hr: traveller

Photo Credit: gterez
I am so obsessed with Greece right now. It hasn’t always been my dream vacation spot, but it has always been one of my top three since I discovered Greek mythology when I was nine and wished that I was Pallas Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom. And! I have to find out that one of my uncle lives in Greece!

He’s currently living in Glyfada which is a luxurious suburb of Athens, and one of its largest, south of the metropolitan area. It’s what millionaires, celebrities, high profile political figures and various Greek A-listers call home. Located at the foot of the Hymettus mountain, it reaches out to touch the Saronic Gulf. The area is famous for upmarket cafes, famous and expensive boutiques, and cosmopolitan clubs. According to it’s Wikipedia entry, it has also been called the “Hellenic Hamptons”.

Currently, it’s where Athens’ most famous nightclubs, upscale restaurants and shops are located. And real estate is as prime as prime can get. The waterfront location, luxurious commercial center and business district make sure of that. Which is why it is where the most decadent beachfront properties in the whole of Europe can be found.

This is also where Greece’s original 18-hole golf course can be found. The Glyfada Golf Club is Greece’s first golf course, established in 1962. Not only that, it is also near enough to the Acropolis that you can happily mix in the glory of the past with modern conveniences.

I’m actually planning my vacation now, and hope to go to Glyfada soon. See you there!

Photo Credit: David.R.Carroll
Ottawa, the capital city of Canada, is along the Ontario side of the Ottawa River, right across from Gatineau, Quebec. Aside from its main tourist attractions such as the Parliament Hill, Ottawa is also a great place to wine and dine.

Local and international food are available in countless restaurants and street vendors across the city. It has the finest Chinese cuisine in the Chinatown area, along Somerset Ave. If Italian is your thing, wander over to Little Italy along Preston Street. And if you think, what the heck, I want something new, you have choices, choices, choices at the Byward Market area, a total food haven.

While you’re there, do not miss Ottawa’s “claim to culinary fame”, the deep-fried beavertail (which is actually deep-fried dough, and not a real beaver’s tail). You can get it topped with ordinary sugar or you can choose cinnamon, or both, or a hundred other variants. You can get it in the Byward Market on George St. It’s the only place that has it during summer.

You also have your choice of coffee shops. Starbucks is the safest bet, but there’s a Tim Horton’s at practically every street corner if you need a quick coffee fix.

And, coffee isn’t the only thing that you can find quickly in Ottawa. There are a lot of “chip wagons” parked around the city at lunch time. Food is usually just a few steps away so you will unlikely get hungry.

For the traveler on a budget, Budapest Delicatessen is an institution in Ottawa, serving great (and I mean great!) classic European cold cut sandwiches with the works. You can also try DiRienzo’s Deli which is a little heaven of a place in Little Italy which also serves great (and fast) sandwiches. If you want to splurge, there’s Domus, in the Byward Market. They serve regional Canadian cuisine under the knowing eyes of talented, award winning chefs. If you have a little taste for French cuisine, there’s Signatures, a classy French restaurant with a five-diamond rating.

If you want to go bar-hopping, Byward Market is still the place for you. Helsinki Lounge and Disco is a popular spot that serves creative, and very un-Finnish, delights.

There are also an abundance of Irish/British style pubs around such as Black Thorn, the Irish Village and Patty Boland’s. You won’t be wanting for any more beer, I think.

Wherever you turn, you can enjoy the dining experience in Ottawa.

Cheers!

Photo Credit: Felex
“Pearl of the Andaman, southern paradise, golden beaches, land of the duo of heroines and highly revered Laung Pho Chaem.” - Slogan of Phuket

Phuket, pronounced “poo-get”, is Thailand’s largest island. It’s connected to the south of Phang Nga Province by road bridges. Phuket is one of the most popular travel destination in Thailand where most beaches are. The delightful Andaman Sea water on the Indian Ocean is balmy and is a perfect beach.

There are a number of gorgeous beaches, although you can’t go topless as nudity is viewed as offensive to Thais. You have a choice of beaches, and there are a lot of options. Bang Tao is a gorgeous, quiet beach, untouched and private. The Laem Singh Beach is small but the views are stunning enough, you won’t care about how small it is. You can also go to Patong Beach, the largest resort and the center of nightlife in Phuket.

There are also a few islands you can visit, Ko Yao with four resorts, and Kho Hae, or Coral Island.

It’s absolutely gorgeous in Phuket. Don’t forget your sunscreen!

Photo Credit: K _ Thomas
The Mesa Verde National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the southwestern corner of Colorado and is renowned for wonderfully-preserved cliff dwellings. This is said to be one of the most interesting sights in America. The name literally means “green table” in Spanish, referring to the verdantly green plateaus.

The are was covered by a shallow sea about a hundred million years ago, and as the sea receded, uplift in the area created the high plateau that is Mesa Verde. You can come into the park at Montezuma Valley where elevation is a steep climb to the mesa top. Park elevation ranges from 6,100 to 8,400 feet above sea level.

One of the best places to see is the Far View Visitor Center where you can sign up for guided tours of Cliff Palace, the Balcony House and the Long House. Or you can go on one of the many scenic views of the park where you can bask in the beauty of nature. There’s the Montezuma Valley Overlook, the Park Point Overlook and the Geologic Overlook. Most of the old service buildings can be found in the Historic District which you can visit. The Spruce Tree Terrance restaurant is quite a place to see.

Another must visit is the Wetherill Mesa, open seasonally from 9 AM to 4:30 PM from Memorial Day to Labor Day. You can walk the Badger House Trail or look at the Step House where the trail descends a hundred feet from the Wetherill Mesa Kiosk.

Lots of walking but incredibly beautiful. It’s going to be worth it, trust me.

For more information, visit the official site of the Mesa Verde National Park.

Photo Credit: fjarlq

The Arches National Park is located in the Canyon Country of Utah and is home to the world’s biggest concentration of natural sandstone arches. It preserves more than 2000 arches including the Delicate Arch which is one of the most famous, having found lasting recognition by being in the Utah state license plate. The national park is home to the most outstanding geologic formations found in the world from three-foot arches to the Landscape Arch which measures 306 feet.

There are a lot of incredible things to see in the Arches National Park. Park Avenue is a one mile trail by the park entrance that leads to a sandstone canyon with steep walls and a smooth bottom.

Want to see an important Hollywood scene? The Double Arch is a joining of two arches that has been prominent at the start of the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, just a walking distance from the North and South Windows and Turret Arch.

You can also marvel at colorful formations of ancient sand dunes that had hardened into stone, giving them the charming name Petrified Dunes.

Join a ranger-led tour of the Fiery Furnace which is one of the most interesting geological areas in the Arches National Park. You might also want to visit the Devil’s Garden Trail which is home to numerous arches including the Landscape Arch, the Double O arch and what used to be the Wall Arch which sadly collapsed very recently.

Be ready to hike, backpack and view the almost 50 mammal species that live in the arches. But remember that these geological treasures are very delicate. Stay on the path so that your prints won’t erode the soils. And please, please take to heart the adage: Leave only your footprints, take only photographs. That tiny pebble you take might be the only thing that holds an arch together.

For more information, check out its Wikitravel article.

Photo Credit: flibblesan
Beijing means “northern capital”. Really. Nanjing is literally the “southern capital”. Pretty straight-forward if you ask me. The 3rd Ming emperor Zhu Di moved the capital it to Beijing again in 1403, ushering in the city’s golden era when many of the city’s famous landmarks including the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven were built. It was once again proclaimed the capital of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

There are several interesting places to see in Beijing. First of which is the Forbidden City where you can get thrown back in time to experience the grandeur of Imperial China. It remains relatively untouched despite the changes in the city that surrounds it. You can find cafes and gift shops you might want to stop at while you’re at it.

Another area you might want to visit if the Tiananmen Square, the largest square in the world. It is surrounded by monuments reminiscent of the Soviet Union and government buildings where visitors can gawk and be amazed. There are four marble lions by the gate. You can also visit Mao’s mausoleum.

Interestingly named, the Temple of Heaven is a gorgeous sight, surrounded by a vast park where you can watch (or join) the locals practice tai chi and dancing. This is also the greenest place in the city, thank to the ancient trees that grow there. For peace and solitude, take a leisurely walk toward the West Gate.

There are more places in Beijing you may want to visit, most especially now, as it is the Official site of the Beijing Summer Olympic Games.

For more information, click here.

Photo Credit: PembrokeDave
Very few places can be called genuinely beautiful but the stunning city on the South Wales coast called Swansea is apparently as pretty as its name. It is the second largest Welsh city, and located on the beautiful Gower Peninsula - the United Kingdom’s first designated “Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty”.

Swansea has mild climate and enjoys lots of sunshine from June to August, and offers crisp and fresh air from September to October, perfect for solitary walks and contemplative strolls. But, of course, pack your umbrella and prepare for rain. You are going to Wales after all.

There are a lot of places to go to in Swansea, but why visit museums when you have historic beauty everywhere? First on your list should be Swansea Castle, the ruins of a 13th-century castle where you can see the contrast of the battlements and the surrounding contemporary architecture. Being a sucker for historic places, seeing the battlements would be enough for me.

The elegant Guildhall is built of white Portland stone and has been standing on the city center’s western front since 1934. You would be interested in Sir Frank Brangwyn’s murals, though. Murals that were thought to be too frivolous for the House of Lords.

The original Oystermouth Castle was founded by William de Londres of Ogmore in the early 12th century. What remains of it today are well preserved and a trip up the battlements offer a majestic view over Swansea Bay.

For more information, visit the Wikitravel article of Swansea for more gorgeous places to visit in the area.

Photo Credit: .Martin.
Ayia Napa, now officially Agia Napa, is THE nightlife location in the Mediterranean part of Cyprus. Ayia Napa is literally Greek for “Saint Napa”, the town’s patron saint whose monastery is located right smack at the center of town, right next to to the city’s clubbing central. Ayia Napa has recently built a reputation for itself as a “dance party capital”. Agia Napa is small enough to be a walkable town, or you can also use bikes.

Let’s dispense with the historic part of town before we go have fun. The Ayia Napa Monastery, a building that was built in the 1500’s, is the one cultural site that you have to visit in town.

Now, let’s hit the beaches! The most infamous beach among the most incredible beaches in Cyprus is the Nissi Beach where bars, clubs, blond beauties and hunks flock over the summer holidays. You have make sure that you get there early though to reserve some space for yourself as it tends to get over-crowded.

Farther away as Makronisos Beach which is probably nicer, less busy and more family- oriented.
The beautiful Grecian Bay is closest to the center of Agia Napa, and stretches along three coves to the east of the small fishing harbor.

For the famous nightlife, you just have to jump to The Square, probably one of the, if not the, best area for bars such as Bedrock and The Castle Club. Clubs and bars are open until the break of dawn, so the night scene usually starts late.

What else do you want to see in a party place?

A city in Bihar, India, Muzaffarpur is known as the country’s ‘Lychee capital’ and is one of the oldest and most important centres of for commercial and education.

Probably the most important of all its historic sites would be the temples. One of them, the Baba Garibnath Temple, located in town, is the most famous temples dedicated to Shiva. Another temple, the magnificent Chaturbhuj Sthan Temple is famous for being a place of spirituality.

The Shri Ram Temple, however, is one of the place’s most famous religious places. The biggest temple, the Shri Ram and Mata Janaki” is located inside. This is where a large number of devotees come to worship.

The Kali Mata Temple Of Sikandarpur is a great temple dedicated to the belief and worship on Ma. It is located on the south coast of “Gandak” river.

Ramna’s Tripur Sundari Temple on the other hand, attracts devotees because of its beauty.
Rajkhand is an old temple Bhairav Nath where a big cattle fair is held every year during the Shivaratri festival.

About 40 km from Muzaffarpur, the famous temple, Hathilwa-Mathh dedicated to Radha-Krishna, stands.

These temples are definitely worth a visit, making your trip to Muzaffarpur an enlightening experience.

Photo from hindubooks.org.

Photo Credit: ? Redvers

The walled town of Tenby in South Wales, also known as Dinbych-y-Pysgod (”little town of fishes”) is made of pretty pastel-colored buildings that stand along cliffs and bays. It is also one of Wales’ most popular tourist spots, located west of Swansea.

It was founded during the Norman Conquest and was built in 1093. It was not renowned as a tourist spot until the Victorian era, when it became popular as a spa. Today, it is still one of the most famous holiday destinations, probably because it offers relaxation and wonderful family holidays.

The quaint town is filled with cobbled streets where you can find shops and cafes to your heart’s content. You can also visit Caldey Island, a Cistercian Monastery just off the coast. They are known as producers of a number of things including heavenly chocolate, ice cream, yogurt and clotted cream. There’s also a 15th-century town house, the Tudor Merchant’s House, as well as the Tenby Museum and Art Gallery.

The most important thing to remember about Tenby is that there are numerous shops hidden in alleys where you might just find some gorgeous treasure. Maybe your first stop should be the Caldy Island gift shop.

For more information on Caldy Island, click here.