Curious Pavel - History meets Travel

Welcome to Episode 5 where Anna is trying to convince me to go back to Brussels. After visiting the city few years ago I wasn't charmed but Anna did her best! We talked about food, travels, beer soups, diamonds and chocolate! 💎

About Anna:

Anna is an Italian tour guide, geographer, passionate traveller who loves meeting people from around the world. After travelling and living in Australia, New Zealand and UK for a while, Anna settled down and started a family in Belgium. "I can guarantee it now... Belgium is not only beer, chocolate and fries! Come and discover it with me!"

Places to visit (apart from the main cities):

Flanders countryside around Brussels (Merchtem, Brussegem, Mollem, Opwijk)

Durbuy, Ardennes (mountains), La Roche, Bastogne, Waterloo

Lots of festivals in summertime (Jazz Festival in Brussels, Tomorrowland, Pukkelpop, Ghent Festivities - to name a few)

Typical food: stoofvlees/carbonnade (beef stew cooked with beer), Vol Au Vent (puff pastry, in Flanders it's filled with chicken, meatballs and mushroom sauce), Brussels sprouts, witlof (white chicory)

Some of the typical beers in Belgium: Gueuze (lambics, sour, typical from Brussels area), Trappists (such as Chimay, Orval, Westmalle), Pilsner (such as Maes, Jupiler or Stella Artois)

In Brussels: the Art Nouveau architecture style, and the comic strip! You can find murals all over the city!

Find Anna:

Web: https://tourguidebrussels.wordpress.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plan.it.and.go/

https://www.instagram.com/bartoccioni/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-bartoccioni-a9a4b426/

Let's connect:

• Website: https://curiouspavel.com/
  
  • Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/curiouspavel
    
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/curiouspavel/
  
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/curiouspavel
  
• Facebook: http://Facebook.com/curiouspavel
  
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@curiouspavel
  
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/CuriousPavel
  
• Podcast RSS : https://anchor.fm/s/130888c/podcast/rss
  

My Podcast Equipment:

Microphone: https://amzn.to/2AMrDZG

Microphone stand: https://amzn.to/3dPdp8E

Microphone foam cover: https://amzn.to/3dEevnU

Sound card: https://amzn.to/3eUClvF

•••••••••••• Music By •••••••••••••

Rising Spirits Jay Man - OurMusicBox

http://www.youtube.com/c/ourmusicbox

In Episode 003 we are heading to my motherland, Bulgaria. I am having a wonderful talk with a local tour guide, Desi. Although I've never met Desi before and this is just the 2nd time we interact, I am always happy to have a chat with her. Hearing the passion and positivity in her voice can motivate you to explore any place she talks about. In addition to the "useful stuff" we talked about places from "off the beaten track".

Mentions in the podcast:

• Places to eat and drink: Raketa Rakija Bar and Sputnik (for best rakija in town); Cosmos; The Little things; Made in Home; Shtastliveca
• To visit: St Nedelya square with the 4 religions - Christian Orthodox, Catholic, Synagogue and Mosque; St. George Rotunda (4th century); St. Sofia (6th century); Boyana Church; Main pedestrian street - Vitosha; NDK - national palace of culture

1 day trip from Sofia:

Rila Monastery and Boyana Church OR Plovdiv (the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe)

2 Days Trip:

Belogradchik Rocks and Belogradchik Fortress + Magura Cave (prehistoric drawings; nearly 42 000 years old)

About Desi:

"As an experienced tour guide and travel advisor, I’ve visited many European countries, but something always pulled me back to my own country, Bulgaria. People often say that, “There are no coincidences.” For years my mum had been asking me to take a few days off and travel with her. Like many people, I had spent so much time looking for something over the fence. I never looked in my own back yard. When I finally took my mother up on her offer, she introduced me to so much Bulgarian history and showed me many places of natural beauty that I had never seen before. It was truly one of the best travel experiences I've ever had, and it lit a spark within me! I became passionate about sharing my beautiful country with others, but from a Bulgarians perspective."

Desi's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dnatravellight

Desi's email: desi.nackova@gmail.com

Let's connect:

• Website: https://curiouspavel.com/
  
  • Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/curiouspavel
    
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/curiouspavel/
  
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/curiouspavel
  
• Facebook: http://Facebook.com/curiouspavel
  
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@curiouspavel
  
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/CuriousPavel
  
• Podcast RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/130888c/podcast/rss
  

My Podcast Equipment:

Microphone: https://amzn.to/2AMrDZG

Microphone stand: https://amzn.to/3dPdp8E

Microphone foam cover: https://amzn.to/3dEevnU

Sound card: https://amzn.to/3eUClvF

•••••••••••• Music By •••••••••••••

Rising Spirits Jay Man - OurMusicBox

http://www.youtube.com/c/ourmusicbox

Episode 4 is a really excited one for me! I not only met an amazing human being but learned a lot about a country I want to visit. ICELAND! DID YOU KNOW that locals do not pay electricity?! I had a chat with Sigrun- a local tour guide. We talked about what you can do in Iceland, WHEN to visit and more useful tips and tricks. Enjoy!

About Sigrun:

Sigrun is a solo traveller, cultural anthropologist & Tour guide and Leader in Iceland, Japan and Spain. Being an emotional coach studying the spiritual old ways, she lives with shamans. Sigrun has a deep connection with Tomb Raider games and novels. She loves Celtic, Egyptian and Víking history, Folklore & World ancient History.

Find Sigrun:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sigr%C3%BAn-de-almeida-8a0812188

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midnightsunprkl/

Mentions in the episode:

• Golden circle: Þingvellir, Kerið, Laugarvatn Fontana, Geysir, Gullfoss waterfall (4-6h roundtrip)
• South Coast: Reykjadalur hot river IN Hveragerði; Seljalandfoss waterfall; Hekla volcano ; Eyjafjallajökull volcano; Lava center; Lava Cave; Skógafoss waterfall; Reynisfjara (Black sand beach) ; Vík; Sólheimarjokull glacier; National Park of Skaftafell and Glacier Lagoon
• Best places to whale watching: Snaefellsness Península for Orcas in Ólafsvík; for blue whales, humpback and minke whales Húsavík up north after Akureyri

Let's connect:

• Website: https://curiouspavel.com/
  • Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/curiouspavel
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/curiouspavel/
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/curiouspavel
• Facebook: http://Facebook.com/curiouspavel
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@curiouspavel
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/CuriousPavel
• Podcast RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/130888c/podcast/rss
  

My Podcast Equipment:

Microphone: https://amzn.to/2AMrDZG

Microphone stand: https://amzn.to/3dPdp8E

Microphone foam cover: https://amzn.to/3dEevnU

Sound card: https://amzn.to/3eUClvF

•••••••••••• Music By •••••••••••••

Rising Spirits Jay Man - OurMusicBox

http://www.youtube.com/c/ourmusicbox

#podcast #travel #iceland

In Episode 002 we have a short talk with José - a local tour guide in Seville. He shares info not only about the popular places in the city but also talks about not so popular locations. Of course, we mention food! 😋

Mentions in the podcast:

• Casa de la contratación - House of trade
• Archivo general de indias - general archive of the indies
• Hospital de la Caridad - charity hospital
• Corpus Christi (holiday)

About José:

With a background in Humanities and fluent in foreign languages he focused his career on tourism after becoming a licensed guide for the region of Andalusia. José has been hosting unique experiences since 2017 and offering to visitors to Seville his own point of view of the different monuments and tourist attractions from a local's perspective. He also founded his own brand called Seville Unique Experiences with the objective of approaching travellers who want to explore off the beaten path.

The ultimate local's guide to Seville: https://amzn.to/2BYLiWE

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sevilleuniqueexperiences/

Website: http://www.sevilleuniqueexperiences.com/

Let's connect:

• Website: https://curiouspavel.com/
  • Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/curiouspavel
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/curiouspavel/
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/curiouspavel
• Facebook: http://Facebook.com/curiouspavel
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@curiouspavel
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/CuriousPavel
• Podcast RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/130888c/podcast/rss
  

My Podcast Equipment:

Microphone: https://amzn.to/2AMrDZG

Microphone stand: https://amzn.to/3dPdp8E

Microphone foam cover: https://amzn.to/3dEevnU

Sound card: https://amzn.to/3eUClvF

•••••••••••• Music By •••••••••••••

Rising Spirits Jay Man - OurMusicBox

http://www.youtube.com/c/ourmusicbox

Have you ever wondered where the word MILESTONE comes from? We need to thank the Romans for that one!:) Hear more in this podcast episode.

About Michele

Michele is an Australian language and travel blogger and ‘guide’ behind The Intrepid Guide. Michele aims to enrich her readers' travels with her detailed destination guides, free travel phrase guides, and online language courses so they can enjoy meaningful interactions with the locals and avoid being treated like a tourist. Follow Michele on Instagram, and Twitter and Facebook and YouTube as she shares fascinating and little-known linguistic and cultural facts.

Mentions in the Podcast

History

Romulus and Remus - Rome was founded in 753 B.C. by Romulus and Remus. Romulus wanted to found the city on Palatine Hill (where the Roman Forum is now), while Remus wanted to found the city on Aventine Hill

Places

Knights of Malta Keyhole (Il Buco della serratura)

• Is where you’ll find the Knights of Malta Keyhole where you’ll see the Dome of St. Peter’s framed by garden hedges. Located on Aventine Hill
  

Pantheon

• Pantheon - means “temple of all the gods" is a former Roman temple but is now a Catholic church. The Pantheon still holds the record for the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.
  

Colosseum aka Flavian Amphitheater (il Colosseo)

• The name Colosseum comes from a colossal statue of Emperor Nero that once stood nearby.
  

Trevi Fountain

• Is located at the junction of three roads. Trevi → tre vi e→ three roads.
  

Il passetto

• The Passetto di Borgo, or il Passetto, is an elevated passage that links the Vatican City with the Castel Sant'Angelo. This was the escape root used by Popes if they were ever under threat.
  

Via Appia Antica

• One of Ancient Rome’s roads that leads all the way down to Bari in Puglia
• You’ll find “mile stones” here. Placed along the road every 1000 paces. Used to calculate distances.
  

Food

• Cacio e pepe
• Spaghetti alla Carbonara
• Tiramisù literally means “pull me up”

Gelato / Gelateria (gelato shop)

• Gelato is more dense than traditional fluffy, whipped ice cream.
• Real Gelato uses flat, metal 'spades' instead of curved ice cream scoops
• Look for flat metal tins, which may have lids on them not white containers overflowing with brightly coloured gelato. This is fake.
• Gelato has a more natural colour.

Let's connect:

www.curiouspavel.com/links/all

•••••••••••• Music By •••••••••••••

Rising Spirits Jay Man - OurMusicBox

http://www.youtube.com/c/ourmusicbox

#podcast #travel #italy