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Cruising Past Still More Monasteries on Mount Athos, Greece: Part 3
I promise, we’re almost done… – Impressive Simonos Petras Monastery (Saint Simon) was built on a large rock foundation and towers 230 meters/754 feet above the sea. Founded in the Fourteenth Century...
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Mount Athos Cruises Leave from Busy Ouranopoli/Ouranoupolis, Greece
Boat cruises past Mount Athos usually leave twice a day from busy Ouranopoli/Ouranoupolis and are loaded with tourists. They both leave around the same time and return to port around the same time...
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Unique and Spectacular UNESCO Rila Monastery, Bulgaria
Marine Steve and I visited Rila Monastery 10 years ago (actually hiked there with a Wilderness Travel group traveling through Bulgaria) and were thrilled with a chance to gawk at the fabulous frescoes...
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Outside the Back Entrance to Rila Monastery, Bulgaria
The existing structures inside Rila Monastery date back to the Nineteenth Century except for Hrelyu Tower built with donations of Prince Stefan Hrelyu who had it built in 1355 for defensive purposes....
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Three Nights at Manmaru Guesthouse – Anbo, Yakushima
Yakushima is a small granite, mountainous island that has a great deal of precipitation. There is measurable precipitation half the year, earning Yakushima a reputation of being one of the most...
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Information: Tiny Anbo Town and Other Sights on Yakushima Island
Because of its isolation, terrain and exceptional climate Yakushima has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The small population lives around the coast of this mountainous island, while...
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Beaches and Hot Springs on UNESCO Yakushima Island
Yakushima is not only Japan’s wettest place, it also ranks as one of the world’s wettest places! There’s no argument for us. It not only rained all three days during the visit but we had monsoon-like...
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Walking Through Ancient Cedar Forests on Yakushima Island
The center of Yakushima is a temperate rain-forest and, to repeat, its island is not only Japan’s wettest place, it also ranks as one of the world’s wettest places! It not only rained all three days...
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What to See in Conques, France: Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy
The major sight in Conques is the former Abbey-Church of Saint-Foy (St. Faith). Conques became a pilgrimage destination in the Ninth Century when it acquired the relics of a Saint-Foy (St. Faith), a...
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Conques – One of the most Beautiful Villages in France
The small town of beyond gorgeous Conques (pop: 300) is on the list of “Les Plus Beaux Villages” (the most beautiful villages) in France (you’ll get no argument from me), and an important stop along...
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Shirakawa-go Village – UNESCO World Heritage Site
Located in a mountainous region cut off from the rest of the world for a long period of time, the Shirakawa-go/Gokayama area became a place that a religious order settled for ascetic religion mountain...
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Visit Charming Little UNESCO Uji, Japan
Uji is a small city between Kyoto and Nara. At the height of the Fujiwara clan’s political power between 794 to 1192, Byodoin Temple and Ujigami Shrine (the oldest extant shrine in Japan) were...
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How to Plan a Trip Along the Rhine in Germany
My opinion? The easiest way to visit the Rhine area is on one of the many Rhine Cruises traveling the Middle Rhine in both directions. Book a date, board, unpack and that’s it. But Marine Steve and I...
View ArticleHistoric Kanman Path in UNESCO Nikko
The picturesque Kanman Path (kanman-ga-fuchi) begins at the Nikko Public Hall. People rightfully visit Nikko to see UNESCO Toshogu famed Shinto shrine established in 1617 as a lavish memorial for...
View ArticleThe Chuxi Tulou Cluster, Yongding County
(Please read this older article below about the Chuxi Tulou cluster. According to friends on the Viking Orion Excursion, visitors are no longer allowed into the upstairs rooms. Because of that, they...
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