monastery

Armenia

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Recently, Armenia’s historical, cultural, and natural sights were captured in full by 360 degree images. Ucom, an Armenian isp, and 360Stories, a film crew, carried out this massive undertaking. The end result is stunning.

Image from 360armenia.com (site “Sis Fortress 14”)

As I navigated through the images of 360 Great Armenia, I was pleasantly surprised by not only the lack of lag, but by how much I felt like I was playing a video game. (Get on that, developers. We want to find clues or treasure in these VR apps!)

Although I couldn’t find many references to Armenia in popular culture, that is too bad, as this country would be an excellent backdrop for movies. A Bollywood movie was filmed there in summer 2017, and multiple Armenian movies (obviously) have been set in Armenia.

The real reason to visit Armenia is for it’s own sake; it is rich in history, culture, and beautiful scenery. The 360 images only whet the appetite (and you can’t taste the food through a picture!) and you will be begging for more before the end of the VR tour.

Are you interested in travelling to Armenia? You can contact Jennifer Desmarais through Orleans Travel. jennifer.desmarais@orleanstravel.ca

Croatia

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A friend may be travelling to Europe shortly, which reminded me I wanted to write about Croatia. Located on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, west of Hungary and Serbia, south of Slovenia, and wrapping around Bosnia and Herzegovina to the north and west, Croatia is considered part of Eastern Europe.

Also known as "The Pearl of the Adriatic", Dubrovnik is a World Heritage City. Image from Geece and Mediterranean Travel.
Also known as “The Pearl of the Adriatic”, Dubrovnik is a World Heritage City. Image from Greece and Mediterranean Travel.

Croatia is an up-and-coming fandom travel destination. Although several movies have been made there, none of them have made an impact on the Fandom community. Game of Thrones, however, has filmed quite a few scenes in King’s Landing Dubrovnik. There are plenty of choices for fandom travel. Viator offers several tours, including the cities Dubrovnik and Split. “Memorable locations from the series include the Minceta, Bokar, and Lovrijenac fortresses; the Dubac quarry; the island of Lokum, just off the coast of Dubrovnik; the village of Mlini; and the island of Mrkan just off the coast of Cavtat” (Viator). Dubrovnik is also a great place to soak up the sun in a Mediterranean climate.

Zagreb, Croatia's northern capital. Image from Lonely Planet.
Zagreb, Croatia’s northern capital. Image from Lonely Planet.

If you want to visit the interior of Croatia, the capital Zagreb has tons of geeky things to offer. The Technical Museum offers a planetarium, an underground coal mine replica, and Nikola Tesla’s laboratory, where you can become a test subject. There’s a bar called Tolkien’s House next to a monastery. There’s more, check out this link for short descriptions of all the cool things to do!

Koprivnica, Croatia becomes a Renaissance town in August for a festival. Image from Croatia Tourism.
Koprivnica, Croatia becomes a Renaissance town in August for a festival. Image from Croatia Tourism.

Further inland is the city of Koprivnica. What drew my eye is its Renaissance Festival, held the 25-28 of August 2016. Over ten European countries will be competing in this year’s events, the central theme of which is “Equestrian Knight’s Tournament”. Hundreds of performers from Croatia and the other ten countries will be in full costume, and welcome the chance to interact with tourists and locals alike.

If you’d like help booking this trip. You can contact Jennifer Desmarais through Orleans Travel. jennifer.desmarais@orleanstravel.ca

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_shot_in_Croatia
http://www.viator.com/Croatia-tourism/Game-of-Thrones-TV-Locations-in-Croatia/d730-t10599
http://www.likecroatia.com/news-tips/destinations/the-geeks-guide-to-zagreb/
http://www.mdc.hr/tehnicki/en/index.html
https://www.facebook.com/Tolkiens-House-16990844511/
http://croatia.hr/en-GB/Activities-and-attractions/Events/NewEvents/Renaissance-festival
http://www.renesansnifestival.hr/renesansni-festival-0-22.php