Montenegro

Despite being situated on the Mediterranean, Montenegro actually can be quite cold, with heavy snowfall in winter in the inland cities. The highlight of any trip to Montenegro is Kotor, an idyllic town on the Adriatic coast. This medieval old town has several ancient churches and some very cool architecture and wonderful restaurants. Loved Kotor … you will too!

Another must-see place is Sveti Stefan (St. Stephen) fifteen minutes away from Budva by car. It is a known favorite vacation spot for many celebrities and iconic figures, including Queen Elizabeth II and Marilyn Monroe!

The capital of Montenegro is Podgorica and the official language is Montenegrin. About 700,00 people live here. The dominant religion is Orthodox Christianity, divided between the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Montenegrin Orthodox Church. Islam is the largest minority religion.

Kotor as the sun is setting … breathtaking

The colors in this ancient city are spectacular

Russia

Hotel Cosmos in Moscow Men playing backgammon in the park. The Russians lost 25 million men in WW2, notice their formal dress and that they still wear their medals from 40 years ago. Super-cool picture ... Russian submarines at port! Country Information: The...

France

On our "Backroads" bike trip from Provence to Cannes in France Jim's Perspectives: I've lost count of how many times I have visited this gem of a country. Some of the more memorable time were as a young man right out of college, I took two summers to improve my...

Madagascar

Country Information: Madagascar's capital is Antananarivo and the official languages are Malagasy and French. About 26 million people live here. Over half of the population is estimated to have traditional religious beliefs, with the rest being Christian and a small...