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!

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...

Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands is also known as Isla Malvinas, the islands is a territory of the UK and is home to 2,931 Falkland Islanders (2016). The official language is English. The capital of Falkland Islands is Stanley. The majority of Falkland Islanders practice...

Brunei

In 2016, I was incredibly fortunate to be in Brunei on its National Day, celebrating its (33rd) independence from Britain in 1984. Its downtown streets were lined with 33,000 members of the military and students from schools from all over the country. I got a...