Travel gems by Miss Sophie

Tag: historical

• Istanbul – vibrant and loads of history

  Posted at 2:12 pm by mylifemyworldrg, on October 17, 2019

  

  Istanbul is a “must visit”. I didn’t know before I actually did visit.. and I had to come back again and again..

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  View to Hagia Sofia from Seven Hills Restaurant

  This wonderful, vibrant city, with all its history, and being part of both Europe and Asia making it even more interesting. It is a colorful city with a lot of charm. The city have several districts being quite different from each other. You cannot be bored in Istanbul. There are so much to see, experience and learn about. There are a lot of wonderful places in the world, but if you just have to chose one – chose Istanbul and you get a taste and experience of “everything”.

  

  

  

  

  Sultanahmet is the Old Town of Istanbul were the famous Hagia Sofia (Ayasofya) and Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Sultanahmet Camii) is situated. Sultanahmet is the district in Istanbul with most tourist, and can be very crowded. But still a very nice, colorful and vibrant place, with different bazars, a lot of restaurants and some shops. And of course a lot of hotels and other accommodation. It is a very nice place to stay, and easy to use the tram to move around in Istanbul. If you are staying for a longer stay or more than one visit, the Istanbul Card is recommendable.

  When starting to write on this blog, I realized it is to much to write about for just one post, but I will try to..

  

  

  

  

  

  

  View to Hagia Sofia from Seven Hills Restaurant

  

  Hagia Sofia

  Hagia Sofia is a former cathedral, which became a mosque, but is now a museum. The history, and the beautiful inside of Hagia Sofia is worth a visit. The architecture is wonderful and so many unique Mosaics.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Gülhane Park is situated in connection to Sultanahmet , a nice park were you can have a short walk in relaxing surrandings, if you want to get away from the crowd.

  

  

  

  Nearby you also find Yerebatan Sarnici or Basilica Cistern, with the Medusas. An interesting story, and this attraction is both cheap and do not have this long queues as many of the others.

  

  

  

  On the other side of Bosphorus you find Karaköy with Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi) and the Taksim shopping street. A visit on the top of Galata Tower gives you the best view of Istanbul, but here again – there is a lot of people and you have to stand in line for a while to get the opportunity to explore this view..

  

  

  

  In Taksim shopping street you find all kinds of shops, expensive to cheap, and Istanbul is a good place to shop. You can find very cheap alternatives to whatever you would like to shop.

  

  

  In Taksim you also find nice cafés and bars, as you find all over Istanbul. You can always find some good food here, their food is inspired from both continents, and every country and culture around Turkey, and “added” their own traditions. The food is tasty and with flavors and colors 🙂 .

  

  

  

  

  

  A very good option to dine is one of the restaurants situated by the Bosphorus

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Turkish tea

  

  Mado Café

  

  Desserts and sweets

  Mado is of Turkish origin and their ice creams are made of goat milk. It is very tasty, and the goatmilk taste is not strong. Mado have a history of more than 100 years. And you can choose between plenty of tasty desserts and ice cream flavors.

  A daytrip to Price Island (or Kızıl Adalar in Turkish) is absolute to recommend. The ferry takes about an hour, and there are different island to choose between. The largest island Büyükada, is a really nice and charming island. I recommend to rent some bicycles and bike around the island to get to know ot and see all the charming Ottoman Mansions and beautiful views, a wonderful experience.

  

  Beautiful scenery with Istanbul and the beginning of the sunset in behind, when the ferry is bringing you back from Adalar / Prince Islands.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  The Ortaköy area of Istanbul is also very nice. More quiet, but still very vibrant. A very good option to were to stay, and very nice view as well. The Ortaköy Mosque is the “landmark” of this area.

  There are also many different cruises to join at Bosphorus, both daytime and night. If you choose to go, I recommend you to do good research to find one that will suit you. There are different dining options, music and entertainment. The pricerange and the quality varies a lot. For me, I don’t think it was value for money. Even if you have nice views, the total experience was not worth the money, but then I probably should have choose another cruise supplier.

  

  

  

  Views of Istanbul..

  

  

  

  Since I have been in Istanbul a couple of times I have tried different hotels as well. My favorite is Kempinski Ciragan Palace, but Swissotel The Bosphorus was a very pleasant surprise. Both are in Besiktas area, with some distance from Sultanahmet. In Sultanahmet area I can recommend Hotel Yasmak Sultan. It is located just a few minutes walk from Hagia Sofia, and only 2 minutes from the Tram Station. The restaurant is situated on the top and have very nice views on both sides of the city. The room and bathroom was delicate and fresh. And they have both pool and gym.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Another option is Celine Hotel situated on the other side of Hagia Sofia. This is a Ottoman Mansion with only 14 rooms, so breakfast and facilities are limited. Nice, but don’t think I will stay there again.

  

  

  

  On the Galata Tower side, Karaköy, you find 10 Karaköy Istanbul a sbe hotel. Not a favorite either if you are looking for value for money. The rooms are small, and breakfast average. But interior are nice and delicate.

  

  

  

  

  

  Then we have Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul, i really liked this one, it was large but not too large. It was vibrant and modern. The room had a very nice view to the Bosphorus, and had plenty of amenities.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  And I loved of course the rooftop bar and the view..

  Kempinski has another price range, but it is my favourite, and I have stayed there three times, so it have to have it’s own blog post..

  I will have different recommendations for different people, because Istanbul have everything, and it depends on what you want to experience and prefer of accommodation and surroundings. Please let me know if you have some questions, I will be happy to assist!

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  
  Posted in travel, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged Adalar, architecture, Bosphorus, city, Colors, Dining, Galata Tower, Hagia Sofia, historical, history, holidays, Hotels, inspiration, Istanbul, Karaköy, Leisure, life, Museum, Ortaköy, Ottoman, Prince Islands, shopping, Sultanahmet, Taksim, travel, travelling, Turkey, View

• Athens – heritage, architecture and charm

  Posted at 10:06 am by mylifemyworldrg, on July 25, 2019

  

  It is time to start to post some of my travels the past year. It has been a busy year, and time flies. When it slows down in the summertime, you get the time to reflect on what has passed and everything you have explored. And Athens is one of the beautiful cities I have had the pleasure to explore.

  

  

  

  Athens has the beauty and charm of the heritage sites and buildings around the city, together with charming streets and wonderful views. All this makes it a wonderful city to visit. And for me that loves history and architecture – perfect.  The city center is not that big, and can be crowded as it is a popular city for tourists. I visited in August, and according to the locals it is not so crowded this month because the locals are out of town on vacations.

  Since I am not to happy in standing in line for the tourist attractions, I have found my own “way” of exploring the most without. The first day on my trips I usually get on one of the Hop On Hop Off busses to get to know the city and “identify what to explore more in detail”.

  

  Acropolis

  

   

   

  In Athens I loved to stroll around in the charming streets, were you still feel the heritage ambiance.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

   

   

  

  

  

  

  

   

  And then I am always looking for a nice place to dine.. preferably with a view and some charm and great food, wine and quality..

  Luckily I discovered this place in Athens on my first day, and came back again and again.. A warm recommendation to visit Tudor Hall at King Georges perfectly situated on the Syntagma square. Here you get everything, the wonderful view, ambiance, attention, food and drinks.

  

   

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

   

   

  And in the evening I am hunting for the sunset. I enjoy to sit and relax and watch the beauty of the sunsets. I found the perfect setting for this at Hilton Athens..

   

  

  

  

   

   

  And yes, we returned to enjoy it with our dinner several nights

   

  

  

  

  

  As a Leading Hotels of the World traveler I stayed at the Divani Caravel Hotel in the beginning of my stay in Athens. I was upgraded to a suite with a very nice view to the Acropolis. The swimmingpool on the rooftop had also a nice view.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  One morning I had a perfect room service breakfast in my room

  

  

  

  After some days here, we moved to Syntagma Square area and stayed at NJV Athens Plaza.

  

  

  

  

  Here we enjoyed most the location and were happy of having King George and Grand Bretagne as “neighbours”, with more wonderful views and great dining.

   

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  The last night I explored the beaches of Athens, staying at Divani Apollon Palace & Thalasso. A wonderful gem, and I got this room with a great balcony and view..

   

  

  

   

  

  

  

  Enjoying life 🙂

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Sunset and evening ambiance by the pool area

  

  

  

  

  Breakfast on the balcony with a perfect view in a quiet morning

  

  

   

   

   

  So, do I want to go back and visit Athens again? Yes, I do!

  You know my blogspots are not so into details, so feel free to contact me if any questions on how, what, why’s.. 🙂

  Posted in Hotels, travel | 1 Comment | Tagged ancient, architecture, Athens, beauty, city, Colors, Dining, Greece, historical, history, Hotels, inspiration, Leisure, life, nature, restaurant, travel, travelling, View, World heritage

• Museum Hotel, Cappadocia, Turkey

  Posted at 2:09 pm by mylifemyworldrg, on April 21, 2019

  

  Museum Hotel – is a gem. Unique, in wonderful settings. Just to sit and enjoy the views, and all the historical items you can find all around you. Be sure not to pack the day with to many other things to visit in Cappadocia when you are staying at Museum Hotel, because you have to spend the time at the property..

  

  The room was very nice, with good size. And there was a lot of amenities. Even in the room a lot of historical items, making the ambiance great.

  

  Since there was changing weather while I was visiting, it was very nice to dine in the warm and cozy Restaurant Lil’a.

  

  The outside area was the best, scenery changing with weather and lighting trough the day. Could never get enough pictures of the views..

  

  In the morning, the two peacocks will be awaking you.. Or at least they was walking outside my window, giving me this joyful morning view..

  

  The breakfast buffet was large, with plenty of turkish and local products. Have to go back to get some pictures from it..

  The Museum Hotel experience was very good due to the setting, but many of the team members seemed a bit unexperienced and there was quite a few details missing to make it to the top of the 5 star hotels.

  But still, I hope to be able to revisit and it is on my recommended list for you to visit.

   

   

  

  

  

  

  Posted in Hotels, travel, Uncategorized | 1 Comment | Tagged architecture, Cappadocia, Colors, Dining, historical, inspiration, Kapadokya, life, Museum, nature, restaurant, travel, travelling, Turkey, View

• Riga – Grand Palace Hotel

  Posted at 9:50 am by mylifemyworldrg, on October 22, 2017

  

  Do you want to have some recommendations on were to stay when visiting Riga? If you like to have a touch of Luxury but still at a favorable price I think Grand Palace Riga is a really great choice.

  From my perspective you get value for money. I guess it is a bit more expensive then many other hotels in Riga, but still compared to a many other capital cities the rates here are quite low. This is the city to try out a more luxury hotel without ending up “broke”. The hotel picked me up at the airport in a nice Mercedes E-class car at an affordable rate, convenient and safe.

  It is a wonderful hotel. It is a small, beautiful with both a historical and luxurious atmosphere. I think it is a gem. And I was really positively surprised. What I loved the most about this hotel was the Bar, were you could sit and relax, read, write, work (if you work in the sky), eat or drink. The atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable, and the service on top.

  I have some nice pictures to share with you;

  

  The hotel is situated in the Old Town of Riga, just next of  the “Three Brothers” and with a perfect walking distance to the rest of the Old Town. Just a few minutes walk to “everywhere”. I thought it was perfect.

  

  The Checking In was more “relaxed” than on larger hotels. The reception invites to a “personal touch”, while you sit down in the chair and they introduce them self and make you feel welcome and ensure that they want to assist you to make your stay in Riga as comfortable and beneficial as possible.

  

  

  

  I had breakfast in the restaurant the first morning. The breakfast buffet had a lot of choices, and was fresh and appealing. There were some healthy choices, and you could have freshly made eggs, omelets or pancakes if you wished.

  

  

  

  

   

  The room was nice and comfortable. It contained all I needed. Since I booked through Leading Hotels of the World, I got a very nice welcome gift Black Balsam, fruit basket with flower, and both still and sparkling water. The bathroom had a lot of amenities, and was light and maintained.

  

  

  

  As Mentioned before the Bar is the best place to be. Relaxed, very good atmosphere and nice decor. And not at least the staff, very attentive and professional.

  

  

  

  The Restaurant is situated in connection with the Bar. I did not try out the Restaurant, only had a Club Sandwich served in the Bar the first night, since I had a late arrival. The Restaurant looked nice. Something to be aware of is that the bar is a smoking area, and the restaurant is non smooking. I am a non smoker, and I am not used to smooking in public areas inside anymore. I can understand if someone get dissatisfied with the smooking in the Bar, but for me it was not a problem, I was here to enjoy my weekend and travel, and not focus on “negatives”. I spent time in the Bar when it was not  so crowded, and then the issue was gone.

  

  Here are some more pictures to try to shoe the “feel” and atmosphere of the hotel;

  

  

  

  The second morning I had a “sleeping morning” and had breakfast in the room (in bed). They had prepared it acorrding to my request, delivered and served on time. Ensuring a very good start of the day.

  

  

   

  I really enjoyed my stay, the staff team was very nice and caring, always assisting you in a professional behavior. Kind and smiling. Even if this was a solo travel I never felt alone.

  Today I am moving to another hotel, the newly opened Grand Hotel Kempinski Riga. Looking forward to get to know them as well, and later tonight visiting the Opera and listen to The Rose Of Turadia. New blog post on those experiences soon to come. Wishing you all a very nice day!

   

  Posted in Hotels, travel, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged architecture, bar, beautiful, beautifulhotels, beauty, city, Colors, Dining, gem, grandpalaceriga, historical, history, Hotels, hunting, inspiration, Leadinghotelsoftheworld, lhw, life, luxury, luxuryhotel, Old Town, restaurant, Riga, travel, travelling

• Riga – Old Town, colorful & charming

  Posted at 12:46 pm by mylifemyworldrg, on October 21, 2017

  

   

  I had no plans of travelling to Riga, but then SAS had a Eurobonus special offer, and I though “why not?” When Leading Hotels of the World had a hotel in Riga with very favorable rates, I decided to go. And had no expectations of the city or the stay. And so far it has been a wonderful experience and I have to recommend all to have a visit.

  I need several blogposts to cover my stay in Riga. This first one covers the visit in Riga Old Town. There are so many charming houses, streets and places. It is October, and the trees are colorful, together with the houses. The architecture in the Old Town of Riga together with the colors makes it beautiful and charming. Let me show you;

  

  

   

  

  

  

  

  

   

   

  

  

  

  

  Posted in Hotels, travel | 0 Comments | Tagged architecture, beautiful, Charming, Colors, historical, inspiration, life, Lituhania, Old Town, restaurant, Riga, travel, travelling

• A real gem in Norway, Hotel Union Øye

  Posted at 12:08 pm by mylifemyworldrg, on July 28, 2017

  When traveling around in Norway, you will discover a lot of gems in the most strangest places. Or to be more specific in lovely, small villages.. Last summer we visited Hotel Union Øye situated in Øye by Norangsfjorden. I had heard and read a lot about this charming hotel, and was really looking forward to my first visit. And it is truly a gem, and an experience worth travelling for.

   

  

  

  This charming and beautiful hotel is from 1891 and has only 27 rooms and all rooms are named after royalties and writers that have been staying at the hotel at previous generations. When we arrived all the vacant rooms had their doors open, so we could see and enjoy the different rooms.

  

  The atmosphere in the hotel is so unique, and you are really feeling you are travelling back in time. You can sit down in the lounge and relax and enjoy the views before having dinner at the restaurant.

  

  After dinner, storytelling took place in the lounge. If you weren’t interested in the hotel and the history before the storytelling, you will be after. It was so engaging, and made you fall even more in love in the hotel. And you get so happy that someone was able to save and restore the hotel, and bring back the “glory”, it is truly unique.

  

  The hotel and its atmosphere is really good, and outside you have this beautiful nature as well. There are waterfalls and the fjord ends only a short walk from the hotel.

  

  

  Learn more about Hotel Union Øye and if you want to find other small, unique gems in Norway, you can find them here at The Historic Hotels & Restaurant in Norway

  Posted in Hotels, travel, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged architecture, beautiful, beautifulhotels, gem, historical, hotel, Hotels, inspiration, life, norway, travel, travelling, Unionoye

• The City of Prague

  Posted at 6:51 pm by mylifemyworldrg, on July 10, 2017

  
  

  

  Last week I had the pleasure to visit the city of Prague for the first time – and hopefully not the last!

  My three best moments in Prague;

  1. The stroll in the Old City with all its small streets with plenty of charm. You feel like your going back in time, and even if there are a lot of tourists there, you get relaxed by the atmosphere and charm. A lot of small cafés or restaurants were you can sit down and enjoy day.
  2. Lunch at Hergetova Cihelna – a setting with beautiful views, and the food were surprisingly good. It is quite a large restaurant.  We expected it to be crowded of tourists because of the location near the Charles Bridge, but it was calm. We had a great lunch experience. Want to learn more –  Restaurant Hergetova Cihelna
  3. Enjoying the view of Prague from the Strahov Monastery and Restaurant Bellavista. A 15-20-minute walk from Charles Bridge, and you are on the hightes of Prague with a stunning view. If you want to learn more – Restaurant Bellavista with the view

  

  

  

   

  

  Prague is one of the most beautiful cities I have visited so far. I had heard and read a lot of nice things about Prague, but to experience it myself was much better the expected.

  

  

  

  

  I stayed at The Grand Mark Prague – a member of the Leading Hotels of the World. In the last years I have been a LHW traveler, staying at one of their properties if possible. I find my memership at Leading Hotels of the World to add value to my stay with nice benefits.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  The Grand Mark had a very nice garden, with two peacocks living there as well, offering some good entertaining from time to time.

  

  

  

  The city had great some architecture, and all the small streets in the Old Town was so cozy and appealing.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  We were in Prague for 5 days, and the last night we wanted to have Tapas even if that is not a “Prague”-thing. But we found this perfect Tapas place, with Live Music and very good atmosphere. A very good choice if you are done with the local food. The place is called La Boca and located at Hotel Salvator. Find more inspisration here – Restaurant La Boca

  

   

   

  Posted in travel, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged architecture, beautiful, beautiful places, Charles Bridge, city, Dining, exploring, Hergetova Cihelna, historical, history, hotel, Hotels, La Boca, Leading Hotels of the World, life, Peacock, peacocks, Prague, Tapas, travelblogger, travelling, View

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