Dreaming of a Summer Vacation

In central Europe this is a season for winter sports. I am actually going skiing in a couple of weeks, but this still doesn't keep me from planning my summer vacation.

Summer might still be quite a few months away, but as I am always on a lookout for good deals on travel tickets, this is just the right time to plan it. One can usually get the best deals on flight tickets about half a year in advance. Sometimes it is hard to plan in advance, but in the end it is always worth it - the less you spend on a travel ticket, the longer you can enjoy your vacation.


A friend's travel stories reminded me of a great time we had in Istanbul (Turkey) a couple of years ago. When I was there I promised myself I would definitely go back one day.
Since Turkey is a large and diverse country it is quite hard to choose one destination within the whole country. If you are looking to spend a week or two by the sea you can easily reserve a direct flight to one of many seaside destinations. For instance you can check out flights to Bodrum to get a feel for the price range. Bodrum is a famous tourist destination that also has loads of historic sites nearby well worth checking out.
Other Turkish seaside cities famous for great beaches also worth checking out are: Fethiye, Antalya, Alanya, Dalyan, Ephesus and many more.


Even though these places definitely have a special appeal, I would probably go for a bit different option. I think the best way to truly get to know Turkey is to fly directly into Istanbul and spend a few days there. In this bustling city you can literally get a little bit of everything - for a really good price.
After a dew days in Istanbul I would try to arrange a local transportation to the eastern part of the country. I guess this should not present a problem, since there are good flight connections from Istanbul to other larger cities within the country.

From what I have heard one has to travel further inland to see the unspoiled parts of Turkey. The further to the east - the better.

The most convenient means of transport to cover shorter distances are definitely buses. Turkey has a good short- and long-distance bus network with air-conditioned buses, possibility of seat reservation and generally good-quality service.

All this said, I hope someone finds it useful. As I have just found out chances of a long vacation this summer are looking really slim for me. I still hope things will work out somehow. Keep your fingers crossed!

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A day in the city

This is another post about the Slovenian capital - the city of Ljubljana. A fellow photographer (Pavel Gregorič) has recently completed a really cool Time-lapse photo project titled: Time lapse - A day in the city.

Let me explain this technique in case some of you are not familiar with it...
Time-lapse photography is a cinematography technique where the frequency at which individual film frames are captured (the frame rate) is much lower than that which will be used to play the sequence back. When played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster - we could say it appears to be lapsing.
It is just the opposite of high speed photography with which in photo sequence time appears to be moving slower when it is played at normal speed.

There were almost half a million photos taken during the whole length of the project (7850 of them were used in this film). Some photos have obviously been post processed and effects as tilt shifting have been used for the best effect.
Some photo sequences were even taken from a hot-air balloon, which definitely adds to the overall effect.

If you are out of ideas for your next photo project, you better take a look at this video. Also if you are searching for your next vacation destination or a weekend getaway - this presentation alone might just be enough to make Ljubljana (and Slovenia) the destination of your choice.

I hope you enjoy the video. Since this is just a short promo I suggest you stay tuned for the real thing when it is published.

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Lyrical Minutes in the City of Ljubljana

As I have already mentioned in my previous post, according to Lonely Planet Slovenia was voted amongst top 10 world travel destinations for the upcoming year.

If you are still wondering how this small European country could be on such a list, you might get a hint from this video. Locals are really trying hard to promote this country and lots of travellers appreciate the effort.
If you have a personal experience from a trip to Slovenia, please share your thoughts. I always find it interesting to read about how visitors from abroad see my home country.

Recently I have stumbled upon a video of a summer surprise event in the Slovenian capital - city of Ljubljana. It is one of those videos that make you wish you were there to see it in person.

I must say every year there are more events and festivals worth attending in Slovenia. Most of those still happen in Ljubljana during the summer months but there are quite a few also elsewhere and during other seasons.

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