In the the seaport city of Nice, Located on the Côte d’Azur, France

 "Don't wait for inspiration. It comes while one is working."

-- Henri Matisse
=====================================================================
(in the cultural capital of the French Riviera, set on the Bay of Angels) With its mixture of real-city grit, old-world opulence, year-round sunshine, vibrant street life, and stunning seaside location, no place in France compares with the seaport city of Nice. Located on the Côte d’Azur of the Mediterranean Sea, near the Italian border, Nice was founded by Greeks around  350 BCE, conquered by Romans in the 1st century CE, and became a trading station. Held by the counts of Provence during the 10th century, in 1388 it passed under the protection of the counts of Savoy who held it until 1860 -- although it was captured and occupied several times by the French during the 17th and 18th centuries. Nice was ceded to France by the Treaty of Turin (in 1860), after which a referendum ratified the decision. Sheltered by beautiful hills, Nice has a pleasant climate and is the leading resort of the French Riviera.

+ The Paillon River, now partly built over, separates the New Town to the west from the Old Town, the harbor, and the commercial district to the east. The Old Town, with narrow winding streets, stands at the western base of a granite hill known as Le Château, although the castle that used to crown it was destroyed in 1706. The harbor, begun in 1750 and extended after 1870, is now used primarily by ferry services to Corsica and by sailing craft. There is also a regular passenger service to Corsica. The most striking part of the New Town is the famous Promenade des Anglais, which originated in 1822 as a path along the shore built by the English colony. It stretches 2.5 miles (4 km) along the waterfront and consists of two wide carriage-ways separated by flower beds and palm trees.

+ The Musée Jules Chéret des Beaux-Arts and the Musée Masséna have collections of early Italian paintings and works by 19th-century and contemporary artists. A memorial to the painter Marc Chagall has been built to house a collection of biblical paintings donated by the artist in 1966. A mile northeast of the city center is the ancient episcopal town of Cimiez, which contains the majestic ruins of a Roman amphitheater. Nearby stands a 17th-century villa housing an archaeological museum and a collection of more than 40 paintings and drawings by the French artist Henri Matisse.

+ Over time, The Côte d'Azur has ensnared many a visitor with the beauty of its light (not least Henri Matisse, who came here to convalesce from bronchitis.) When the sun finally emerged after a month of wintry drizzle, Matisse was so smitten that he made Nice his home for the next 37 years. Chagall, Picasso, and Renoir also fell in love with this place, and Nice was later home to the influential avant-garde École de Nice. Art museums abound throughout the region, but Nice's three superstars (the Musées Matisse, Chagall, and d’Art Moderne) are reason enough to make an aesthetic pilgrimage to it.

At the Charlottenburg Palace, city of Berlin, Germany

 "What good is sitting alone in your room?

Come hear the music play.
Life is a Cabaret, old chum,
Come to the Cabaret...."
-- Liza Minnelli, Cabaret lyrics
====================================================================
(in Germany's capital and largest city) Berlin lies at the heart of the North German Plain, on an east-west geographic axis that helped make it the capital of the kingdom of Prussia and then, from 1871, of a unified Germany. Berlin’s former "glory" ended in 1945 but the city survived the destruction of World War II, and was rebuilt to achieve amazing economic and cultural growth.

+ Modern Berlin's combination of glamour and grit seldom fails to arouse the interest of those exploring its vibrant culture, cutting-edge architecture, great food, intense parties, and richly textured history. This is a city that staged a revolution, was the Nazis' headquarters, severely bombed, and divided in two before being reunited (and that was just in the 20th century). Walk along remnants of the Berlin Wall, marvel at the splendor of a Prussian palace, visit Checkpoint Charlie, or stand in the room where the Holocaust was planned. (Berlin is like an endlessly fascinating 3D textbook, where the past still lingers to sometimes haunt the present.

+ A party paradise, Berlin is the city that truly never sleeps. At times it seems as though Berliners are the lotus-eaters of Germany, folks who love nothing more than a good time. The city's vast party spectrum caters to nearly every taste, budget, and age group. From basement clubs to industrial techno temples, chestnut-canopied beer gardens to fancy cocktail caverns, saucy cabarets to ear-pleasing symphonies, this city delivers hot-stepping odysseys, and not just after dark and on weekends, but pretty much all day (and all night).

+ In the 21st century the city has become a giant lab of cultural experimentation, thanks to a spirit that nurtures and encourages new ideas. Top international performers still grace Berlin's theater, concert, and opera stages; international art-world stars like Olafur Eliasson and Jonathan Meese make their home here; and Clooney and Hanks shoot blockbuster films in the German capital. Highbrow, lowbrow, and everything in between, there is room here for the full gamut of cultural expression.

+ Despite being a multicultural metropolis, Berlin maintains the unpretentious charm of an international village. Locals and expatriates observe the credo "live and let live," while placing emphasis on personal freedom and a creative lifestyle (rather than material wealth and status symbols).

+ Shown here is the Charlottenburg Palace. One of Berlin's few sites that still reflect the grandeur of the Hohenzollern clan, which ruled from 1415 to 1918, it was initialy a summer retreat but grew into a baroque palace with opulent private apartments, richly decorated festival halls, collections of precious porcelain, and paintings by French 18th-century masters. You can turn a stroll in ithe palace park into a day of admiring royal treasures.

In the district of St. Johann im Pongau, in Austria's federal state of Salzburg

 "The hills are alive with the sound of music, With songs they have sung for a thousand years...."

-- Julie Andrews, The Sound of Music lyrics
=====================================================================
(in the district of St. Johann im Pongau, in Austria's federal state of Salzburg) The market town of Werfen is prmarily known for its medieval Hohenwerfen Castle and the Eisriesenwelt ice cave, -- which is the largest in the world.

+ Located in the northwest of the historic Pongau region, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of the city of Salzburg, the town is situated in the Salzach valley south of the Lueg Pass, between the Berchtesgaden Alps in the west, and the Tennen Mountains in the east. Both the Salzburg-Tyrol Railway line (Giselabahn) and the Tauern Autobahn run parallel to the river. (The municipality comprises the  communities of Reitsam, Scharten, Sulzau, Werfen Markt, and Wimm.)

+ Sitting along the Salzach River, the beautiful village of Werfen was initially formed for defensive purposes. In the year 1050, Salzburg’s Prince-Archbishop started constructing the castle o protect his holdings from King Henry IV of Germany. At that time, the Prince-Archbishop was loyal to the Pope, and a conflict arose over whether the Pope or the King of Germany (and Holy Roman Emperors) held ultimate power. This power struggle led to the development of the village, and the amazing Hohenwerfen Castle.

+ Important trade routes have passed through the Salzach valley since ancient times, when the area was part of the Roman Noricum province. Werfen was first mentioned about 1140 CE. The settlement arose south of Hohenwerfen Castle starting in 1075 (at the behest of the Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg) during the Investiture Controversy with King Henry IV of Germany. It is one of the oldest markets in the former Archbishopric of Salzburg, with market privileges documented since 1425.

+ As the seat of the local administration, Werfen and the castle were heavily attacked during the German Peasants' War in 1525/26. Werfen was also a center of the expulsion of Salzburg Protestants under the rule of Prince-Archbishop Count Leopold Anton von Firmian in 1731. With the lands of the secularized prince-archbishopric, Werfen finally fell to the Austrian Empire by resolution of the Vienna Congress in 1816. The Salzburg-Tyrol Railway line from Salzburg to Wörgl opened in 1875, with stations in Sulzau, Tenneck, and Werfen.

+ Werfen has been featured in many TV shows and movies. Films such as Clint Eastwood’s "Where Eagles Dare" to the "Call of Duty" video games and the Amazon series "Man In The High Castle" have all featured Werfen. The most famous scenes filmed here were from the 1965 movie "The Sound of Music." In it, the Von Trapp children and Maria enjoy a picnic in the Gschwandtanger Meadow, where they also begin singing the song Do Re Mi. This famous meadow, and the trail that leads up to it, have become quite a popular tourist attraction, along with the Hohenwerfen Castle and Ice Cave.

At Bled Castle, in Slovenia

 "There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds."

-- Gilbert K. Chesterton
=====================================================================
(in Slovenia) What is it about castles that makes them alluring to travelers? Aside from getting us a step closer to living out our fairytale fantasies, the amazing structures showcase some of the world’s best architecture, and most stunning landscapes. There is perhaps no better place to find awe-inspiring castles than in Europe, where it seems that you can hardly visit a city, or take a road trip, without seeing a castle, where you will find medieval stone walls, sky-high towers, and bridges arching over glittering moats, especially from the Bavarian Alps to the Mediterranean coasts.

+ Featured here is Bled Castle, in Slovenia. Perched atop a steep cliff more than 100 meters above Lake Bled, this castle is a good example of how most people imagine a medieval fortress to be, with towers, ramparts, moats, and a terrace offering magnificent views. The castle houses a museum collection that traces the lake’s history from early times to the development of Bled as a resort in the 19th century. Built on two levels, it dates back to the early 11th century, although most of what stands here now is from the 16th century. For 800 years it was the seat of the Bishops of Brixen. Among its museum holdings, there is a large collection of armor and weapons (and jewelry found at the early Slav burial pits at Pristava, in Slovenia). The 16th-century Gothic chapel contains paintings of castle donor Henry II and his wife Kunigunda on either side of the main altar.

+ There are many reasons why Lake Bled is one of Slovenia’s most popular sites, featuring emerald waters, a church on an islet, views of the Julien Alps, and, of course, this magnificent castle on a hill. Climb your way up the forest trail to see Bled Castle’s orange-roofed towers and 11th-century walls up close; then turn around to be afforded some of the most amazing views of the beautiful lake below.
+ The castle's history dates back to 1004 when the German king Henry II conferred the estate of Bled on Bishop Albuin of Brixen (in northern Italy). At that time, only the Romanesque tower protected by the wall that stood at the site of the current castle. (The initial castle was built by the bishops around 1011 for defensive purposes.) The bishops of Brixen never lived in the castle, and so it did not have any extravagant rooms.

+ In the Middle Ages additional towers were built and the fortification system with the wall and tower above the ditch were upgraded. (Though the ditch has since been covered, the scene still stirs one's imagination.)

+ Double structure is typical of the castle -- the fortified main part, intended for the residence of feudal lords and the exterior part with the walls and facilities for servants. In 1511, the castle was severely damaged by an earthquake, but it was rebuilt to become the version one sees today. (The castle buildings are decorated with images of coats-of-arms.)

In the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria

 “Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of every day, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear.”-- Freya Stark

=====================================================================
(in Bulgaria) One of Europe’s oldest inhabited cities, Plovdiv is the second largest city in Bulgaria. Inhabited since 4000 BCE., beginning with a Neolithic settlement, Plovdiv has been conquered many times throughout its history, including by the Greeks and the Romans, which is evident in the ancient ruins found across the city. Some of the highlights include the Ancient Stadium of Philippopolis (an old name for Plovdiv); the Roman Amphitheater, which still hosts major events; and the Ruins of Eumolpias, a Thracian settlement from 5000 BCE.

+ Found n the south-central part of the country, Plovdiv lies along the Maritsa River and is situated amid several hills that rise from the Thracian Plain to a height of 120 meters. Called Pulpudeva in Thracian times, it was renamed Philippopolis in 341 BCE after its conquest by Philip II of Macedonia. From 46 CE, it was called Trimontium and was the capital of the Roman province of Thrace. Plovdiv repeatedly changed hands during the Middle Ages until 1364, when it was taken by the Turks, who called it Philibé. After the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), it became capital of Turkish Eastern Rumelia, which united with Bulgaria in 1885. (It officially assumed its present name after World War I.)

+ With an easy grace, modern Plovdiv mingles invigorating nightlife among millennia-old ruins. It is best loved for its romantic Old Town, packed with colorful 19th-century mansions that are now house-museums, galleries, and guesthouses. Yet, cobblestoned lanes and National Revival–era nostalgia are but part of the story. Plovdiv is the cultural capital of Bulgaria and was the European Capital of Culture in 2019. It is quite an important economic, transport, cultural, and educational center. (Plovdiv joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in 2016.) Its music and art festivals draw increasing crowds, while renovations in the Kapana creative quarter and Tsar Simeon Gardens have given the city new confidence. Once an amiable waystation between Bulgaria and Greece or Turkey, the city has flowered into a destination in its own right -- and one that should be on any itinerary through central Bulgaria.

+ There are many preserved ruins such as the ancient Plovdiv Roman theater, a Roman odeon, a Roman aqueduct, the Plovdiv Roman Stadium, the archaeological complex Eirene, and others. Plovdiv is host to a variety of cultural events such as the International Fair Plovdiv, the international theatrical festival ("A stage on a crossroad"), the TV festival ("The golden chest"), and many more novel festivals, such as Night/Plovdiv in September, Kapana Fest, and Opera Open. The oldest American educational institution outside the United States, the American College of Sofia, was founded in Plovdiv in 1860 and later moved to Sofia.

In the old village of Roquebrune, southeastern France

 “Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth, We are happy when we are growing.”

-- William Butler Yeats
=====================================================================
(in southeastern France) Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, the French Riviera paradise beloved by artists and writers, is a municipality in the Alpes-Maritimes department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, between Monaco and Menton. (Its current name was changed from Roquebrune to differentiate the town from Roquebrune-sur-Argens in neighboring Var.)

+ The medieval part of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin sits 300 meters-high, on a pudding-shaped lump crowned by the Château de Roquebrune. Of all the steep and tortuous streets leading up to the château, rue Moncollet, with its arcaded passages and rock-carved stairways, is the most impressive. (Marvelous sea views can be enjoyed from place des Deux Frères.)

+ From the middle of the 19th century, with the construction of the Marseille–Ventimiglia railway line, this stretch of coast also became a magnet for well-known personalities as a holiday home. Elisabeth of Austria spent the last years of her life from 1894 to 1897 at the Hôtel du Cap Martin. Eugénie, widow of Napoleon III, owned a villa here. The area became fashionable in the 1920s and 1930s leading to the construction of several notable buildings including Coco Chanel's La Pausa on Cap Martin. The Irish poet and Nobel Laureate William Butler Yeats died in the Hôtel Idéal Séjour in the neighboring town of Menton on 28 January 1939. The literary couple Romain Gary and Lesley Blanch lived in Roquebrune from 1950 to 1957. Le Corbusier built a cabanon, a minimalist architectural design. He drowned in the sea here on 27 August1965 and was buried in the local cemetery.

+ Roquebrune-Cap-Martin has several villages and towns: St. Roman (practically a suburb of Monaco), the residential areas of Cabbé, Bon Voyage and Serret, and Roquebrune (with its perched village and castle), posh Cap Martin peninsula and the modern seaside resort of Carnolès (with its long pebble beach bordering Menton). The whole area has a major tourism industry, particularly during the high season from April to October.

+ Roquebrune village is best known for, and dominated by, its castle, which was built in the 10th century to keep the saracens out, and the castle donjon (the massive inner tower) is thought to be the oldest in France. Much of the castle's visitors now see was added later by the Grimaldi family, once very powerful in the region. It is from inside the castle that they can enjoy the best views in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, across the village rooftops and an extensive length of coastline.

+ In the old village of Roquebrune you can also see the Church of Saint-Marguerite (the tower of which can be seen in the image below), which dates back to the 12th century but was substantially rebuilt in 1573, and then further enhanced during the 17th century and again in 1750 (and then redecorated in the 19th century to gain its current appearance.)

In the town of Ronda in the Málaga province of Andalusia, southern Spain

 On 10 October 1985, George Orson Welles died from a heart attack. Welles' body was cremated, and two years later his remains were dropped down a well on a small finca (ranch) on the outskirts of Ronda, a patch of earth owned by an old bullfighting friend, Antonio Ordóñez.

=====================================================================
(in southern Spain) The town of Ronda in the Málaga province of Andalusia, lies in the Ronda Mountains west of Málaga city. The town is situated on two hills divided by a deep ravine (El Tajo de Ronda) containing the Grande River, a tributary of the Guadiaro River. The ravine is crossed by several bridges, most notably an arch structure that is 90 meters high, which was built in 1761.

+ Around the town are remains of prehistoric settlements dating to the Neolithic Age, including the rock paintings of Cueva de la Pileta. Ronda was, however, first settled by the early Celts, who called it Arunda in the 6th century BCE. The current Ronda is of Roman origins, having been founded as a fortified post in the Second Punic War, by Scipio Africanus. Ronda received the title of city at the time of Julius Caesar. The town occupies the site of an ancient Iberian settlement and was known in Roman times as Acinipo. It was occupied by the Moors from the 8th to the 15th century, when it was reconquered by the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, on 20 May 1485. Both Roman and Moorish remains survive, including a Roman theater and an underground staircase built from the town to the river by the Moors to prevent water blockades in times of war. Spain’s oldest bullring, a stone Neoclassical structure is also found in Ronda; it is now a museum. An agricultural trade center, Ronda is surrounded by national parks, including the Los Alcornocales Natural Park (one of Spain’s most important cork-oak forests).

+ Built astride a huge gash in the mountains carved out by the Río Guadalevín, Ronda is a brawny town with a dramatic history littered with outlaws, bandits, guerrilla warriors, and rebels. Its spectacular location, atop El Tajo gorge, and its status as the largest of Andalucía’s "white towns" have made it quite popular with tourists. Modern bullfighting was practically invented here in the late 18th century, and the town’s fame was spread further by its close association with American Europhiles Ernest Hemingway (a lover of bullfighting) and Orson Welles (whose ashes are buried in the town).

South of the gorge, Ronda’s Old Town largely dates from Islamic times, when it was an important cultural center that was filled with mosques and palaces. Further north, the 18th-century grid-shaped, "new"' town is perched atop steep cliffs, with parks and promenades looking regally over the surrounding mountains.

+ Ronda’s most striking feature is the Puente Nuevo, which spans a gorge over 300 feet deep. The town’s bullfighting ring is used once a year at the Feria Goyesca, but it is also a museum where you can learn about the history of this traditional "sport."