5 European Experiences to Have Before Turning 50

[Rebecca Brown]

                            Clever Cupcakes




There are many places on Earth you simply must visit at least once in a lifetime. The sooner the better, naturally. In this article, we will list five places in Europe you need to see before you blow out those 50 candles on your cake:

Cappadocia

Cappadocia is located 200 km southeast of Ankara, the capital of Turkey. It is the land of beautiful horses, as its name claims in the original Persian, and is on the UNESCO heritage list. It is a picturesque region with many natural monuments. The biggest attraction is of course the hot air ballooning. At sunrise, about 100 balloons rise to the height of 600 meters. The price of the flight depends on the company, the type of the flight and whether it is a special occasion, such as a proposal, birthday or party. There are underground cities to explore as well, made by Christians for protection from Roman conquerors.

Meteora

The first thing that comes to mind when you think of Greece could be its islands, beaches and coast. Most tourists are in fact not familiar with the Meteora monasteries. They are located in central Greece, in the province of Thessaly, 5 kilometers from a town called Kalambaka. There are six monasteries to be explored, four of them used by male monks, and two of them used by female monks. We do not know the exact year they were founded in, but it is presumed they were built in the 12^th century. Many movie scenes have been filmed here. One of them is the James Bond movie, For Your Eyes Only from 1981. These monasteries are also on the UNESCO heritage list.

Split

Split is located on the beautiful Adriatic coast. The second largest city in Croatia, it has a lot of historical monuments for you to explore. Diocletian’s palace was built in the 4^th century, during his rule as Roman Emperor. The cathedral of Saint Domnius was built near the palace, and it is about 60 meters high. The Riva, Split’s signature boardwalk, was built in the 19^th century and has lot of palm trees and many events are hosted here during the year. Hvar, Solta and Brac are all islands close to Split, with many beautiful beaches and fine domestic cuisine and typical Dalmatian wines. The boat rides out are frequent, so you can enjoy all the wonders of the Split coast while there.

Camino de Santiago

The Camino de Santiago, or St. James’s Way, is the route of the pilgrims who want to see the shrine of apostle St. James the Great. The end point of this pilgrimage is the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Galicia. Every year, about 100 thousand pilgrims come here on foot to seek a confirmation called the Compostela. There are several routes you can take to arrive to this holy place, and there are about 1800 religious objects along those routes. Most of the pilgrims are traditionally from France, even to this day. There are many hostels for pilgrims to stay in along the different routes in Spain, France and Portugal. In Spain, they are called the refugio. The most famous is the one founded by King Fernando and his wife Isabel.

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is a collection of villages on the Ligurian coast in Italy: they are Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. This is also one of the most famous destinations in the Mediterranean, and is also on the UNESCO list. It is impossible to travel there by a car, so your means of transport can be a ship, train or your own legs. All of the villages were built in medieval times. The colorful facades of the buildings will not leave you indifferent by ay means. Each of these villages has a distinct feature. A convent can be found in Monterosso, where you can see a picture by Van Dyck. The church of Santa Margherita d'Antiochia in Vernazza was built on the coast in 1318. There are 377 stairs in Corniglia, between the coast and the village. Manarola is the oldest of these villages and it is famous for its wines. Riomaggiore is the most southern village and it is home to the Church of St. John the Baptist, built in 1340.

We hope you are ready for your European adventure! Pack light, bring your camera, and enjoy the ride!