places

Miami beach, incredible destination

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miami

Miami is a city located on the southeastern coast of Florida and is ranked as the richest city in the USA. It is the top cruise passenger port in the world and the busiest port for tourists.

The area is good for shopping as well as a few tourist sites with the nearbyFlorida Everglades and the Downtown Miami Historic District which dates back to 1896 and nearby South Beach and Miami Beach.

Miami is an eclectic mix of Latin American and Caribbean cultures with a huge population of Cubans and Dominicans and is known as the Capital of Latin America.

The city has a tropical monsoon climate with hot humid summers and warm winters. Visitors can experience a number of cultural showcases including annual festivals such as the Calle Ocho Festival and Carnaval Miami.

Among the performing centres are the Ziff Ballet Opera House and theCarnival Studio Theater. There exist many museums including the Frost Art Museum, History Miami, Miami Art Museum, and the Miami Children’s Museum.

For those who wish a quieter visit, there are many parks includingBayfront Park and Bicentennial Park. Other destinations include the Jungle Island, Zoo Island, and Zoo Miami as well as the Miami Seaquarium.

Food is heavily influenced by Latin folk with the Cuban sandwich and medianoche as well as Cuban espresso being quite popular. One can visit the Versailles Restaurant in Little Havanaand other more popular brands exist such as Tony Roma’s. 

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Salzburg, music’s birthplace

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Salzburg is the fourth largest city in Austria set high in the Alps with an old town renowned for its baroque architecture. The city, which is also known as the birthplace of the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1997 and was also site of the famous movie musical “The Sound of Music”.

Salzburg boasts many churches and cathedrals in Romanesque and gothicstyles among them the Nonnberg in St. Peter’s Cemetery and the St. George’s Chapel. The city sits on the banks of a river and many of the sites which were used in the movie as well as Mozart’s old house are tourist attractions.

Other places to visit include the historic city centre with its narrow cobblestone streets, theHohensalzburg Castle which is one of the largest in Europe, Salzburg Cathedral, theResidenzgalerie art museum, the Mirabell Palace and Gardens, and Hangar-7, a building owned by Red Bull which hosts a collection of historical planes, helicopters, and Formula Onerace cars.

Salzburg is served by an international airport as well as railways with connections from Munich,Vienna, Innsbruck, and Zurich. Food is also important and there are a number of roadside pastries where one can buy Austrian delights such as Wiener schnitzel and apple strudel.

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Crete, ancient isle

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Crete is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and is the fifth largest of the Greek isles forming a large part of the country’s economy.

It is the centre of the Minoan civilisation which is known as the oldest in Europe and as such history is a big part of the island’s culture. It has also retained some of its own culture such as great poetry and music. The country’s name first appeared in Homer’s Odyssey.

The island is quite mountainous with a high range running from east to west while there are also great valleys including the Amari Valley. The climate is primarily temperate with a humid atmosphere and mild winters.

Among the things to do and places to visit in Crete is the Aquaworld Aquarium. Sea life is big in Crete which is an island and therefore surrounded by water. There are several species specific to the island such as crustaceans (crabs).

Equine life is also important and there are several stables including the Arion Stables that can be visited. See also the Lychnostatis Open Air Museum and the Balos Lagoon.

There are over 2000 restaurants on the island with over 1300 serving native Greek cuisine.

Among the lower range are the Spyros Taverna in Gouves and The Alchemist in Koutouloufari. On the higher end are the Kapetan Dimitris and Lotus Eaters. The island has two main international airports as well as a ferry service with transport to Athens on mainland Greece.

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Monaco, mountain state

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The principality of Monaco is a city state on the French Riviera bordering France and theMediterranean Sea. Monaco is the second smallest but the most densely populated country in the world.

The country is very mountainous and rocky and the highest point sits on the slopes of Mont Agel. Its most popular quartier is Monte Carlo and the Monte Carlo Casino is one of the most famous landmarks not only in the country, but in the world. It is possible to eat at restaurants and cafes just outside of the Casino.

Monaco is quite small and it is possible to walk through the entire country in less than one hour.

There are very high-end shops. The city is served by a heliport with connections to the Cote d’AzurInternational Airport in Nice and SNCF railway system makes it possible to take a train into nearby France.

The Grimaldi Palace in Fontvielle is a good place to visit and from there it is possible to see the Monaco harbour. There are numerous sidewalk cafes and gift shops to purchase souvenirs in this quartier.

Sport is very popular in Monaco which is home of the track and field governing body the IAAF and the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix, the Monte Carlo Rally, and the Monaco football team. A track and field meeting is held at theStade Louis II stadium in Monaco every year.

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San Marino, mountain country

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San Marino is an enclave microstate in Europe surrounded by the Italian peninsula. Its capital city is the city of San Marino and it has the smallest population of any country in the Council of Europe and it is the third smallest in Europe.

The country sits on the border of the Emilia Romagna and Marche regions of Italy and about 6 and a half miles from the Adriatic Sea.

San Marino has claimed to be the oldest sovereign state and constitutional republic in the world after being formed in September 301. The country is mainly mountainous as it sits in theApennines. There are no major bodies of water.

The enclave is host to one Unesco World Heritage Site – the “San Marino: Historic Centre and MountTitano.”  The climate is Mediterranean and has warm summers and cool winters.

San Marino has is much like that of Italy such as the piadina but it has a very well-known cake known as the Cake of the Three Towers which is a layered wafer cake covered with chocolate. There are also unique dishes and a small wine industry.

San Marino’s music tradition is long and rich. Among the bands from the country are Love Orchestra, a Gian Luca “Luke” Mazza new age music project.

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Puerto Rico, rich port

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Puerto Rico is an island in the Caribbean Sea and is the fourth largest island in what is known as the Greater Antilles. It is an unincorporated territory of the USA and is close to both the British and United States Virgin Islands and has many smaller islands of its own, with Mona among its largest.

Puerto Rico also has a tropical climate and is affected by hurricanes. It is one of three countries in the Caribbean with Spanish as its official language. The island is mainly mountainous with the main mountain range in the centre of the country. There are coasts on the north and south while there are also several man-made lakes and more than 50 rivers.

The Puerto Rican culture relies heavily on music… singers such as Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, and Ricky Martin all hail from Puerto Rico.

There is a large road network with the major towns and cities connected by freeways and expressways much like in the United States. The main areas are served by a public bus and there are also mini buses. There are three international airports in Puerto Rico 27 smaller ones.

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Barbados, where the sea become blue

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barbados
The island of Barbados is the easternmost of those of the Lesser Antilles with one coast on the Caribbean Sea and the other in the Atlantic Ocean. The island is mostly flat with the high point being Mount Hillaby.

The capital city of Bridgetown is in the parish of Saint Michael. Other major towns include Holetown, Oistins, and Speightstown. A major proportion of Barbados is encircled by coral reefs while there are numerous limestone caves the most famous being Harrison’s Cave which is a major tourist attraction. Another is Welchman Hall Gully.

Barbados has two main seasons -wet and dry. June to November is wet with December to May dry. The island was colonised by the British and still has many English influences.

Cricket is the main sport with some major cricketing figures including Sir Garfield Sobers and Sir Frank Worrell hailing from the small island. One of the major events on the island is Crop Over which is similar to carnival.

The festival features musical competitions and other activities and local calypso and soca music. A king and queen are usually crowned.

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The Grantley Adams International Airport is the main airport on the island.

Antigua, the paradise

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antigua
Antigua is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea and is part of a twin-island country known as Antigua and Barbuda. The name Antigua comes from the Spanish word meaning ancient and was named by Italian explorer Christopher Columbus when he discovered the island.

Antigua is said to have 365 beaches – one for every day of the year- and the economy is heavily reliant on tourism. St. John’s is the island’s capital and largest town.

English Harbour in the island’s southeast is famous and is also site of a restored British Colonial naval station known as Nelson’s Dockyard. The area is famous for yachting and sailing. There is an annual sailing season – Antigua Sailing Week – at the end of April and start of May, which is a world-class regatta.

The island also has legalised, regulated, and licensed online gaming. Sport fishing is also popular and a number of big competitions are held each year. Among the other popular sports are wind-surfing and kite-surfing, both of which take place at Jabbawock Beach.

Several famous persons have homes on Antigua including designer Giorgio Armani, musician Eric Clapton, and cricketer Sir Vivian Richards. The island has one international airport, the VC Bird International Airport.

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Thessaloniki, the summer in Greece

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Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece, the capital of the region of central Macedonia, and is famous for being the destination of two of St. Paul’s epistles in the New Testament.

The city is over 2000 years old and in its hey-day Thessaloniki was a co-reigning city of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire alongside Constantinople.

The city is well-known for its many festivals and cultural events with the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair and Thessaloniki International Film Festival held each year.

The city boasts many Byzantine monuments and has 15 listed Unesco World Heritage Sites including the Hagias Sophia and Hagias Demetrius which is said to be the largest basilica in Greece. It also boasts many Roman, Ottoman, and Sephardic Jewish monuments. The Aristotle University in Thessaloniki is the largest in Greece and the Balkans.

The city has many imposing hills, mountain ranges, and fault lines and is subject to earthquakes.

Thessaloniki has characteristics of both temperate and Mediterranean climates and has dry winters, fog, and very hot summers with humid nights.

Thessaloniki is a major transportation hub with the Macedonia International Airport and railways connecting the rest of Greece.

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Auckland, City of Sails

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Auckland is the largest and most populous city in New Zealand, situated in the country’s North Island. Known as the “City of Sails”, Auckland, lies on an isthmus and has the largest population of Polynesians than any city in the world. Two harbours surround the isthmus.

It is in a very volcanic area with as many as 50 volcanoes that are shaped like cones, lakes, lagoons, islands and depressions. The city has around 14 lava caves which run towards the sea. Sailing is very popular in the city which lies on a harbour.

Auckland has an oceanic/temperate climate with warm humid summers and mild damp winters. More than 100.000 yachts and launches are registered there and one of the most famous sailboat races in the world the Americas Cup takes place in New Zealand.

The city has a number of interesting sites, including Prince Albert Park as well as Sky Tower which is the tallest free-standing structure in the southern hemisphere.

The Vector Arena is in downtown Auckland and getting around the North Island is made simple with a local train which is based at Britomart Station. The Auckland International Airport is around half an hour from downtown Auckland.

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