Fanning Island, also known as Tabuaeran, is one of the Line Islands in the Republic of Kiribati. Sitting just four degrees north of the equator, this remote atoll is a rare find for travelers seeking raw, untouched Pacific beauty. With no large hotels or chain resorts, visitors often arrive by cruise or private yacht and are welcomed with coconut-leaf garlands and traditional songs.
Istanbul is a city built on layers of empire. Spanning two continents, it was once the capital of three major empires: Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman. Visitors walking through the Sultanahmet district can witness this timeline firsthand, from the Roman-era Hippodrome to the Byzantine mosaics of Hagia Sophia, and the towering minarets of the Blue Mosque. At nearby Topkapi Palace, rooms still display the jeweled swords, ceremonial robes, and handwritten Qurans once used by Ottoman sultans.
Located among the calcareous plateaus covered with Mideterranean scrub and alluvial deposites from the coastal plains, Nîmes appears as a city with various faces. First and foremost, the city is known as the 'French Roma', because of its famous history and its well conserved antique monuments. Nîmes is also, for many 'aficionados', the 'French Madrid' when the spanish music spreads into the streets and the arena, during and long after the 'corridas' or bullfights when comes the time of the Feria. It is also the most righteous of the mediterranean cities , never forgetting its protestant heritage, even under the wild rythm of 'flamencos'.
This set of faces in the countryside of Provence and Languedoc gathers the main lines of a higly coloured land : the french 'petanque' game, 'le pastis', terraces under shaded boulevards, animated arguments concerning bull races or the peaceful quietness of the Fountain Gardens. A whole set of traditional elements admirably displayed in an exceptional background of antique and middle aged architecture.