Netherlands

In lovely Amsterdam prior to cruise, 1992

Amsterdam is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Have visited twice and I absolutely love this place! You should visit Amsterdam for its beautiful canals, architecture and explosive night life. Visitors also enjoy the natural beauty of the country featured in the Hogue Veluwe National Park, the flower fields of Keukenhof, and the windmills in the village of Kinderdijk.

Temperate Netherlands is also known as Holland! The capital city is Amsterdam. There are approximately 18 million people living here. The official language of the country is Dutch, with Frisian as the official language of the Fryslan province, and English as the official language in Amsterdam. Dutch people practice both Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.  

One fun fact is that the Dutch are the largest beer exporters in the world!

Portugal

Beautiful castle outside of Sintra Jim and Kenan in Lisbon On the coast outside of Sintra Visited Portugal with my son Kenan in 2109, although I had briefly crossed the Spanish/Portugese border briefly in 1989. In Portugal, the capital city is Lisbon. There are...

Uruguay

Country Information:  The Capital of Uruguay is Montevideo. Uruguay gained independence in 1828. Roughly 3.5 million Uruguayans live here. The official language is Spanish. Also spoken is Brasilero, a mixed variety of Portuguese and Spanish spoken on the Brazilian...

San Marino

A view from the castle in San Marino, 2015 Flew into Rome, and then took a day trip to San Marino, then stayed the night in Rome. Situated in the enclave of central Italy, the capital of San Marino is .... San Marino. There are approximately 35,000 people living here....