Kiev Checklist Wishlist

Problem
 Here's a map of Kiev. Kiev is the capital of Ukraine. Ukraine was the birthplace of one of my ancestors on my late father's side. Do I want or need to see Kiev? If I go, what should I see?

Before I throw out all the brochures cluttering my house, I need to check what they tell me.

Answers
Old Kiev
Kiev is city of the Golden Domes. The landmarks include:

1 St Sophia cathedral
The gleaming figure of eight golden dome surrounded by at least six green domes with smaller gold domes on top. You can climb the b e l f r y. (Oops! I am sure I typed b e l f r y, not belly. It must be the spell checker.) Inside are twenty bells, one massive 13 ton bell. White walls and green domes.
Entry fee 70 UAH.
www.n.sophiakievska.org

Want something free? Most museums and parks are free, except for the Museum of Miniatures, the guided tour of the caves, and the medieval horseback fighting knights show.

2 St Michael's Monastery
St Michael is the patron saint of Kiev.
All gold domes a glitter topped by gold crosses. White columns with gold tops.  Courtyard contains wish fountain. Since entry is free, you might donate a coin and make a wish.
www.achrangel.kiev.ua

New and Modern Kiev

Kiev Cooking
Chicken Kiev. My favourite. Although I can buy it in Tesco supermarket in London, it would be interesting to try it in Kiev.

Packing Your Car, Stacking your car, Planning You Trip Essentials, Items Retrieved In Emergency

Problem
How to fit all suitcases and bits and bobs in your car boot and interior?

Answer
Car boot - American and British names
Americans call it the trunk. The British word for the front is the bonnet. The American word for the part at the front is the hood.

How do remember the American and British words? Imagine a lady or a dress maker's mannequin laying down across the rack on top of the car, looking forwards to see where the car is going and enjoy the view. Her bonnet or hood is at the front. Her boots are at the back. By her feet is her trunk or suitcase.

Fixe of Car Boot
1 Try the empty suitcases in the car before packing.
2 Try the suitcases pyramid stacking. If the top obscures the drivers view, line everything up towards the left or right.
3 If you want to get things out en route, try stacking upright like books on a bookshelf with another other across the top.
4 If you are travelling with a friend who is arriving at your house, or being picked up along the route, ask the size of their suitcase or tell them the limit.

Stacking suitcases
1 Have all items needed for the journey or on arrival in you handbag or a small big in the body of the car.
2 Place valuables which must must be left in the car instead into a small light wheel on aircraft-friendly 18 inch bag, left on top or even in the car, so you can take it with you when rushing to the toilet at motorway stops.

Packing Suitcases
1 Allow room for souvenirs by packing a spare travel bag inside your biggest or handiest bag or handbag.

Saving Space
2 Consider taking old clothes you can leave behind
3 Use a folding device.
4 Use the roll-up method.
5 Use the nesting dolls principle.
6 Wear two layers of thin clothes.
7 Consider colour coding. For example, green case or green Marks and Spencer carrier bag for food needed on the journey.

Do not obscure the driver's vision. Keep the back window clear. In some countries a van can drive without rear vision but must have mirrors on both sides.

Animals and Babies
Take into account any animal such as a dog or cat in a box or cage or behind a barrier on the back seat.

For a baby allow for: the baby, (sitting or lying down, the cot, the baby seat, and the size of a pushchair. Add the space of baby clothes, changing mats, toys and food. Consider how you need them to be accessible at stops on the way or when unpacking at your destination.

Fragile Items
You can get souvenirs posted home and delivered by courier. Or wrap them inside towels or blankets, or inside boots and shoes. A blast sealable covering is useful. Also tupperware boxes for small items which might leak such as cosmetics.

Food and Drink
You can allow space for a cool box with an ice container inside to keep food and drinks cool for the journey amor at the destination.
Food bought at the destination can be sent home by courier to arrive after you get back.

Need Extra Space
1 Lower the back seat for skis. When buying or hiring a car, check it will take skis.
2 Check the roof rack and allow time to buy a rack plus fixing straps.
3 Consider buying a trailer to attach behind a bike or car. The vehicle manufacturer or brochure should tell you the weight and shape a vehicle can pull. Learn how to turn corners without being pulled over by the weight or endangering others if the back portion swings out.
4 Alternatively hire a big motorhome for the holiday. Transfer clothes already on hangers from your home into the motorhome.

Check the glove box contains your insurance, car handbook - print one off the internet - especially how to open the boot, open the petrol compartment - often a lever under the knee level on the driver's side, central locking and child locks, what the warning signals mean, petrol stations (gas stations) en route, cheap hotels en route inc as your journey is delayed, coffee bars en route, landmarks, maps and routes, hats, sunglasses, glasses, water, food, blanket in cold weather, first aid kit, emergency numbers.

Story
Do not over pack. I was on my way to a holiday in Wales still in England on the M4 which I was rear-ended by another vehicle. My car was a write-off. I had to empty the car of what I needed to take with me for the holiday.

I kept them waiting fifteen minutes whilst I unpacked from the smashed up car my bag of clothes and books. I was afraid I would never see again the items left in the car, which was towed to a car graveyard garage.

I had to carry all my luggage on the journey to my destination. First offloading it. Then hoisting it into the cab of the tow truck.

Then by train. First the departure station. Then the stop, with one change of train and the stairs at the station and running back to the ticket office to check the times and platforms since none were shown and I did not know which intermediate point station I needed.

Finally, two weeks later, go to the dump to collect my left behind possessions from the car. Nothing in it? There is always something. Your favourite pen under the seat. A coin. Maps. The tool kit, spare tire, towing ropes, first aid box, business card, spare key in box under wing.

You also need a photo of the damaged car to prove it was the other driver's fault (eg rear end damage). You need photos to claim for your injuries (eg broken windscreen, blood on car, or damaged driver's door showing impact. You might not even have noticed at the time, the tell-tale damage which your family or the insurers will note.

More Tips
http://www.traveller24.com/TravelPlanning/Suitcase-secrets-how-to-pack-a-car-boot-20140526
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-4549930/Practical-Princess-Ford-infographic-pack-car

Finally - car keys
Do you have the spare key with you or back home? Do you know the number of the key and where to re-order a key?

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photograph, author and speaker. I have other posts on packing. Please share links to posts.

EMERGENCY! Dial 112 after and prevent Fires and learn safety in hotels, holiday lets and holiday home and expats abroad

Fire alarm and speaker switch. Photo from Wikipedia.

Problem
A visitor starts a fire in the rented room or apartment kitchen. What should you do to extinguish it?
Who is responsible for the damage?

Answers
Prevention
The landlord in the UK is responsible for instilling a fire alarm. At the annual check or renewal of a tenancy agreement the landlord should check the batteries. (This is in the landlord's own interests.)

Story
This year I have been a tenant of a flat in one country and a landlord of a property in my home country, as well as helping family members deal with contracts in both countries.

In one property a leak from overhead damaged ceilings, walls and floors. Further leaks led to insects and rodents.

In another property an oven caught fire. I believe when the oven was turned to grill by mistake, I was not there at the time.

Tips
Check rules in the country where you are letting to others or renting from others.

Check that both landlord and tenant have insurance covering fire, and third party liability.

Place a fire alarm and extinguisher near the oven and hob.

Have a sign pointing to fire exit.

Have a key to fire exit beside the fire exit. If that is the back door, have the key by the back door. You might wish to have the only key by the back door. If you have two keys you can leave another back door key near the front door. But you don't want to rush to the back door in the dark and find the key is back next to the front door.

Display the number for the fire brigade and ambulance services in the kitchen. Note that different countries have different numbers. You cannot rely on the tenants, visitors, landlords, knowing the number for the country where the property is situated.

Fix fire action instructions beside the hob, oven and microwave. These should include:

Do not throw water on a fire. This causes scalding or burning fat to splash out, injure people, and extend the fire, and sometimes cause an explosion.

Keep the number of the insurance company on the fire notice and the date of renewal. You need a photo and to contact them immediately.

Insurance
You may wish to keep insurance details handy. Yu  may have a 24 hour hotline to an insurance company or legal advice as either a landlord, tenant, or member of the public.

Emergency Numbers
How will you find the emergency numbers? Emergency numbers will be displayed by swimming pools in condominium complexes, on railway stations, on buildings sites, and on maps. In the UK and USA you will often be able to find them in public places and private buildings> in Hotels and all suite hotels look in the booklets in hotel bedrooms or the local phone directories in bedside tables.

You might wish to copy down the emergency numbers of your holiday or business destination on the front of your diary for quick access and into your phone.

You could even print a couple of copies of the emergency phone numbers on an a$ sheet, laminating it if you have a laminating machine. Take two copies, one for each room in your all suite hotel or holiday flat, or two copies in case you change hotels and accidentally leave the first one behind in your first hotel. You might wish to leave a copy behind in your hotel bedroom or show it to a friendly novice guest house owner

Fill in these numbers wis and when you need them:
UK AND USA
Emergency Numbers in UK
999 emergency
111 You need medical help fast but not an emergency.

Emergency Numbers in USA
ASIA
Emergency numbers in Asia
Singapore
EUROPE
Emergency numbers in Spain

Emergency numbers in Romania.
The European emergency number 112 is the only emergency number in Romania. It is possible to call 112 from a mobile phone even without a SIM card. The average time to answer a 112 call is 4 seconds.

Finally, do a rehearsal with the entire family of what to do in the case of
Fire outside the front door.
Fire in the kitchen.
Flood.
First aid box.
First aid and CPR.
Nearest hospital.
(It's usually quicker to call the emergency services. Why? Because they can set their flashers and have larger vehicles which other traffic avoids or gives way to. They also deal with any parking tickets.)

Emergency numbers worldwide:
http://chartsbin.com/view/1983
Shows a map of the world with colours matched to emergency numbers.

http://chandlersfordtoday.co.uk/emergency/
Useful text explanation. Very handy advice that 112 works worldwide even on locked mobile phones.
Why 112 and how do you remember it? If you use the same number on the old dial phones you would have to deliberately dial. On a mobile phone you could accidentally press against a key and holding it down it repeats. So you dial 11 which is easiest to find, then a 2 at the end.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/112_%28emergency_telephone_number

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have other posts on safety. Please share links to my posts.

How The Heating Works - in your hotel or holiday home or home - how to turn it off in summer

Temperature controller for radiators. Centigrade. Five to twenty five. Photo by Angela Lansbury, copyright.

Problem
The temperature rose. I could not turn off the heating.

Heating has always been a mystery to me. Whether I am at home, in a hotel, a place I've rented, or in somebody else's flat when they are asking me, and everybody else, what to do.

How do you know what is affecting the boiler and what is turning the radiators? Where is the controller? What do the mystery numbers mean? What temperature do you set?

Answer
Now I know. My son who had a degree in engineering explained. I can't believe how simple and obvious it is, once you know.

Finding The Controller
I remember watching an electrician looking for a flat's heating controller and finding it on the lounge wall. I always wondered how he knew which sets of dials operated what.

What Is It Operating?
You can tell by both the location and the temperature setting.

You might have a dial or two in the kitchen in the boiler cupboard or timers next to it. They set start and stop times.

Is It Working?
You go into a new flat and nothing seems to happen when you fiddle the dials or set the times. Is it a 24 hour clock or a 12 hour clock. Aha!

So before you call out somebody to check, you can do your own check.

If you can't see which is which, you should be able to tell within ten minutes whether the water has got hotter, by turning on the hot tap, and within an hour whether the radiator is working, by feeling it. (Make sure it is turned on, as well. Look at the radiator. Does it have a dial?)

Story
I turned off the switch in the hot cupboard but the kitchen and house were still stifling hot. I called my son to come and help.

Finding The Controller
He asked, "Where is the temperature controller?"

What controller?

He walks into the hall and looks. "Look! There's a dial on the wall."

"Oh, yes. Outside the water boiler cupboard. I thought it operated the water boiler. How do I know it regulates the radiators and temperature of the rooms?"

Checking Temperature Range
"Look at the temperature. What does it say?"

"Er? Five to twenty five. It is centigrade. I grew up with fahrenheit."

"This is centigrade. What is boiling point?"

"A hundred?"

"Yes. In theory a boiler goes up to a hundred. But this only goes up to 25. That would be pretty cool for water. So it isn't boiling water; it's warming the air.

"In centigrade body temperature is much lower than boiling point, about 28ish. You swim in water that's about 30.  A hot tub would be much hotter. Let's say 40 maximum - you can look it up and check.

"The control setting in an airing cupboard is controlling the boiler. The cupboard gets hot and can stay hot for hours, when the room temperature has gone down, so a controller measuring the heat in the air would not tell you the right thing if it measured the temperature in your cupboard. The boiler might be set to run at 50-60 degrees centigrade. Not a hundred, because people would keep scalding themselves.

Boilers temperature controls start at 50 degrees. Not five. So your dial going from 5 degrees to 25 is not heating water but the air, so it is not for the boiler but the radiators.

How The Dial Works
"To pick up the temperature of the house, the dial is in the living room, sometimes the corridor. If you've just moved in, look around at eye level in the living room and corridor. The electrician just walks into the living room or corridor, then scans the walls, turning his head, until he spots a little box on the wall. He might ask you where it is first. If you don't know, he finds it."

Air Conditioning
"In Singapore in a community centre, the box controlling the air conditioning is usually by the door. The leader of the club often knows what to do without calling the management."

"That's air con, in a public building or hotel in a hot country.

Controller Position
Let's continue looking at the heating. To pick up the temperature of the entire flat, rather than the kitchen cupboard, the controller will be in the living room or corridor.

Setting Temperature
"You set it to a temperature like 20 degrees. You'll find advice all over the internet and sometimes in a leaflet with your electricity bill. If your bills are too high in winter, you may want to turn down the temperature.

How Room Temperature Controller Works
"When the corridor gets lower the controller turns on. It's a heat sensitive dial. It aims at the target temperature, and turns on until you reach the target temperature. Then it turns off. When the temperature goes down again, it turns back on."

The Moral Of The Story
I have lived in the UK, USA, Spain and Singapore and stayed in numerous buildings and been to conferences and clubs. Now I shall look at every controller, for lights, air con, or heating, and learn what to do.

Next time it won't be somebody else explaining to me. It will be me explaining to somebody else. I dare say the same applies to you.

Tips
http://www.thehottubandswimspacompany.com/about-us/blog/item/576-what-is-the-best-temperature-for-your-hot-tub

Hot Tub Temperature
PS The hot tub temperature, according to the industry, should not be above 40 for health reasons. 38-9 max would be about right.

The lowest temperature is about 7, even when nobody is using it, not zero, to be sure it doesn't freeze and cause damage.

http://www.ragsdaleair.com/blog/why-wont-my-central-air-conditioning-unit-turn-on-4/
Best tip - make sure it is not set to heat. Set it to cool. Just think about it. You told the poor controller to heat and then you told it to cool.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.  Please share links to your favourite posts.

Where to worship St Nicholas's bones or see a relic of Santa in Russia

Three Santas, and at least three countries claiming associations with Santa. Photo by Angela Lansbury Copyright.

The generosity of the saint continues to influence others worldwide. A Santa run for charity in aid of St Luke's Hospice, Harrow, England. This lady is wearing her Santa outfit and the medallion she was given for completing the fund-raising run. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
Who is the real Santa Claus and where can you see him, or at least a tiny bit of him?

Answer
The bones of St Nicholas are in Bari in Italy now (2017). He originally came from a place in Asia Minor which is now in Turkey.

But a relic from the bones has been loaned to a church in Moscow. You can see the relic if you are willing to queue (line up) for hours, along with Russians keen to see it and touch the case.

Of course St Nicholas lived all year, when he lived, not just at Christmas. St Nicholas was originally shown wearing a green outfit. But red livens us up on dark days and nights. The fervour the popularity of the red-dressed Santa started with an advertisement for CocaCola in the USA.

They say that red sells. The Santa Claus costume proved it.

However, the success of the exhibition in Russia shows that St Nicholas draws followers not just at Christmas, but all year.

Tips
www.italiantouristboard.co.uk
www.italia.it/en/home
www.italiantourism.com (for the USA)

http://www.visitrussia.org.uk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-40062807 Story of relic in Moscow.
More on wikipedia, wikitravel and TripAdvisor

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have other posts on Italy, Christmas and Russia. Please use the search on this website. Please share your favourite posts.

How to Learn Languages, Start a New language of the month and make friends

Problem
How do I find out a bit about other languages without spending hours researching?

Answer
Languages Websites
I use Duolingo and have signed up for several languages and looking at the opening page or explanations and tired the first two or three exercises.

But which language is most useful? Wherever you are going for your next holiday, or dream of going, you can start learning the language and planning a possible trip.

You can see videos on YouTube of people who have learned a dozen languages. In Singapore I often meet people who speak three or four languages. How to catch up, know at leat a little, enough to say hello or goodbye.

It would be good to even recognize which languages people are speaking. I often sit in a train, or in the sauna in a gym, and hear a foreign language.

I can recognise the Japanese. They end their sentences with deska which is a question word, equivalent to isn't it, or is that so?

Knowing a little of another language gives you the curiosity and the courage to open a conversation. Even if you know only a few words, that's enough to establish rapport.

If you want encouragement, Wikitravel has a language of the month.

Tips
duo lingo.com

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to useful and entertaining posts.

Where to find tourist board websites and cities

Problem
How do I find tourist board websites and cities?

Answer
Country List with Flags and Capitals
Got to www.Wikitravel.org
See www.countryconnect.co.uk

The quickest way to find a list of countries of the world is not to go to wikipedia which gives you the flags, which is good, together with the capital which is good, but in most of their tables several columns of other information.

Simpler List
Instead go to Simple.wikipedia.org

It's no use copying with select all because you get all the wikipedia page logos which overlay anything else you have already typed above.

Finding Addresses
How to find the tourist board addresses? I used the address cards and the WTM Catalogue 2016, issued in November 2016. Then I discovered a website with the addresses of the tourist boards in London and the addresses for getting a visa.

USA
Major cities and states include: Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington DC.
Visit sites associated with Edgar Allen Poe, Houdini, Molly Brown, Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley and Presidents Jefferson, Lincoln, Washington, JF Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jnr.

www.visitusa.org.uk
www.VisitTheUsa.com

UK
www.visitbritain.org

ENGLAND
Major cities in England include: Bath, Brighton, Cambridge, London, Manchester, Oxford, Windsor, York.
Major attractions include Madame Tussaud's, Sherlock Holmes' House, The V&A, Tate Modern, National Portrait Gallery, and a trip to Warner Brothers Studio Tour (Harry Potter locations).
Visit sites connected with Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Charles Dickens, Disraeli, Beatrix Potter, Queen Victoria, The Rothschilds, William Shakespeare, Wordsworth.
Major areas to visit include Cornwall and Devon, or the Lake District.

The National Trust
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
www.visitlondon.com
www.visitbath.co.uk
www.visitbrighton.com
www.wembleystadium.com
www.westminster-abbey.org
www.wimbledon.com/museum
www.wbstudiotour.co.uk
www.visitisleofwight.co.uk

www.VisitEngland.com is the official tourist board for England.

WALES
Places to see: Caerleon, Cardiff, Fishguard, Llangollen, Tenby.
Northern Ireland
Major attractions are The Giants' Causeway; Belfast's Titanic Exhibition.
www.visitwales.com

SCOTLAND
Major cities are Glasgow and Edinburgh.
www.visitscotland.com

CHANNEL ISLANDS
www.visit.guernsey.com
www.jersey.com

ANTIGUA and BARBUDA tourism authority
www.antigua-barbuda.com

ARGENTINA
www.argentina.travel

ARUBA
www.aruba.com

AUSTRALIA
(Major cities: Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney.)
http://www.australia.com/en-gb

AUSTRIA
See Salzburg, Vienna (Freud Museum).

BELARUS
Major cities include Minsk, not to be confused with next city which is Pinsk.
www.belarustourist.by

BELGIUM
See Brussels and Flanders Fields.
www.visitflanders.com
www.waterlooandbeyond.be

BRAZIL
visitbrasil.com

CAMBODIA
Allow three days to visit Ankor Wat temple and city walls, and tour half a dozen other temples, near the top tourist city, Seam Reap. Recently voted the world's top attraction. Tour in a tuk-tuk. the capital city is Phnom Penh.
tourism.cambodia.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phnom_Penh

CANADA
visit-canada.com
www.tourism-vancouver.org

CHILE
www.chile.travel/patagonia

CHINA
Top tourist cities are huge Shanghai with art deco waterfront, Big Beijing the capital and Xian for the now exposed once buried statues of warriors.
www.cnta.gov.cn

COSTA RICA
essentialcostarica.com
www.visitcostarica.com

CROATIA
www.croatia.hr

CZECH REPUBLIC
Captal Prague with Charles bridge hilltop castle and Kafka museum.
www.czechtourism.com

CYPRUS
www.visitcyprus.com

DENMARK
Major city Copenhagen.
Major character: Hans Andersen.
www.visitdenmark.co.uk

DUBAI - see UAE

FINLAND
www.visitfinland.com

FRANCE
From the UK on the ferry or tunnel or by air. Paris, the capital, the Loire valley castles, or south to the riviera.
www.uk.rendezvousenfrance.com

GERMANY
Berlin, the Romantic road through cities with riverside castles.
www.german.travel

GHANA
www.ghana.travel

GIBRALTAR
Gibraltar Tourist Board, 150 Strand, London WC2R 1JA UK
tel:+44 (0) 20 7386 0777.
www.visitgibraltar.gi

GREECE
Athens or second city Thessaloniki. Islands including Crete, Kefalonia, Mykonos. Trip to Olympia, flame site.
www.visitgreece.gr

GUYANA
www.guyana-tourism.com

GUATEMALA
Land of Catholics, cobblestones, coffee, Conquistadors, Mayan villages and volcanoess.
www.visitguatemala.com

INDIA
Major tourist cities and states and areas include: Agra, Delhi, Mumbai (previously called Bombay), Calcutta.
Ministry of Tourism:
www.incredibleindia.org
Railways:
www.irctc.to.in
Hotel Association of India (HAI) www.hotelassociationofindia.com
Airindia:
www.home.airindia.in
London Office:
email:indiatourism@aol.com

INDONESIA
Jakarta. Bali.
www.indonesia.travel

ISRAEL
Major cities include: Bethlehem, Eilat, Haifa, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv (Bauhaus-art deco). Biblical characters (Old and New testament, too many to list. OK - cities, tombs, walls, building, Abraham, Solomon, Jonathan, David, Romans and ruins, Jesus, rabbis.)
Jerusalem-hotels.org.il

IRELAND
Major city Dublin.
www.tourismireland.com

ITALY
Major cities include: Rome, Venice, Milan, Florence, Assisi, Perugia.
www.umbriatourism.it

JORDAN
Roman ruins and churches, Moses stood here.
www.visitjordan.com

KOREA - South Korea
Major city is Seoul.

english.visitkorea.or.kr/

LITHUANIA
Major city Vilnius.
www.vilnius.lt

MACEDONIA
www.visitmacedonia.com

MALAYSIA
Day trips and buses from Singapore. KL capital city. Waterfalls. Pink city.
www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my

MALDIVES
www.visitmaldives.com

MALTA
Side trip to second island.
www.airmalta.com
www.visitgozo.com

MEXICO
visitmexico.com
www.mexicoonline.com

The NETHERLANDS / Holland
Amsterdam.
Board of Tourism
Http://www.nbt..nl/holland

PERU
www.peru.travel

PHILIPPINES
www.tourism.gov.ph:
itsmorefuninthephilippines.co.uk
https://www.tourismphilippines.com.au/

PORTUGAL
Lisbon. Oporto.
www.visitportugal.com

ROMANIA
Bucharest.
www.romaniatourism.com

email romaniatravel@btconnect.com

or tel:0 207 935 6435.

RUSSIA
Moscow. Stalingrad / Volgograd / St Petersburg.
www.visitrussia.org.uk

SERBIA
www.serbia.travel

SOUTH AFRICA
Johannesburg, Pretoria,  Durban. Trip to Sun City.
www.durbanexerience.co.za

SPAIN
Madrid. Seville. Fly drive staying at paradores.
Barcelona is in the Catalan region.
Catalan Tourist Board
17 Fleet Street, 3rd floor, London EC4Y 1AA. tel:+44 (0)20 7583
8855
info.act.uk@gencat.cat
www.andalucia.com
www.catalunya.com
www.spain.info

SWEDEN
www.visitsweden.com

THAILAND
https://www.tourismthailand.org/
Tourism Authority of Thailand

Address: 370 Orchard Rd, Singapore 238870

Phone: +65 6235 7901.

UAE
Dubai is the largest city. UAE consists of several emirates.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates
https://www.visitdubai.com/en-uk/

UKRAINE
(Main cities: Kiev; Lviv; Odessa.)
kyivcity.travel e-mail:kyivtourism@gmail.com
www.lviv.travel
www.odessa-tourism.com

VIETNAM
www.vietnametourism.gov.vn

Open top buses:
www.bigbustours.com
www.city-sightseeing.com
For the latest feedback on which is best in the city your are visiting, see TripAdvisor.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to posts.
Azerbaijani is the primary and official language of Azerbaijan, and is also known as Azeri Turkish. It is alUKRAINEso t

Authe primary language in northwestern Iran, and is also spoken to a small extent in southern Dagestan (Russia), the Kvemo Kartli region of Georgia, and eastern Turkey. It is a Turkic language with notes of Russian and Persian influence.
Azerbaijani is the primary and official language of Azerbaijan, and is also known as Azeri Turkish. It is also the primary language in northwestern Iran, and is also spoken to a small extent in southern Dagestan (Russia), the Kvemo Kartli region of Georgia, and eastern Turkey. It is a Turkic language with notes of Russian and Persian influence.