Karijini National Park

Enter Mother Nature's own adventure world, Karijini National Park. Climb, swim or gaze into the depths of its 100 metre chasms, revealing four billion years of the Earth's history and some of the oldest rocks on the planet. Follow the trails, descend into cavernous gorges and cool off in inviting pools beneath plunging waterfalls, or scale Western Australia's second highest peak - Mount Bruce.

Regular flights from Perth land you within easy driving distance of Karijini National Park - it's just two hours from Newman and Paraburdoo, three hours from Port Hedland and four and a half hours from Karratha. You can also join guided tours from Tom Price, Karratha and Port Hedland. Alternatively, doing the journey by road from Perth will take you about three days, heading up the coast via Geraldton or through the outback on the Great Northern Highway.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about Karijini, besides being one of the largest and most spectacular national parks in Australia, is the fact that its most iconic scenery is within easy reach. You can pull into a car park, walk 50 metres and see waterfalls rushing down rugged canyons into rock pools.

The waters of Fortescue Falls run all through the year at Dales Gorge, where a cooling dip awaits you at the end of an easy walk to Fern Pool and Circular Pool.

Weano Gorge invites the more adventurous into its winding narrow gorges, the far reaches of which should only be tackled with a guide to enjoy the thrills of jumping down waterfalls and climbing out from the depths of 'The Centre of the Earth'.

Nature lovers will enjoy a walk among the mulga, spinifex, eucalypts, melaleuca and some 50 varieties of acacia, keeping a keen eye out for the euro (rock wallaby), dingoes, 133 species of birds and 92 species of amphibians and reptiles.

Spend the night under a star-filled sky, taking your pick from the camping and glamping options available in the park. For more information on walking, sightseeing, camping, flora and fauna, stop by at the Karijini Visitor Centre.

The Blue Lake

The eyes of the beautiful maiden who died of a broken heart were deep blue. The Blue Lake is also deep blue, in eternal memory of the love of the maiden, which persists beyond death. The small Blausee, steeped in legend, is located in the midst of a small nature park.

Thanks to its very special color and the crystal-clear water, which has its source in subterranean springs, Blausee is one of the best-known mountain lakes in Switzerland. It is located in the midst of a 20 hectare large nature park with a landscape formed by a rock slide that led to the creation of the lake.

The lake and the special forest charmed local inhabitants and tourists early on. In 1885 Blausee was praised in a travel guide as a "jewel of a landscape immersed in magical forest solitude". Today the region is very accessible, thanks to walking paths, picnic spots and bonfire spots. There is a hotel with a spa directly on the shore of the lake, and next to it there is a successful organic trout farm.

Urla-İzmir

İzmir is the third largest city in Turkey with a population of around 3.7 million, the second biggest port after Istanbul, and a very good transport hub. Once the ancient city of Smyrna, it is now a modern, developed, and busy commercial center, set around a huge bay and surrounded by mountains. The broad boulevards, glass-fronted buildings and modern shopping centers are dotted with traditional red-tiled roofs, the 18th century market, and old mosques and churches, although the city has an atmosphere more of Mediterranean Europe than traditional Turkey.

Bath

The city was first established as a spa with the Latin name, Aquae Sulis ("the waters of Sulis") by the Romans sometime in the AD 60s about 20 years after they had arrived in Britain (AD 43), although oral tradition suggests that Bath was known before then. They built baths and a temple on the surrounding hills of Bath in the valley of the River Avon around hot springs. Edgar was crowned king of England at Bath Abbey in 973. Much later, it became popular as a spa town during the Georgian era, which led to a major expansion that left a heritage of exemplary Georgian architecture crafted from Bath Stone.

The City of Bath was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1987. The city has a variety of theatres, museums, and other cultural and sporting venues, which have helped to make it a major centre for tourism, with over one million staying visitors and 3.8 million day visitors to the city each year. The city has two universities and several schools and colleges. There is a large service sector, and growing information and communication technologies and creative industries, providing employment for the population of Bath and the surrounding area.

All significant stages of the history of England are represented within the city, from the Roman Baths (including their significant Celtic presence), to Bath Abbey and the Royal Crescent, to Thermae Bath Spa in the 2000s. The size of the tourist industry is reflected in the almost 300 places of accommodation – including over 80 hotels, and over 180 bed and breakfasts – many of which are located in Georgian buildings.

Apostle Islands

The Apostle Islands are a group of 22 islands in Lake Superior, off the Bayfield Peninsula in northern Wisconsin. The majority of the islands are located in Ashland County—only Sand, York, Eagle, and Raspberry Islands are located in Bayfield County. All the islands except for Madeline Island are part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

The islands are the spiritual home for the Lake Superior Chippewa. The islands were named the Apostle Islands by New France historian Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix, who named them after the 12 apostles (for the 12 largest islands).

Some of the best sea caves of the Great Lakes are located on the shorelines of the Apostle Islands. Many of the best sea caves to visit are located at the following locations: Swallow Point on Sand Island, the North Shore of Devils Island, and near Squaw Bay on the mainland. Arches and delicate chambers are visible . During the winters, visitors can see frozen waterfalls and chambers filled with millions of delicate icicles.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, or VSOE, is a private luxury train service from London to Venice that is popularly referred to as the Orient Express.

The original company was founded by James Sherwood of Kentucky, USA, in 1982; five years earlier, in 1977, he had bought two of the original carriages at an auction when the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits withdrew from the Orient Express service, passing the service on to the national railways of France, Germany, and Austria. Over the next few years, Sherwood spent a total of $16 million purchasing 35 sleeper, restaurant and Pullman carriages. On 25 May 1982, the first London-Venice run was made.

The VSOE has separate carriages for use in the UK and for continental Europe, but all of the same vintage (mostly dating from the 1920s and 1930s). Passengers are conveyed across the English Channel by coach on the Eurotunnel shuttle through the Channel Tunnel. Whereas restored Pullman carriages are used in the UK, in continental Europe restored dark blue former Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits carriages are used. Note that the service in the UK is called the British Pullman, and it has a brown and cream livery and is a day-only train that serves elaborate teas and brunches and visits such sites as castles and spa towns. The service in Europe is the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and has sleeping carriages for full overnight, luxury service. Both the VSOE and the British Pullman are among the World's Top 25 Trains as listed by The Society of International Railway Travelers for high levels of dining, food, off-train experience and accommodation on board.

Englishman River Falls

Situated along the pristine Englishman River north of Nanaimo, Englishman River Falls Provincial Park features two stunning waterfalls cascading along the descending riverbed into a deep canyon.

This picturesque destination, set amid a lush old-growth and second-growth forest of Douglas fir, cedar, hemlock and maple, is an ideal location from which to explore and appreciate the incredible diversity of south central Vancouver Island, including nearby Cathedral Grove, the Pacific Rim, and the sandy shores of Parksville and Qualicum.

The park has a large day-use area and campground and contains several hiking trails that meander through the forest and along the river. Visitors can expect spectacular views along the way, particularly from two bridges that cross the river where it plunges down the narrow rock canyon toward quieter waters below. The lower falls end in a deep crystal-clear pool - an ideal swimming hole in the summer when river levels are low and a great place to view spawning salmon in the fall.