John Booth

Reaching Sintra from Lisbon by train is easy, and reaching Penha Hill from Sintra Station by bus (#434) is just as simple. Then after paying the entrance fee, there is …

There were a lot of sites to visit within a small area in Merida. The outstanding features for me were the pristine mosaic floors of ancient houses near the amphitheatre …

The most noticable feature that all the towers have in common that I have visited (in Calatayud, Zaragoza and Teruel) is the skill displayed by the bricklayers in creating the …

Eivissa town is very compact which made reaching the castle and cathedral atop D'Alt Vila easy despite the steep hill upon which it is situated. The necropolises and one remaining …

As reported elsewhere, this is a difficult site to access. I reached the entry point at La Rocina by bus from Seville via the sand dunes of Matalascanes. From this …

After exiting the Elx Parc station and visiting the Tourist Office, I followed the walking tour described in their pamphlet, around the Parc del Filet de Fora. Here I found …

The main features of these two towns is that they are easily toured on foot, and there are frequent buses connecting them together, and to Linares-Baeza station.

In Baeza I …

The city centre of Seville is quite compact and full of pedestrian only areas, so walking is really the only option. Having taken a #32 bus from Santa Justa station …

My memory of this picturesque town is of sitting in the Plaza de Cervantes having a picnic lunch watched by a dozen or so storks. These ungainly birds seem to …

To save the long climb from the station to the Old Town, I took a bus from the station (#1 or #2) to the castle area. From here there is …

The walls, towers and elaborately carved stone gateways to the city of Avila are indeed majestic. And while others have commented on the churches outside the walls, my favourite is …

Besides the aqueduct, the Alcazar and the cathedral, the churches of San Andres and San Martin are worthy of a visit for their architectural features.

Travelling by train I found …

Having visited the Alhambra and the Genaralife previously (50 years earlier), this time I spent more time in the Albayzin. I took one of the little buses (#31 & 34) …

Other architectural gems in Salamanca that I visited are the Archbishop's (Irish)Palace (reached by bus #11 from the station), and the several Romanesque churches on the north and east sides …

We have visited three of the four Nabatean seetlements in the Negev mentioned, as well as others further south. The Negev is a sparsely populated arid region with limited public …

We have visited all three of the listed tels in Israel, plus many more besides. These three all share the fact that the sites were first settled around 5000 years …

What a mixture of different architectural styles there are in this one building. A mixture of Romanesque, Renaissance and Byzantine.

I was told that from 1902 the building became Australia's …

After the noise and pollution of Buenos Aires across the river, Colonia was a breath of fresh air. So laid back and relaxing. On the wide, tree-lined streets even the …

There are three snow capped peaks within the national park, all of which are active volcanoes. I have witnessed on several occasions smoke, ash and lava spewing from various vents …

As most of the falls are in Argentina, you get to see then up close, so that you are often showered with spray. There are several walking tracks, and a …