Braga in northwestern Portugal

2 July 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Town hall © Joseolgon/cc-by-sa-4.0

Town hall © Joseolgon/cc-by-sa-4.0

Braga is a city and a municipality in the district of Braga, in the historical and cultural Minho Province. The municipality, which includes 37 civil parishes had a resident population of 182,000 inhabitants, representing the seventh largest municipality in Portugal (by population). Its area is 183.40 km². Its agglomerated urban area extends from the Cávado River to the Este River. The city was the European Youth Capital in 2012.   read more…

The Cook Islands in the South Pacific

1 July 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Parliament of the Cook Islands © Mr Bullitt

Parliament of the Cook Islands © Mr Bullitt

The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand. It is composed of 15 small islands whose total land area is 240 square kilometres (92.7 sq mi), divided into two distinct groups: the Southern Cook Islands and the Northern Cook Islands of coral atolls.. The Cook Islands’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), however, covers 1,800,000 square kilometres (690,000 sq mi) of ocean. The main population centres are on the island of Rarotonga (14,153 in 2006), where there is an international airport. There is a much larger population of Cook Islanders in New Zealand, particularly the North Island. In the 2006 census, 58,008 self-identified as being of ethnic Cook Island Māori descent.   read more…

Theme Week Brittany – Fougères

1 July 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

© S. Möller

© S. Möller

Fougères (Breton: Felger) is a commune and a sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine department. Fougères’ major monument is a medieval stronghold built atop a granite ledge, which was part of the ultimately unsuccessful defence system of the Duchy of Brittany against French aggression, and part of a tripartate with Vitré   read more…

The Eiffel Tower

1 July 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month, Museums, Exhibitions, Paris / Île-de-France Reading Time:  10 minutes

© Tognopop

© Tognopop

The Eiffel Tower is an iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. It was named after the engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Erected in 1889 as the entrance arch to the 1889 World’s Fair, it was initially criticized by some of France’s leading artists and intellectuals for its design, but has become both a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognisable structures in the world. The tower is the tallest structure in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world; 6.98 million people ascended it in 2011. The tower received its 250 millionth visitor in 2010. The tower has three levels for visitors, with restaurants on the first and second. The third level observatory’s upper platform is 276 m (906 ft) above the ground, the highest accessible to the public in the European Union. Tickets can be purchased to ascend by stairs or lift (elevator) to the first and second levels. The climb from ground level to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the walk from the first to the second level. Although there are stairs to the third and highest level, these are usually closed to the public and it is generally only accessible by lift.   read more…

The MSC Divina

1 July 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Cruise Ships, Miami / South Florida, Yacht of the Month Reading Time:  6 minutes

MSC Divina in Malta © flickr.com - Karl Borg/cc-by-sa-2.0

MSC Divina in Malta © flickr.com – Karl Borg/cc-by-sa-2.0

MS MSC Divina is a 139,400 GT cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises. She was constructed from 2010 to 2012 being originally named MSC Fantastica while under construction. MSC renamed her when near complete in the shipyard to honour the actress Sophia Loren. The ship sails under the flag of Panama. Home port is PortMiami.   read more…

Kyzyl, capital of the Tuva Republic

1 July 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  5 minutes

The Center of Asia monument © Dr.A.Hugentobler/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Center of Asia monument © Dr.A.Hugentobler/cc-by-sa-3.0

Kyzyl is the capital city of the Tuva Republic in southern Siberia. The name of the city means “red” in Tuvan (as well as in many other Turkic languages) with a population of 110,000. The population of Tuva is at 308,000. Forests, mountains, and steppe make up a large part of the geography. Tos-Bulak is the area of open fields and mineral springs which lies immediately south of Kyzyl. It is the location of the Naadam festival (15 August), the Tuvan Republic Day, where various competitions such as horseriding and khuresh (wrestling) are held.   read more…

Tutzing on Lake Starnberg

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

Boathouses © Digital cat/cc-by-sa-3.0-de

Boathouses © Digital cat/cc-by-sa-3.0-de

Tutzing is a municipality in the district of Starnberg in Bavaria, on the west bank of the Starnberger See. Just 40 km south-west of Munich and with good views of the Alps, the town was traditionally a favorite vacation spot for those living in the city.   read more…

The Müritz in Mecklenburg Lake District

29 June 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  6 minutes

Boathouses on Binnensee © Beyer/cc-by-sa-3.0

Boathouses on Binnensee © Beyer/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Müritz is a lake in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, northern Germany. Its area is 117 km², which makes it the second largest lake in Germany (after Lake Constance) and the largest lake entirely within Germany.   read more…

County Donegal in Ireland

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

Donegal map © Kanchelskis/GFDL

Donegal map © Kanchelskis/GFDL

County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 160,927 according to the 2011 census.   read more…

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