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Showing posts from April, 2018

TRY: Dolmabahce Palace

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Dolmabahce Street, Istanbul, Turkey Tue-Wed, Fri-Sun: 9.00am - 4.00pm Located on the European coast of the Bosphorus in the Besiktas district of Istanbul, Turkey is Dolmabahce Palace with its eclectic architecture - a blend of Turkish attributes with Baroque and Neoclassical elements. It served as the main administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire during 1856-1887 and 1909-1922.
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TRY: Gulhane Park Hotel

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1 Nobethane Street, Istanbul, Turkey At first, I wondered whether I should go back to the hotel that I went to on my first trip to Istanbul, Turkey a few years ago. Chancing upon Gulhane Park Hotel (4*) that's pretty highly rated online, I decided to stay there for 4D3N, only to be disappointed and convinced that I shouldn't go back there. Read further to find out why.
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BEL: Belavia B2 783 (Economy)

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MSQ-IST (2h 30m) Embraer 175 ETD: 7.55am (GMT + 3)  ETA: 10.25 am (GMT + 3) Sleepiness kicked in while waiting to board the flight that'd bring me to Istanbul, Turkey, but I was excited as I'd be able to see my sister again soon. The flight was supposed to be operated by Boeing 737-500, but it was changed to the smaller Embraer 175, possibly due to the small number of passengers that morning.
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BEL: Minsk National Airport

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Smalyavichy Raion , Minsk, Belarus Formerly known as Minsk-2 Airport, Minsk National Airport is the main gateway to Belarus that's located about 42 km away from the capital city. The airport serves as the hub of Belavia, the flag carrier of the country. FYI, Minsk-1 Airport near downtown Minsk is now defunct. 
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BEL: Mir Castle

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2 Krasnoarmeyskaya Street, Mir, Belarus Daily: 10.00am - 6.00pm Mir Castle, described as an outstanding example of 16th century fortification art, is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Belarus. A successful blend of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles, the castle was initially constructed in the 1520s under the order of Duke Ilinich.
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BEL: Town of Mir

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Mir, Belarus I'd planned to spend a day outside of the capital city of Belarus. As my BFF and I were interested to see a castle, we were thinking of going to either Mir or Nesvizh. We eventually decided to go to the former, which is a peaceful little town that's located approximately 85 km away from Minsk.
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BEL: Minsk Downtown

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Minsk, Belarus Minsk is the capital, as well as the largest city of Belarus that's dominated by monumental Stalinist architecture. Furthermore, it's the capital of the Commonwealth of Independent States comprising nine member states and two associate members. The city was approximately 80% destroyed during World War II.
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BEL: Belarusian Great Patriotic War Museum

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8 Pobediteley Avenue, Minsk, Belarus Tue-Sun: 10.00am - 6.00pm History buffs definitely wouldn't want to miss this particular museum that was declared open on 22 October 1944, making it the first World War II museum to open during the course of the war. To date, it's the most amazing war museum I've ever been in my life.
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BEL: Church of Saints Simon and Helena

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15 Sovetskaya Street, Minsk, Belarus Daily: 9.00am - 9.00pm Church of Saints Simon and Helena, which is also affectionately known as Red Church, is a Roman Catholic church located at Independence Square. It was constructed between 1905 and 1910 by the order of a prominent businessman and civic activitist named Edward Woynillowicz.
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BEL: Island of Tears

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Trinity District, Minsk, Belarus Daily: 9.00am - 9.00pm Island of Tears is a hauntingly serene place connected to the city of Minsk by an arch bridge. The small island is where a memorial stands, commemorating Soviet soldiers from Belarus who perished during the war in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1988.
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BEL: Gorky Park

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Frunze Street, Minsk, Belarus How many Gorky Parks are there in the world? I know of two: one in Moscow, Russia and obviously one in the capital city of Belarus that I walked through with my BFF. The latter was established in 1800, then called Governor's Garden before it was renamed during the Soviet era.
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BEL: Hampton by Hilton Minsk City Centre

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8 Tolstogo Street, Minsk, Belarus Located not far from the main train and bus stations in Minsk, the capital city of Belarus, Hampton by Hilton (3*) is a contemporary hotel suited for leisure and business travellers alike. The 24-hour front desk is always manned by one or two staff members conversant in English.
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COL: Avianca VIP Lounge @ El Dorado International Airport

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Near Gate 32, El Dorado International Airport, Bogota, Colombia The flagship lounge of Avianca is located on the second floor near Gate 32 of El Dorado International Airport. While it may not measure up to the standards of some other flagship lounges globally, it's fairly spacious and divided into two areas: one for Business Class passengers and Star Alliance Gold members, while the other is open to travellers accessing using programs such as DragonPass.
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COL: El Dorado International Airport

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103-09 Avenida El Dorado, Bogota, Colombia Named after the legend of a mythical city of gold, El Dorado International Airport is the primary gateway to Colombia. Known as one of the busiest airports in Latin America, the airport serves as a key hub for both Avianca and LATAM Airlines, the flag carrier of Colombia and Chile respectively.
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AZE: Quba and Khinaliq Tour (Part 1)

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Quba District, Azerbaijan After enjoying the half-day group tour to Qobustan by TES Tour, my BFF and I embarked on a full-day group tour to Quba and Khinaliq by the same tour operator on our second last day in the country. On our way to Khinaliq, which is known to be the highest and most remote village in Azerbaijan, we passed by the city of Quba.
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