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History

History

Welcome to giant pandas airways

China's long-anticipated Chengdu Tianfu International Airport has officially opened for business, providing travelers with a new option to the home of giant pandas. The first flight, via Sichuan Airlines, took off at 11:10 a.m. on Sunday, 27 June, 2021 headed for Beijing. Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, is now the third city in the country to…

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Glee in the Sahara

There is almost nothing more exotic and romantic to staying in the desert. No matter where the desert might be, the mind conjures up images of windblown tents, camels, the elixir of tea. Realistically, most of us do not have the means nor the knowledge to embark on such an adventure.  But our travel affiliate…

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Expo, Expo – read all about it!

Every so often, the world has an Expo. Montreal in 1967, Milan in 2015,  while Kazakhstan held the most recent specialised Expo in 2017. Expo 2020 will be happening in Dubai, and tickets will go on sale worldwide starting July 18, 2021, with the event occurring from Oct. 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022. As…

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Shockwaves throughout Europe

INTERPOL.  EUROPOL. SURVEILLANCE.  EYE IN THE SKY.  In early May 2021, a Belgian farmer hit international news when he moved a stone out of the way of his tractor, and accidentally shifted the French-Belgian border 2.3m into France. Or did he? Is it actually possible to move a border just by moving a stone? And…

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The Darbhanga gang

For us, we're always happy to see countries, cities and even individuals find their place in the sun to shine.  And it happens more and more every day. We love India, and so we're pleased to see that the city of Darbhanga is now officially hosting flights to Kolkata and Hyderabad. And the airline who…

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Magic portal

There can never be enough opportunities to reach out:  to family, friends, initiatives.  It is critical to us, as humans.  But, sometimes it is difficult, if not impossible to do so.  But, a creative and enterprising group, the Benediktas Gylys Foundation bring new thinking to being together. For the first time in history, countries and…

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Can you even pronounce this?

We periodically write about Wales, in the UK.  Most tourists think of England or Scotland as destinations in the UK, but you should really also give Wales a try if you haven't already. Why?  Well, first of all, the countryside itself is lush and untouched.  Wales has been able to avoid some of the creeping…

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It almost laughs at you

At the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains in northwest Azerbaijan, lies Parigala, one of the world’s most impressive archeological mysteries.  The Azerbaijani name, Pəriqala, literally means Fairy Castle Carved into the nearly vertical face of a rock cliff, the centuries-old structure remains a mystery that hardly anyone knows anything about. The site consists of a…

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Blow your top

Geysers. Hot springs. Wildlife. A few words probably come to mind when you think about Yellowstone National Park. But there’s one word that might come as a surprise: supervolcano. Because, if you didn’t know it already, the land that makes up Yellowstone National Park is actually one of the world’s largest active (yes, we said…

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Failures are finger posts …..

...... on the road to achievement.” - C.S. Lewis Thomas Edison famously had 10,000 failed attempts before he created his light bulb. Coco Chanel said “Success is most often achieved by those who don't know that failure is inevitable.” All of this is meant to say "never say never." Watch the video below to discover…

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Pwn a piece of the Rock

New York, New York.  It might be the city that never sleeps, but it is also the city that never gets boring, either.  It is like a living organism that seems to regenerate at every turn. But, there are some perennial things that never change, such as the thrill of looking down from the Empire…

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Paintings on the ceilings

...and pink champagne on ice?  We are all just prisoners here . . . oh wait, wrong references. Being one of the oldest civilisations on Earth, Europeans have a lot to show for it.  Even beyond the splendors of Rome or Athens, there were generations and generations of forbearers who walked - and as it…

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Picasso between the sheets

If this story doesn't describe the European zeitgeist, then very few will.  As you likely know, Pablo Picasso had an insatiable appetite for life.  And he painted a bit, too. But now, a canvas bequeathed to Greece by Pablo Picasso will return on display at the freshly updated Greek National Gallery in Athens after its…

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The Candy Museum (Museo-del-Dulce)

Our first question, when we discovered this magical place was - how can candy stay around long enough even to end up in a museum?  That seems to go against human nature. But, sure enough, it did and it will make children and adults alike squeal with delight when they see what they're seeing .…

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Georgia on my . . . mined

Europe is a well-known and well-traversed part of the world.  We love it and can't get enough of it.  But, there are some places that are still bubbling under, just waiting for (or hiding from) the crowds.  One such place is Georgia -  in particular, Vardzia. Vardzia-Khertvisi, comprising a vast territory in the upper reaches…

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Think pink, don’t drink pink

It's almost like a fairytale.  But don't get tipsy and mistake it for a piña colada.  Lake Retba is a true natural phenomenon located only 30 miles from Dakar.  The highly saline Pink Lake lives up to its name.   It is named for its pink waters caused by Dunaliella salina algae and is known for its high salt content, up to…

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It all comes out in the washi

Every summer, giant warriors roam the Japanese city of Aomori. Lit from within by lanterns, these formidable paper floats are the centerpiece of the Nebuta Matsuri, a weeklong evening festival in August and one of Japan’s biggest seasonal events. Accompanied by taiko drummers and dancers, the floats depict scenes from kabuki and Japanese mythology. Each…

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I like my tortugas dry

The United States of America has its fingers in so many pies in the world.  And there are still remnants of the country's founding that give us a glimmer what it must have been like those hundreds of years ago, as the country was taking shape. One of those remnants that often is undersung is…

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