One of the most well known architectural sites in Iran has to be the Nasir-Ol-Molk in Shiraz, commonly referred to as the Pink Mosque. From the outside, it looks fairly similar to other places of worship in the country, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. The facade of the mosque features …
Author Archives: inasearchofbalance
the curious case of japan
Japan is certainly an interesting place. You won’t get quite as lost in translation as you would have 15 years ago, but the country has managed to retain a lot of its idiosyncrasies and cultural traits despite the obvious influences from the West. And there are so many! From the simple ones like no …
dar es salaam, tanzania
I can’t believe it’s been just over 3 years since our trip to Africa. In a lot of ways it still feels very recent, yet a lot’s happened since then. I realized recently that there are photos sitting unshared from Tanzania which is a waste. So here we are 🙂 Dar es Salaam often …
the unexpected moscow
On the way to climbing mount Elbrus, we decided to spend a couple of days in Moscow. My dad lived there back in the late 60s & early 70s so I’d heard plenty of stories from those times, but nowadays the public image of Russia is quite different so it’s hard to make up …
don’t go to iran
“… you might just fall in love”. That’s how I thought I’d start this post (inspired by this video) after buying the tickets for my 10 day trip and reading up on this otherwise atypical tourist destination. That’s what my research showed me — that it was a country that took you by surprise, …
the streets of barcelona
It’s always so fun to go back to Barcelona!
not an ordinary morning
Back at the end of July we headed to the little town of Kromidovo (near the border with Greece) to celebrate my buddy Metodi’s birthday. It’s a beautiful little village nestled at the foot of the mighty Pirin mountain and offers a nice break from the sometimes crazy Sofia. Not being a drinker, I …
pushing through or climbing elbrus
After climbing Kilimanjaro in 2014, the supposedly easiest of the 7 summits, I started thinking about potentially tackling some of the remaining ones. This is a daunting (not to mention costly!) task and I’m not quite sure whether I’ve completely settled on it, but I figured it’s worth trying out Elbrus, which ranks as …
hidden istanbul
I’m saddened by the recent political developments in Turkey. Istanbul has always been one of my favorite cities to visit and now I find myself avoiding going through it like I normally would on my way east, as I’m sure many others do. It remains one of the most interesting and vibrant mixes of …
