Hungary

Went to Hungary with my father in 1997, as part of a 12 day GATE 1 tour through Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary, and also visited this lovely city in 2009 with my MBA classmates from the University of Tennessee.

Dad and me in 1997 from high up on Fisherman’s Bastion overlooking Budapest, Hungary

“The historic capital of Hungary was formerly two cities, Buda and Pest, divided by the Danube River. Budapest abounds in architectural diversity: from ancient Roman structures, streets of the Middle Ages, monuments from Turkish times, and Renaissance masterpieces. Drive via motorcoach over some of the elegant bridges over the Danube and then to the Parliament building, and the Royal Palace. Drive on the People’s Republic Avenue and visit the magnificent Castle District in Buda. Take in the wonderful view across the Danube from high up on Fisherman’s Bastion, see St. Mathia’s Coronation Church (13th Century) and stop at the Heroes’ Square and Gellert Hill.”

Fisherman’s Bastion looking towards the Danube in Budapest

Chad

This girl was staring at me ... they OBVIOUSLY don't get many tourists here! Country Information:  15 million people live in Chad and the capital is N’Djamena. The primary languages are French and Arabic, though Chad is called the “Babel Tower of the world” because of...

Suriname

Roadside amadillos for sale   About half the population of Suriname lives in Paramaribo, the capital city. It is mostly a nondescript economic district offering little for tourists to see. 80% of Suriname is jungle so when you go you must see it—it’s wonderful! I...

Guinea

Typical street scape in Guinea Country Background: The capital is Conakry and the official language is French. About 14 million people live here and the main religion is Islam, though there is a small Christian population. Guinea’s top exports are gold, aluminum ore,...