Wikivoyage:Discover/2018

December 2018

Unlike many European towns, the city hall (pictured), instead of a church or a cathedral, dominates the city centre of Subotica. The city hall is a masterpiece of Hungarian Art Nouveau, built in 1912.
The Museum of Natural History in Maputo displays an interesting collection of wooden carvings, including a selection of traditional and very uncomfortable looking wooden pillows.
Located in the middle of the country, Riyadh suffers from the worst of Saudi Arabia's climatic extremes.

A typical Dravidian style temple, the Bull Temple in Bangalore famous for its mammoth bull statue (pictured) that was carved from a single boulder and was legendarily built to appease a marauding bull that stole local crops.
Gniezno is traditionally regarded as having been the first capital of Poland, and has been witness to many important events in early Polish history.
Nevis is almost round in outline, with a large dormant volcano (known as Nevis Peak) in the middle.

Budva (pictured) is often called "Montenegrin Miami", because it is the most crowded and most popular tourist resort in Montenegro, with beaches and vibrant nightlife.
160 bird species have been recorded in the West Bali National Park, including the near extinct Bali Starling, Bali's only endemic vertebrate species.
The Museo del Pueblo Kichwa in Otavalo came into being when a group of locals re-opened an old textile factory and hacienda as a living history and cultural museum.

Basilique Sainte-Anne of the Congo (pictured) in Brazzaville was built by Roger Erell in 1949, and is regarded as one of the most beautiful modern churches in the world.
Sea to Sea is a hiking trail in Israel, running from the Mediterranean Sea to the Sea of Galilee, and a pleasant way to experience the Upper Galilee.
The city of Cadillac is named after the 17th and 18th century French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac; and so is the car brand.

Konak Square (pictured) is the main square of Izmir, and famous for the clock tower, one of the unique symbols of the city.
Jazz over Volga is an international festival of jazz taking place in Yaroslavl in March every odd year since 1979.
The Big Texan Steak Ranch & Opry in Amarillo is known nationwide for its 72-oz steak dinner offered free to anyone who can eat the entire meal in one hour.

Matapa Chasm (pictured) on Niue is next to the sea, but isolated from its currents by large boulders at the ocean side and the drumming noise from the ocean waves is quite a treat and can be deafening as you near its mouth.
Whilst not actually the burial place of ancient royalty, The Tombs of the Kings in Paphos is worthy of the name none the less.
Like its much larger neighbour Valencia and a number of other towns in the Valencian Community, Cullera celebrates Fallas with the construction and burning of falla monuments in the streets.

Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew, south of Sisaket, is a bizarre yet entirely serious Buddhist temple complex constructed entirely out of glass bottles and even the pictures on the walls were assembled from bottle caps (pictured).
You'll see the distinctive chimarrão gourds everywhere in Rio Grande do Sul — here they range in size from small ones that only hold a couple of gulps to very large ones that you could sip for a while.
John o'Groats is popularly thought of as the northernmost point on the British mainland, and although not actually the northernmost point, John o'Groats is certainly the northernmost settlement.

Maracaibo (skyline pictured) is called "La Primera Ciudad de Venezuela" (The Most Important Venezuelan City) because of its development.
Coldfoot's name supposedly comes from a group of gold seekers who, in 1900, trekked up the Koyukuk River and got "cold feet"-returning south from Slate Creek.
The area around Truro was called "Wagobagitik" by the local Mi’kmaq inhabitants, meaning "end of the water's flow" or “the bay runs far up”, in reference to the world’s highest tides rising up from the Bay of Fundy.

Vitebsk is best known as the birthplace of the Jewish painter Marc Chagall, and his home (pictured) has been preserved and operates as a museum.
The Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum (Kriminalmuseum) in Rothenburg ob der Tauber is full of examples of torture equipment and is not for the faint hearted.
High Point is often referred to as the furniture capital of the world due not only to the large number of furniture manufactures in the area, but also because of the International Home Furnishings Markets held each Spring and Fall.

The Shakadang Trail in the Taroko Gorge is built along the river cliff (pictured) so travelers can easily observe both the folded rocks and ecosystem beside the river shore.
Founded in 1659, Saint-Louis is the oldest European-founded city on the western coast of Africa and served as the capital of Senegal from 1872 to 1957.
As the name of the village suggests, Namche Bazaar has a market. Every Friday and Saturday morning, Sherpas from the surrounding valleys spread out their agricultural products and electronic goods carried from Kathmandu on land above the main path into town.

Romania has a very large population of wild animals, including one of the largest populations of wild bears in Europe (Romanian bear warning sign pictured).

November 2018

The Diefenbaker Canada Centre in Saskatoon is the only combined Prime Ministerial archives, museum and research centre in Canada.
The Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood is one of the last remaining pockets of Old Dubai, home to many reconstructed buildings in the traditional style.

One of the most famous features of the Sigiriya complex are the fifth-century paintings (pictured) found in a depression on the rock face more than 100 metres above ground level.
Smoked herrings are a specialty of Bornholm.

In Lexington (Kentucky) you can visit the Mary Todd Lincoln House (pictured), which is the girlhood home of Abraham Lincoln's wife, and the nation's first shrine to a First Lady.
Tyumen was founded in 1586 as the first Russian settlement in Siberia.
Tamworth is nationally famous as the "Country Music Capital of Australia", annually hosting the Tamworth Country Music Festival in late January.

The much-photographed red Shinkyo Bridge (pictured) separates the shrines from the town of Nikko, and in feudal times, only the shogun was permitted to cross it.
Iquitos has attracted a lot of travellers from around the globe who are interested in the ancient shamanic ways of plant healing.
Because of the power and influence of the Gonzaga family, which used to own the city for over 400 years, Mantua was considered one of the most important cultural cities in the Renaissance.

The whole of the Hardangervidda (landscape pictured) is above the tree line and its alpine climate enables the presence of many species of arctic animals and plants further south than anywhere else in Europe.
Whitehorse Fishway is the longest wooden fish ladder in the world and allows migratory salmon to bypass a Yukon Energy hydroelectric station.
East Timor is the only Asian country entirely in the Southern Hemisphere.

Simien National Park contains Ethiopia's biggest and most spectacular mountain range, the Simien Mountains (pictured).
Pilsen Municipal Armoury ranks among the best preserved armouries of European medieval towns.
Eastwoodhill Arboretum in Gisborne features New Zealand's largest planting of North American trees and has plenty of walks and gardens, and is lovely in the autumn when the leaves change.

Igreja de Santo Antônio (organ pictured) in Tiradentes is a beautiful church constructed in 1732 with the richest gold foil interior of any church in Brazil.
Despite the vast distances in Namibia, most people get around by land, and not air.
Socorro is named after the Spanish word for "succor" or "aid," which is what 18th- and 19th-century travelers looked for as they traveled south through the desert between Mexico and Santa Fe.

The relics of antiquity found in Baclayon Church and Museum (interior pictured), which date back to the early 16th century, include crystal chandeliers, brightly colored window panes, life-size religious images, carved altars with gold embossing, and a silver tabernacle.
In general, Sri Lanka has very hot temperatures all year long, which is why most Sri Lankan men wear sarongs while Sri Lankan women dress lightly with a long dress.
Due to its strategic location, Belgrade has seen more than 115 wars and has been destroyed more than forty times.

The descent into San Diego airport from the east comes remarkably close to downtown buildings (pictured), which can be a bit alarming for first-time visitors.
Sibu is not only famous for food (such as kompia, kampua and the like), but also boasts of being the hometown of the Malaysian national patriot Rosli Dhoby.
Average visitors to Mount Athos can stay for free at each monastery for one day, for a maximum of three nights/four days, pending acceptation of request — scholars and genuine Orthodox novices can obtain longer permissions.

"Wigan Pier" (pictured) is Wigan's main tourist attraction, though this is meant to be an ironic joke perpetuated by the early 20th century comedian George Formby. The city is inland, and the "pier" itself is a small wooden overhang where canal barges used to load cotton from nearby mills.
Rhode Island's full name, as established by the Royal Charter granted by King Charles II in 1663, is "The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations."
Retiring abroad can let you live cheaply in an interesting place; you are not all that likely to actually find paradise-on-earth or the fountain of youth, but you might get close enough to enjoy yourself immensely.

In Diocletian's Palace in Split you can see two original Egyptian Sphinxes (pictured), that were brought from Egypt by the Roman emperor Diocletian.

October 2018

The Crystal Cave in Put-in-Bay is the largest geode in the world and features crystals in lengths of up to 18 inches.
Örebro has an enormous castle in the middle of town, which started as a defensive fortress.

Kagoshima is a historical city watched over by the looming bulk of Sakurajima (桜島) (pictured), an active volcano that regularly dumps ash over the city and erupts a bit every now and then to remind people it's still there.
San Salvador has wide avenues and boulevards, including the two widest boulevards in Central America: Boulevard de los Proceres and Boulevard de los Heroes.
Quite up-market and quiet, the 15th arrondissement of Paris is the city's largest arrondissement by both area and population.

The national dish of Senegal is ceebu jen, or thebou diene — rice and fish (pictured). It comes in two varieties (red and white — named for the different sauces).
Bisected by the Texas-Arkansas border, the Texas side of Texarkana is in the 903 area code, while the Arkansas side is in the 870 area code.
Shakhrisabz was the hometown of Temur (also transliterated Timur and known as Tamerlane), a descendant of Ghengis Khan, and the last of the great Asian nomadic conquerors, and he is responsible for all major landmarks in Shakhrisabz.

The wreck of SAS Fleur is heavily encrusted on the deck by mussels and all over by an astonishing number of strawberry anemones in pink, orange and nearly white (pictured).
The Croxteth Hall and Country Park outside Liverpool is at the heart of what was once a great country estate stretching hundreds of square miles and was the ancestral home of the Molyneux family, the Earls of Sefton.
In an area almost three thousand square meters divided into 35 environments, the Boa Vista Palace in Campos do Jordão was inaugurated in 1964 by the then governor of the state of São Paulo, to serve as his winter residence.

The original city walls of Shenyang were destroyed in the 1950's, but some small sections have been reconstructed (pictured) to give an impression of the former city.
The Rideau Canal was built by the British after the War of 1812 to provide a secure link between Montreal and Kingston, without passing along the Saint Lawrence River because that river borders American territory.
While Swahili is primarily spoken natively along the coast and islands of Kenya and Tanzania, it is the lingua franca across all of Tanzania, most of Kenya, eastern DRC, and some parts of Uganda, making it the most widely spoken African language in the world.

Krämerbrücke (pictured) in Erfurt is one of the few remaining bridges in the world that have inhabited buildings.
The Ki'ilae Village in Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park offers a glimpse into the past, when Hawaii was changing rapidly but still supported traditional aspects of daily life.
Grasse is known worldwide for its traditional perfume industry.

With an average elevation of nearly 800 m, Imphal (pictured) has a cooler and more pleasant climate than most of the rest of India.
Petra has become by far Jordan's largest tourist attraction, partially due to its exposure in the Steven Spielberg movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, in 1989.
Near Lake Macquarie you can find the largest permanent salt water lake in the Southern Hemisphere.

Arktikum (indoor view pictured) in Rovaniemi is a museum and science centre focusing on life in the Arctic regions through the ages.
Raleigh is one of the few U.S. state capitals that was specifically established and planned to serve as a capital.
In medieval times Bruck an der Mur was one of the most important trading centres in Styria, nowadays it's one of Austria's major train hubs.

Built in 1895 in commemoration of the 1100th anniversary of Kyoto, the Heian Shrine (pictured) was designed as a scaled-down replica of the original Imperial Palace.
Qinghai is on the Tibetan Plateau and is the source of several of China's major rivers.
Despite being a suburb of Vancouver today, New Westminster once eclipsed it in importance.

The Polish Aviation Museum (pictured) in Nowa Huta showcases over two hundred historic gliders, aircraft and helicopters, among them a collection of 22 extremely rare antique planes that once belonged to Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring of World War II infamy.
The Former Slave Market Museum in Zanzibar consists of slave chambers, a memorial, and an Anglican Church built on the site of the tree that served as whipping post.
Dalat, in the South Central Highlands of Vietnam, was originally the playground of the French who built villas in the clear mountain air to escape the heat and humidity of the plains and coastal areas.

Rock Hill (pictured) became a town in the mid-1800s with the arrival of a rail line through the area. According to some accounts, the engineers marked the spot on the map and named it "Rocky Hill".
Every year, on the second Sunday of October, Belém features one of the largest Catholic parades in the world, Círio de Nazaré.
The original town centre of Ostend is 200 metres away in the sea compared to the present day seashore, and was moved onshore to its current location after the town got flooded and destroyed by severe storms several times.

September 2018

The Citadel of Qaitbay (pictured) in Alexandria was built by Mameluke Sultan Abdul-Nasser Qa'it Bay in 1477 CE, by recycling the stone of the ruined lighthouse.
The Kossuth Zsuzsa elementary school in Kőszeg used to be a Dominican cloister and church.
Unlike many other hamlets in Colombia, Jardín has remained largely unchanged since it was established in 1864.

Kansas is in the heart of "tornado alley" of the United States (tornado in Bennington pictured).
Chittagong is one of the great port cities of Asia. It flourished on the Maritime Silk Road and was the eastern terminus of the Grand Trunk Road.
Cricket is the Antiguan sport. Games are played at the Recreation Ground in St John's or at any of the 365 beaches on the island.

Alice Springs (pictured) is the heart of Central Australia and consists of cavernous gorges, boundless desert landscapes, remote Aboriginal communities and a charming pioneering history.
It is not possible to travel far in Bhutan without seeing images of the 8th century sage of Vajrayana Buddhism, Guru Rinpoche.
Many Meiji statesmen were born and raised in Hagi, such as Hirobumi Ito, the first Japanese Prime Minister.

Vijlen (pictured) promotes itself as the only "mountain village" in the the Netherlands, which of course is an exaggeration of its hill top position.
Hindi consonants have many qualities not familiar to native English speakers including aspiration and retroflex consonants.
Guadeloupe has been a French possession since 1635 except for the years 1813-1814 when it came into Swedish possession as a consequence of the Napoleonic Wars.

When wearing a kimono the most challenging part will be tying the obi (pictured).
The main market for most of Ulaanbaatar's residents, Naran Tuul is the place to go if you want to shop like a local.
With a population as high as 80,000, El Mirador was once one of the first large cities in North America.

Stabroek Market (pictured) in Georgetown dates back to 1881, and the interesting design of this iron structure and clock tower certainly make it the most recognisable of buildings in the city.
Casablanca has the world's largest artificial port, but no ferry service of any kind.
Golf as we understand it originated in Scotland, although it is probable that ancestor games to modern golf originated on the continent.

Originally a temporary project during 2003 for the Cultural Capital of Europe (Graz 2003) celebrations, people liked the artificial island Murinsel (pictured) enough that it stayed.
Cannabis is widely produced in Bihar and sold legally at licensed Bhang shops.
Since it's such an essential need, along with "please" and "thank you", one of the first phrases any traveler should learn in the local language is "Where is the toilet?".

The dome (pictured) of Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison is one of the largest in the world in terms of volume.
Indigenous Fijian culture and tradition is very vibrant and is an integral component of everyday life for the majority of Fiji's population.
The Schengen Area is not the same as the European Union (EU). Not all EU countries are part of the Schengen zone and not all Schengen countries are part of the EU.

Pevek (pictured) is the northernmost town in Russia and used to be an important naval base and port in the Arctic.
As Pilsen escaped relatively unscathed from the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, many of the buildings here are among the oldest in the city.
Kanazawa is one of the long overlooked jewels of Japanese tourism — although not by the Japanese, who visit in droves.

El Ghriba Synagogue (interior pictured) is only a bit more than 100 years old, but it serves a Jewish community that has been in Djerba for at least 2,000 years and possibly as long as 3,000 years.
While most Ottawans are English-speaking, 15% speak French natively, making Ottawa Canada's largest Francophone city outside of Quebec.
According to local belief, if you light a candle at the Old Town Gate of Zagreb and wish something, your wish will be granted.

August 2018

In Mawlamyine you can see a reclining Buddha (pictured) that once was the biggest in the world.
Although not as plentiful as neighbouring countries, Namibia still has plenty of African wildlife to see.
As the sales headquarters for many homegrown multinational electronics manufacturers, good bargains and unique models can be found in Taipei.

Located on the banks of the River Rioni in Kutaisi, the Geguti Palace (pictured) is one of the few secular monuments of the medieval Georgian kingdom.
Worcester is one of the snowiest cities in New England, receiving around 70 inches (175 cm) a year on average.
Travel in low-income countries can be challenging even to the most seasoned globetrotter.

Since 1969 the Argentinian peso (10 peso bills pictured) has been revalued again and again, thirteen zeroes have been dropped (a factor of ten trillion), and its name changed.
The old railway station building in Strathpeffer houses the Highland Museum of Childhood.
Monterey County Agricultural & Rural Life Museum in King City offers hands-on interpretive exhibits about the region's agricultural heritage and history from 1875 through World War II.

Onogawa (pictured in the winter) is one of Japan's most radioactive hot springs, with radon concentrations of around 10 nanocuries per litre (200 Bq/m³).
The most prominent piece in the Military Museum in Istanbul is possibly the huge chain that the Byzantines stretched across the mouth of the Golden Horn to keep out the Sultan's navy in 1453 during the siege of Constantinople.
Ancient Greece is remembered for its architecture, philosophy and other ideas, which became the foundation of modern Europe.

Nevyansk retains little of its former heritage, but the single important edifice that remains from its glory days — the Leaning Tower (pictured) — is well worth seeing.
Many streets in Sosúa are named for Ashkenazic Jews.
Pronouns for "you" can be a little confusing, especially for those transitioning from other Romance languages to Brazilian Portuguese.

The İçəri bazar in Qax was founded at the beginning of the 18th century, and at the beginning of the 19th century Russian troops restored the surrounding walls (pictured).
Coca has been part of Andean culture for centuries, and chewing is still very common (and perfectly legal) in Bolivia.
If you're looking for something special to buy in Lucknow, consider a chikan dress, a cotton dress with hand-made embroidery.

The former fire station, Parque de Bombas (pictured), is painted with highly distinctive red and black stripes and is the symbol of Ponce.
The Southeastern Islands of Bali, Indonesia, are splendid for diving, snorkeling, surfing, exploration and relaxing.
The Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper is one of few Wyoming institutions focusing on contemporary arts, showcasing a wide variety of work across multiple media.

The lower floor of Venlo town hall (pictured) was originally a market place and the building also served as the city weigh house.
The standard weather forecast just doesn't suit Quito. Its tropical location, altitude, and surrounding mountains make it a city of microclimates and intra-day variations.
Captain William Keeling discovered the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in 1609, but they remained uninhabited until the 19th century.

For divers the main reason to come to Larnaca is the wreck of the Zenobia (pictured), a ro-ro ferry that sunk in 1980 on her maiden voyage only a few hundred meters from the harbour.
Timetables in Cape Verde are not to be taken too seriously.
Rishikesh catapulted to Western fame when the Beatles dropped by for a visit to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram where they practised meditation here for weeks and created some beautiful songs.

Bayterek Tower (pictured) in Astana is nicknamed Chupa Chups by the locals due to its similarity to a giant lollipop.
French cuisine has roots back to the Roman Empire.
The most famous exhibit of the National Museum of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa is the replica of Lucy, an early hominid.

Wood Buffalo National Park was established in 1922 to protect the world's largest herd of free roaming wood bison (pictured), estimated at more than 5,000.

July 2018

Nouvelle-Aquitaine is home to many great wine regions, and the drink is one of the major draws to travellers.
Waikiki Beach is a good place to learn to surf if you can manage not to hit or be hit by other beginners in the throng.

The Millenium Tower (pictured) in Magdeburg features an exhibition on nature and history of humanity inside.
Travelling on mountain trains to various hill stations in India is a delightful experience, with the tiny trains passing through tunnels, over bridges, around curves and loops amid spectacular scenery.
Arnhem Land is home to the oldest living culture in the world. There are hundreds of different languages, customs and laws, each woven together to tell a story that is more than 50,000 years old.

The longest-lasting lightbulb on Earth (pictured), which is used at a fire station in Livermore, has the wattage of a nightlight.
Despite being among the people most associated with musical theatre, Gilbert and Sullivan actually wrote operettas.
The only railway line into Southeast Asia is between Vietnam and China.

The Grand Ducal Palace (pictured) in Luxembourg City is open to the public for 6 weeks in July and August whilst the Grand Duke and his family are away on their holidays.
The name Okinawa means "rope in the open sea", a fairly apt description of this long stretch of islands.
Almost 4 kilometers in length, the beach Playa de Las Canteras is the very symbol of Las Palmas and its citizens.

Despite the wide range of choice in Lima's many restaurants, ceviche (pictured) is surely number one on the list of dishes you must get to know.
China's bustling Pearl River Delta is said to be the world's workshop, with massive manufacturing, international trade, and rapid economic growth.
An 1830s log cabin in Bellevue, Nebraska is reportedly the oldest remaining building between the Missouri River and the Pacific Ocean erected in the United States Territory.

Falun copper mine (the Great Pit and cityscape pictured) was an important source of copper for an entire millennium until mining ended in 1992.
When buying travel insurance, you should review the dates of coverage, whether it protects you enough financially, and the exclusions.
Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky is most famous for once being the short-term home of Anton Chekhov, where he wrote The Sakhalin Island.

The Bent Pyramid (pictured) in Dahshur is named on account of its sudden, startling change in angle halfway up the pyramid.
Nong Khai is filled with literally hundreds of images of the Naga, the Mekong giant serpent.
The first settlers of northwestern São Paulo were explorers (Bandeirantes) searching for gold at Pico do Jaraguá, which they would never find.

The Roman arena (pictured) in Pula has been barely saved from destruction several times during its history.
Chongqing served as the capital of the Republic of China for seven years and afterwards the site of important events during the Chinese Civil War, hence you can find several historical sites from this period there.
The U.S. Virgin Islands is the only U.S. territory with left-hand side traffic.

Charyn Canyon outside Almaty features gorgeous red and orange sandstone layers (pictured).
The Bertha Benz Memorial Route follows the tracks of the world's first long-distance journey by automobile.
The Gun Memorial in Polokwane comprises guns confiscated at the end of the Magoeba War in 1892 were melted into one mass and put on display.

Cathédrale Saint Gatien in Tours is a Gothic cathedral with a monolithic façade (pictured), spectacular flying buttresses and plenty of gargoyles, some of which have some rather rude appendages.
Lee's Summit is the hometown of famous outlaw Cole Younger of the James-Younger Gang and Grammy winning musician Pat Metheny.
Angeles is known for being the culinary center of the Philippines.

If you visit the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque in Shiraz before 10 in the morning you can see its beautiful mosaic glasses lit up by the background sun light (pictured).
Until the beginning of the 20th century, most of the towns on the Bonavista Peninsula were outports, accessible only by boat.

June 2018

Locally named Kaleiçi, i.e. "walled city", this district is the oldest part of Edirne although the city walls and gates have vanished a long time ago.

Only a small part of Santa Catarina Island where Florianopolis (pictured) is located can really be called urban—the rest is full of gorgeous beaches and nature.
Makola market, in Accra's busy downtown, includes a large boulevard and several alleys full of fabric shops with goods such as wax-print pagnes, as well as embroidered and beaded cotton and tulle for special occasions.
Odense is the birthplace of the world famous fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen and proudly displays statues, parades and monuments in his memory.

The Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex (pictured) is visually impressive, and claims to have the largest antenna complex in the Southern Hemisphere.
Ulsan is known for its whaling heritage and more recently as the industrial heart of South Korea.
Canton, Ohio is best known as the birthplace of professional American football, since the Canton Bulldogs were the first professional football team.

Sikhs are rightfully very proud of Amritsar and their very beautiful and unique Gurdwara (place of worship), the Golden Temple (pictured) in the city.
Thanks to the hills making it hard to pave over, Lausanne's old town is larger than most found in Swiss cities.
There are many factors which may affect your mental health or well-being when travelling.

Agrigento is primarily famous for the Valley of Temples, impressive remains of Greek Doric temples (Temple of Concord pictured).
With over 90 % of its wildlife and 80% of its plants found nowhere else on the planet, some ecologists refer to Madagascar as the "eighth continent".
Volcano Villarrica outside Pucon, is considered the most active climbable volcano in South America.

Malbork was the ancient capital of the Teutonic Order, and its fortress (pictured) is the largest Gothic fortress in Europe.
A part of the Sage Creek Campground in Badlands National Park is designated for horses.
In summer up to 800 penguins come ashore every night near Bicheno.

Built for Expo 86 as Canada's exhibit, today Canada Place (pictured) in Vancouver City Centre serves as a cruise ship terminal and convention centre, and is also the site of an IMAX theatre and the luxurious Pan Pacific Hotel.
The brough of Birsay is a tidal island holding Norse ruins dating back from the 9th century to the 13th century, as well evidence of the earlier Pictish settlement.
Once the summer palace of the Travancore Royal family, today Aluva Palace is one of the largest archeological palaces in Kerala.

Bermuda consists of about 138 islands and islets, with all the major islands aligned on a hook-shaped, but roughly east-west, axis and connected together by road bridges (map pictured).
The State Indian Museum in Sacramento contains displays of Native Californian basketry, beadwork, clothing and exhibits about the ongoing traditions of various California Indian tribes.
If you arrive at the Tottori sand dunes very early in the morning, you can see the unique patterns carved by the wind before they get trampled by the scores of people who come to climb the biggest dune.

Losari Beach (pictured) in the middle of Makassar offers very nice sunset view and food stalls are set up every night there.
Enniskillen is renowned for its loughs (lakes) and waterways.
Ajman is the smallest of the seven emirates making up the United Arab Emirates.

Hradisko Monastery (pictured) in Olomouc is the oldest monastery in Moravia, and has belonged to the military since the monastic order was banned by Emperor Joseph II in 1784.
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is the main reason for visitors to come to Moshi.
Worldwide, teaching English is a major industry.

Although the original Iwakuni Castle only stood for seven years, that was excuse enough for a reconstruction (pictured) during the 1960s.
The Calgary Tower may not be quite as impressive as the CN Tower in Toronto, but it still commands a great view over the city and the surroundings.

May 2018

It is forbidden to bring alcohol into Qatar as a tourist.

The Three Crosses (pictured) in Vilnius is a monument to seven Franciscan friars that were reportedly tortured there by pagans before the conversion of Lithuania to Christianity.
The most identifiable cuisine in Singapore is Peranakan or Nonya cuisine, born from the mixed Malay and Chinese communities of what were once the British colonies of the Straits Settlements.
The coastal strip of Angola is tempered by the cool Benguela Current, resulting in a climate similar to coastal Peru or Baja California.

Palacio de López in Asunción houses the Paraguayan government and is very well lit at night (pictured).
Given the huge area Jacksonville covers (largest city in the continental U.S.A.), cars are the only practical way of getting around.
The layout of Mariehamn follows the same basic guidelines as can be found in many Russian cities, with large avenues with promenades in the middle of the street.

Sigiriya is famous for its high red stone fortress and palace ruins which are surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens (pictured), reservoirs and other structures.
When dialed from outside Germany phone numbers on the East Frisian Island of Borkum start " 494922"
The National Landmarks Garden in Pyin U Lwin is a grandiose collection of large models of Burma's landmarks with interesting touches like proudly displaying oil wells in the middle of a line of stupa.

Vianden Castle (pictured) was impressively restored in 1977 and has been a real visitor's magnet ever since.
The prison camp Perm-36 was closed in 1988, and later turned into the only genuine Gulag museum in Russia.
Watching wildlife and the Great Migration in the Serengeti is tremendous; nowhere on earth is there a sight that can rival the spectacle of 1.5 million hoofed animals on the march.

The National Library of Bhutan (pictured) in Thimphu houses a rare collection of Buddhist texts.
Albanian is a branch of Indo-European and is considered to be the only language derived from the extinct Illyrian language.
The main islands of Samoa are the result of countless volcanic eruptions, leaving easily visible volcanic cones all over both islands.

The Esplanade is one of Greenock's most enjoyable walks, with Helensburgh, Kilcreggan (pictured) and the Highlands to see across the impressive expanse of the Clyde.
The riverboat Aquidabán still departs once a week from Concepción, Paraguay, a living relic of the city's history as an important transportation hub.
Fort Wayne is nicknamed the "Summit City" because, even though the surrounding area seems completely flat, it is on the high point of the old Wabash-Erie canal.

Maize-based dishes are popular in Swaziland, and mealie or pap (cooking pictured) – similar to porridge — is a staple.
Panama is well known for its excellent medical care, making it a recent hot spot for medical vacations.
People around the world wouldn't know La Grange if it weren't for the eponymous 1973 song by the rock band ZZ Top.

The monks at Wutong Monastery in Tongren have an unequaled reputation for creating beautifully detailed images of Buddhist deities meticulously painted (paints pictured) on stretched fine-weave canvas.
When recording video you will be aiming the camera at people for several times longer than when you're snapping a photo, which increases the chance of annoying someone if you're filming, say, a street scene.
A destination for windsurfing and kitesurfing, Dahab has about 270 days a year of wind.

Würzburger Residence is one of the finest palaces in Europe and is famed for its magnificent staircase (pictured).
Bhaktapur is an ancient city and is renowned for its elegant art, fabulous culture, colourful festivals, traditional dances and the indigenous lifestyle of the Newari community.
The Dr. Guislain Museum in Ghent is a museum on the history of mental health.

Monument Valley (pictured) has been the backdrop for many movies and advertisements, ranging from Marlboro cigarette ads to the films of John Ford to Back to the Future 3 and Forrest Gump.
The Pilbara is a very hot area, and Marble Bar is often quoted as the hottest place in Australia.
Alaska Airlines, despite its name, actually has its largest hub at SeaTac, though with frequent daily services to Anchorage.

April 2018

Taung Kwe Pagoda (pictured) in Loikaw is impressively built on a big rock with many smaller pagodas sticking out.
Buenos Aires has been called the gay capital of South America, and has a vast range of attractions specifically catering for LGBT travellers.
Aurora (Illinois) is probably best known for being the setting of the "Wayne's World" movies.

Looking at its beauty, it is hard to believe Bergamo (pictured) is also one of Italy's most industrialized cities, from which it derives its relative wealth.
Hot weather is not just about temperature, as humidity also greatly influences the effects.
With 8 km (5.0 mi) of hotels and restaurants, Boa Viagem beach in Recife is the longest urbanized stretch of beach in Brazil.

A fun throwback to colonial days are the calesa horse-drawn carriages (pictured) that still clip-clop through Vigan's streets.
The Bâtca Doamnei Fortress outside Piatra Neamț was founded in 1st century BC, but there are traces of a much earlier civilization.
Stretching from 17°S in the north to 55°S in the south, Chile is latitude-wise among the longest countries in the world, with several climate zones and types of nature.

In Tana Toraja you can see traditional Tongkonan houses (pictured), intricately decorated with upward-sloping roofs.
The National Railway Museum in York is the largest railway museum in the world, responsible for the conservation and interpretation of the British national collection of historically significant railway vehicles and other artefacts.
The world's largest PEZ dispenser, located at the Museum of PEZ Memorabilia in Burlingame, California, dispenses regular-sized PEZ dispensers.

The British Indian Ocean Territory is abundant in enormous coconut crabs (pictured), which can grow up to a meter in length.
It's possible to bicycle across the Sahara, crossing hundreds of kilometers of desert from Morocco to Senegal.
The Inca Trail through the mountains of Peru follows the same stone paths used by the Incas hundreds of years ago.

At a height of 34.1 metres, Cap-des-Rosiers Lighthouse (pictured), in Gaspé, is the tallest one in Canada.
A stunning group of turquoise lakes in the eastern part of the country, Band-e Amir is Afghanistan's first national park.
King Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca is the largest mosque in Morocco and has the tallest minaret in the world.

The Mask of Sorrow (pictured) outside Magadan is a huge concrete monument to the victims of the Gulags, for which this region was well known.
When buying clothes abroad (or from a foreign online store) you may run into a number of different systems for clothing sizes.
Thermopolis is notable for the presence of one of the world's largest hot springs.

The Qantas Founders Museum (aircraft on display pictured) in Longreach celebrates their early years in the town that they started from.
In the era of transatlantic ship travel Cobh was the first and last port in Europe.
Mumbai is named after the goddess Mumba devi of the Koli community.

Built at the beginning of the 15th century, the Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity (pictured) in Rakvere was a shelter during the Livonian war (1558-1583) and suffered greatly then.
Despite originating in the South of Italy, pizza is one of the most popular dishes in North America and has had a degree of cultural and societal impact that far outstrips most foods.
Don't use your thumb for hitchhiking in Gambia, as it's an obscene gesture there — instead wave if you want a car to stop.

The Poshanu Cham Tower (pictured) in the Phu Hai ward (Thap Po Sha Inu) of Mui Ne is a derelict remainder of the ancient Cham culture that was built in the 8th century.
The highest and the lowest points of South America are both located in Argentina.
According to a legend, Teotihuacan was where the gods gathered to plan the creation of man.

March 2018

The Great Wall of China, as we know it, is actually a series of several walls (map pictured) built at different times by different emperors.
South Sea pearls are a large part of the history of Broome.
Once famous for its hair-raisingly short runway ending at a cliff over the Atlantic Ocean, Funchal airport has been expanded to handle all sizes of aircraft.

The Swiss Papal Guards of the Vatican wear very colourful clothing, similar to the uniforms worn by Renaissance-era soldiers (pictured).
Maine's unique accent and dialect lend to its one-of-a-kind charm.
The Old Town of Szczecin is jokingly referred to by locals as "Brand New Old Town", as its reconstruction only started in late 1990s and is ongoing.
At the Fine Arts Museum of Uzbekistan (pictured) in Tashkent you can see Russian paintings depicting Uzbek people and their lifestyle, local antiquities, and decorations salvaged from ancient temples.
Tobacco products vary enormously in price around the world, mainly because different countries or states tax them differently.
Natives call Aguascalientes "the perforated city" or La Ciudad Perforada due to its intertwining passages, or catacombs beneath it that the pre-colonial Indians carved from rock.

Blackpool Tower Ballroom (pictured), in the eponymous Lancashire resort town, remains a global mecca for ballroom and Latin dancing.
Shenzhen is unique in that if you are travelling from Hong Kong and remain in the Shenzhen special economic zone, you do not need a full China Mainland Visa.
Inland San Diego County, California, is a haven for world-class rock-climbing.

While mostly known by Westerners for its 1945 conference, Yalta is a popular Crimean resort, and has such varied sights as Anton Chekhov's House and a beautiful Armenian church (pictured)
There must be something in the water at Havelock (New Zealand), as two of the world's greatest scientists had their formative education there: Sir Ernest Rutherford, the first man to split the atom, and the NASA rocket scientist Bill Pickering.
The Tonga people of Nkhata Bay on the shores of Lake Malawi are famed for their love of fine clothing — it's common to see older men dressed in full suits with Homburg hats, spats and canes!

Valley Forge National Historical Park was the place in Pennsylvania where, in the winter of 1777-78, General George Washington forged his Continental Army into a fighting force (re-enactment gunner pictured).
Cabo San Lucas captures the essence of Baja California, with excellent resorts, golf courses and watersports to enjoy by day, and one of Mexico's wildest nightlife scenes.
While some destinations are better known for their alcoholic beverages than anything else, other places totally ban alcohol. Therefore, a traveller needs to know and adapt to local drinking customs.

Zamora in Spain has Europe's highest concentration of Romanesque art and architecture (dome of the city's cathedral pictured).
The Honmé Museum in Porto-Novo is the former residence of King Toffa, and offers a nice look into how Beninese royalty lived.
The area around the Swedish town of Ljusdal is known for is UNESCO-listed decorated farmhouses.

Brisbane is very laid-back, even by Australian standards (Kangaroo rest area pictured).
Kisangani in the DRC is exceptionally diverse, with over 250 cultures represented and no single ethnicity or place of origin dominant.
The word Farsi entered the English language mainly because West-migrated Iranians didn't know about the English exonym for their language (i.e. Persian)

The Slovak National Uprising Memorial and Museum (pictured) in Banská Bystrica memorialises resistance to fascism during the Second World War.
Córdoba is the home of a popular genre of Argentine dance music, the lively and fast Cuarteto.
Kinsale is perhaps best known for the siege of 1601, the fallout of which resulted in the expulsion of the Gaelic aristocracy from Ireland and the supplanting of the ancient Irish social order by English rule.

Park Square, the beautifully-preserved village center of Franklinville, New York, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 (former Town Hall at 11 Park Square pictured).
Dhanbad is considered the coal capital of India, home to 112 coal mines and the country's largest colliery.
Buffalo National River in northern Arkansas has over 300 caves within its boundary.

Built circa 850 CE, the Grand Mosque of Sousse, Tunisia (pictured) is simple and austere in the Aghlabite style, with no decoration whatsoever aside from a string of angular Arabic and curved arches.

February 2018

The Skull Tower near Niš was built in the 19th century by the Turks from the skulls of the Serbs killed in the battle of Cegar.
Most visitors to Puerto Galera, Philippines are attracted by the excellent scuba diving provided by the protected marine sanctuary.

The Juscelino Kubitschek Memorial (pictured) is Brasilia's highest location, a museum dedicated to the life and accomplishments of the president, which also houses his remains.
The British Virgin island Jost Van Dyke is known as the home of the notorious rum-based drink painkiller.
Bahrain's biggest yearly event is the Bahrain Grand Prix F1 race, held each April at the Bahrain International Circuit.

The Nanjing Confucius Temple Museum (pictured) comprises a tiny fraction of the once-massive original buildings.
Ohio has been home to eight American Presidents, giving it the nickname Mother of U.S. Presidents.
As you approach the Little Castle in Český Krumlov, you cross the Bear Moat, where the famous Krumlov bears gambol about lazily.

During the Festa do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres, held on the fifth Sunday after Easter, streets in São Miguel in the Azores are carpeted with colorful flowers (pictured).
The Gurminj Museum of Musical Instruments in Dushanbe displays Central Asian musical instruments, and during musical or cultural events there you can see and hear them being played.
Once named Berlin, Kitchener, Ontario was renamed after British military hero Lord Kitchener in 1916, due to the anti-German sentiment during World War I.

Athens offers some of the best and worst urban walking (stairs in the Plaka district pictured) in Europe.
For most of human history, people either traveled for religious reasons or out of economic necessity, hence business travel may well be the oldest form of travel.
The last two decades, dinosaurs have become a main theme of Savannakhet, Laos.

Wycliffe Well is not just another roadhouse — it is the self-proclaimed UFO Capital of Australia (sign pictured).
The name Quime comes from the Quechua word for "Place to Rest" and was a traditional stopping point for mules carrying gold.
Northern Cyprus has been dubbed as the Turkish Las Vegas, and you will find casinos almost everywhere in the country.

The name of the New Forest (ponies pictured) is somewhat misleading, as it is neither new, nor is it a forest in the current sense of the word; in 1079, the word "forest" was understood to mean "game reserve".
Visiting the Soviet Lifestyle Museum in Kazan has been described as going through a time-machine back to the USSR.
Like the South Pole, the precise location of the North Pole is constantly shifting due to shifts in the Earth's axis of rotation.

The Padmanabhapuram Palace (pictured) outside Thiruvananthapuram in southern India is recorded as the world's largest wooden palace by the Guinness Books of Records.
Forgottonia's peculiar name in part stems from a semi tongue-in-cheek independence movement from the 1970s that was a reaction to economic hardship and policy decisions harmful to western Illinois.
The present Greek alphabet was introduced by a Phoenician called Qadmu (Καδμος) about 800 BCE and has been in use continuously since then.

Flights to Milford Sound Airport (pictured) are undoubtedly some of the world's greatest scenic flights, with unsurpassed views of the mountains and glaciers en route.
Himachal Pradesh's name literally means "Abode of Snow" in Sanskrit.
The title "Nebraska Admiral" is solely honorary; as the only triple-landlocked U.S. state, Nebraska is separated from tidewater by at least three other states or provinces in every direction.

A dusty ranching center in northern Argentina, surrounded by cacti and colorful mountains, Humahuaca (pictured) looks like a set for a wild west movie.
The former meat-packing plant in Fray Bentos, Uruguay, was once one of the largest industrial plants in South America.

January 2018

Jet lag is caused by rapid travel across time zones.

The Sintra National Palace (pictured) was the summer estate of the Portuguese royal family from the middle ages until the 1910 republican revolution.
The Alexander Pushkin Museum is dedicated to the adventures of Odessa's most famous short-term resident.
The Avenida Paulista, with its busy cosmopolitan atmosphere and blend of old and new architecture, is a good representation of São Paulo's aspirations for itself.

Morondava is known throughout Madagascar for its ancient baobab trees (pictured), including the two intertwined "baobabs amoureux".
North Gyeongsang is the cultural epicenter of Korea, where Buddhist traditions and Confucian philosophy still guide a rather conservative populace.
Abu Dhabi is a compulsive shopper's dream.

Þingvellir National Park in Iceland sits on the faultline between the Eurasian and North American plates (pictured).
The casino in Bad Homburg served as direct inspiration for the Monte Carlo Grand Casino, which the Monegasque Prince ordered to be built "in the German style".
The sale of postage stamps and coins to foreign collectors is an important source of revenue for the island nation of Niue.

The El Choro Trek (view on day one of the trek pictured) was constructed before or during the Inca Empire for the transport of food and goods to the high mountains from the subtropical woods.
Barber shops consisting of nothing but a chair and an enthusiastic barber can be found on the sides of roads in Johannesburg.
The best rice in Japan is said to come from Niigata.

One of Spain's most spectacular fire festivals, Valencia's Falles (pictured) can be best characterized as a fire-fireworks-gunpowder street party extravaganza.
Hamburg still has Bahnsteigkarten. These are tickets for those who wish to enter the platform area but don't want to ride a train.
With only 37,000 inhabitants, Nunavut covers a land area larger than Mexico.

Martians (tripod sculpture pictured) chose the English town of Woking to launch their invasion of Earth in H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds.
Luganville, Vanuatu's biggest draw is the wreck of the SS President Coolidge, a WWII troop carrier sunk by friendly mines in 1942.
The Pacific Rim Whale Festival celebrates the annual migration of 20,000 grey whales past the small town of Ucluelet, British Columbia.

Amateur photographers will appreciate Komsomolsk-on-Amur for its many Stalinist-era neo-renaissance buildings (residential block pictured).
Garden City, Long Island, is actually a village.
Travellers teaching English must be prepared to strain their knowledge of their own language in order to answer seemingly straightforward questions posed by learners.

One specialty of Spanish cuisine is tapas (pictured), small bites of meat, seafood, cheese or vegetables that are traditionally eaten as bar snacks.
Gurudwara Sahib in Mantin is one of the oldest Sikh temples in Malaysia.
Jesus is said to have been baptised in the Jordan river at Jericho, now in the Palestinian Territories

As a purpose-built capital city, Abuja is a great place to see modern Nigerian architecture (National Mosque pictured).
Despite the popular Croatian saying that Split experiences snowfall once every 30 years, there is actually at least one snowy day nearly every winter.
"Standard souvenirs" to purchase from La Fortuna include photos of the town's erupting volcano, machetes and Costa Rican coffee.

Mars, Pennsylvania has a statue of a flying saucer (pictured).
DNA researchers in Knysna, South Africa ask visitors to report any elephant dung they discover.
The Omani region of Dhofar is UNESCO-listed as the land of frankincense.