Glasgow has had more than its fair share of ups and downs - from a major industrial port known as the "Second City of the British Empire" in the Victorian era, to bleak industrial decline of enormous proportions, and a cultural renaissance in the 1980s and 1990s. Today, Glasgow is Scotland's largest and most "vibrant" city. Following its year as European City of Culture in 1990 and UK City of Architecture and Design in 1999, it is one of Europe's top twenty financial centres, has a thriving and varied cultural scene, and is the second largest shopping centre in the UK after London. It has a wealth of cultural attractions and activities that attract over 3 million tourists from all over the world each year. Many of these visitors regularly report on the welcome they have received - Glaswegians are well known for their hospitality and generosity of spirit. The 2014 Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow after Scotland's successful bid to host them. This city which loves to shop makes a great short break destination!

The Captain Cook Highway is a short highway in Far North Queensland which starts at Cairns and ends in Mossman, 75 km to the north. From Mossman the Highway continues via the Mossman-Daintree Road to the Daintree and Cape Tribulation, tamed fringes of the Cape York Peninsula 

The Cook Highway is a vital link between the two tourist locations of Cairns and Port Douglas, 70 km to the north. The highway travels through flat cane fields and tropical seaside rainforest, some 20 km of it tightly hugging the rugged coastline, providing spectacular ocean views. This beautiful drive past isolated beaches where hang-gliders patrol the headlands attracts the greatest interest from tourists and perhaps some of the greatest distractions for the motorist!  

This a route you don't even need a car for, as tours from Cairns will show you the sights. If you want to take longer to take in the rich scenery and atmosphere,  Coral Coaches runs frequent buses through the day to Port Douglas and Mossman, and at least two daily services between Cairns and Cape Tribulation, all of which allow multiple stopovers. The smaller and faster Airport Shuttle also run to Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation three times a day.

If you're looking for the perfect place to get away from it all with a superb tropical climate all year-round, an amazing array of nature and wildlife, and easy access to the Great Barrier Reef, Port Douglas in North Queensland more than fits the bill!

Picturesque Port Douglas is just 70 kilometres north of Cairns' international airport, along a spectacular coastal road surrounded by forest and the Coral Sea. Its natural beauty and an excellent year round climate have made it popular a favourite international destination for tourists. It's the only place where two World heritage listed sites exist side-by-side: the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforest of Daintree and Cape Tribulation, and enjoys a relaxed coastal ambience blended with tropical style and sophistication. 

Cairns has come a long way from its origins as a settlement serving miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield! Today it's a rapidly expanding city, primarily reliant on the sugar trade and tourists attracted by its tropical climate and proximity to many attractions. It is the fourth most popular destination for international tourists in Australia after Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane

Cairns attractions rank as some of the most original and exciting in Australia. The Great Barrier Reef is less than an hour away by boat, for those wanting to experience a tropical rainforest, the Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation are within easy reach 130 kilometres (80 miles) north of Cairns, and Cooktown, Cape York Peninsula, and the Atherton Tableland are easily explored from Cairns. Cairns has an outstanding number of world-class tour specialists, offering a wide range of day (or longer) tours to the region's most popular destinations such as Kuranda, the Barrier Reef, and the World Heritage listed Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation.

Cairns has a thriving nightlife that caters to just about every taste! The city has nightclubs and sophisticated places for dining, or you can visit the Cairns Night Markets, which showcase local and indigenous artworks, tourism trinkets and good food.

Kuranda Village is a picturesque mountain retreat just 25km northwest of Cairns in Far North Queensland, Australia.  It is surrounded by World Heritage Rainforest rich in wildlife, with numerous walks and lookouts. Although tourism has been in Kuranda since the 1920's, it first attracted interest as a centre for those choosing an alternative lifestyle in the late 60’s, It's come along way from those days and though it is still laid back, it has a style and sophistication that sets it apart from other Cairns Highlands Venues and Attractions. 

Visitors can travel to Kuranda on the Historic Scenic Railway from Cairns, or by car or bus via the spectacular 11.5 km long Kuranda Range Road, or over the rainforest on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. The most exciting and rewarding way to get there is to take the leisurely one and a half hour railway trip up to the village, and the Skyrail cableway with its great views of the rainforest canopy back down.

Seattle is like most other cities around the world. If you know where to look, have a desperate need and enough money, you can find anything your heart desires.

Seattle Some Dry Roasted Facts

Seattle is a coastal port city and the largest city in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located in the state of Washington between an arm of the Pacific Ocean called Puget Sound and Lake Washington, about 96 miles (154 km) south of the Canada – United States border in King County, of which it is the county seat.

Seattle has a reputation for heavy coffee consumption; coffee companies founded or based in Seattle include Starbucks, Seattle's Best Coffee, and Tully's. There are also many successful independent espresso roasters and cafes.

Of all the areas of France, Provence is the most irresistible, and Western Provence is one of the most delightful and diverse parts of the region, long popular with tourists for its stunning and colourful landscape, relaxed lifestyle and rich and varied history. Highlights of the region are the Roman cities of Orange , Vaison-la-Romaine , Carpentras and Arles , and the papal city of Avignon, with its brilliant summer festival. Aix-en-Provence is the mini-Paris of the region and was home to Cézanne, for whom the Mont Ste-Victoire was an enduring subject, while St-Rémy and Arles have strong links with Van Gogh. Around the Rhône delta, the Camargue is a unique self-contained region, as different from the rest of Provence as it is from anywhere else in France. 

This road trip, from the one of the region’s most charming old towns to the stunning flamingo-filled lagoons of the Camargue, is short in length - about 80km - but each of its stops is worthy of several days of exploration!

It begins in the heart of the Vaucluse region, in the lovely city of Avignon, home of the celebrated Palais des Papes (Popes' Palace) and the famous bridge of Pont St Bénezet (the bridge in the ditty ‘Sur le pont d'Avignon'). It continues to the Roman city of Arles, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, Arles has wonderful churches and some impressive Roman monuments, including an arena which is still used for Provencal-style bullfights today. At Arles, the Rhône divides itself in two arms, forming the unique and Camargue delta. The capital of the Camargue is the seaside resort of Saintes Maries-de-la-Mer, a town with a romantic history and a very strong Romany tradition.

Sometimes the road less travelled leads to the best vacations.

For instance, outdoor enthusiasts, backpackers and those simply looking for an unforgettably relaxing time might want to check out The Alleghenies, a string of strikingly beautiful mountains nestled in the heart of south-central Pennsylvania. 

The mountains offer activities ranging from world-class fishing, boating and bird-watching to bicycle and motorcycle trails, historical day trips and more. Here’s a closer look at what vacationers can expect:

The Camargue is a vast plain south of Arles in Western Provence, between the Mediterranean  and the two arms of the Rhône delta. It comprises large brine lagoons or étangs, cut off from the sea by sandbars and encircled by reed-covered marshes which are in turn surrounded by a large cultivated area. Approximately a third of the Camargue is either lakes or marshland. It is western Europe's largest river delta, and also indeed technically an island as it's wholly surrounded by water

The eastern arm of the Rhône delta is called the Grand Rhône; the western one is the Petit Rhône. A further expanse of marshy plain just to the west of the Petit Rhône is the Petite Camargue. There are few towns of any size in the Camargue. Its "capital" is Arles, located at the extreme north of the delta where the Rhône forks into its two principal branches. The only other towns of note are Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, about 45 km to the southwest, which is the site of the annual Roma pilgrimage for the veneration of Saint Sarah, and the medieval fortress-town of Aigues-Mortes on the far western edge, in the Petite Camargue. Tourism is a major source of income. Each year the Camargue is visited by over one million tourists who come to see the unique flora and fauna of the area - the famous Camargue horses, bulls, and birds - including the famous flamingos which provide a marketing brand of the Camargue National Park.

When to go

The climate of the Camargue can be harsh, ranging from scorching heat in summer, sometimes with 100% humidity, to desiccating cold whipped by icy winds from the Alps in winter. The area is also subject to the famous Mistral wind blowing from the north-north-west down the Rhône Valley. The best times to go are in spring and autumn when you can expect lots of sunshine and warm temperatures.

Transport

Fairly frequent buses run between Arles and Stes-Maries, where you can rent bikes. The other means of transport to consider is riding, and the Association Camarguaise de Tourisme Equestre in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer offers guided tours for all levels of horsemanship.

For transport as an end in itself, there's the paddle steamer  Le Tiki III , which leaves for river trips from the mouth of the Petit Rhône, off the route d'Aigues-Mortes, 2.5km west of Stes-Maries (mid-March to mid-Nov), and the Soleil , which leaves from the port in Stes-Maries (April-Sept). There is also a Camargue Marina for yachts.

Be wary of taking your car or bike along the dykes : although maps and road signs show which routes are closed to vehicles and which are accessible only at low tide, they don't warn you about the road surface.