Iceland’s Golden Circle: Þingvellir National Park

Þingvellir National Park (Thingvellir in English which literally means “Parliament Plains”) in the Golden Circle region of Iceland is a UNESCO World Heritage site where the Alþing (Althing) open-air assembly,  like a Viking parliament representing the whole of Iceland (they would meet for 2 weeks each year and set the laws of the land and settle disputes…

Okavango Delta – Botswana

The Okavango Delta in north-west Botswana is a stunning and very large inland delta of permanent marshlands and seasonally flooded plains formed from the flow of the River Okavango. The delta is rare in that it does not flow into the ocean and is made up of lakes, canals, swamp and islands. Wild camping on one…

Aussie Outback: New South Wales – Mungo National Park

Mungo National Park in the south-west outback of New South Wales is a World Heritage Area of spectacular scenery and over 40,000 years of ancient history. Some of the most stunning scenery in Mungo is the Walls of China and the great white sand dunes. The fragile Walls of China made of clay and sand were formed into…

Aussie Outback: Northern Territory – Uluru (Ayers Rock)

The showpiece of Central Australia is the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the Northern Territory. This is where the giant stone monoliths Uluru (Ayers Rock) and its neighbor Kata Tjuta (The Olgas)  jut into the sky from the red earth below. Uluru is the worlds largest monolith (it is formed from sandstone) and nearby Kata Tjuta is a series of 36 large domed…

Mont Saint-Michel – the jewel of Normandy

Dating back to the 6th century, Mont Saint-Michel is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Normandy, France. Built on a tidal island it has been used as a strategic fortification and since the 8th century the site of the monastery for which it is today named. The Benedictine abbey that stands there today is dedicated archangel St…

The Palace of Versailles

June 5th, 2012 The Palace of Versailles was once the seat of power of the Kings of France. It is a very elaborate place, with a large collection of art and set on vast palace grounds of gardens, the grand canal, ponds, fountains and more. The gardens cover some 800 hectares of the 1,070 hectare site…

Quebec City – Canada

March 26th – 28th, 2012 What a wonderful place Quebec City is. As you walk around the old town streets it is hard to believe you are in North America! The city on the Saint Lawrence River was founded in 1608 (the first French explorers actually built a fort there in 1535) and looks like it is straight…