Most Favorable Places to Visit in Moscow

Moscow to me has always been one of those favorable places in a far off land… But only a three and a half hour flight away from London to Moscow, it’s much closer and a lot less scary than I first thought.

I had booked a 3 night stay at the Mercure Arbat Moscow hotel located just off of the main street of Arbat, opposite Smolenskaya Metro station and only a 25 minute walk into Red Square.

1. Domodedovo Airport

Arriving into a snow covered Domodedovo Airport I got my first sniff of a Russian winter and it was nippy. Travelling with my partner and brother, we took the Aeroexpress train into central Moscow which took 45 minutes (avoid the pushy touts offering taxis, the traffic looked a nightmare) and then dove straight into the infamous metro system.

2. My Favourite Metro's:

My personal favourites were Mayakovskaya and Ploschad Revolyutsii. The metro was built under the direction of Josef Stalin and the grand, decadent stations felt at odd with the socialist ideal of the Soviet Union in the 1930s. It is one of the busiest underground systems in the world and the preferred mode of transport for the masses.

3. Grand Kremlin Palace

At first sight of Red Square it’s hard to relate it to the news clips of marching soldiers and the austerity that I associate with communism. It is huge, lined one side with the walled Kremlin, the other with the glizy GUM shopping mall and at the far end the iconic sight of St Basil’s Cathedral with its coloured onion domes.

4. Cosmonaut Museum

The next day we explored the outer reaches of the city, starting with the Cosmonaut Museum an ode to extraordinary achievements and the first man in space. The All Russia Exhibition Centre is also nearby, a display of Soviet monuments and an amusement park which seems to be where Muscovites spend their weekend.

5. Lovely restaurants with Khachapuri

Russia from what I had been told is not known for its great food but we found some lovely restaurants around the Patriarch Pond area. Khachapuri (named after the Georgian cheesey bread) is a trendy little place packed to the ratfers for it tasty food and lemon vodka.

Moscow is a much friendlier place than I was anticipating and I was surprised at how many people spoke English, or at least enough to get by. It’s big, a bit rough around the edges but it has a soft centre and it’s ready to captivate even the most seasoned of travellers.

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Anna Road Trip Across South Africa

Anna Road Trip Across South Africa

After an over night fly from London to Johannesburg we picked up our little rental car heading for the first stop on our South Africa road trip. We were on a 6 night self drive, taking in the Drakensburg Escarpment, Blyde River Canyon, a stay in a private game reserve and the Kruger National Park.

As we drove through the gates onto a gravel road we caught sight of our first African animals, a group of warthogs. Slow progress was made up to the lodge as we stopped for every animal we saw - impala, kudu, sable, ostrich, we even stopped to watch a millipede cross the road!

Sure enough as we reached God's Window all we could see was God's clouds... After trying to negotiate a refund on our entry fee we drove onto Bourke's Luck Potholes, large circular holes sculpted into the rocks by centuries of flowing water.

The last stop of the day on the scenic Panorama Route was the Blyde River Canyon itself and a view of the Three Rondavels. The little known canyon is the third largest in the world and not really on the tourist trail, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. There are many hiking trails to explore but we contented ourselves to looking out at stunning view with a Sparletta cream soda.

Out of the darkness there he appeared, fat and sleepy. 15 minutes we must have watched him in awe which was quite enough for the lion who let out gut rumbling roar that shook the seat of our pants. Gasps and nervous laughter were our feable responses.

We reached the Kruger National Park about midday and entered through the Orpen Gate. A Jurassic Park moment! The speed limit is 40kph on gravel roads and after about an hour of seeing only a handful of antelope we were starting to lose heart and thought that it was not going to be our day. With no other cars about we stopped and waited as he made his way in our direction. As he got closer we looked out of the other window and saw one, two, three… no a whole herd of about 100 buffalo coming over a ridge heading straight for us.

On top of the world we arrived at Satara Rest Camp for a much needed toilet break and a night's stay in one of their rondavels. Each hut has its own braai and we dutifully cooked up a meat feast and celebrated a good day's safari with a few beers.

Read more officially @ Compareandfly.com

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Detailed Historical Turkey’s Ancient Structures

Detailed Historical Turkey’s Ancient Structures

There are many things in the world that can fascinate you. However, looking at what Turkey has to offer, especially its architecture, you would be hard pressed to find anything as intriguing.

1. The Library of Celsus.

The library was built in honor of the then Roman senator Julius Celsus. The senator later died and was buried beneath the library just at the entrance. It was believed that the construction of the structure started at around 117 AD, and it took about 20 years to complete.

2. St. Peter's Castle (Bodrum Castle)

Built in the 14th century by the Knights of St John whose headquarters where on the island of Rhodes, as a further stronghold on the mainland in defence of an attack by the Seljuk Turks.

3. Amphitheatre in Miletus

Originally a Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia and considered one of the wealthiest and greatest ancient Greek cities. When constructed around 4th century BC the theatre could seat a mere 5,000 but then later renovated by the Romans to a larger capacity of around 25,000.

4. Basilica Cistern

Deep below the city of Istanbul there are hundreds of ancient cisterns designed to hold filtered water for many parts of the city, the largest of all being the Basilica Cistern, the roof is supported by 336 marble columns, reportedly built by over 7,000 slaves many of whom met their death working on the construction.

5. Sultan Ahmed Mosque

Built in the 1600's after the war with Persia the then sultan decided to build the mosque to reassert Ottoman power. The mosque is lined with over 20,000 handmade tiles and some of the finest hand carved marble sculptures.

With flights to Turkey ever more affordable the history and culture of this great empire are within easy reach of all budgets.

Flights to Istanbul start at around £120 per person, with the coastal resorts of Dalaman, Izmir, and Bodrum even cheaper during low season.

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10 Great Places to Visit in Colombo, Sri Lanka

1. City Tour Enjoyment:

Step on board the exciting open deck double decker of the Colombo City Tour to witness the piece of Colombo. Compare flights to Colombo

2. Eat Mt Lavinia Beach Seafood's:

Mt Lavinia is one of Colombo's more laidback suburbs filled with great seafood restaurants on the golden beach and have a gypsy dancing with Sri Lankan girls.

3. Enjoy rooftop views @ OZO Hotel:

The freshly created boutique hotel has Colombo's hottest rooftop bar and lounge, 'ON14'. The infinity swimming pool, 'Splash' on the 14th floor screenshot the Indian Ocean… 

4. Colombo's Spa Massage with Indulge:

Featuring quite surroundings and expert masseurs trained in everything from Swedish to Shiatsu.

5. Colombo Art's:

The Colombo National Museum has some awesome examples of ancient paintings, sculptures and sketches dating back to the 4th century BC

6. Buddha Temple's in Colombo:

The Gangarama Vihara is one of the most  honored temples in the country, decorated with wonderful brass work, stone carvings, and other Buddhist art.

7. Relax in Dehiwala Zoological Garden:

Beautifully landscaped 30 acres in which a rich collection of mammals, birds, reptiles and fishes live in harmony with Nature.

8. Nightlife Dance's:

Colombo has a buzzing scene, with chill-out bars, casinos if you want to try your hand at roulette or baccarat, or cool clubs where you can party until dawn.

9. Colombo Special - Kothu Rotti:

The quintessential Sri Lankan snack consists of sliced-up bits of rotti, expertly blended with your choice of chicken, beef, egg, onions, tomatoes and green chillies

10. Trishaw City Ride:

These motorised three-wheeled chariots are the backbone of Sri Lankan transport – just remember to hang on for dear life!

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