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Discovering the magic of South Africa in Parys

It was our third day in South Africa and we were on our way from Pilanesberg National Park to Parys, a small town southwest of Johannesberg. Parys is Afrikaans for Paris. “I bet it even has its own Eiffel Tower”, I joked. To my surprise, Kate, our South Africa Tourism host, turned around and said, “yes, [...]

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Chilling in Rio

I LOVE RIO! Who wouldn’t? It surely is one of the most spectacular cities in the world. Hemmed in between a huge bay, the Atlantic Ocean and a mountainous interior, Rio de Janeiro boasts some of the most famous attractions anywhere, such as the Christ the Redeemer statue atop the Corcovado mountain, the Sugar Loaf [...]

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One big happy Mercado

“Crisis? In Mercado de San Miguel, the crisis is far, far away”. I smiled. I knew exactly what she meant. I stood there, at the seafood tapas bar with my new friends, two Madrileñas. We clutched glasses of vino in our hands and we’d emptied two plates of spicy mussels. I looked around and she [...]

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The historic baths of Budapest

A trip to Budapest will not be complete without a visit to at least one of its historic thermal baths. It’s said that the Romans settled in the area because of the abundance of thermal springs – I would too! The first Roman baths were constructed around the 2nd century AD but it wasn’t till [...]

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UBER cool and oh so classy!

UBER. I’d never heard of it until my recent trip to Berlin. I was handed several discount vouchers and decided to give them a try one evening. After a long day out on the town, the idea of my very own private limousine to take me back to my accommodation sounded very appealing. I downloaded [...]

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Dear Weather Gods…

It has been a gorgeous winter. Crisp cold air, stunning snowy scenes and curling up next to the fireplace. I truly enjoyed it. It’s spring now yet snow continues to fall from thick grey clouds and the mercury is barely above the freezing point. Please wrap up the snow clouds, blow some warmth into the [...]

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A view of London through its maps

The Beefeater, Big Ben and the dome of St Paul’s are all icons of London recognised by everyone. But there’s another icon of the city that every Londoner knows, though perhaps they don’t think of it that way – the Underground map. Look at one of the early tube maps and what you’ll see is [...]

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The fortress town of Civitella del Tronto

Civitella del Tronto is a historic fortress town in the northeastern corner of Abruzzo, the Italian region that stretches from the slopes of the Appenine mountains (east of Rome) to the Adriatic Sea. The last fortress The 500 meter long fortress, the second largest of its kind in Europe after the fortress in Salzburg, is [...]

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Where a million paths cross

New York City! Who could ever forget their very first time in this great city? I remember strolling down the streets in complete awe of the buildings and the incredible energy gushing through the city. On my first visit in 1992, I was determined to see all the famous landmarks that I’d gotten to know [...]

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Exploring Bo Kaap in Cape Town

The Bo Kaap neighbourhood in Cape Town is a historic enclave that graces the slopes of Signal Hill. The first thing anyone will notice about this neighbourhood are the gorgeous, brightly-coloured houses lining steep cobbled streets. The second thing: the faint scent of spices such as cardamom and cloves in the air. Bo Kaap is [...]

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