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. The locals, who are regarded as “Sammarinese” speak Italian and practice Roman Catholicism.

When visiting, adventurers should visit all three of the breathtaking mountain peaks that overlook the city of San Marino. The three peaks are Guaita, De La Fratta, and Montale. Most tourists enjoy the cuisine here and Piadina is one such notable popular local flatbread that is sure to satisfy most taste buds.

One fun fact is that San Marino is the smallest independent state in Europe after the Vatican and Monaco!

 

Spectacular views of Italy from the top of San Marino!

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...

Seychelles

Spectacular beach at Kempinski Hotel on Mahe, 2019 Country Information: Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean just off of the east coast of Africa. The Seychelles is a biodiverse area and serves as the home for a few rare species, such as the...

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...