Reus in Catalonia

14 October 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Market Square © Josep Llauradó/cc-by-sa-2.0-es

Market Square © Josep Llauradó/cc-by-sa-2.0-es

Reus is the capital of Baix Camp, in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, Spain. The area has always been an important producer of wines and spirits, and gained continental importance at the time of the Phylloxera plague. Nowadays it is known by its commercial activity, for being a center for rock-climbing and as the birthplace of architect Antoni Gaudí.   read more…

Larnaca on Cyprus

11 October 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Palm Trees Promenade © Valantis Antoniades/cc-by-sa-3.0

Palm Trees Promenade © Valantis Antoniades/cc-by-sa-3.0

Larnaca is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus, the third largest after Nicosia and Limassol, with an urban population of 72,000, and capital of the eponymous district. The island’s largest airport, Larnaca International Airport, is located on the outskirts of the city to the south. The port of Larnaca and the marina are two of the four official entry points by sea to Cyprus. The city is known for its palm tree seafront, foinikoudes.   read more…

Quattro Canti in Palermo

11 October 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

Piazza Quattro Canti © flickr.com - Michele Ursino/cc-by-sa-2.0

Piazza Quattro Canti © flickr.com – Michele Ursino/cc-by-sa-2.0

Quattro Canti, officially known as Piazza Vigliena, is a Baroque square in Palermo on Sicily in southern Italy.   read more…

Brixen in South Tyrol

9 October 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Library of the Philosophical-theological Academy Brixen © Klaus Graf/cc-by-sa-3.0

Library of the Philosophical-theological Academy Brixen © Klaus Graf/cc-by-sa-3.0

Brixen (Italian: Bressanone) is a town in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Bolzano. According to the 2011 census, the majority of the population speaks German as first language (72.82%). The remainder of the inhabitants speak Italian and Ladin as first languages, with percentages of 25.84% and 1.34%, respectively.   read more…

Peacock Island in Berlin

8 October 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Berlin, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  12 minutes

Frigate Royal Louise in front of Peacock Island © Susanne Heldt/cc-by-sa-3.0

Frigate Royal Louise in front of Peacock Island © Susanne Heldt/cc-by-sa-3.0

Pfaueninsel (“Peacock Island”) is an island in the River Havel situated in Berlin-Wannsee, in southwestern Berlin, near the border with Potsdam and Brandenburg. The island is part of the Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular destination for day-trippers. Pfaueninsel is also a nature reserve in accordance with the EU Habitats Directive and a Special Protection Area for wild birds. Pfaueninsel is an island of 67 hectares in the river Havel between the Großer Wannsee and the Jungfernsee. It is mostly woodland with some open areas, including lawns and fields. The total size of the protected area, including some water-covered areas, is 98 hectares.   read more…

Harstad in Norway

7 October 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Strandgata © Event

Strandgata © Event

Harstad is the second-most populated municipality in Troms county. It is mostly located on the large island of Hinnøya. The municipal center is the town of Harstad, the most populous town in Central Hålogaland, and the third-largest in all of Northern Norway. The town was incorporated in 1904. In recent years, a 3000-year-old bronze axe and a 2600-year-old bronze collar have been found at the Trondenes peninsula, just north of the city center. These, together with the burial cairns built close to the sea, are indications of a well-developed Bronze Age culture in the Harstad area.   read more…

Monticello in Virginia

4 October 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

Monticello © Sudhindra/cc-by-sa-3.0

Monticello © Sudhindra/cc-by-sa-3.0

Monticello was the primary plantation of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, who, after inheriting quite a large amount of land from his father, started building Monticello when he was twenty-six years old. Located just outside Charlottesville, Virginia, in the Piedmont region, the plantation was originally 5,000 acres (2,000 ha), with extensive cultivation of tobacco and mixed crops, with labor by slaves. What started as a mainly tobacco plantation switched over to a wheat plantation later in Jefferson’s life.   read more…

Nîmes, capital of the Gard department

4 October 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Arènes de Nîmes © Armin Kübelbeck/cc-by-sa-3.0

Arènes de Nîmes © Armin Kübelbeck/cc-by-sa-3.0

Nîmes is a city in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France. It is the capital of the Gard department. Nîmes is located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Cévennes mountains. The estimated population of Nîmes is 176,000.   read more…

Gleneagles in Scotland

2 October 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

Gleneagles Hotel and grounds © geograph.org.uk - Simon Ledingham/cc-by-sa-2.0

Gleneagles Hotel and grounds © geograph.org.uk – Simon Ledingham/cc-by-sa-2.0

Gleneagles is a glen which connects with Glen Devon to form a pass through the Ochil Hills of Perth and Kinross in Scotland. The name’s origin has nothing to do with eagles, and is a corruption of eaglais or ecclesia, meaning church, and refers to the chapel and well of Saint Mungo, which was restored as a memorial to the Haldane family which owns the Gleneagles estate.   read more…

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