Category: North America
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Best of Cuba
1 La Habana Vieja Fortresses, palaces, churches and mansions frame the grand plazas of this Spanish colonial city which has barely changed since the 19th century. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the main focus for tourists to the capital, with buzzing streetlife and iconic sights. 2 Las Terrazas Part of a Biosphere…
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Discover revolutionary Cuba
As Cuba celebrates the 60th anniversary of the uprising led by Fidel Castro, which was completed in January 1959, explore six fascinating sites linked to the Revolution Museo de la Revolución, Havana Museo de la Revolución, Havana This huge, ornate building, topped by a dome, was once the Presidential Palace, but now contains the…
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Alternative Tourism in Granada
Granada may well be the country’s most conventional tourist destination, but it offers opportunities for some great alternative experiences too. Founded in 1984, UCA Tierra y Agua (Union of Agriculture and Fishing Cooperatives ‘Earth and Water’) is a union of nine co-operatives, one women’s association and more than 150 families who supplement their farming-based income…
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Granada’s Poetry Festival
Each February, Granada’s elegant colonial courtyards, historic houses, public squares and churches reverberate to the sounds of poetic verse. Since 2005, an annual festival of poetry has been attracting over 100 scribes and thousands of spectators from around the world. Concerts, art exhibits, theatrical performances and impassioned debates accompany the lyrical occasion, but it…
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Six Volcano Destinations
Nicaragua is a land born out of fire, displayed in its volatile geoglogical scenery. 1 Volcán Masaya The Parque Nacional Volcán Masaya is home to one of the world’s most accessible volcano complexes – and one of the most active. Perpetually smoking and threatening cataclysm, the yawning chasm of its Santiago crater was long thought…
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Top Nicaraguan Attractions
Archaeology Although the archaeology is not as inspiring as the Mayan temples further north, Nicaragua’s pre-Columbian history is fascinating. Around the country, museums display artefacts that have been discovered in each region; the best are at the Palacio Nacional de la Cultura in Managua, the Museo Antiguo Convento de San Francisco in Granada and Museo…
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5 unmissable experiences in Nicaragua
This beautiful Central American country hasn’t always had a smooth ride – but today its friendly folk, picture-perfect landscapes, wildlife and diverse heritage provide plenty of thrills for visitors Ometepe Island, Nicaragua Roam volcanic Ometepe Island Board the ferry at San Jorge for the short crossing over Lake Nicaragua (reputedly home to freshwater bullsharks)…
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Discover Seattle: Things to See & Do
Everyone says it rains all the time in Seattle but that was the furthest thing from our minds when we landed at SeaTac Airport. It was a dream come true for me and my students. Months of planning and fund raising were finally paying off and seeing the Space Needle from the air was so…
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Guide to Visiting Sonoma
Just 40 miles north of San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge is the Sonoma Valley, northern California’s food and wine mecca — and my getaway destination! I select the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa as my base of operations because I’m interested in its facilities and its history. Other properties in the area are…
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Six Final Frontiers
an Juan de Nicaragua Located at the yawning mouth of the Río San Juan, the Caribbean port of San Juan de Nicaragua, formerly known as San Juan del Norte, marks the end of a long, meandering trip on jungle-shrouded river. No roads connect it with the outside world and the surrounding rainforests – the ancestral…