Very strange that you can search such a long time for such a huge palace. I'm sure you understand by now, that it wasn't easy for us to find the entrance of the El Badi Palace... Nowadays, the El Badi Palace (which apparently means "The incomparable") is mostly in ruins. If you go upstairs, you can admire the stork nests from a closer view. The palace itself was built in the 16th century by Ahmed el Mansour. It is said that parts of it were paved in gold. In the central courtyard, you can see four sunken gardens and some pools. The Saadian dynasty ruled Morocco around the 16th century. At the tombs you can find -we haven't counted them, but they say- more than 170 tombs, not only family members of Ahmed el Mansour but ... read more

Grand vizier Si Moussa built the Bahia Palace (which name means "brilliance) in the 19th century. It was afterwards extended by his son. Here you can see beautiful decoration and optical effects on the woodwork and stucco work. After entering the Bahia Palace, you'll find yourself in an arcade countryard. There is also another courtyard with cypress, lemon & orange trees and jasmine. The entrance fee when we visited the palace was 10 dirham.... read more

We have always wanted to visit the Mosselle valley. Since we are from Belgium, it is not too far from where we live. The culture and environment are completely different from the one we are used to at home. Sounds ideal for a short break with kids. So off we went! Glad to say we were not disappointed. The Mosselle valley is a very beautiful environment to visit. I have the feeling that many Belgians underestimate this. We visited a number of villages and towns in the Moselle valley. Many impressed us because of their beauty. These trips had another thing in common, namely the fact that we tasted several times the delicious riesling wine. Needless to say we bought some riesling wine for back home...... read more

The Lama Temple (also known as Yonghe Temple) is Beijing's largest Temple. It was once the official residence of Count Yin Zhen. In 1722, the Count became emperor, his named changed to Yonghzeng and he moved to the Forbidden City. So the name of his former residence also changed to Yonghe Temple. In 1744 the residence was converted into a lamasery, a monastery for monks of Tibetan Buddhism. The Lama Temple features five main halls with different mixed styles. Outside the Temple it was plenty of shops where people could buy incense sticks.... read more

The Summer Palace is the place where the Emperor came to evade the heat in the Forbidden City in the summer. From the hilltop perch, the Emperor could survey the imperial navy drills. The palace itself is constructed on a 60 meters high hill, named Longevity Hill. It consists of different temples, gardens, lakes, pavilions and corridors. Beside the hill there is also a lake, called the Kunming Lake. Kunming Lake ( 2.2 square kilometers) was entirely man-made. They used the soil to build Longevity Hill. The Marble boat is situated near the Kunming Lake. The story goes that Empress Dowager Cixi used the money originally earmarked for a modern navy to build the Marble boat instead. The boat itself is constructed on solid stone base, so that it couldn't sink, meaning that the Qing Dinasty ... read more