A week in Baku – the city center and interesting stories

As I have written in the , I spent a week in Baku upon invitation from the NATO International School of Azerbaijan. We stayed in the suburb of Shikhov, close to the Caspian sea. Since it’s low season, there were almost no other guests. The hotel is far away from the city center. Although it provides free shuttle services to …

A week in Baku – some general facts and a walk in the Old City

I finally found a way to visit Baku (Azerbaijan) – just one day before the application deadline, I noticed that there is an interesting conference on the European Neighbourhood Policy and Eastern Partnership. I had several friends from Azerbaijan when I studied at CEU, so I had heard lots of stories about the country. But visiting there is not so …

Bicycle paths in Vilnius

More and more people are cycling in Vilnius, which prompts a need for better cycling lanes. The new ones are convenient, but many of the old cycling lanes cause many inconveniences for cyclists and pedestrians alike, causing unnecessary urban conflicts.

North America trip day 13: more of Seattle

Thanks to my friend Amanda, I was able to see different parts of Seattle in a very short time. One of the most advertised landmarks is the Space Needle, connected to the city center by a monorail. The monorail mostly serves tourists – it runs infrequently, and locals enjoy well-developed (certainly according to American standards) public transportation system, so there …

Dubrovnik – the expensive urban and natural paradise (I)

Visiting Dubrovnik for the first time got me asking why I never thought about going there before. I am not surprised why it attracts so many people – there is everything for every taste… except, perhaps, budget travel. The popular Croatian city rests on the remainders of the once-prominent Republic of Ragusa, which was known for its vibrant economic and …