The above panoramic photo shows the First Pylon at Karnak Temple As soon as I stepped off the plane at Luxor airport I realised that late November is an ideal time to visit southern Egypt. I could feel a warm, dry breeze on my face when I left the plane. Humidity levels are low all year round due to the surrounding deserts so I didn't see a single cloud on the clear blue sky for the duration of my stay. I got my visa at the airport (US$ 15) and negotiated a taxi ride from the airport into the centre of [View Full Entry]

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Miami By far the best-known city in Florida, Miami is a gorgeous tropical city. Palm trees are everywhere and the temperature never rarely dips below balmy. The Hispanic origins nearly of two thirds its population make Spanish the main language in most areas. Miami Beach is actually a city on its own, located on a long slender island. It is linked to Miami by four main causeways. South Beach is the best known area of Miami Beach, made popular through the TV show Miami Vice. The most striking feature of South Beach is its famous Art Deco Historic District - over [View Full Entry]

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It was already dark when I arrived at Moscow-Vnukovo on a Saturday evening. I took the airport express train to Kievskaya station (RUR 100 or EUR 2,70) from where I walked down the lively old Arbat street towards my pre-booked accommodation in the Hostel Moscow, conveniently located in an apartment building near the Arbatskaja metro station. I stayed there for three nights (dorm bed EUR 22 per night) and found the staff friendly and helpful and the rooms and facilities modern and clean. Kremlin and Red Square [View Full Entry]

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My first trip to Ireland was to Dublin, just a few months earlier. Although I quite enjoyed the city and its surrounding sights I never saw the remote, rugged coast for which Ireland is famous for. After a bit of research I was certain to find exactly that in the south west of the country and I returned for a three-day tour through the counties Cork, Kerry and Clare. I arrived at Cork airport on a Saturday evening, picked up a hire car (around EUR 35 per day) and drove to Allihies on the Beara Peninsula. I st [View Full Entry]

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Sanssouci Sanssouci palace is the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia at Potsdam, some 20km south west of Berlin. The palace was built between 1745 and 1747. It was named sans souci meaning without a care - this reflects the king's need to escape the pressures of royal life. When I entered the palace grounds I felt like stepping into a fairytale. The Sanssouci palace overlooks lush vineyard terraces, a pleasure garden, a number of white marble sculptures and an elegant fountain. It must have been indeed rather easy to escape royal [View Full Entry]

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Dublin Dublin is the largest city and the capital of the Republic of Ireland. Although well over a third of Ireland's population lives in the greater Dublin area the centre is relatively small and can be explored by foot. The city offers a large number of cafés, pubs and restaurants and a few silent, green parks which are an ideal retreat from the crowded main shopping streets. The main sights include Trinity college, Grafton and O'Connell Street and the bohemian Temple Bar area. Temple Bar is an area on the south bank of the river Liffey. Unlike the areas surrounding it, [View Full Entry]

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Brussels is not only the capital city of Belgium. It might also be considered something of a capital (or at least an administrative centre) for the European Union, as many European institutions have their headquarters here. I started my walk through Brussels at the Grand Place. This is the central market square of the city, surrounded by beautiful guild houses, the city's spectacular town hall and the Maison du Roi. From here I headed north west, past the stock exchange towards the Place Sainte Catherine with its Gothic church. After a quick walk along the old harbour [View Full Entry]

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The Georgia Aquarium is billed as the world's largest aquarium. More than 30 million litres of water are home to 120,000 animals of 500 different species. The aquarium's multiple viewing galleries feature wildlife ranging from whale sharks and African black-footed penguins to a giant octopus and beluga whales. One of the attractions is the 30m long acrylic tunnel in the Ocean Voyager gallery. The whole gallery is specially designed to house whale sharks, the largest fish species in the world. Further, stingrays, sawfish and hammerhead sharks [View Full Entry]

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Leeds Castle ...the loveliest castle in the world Lord Conway Leeds Castle dates back to 1119 and is one of the most beautifully situated medieval castles in England. It is projecting into its natural lake which makes it look so unique and romantic. The castle was a royal residence for six of England's medieval queens and a palace of Henry VIII. Much of the castle was restored and rebuilt in the 19th century, and many of the beautifully decorated rooms are open to the public. It took me quite a while to visit all the rooms which were open to the [View Full Entry]

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The Gower Peninsula in south Wales is well-known for its beautiful coastline. The whole peninsula covers an area of more than 100 km² and features a variety of different beaches and bays. Actually it was the first area in the UK to be designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This website offers a good introduction in the large number of Gower beaches. My first stop on the Gower peninsula was in Langland Bay, a popular coastal holiday resort not too far from Swansea. The nice beach is lined with small green wo [View Full Entry]

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