Stare Namesty in Prague is one of the most beautiful if not the most beautiful old town square in Europe.
In recent years, Saudi Arabian benefactors have paid for the construction of mosques throughout the country of Kyrgyzstan. Most are nothing architecturally special.
Red Square in Moscow has been a center of power for centuries and is worth visiting again and again, at different times of year, with different light and different weather.
Located in the heart of central St. Petersburg, Palace Square is a pleasant place for a stroll.
Burana Tower, located about an hour east of Bishkek near the city of Tokmok, is all that remains of the ancient city of Balasagyn, once the thriving capital of the Karakhanid Empire. Apparently, at its height, the city manufactured exquisite glass and ceramics, had an elaborate city-wide irrigation/plumbing/sewer system built with fired-clay pipes, was home to scholars, poets and numerous religions (although in its later years it became a Muslim city), it was home to fierce warriors – male and female – and it was a major stop on one of the Silk Road routes (from the Torugart Pass out of China, past Lake Issyk-Kul through what is now Bishkek before heading further westward.
Atop a mountain pass in Kyrgyzstan, between the village of Chong Kemin and the town of Balykchy, lies a sacred spring. The spring flows year-round from the mountain, and nearly all passersby stop to wash in and drink from its waters.
Karakoo (pronounced kara-koh) is a small village of a few thousand, located a few miles from the southern shore of Kyrgyzstan’s Lake Issyk Kul. This rural community survives mainly off of farming and herding.
If you look at a map of Kyrgyzstan, you cannot miss Lake Issyk Kul, the largest lake in the country, located in its northeastern quadrant. The lake is roughly 182km long by 61km wide, and at its deepest, it reaches a depth of 702 meters.
Cafe Sweet Sixties is a wonderful little cafe in central Bishkek, located at the corner of Molodaya Gvardia and Kievskaya. They serve tasty Mexican, American and Italian food, have a full bar, and offer live music seven nights a week.
Prague Castle (Czech: Pražský hrad) is a castle in Prague where the Czech kings, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here.