Istanbul’s Secret Gems Visitors to Istanbul have a general expectation of seeing an exotic place at the easternmost of Europe. This expectation is definitely appropriate but what the city offers is actually way beyond it. It is not for nothing that Istanbul is regarded as a city founded on two continents. The city offers its visitors many examples from both European and Asian cultures, acting as a bridge between them. Sometimes you feel … [Read more...]
8 Things to do in Cambridge, UK
Cambridge is a tourist favourite here in the UK, and I should know having called this city home for almost 24 years now. The summertime seems to become increasingly busy year on year, sometimes I wonder just how everyone fits among the quaint cobbled streets of little Cambridge. It’s no big surprise that this city is a popular destination, there’s an abundance of rich history, world famous universities and of course the Cambridge punting … [Read more...]
The Unexpected Living Treasures of Ireland
Close your eyes and think of Ireland: what do you see? Is it rolling hills of ethereal green and the Ring of Kerry, or perhaps tall, stark, jagged precipices descending into crashing waves, like the Cliffs of Moher? On a recent escorted journey through Ireland with Insight Vacations, I found all these and more, but what captured me beyond the green, grassy countryside were the furry and feathery fauna of the Emerald Isle. Beautiful, … [Read more...]
An Alternative Journey from England to Ireland
David and I had been discussing visiting Ireland for a number of years. We both tend to gravitate towards cooler weather climates - and Ireland in late October would be a good break from our warm Malyasian weather. We arrived into London and rather than continuing via airplane from the UK, we chose to travel by train and fast ferry, in hopes this alternative would create a more memorable travel experience then being crammed into tiny seats … [Read more...]
Here Be Dragons: The “Sacred Terror” of the Alps of Switzerland
"Placed on this planet since yesterday, and only for a day, we can only hope to glimpse the knowledge that we will probably never attain." -Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, 1796 Dateline: Mount Pilates, Switzerland I've penned a few books that have been placed in the category of "wilderness travel." But perhaps the first to stock this shelf was the eighteenth-century mountaineer Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, who wrote in his opus, Voyages … [Read more...]
Exploring Duga: Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in Ukraine
The Russian Woodpecker was so powerful it globally disrupted TV and radio broadcasts, commercial aviation communications, and even utility transmissions. The Woodpecker’s official name is Duga, it is a humongous, over-the-horizon radar that the Soviets utilized to detect nuclear ballistic launches in the US. This power-hungry Duga was located in the shadow of the doomed Chernobyl nuclear power plant in present day Ukraine. During the Soviet … [Read more...]
Sark: Britain’s Lost Channel Island
'Welcome to Sark'- the sign read as I climbed the harbour steps onto the island. With rain lashing down, I ran through a short tunnel carved through the rock of the cliff- the only entrance to the island- and on the other side found a farming tractor, carriage in tow, parking up on the side of the road. 'There's the bus!' someone said, and everyone clambered on for the ride up the hill. This was Sark, an island of only a few square miles … [Read more...]
I Snorkelled Between Tectonic Plates in Iceland
Iceland is hardly the first destination which comes to mind when you think of snorkelling, but in Thingvellir National Park tectonic Activity has formed a rift, which is filled with pure glacial water. And what better place to snorkel than between tectonic plates? It was a cold. So very cold. Frost clung to the ground and the wind was biting into every inch of my frozen body. During the short journey from Reykjavik to Thingvellir National … [Read more...]
The Disappointing Northern Lights Mystery Tour
The primary purpose of my trip to Iceland was to see the Northern Lights. October is generally a rainy month in Iceland and the sky is usually covered with clouds; hence the possibility of seeing the lights is very minimal. However, I am by nature a wanderluster with a “play it by ear” philosophy and I believe good luck is always with me so the harsh reality of bad weather did not shake my determination to explore the land of ice and fire this … [Read more...]
The Berlin Zoolischer Garten Zoo – An Unforgettable Germany Experience
Did you know Germany has over 400 zoos? 414 zoos to be exact. That's more zoos than the entire United States! Here's a sneak peak into the oldest and largest zoo in all of Germany, the Berlin Zoolischer Garten. You might also like to know that it's not only the largest zoo in all of Germany, but the largest collection of zoo animals in the entire world. Notice I didn't say largest zoo in the world, because it's second in physical size only … [Read more...]
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