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TRAVEL

This is just a list of my favourite destinations. Feel free to email me if you need tips or advice on routes, places to stay, what and where to eat, activities, etc.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia


EUROPE:

  • PORTUGAL - Óbidos (my favourite medieval walled town), Sortelha, Monsaraz, Monsanto, Belmonte, Marvão, Marialva, Lagos (Ponta da Piedade), Praia da Rocha, Sagres, Azenhas do Mar, Aveiro, Coimbra, Porto (Clérigos Tower), Guimarães, Lisboa (Belém Tower, Jerónimos Monastery, Ajuda Palace), Sintra (Pena Palace, Moorish Castle), Mafra (Palace and Covent), Buçaco, Sesimbra, Portinho da Arrábida, Évora (Roman Temple, Chapel of Bones, Aquaduct), Tomar (Convent of Christ), Elvas (Aquaduct, Castle, Walls, Forts), Estremoz, Évora-Monte, Arraiolos, Vila Viçosa (Ducal Palace), Beja, Valença, Miranda do Douro, Vila Real (Mateus Palace), Vila Nova de Foz Côa (prehistoric rock art), Braga, Bragança, Chaves, Ponte de Lima, Ponte da Barca, Nazaré, Peniche, Costa Nova, Torreira, Serra da Estrela, Gerês (Soajo, Pitões das Júnias), Piódão, Batalha and Alcobaça Monasteries, Feira and Almourol Castles (my favourites), Montemor-o-Velho, Cromeleque dos Almendres (megalithic monument consisting of 94 menhirs oriented to different equinox directions), Anta Grande do Zambujeiro (largest dolmen in the Iberian Peninsula), Dólmen de Antelas (with Post-Paleolithic paintings), Conímbriga (Roman Ruins), Citânias de Briteiros and Sanfins (Iron Age Settlements), Castro de Romariz (c. 500 BC settlement), Castro de S. Lourenço in Esposende (large hillfort settlement with three rampart alignments and houses, which have been reconstructed; the first stage of the settlement’s occupation has been dated to the Late Bronze period, with a second stage taking place from the 5th century BC, during the Iron Age),  Mira d'Aire Caves, Escoural Cave (with wall paintings and engravings from the Upper Paleolithic)... the whole country really!

Óbidos

Peniche
           

            , the Azores (São Miguel, Faial and Pico), Madeira and Porto Santo.

Berlengas

Lagoa das Sete Cidades
(Seven Cities Lagoon - two lakes connected by a narrow passage inside a dormant volcano)
São Miguel, Azores

Pico Ruivo, Madeira


Ponta da Calheta
Porto Santo

  • SPAIN - Ávila, Barcelona, Cáceres, Córdoba, Granada, Mérida, Galicia (S. Tiago de Compostela, Bayona, Combarro, O Grove, Illa da Toxa, Cambados, Pontevedra, Tuy, Vigo...), Salamanca, Ciudad Rodrigo, Candelario and La Alberca (national historical monument), Madrid, Picos de Europa (Ruta del Cares!), Segovia, Toledo and Tenerife, in the Canary the islands.
The Alhambra, Granada

  • ANDORRA - Andorra La Vella, Arinsal, Pal, Soldeu, El Tarter and Pas de la Casa.

San Joan de Caselles Roman Church
  • MONACO

Marina, Monte Carlo

  • FRANCE - Paris, Brittany: Biarritz and Lorient, Le Mont St. Michel in Normandy, Annecy, Chamonix, Paris, Provence: Marseille, Martigues, Cassis, Avignon, Les Baux-de-Provence, Gordes, Aix-en-Provence, Arles and Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (following in Van Gogh's footsteps...), Ubaye Valley: Barcelonnette and Côte d'Azur: Cannes, Saint-Tropez and Ste Maxime.
L'Espace Van Gogh (the former Hotel-Dieu Hospital where Van Gogh was treated), Arles

  • BELGIUM - Bruges and Brussels.
  • THE NETHERLANDS - Amsterdam and Eindhoven.

Amsterdam

  • GERMANY - Bielefeld (where I spent 5 months studying at the Universität), Heidelberg, Mosbach, Cologne, Aachen, Detmold and Frankfurt (A).
Heidelberg

  • AUSTRIA - Salzburg, Kirchdorf and Steinplatte.
Mozartplatz, Salzburg

  • SWITZERLAND - Geneva, St. Moritz.

St. Moritz

  • CZECH REPUBLIC - Prague.
Prague

  • ITALY - Venice, Rome, Bergamo, Verona, Bolzano (Bolzen), St. Ulrich, St. Christina, Wolkenstein and Livigno.
The Colosseum, Rome

  • VATICAN CITY
Saint Peter's Square (and Ferrari blessing!)

  • GREECE - Corfu, Paleokastritsa, Paxos and Anti Paxos.
Palace of Saint Michael and Saint George (housing the Museum of Asian Arts), Old Town, Corfu

  • CYPRUS - Ayia Napa, Famagusta (!), Kourion and Paphos.
Agia Napa Monastery, Ayia Napa

  • REPUBLIC OF IRELAND - Moydrum Castle, Dublin, Galway, Newgrange, Cliffs of Moher, Blarney Castle, Bunratty Castle, Rock of Cashel, the Aran islands, ... (ok, the whole country!)
Moydrum Castle, Athlone (where U2 stood for their picture of The Unforgettable Fire)


  • NORTHERN IRELAND - The Giant's Causeway, Belfast and Derry.



The Giant's Causeway

  • ENGLAND - London, Greenwich, Oxford, Cambridge, Birmingham, Liverpool (A), Hamble, Goodwood (races) and the Isle of Wight.
The Thames, London

  • WALES - Chepstow, the Wye Valley and the Royal Forest of Dean.
Chepstow Castle

  • LATVIA - Riga and Jurmala.
Old Town, Riga

AFRICA:

  • EGYPT - Flight to Cairo - the Giza Necropolis: the Pyramids of Khufu (the great pyramid), Khafre and Menkaure and the Great Sphinx, the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, Memphis, Saqqara. Then, by bus to Sharm El Sheikh to dive, then by catamaran to Hurghada for more diving. Then, by bus in a police-escorted convoy to Luxor, followed by train to Aswan – Philae and Elephantine islands, then the Nile cruise back to Luxor - Valley of the Kings and Queens and Karnak. Then flight from Luxor back to Cairo.

Giza
  • KENYA - Nairobi (A).
  • TANZANIA - Kilimanjaro,Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Nduto, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Arusha and the islands: Pemba (Chake Chake, Konde, Makangale, Ras Kigomasha peninsula, North Lighthouse, Ngezi forest, Mkia Wa Ngombe ruins, Makonde cave) and Zanzibar (Stone Town).
Tarangire


AMERICA:

  • CANADA - Gander (A).
  • DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - The Amber Coast (Puerto Plata, Sosúa, Cabarete, Samaná and La Isabela - Columbus' first settlement in the New World).
Samaná

  • MEXICO - Chichén Itzá, Tulum, Cancún, Xcaret and Cozumel.
Chichén Itzá

  • USA - New York, Houston, Newark (A), Charlotte (A), Detroit (A).

Liberty Island, New York

  • BELIZE - Xunantunich and Lamanai, Ambergris Caye (CAUTION: muggings on the beach at night with machetes or at gunpoint are common - I'm living proof!), Caye Caulker, Half Moon Caye, San Ignacio and Actun Tunichil Muknal.
Lamanai

  • GUATEMALA - Tikal, Flores.
Tikal

  • CUBA - Havana, Varadero, Trinidad, Cienfuegos, Playa Larga in Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs).

Trinidad de Cuba (considered one of the best preserved colonial cities in the world)

  • HONDURAS - Roatán, Utila, San Pedro Sula and La Ceiba.

Roatán

Sky Walk, Monteverde Cloud Forest


  • PANAMA - Panama City, Miraflores, Santiago, Soná, Santa Catalina, Isla Coiba, Bocas del Toro , San Blás.

Panama City

ASIA:

  • MALAYSIA - Kuala Lumpur (A), Georgetown, Penang, Langkawi and Perhentian Islands.

Reclining Buddha temple (Wat Chayamangkalaram), Penang


  • JORDAN - Petra, Jerash, the desert castles (especially Quseir Amra), Aqaba, Amman, Madaba and the Dead Sea.

Open, Sesame! The Siq with the first glimpse of The Treasury (Al Khazneh), Petra

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

  • CAMBODIA - Siem Reap - Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom (Bayon), Ta Prohm, Preah Khan...
Ta Prohm, Angkor Wat, Siem Reap

  • THAILAND - Bangkok, the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun; Phi Phi Islands and Phuket.
Grand Palace, Bangkok

  • SINGAPORE

Raffles Hotel

  • INDONESIA - Borobudur and Prambanan Temples in Java, the Gunung Merapi volcano, Bali (Kuta, Seminyak, Tulamben and Mount Agung volcano, Pura Tanah Lot Temple, Ulu Watu Sea Temple), Lombok, Gili Islands (Trawangan, Meno, Air).
Borobudur, Java

  • QATAR - Doha.


  • MALDIVES - Meeru(fushi), Vilamendhoo, Helengeli, Paradise and Fullmoon islands.
Meeru

  • PHILIPPINES - Manila (Intramuros, Rizal Park, Fort Santiago, Baywalk and Makati).
Intramuros, Manila

OCEANIA:

  • PALAU - Koror, Long Island, Malakal, Ngerkebesang, Babeldaob and Peleliu.

Seventy Islands

  • FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA - Yap.
Rai Stones - Largest Stone Money Bank on Yap

  • GUAM - Hagatna, Two Lovers Point, Mount Lamlam (measured from tip to base in the Marianas Trench it is 11,330 m, making it the world's highest mountain), Umatac Bay (Magellan's landing site), Achang Bay and Inajaran Pool.

Two Lovers' Point

  • AUSTRALIA - Sydney, Manly Beach, Bondi Beach (Aboriginal rock engravings at the Bondi Golf Club), Cairns, Port Douglas, Kuranda (Skyrail and scenic railway), Daintree Rainforest, Cape Tribulation. 
Sydney Opera House


Looks like a long list...


... but there's SO MUCH MORE to explore...

(and so little T$M€)

 



Maximum Temperature: 51º C, Luxor, Egypt

 

Minimum Temperature: - 28º C, Livigno, Italy

 

 

 LINKS


'The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page.'

St. Augustine

 'Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away.'

Anonymous

'You may lose your money and your health and your sanity and some important organs, but they can't take away your travel memories unless they hit you hard on the head.'

Dave Barry

'Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.'

19th century Cree Indian