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!

Japan

Fish market & fish and egg shrine The Japanese people I met sensed that something was wrong with the world. Why? Because the cherry blossoms were blooming during the wrong time of year (during the “snow” season), and because typhoons were occurring more...

Tajikistan

To get from Turkmenistan to Tajikistan in '16 I had to fly to Dubai, endure an 6 hour layover and then fly 3 hours to Dushanbe. Tajikistan is the smallest of the “Stans” in terms of population and definitely the poorest. This country has recovered little since...

Czech Republic

Jim looking at the Astronomical clock in Prague, Czech Republic Country Information: Czech Republic, which gained independence in 1993. The capital is Prague and the official language is Czech. About 10.5 million people live here. The country used to be primarily...