35 photos from Lorne
(Victoria, Australia)

2014-09-12

Lorne is a seaside town on Louttit Bay in Victoria, Australia. It is situated about the Erskine River and is a popular destination on the Great Ocean Road tourist route. Lorne is in the Surf Coast Shire and at the 2006 Census in Australia had a population of 967, but this figure grows during the holiday season. We visited Lorne, the nearby Memorial Arch at Eastern View and a viewing point at the Cumberland River Holiday Park during our day trip on the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne.

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247 photos from Los Palmitos
(Gran Canaria, Spain)

2022-02-27

Los Palmitos is a village on the south side of Gran Canaria which houses the Palmitos Park, a 20-hectare botanical garden, aviary and zoo. Palmitos Park has a great wealth of cacti and succulents. There are over 160 different cactus types, and 1000 palm trees of 42 different types. Parrot-like birds are well represented in the park, but other types of birds can also be found, including swans and ducks. Overall, there are over 1,500 exotic birds of 230 different species. Many fly freely around the park. Palmitos Park holds Europe`s largest butterfly venue, as well as the biggest Orchid collection on the island. It has a Dolphinarium with 6 dolphins, and live dolphin shows interacting with the audience. We visited Palmitos Park on a day trip from Maspalomas in the winter of 2022.

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95 photos from Beraban
(Bali, Indonesia)

2017-05-26

Beraban is a town on the regency Tabanan in the Indonesian province of Bali. The town has 6491 inhabitants (2010). Its main attraction is the Pura Tanah Lot temple. Tanah Lot means `Land in the Sea` in the Balinese language. The temple sits on a large offshore rock which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide. Tanah Lot is claimed to be the work of the 16th-century Dang Hyang Nirartha. The main deity of the temple is Dewa Baruna or Bhatara Segara, who is the sea god or sea power and these days, Nirartha is also worshipped here. The Tanah Lot temple was built and has been a part of Balinese mythology for centuries. In addition to Balinese mythology, the temple was significantly influenced by Hinduism. We visited the Pura Tanah Lot temple and the nearby Pura Batu Bolong temple in the spring of 2017.

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8 photos from Phoenix
(Arizona, USA)

2003-11-14 - 2003-11-21

A SC 2003 Conference visit of Tim to the desert state of Arizona, in the southwest of the USA. Phoenix is the fifth largest city of the United States with a population of 1.5 million.

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238 photos from Dinant
(Namur, Belgium)

2007-04-06 - 2007-04-09

Dinant is a Walloon city and municipality located on the River Meuse in the Belgian province of Namur, Belgium. We visited the Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame, the Citadel, the city center, the river side, and the `La Merveilleuse` caves.

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46 photos from Loudi
(Hunan, China)

2009-09-09 - 2009-09-12

Loudi is a city located in central Hunan province, China. It is situated about 110km south west of the provincial capital of Changsha and is considered a small to medium size city within the province. The population of Loudi is just over 4 million while the city proper itself has a population of 1.3 million. We visited Miaomiao`s grandparents at the countryside near Loudi.

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37 photos from Playa de las Americas
(Tenerife, Spain)

2019-01-05

Playa de las Américas is a purpose-built holiday resort in the southern and southern-west part of the Municipality of Arona, close to the adjoining Municipality of Adeje in the west of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands. It was built in the 1960s beside the town of Los Cristianos and stretching west to the Costa Adeje. The resort area features bars, nightclubs, restaurants, attractions, and beaches, most of which are man-made with imported sand from Africa due to the darkness of the native volcanic sand. Playa de las Americas is a centre of nightlife in Tenerife. Nightlife is spread around the resort and includes the Veronicas Strip, Starco Commercial Centre and the Patch. We visited Playa de las Américas on the last day of our holidays in Tenerife in 2018/2019.

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91 photos from Mycenae
(Peloponnese, Greece)

2009-03-10

Mycenae is an archaeological site in Greece, located about 90 km south-west of Athens, in the north-eastern Peloponnese. Argos is 6 km to the south; Corinth, 48 km to the north. From the hill on which the palace was located one can see across the Argolid to the Saronic Gulf. In the second millennium BC Mycenae was one of the major centres of Greek civilization, a military stronghold which dominated much of southern Greece. The period of Greek history from about 1600 BC to about 1100 BC is called Mycenaean in reference to Mycenae. In March 2009, Miaomiao and Tim visited the ancient citadel of Mycenae and the nearby tomb of Clytemnestra as part of a day trip from Athens to the Argolis region of Greece.

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197 photos from Granada
(Andalusia, Spain)

2010-12-29

Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. The Alhambra, a Moorish citadel and palace, is in Granada. It is one of the most famous items of the Islamic historical legacy that makes Granada a hot spot among cultural and tourist cities in Spain. Tim and Miaomiao visited the Alhambra and the city center on a day trip from Seville in December 2010.

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480 photos from Paris
(Île-de-France, France)

2010-07-31 - 2010-08-08

Paris is the capital and largest city of France. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region. The city of Paris, within its administrative limits largely unchanged since 1860, has an estimated population of 2,193,031 (January 2007), but the Paris aire urbaine (or metropolitan area) has a population of 11,836,970 (January 2007), and is one of the most populated metropolitan areas in Europe. Paris is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The Paris region receives 45 million tourists annually, 60% of whom are foreign visitors. The city and region contain numerous iconic landmarks, world-famous institutions and popular parks. We visited the city for a second time together in the summer of 2010.

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31 photos from Seljalandsfoss
(Southern Region, Iceland)

2013-03-03

Seljalandsfoss is one of the most famous waterfalls of Iceland. It is very picturesque and therefore its photo can be found in many books and calendars. It was a waypoint during the first leg of The Amazing Race 6. Seljalandsfoss is situated in between Selfoss and Skógafoss at the road crossing of Route 1 (the Ring Road) with the track going into Þórsmörk. This waterfall of the river Seljalandsá drops 60 metres over the cliffs of the former coastline. It is possible to go behind the waterfall. Tim and Miaomiao visited Seljalandsfoss during their trip through Iceland in the winter of 2013.

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122 photos from Ghent
(East Flanders, Belgium)

2006-09-16 - 2006-09-17

Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region, Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and became in the Middle Ages one of the largest and richest cities of northern Europe. Today it is a busy city with a port and a university.

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265 photos from Avignon
(Provence-Alpes-Côte d`Azur, France)

2007-08-02 - 2007-08-06

Avignon is a commune in the Vaucluse département in southeastern France with a population of 90,000 in the city itself and a population of 290,000 in the metropolitan area. The city is well known for its Palais des Papes, where several popes and antipopes lived from the early 14th to early 15th centuries. We visited the Notre Dame des Doms, the Palais des Papes, the Pont d`Avignon, and much more in and around the city center.

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310 photos from Belek
(Antalya, Turkey)

2023-10-17

Belek is a neighbourhood in the Serik district in Turkey`s Antalya Province. Its population is 9,102 (2022). Belek is one of the centers of Turkey`s tourism industry and is home to more than thirty four-star and five-star hotels and many other accommodation services and entertainment facilities. The town and the surrounding area are famous for their spas and mineral waters received from seven springs. Belek is home to the Land of Legends theme park and shopping avenue, which we visited on a day trip from Antalya in the autumn of 2023.

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220 photos from Side
(Antalya, Turkey)

2023-10-19

Side is a city on the southern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. It includes the modern resort town and the ruins of the ancient city of Side, one of the best-known classical sites in the country. Modern Side is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of Manavgat. The great ruins are among the most notable in Asia Minor. They cover a large promontory which a wall and a moat separate from the mainland. The colossal theatre complex of the 2nd century is less well-preserved that of Aspendos, but it is almost as large, seating 15,000–20,000 people. It was converted into an open-air sanctuary with two chapels during Byzantine times. The well-preserved city walls provide an entrance to the site through the Hellenistic main gate from the 2nd century BC. The colonnaded street had marble columns whose remains can be seen near the Roman baths, restored as a museum displaying statues and sarcophagi from the Roman period. The agora includes the remains of the round Tyche and Fortuna temple. The early Roman Temple of Dionysus is near the theatre. At the left side is a Byzantine Basilica. Other buildings include three temples and a nymphaeum, a grotto or fountain building of elaborate design. We visited Side on a day trip from Antalya in the autumn of 2023.

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454 photos from Gozo
(Gozo and Comino, Malta)

2023-12-27

On our second trip to Gozo, we visited Ramla Beach, the Ġgantija Temples, the Ta' Kola Windmill, the Xwenji Salt Pans, the Rotunda St. John Baptist Church, the former Azure Window, the Bethlehem in Ghajnsielem event and more.

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421 photos from Athens
(Attica, Greece)

2009-03-07 - 2009-03-14

Athens, the capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the world`s oldest cities, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. The Greek capital has a population of 750,000 within its administrative limits. The Athens Larger Urban Zone (LUZ) is the 7th most populated LUZ in the EU with a population of over 4 million. A bustling and cosmopolitan metropolis, Athens is central to economic, financial, industrial, political and cultural life in Greece. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state. A centre for the arts, learning and philosophy, home of Plato`s Academy and Aristotle`s Lyceum, Athens was also the birthplace of Socrates, Pericles, Sophocles and its many other prominent philosophers, writers and politicians of the ancient world. It is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy. The heritage of the classical era is still evident in the city, represented by a number of ancient monuments and works of art, the most famous of all being the Parthenon on the Acropolis. Tim and Miaomiao visited Athens and the nearby harbor city Piraeus, together with other Greek places, in March 2009.

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47 photos from Buea
(Southwest, Cameroon)

2005-10-25 - 2005-10-28

Buea is the capital of the Southwest Province of Cameroon. The town is located on the eastern slopes of Mount Cameroon and has a population of 57,000. Buea was the colonial capital of the German Kamerun from 1901 to 1919 and the capital of the Southern Cameroons from 1949 until 1961.

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46 photos from Wenchang
(Hainan, China)

2012-01-20

Wenchang is a county-level city in the northeast of Hainan province, China. Although called a `city`, Wenchang refers to a large land area in Hainan - an area which was once a county. The urban center and the seat of government of Wenchang is officially known as `Wencheng Town`. Wenchang, or in local Hainanese dialect as Boon Siou, is the source of most overseas Hainanese migrants, with the majority of Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, UK, Australia, USA, Canada & Europe Hainanese population having ancestral roots in Boon Siou / Wen Chang. We took a boat tour on the Bamenwan bay, and visited a nearby mangrove forest.

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184 photos from Lokrum
(Dalmatia, Croatia)

2022-08-01

Lokrum is an island in the Adriatic Sea 600 metres from the city of Dubrovnik, Croatia. It stretches from northwest to southeast and receives regular ferry service from the Old City port. Austrian archduke (and short-lived Emperor of Mexico) Maximilian once had a holiday home on the island. A monastery and a botanical garden survive from his era. On the island`s highest point at 96 metres above sea level stands Fort Royal Castle, which was built by the French during Napoleon`s occupation of Croatia, though it was later named `Maximilian`s Tower` by the Austrians. We visited Lokrum on a day trip from Dubrovnik in the summer of 2022.

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161 photos from Durbuy
(Luxembourg, Belgium)

2017-10-13 - 2017-10-16

Durbuy is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Luxembourg. On 1 January 2007 the municipality had 10,633 inhabitants. The total area is 156.61 km2. In medieval times Durbuy was an important centre of commerce and industry. In 1331, the town was elevated to the rank of city by John I, Count of Luxemburg, and King of Bohemia. In 1628 Anthonie II Schetz obtains the Seigneurie of Durbuy, by permission of Felipe IV of Spain. One of the people connected to the city was the son of Lancelot II: Charles Hubert Augustin Schetz (1662-1726), Count of Durbuy. In 1756 the decendants of the House of Schetz obtain the Castle. Since then the House of Ursel resides in the Castle. The current castle was built in 1880. The Ourthe river flows through the municipality. Tourism and recreation are its main activities nowadays. Durbuy is often presented and promoted as `the smallest town of the world` - but it is not. The smallest town of the world is Hum, Croatia. We visited Durbuy in the autumn of 2017.

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45 photos from Badaling
(Beijing, China)

2007-11-07

From Beijing we were driven to Badaling, the site of the most visited section of the Great Wall of China, approximately 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Beijing city in Yanqing County, which is within the Beijing municipality. The portion of the wall running through the site was built during the Ming Dynasty, along with a military outpost reflecting the location`s strategic importance. The portion of the wall at Badaling has undergone heavy restoration, and in 1957 it was the first section of the wall to open to tourists. Now visited annually by millions, the immediate area has seen significant development, including hotels, restaurants, and a cable car.

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183 photos from Hong Kong
(Hong Kong, China)

2007-10-19 - 2007-11-16

A second travel to Hong Kong, and the start and the end of our China tour in 2007. We visited Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, the Avenue of Stars, Victoria Harbour, the Star Ferry, the Peak Tram and Victoria Peak.

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27 photos from Sagunto
(Valencia, Spain)

2006-08-21

Sagunto, formerly Murviedro, is an ancient city in Eastern Spain, in the modern fertile district of Camp de Morvedre in the province of Valencia. It is located in a hilly site, c. 30 km north of Valencia, close to the Costa del Azahar on the Mediterranean Sea. We visited the Roman theater and the Old Jewish Quarter.

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53 photos from Echternach
(Grevenmacher, Luxembourg)

2014-06-09

Echternach is a commune with city status in the canton of Echternach, which is part of the district of Grevenmacher, in eastern Luxembourg. Echternach lies near the border with Germany, and is the oldest town (current population 4,610) in Luxembourg. It grew around the walls of the Abbey of Echternach, which was founded in 698 by St. Willibrord, an English monk from Ripon, Northumbria (in present-day North Yorkshire, England), who became the first bishop of Utrecht and worked to Christianize the Frisians. As bishop, he was the Echternach monastery`s abbot until his death in 739. It is in his honour that the dancing procession takes place annually on Whit Tuesday. Tim and Miaomiao visited Echternach and its abbey in June 2014.

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1556 photos from Beijing
(Beijing, China)

2023-07-14 - 2023-07-22

On our fourth trip to Beijing, we visited the Beijing Planetarium, the Beijing Aquarium, the Forbidden City, the Olympic Stadium, the National Museum, the Summer Palace, and more.

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117 photos from Barcelona
(Catalonia, Spain)

2006-08-17 - 2006-08-18

Barcelona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, with a population of 1,615,908 in 2008, while the population of the Metropolitan Area was 3,161,081. We visited the Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, the Ramblas, and Camp Nou.

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96 photos from Longkou
(Shandong, China)

2014-01-05

Longkou, formerly Huang County, is a port city in northeastern Shandong province, People`s Republic of China, facing the Bohai Sea to the north and the Laizhou Bay to the west. Longkou, a county-level city, is administered by the prefecture-level city of Yantai. The total population of Longkou is 620,000. We visited the Nanshan Temple and a fish restaurant on the seaside.

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