Évora, in Portugal’s Alentejo region, feels like stepping into a story that spans more than two thousand years. Its Historic Centre was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for good reason with its ancient walls, homes with wrought-iron balconies, and narrow streets quietly preserve traces of Roman, Moorish, and medieval life. Beyond architecture and monuments, Évora reveals lesser-known treasures that reward exploration.
Santa Monica, California, a gem on the Pacific coast, offers a quintessential Southern California experience. The city is renowned for its iconic Santa Monica Pier, which features an amusement park, aquarium, and family-friendly dining. A ride on the historic Ferris wheel provides stunning ocean views and a sense of nostalgia.
Berlin has an undeniable history. The horrors of World War II, division, reunification, revolution all profoundly impacted the city in the 20th century. Today, visitors will find a sophisticated, high-energy city with endless cultural, architectural and gastronomic attractions.
The southernmost island in the crescent-shaped Comoros archipelago. Encircled by a barrier reef, Mayotte is blessed with one of the world's perfect lagoons. In its lush forests, the fragrant yellow flowers of the ylang-ylang tree are picked to extract their perfumed oil. Against a backdrop of waterfalls and volcanic peaks on Mayotte, there is a feeling of rural tranquility.
Photo Credit: Photo by Glen Michaelsen on Unsplash
At the very heart of Denmark lies Odense, birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen and Denmark's third-largest city - the fairy-tale capital of Funen, home to 200,000 people and with a history stretching back over 1000 years.
Odense is a top cultural city, with a wide range of exciting museums and attractions: The Hans Christian Andersen Museum, with rare, unique editions of the author's fairy-tales, private letters, notes and personal effects, and "Brandts Klædefabrik", with a Museum of Printing/Press Museum: Denmark's only Museum of Photographic Art and an art gallery, Kunsthallen.
Odense is a vibrant modern city, with a host of events - especially in the summer, including music, theatre and street entertainment for young and old everywhere - normally free of charge. Every Saturday, from mid-June to mid-August, the river cruise boat glides down to Fruens Bøge, where well-known jazz ensembles play.
Explore Odense's exciting city centre, with pedestrian streets, wonderful shops, small cafés and restaurants, where you can enjoy life with the locals - or visit the large shopping centres, with all the heart can desire under one roof.