(Al)Mighty Caves

Turkey sits at the crossroad between the West and the East, and the uniqueness that arose from its location is seen everywhere: it is a non-Arab secular democracy currently governed by a Muslim-oriented party; Islamic and Christian symbols are at times seen side by side; women in short skirts can be spotted next to women in traditional Islamic dresses; sheep can roam the streets next to BMWs.

Istanbul, the only city in the world built on two continents and the seat of three former empires (Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman), perhaps best reflects the contrasting nature of Turkey. A "Welcome To Asia" sign greets you when you cross a bridge; a belly dancing show and a whirling dervish ceremony may be found in the same block; women in headscarf sit next to youngsters wearing the latest fashion and carrying iPads. Interestingly, one of the starkest contrasts in Istanbul is smack in the middle of the Old City - its two grandest landmarks, the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.

Hagia Sophia, or Church of the Holy Wisdom, was built during the reign of Emperor Justinian in the 6th century, converted to a mosque in 1453 and turned into a museum in 1935. The structure is massive: 250 feet (76 m) long, 220 feet (67 m) wide, with a dome 108-ft (33 m) in diameter that rises 180 feet (55 m) above the floor. Such a monumental dome was often compared to the vault of heaven and no wonder Hagia Sophia remained the world's largest cathedral for almost 1,000 years. Hagia Sophia is imposing, cavernous, and could almost be oppressive if its architects (in fact, one physicist and one mathematician) weren't wise enough to set 40 windows beneath the dome that filter sunlight in. Everything inside is grandiose, but the apse will draw your eyes not only for its size but also for an unexpected combination of elements: a mosaic of the Virgin and Child (ie, Jesus) hovers above the mihrab (a niche in a mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca), flanked by panels inscribed with the names of Allah, Mohammed and other prominent Islamic figures. In a way, that sums up one impression that Hagia Sophia left me with - that some things there don't fit together. Metal detectors at the entrance remind more of an airport than a museum; peeling paint and cracks throughout the building belies its grandeur; and late in the day when tour buses are gone, the place feels almost ghostly.

The Blue Mosque feels very different. Sitting opposite Hagia Sophia at the other end of the main square, you could say it is the grey counterpart to the red Hagia Sophia since it was heavily influenced by it. I said grey, not blue; the popular name comes from the tiles inside, not the external color. The Blue Mosque has the largest courtyard of all Ottoman mosques, an area abuzz with dozens of worshippers and tourists, day or night, in a constant ebb and flow of people sans metal detector (there's a dress code patrol though). The Blue Mosque is almost as cavernous as Hagia Sophia but much brighter as 260 windows spread throughout the building let daylight flood in.

Commissioned in the 17th century by Sultan Ahmet (and officially named after him) to outshine Hagia Sophia, the mosque has two unusual and striking features: cascading domes in a heavenward flow and six minarets. Mosques usually have one, two or four minarets and one account for the six minarets states that they were a mistake, that the sultan ordered gold (altin) minarets, misunderstood as six (alti) minarets. I personally don't buy this. Still according to legend, the six minarets caused an outrage because they matched the number of minarets at the Haram Mosque in Mecca, the holiest in the world. Unfazed, the sultan solved the problem by simply sending his architect to Mecca to add a seventh minaret...

Next I went to a very unique place deep within Turkey. Set on a high, dry plateau in the middle of the country, and shaped by volcanic ash, wind and rain, Cappadocia is a fairyland of cones, pillars and chimneys in shades of red, pink and yellow. It is a colorful, otherworldly landscape. People discovered that these rocks were soft and could be easily carved so dwellings, underground cities (some housing thousands), churches and monasteries sprang up. Why live in a cave? The area was at the boundary of rival empires in pre-Christian times so residents needed places to hide. Later during early Christianity, Cappadocia became a religious refuge and numerous churches decorated with Byzantine frescoes were established. The most impressive cave churches are around Göreme (don't miss the Göreme Open Air Museum) where murals are in remarkably good shape despite some defacing. But impressive as the man-made structures are, they pale in comparison to the Cappadocian natural setting. So go out on some hikes and be rewarded with one of the most amazing scenery you'll ever see.

Wi-Fi and Sci-Fi

Some countries are surprising little gems and that is the case with Estonia and Latvia. They have a number of things in common: both had a strong German community from the 13th century until USSR occupation in the 1940s; both were under Russian influence since the 18th century and still have a sizeable Russian speaking population; both have beautiful medieval old towns where amber shops abound. And each has a charm of its own.

Estonia is the smallest of the three Baltic countries with a population of 1.3 million people, one of the least densely populated countries in Europe. Because it is small and little known, many people are not aware that Estonia is currently one of the world's technology leaders, the birthplace of Kazaa (an early file-sharing network) and Skype (yes, the code was created by Estonians and is still mainly developed there). The country came a long way: when it regained independence in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union, less than half the population had a phone line. But thanks to a progressive government that established free trade, ease of registering businesses and decided to invest in information technology, tech startups sprang up. By 1998, all Estonian schools were online; in 2007, it became the first country in the world to allow internet voting in a national election. It has one of the world's most advanced e-governments (95% of Estonians file their annual tax returns online and it takes only five minutes thanks to a flat income tax system and pre-filled forms), e-health systems (health records are stored in the cloud, combining patient's data from different sources) and such robust cybersecurity that NATO's Cyber Defense Centre is based in Estonia's capital Tallinn.

While Estonia keeps moving full speed ahead into the future, it also cherishes its past. And I'm not talking about some Soviet-era buses that still roam the streets. I'm talking about the jewel of Estonia - Tallinn's Old Town where over half the medieval walls still stand. The Old Town has two sections: the upper part is Toompea, the hill that dominates the capital with several viewing platforms overlooking the Lower Town. The highlight of Toompea for me is St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the loveliest orthodox church I've seen. But tourists beware: if you're tired after the climb, don't dare sit on the cathedral's steps as one of the devout ladies may earnestly flog you with their kerchiefs. In the Lower Town, the dominant feature is Town Hall Square, the centre of activity since markets began here in the 11th century. Nowadays, it is lined with cafés and restaurants but one of the coolest places is nested in the Town Hall building itself: III Draakon, an authentic tavern serving medieval fare such as elk soup, boar sausage and vegetable pies. Food is tasty and cheap so give it a try.

If you're lucky to visit the Old Town when it's relatively empty, you feel like you're in medieval times. Sounds echo along the narrow, winding streets...klop, klop, klop, klop...and you can almost imagine a horse coming by...klop, klop, aaaahhh, thud. That wasn't a horse, of course. It was a woman who thought it was a good idea to hit cobbled streets in stilettos.

In Riga, capital of Latvia, there are also women desperately trying to sprain their ankles in the Old Town. Once known as 'The Paris of the North', Riga is the largest city in the Baltics and more cosmopolitan than the other two capitals, perhaps because it was so influential until Soviet occupation. Under the Germans, the city was a junction between Russia and the West, and by law all German merchants had to conduct their Baltic trade through Riga. Under Swedish rule in the 17th century, Riga became the largest city of their Empire (even bigger than Stockholm) and after being snatched by Russia in the early 18th century, Riga became the world's biggest timber port and Russia's third city after Moscow and St Petersburg.

Riga's Old Town is a maze of cobbled streets and alleys, church spires and broad squares that host café tables and outdoor concerts in summer. It is best explored at random to take in its diverse architectural styles that include romanesque, gothic, baroque and rococo. The area is small at 0.2 sq. miles (0.6 km²) so you will not get lost. Beautiful though as the Old Town is, the highlight of Riga is outside its former walls: the art nouveau district, especially on Elizabetes, Strēlnieku and Alberta streets. Riga has the largest showcase of art nouveau architecture in Europe with over 800 buildings with elaborate façades featuring antiquity motifs, mythical beasts, anguished masks, goddesses, goblins, gargoyles and other creatures that could very well double as aliens in sci-fi movies.

The most iconic building in Riga is not in the art nouveau style though. It is the House of Blackheads on Town Hall Square, and despite the name, it was not a shelter for teenagers with oily skin. The house belonged to the Guild of Unmarried Merchants who chose St Mauritius as their patron, an African black moor hence the name 'the Blackheads'. The Blackheads initiated a centuries-old tradition: as winter solstice approached in 1510, the men of the guild brought a gigantic fir tree to Riga to set it on fire according to a tradition of burning a log around the shortest day of the year. But the tree was too big to burn and they returned to their house to decide what to do. In the meantime, children found the tree and began to decorate it with anything they could find. As it got dark, the children headed home and when the Blackheads finally came out (with no decision, it's worth adding) and saw the 'miraculous' transformation of the tree, decided to set it up in the city centre. "This is a Christmas tree - a gift which we should use to bring joy to each other at Christmas", said one of the Blackheads.

That is the official story. Here is the unofficial one: the House was known for its drinking parties and on Christmas Eve in 1510, the unmarried merchants (probably drunk as skunks) hauled a big tree to the square in front of their house and decorated it with paper flowers. Then they burned the tree to the ground. Ah, nothing reflects the true Christmas spirit like a bunch of drunk single men setting a tree on fire. Which version do you believe?