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| The 7 continents of the world |
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| 7 continents map with 5 oceans |
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| My 5 Round the Europe Continent Free & Easy Trips (2009,2010,2011,2012 &2014) |
" Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies "
Why Europe ? My childhood dreams ! The Big Ben, Eiffel Tower, Venice, The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Stonehenge, Ancient Rome, Coliseum, Acropolis, Monte Carlo, Swiss Alps, Norwegian Fjords, Salzburg, Kremlin & The Red Square, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Siberia to name a few - many of these iconic sights & touristy places in Europe had been lingering in my mind since my schooling days & working years ! Now that I am an armchair traveller due to the Covid-19 pandemic & looking back, all the foregoing iconic sights I mentioned had finally been realised after my retirement in 2006 ! A big consolation for me having my childhood dreams fulfilled !
What spur me in achieving these dreams ? Immediately after my retirement in May 2006 (aged 56), I decided to embark on a new "career" & passion ie indulging in travelling in order to turn my childhood dreams into reality. But this is not an easy task unless you are ambitious & passionate about it ! But I believe you reap what you sow & the world is your oyster if you are willing to take the first "baby" step towards achieving your goals ! A little learning is a "dangerous" thing but a little travelling is a "marvellous" thing ! This Jonny-come-lately of seeing the world through my lens is better late than never even though I am in my later part of my life !
2020 was probably the worst year ever for tourism & travelling, no thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic which had infected almost the whole world ! Hopefully with mass vaccination schemes implemented in major countries, 2021 will be a better year for travelers but many are skeptical as planes are still grounded & borders closed !
To date after 13 years of intermittent travelling, I had visited a total of close to 80 countries:
Europe - 44 countries
Asia - 29
North America - 2 countries (USA & Canada)
Africa - 2 countries (Egypt & Morocco)
Australia - 1 country
South America - Nil
Antarctic - Nil
Other - 1 (New Zealand)
My 11 years of intermittent travelling (free & easy + package tours) to Europe continent (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018 & 2019) leaving my footprints in 40 European countries is no accident but a challenging one ! Ambitious (yearning to see the 7 Wonders of the World & UNESCO World Heritage sites) & courageous (amid fear & anxiety but require strong mental, physical & spiritual strength as 70% of my earlier years in free & easy travels were done in solo) in order to fulfil my dreams of seeing Europe !
My first visit to Europe was Turkey, though geographically the country is skewed more towards Asia. This was in Sept 2008 (2 years after my retirement), when I embarked on a 37 days free & easy solo trip to Jordan first (Kuwait Airlines) & then moved on to Syria & Turkey & a side visit to Egypt !
In the ensuing year ie May 2009, thanks to Air Asia (Malaysia's low cost airliner), I landed in Stanstead airport in London to begin my truly first 45 days solo visit to Europe (covering 9 countries) & then to Russia, Mongolia & China before returning home ! For my subsequent 4 free & easy trips (2010, 2011, 2102 & 2014) using a similar approach ie flying from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to London or Paris (Qatar Airline & Malaysian Airline System), I managed to visit almost all the countries in European continent. Having done 5 free & easy trips to Europe, my wife & myself decided to join a package tour to Turkey in 2017 and another in 2018 to Eastern Europe; my last visit to Europe was a package tour to Balkan states in 2019.
The world currently has 195 countries of which 193 are member states of the United Nation & 2 are non member observer states ie Holy See (Vatican City) & the State of Palestine. You are a super traveller if you were able to visit all the 195 countries in this life !
Europe is shared by 50 countries of which 44 are sovereign states or nations. Not included are Turkey & other dependent territories such as Channels Island (UK), Isle of Man UK), Faroe Islands (Denmark), Gibraltar (UK) & Jersey etc
The 44 sovereign states in Europe are:
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine & United Kingdom. 5 sovereign states which I have yet to visit in Europe (due to logistic or visa issues) are Belarus, Iceland, Malta, Serbia & Ukraine
The European Union (EU) currently has 27 countries:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain & Sweden. The only EU Country I have yet to visit is Malta. UK has recently opted out from EU.
The 10 tiniest countries in Europe are:
Holy See or Vatican City (0.44km sq km), Monaco (1.95 sq km), San Marino (61 sq km), Liechtenstein (160 sq km), Malta (316 sq km), Andorra (468 sq km) & Luxembourg (2,586 sq km), Cyprus (9,251 sq km), Kosovo (10,881 sq km) & Montenegro (13,812 sq km). the smallest countries which I have yet to visit are: Malta & Cyprus
My 5 free & easy visits + 3 package tours in Europe continent - roaming & backpacking in Europe my way, starting with a clean sheet of paper - most challenging & exciting (backpacking years - 2008, 2009, 2010 2011, 2012 & 2014) & package tours (2017, 2018 & 2019)
" From Europe with Love. Thousand Footprints. Thousand Pictures. Thousand Memories "
1) Albania (Tirana) - May 2014 & March 2019
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| Tirana, Albania |
2) Andorra (La Vella) - May 2014
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| La Vella, Andorra (2014) |
3) Austria (Innsbruck, Fussen, Neuschwanstein Castle, Hohenschwangau; Salzburg, Swarovski Garden, Tyrol; & Vienna) - June 2010, May 2011 & March 2017
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| Innsbruck, Austria (2017) |
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| Vienna, Austria (2017) |
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| Fussen, Austria (2017) |
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| Swarovski Garden, Wattens, Tyrol, Austria (2017) |
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| Salzburg, Austria (2017) |
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| Neuschwanstein Castle, Hohenschwangau Village, Austria (2017) |
4) Belgium (Brussels) - April 2009 & June 2010
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| Brussels, Belgium (2009) |
5) Bosnia & Herzegovina (Mostar, Sarajevo) -May 2011 & March 2019
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| Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina (2019) |
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| Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina (2019) |
6) Bulgaria (Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo & Rila) - June 2010, May 2014 & March 2019
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| Sofia, Bulgaria (2017 & 2019) |
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| Rila, Bulgaria (2019) |
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| Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria (2019) |
7) Croatia (Dubrovnik, Split, Zagreb, Zadar) May 2014 & March 2019)
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| Dubrovnik, Croatia (2014 & 2019) |
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| Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia (2019) |
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Zagreb, Croatia (2014 & 2019)
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| Zadar, Croatia (2019) |
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| Split, Croatia (2019) |
8) Czech Republic (Prague, Cesky Krumlov & Cesky Bedejovice) - May 2009 & June 2017
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| Prague, Czech Republic (2009 & 2017) |
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| Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic (2009) |
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| Cesky Bedejovice, Czech Republic (2009) |
9) Denmark (Copenhagen) - June 2010
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| Copenhagen, Denmark (2010) |
10) Estonia (Tallinn) - May 2009
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| Tallinn, Estonia (May 2009) |
11) Finland (Helsinki & Turku) - May 2011
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| Helsinki, Finland (2011) |
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| Turku, Finland (2011) |
12) France (Paris, Nice & Cannes) - May 2009, May 2011, April 2012 & May 2014
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| Paris, France (2009, 2011, 2012 & 2014) |
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| Nice, France (2014) |
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| Cannes, France (2014) |
13) Germany (Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich & Nuremberg) - May 2010, May 2014 & June 2017
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| Berlin, Germany (2010) |
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| Munich, Germany (2014) |
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| Nuremberg, Germany (2017) |
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| Frankfurt (2017) |
14) Gibraltar (May 2012)
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| Gibraltar (2012) |
15) Greece (Athens) - May 2010
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| Athens, Greece (May 2010) |
16) Holy See (Vatican City) - May 2010
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| Vatican City (2010) |
17) Hungary (May 2009 & March 2017)
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| Budapest, Hungary (2009 & 2017) |
18) Italy (Rome, Pisa, Florence, Venice, Rimini, Ancona) - May 2011
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| Venice, Italy (2011) |
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| Pisa, Italy (2011) |
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| Florence, Italy (2011) |
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| Rimini, Italy (2014) |
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| Ancona, Italy (2014) |
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| Rome, Italy (2010) |
19) Latvia (Riga) - May 2009
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| Riga, Latvia (2009) |
20) Kosovo (Pristina) - May 2014
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| Pristina, Kosovo (May 2014) |
21) Liechtenstein (May 2012)
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| Vaduz, Liechtenstein |
22) Lithuania (Vilnius) - May 2011
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| Vilnius, Lithuania (2011) |
23) Luxemburg - May 2010
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| Luxemburg (2010) |
24) Macedonia (Skopje & Ohrid) - May 2014 & March 2019
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| Skopje, Macedonia (2014 & 2019) |
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| Ohrid, Macedonia (March 2019) |
25) Moldova (Chisinau) - May 2014
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| Chisinau, Moldova (2014) |
26) Monaco (Monte Carlo) - May 2014
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| Monte Carlo, Monaco (2014) |
27) Montenegro (Podgorica & Kotor) - May 2014 & March 2019
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| Podgorica, Montenegro (2014 & 2019) |
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| Kotor, Montenegro (2019) |
28) Netherlands (Amsterdam) - May 2009
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| Amsterdam, Netherlands (2009) |
29) Norway (Oslo, Flam, Myrdal & Bergen) - May 2011
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| Oslo, Norway (2011) |
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| Bergen, Norway (2011) |
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| Flam Village, Norway (2011) |
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| Myrdal, Norway (2011) |
30) Poland (Warsaw, Wroclaw & Krakow) - May 2009, May 2010, April 2011 & June 2017)
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| Wroclaw, Poland (2017) |
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| Warsaw, Poland (2011 & 2017) |
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| Krakow, Poland (2009, 2010 & 2017) |
31) Portugal (Lisbon & Sintra) - May 2012
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| Lisbon, Portugal (2012) |
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| Sintra, Portugal (2012) |
32) Romania (Bucharest, Sinaia & Bran) - June 2010, May 2014 & March 2019
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| Bucharest, Romania (2010, 2014 & 2019) |
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| Sinaia, Romania (2019) |
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| Bran, Romania (2019) |
33) Russia (Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Irkutsk & Lake Baikal) - June 2009
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| Moscow, Russia (2009) |
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| St Petersburg, Russia (2009) |
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| Irkutsk, Siberia, Russia (2009) |
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| Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia (2009) |
34) San Marino - May 2014
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San Marino (2014)
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35) Slovakia (Brastilava) - May 2010 & June 2017
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| Bratislava, Slovakia (2010 & 2017) |
36) Slovenia (Ljubljana, Bled & Postojna Cave) - May 2011 & March 2019
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| Ljubljana, Slovenia (2011 & 2019) |
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| Bled, Slovenia (2019) |
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| Postojna Cave, Slovenia |
37) Spain (Madrid, Toledo, Barcelona, Seville, Granada, Cordoba, Algeciras & Tarifa) - May 2011, May 2012 & May 2014
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| Madrid, Spain |
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| Seville, Spain (2012) |
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| Granada, Spain (2012) |
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| Cordoba, Spain (2012) |
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| Algeciras, Spain (2012) |
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| Tarifa, Spain (2012) |
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| Toledo, Spain (2012) |
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| Barcelona, Spain (2011 & 2014) |
38) Sweden (May 2011)
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| Stockholm, Sweden |
39) Switzerland (May 2012)
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| Lucerne, Switzerland (2012) |
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| Geneva, Switzerland (2012) |
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| Lausanne, Switzerland (2012) |
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| Berne, Switzerland (2012) |
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| Zurich, Switzerland (2012) |
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| Interlaken, Switzerland (2012) |
40) Turkey (Sept 2008 & Nov 2018)
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| Selcuk, Turkey (Nov 2018) |
41) United Kingdom (England, Wales, North Ireland, Ireland & Scotland) - May 2009, April 2010, April 2011, May 2012 & May 2014
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| London, England (2009) |
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| Edinburgh, Scotland (2012) |
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| Cardiff, Wales (2014) |
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| Belfast, North Ireland (2014) |
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| Dublin, Ireland (2014) |
The 3 memorable package tours with my wife in Europe continent (Eastern Europe, Turkey & The Balkans) - sleep well, eat well & transport well (by tour bus) ! (2017, 2018 & 2019). Lucky me, I was able to re-visit a number of European countries (especially in Eastern Europe & the Balkan states) one more time !
1) Eastern Europe (14 days 11 nights - May/June 2017)
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| Krakow, Poland (2017) |
2) Turkey (11 days 8 nights - Nov 2018)
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| Cappadocia, Turkey (2018) |
3) The Balkans (15 days 12 nights -March 2019)
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| Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria (2019) |
My Trans-Siberian train ride from Moscow > Irkutsk (Russia) > Ulan Bator (Mongolia) > Erlian (China) covering a total of 8,947km = 5 days 4 nights (Moscow > Irkutsk, Russia) + 3 days 2 nights (Irkutsk > Ulan Bator, Mongolia) + 3 days 2 nights (Ulan Bator > Erlian, China). If you are taking the Trans-Siberian Railroad from Moscow to Vladivostok, you have to pass 8 time zones, 16 Eurasian rivers, 14 provinces, 3 regions, 2 republics & 1 autonomous region of Russian Federation ! A writer in Lonely Planet commented "The Trans-Siberian is the big train ride, all the rest are peanuts" - the total distance is equivalent to a third of the globe ! (June 2009)
My off the beaten track visit to Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia, oldest & deepest fresh water lake in the world - my fabulous 3 days 2 nights home stay in Olkhon Island & guided day tour of Lake Baikal (June 2009)
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Ferry Crossing to Olkhon Island
 |  | Making Smoked Omul Fish near the Baikal Lake side
 | My 3 days 2 nights homestay in Olkhon Island
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| Cliffs in Lake Baikal |
My mountain train ride from Flam > Myrdal (886 meter), Norway - Europe's most spectacular & scenic train journey (May 2011)
My 2 longest Eurolines bus rides (average speed 60km per hr + 4 to 5 stopovers for refreshments & toilet runs) from Oslo > Norway > Paris, France (1,704km, by bus 29 hrs 55 mins - May 2011) & from Bucharest, Romania > Munich, Germany (1,493km, by bus 29 hrs 30 mins - May 2014) - when the going gets tough, the tough get going; just enjoy the countryside scenery !
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Eurolines bus from Oslo, Norway > Paris, France
(1,704km - 30hrs - 2011) |
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| Eurolines Bus from Bucharest > Munich, Germany (1,493km - 29 1/2 hours - 2014) |
My 6 interesting ferry crossings (day or overnight) in Europe - Tallinn, Estonia > Helsinki, Finland; Turku, Finland > Stockholm, Sweden; Myrdal > Bergen, Norway; Tarifa, Spain > Tanger, Morocco; Ancona, Italy > Split, Croatia & Calais, France > Dover, England
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| Express ferry from Tallinn, Estonia > Helsinki, Finland (2011) |
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| Ferry crossing from Turku, Finland > Stockholm, Sweden (2011) |
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| Ferry crossing from Tarifa, Spain > Tangier, Morocco (2011) |
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| Ferry crossing from Ancona, Italy > Split, Croatia (2014) |
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| Fjord cruise from Myrdal > Bergen, Norway (2011) |
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| Ferry crossing from Calais, France > Dover, England (2012) |
My visits to 6 tiniest countries in Europe ie Holy See (Vatican City), Monaco, San Marino, Lichtenstein, Andorra & Luxembourg - no need GPS, just wander around & you will never get lost !
1) Andorra (2014)
2) Holy See or Vatican City (2010)
3) Luxemburg (2010)
4) Monaco (2014)
5) San Marino, Europe (2014)
6) Lichtenstein, Europe (2012)
The Great Book of World Heritage Sites (Rm89.90 less 25% = US$16.30) published by vmb Publishers - this book (500 pages with colorful pictorial presentation & informative content write-ups) which I bought from a Kuala Lumpur Book Exhibition in 2009, serves as a good referral on major World Heritage sites - an excellent read ! The contents are divided into 3 sections ie The Treasures of Art, Ancient Civilisations & Nature Sanctuaries with a listing of 110 World Heritage sites of which 36 are under the The Treasures of Art, 38 are Ancient Civilisations & 36 are Nature Sanctuaries. I am pleased to post below the pictures of World Heritage sites I had visited in recent years in the continents of Europe, Africa, North America & Asia ....
The Great Book of World Heritage Sites - My Footprints in Europe Continent
A) The Treasures of Art
1) Bergen Norway (May 2011)
2) The Historic Centre of St Petersburg, Russia (2009)
3) The Kremlin & Red Square, Russia (2009)
4) The Palace & Gardens of Schonbrunn, Austria (May 2010 & June 2017)
5) Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey & St Margaret's Church, Great Britain (May 2009, May 2010 & May 2012)
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| Westminster Abbey, Great Britain (2009) |
6) Palace & Park of Potsdam & Berlin, Germany (May 2009)
7) The Historic Center of Krakow, Poland (May 2009, May 2010 & June 2017
8) The Historic Center of Prague, Czech Republic (May 2009 & June 2017)
9) The Palace & Parks of Versailles, France (May 2009 & May 2012)
10) The Banks of Seine in Paris, France (May 2012)
11) Venice & the Lagoon, Italy (May 2011)
12) Piazza del Duomo in Pisa, Italy (May 2011)
13) The Vatican City & San Paolo fuori le Mura, Italy (May 2010)
14) Parc Guell, Palau Guell & Casa Mila, Spain
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| Casa Mila, Barcelona, Spain (2011) |
15) The Cathedral, the Alcazar & the Archivo de Indias, Seville, Spain (May 2012)
16) The Cultural Landscape of Sintra, Portugal (May 2012)
17) Budapest, the Banks of the Danube & Buda Castle, Hungary (May 2009 & June 2017)
18) The Historic Areas of Istanbul, Turkey (Sept 2008 & Nov 2018)
B) Ancient Civilizations
1) Stonehenge & Avebury, United Kingdom (May 2009)
2) Ancient Rome, Italy (May 2010)
3) The Acropolis in Athens, Greece (May 2010)
C) Nature Sanctuaries
1) The Giant's Causeway, United Kingdom (May 2010)
2) Pamukkale, Turkey (Sept 2008 & Nov 2018)
The Great Book of World Heritages Sites - My Footprints in Asia Continent
1) Kinabalu National Park, Malaysia - my home country (July 2011)
2) Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
3) Huanglong & Jiuzhaigou, China (Sept 2009)
4) The Temple of Borobudur, Indonesia (Feb 2009)
5) Angor, Cambodia (Oct 2006 & Feb 2018)
6) Ayutthaya, Thailand (Feb 2017)
7) Sigiriya, Sri Lanka (Jan 2013)
8) The Caves of Ajanta, India (May 2019)
9) The Buddhist Monuments of Sanchi, India (Oct 2019)
10) The Longmen Grottoes, China (Sept 2009)
11) The Tomb of the First Qin Emperor, China (May 2017)
12) Persepolis, Iran (March 2018)
13) Petra, Jordan (Oct 2008)
14) Palmyra, Syria (Sept 2008)
15) The Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, Japan (April 2008, April 2010 & April 2017)
16) The Forbidden City, China (Aug 2015)
17) The Taj Mahal, India (Nov 2018)
18) Meidan Imam in Isafan, Iran (March 2018)
19) The Ancient City of Damascus, Syria (Sept 2008)
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Omayyard Mosque (705AD)
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The Great Book of World Heritages Sites - My Footprints in Africa
1) The Medina in Fez, Morocco (April 2012)
2) Islamic Cairo, Egypt (Sept 2008)
3) Memphis & its Necropolis, The Pyramid from Giza to Dahshur, Egypt (Sept 2008)
4) Ancient Thebes & its Necropolis, Egypt (Sept 2008)
The Great Book of World Heritages Sites - My Footprints in North America Continent
1) The Statute of Liberty, USA (May 2019)
Australia Continent - Australia has 3 World Heritage sites ie The Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu National Park & Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park but I have yet to visit these 3 touristy places although I had made a total of 8 trips to all the 8 states (Canberra, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland & Northern Territory) of Australia during my working years in Kuala Lumpur (1980-2006) !
South America & Antarctic Continents - the only 2 continents I have yet to visit, I will have to keep dreaming .... South America has a number of World Heritage sites worth visiting ie Machu Picchu (Peru), Christ the Redeemer (Brazil) & Iguazu Falls (Argentina/Brazil) etc. Forget about Antarctic as I believe this is probably the hardest continent (in terms of cost & logistic) to do a free & easy or backpacking trip !
Passion fuels energy - it was passion that fuels my travelling LIFE from 2006 > 2019 ! Passion is about emotion, the motivation & what make us feel good ie do what you love ! Happy travelling, KM !
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| The world is so big. I want to have a look. |
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