Barcelona, the capital of Catalunya, suffered during the long years of Franco's dictatorship (1939-1975). It was a city struggling to maintain its own culture and politics despite repression from the central government. Barcelona's extensive historical heritage ranges from Roman ruins to state-of-the-art contemporary architecture, with a little Gothic and modernista (Catalan art) in between. Befor...

Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain, it is a city of great cultural and political importance. While Madrid possesses a modern infrastructure, it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighborhoods and streets. Before we head to Madrid, we stopped by Córdoba, which was the capital of the Roman province Provincia Hispania Ulterior Baetica. Córdoba is a major cultural fo...

A day visit to the Rock of Gibraltar is a welcome relief from touring another cathedral or castle in Spain. Gibraltar was one of the two pillars erected by Hercules to mark the edge of the world. La Lina, Spain is the primary gateway to Gibraltar and the border crossing is located across from La Lina's main square, the Plaza de la Constitucion. It was fairly easy to cross from Spain into Gibraltar...

Sevilla is the artistic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain, ranked as the fourth largest metropolitan area of Spain. Upon arrival, we went to see the famous Flamenco Show at El Palacio Andaluz. A 1.5 hours Flamenco show that involves singing, dance and guitar. Other Tablaos, or professional Flamenco bars can be found all over Sevilla. The next morning, we went to The Cathedral ...

Lisbon (Lisboa) is the capital of Portugal. This city used to be the center of one of the biggest empires of all times, with colonies in America, Asia and Africa. Portugal is a small country on the west of the Iberian peninsula. It has more than 800 km of Atlantic Coast and it’s the most western country in mainland Europe with many historical buildings and monuments. First we went to "Carbo da Roc...

Ho Chi Minh (formerly Saigon) is a fast paced city with a unique mix of French colonial architecture, Chinese influences and numerous temples. Upon arrival, we visited the Notre Dame cathedral (built 1877), the Post Office, and finish the day with a trip to Ben Thanh market for some bargain shopping and tried some local food. We stayed at Duxton Hotel near the Dong Khoi road, a street that is equi...

Cancun, best-known for its white sand beaches, near-perfect weather, and bright blue waters, is the Acapulco of Mexico's Gulf Coast. There is downtown Cancun and the hotel-zone at the beach, situated on a peninsula, which is approximately 20 km long and 400 m wide. Upon arrival at the Hotel Zone in Cancun, we checked in at the Meridien hotel right next to the white sand beach. North of Cancun is I...

Dinner at the historic Distillery restaurant in Moss Beach California, a favorite ocean view restaurant with great seafood. We enjoyed a breath-taking view of the Pacific ocean from the bluffs while tasting the excellent wine & cuisine. There's also the largest outdoor patio dock on the coast. Live music includes jazz and blues bands that often play at night. The Moss Beach Distillery has a 72 ...

Went to Japan Fukuoka for a week vacation first week of 2007. Visited couple of hot springs in Fukuoka at Beppu, which is located on the east coast of Kyushu Island, between the Seto Inland Sea and its steep mountains and hills. It is one of Japan's most famous and most touristy hot spring resorts. Beppu is Japan's onsen capital as it has the largest volume of hot water in the world aside from Yel...