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!

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...

Venezuela

With the worsening relations between Venezuela and the US, I was concerned about getting a tourist visa to travel there.  I'm please to say that I received my visa the day before I left on a trip to Central and South America in 2016. I had to fly to Washington DC to...

Finland

Helsinki, Finland: Jim and Susan in 1992, sitting at the statue & flowers in front of the White Cathedral Country Information: Finland gained independence in 1917. The capital is Helsinki. About 5.5 million people live here and the official language is Finnish...