I love traveling to exotic places and I hope the rest of my life is filled with these places. I love unconventional places because there is so much history in this world and so many lessons to learn and experience anywhere you go. Traveling truly is a cure to a human's restlessness and the more less talked about the better.
First on the list is...
1.) Plovdiv, Bulgaria
I may be biased since I studied abroad in Bulgaria, but honestly this country is beautiful!
Plovdiv is a wonderful Bulgarian city that has been influenced by Roman Architecture as seen by the Plovdiv Theater pictured. Plays are still done here in the summertime.
2.) Heraklion, Crete, Greece
This is on the island Crete and is a beautiful city full of history. The labyrinth of Knossos is a feature of this city and is honestly a piece of history not to be missed.
This is where the legends of King Minos, the Minatour, and the Minonan civilization occured. The labyrinth consists of a throne room within a palace fit for a king with many other archaelogical features that were pertinent during that time period.
3.) Assisi, Italy
Assisi, Italy is in the Umbria region of central Italy and home to the great catholic St. Francis. St. Francis founded the Francisican Order and is the patron saint of animals, merchants, and stowaways. The whole town of Assisi is a beautiful piece of Italian culture and history.
4.) Olite, Spain
Olite is in the Navarre region of Spain. Olite houses the Palace of the Kings of Navarre of Olite. This castle is a grand sight to see and has been serving the Navarre kingdom since the 13th century. The most famous vacant of the palace was Charles the II of Navarre aka Charles the Bad.
The castle was less of a fortress and more of a vacational home for the kings of Navarre.
5.) Bucharest, Romania
Probably one of the more known cities on the list, however Bucharest is indeed an interesting city. Bucharest houses the home of Vlad the Impaler aka the infamousCount Dracula. Bucharest also is home to the parilament and government center of Romania.
This is a picture of the basement of Vlad's house in the center of Bucharest. The outside structure looks like ruins and a statue of Vlad the Impaler is erected in front of the house.
6.) Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, Ireland
Dun Laoghaire which is the home of the great Irish poet James Joyce is also a beautiful port city on the Irish Sea.
Once known as Kingstown. Dun Laoghaire was a major port entrance from Britain.
7.) Rotterdam, Holland, Netherlands
I guess I am biased about this location since my best friend lives here, but it is a great location to soak up some dutch charm thats other then the famous Amsterdam.
Like Dun Laoghaire, the old Harbour used to be a huge import station. However, Rotterdam itself is one of the biggest ports in the Netherlands.
8.) Edirne, Turkey
Historically known as, Adrianople, was the third capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1363 to 1453. This city is located near the Turkish, Greek, and Bulgarian border.
The mosque that is central to the city overlooks most of the town and is right next to Edirne's "Grand Bazaar", is known as the Selimiye Mosque.
9.) Ollantaytambo, Peru
Ollantaytumbo is the picturesque town that is located near the famous Macchu Picchu. Ollantaytumbo is a town that represents the Inca resistance to Spanish Colonization.
Besides Macchu Picchu, Ollantaytumbo is also home to the Ollantaytumbo ruins. (pictured above)
10.) Azores
These may be more well known, but that does not make them any less beautiful. Azores is an archipelago (or island) off the coast of Portugal. Azores is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal, which means that it is a dependent territory that is self-governed.
See the Azores are gorgeous. This "cete cidades" is a great diving location for avid scuba divers and snorklers alike.
All these places would be incredible to visit and there are so many more amazing underrated places in America and Canada and the Asian and Australian continents. Therefore, since there is so much to discover go out and travel!
