A change in latitude, does wonders to my attitude.

Gordion Hotel, Kavaklidere Visiting Ankara on a cold January morning meant suitcases filled with woollies to combat temperatures of -10 degrees celsius. The capital city of Turkey sits in the middle of the central Anatolian plateau. I was excited to learn that this humming city can trace its history back to the bronze age and has been a part of historic events through several great civilisations. The region's history goes back to the Bronze Age, Hatti Civilization, which was succeeded in the 2nd millennium BC by the Hittites, and then the Phrygians (10th century BC); Lydians and Persians followed. After these came the Galatians, a Celtic race who were the first to make Ankara their capital (3rd century BC). It was then known as Ancyra, meaning anchor. The town subsequently fell to the Romans, Byzantines, and Selcuks under Alpaslan in 1073, and then to the Ottomans under Yildirim Beyazit in 1402, who remained in control until the First World War. Wow, that's a load of history in...

City of Riga Sacry Cats on roofs Day 1: I poured over the city map and mentally walk the trail. One lesson: move outdoors fast, as night falls rather quickly in winter. It gets dark by 3pm. The old town is actually small and can be completed in half a day. The streets of Riga are still paved with cobblestones and I marvelled at the Latvian women's agility to balance on needle-pointed stilettos on these pavements! ( It is true that one can tell the tourists from the locals by the type of shoes they wear. ) In the evening, I made reservations at Rozengral, a medieval themed restaurant serving cuisine of the middle ages. The restaurant is set in an ancient wine cellar, circa 13th century. Food was flavor full and featured a lot of mushrooms, pulses, lentils, berries: the sort of ingredients one would find in the forest? Pork is also very much part of the Latvian diet. Day 2: Is this a Medieval meal ? This is bread paradise. Baked fresh and loaded with...