BRISBANE

Brisbane is Australia's third largest city, with 1.2 million residents living beside the Brisbane River as it flows into Moreton Bay. It is a busy and optimistic place. It is hard to believe that it was once regarded as little more than a dull, provincial backwater. The city's quintessential architecture, designed for the heat of the tropics, sees many of the houses elevated on stilts to take advantage of cooling breezes. Brisbane is Queensland's cosmopolitan capital, sparkling in sunshine by day and with myriad lights reflecting on the river by night.

 

Brisbane, capital of Queensland. Left to right: The beach at inner city South Bank Parklands; the city on the Town Reach of the Brisbane River; Brisbane City Hall.

 

Completed in 1930, the Neo-Classical City Hall is home to Brisbane City Council, the largest council in Australia, and the Museum of Brisbane. City Hall’s 92-m Italian Renaissance-style tower gives a panoramic view of the city from a platform at its top.

Visit Brisbane

Received from Penny

 

MADISON

 The Borough of Madison is located in southeast Morris County, New Jersey, about 22 miles due west of New York City’s Times Square. Sometimes called “The Rose City” and “Bottle Hill”. It is a beautiful community overflowing with colonial and Victorian architecture. Madison, named after President James Madison, was nicknamed the Rose City because of a 19th-century rose-growing industry started by wealthy residents drawn to Madison by its location on the Morris & Essex train line. Today, Madison consists of an area of 4.2 square miles, has a population of approximately 16,000 and remains a diverse community. Drew University, which lies on a 186-acre deciduous forest in the community, truly encompasses the heritage of the town and is a reflection of it’s 147-year existence. Main Street, or Route 124, is the borough’s distinct artery for shopping and dining. 

An aerial of this Morris town shows the many fine shops located on Main Street (RT. 24) and the train station nearby. Home to Drew University

BARRIE

Barrie is located at the heart of it all, central to Toronto, cottage-country, unbeatable skiing and picturesque wilderness, and a half hour from some of Ontario's most sought-after destinations.  Today Barrie stands at a population of about 130,000 and continues to be one of Canada's fastest growing and dynamic cities. The gateway to Cottage country. Lots of outdoors activities boating, swimming, camping in summer, ice fishing, skiing and snowmobiling in winter. Barrie is a beautiful city offering lots to do.

Barrie, Ontario. This growing city is alive with entertainmnent and recreational opportunities on Lake Simcoe's Kempenfelt Bay.  

Centennial Beach Park. Beautiful sand beach with picnicking facilities on western tip on Kempenfelt Bay. Home of "Kempenfest," annual civic holiday weekend celebration in August.

Simcoe County Museum. A large museum complex with several pioneer buildings and a modern display centre which contains an 1840s shopping street. The museum traces the human history of the area from 5000 B.C. to the present.

Destination Ontario: Barrie

KRUGER NATIONAL PARK

Location North-eastern corner of the Transvaal, stretches from the Mozambique border in the north to Malelane in the south. The only National Park in the Transvaal. About 400 km north-east of Johannesburg.
Size Just under 2 000 000 ha - roughly the size of Wales.

This internationally renowned game and nature reserve supports the greatest variety of wildlife species found on the African continent.

Giraffes at a watering hole.

The park supports more species of wildlife than any other African game sanctuary: 137 mammal species, 49 fish species, 112 reptile species, 493 bird species. The park has the highest density of birds of prey in the world, including 15 eagle species. Mammals include lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, buffalo, impala and zebra.

Guided wilderness trails are offered, facilitating closer contact with the untamed beauty of the bush. More than half a million wildlife enthusiasts visit the Kruger National Park each year throughout the year.

ISLE OF SKYE

The Isle of Skye exerts a magnetic pull on visitors. It is a byword for spectacularly craggy mountains. Thus it is forgiven its relentlessly wet climate, which is inevitable as the big hill masses get in the way of the prevailing Atlantic weather fronts moving out of the south west. The new bridge linking Skye with the mainland may do little for the immediate scenery of the strait between. Sky has plenty of scenic wonders, thanks to its complex geology of overlapping ancient lava flows. 

Waller Hugh Paton (1828-1895) Entrance to the Cuiraing, Skye 1873

This painting is a spectacular example of Paton’s mature landscape work. It shows the Cuiraing (or Quiraing in modern usage), a remarkable landslip on the Trotternish peninsula of Skye. Here, the jagged spike of the thirty-seven meter high pinnacle known as ‘The Needle’ dominates the middle of the composition. Paton described the Quiraing as ‘an awful place’, despite the fact that it had become a top destination for artists and tourists alike. 

Received from Hazel, Scotland. As she says it is a very spiritualist place and great scenery!

DUNEDIN

Dunedin is New Zealand’s largest city by area and arguably the most spectacular in terms of contrasting landscapes. Dunedin is a thriving city set amidst a magical landscape edged by the sea. It’s a place where the streets hum vibrantly with colour and culture, and the beauty of nature is everywhere. Setting it apart from other New Zealand cities, Dunedin has the finest examples of Victorian and Edwardian architecture in the Southern Hemisphere. It has close historical links with the Scottish city of Edinburgh. 

Dunedin, Otago, NZ

The city is renowned for its proximity to incredible wildlife and is often referred to as the eco-capital of New Zealand. The 24 km-long Otago Peninsula (19000ha) is home to a colony of one of the world’s rarest penguins, stretching along the southern edge of the Otago harbour is an easy drive from central Dunedin. Dunedin is a city of rare and charm.

DENVER

A young, active city at the base of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Denver is the 23rd most populous city in the U.S. Local boosters named the frontier mining camp on the South Platte River "Denver" after Kansas Territorial Governor James Denver in hopes of gaining political favor. Central City, located about 45 minutes west of Denver, is known as the "Richest Square Mile on Earth" due to the half billion dollars of gold that was mined there.

Denver, Colorado, "The mile high city" where the Great Plains meet  the Rocky Mountains.

Denver is near the mountains, not in them. The Mile High City is located on high rolling plains, 12 miles east of the "foothills," a series of gentle mountains that climb to 11,000 feet. Just beyond is the "Front Range of the Rocky Mountains," a series of formidable snowcapped peaks that rise to 14,000 feet. Denver might not be in the mountains, but the mountains still dominate the city. The picturesque mountain panorama from Denver is 140 miles long. There are 200 visible named peaks including 32 that soar to 13,000 feet and above.

Postcrossing Postcard US-1142290

VANCOUVER

The natural geography of Vancouver makes it one of the most beautiful cities in the world. As a vital part of the Pacific Rim, Vancouver is rapidly becoming more international in flavour and is very much a modern city. Defined by the North Shore mountains and rimmed by the Strait of Georgia, Vancouver is dotted with beaches and forested parks, all linked by the arms of the great Fraser River Delta. Vancouver is also known as Hollywood North because it is north of Hollywood and of its film industry.

Beautiful downtown Vancouver B.C. with the North Shore Mountains blanketed in snow (front). Burrard Bridge and Granville Island (back).

Nestled right in the downtown core is Stanley Park, spreading over 1,000 acres it is the largest inner city park in Canada. Modern architecture and skyscrapers blend in with heritage amidst spectacular natural backdrop of mountains and sea. Large shopping malls, squares and parks are scattered throughout the downtown core and the outlying areas. Vancouver is named after a British explorer, Captain George Vancouver.

HAMPSHIRE

Hampshire is a county of chalk downlands above winding valleys of the swift little Itchen, Test and Meon streams and the open heathland and woods of the New Forest in the south. In the middle sits Winchester - boasting one of the noblest cathedrals and most beautiful old schools in the country. There are pockets of real rural beauty to discover here.

Neither new, nor really a forest, the New Forest remains without doubt one of the most individual stretches of countryside in the South of England. It was set aside by William the Conqueror in 1079 as a royal hunting ground. The heathland and wooded enclosures of the New Forest offer interesting rambles. Deer are still common, though you're more likely to meet wild ponies. 

Cottages at Southwick, Hursley, The New Forest and Longparish show the character of Hampshire's vernacular style.

The pretty village Longparish with its abundance of thatched and period properties is situated on the beautiful River Test and bordered to the north by the remains of Harewood Forest. It boasts two excellent pubs and is a perfect location for walking, cycling and exploring the North Wessex Downs.

Visit Hampshire

HONG KONG

 Placed on the southeast coast of China, Hong Kong’s strategic location on the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea has made it one of the world’s most prospering and cosmopolitan cities.

Kowloon and Hong Kong Island

Dominating the Kowloon waterfront stands the 118-storey International Commerce Centre. The land in front of it is designated for the West Kowloon Cultural District. At centre lies Harbour City and Ocean Terminal and beyond, on Hong Kong Island, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

"A Symphony of Lights" over Hong Kong Harbour.

This spectacular display, already named the 'World's Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show' by Guiness World Records, has now been expanded to include more than 40 buildings on both sides of Victoria Harbour. It is an all round vision of coloured lights, laser beams and searchlights, synchronised to music and narration, creating a stunning, unforgettable spectacle celebrating the energy, spirit and diversity of Hong Kong.

Neon fantasy on Nathan Road.

This is a composite creation made up of many of the best neon signs on both sides of the harbour. Many of the signs represent some of Hong Kong's best restaurants and night spots. The street is real and is Nathan Road in Kowloon, also known as "the Golden Mile".