At the St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral, city iof Sofia, capital of Bulgaria

 "... Sofia tends to charm its visitors into lingering here indefinitely."

--Stephanie Craig
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(near the geographical center of the Balkans region) The city of Sofia, famous for being one of Europe's oldest capitals, reflects the influence of other cthat of ultures like the Greeks, Arabs, Jews, and others. The city's most popular attractions are its massive houses of worship. (Visitors tend to love these places because they exude a peaceful atmosphere.) Found in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, Bulgaria's capital is west of the Iskar river and has many mineral springs, such as the Sofia Central Mineral Baths.

+ Known as Serdica in antiquity and Sredets in the Middle Ages, Sofia has been an area of human habitation since at least 7000 BCE. The recorded history of the city begins with the conquest of Serdica by the Roman Republic in 29 BCE from the Celtic tribe Serdi. During the decline of the Roman Empire, the city was raided by Huns, Visigoths, Avars and Slavs. In 809, Serdica was incorporated into the Bulgarian Empire by Khan Krum and became known as Sredets. In 1018, the Byzantines ended Bulgarian rule until 1194, when it was reincorporated by the reborn Bulgarian Empire. Sredets soon became the cultural, administrative, economic, and literary hub (i.e., until its conquest by the Ottomans in 1382.) From 1530 to 1836, Sofia was the regional capital of Rumelia Eyalet, the Ottoman Empire's key province in Europe. (Bulgarian rule was restored in 1878. (Sofia became the capital of the Third Bulgarian State in 1879.). Vast parks and manicured gardens now offer the ski slopes and hiking trails of mighty Mt Vitosha are but a short bus ride from the city's center. Home to many of Bulgaria's finest museums, galleries, restaurants and clubs, Sofia may persuade you to linger longer too (to learn much more about this place.) During the 6th century Byzantine influence increased, which later gave the town its name,

+ Liberated from Byzantine rule from in1878, Sofia nd was designated the Bulgarian capital in April 3, 1879. Since the end of WWII, a agricultural zone characterized by fruit and vegetable growing (and by dairy farming) now surrounds Sofia.

+ Among the many educational institutions in Sofia are the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and the University of Sofia (the oldest establishment of higher learning in Bulgaria). The city also contains the Cyril and Methodius National Library, the Ivan Vazov National Theater and Opera House, an astronomical observatory, and several museums. In addition to the restored St. George, Boyana, and St. Sofia churches, historical monuments include two mosques, one housing a fine archaeological collection, and the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, erected to commemorate the gratitude of the Bulgarian people to the Russian liberators of 1878.

+ Shown here is Sofia's St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the oldest church in the Bulgarian capital:

In the island of Mont-Saint-Michel-Michel, in Normandy, France

 "A saint is a person who gives of his [or her] self without asking for anything in return. That's how simple it is to be a saint."

-- Edward James Olmos
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(In Normandy, France) Rising above the sea like a castle in a fairy tale, Mont Saint-Michel (shown here) is one of France's most-visited sights. Legend says the archangel Michael, the island's namesake, repeatedly appeared to Bishop Aubert of Avranches in dreams, telling him to build a church on top of the island in 708 CE. Since its completion, it has become an important pilgrimage site for Christians and European intellectuals. Visitors can tour the fascinating abbey and admire its incredible medieval architecture or wander its surrounding streets, which are lined with small shops and quaint cafes.

+ One of France’s most iconic images: the slender spires, stout ramparts, and rocky outcrops of Mont St-Michel rising dramatically from the sea – or towering over slick, shimmering sands laid bare by the receding tide. Despite vast numbers of tourists, both the rock-top abbey and the narrow alleys below still manage to transport visitors back to the Middle Ages.

+ This island, with its fast and fickle tides, was a notorious prison during the French Revolution. Today, visitors arrive (by choice), seeking to explore the 11th-century abbey, dine in fine restaurants, and take in the impressive evening illuminations. Only a narrow causeway, built in 1880, linked the island to the mainland, -- although a convenient bridge was completed here, a little more than a decade ago.

~ Mont-Saint-Michel, a rocky islet and famous sanctuary in the Manche department of France's Normandy région, lies just off the coast of Normandy. It is located 41 miles (66 km) north of Rennes and 32 miles (52 km) east of Saint-Malo. Around its base are medieval walls and towers above which rise the clustered buildings of the village -- with the ancient abbey crowning the mount. (One of the more popular tourist attractions in France, Mont-Saint-Michel was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.)

+ Mont-Saint-Michel-Michel is almost circular (about 900 meters in circumference); it consists of a granite outcrop rising sharply (to 78 meters]) out of Mont-Saint-Michel Bay (between Brittany and Normandy). Most of the time it is surrounded by vast sandbanks and becomes an island only when the tides are quite high. Before the construction of the causeway that now connects the island to land, it was particularly difficult to reach because of quicksand and very fast-rising tides. Yet, the causeway has become a barrier to the removal of material by the tides, thus resulting in higher sandbanks between the islet and the coast.

In the city of Genoa (Genova), a port city and the capital of northwest Italy's Liguria region

 "By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination. -- Christopher Columbus

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(in the center of the Italian Riviera) Genoa, Italy's largest seaport in this city is known for the many beautiful buildings it houses -- which provide many examples of Renaissance, Baroque, and Gothic architecture. Aside from this, the city is also known for embodying its maritime traditions that guests can witness when they visit.

+ Located about 75 miles (120 km) south of Milan on the Gulf of Genoa, the city occupies a narrow coastal plain and the western slopes of the Apennine Range. In part, due to its mild Mediterranean climate, shipbuilding is Genoa's major industry, which helps to make it a major center for finance and commerce. The port of Genoa leads all other Italian ports in volume of passengers and freight traffic and is the main source of city income. It handles imports chiefly of coal, crude oil, and grain and exports mainly of cotton and silk textiles, olive oil, and wine.

+ Genoa was the birthplace of Christopher Columbus (in1451), who embodied the active maritime tradition of the city. It is noted for its many examples of medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Gothic architecture. The Ducal Palace, San Lorenzo Cathedral, Church of San Matteo, and Palazzo San Giorgio are some of the most important historical monuments. The Palazzo Bianco and the Palazzo Rosso are the two largest picture galleries; Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art and the Cathedral Treasury have extensive medieval collections. The Via Garibaldi and the Palazzi dei Rolli, are the first European examples of an urban development project that was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2006. The University of Genoa is an important center of higher learning in northern Italy. The city also has several colleges and a school of navigation.

+ Genoa is linked with the major cities of Italy, France, and Switzerland by railway and highways. Its port serves as the chief outlet for the agricultural and industrial products of northern Italy and much of central Europe. Cristoforo Colombo International Airport, situated 4 miles (6.5 km) west of the city, provides domestic and international flights.

+ This city and its port can seem full at once of grandeur, sparkling light and deep shade. A gateway to the Riviera for travellers today its weighty architectural heritage speaks of its former glory; the Most Serene Republic of Genoa ruled over the Mediterranean waves during the 12th to the 13th centuries -- and history feels alive in Genoa -- especially in its Old City, still a reminder of premodern life, with its maze of narrow streets largely intact. Emerge from this thrilling heart to Via Garibaldi and the Enlightenment-era gold-leaf halls of the Palazzi dei Rolli. In the heart of the city lies Piazza de Ferrari, a main square with a beautiful fountain and historic buildings like the Palace of the Doges the Teatro Carlo Felice.

In the city of Sibiu, the historical region of Transylvania, in central Romania

 "How good and thoughtful he is; the world seems full of good men--even if there are monsters in it."-- Bram Stoker

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(in the historical region of Transylvania, in central Romania) Sibiu, a fortified medieval town, is located some 275 km (~171 mi.) northwest of Bucharest; it straddles the Cibin River. Now the seat of the Sibiu County, it was (between 1692 and 1791 and 1849–65) it was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania. +Sibiu is a charming city in the heart of Transylvania, where history and culture blend harmoniously with modernity and nature. Sibiu boasts a stunning Gothic cathedral, a splendid Baroque palace, and a fascinating ethnographic museum that showcases the rich and diverse heritage of Romania. Sibiu is also a city of towers, each with its own story and personality, offering panoramic views of the Old Town and the surrounding hills. Sibiu is a great destination for those who love art, architecture, and adventure, as well as for those who want to discover the authentic and vibrant spirit of Transylvania.

+ Sibiu is found on the north side of the Turnu Roșu (“Red Tower”) Pass, which links Transylvania to southern Romania across the Transylvanian Alps (Southern Carpathians). It was initially a Daco-Roman city called Cedonia. Its later Latin name, Cibinium, was derived from that of the river, a tributary of the Olt, which rises in the Cibin Mountains southwest of the city. Sibiu was refounded by Saxon (German) colonists in the 12th century as Hermannsdorf (later Hermannstadt). The old medieval town is in two parts, the upper town built on a terrace and the lower town on the banks of the Cibin, the two being connected through an old district by narrow, cobbled alleys called the Fingerling Stairway.

+ Massive brick walls erected around the upper town gave it the nickname “Red Town,” for the color of the walls, which repelled Turkish attacks in the 15th and 16th centuries. During that time, Sibiu was an important craft and cultural center of the German communities in Transylvania, boasting 19 guilds in 1376. In 1541 Transylvania became an autonomous Turkish vassal state; but, as the Turks later withdrew from Hungary, Austria regained Transylvania in 1699. Sibiu then became the military center of Transylvania and, on two occasions (1703–91 and 1849–65), the capital. (It was ceded to Romania in 1918.)

+ Of the 40 watchtowers on the original inner city wall, three remain -- the octagonal tower of the carpenters, the square tower of the potters, and the pentagonal tower of the cloth makers. Also in Sibiu are a massive Lutheran cathedral (built in the 13th and 15th centuries), an Orthodox cathedral (built 1906, modeled on Hagia Sofia in Istanbul), and an 18th-century Roman Catholic church.
+ Sibiu's Old Town (shown here) has a distinctly Germanic feeling. Sections of the medieval wall still guard the historic area, before opening into vast, church-dominated squares -- and the Bidge of Lies).