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How many wives could a sultan have at most? It turns out only 18. The word "harem" comes from Arabic and means "forbidden." Nowhere will you find accounts of this place originating from Muslim lands. The harem was the dwelling of the sultans' wives, concubines, and children, served and guarded by Black enslaved men - eunuchs.
This summer, by a happy coincidence, the Midsummer holidays fell to give us a full five free days, so the opportunity arose to travel to Turkey, this time with the "Impro" travel agency. After our last trip by coach across Europe, we realised that bus travel was no longer for us and that we needed to start moving by air. Already on the evening of 23 June we were sitting alone together on the hotel terrace in Istanbul, drinking beer and wine and gazing out over the Sea of Marmara lit up by the lights of the many boats.
Have you ever felt the spirit of Christmas on a summer's day? We visited this picturesque Bavarian town a couple of years ago, at the end of summer - late August, it seems. The Christmas spirit made itself felt everywhere, despite the facades of the old houses being richly adorned with flowering pots of plants in the most varied and cheerful colours. So what was it that created this winter solstice feeling?
At the start of August at the weekend we made a detour through Zemgale, stopping to see a few noteworthy places. The route in broad strokes: Rīga – Jelgava – Tērvete – Bauska – Iecava – Rīga. Below, more detail on a few of the stopping points and some interesting facts we learned along the way.
It was a genuine discovery for me and a real pleasure to splash about at the foot of the Aiviekste Hydroelectric dam this summer and to stand under the powerful waterfall created by the water pressure. The Aiviekste River caters for water fun of all depths, from "water up to your ankle" to "no longer standing." The Aiviekste Hydroelectric Station turns out to be not only a picturesque spot but also once the largest power station in Latvia.
At the weekend we had broken free and shot off to Germany for a cousin's wedding celebrations. We lived it up, celebrated, explored the lovely little city and mingled with the locals. The feelings that characterise this trip I cannot help but describe in the words of a song - "behind the clouds the sun is shining, behind the clouds is everything, behind the clouds it is good, please take me along." Here is a brief summary - 10 things worth seeing and enjoying in Trier.
On the way to Aglona Basilica we discovered and visited the Bread Museum, where the hostess welcomed everyone in a Latgalian folk costume, with folk songs and a speech. I must say that the museum's founder and bakery manager Vija is a very charismatic, energetic Latgalian woman who is herself this museum. It is precisely her storytelling and personality (not the exhibition itself) that lures hundreds of tourists to visit her home each summer.
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The Musée du Louvre, although in recent years associated above all with the thrilling plot of Dan Brown's novel "The Da Vinci Code" and the symbolic mystery of the grandiose glass pyramid, is nevertheless a historic building rich in historical events. Most visitors, of course, gathered around Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting Mona Lisa. Even now, having seen the original with my own eyes from a few metres away, I cannot understand what everyone finds in it.
The weather truly indulged us and in just a few days we were able to see quite a lot of Paris - its most famous sights and architectural masterpieces. So let us briefly walk through the central districts of Paris once more. If asked to name the symbol of Paris, most people would certainly mention the Eiffel Tower. The 320 m tall tower was built in 1889 for the World's Fair and was originally intended for demolition later on. But its popularity was so great that the tower stands and functions to this very day.
While the taste of Parisian spring is still on my lips, I must write. The weather there was not exactly spring-like but more closely resembled early June in Latvia. Despite the fairly expensive entry ticket, I would definitely recommend that all visitors to Paris visit the famous cabaret Moulin Rouge. A magnificent and unforgettable show that provides genuine pleasure.