

The path started off quite easy through concrete roads.

If you listen to the video above, you will be able to hear the bells on the cows. Because of that I knew how near the cows were to me. There was a part of the path where there were cows on the left, on the right and even on the path. I was really scared as I knew they knew I was there and they were staring at me! 

About a third of the way up, the concrete path became more of a trail. While it was getting a little slippery as it had been raining throughout the whole morning, it was still manageable.  

Soon, the path started to get really difficult for me. It was extremely wet, muddy and slippery. Sometimes my shoes would get stuck in the mud which threw my balance way off. I slipped multiple times and had to gasp at tree branches. I didn’t fall down but I was so worried that I would.

I was supposed to reach the summit within 3 hrs. but it seemed like the estimated time now was 4 hrs. and I was getting really tired from having to be so careful with where I stepped. But seeing snow at the top got me really excited and motivated.

I didn’t expect the mountain top to be totally covered with snow as it was the beginning of summer. It was breathtaking!

I’ve never seen so much snow in my whole life!!

Finally!!! Throughout the whole hike, I was alone; the only people I saw were at the foot of the mountain but they went on a different path. I was so glad to make it this far.

Reaching the restaurant aptly named Wank-haus at the top was such a relief. The coffee and the beef broth with cheese dumpling was hearty – a well-deserved reward.

Thank god there’s a cable car station on top because I wouldn’t have been able to climb all the way back down.

This whole experience was amazing. I feel such a great sense of achievement and am so proud that I did this by myself. If you ever visit Garmisch-Partenkirchen and you want a relatively short hike, please visit Wank Mountain. Hopefully, when you’re there it doesn’t rain!

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