18 Cities to Travel Back in Time and the Historical Fiction Books Opening Their Doors

Venture through the gates of ages, dare to time-travel and choose one journey to one of the 18 cities where history still breathes. Pick a historical fiction novel from the list below and walk the streets of ancient Rome or Athens; jump into the middle ages in Copenhagen, Jerusalem, Madrid; explore Renaissance in London, Florence, Prague; enjoy early modern life in Amsterdam or Geneva, Victorian Edinburgh or fin-de-siècle Vienna and Venice; read yourself into post-WW1 Moscow, or WW2 Lisbon and Paris, or deep-dive into the historical fiction of Dubrovnik and Budapest as if you belonged there. And if you are ready for more, there’s also a bonus read.

01/12/202529/11/2025

Your Christmas Gift, an Unique Advent Calendar of Romanian Winter Legends, Snow Songs & Feast

Oldest Christmas Carol. Wise Men and Infant Jesus in Manger

Between 1 and 25 December enjoy on my blog, all free on this page, my Christmas gift: an Advent Calendar of riddles leading you to Romanian winter legends, first snow songs, and recipes to a seasonal dish to feast on! May your Christmas be Merry and your winter full of peace!

29/11/202529/11/2025

Celebrating 1 December, Romania’s Day

Most people know December 1 as Romania’s National Day. Fewer know the story behind it; it is one of war, collapse, hope, but mostly of the determined will of ordinary people.

Every year, on the first morning of December, when villages wake under frost and the rooftops shine like glass, I find myself thinking back to a moment when Romania reinvented itself.

A little more than a century ago, in 1918, a handful of historic provinces decided they wished to speak with one voice. Their choice reshaped a country, Romania, but also the map of Eastern Europe and the future of millions.

Most people know December 1 as Romania’s National Day. Fewer know the story behind it; it is one of war, collapse, hope, but mostly of the determined will of ordinary people.

25/11/202525/11/2025

The Gold Beneath the Beeches, a Dacian Treasure of King Koson

High in the Orăștie Mountains, where the beech forests stand in quiet ranks and the old Dacian fortresses watch over the ridges, a forester once stumbled upon a glimmer of ancient sovereignty. He had been walking a lonely path between two villages when he noticed something strange at the roots of two immense beeches—trees so old their crowns interlaced like clasped hands. When he brushed aside the soil, gold winked back at him. Gold no map ever mentioned.

17/11/202517/11/2025

The River Treasure and One Map that Shouldn’t Exist

When Emperor Trajan marched north to face the Dacians, it wasn’t just another Roman campaign. It was personal. The Dacians, led by their fierce king Decebalus, had grown too rich, too proud, and way too independent. For Rome, as a winning empire, Dacia was both an embarrassment and an obsession.