Theme Week San Francisco – Sausalito

18 July 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, San Francisco Bay Area Reading Time:  7 minutes

Sausalito houseboat community © Frank Schulenburg/cc-by-sa-3.0

Sausalito houseboat community © Frank Schulenburg/cc-by-sa-3.0

Sausalito is a San Francisco Bay Area city in Marin County, California. Sausalito is 8 miles (13 km) south-southeast of San Rafael, at an elevation of 13 feet (4 m). The population was 7,061 as of the 2010 census. The community is situated near the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, and prior to the building of that bridge served as a terminus for rail, car, and ferry traffic. Developed rapidly as a shipbuilding center in World War II, the city’s industrial character gave way in postwar years to a reputation as a wealthy and artistic enclave, a picturesque residential community (incorporating large numbers of houseboats), and a tourist destination. It is adjacent to, and largely bounded by, the protected spaces of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Due to its location at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito receives a steady stream of visitors via the bridge (auto and bicycle traffic) and a ferry service from San Francisco. It retains one of the few ungated marinas in the Bay Area that attracts visitors.   read more…

Theme Week Lebanon – Tyre

17 July 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  8 minutes

Remains of ancient columns at Al Mina excavation site © Heretiq/cc-by-sa-2.5

Remains of ancient columns at Al Mina excavation site © Heretiq/cc-by-sa-2.5

Tyre, sometimes romanized as Sour, is a city in the South Governorate of Lebanon. There were approximately 117,000 inhabitants in 2003. However, the government of Lebanon has released only rough estimates of population numbers since 1932, so an accurate statistical accounting is not possible. Tyre juts out from the coast of the Mediterranean and is located about 80 km (50 mi) south of Beirut. The name of the city means “rock” after the rocky formation on which the town was originally built. The adjective for Tyre is Tyrian, and the inhabitants are Tyrians. Tyre is an ancient Phoenician city and the legendary birthplace of Europa and Elissa (Dido). Today it is the fourth largest city in Lebanon and houses one of the nation’s major ports. Tourism is a major industry. The city has a number of ancient sites, including its Roman Hippodrome which was added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 1979.   read more…

Theme Week Mexico – Riviera Maya on the Caribbean coast

16 July 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  8 minutes

Xcaret Eco Park © Karla Quiñonez/cc-by-sa-3.0

Xcaret Eco Park © Karla Quiñonez/cc-by-sa-3.0

Riviera Maya, also known as the Mayan Riviera, is a tourism district following the coastal Highway 307 which parallels the Caribbean coastline of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, located on the eastern portion of the Yucatán Peninsula. This district historically started at the city of Playa del Carmen and ended at the village of Tulum, although the towns of Puerto Morelos situated to the north and between Playa del Carmen and Cancun as well as the town of Felipe Carrillo Puerto situated 40 kilometres (25 mi) to the south of Tulum are both currently being promoted as part of the Riviera Maya tourist corridor.   read more…

Theme Week Wales – St Davids

9 July 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

St Davids Cathedral © Chrisrivers/cc-by-sa-3.0

St Davids Cathedral © Chrisrivers/cc-by-sa-3.0

St Davids, is a city and community in Pembrokeshire. Lying on the River Alun on St David’s Peninsula, it is Britain’s smallest city in terms of both size and population, the final resting place of Saint David, the country’s patron saint, and the de facto ecclesiastical capital of Wales. St Davids was given city status in the 16th century due to the presence of St David’s Cathedral but lost this in 1888. City status was restored in 1994 at the request of Queen Elizabeth II.   read more…

Theme Week Catalonia – Salou

27 June 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Port and Beach © Salvador Sáinz

Port and Beach © Salvador Sáinz

Salou is a municipality of the comarca of Tarragonès, in the province of Tarragona. The city is approximately 10 km from Tarragona and Reus on the Costa Daurada and 112 km from Barcelona. Aside from its string of beaches interrupted by rocky coves, and its landscaped promenade, one of its main attractions is the PortAventura resort. Salou’s main promenade is the Passeig Jaume I, which runs along the coast adjacent to the Llevant Beach, the longest beach in the town. Other beaches include Platja de Ponent, Platja dels Capellans, Platja Llarga and Platja Cala Crancs. Salou has 34 Blue Flag beaches. Water-sports, rentals and trips can be arranged on the Llevant Beach.   read more…

Theme Week Catalonia – Lloret de Mar

26 June 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Xavi Garcia/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Xavi Garcia/cc-by-sa-3.0

Lloret de Mar is a Mediterranean coastal town in Catalonia. One of the most popular holiday resorts on the Costa Brava, it is 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Girona and 75 kilometres (47 miles) from Barcelona. With a population of 39,000, it is the second largest town in the Selva comarca of Catalonia.   read more…

Theme Week Catalonia – Badalona

25 June 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Port of Badalona © Vicente Maza Gómez/cc-by-sa-3.0

Port of Badalona © Vicente Maza Gómez/cc-by-sa-3.0

Badalona is a city in eastern Catalonia. It is located in the comarca of the Barcelonès, joined to Barcelona and part of its metropolitan area. It is situated on the left bank of the small Besòs River and on the Mediterranean Sea, backed by the Serra de la Marina mountain range. Badalona is the third most-populated municipality in Catalonia after Barcelona and L’Hospitalet de Llobregat. It became a city in 1897.   read more…

Theme Week Catalonia – Terrassa

24 June 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Mercado de la Independéncia de Tarrasa © flickr.com - Jaume Meneses/cc-by-sa-2.0

Mercado de la Independéncia de Tarrasa © flickr.com – Jaume Meneses/cc-by-sa-2.0

Terrassa is a city in the east central region of Catalonia, in the province of Barcelona, comarca of Vallès Occidental, of which it is the cocapital along with Sabadell. The city is heir to a rich medieval, Modernista and industrial legacy, and possesses an extensive network of libraries, historical archives and museums.   read more…

Theme Week Catalonia – Lleida

23 June 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

La Seu Vella cathedral © Hector Blanco de Frutos/cc-by-2.5

La Seu Vella cathedral © Hector Blanco de Frutos/cc-by-2.5

Lleida is the capital city of the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. The metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants. It is also the capital city of the Segrià comarca, as well as the largest city in the province. It had 137,000 inhabitants as of 2010, including the contiguous municipalities of Raimat and Sucs.   read more…

Return to TopReturn to Top