Pisa Pisa's Leaning Tower is one of the world's most recognizable buildings. Founded in 1173 it is famous for leaning 4.4 meters out of line. It was built to stand vertically but began leaning soon after construction started in August 1173. It tilts because its foundation was built on unstable soil. A 293-step spiral staircase leads to the top of the tower which offers superb views of the Duomo and the Baptistery. The Duomo was already begun in 1064 and is built in a fine Romanesque style with double aisles and cupola. The nearby [View Full Entry]

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All over the world, Auschwitz has become a symbol of terror, genocide, and the Holocaust. It was established by the Nazis in 1940. Over the following years, the camp was expanded and became the site of the greatest mass murder in the history of humanity. Various exhibitions in Auschwitz I detail the life and death in the concentration camp, including photos and documents as well as piles of shoes, suitcases, glasses and bales of human hair. The enormity and scale of Auschwitz is most evident at the ghastly Auschwitz II or Birkenau camp which was purpose-built nearby [View Full Entry]

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The old town of Krakow offers a unique and beautiful mixture of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque buildings and is full of bars, small restaurants, atmospheric café bars and shops. It is is one of the oldest and largest cities of Poland, situated on the Vistula River at the foot of Wawel Hill. Not only is Krakow known to have always been one of the leading cultural and scientific centres of Poland but also the former residence of the kings and a national capital for more than 500 years. There are quite a few interesting sights to visit. Starting in the very [View Full Entry]

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The Penguin hotel in Dahab offered a return minibus transfer to the St. Catherine's monastery for LE75 per person. The price level was more or less the same at all tour agency and taking a taxi for the return trip would have been significantly more expensive so I was happy to book the tour at my hotel. We left Dahab early in the morning since the monastery is only open from 9 to 12am and actually closed in the afternoons. After an interesting drive through the Sinai desert and mountains - interrupted only by a couple of military checkpoint controls - [View Full Entry]

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The photo above shows a dolphin that swims on its back From Jordan to Egypt After a beautiful day in Petra in Jordan I travelled back from Wadi Musa to Dahab in Egypt. The ferry across the Red Sea on the outbound journey from Egypt to Jordan had cost me a full day, US$ 70 for a first class ticket and a lot of patience. As a result I decided to go back to Egypt using the alternative, cheaper and quicker route through Israel. However, this is only possible if the visit to Egypt is limited to the Si [View Full Entry]

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From Dahab to Wadi Musa I was planning to visit Petra during a three day trip out of Egypt. So the day after I had arrived in Egypt I took the public bus from Dahab to Nuweiba port (90min, LE14). A few daily ferry services connect Nuweiba and Aqaba in Jordan. However only one of these services is on the much faster (and probably much safer) speed ferry Princess of Aqaba. The daily (except Sundays) speed ferry service leaves Nuweiba at 2pm for the one-hour cruise across the Gulf of Aqaba to Jordan. So far [View Full Entry]

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Santiago de Chile Santiago is located on a wide plain near the foot of the Andes. Sometimes it is possible to enjoy a spectacular view of the snow-covered mountains. The high peaks dwarf the large city with its 5 million inhabitants. In fact, a third of the whole Chilean population live here. The Plaza de Armas was the first public place laid out by the Spanish in 1541 when they founded the city. The Cathedral at the west end of the plaza is a stark contrast to the modern mirrored building on the other side of the street. This is actually [View Full Entry]

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The panoramic photo shows Avebury henge Stonehenge I think there is not much I need to say about famous Stonehenge. It is one of the worlds and certainly UK's most famous prehistoric site. Archaeologists assume that the stones were erected some 2,300 BC, although parts of the site are actually even older than that. I think what most people like about Stonehenge is that nobody really knows why it was built, and I think that's probably always going to be the case - it's a bloody great mystery Geoffrey Wainwright, September 2008 [url=http://ww [View Full Entry]

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The 115 islands of the Seychelles are spread out in the Indian Ocean in various groups. Most people focus on the so-called inner islands and so did I, taking into account I was staying for only 8 days. I was planning to visit at least some of the inner islands including Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, the latter offering world famous beaches. As with Mauritius the year before I had booked only the flight and was planning to explore the islands on my own. However, during the preparation of my trip I quickly realised that the S [View Full Entry]

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Islas Ballestas The two hour boat trip to the Islas Ballestas was quite exciting. To start with, I saw a dozen or so dolphins when we left El Balneario harbour at 8am. Some 10 minutes later, the boat stopped near the rugged coast and I could take some photos of the Paracas Trident (El Candelabro), a nearly 130m high figure carved into the rocks. When I arrived at the Islas Ballestas I was amazed to see a vast amount of birds literally covering all of the islands. I also spotted a few penguins and lots of sea lions. The smell aside, [View Full Entry]

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