One of my favourite travel activities is wandering around food markets. I don’t cook, and I wouldn’t know what to do with half the stuff that is sold anyway, yet I still love to see food on display. Neatly stacked food in piles is an artform in itself, and I tend to head to a market over a museum in any new place I visit.

Even though I am a serious coffee fiend, I know better than to be drinking coffee all day. I do enjoy good tea as well, usually in the afternoon after I’ve hit my coffee limit. Seeing this tea on display at the Spice Market in Istanbul made me want to buy a little tea pot and fire up a brew.

Tea at the spice market, Istanbul – Turkey from Nomadic Notes Travel Blog

The Great Theatre of Ephesus, Turkey. Ephesus is one of the best preserved classical cities the Mediterranean region. With the excavated streets connecting well preserved/restored Roman structures, such as the Great Theatre, you can get a feel for what a Roman city might have looked like.

The Great Theatre of Ephesus, Turkey from Nomadic Notes Travel Blog

The terraces of Pamukkale (“cotton castle” in Turkish) are formed by sedimentary rock (Travertine) deposited by water from hot springs which cascade down from a plateau.

Blue Travertines, Pamukkale – Turkey from Nomadic Notes Travel Blog

Goreme (Göreme) in the Cappadocia region of Turkey. Cappadocia is famous for the rock formations known as “fairy chimneys“. Goreme is in a valley of fairy chimneys, and some of the houses are even built within the the rock formations.

Fairy Chimneys of Goreme – Turkey from Nomadic Notes Travel Blog

Guard at Anıtkabir (memorial tomb) of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Ankara – Turkey. Atatürk was the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey.

Guard at Ataturk’s memorial tomb, Ankara – Turkey from Nomadic Notes Travel Blog

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (better known as the Blue Mosque), Istanbul – Turkey. If you are wondering why it doesn’t look that blue, it is named for the blue tiles on the interior walls.

Blue Mosque at dusk, Istanbul – Turkey from Nomadic Notes Travel Blog

I was forewarned that Bran Castle is not the romantic gothic masterpiece that Bram Stoker’s Dracula would have you imagine. Even so it felt wrong to be in this part of Transylvania and not go. I have to see these things for myself.

The castle is a modest affair compared to most castles I have visited in Europe, and the white washed interior walls make it feel more like a Spanish holiday villa. If it wasn’t for Vlad the Impaler it would be just another old mansion that you see scattered around Europe.

Still, if you are in Brasov (one of the more agreeable cities in Eastern Europe), then it is worth making a day trip here and to the nearby Rasnov Citadel.

Dracula at Bran Castle, Bran – Romania from Nomadic Notes Travel Blog

So I have a new toy, a Nikon D5100. Apart from learning the ways of a DSLR camera, I am also having fun playing around with the effects feature. One of the inbuilt settings in this camera is the miniature effect (also known as tilt-shift photography). This style of photography has become popular of late, and I am wondering if it is just a passing fad. Either way, here is my contribution to the world of toy town photography.

Brasov sits next to a big hill which overlooks the city. Having a high vantage point so close to the city makes for ideal miniature photography. The church and square of the old town being the focal point, while the rest of the town is miniaturized.

Old Town Brasov (in miniature), Brasov – Romania from Nomadic Notes Travel Blog

Gullfoss (Golden Falls) Waterfall on the Hvítá river in southwest Iceland.

Gullfoss Waterfall – Iceland from Nomadic Notes Travel Blog

The Leif Eriksson memorial at Hallgrímskirkja (Hallgríms Church), Reykjavik – Iceland. The church is the largest in Iceland and the most visible landmark of the city.

Leif Eriksson at Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavik – Iceland from Nomadic Notes Travel Blog