This was the coolest/friendliest border crossing (even though Argentina and Uruguay were having spats during that time over the Fray Bentos dam).  Right in the Buquebus port, Argentine and Uruguayan border patrol sat shoulder-to-shoulder in pairs to process and Argentina exit and an entry into Uruguay and bid us a buen viaje to Uruguay.

Just beautiful!  Hire a guide so that they can point out all of the animals that are teeming in the rainforest.  The beaches in the park are postcard perfect and deserted in the mornings at least.  We had a beach to ourselves for several hours until we moved along... sharing it only with some inquisitive iguanas, a deer and dozens of hermit crabs.  Plenty of cheeky monkeys around, too!  Watch out for the acidic trees, though.

Mono Azul (Blue Monkey) is pretty cool.  They are located on the road to Manuel Antonio N.P. and the bus stops to go to either the park or into Quepos are just outside the hotel.  The dining area is jungle lodge themed with a cool vibe.  The best part of the hotel is their involvement with the Kids Saving The Rainforest (KSTR) initiative.  And YES, there are blue monkeys there!  (and a cow!)

Herne is a really cute and clean guesthouse in Supilinn ("soup town") on Herne (Pea) street.  (Shoes off to better maintain clean floors!)  All the streets in this area are names of soups!  The neighborhood is quiet and residential with lots of wooden homes.  Although rundown now, this area of town must have been stunning in its heyday!  It is a short walk to downtown Tartu from Herne.

This was a pretty funky place and felt like a living oxymoron.  The employees were dressed in lumberjack flannels and boots right out of rural Maine, but the decor was neon and the theme 'tacky'.  Tackiness goes all the way; even the bathroom is decked out in neon, fluorescence and vinyl.  Crazy!  I can't say much about the meal, however... not overly memorable, basic eats.

Did you know Santa's home office is in Finland?  Send postcards to or from Santa at his Rovaniemi post office at the Arctic Circle.  You can have your photo taken with him next door...

Kokeile Kuopion kalakukkoa torista!  Try the famous kalakukko from the Kuopio tori!

Beautiful square in Vanalinn (old town) Tallinn with plenty of Bier Gartens in the summertime and frequently an outdoor concert.  The backdrop is a menagerie of old buildings including the iconic Town Hall.

Makes for a nice picture across the lake

Nice views by the D'vina River Embankment.  There is an older part of this hotel in the back for a cheaper, more budget accommodation stay (you wouldn't imagine this with the shiny facade and towers that you see in the foyer).  The place is crawling with rich, international oil moguls though.  The hotel will register a foreigner's passport with the local police for you.

Hotel Severnaya (Hotelli Pohjola in Finnish) is one of the only lodging choices in Petrozavodsk.  Fortunately, it is pleasant enough and has a great central location --- within walking distance of Lake Onega, the train station, theatres, university, many cafes, etc.  They will register a foreigner's passport with the local police, something that must be done by all tourists...

Easy to find and they will register a foreigner's passport at the local police station, which is always necessary when traveling in Russia!  Dorms are bunk bed style and comfy enough, as bunk beds go.  Clean facilities and ample kitchen space.  Internet connections are intermittent though...

Nice walking strip with some tasty restaurants; connects to the university area

The quality isn't that great in exchange for what you pay; however, they will register a foreigner's passport with the local police for you, which is a plus whenever in Russia!  We stayed in the lowest class room and they charged extra for showers - beware!

The 'skeletal remains' of the catholic cathedral here are pretty dramatic!

From the castle windows there is a really neat view, as you can see right into Ivangorod, Russia (which used to be called Jaanilinn when it was a part of Estonia, pre-USSR).  This very scene is printed on the Estonian 5 kroon bill.

This hostel was OK, nothing fantastic.  The worst part was that it was underground; the best was its location close to Wangfujing and Red Square.  There are two separate wings, one more like a hotel, the other more like a hostel (shared bathrooms).  Sometimes you have to wait a while for the "key man" to come around to open your door and of course there are no windows as you are several floors underground!!

Check out neat endemic Baikal species here... there are some strange ones!  And yes, they have a tank of freshwater seals.

You can feel the influences of big communist brothers China and Russia on this square... yet it brings it manages to bring out its own Mongolian communist 'character' at the same time, evidenced by Khan and ancient Mongolian script.  I most liked the mix of influences, the cross of cultures and the cross of times that I found at the square:  during my visit there was a camp-in protest of gers set up on the square, while at the same time there was a school graduation party with all the students wearing colorful western attire.

Stop here for a peaceful getaway from the cityscape to take in the serenity that emanates from within the gates.  Beautiful Chinese-looking architecture.

Easy access / proximate to Ulaan Baator and with great Mongolian scenery of rocky plains and jagged monoliths jutting from the earth.  Look carefully and you'll see grounhogs popping up everywhere!  ...you can really appreciate the challenges of the nomadic lifestyle when you are in Terelj.  Kinda touristy, though, and there is even a golf course in/beside the national park(?!), yikes!

Lovely views of Hong Kong, the Bay and back to Kowloon, too.  Nice walking trails.  Did they really need to ruin it with a shopping mall on the peak, too (thus it only gets 3 stars)?!

Lots of markets, shops, restaurants, food stalls and cheaper accommodation, albeit seedier; something in Kowloon to stimulate all of your senses for sure!

Local 121 maintains a beautiful setting in a fancy hotel-turned-restaurant sense and a beautiful commitment to local and sustainable agriculture by using locally sourced ingredients.  Love it!  The menu changes with the season and tap water is served :-)  Yummy sustainability!

Nice overview of Colonia if you climb up it B-)

One (or "THE"?) of the iconic buildings of Montevideo.  It is a nice piece of architecture, but not very interactive as a site of interest...

I had a very memorable salmon dish here... just the refueling I needed after a ferry ride over from Buenos Aires!  They even had nutria on the menu if you are up for it (large South American rodent)....

This is one of the best restaurants in Northborough... Classy and kind of fusion / haute cuisine.  There is also a bar side, which serves a slightly different menu.  Loved their pumpkin flavored dessert!

Best place to go in Worcester for locally sourced ingredients!  Yummy [local] cheese platters and dozens of beers on draught.  They also have some inventive and fresh mixed drinks to try.  The menu changes with the seasons, so I can't wait to return and see what has changed.

I went here for an Ale Festival in the main hall and it was a perfect venue for such an event;  it reportedly has one of the best armor collections around!

This is just about the ugliest building ever next to the library, but for a small city, Oulu hosts a healthy number of dramatic performances.  Check out their website.

Regular outdoor market by the sea makes for a nice setting; it is not usually very large except when the markkinat come to town about 4 times annually and the market space is flooded with traveling vendors... that is the time to go!

Nice variety of botanicals; be sure to check out the Romeo and Juliet greenhouses.  There are also some live reindeer at the gardens.

It is not the most happening plaza in town... try Plaza San Fernando in front of the cathedral instead

Yum!  This bistro was delicious!  It is a bit on the pricier side, but high in quality and reasonable portions served.  They have an excellent wine list and even serve hot mulled wine.  I can't wait to go back and I hope to make it to their Bastille Day set menu next year....

I don´t usually travel much in the USA due to the combo effect of distances and lack of public transportation; it was so nice to find American Rambler Tours because they take care of all the transportation logistics and get you into National Parks for some unbelievable hiking!  The price is reasonable and just about everything is included up front... no need to worry about camping supplies, food or *driving*.  It is also single traveler friendly, which is a huuuuuuge plus :0)

It depends on the day you go and the weather, as the lagoons will take on different colors under different conditions... it is a pretty spectacular site!

Nice place to go for a walk if you prefer to get away from the beach boardwalks.  There is a walking/running path ringing the whole lagoon that is dotted with coconut stands and restaurants, etc.  It is a good place for viewing water fowl (cormorants, etc) and there is even a place to rent paddle boats.  Quite a relaxed atmosphere!

This was a neat find and larger that you might think.  The seasonal and changing menu offers variety in a lot of hearty, delicious plates.  They have a good selection of changing beers and wines with several local microbrews on draught.  Funky yet cozy interior and comfy couches in the lounge.  Great place!

Praça Gen. Enéias Martins Nogueis a peaceful little park in Brooklin Novo near the Marginal Pinheiros.  Sometimes there is a small handicrafts market in the park.

This was the coolest pizza place I have ever been to... The ambiance was amazing with tall cathedral ceilings and many salons to seat many customers... an open cooking hearth... a giant, waxy candelabra... tropical plants... and a live pianist.  And yes, the pizza was delicious!  There were so many pizza choices it was kind of crazy, in fact.

Nice views if you can get a table by the windows.  Their cheese/ice cream with guava sauce is incredibly amazing!

You can't miss it -- it is the one restaurant filling up already at 5pm (with tourists...) in Puerto Madero, as it has been awarded the prestigious recognition of one of the '1,000 places to see before you die'.  While it is indeed quite a good restaurant, I've had better meals in BsAs...

This juice bar has a vast selection of juices, including tons of endemic Amazonian fruit juices.  They serve their juices in glass (not nonbiodegradable plastic! ... although for 0.30 reais you can have a drink packaged for take away).  They have some yummy salgados (savory treats), too --- try the croissant made from pao integral with minas cheese and onions.

You can't go to Rio and not go to Pao de Acucar.  Not only is it iconic, but you have a fantastic view over the bay and the city of Rio from the Morro de Urca and from Pao proper.

It seems they are dressed for a sailor theme... nevertheless, a very nice waitstaff and great food... huge portions, too!  Go hungry, leave happy.

Delírio Tropical had a great selection of salads, entrees, desserts and beverages, all reasonably priced and at the convenience of only one block from Ipanema Beach.  It was hopping with locals when I went.  Recommended!

Nice walkway/bikeway along the beach dotted with coconut stands and other snacks and street vendors.  It is a nice beach, albeit crowded.  The hotel and condo towers lining the beach... not so nice!

ehhh, don´t go if there are any clouds in the sky.  There were a few the day I went, and they rolled in over the statue just as I got to the top of Corcovado and stayed there until I gave up.  Maybe another time!  Just make sure the weather matches your plans ;-)

I was very impressed with the quality of the exhibits and the pleasant layout of the exhibition house.  All of the descriptions are in Portuguese,  but there was one employee who spoke English and she was more than willing to answer any questions.  Unfortunately the gardens with authentic buildings from various tribes was under construction when I visited.  The gift shop has a great selection of high quality, indigenous handicrafts that I may just have to visit again before I leave Rio :)  This was a surprisingly nice museum in a quiet section of Botafogo.

I've seen it a bunch of times and finally stopped in when I was hungry and passing by.  Unfortunately, I was there during the downtime between lunch and dinner, so service was sparse.  The food was fine, but I didn't get to take a gander at more than the light fare menu, due to the time frame.  Next time, Cottonwood!

Vlora was only serving breakfast at the time that I was able to check them out.  Unfortunately, the breakfast was expensively so-so and geared toward the American palate.  I do hope to return to test out some of their Albanian fare for lunch or dinner and give back a few stars on this rating!  The menu, at least, looks fantastic!

Hearty Irish meals, great 'spirit'-like decor and fine waitstaff.  The bar has a token pooch to boot.  Hugely delicious, deliciously huge.

This is a pretty neat geological attraction... especially nice in autumn when fall foliage is at its peak!

The bridge itself is nothing more than a garden on a bridge, but Shelburne Falls is a cute, artsy town.  It is pretty with a nice river backdrop, but nothing overly special.  I wouldn't make the trip for the Bridge of Flowers, alone, but if you have a few hours in, take in the Bridge, glacial potholes, shops and restaurants at Shelburne Falls.

This was a great online find and then awesome in person.  Friendly service and delicious soups and salads.  The bakery is worth a trip, too.

A really neat restaurant in regards to the setting -- inside of an abandoned C-123 Nicaraguan Contra military airplane!  The food is merely ok.

Best place to eat at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), too!  There is a Legal Seafoods in Terminal C (before the security checkpoint), Legal C Bar in Terminal A (before the security checkpoint) and a Legal Test Kitchen [LTK] and take-out café by the gates after the security checkpoint in Terminal B.  Sadly, there is no Legal in the International Flights' hall Terminal E :o(

Lots of history relative to the "founding" of Hispaniola by Columbus.  It is a busy square and great for photography right off of the Conde.

Yummy bakery and cute diner smack in the Kaibab National Forest!

The staff were very friendly and the decks with rocking chairs were very cute.  There is a view to Volcán Arenal over the roofs of other hotels... good enough to kick back for a few days on a budget!

The rooms are pretty huge, but not overly spotless.  It is pretty close to the airport, but still walking distance from downtown San José.  In good weather, you have a nice view to the mountains.  The included breakfast is pretty decent and they have free internet terminals, which is a plus!

This was a really friendly and clean state park with a fantastic and well maintained campground in a really neat setting.  Recommended!

I liked the free airport pickup (though it took a little while for the van to arrive).  It is technically two blocks off from the Strip (advertised as 1).  It's OK; nothing special...  I'm not sure what the "free continental breakfast" was all about... didn't see it anywhere.

Easy to miss... but don't!  I have never had better Thai appetizers than at Sawadee.  The prices are very reasonable and the staff are extraordinarily friendly.  The entrees are also very tasty.

Special Teas is a jewel!  A good tea house is hard to come by in the USA... but Special Teas makes the cut.  They offer a wide variety of green, black and herbal teas, as well as a few chai selections, all served hot or cold in their comfortable old house setting.  To enter the tea house, you pass straight through the kitchen area, so you can see everything being prepared fresh.  Lunch is always delicious and satisfying and the specials change daily.  The best part though.... all the homemade desserts!

So much going on!  Great agricultural exhibits and fun for the whole family.  Lots of animals, lots of food and lots to learn!

Really cozy and comfortable, the Indy Hostel is a great place to stay for a reasonable price.  Seems pretty secure and it is located not too far away from a really cool part of town.  It is footsteps away from the Monon Trail, which is a great ex-railroad turned bike/walk trail running through the city.  The hostel hosts a bunch of art shows and concerts, too.  Highly recommended.

Yet another cookie cutter chain mall on the edge of a highway, away from centers of population causing traffic congestion, pollution and contributing to urban sprawl......  yuck :(

Locally Grown Gardens offers locally sourced and grown fresh American produce and other farm products.  The produce displays are fantastically colorful and they always seem to have really tasty fruit samples.  It makes great use of an old gas station and its location on the Monon bike/walking trail is perfect.  They also have a reading room filled to the brim with cookbooks and the staff is super friendly.  Quite frankly, it is a really cool, healthy and yummy experience.  Not to be missed!

This is quite possibly the best breakfast place I have ever visited.... so many choices of fresh food!  The daily specials alone offer immense variety.  Then, the baked goods had me salivating before I reached the cash register.

L'Annam must be a local favorite, because it was pretty full the entire time we were there and it was off peak eating hours.  They have Vietnamese beers available and I especially liked the ginger tea!  The food was great and presentation fantastic.  The ambiance was pleasant.  The only complaint was that the kitchen didn't seem to have a handle on the timing of their orders.  Plates came out as they were ready, not by the table (this would have been fine, but we were warned with one of our party's orders that it would take a long time...  turns out that was the first dish to arrive ;)  I'd recommend it anyway!

The upstairs café offers a unique view over the Viktualienmarkt with outdoor seating, making for a great atmosphere!  The desserts and ice cream creations are worth a stop!  Try the "München", a cup filled with fruit, sorbet and prosecco.

This was quite possibly my favorite place in Munich... so many beautiful and fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses, honey, wine...  You can also get freshly squeezed juice from any number of the competing juice stands!

The Bratwursthertzl is tucked in an idyllic corner behind the Viktualienmark food market with romantic outdoor seating.  Inside, the open grill emits an aromatic wood-burning smell... and the food proved to be quite delicious!  I would recommend the fried dumplings!

There are so many local and regional specialties on the menu... and everything I tried was very savory, including the house beer.  Sidewalk seating in the summer and there are several rooms inside with great atmosphere.

Tourist and the service isn't so great, but the atmosphere and the food are fantastic!  Biersteins by the liter, solid old wooden furniture, signage in the local dialect, live music... awesome!

I'm torn with Stix.  The concept seems cool and the interior decor was really chic and comfortable, but the food was so-so.  I didn't really find anything especially tasty about the food and the cocktail and dessert both were way too sugary.  Waitstaff was friendly though.
One bonus for Stix, though, that was during Boston's Restaurant Week, Stix offered several versions of the prix fixe menu in terms of cuisine and price.

Hotel Germania was clean, safe and cute within its own right.  The included breakfast was pretty decent, but the best part about Germania was its location -- really easy to get to the Main Train Station/metro from here... and not a terribly long walk to places like Marienplatz from here.

This was one of the neatest experiences I have had yet :)  ...soaking in a stainless steel tub of warm beer and hops inside a brewery and drinking a cold one at the same time!  Surprisingly, you do not come out sticky, but rather fully relaxed and squeaky clean.  In fact, they direct you not to shower for at least four hours after the treatment.  On the brewery premises there is also a hotel, restaurant and beer garden; down the street is a famous beer cellar restaurant.

The good thing about Hotel Daheim is its location close to the München Train Station and that it was the first hotel with space available after having checked with six other places first.  It is pretty bare bones, but furnishings are new and clean and done to a modern, albeit austere, theme.  They were pretty adamant about security and giving out keys; however, once you get past the front desk and go up the beautiful old wooden staircase, there was a doorway to open to an outside alleyway...  There is not much to the included breakfast.  Nothing special, a place to sleep...

This place, although outside the city center, has great connections by metro or tram (or taxi or foot!) to other parts of Prague.  Hotel Anděl is clean and the breakfast served is pretty full and tasty!  The telephone that was located in the bathroom only led to a few awkward moments....

First taste of the Czech Republic for me... and the River Restaurant set the standards very high, yum!

Staroměstské náměstí in Czech :)
...good place to people watch or catch a great outdoor (albeit expensive!) meal.  The scenery is just stunning!

Eating here gave us a very local feel to Prague... great food in a smoky cellar full of locals where the taps never run dry!  The traditional fried cheese is delicious as an appetizer.

The museum is largely self led.  There is an exhibit in each of the old classrooms, usually narrated by a video, which is very well put together.  You will be amazed by the wealth of information that you will have learned coming out of the museum!

We had a few problems with communication with these guys, particularly regarding the airport pick-up (ended up taking a taxi into town).  Other than that, they were more than accommodating to us once we arrived.  The rooms are awesome, keeping to the traditional architecture and it is pretty neat to stay IN a museum!  The price was pretty reasonable as well and included breakfast and internet usage.  The restaurant was usually bustling with a local Somali expat community and the meals that we enjoyed there were huge and delicious.  The fresh fruit juices (especially mango juice!) were awesome, too!  We really loved the location, being close to the Spice and Gold souks and not too far away from the abra station to cross into Bur-Dubai.  Recommended!

The gingerbread workshop is fascinating to watch, as they use only traditional recipes and methods.  The meals here are fantastic and the setting is very quaint.  Start with a traditional Slovenian aperitif.  The locally-made grilled cheeses are really tasty!

We accidentally ended up here when our taxi driver 'needed a place to park'.  At first we were incredulous, but the store does have some very lovely souvenirs (just what we were looking for, although we hadn't yet realized...).  We were offered kashmiri tea and the salesmen there were very informative and, yes, very persuasive.  If you want quality souvenirs from Bangalore, check out Jamal Mir...

There is a public swimming spot just before the Split.  There is a bit of an undertow, so be careful if swimming over the sunken concrete wall.  It is quite sharp and can be painful if the small current unexpectedly smashes you into it!  They say there is a big current going through the Split itself, so swimming there is not recommended.

Out of the way, quiet and right on the beach.  The bungalows are a bit rundown, but they have hot water and seem secure enough.  There are plenty of iguanas running around!

The price was not outrageous, but the overall quality was quite poor.  Our windows did not shut properly and there was rather a lot of noise on the street.  The room, itself, was average for the budget level (20 BZD/person), but the common shower/toilet area was downright squalid.

About the only good thing with Posada el Refugio is that it is cheap and it has a nice view from the rooftop.  Admittedly, the location is quite good, as well.  Otherwise, the rooms are dark, the linens/mattresses have bed bugs and it can be rather loud on the street at night.  We paid for hot water and there was none...

The location is perfect, as it is located just one block away from the Main Square in the direction of the marketplace.  Inside, it is quite lovely with a spiral staircase and garden courtyard.  While we were out, however, our belongings inside our room were gone through and items stolen :(

This church is at least worth a view from the outside.  The roof is tiled with the Croatian arms in red, white and blue, casting a very idyllic scene over the square.  (Very photogenic!)  In the wintertime, a huge Christmas tree is erected in the square just beside the church.

Decorated like a gingerbread house on the outside and a rural farm on the inside, the Ivica i Marica restaurant offers up great Croatian cuisine.  The waitstaff are decked out in national costumes.  Homemade pasta and locally picked mushrooms, coupled with Croatian wine, are simply delicious!  At the end of the meal, try their house "energy drink" made from pure juices of a number of fruits and vegetables.

Addis Red Sea is a very cozy restaurant and bigger than you would think, as there is downstairs area with seating and a tiki-looking bar as well.  All of the food is served on a traditional mesob basket table and is VERY delicious.  Ethiopian wines, honey wines and beers are available, as well as Kenyan beer.  Ethiopian coffees and tea for dessert!  Try a combo platter for several different tastes on your injera bread.

The hike is not overly difficult, but beware that it is slightly more strenuous than generally advertised around Antigua Guatemala.  Our guide climbed at a quick pace, but there were horses for hire, for those that were not physically fit enough to make the climb.  It is advisable (at least in many tourist books) to take a guided tour... and from personal experience, there were some shady characters in close proximity to the trail, so I was happy to have had the guide along.  Be sure to take good quality hiking boots, as the hardened lava field is quite rough and not always very steady.  The views are awesome!

The Argentine "hito" is really peaceful and it is really neat to be able to view three countries and two great rivers from one spot.  There is also a little tourist market alongside the hito argentino.  It is possible to take a bus from town to the hito.

This place is unreal!  The eroded towers of clay really make for a lunar landscape (thus the name) and it quite a departure from crowded La Paz.  It is a wonder that there are buildings so near with that soil quality!

Some of the best hiking scenery I´ve witnessed... and at nearly 4,000 meters!

Cute, Colonial, cobblestones... a really nice retreat away from Buenos Aires.  On a clear day, you can see BsAs in the horizon across the wide (widest river in the world!) Río Plata.

The Plaza Independencia is fairly impersonal, but houses some important sites in Montevideo.  The Palacio Salvo (former tallest building in South America) and the Uruguayan hero José Artigas' Mausoleum beneath the square, as well as some government buildings.

Great restaurants and lots of local arts and crafts for sale.  This is one of my favorite spots in Montevideo -- from immediately across the port through the market area and through the Old Town.  Nice!

Nice place for a stroll and to watch the locals... also a nice view of the ocean!

Here you can see water cascade over red earth cliffs.  From the proper angle at the top of the cliffs, you can nearly see a rainbow bend around 360°!

This is where all the action is and no map will help you to find your way through the snaking alleyways of the bazaars.  Get lost and enjoy :)

Love this place!  By day, the square is a strange mix of tourists and locals and Berber dancers, snake charmers, henna painters, fresh orange juice stands, boxing matches and more.  By sundown a tantalizing food bazaar rolls in with so many good foods from one stall to the next!

There are street vendors both inside and outside the cave trying to entice you with their wares.  The natural (I believe) wall cut-out in the cave is shocking... it truly does resemble the shape of Africa in reverse.  Even Madagascar is portrayed!

Beautiful national park for hiking and canoeing.  Lovely sub-antarctic beech forests and gray-green waters.  Lots of wildlife, too!

Lots of museums here.... just don´t go on a Monday, as I did, as many of the museums are closed.  The Musical Instrument museum, however is open and quite interesting!

Definitely worth a look -- this is where the Aymara people sell and buy their folkloric medicines and charms.  You can buy any number of potions, herbs, candles, seeds, hallucinogens, elixirs, etc. to cure any ailment, find fortune, make someone fall in love with you, make someone fall out of love with you, etc...  You can also purchase amulets or a dried llama fetus, which is buried beneath the cornerpost of a new construction as an offering to Pachamama.

Bocado can be pricey, but offers a really impressive selection of Spanish wines.  I do like the fact that they offer a number of wine tasting flights.  The tapas are also delicious!

The guacamole tasting flight is awesome (and love the avocado centerpieces!) and so are the tequila-based cocktails.

Caffe Dolce has a mouth-watering array of cakes and pies and a wide selection of coffees and teas.  It is the best cafe in Worcester, in my opinion.

The food at the Flying Rhino is truly eclectic, which allows everyone in the party to find something that they like.  It can get very busy and loud, however on the weekends.

The Middle Eastern food that they served was very tasty, great in fact, although it took a long time to prepare.  While we were waiting, we were entertained by an accomplished belly dancer.  The biggest problem with this restaurant, however, is that its name is a complete misnomer.  They do not serve Moroccan food!!

Great fusion-type food in a modern, almost boxy-like setting.  The desserts are especially tantalizing :)

La Florida is a pedestrianized street that is almost always crowded and has everything happening.... Shopping, street vendors, buskers, beggars.  Check out the amateur tango that usually takes place at the cross of La Florida and La Valle!

Go to Plaza Dorrego in San Telmo for antiques (sunday festivals) or other outdoor shopping... there are always street vendors selling mates/gourds, etc.  There are plenty of cafes and restaurants in the plaza, too.

Plaza San Martín has a number of neat things... It is home to the statue of San Martín El Libertador, a giant "gomero" tree that is soooo big, many of its branches are propped up with crutches and a dog park.  If you watch the dog park long enough, you will see the professional dog walkers arrive to give their dog charges (usually no less than 10 at a time) some exercise in the park.  On Sunday mornings, the park seems to be filled with artists.  Very peaceful!

This is the place to go to watch a good protest ;)

Traditionally, La Boca is the working class/ship building/meat packing district and rumor has it it can still be a bit rough.  However, the colorful homes are really cheery and give this section of the city a distinct character.  Tango runs rampant here and there are a number of touristy cafes and souvenir shops.  I visited on a bicycle tour, which I though was a great way to get in with a guided tour!

It is pretty neat to find this refuge of serenity surrounded by all of Buenos Aires.  Take a tour or just follow the crowds to Evita Perón's grave.  Some of the mausoleums are impeccably upkept!

The flea markets and antique sales on Sunday are a must!  Street performers and vendors flock to the streets.  There is one musical group that even drags a grand piano out onto the street!

At the convergence of the two Diagonals is the Plaza de Mayo, which is probably the most famous square in BsAs.  The most moving part of this square are the "Madres" that march in remembrance of their children that disappeared during the Argentine Dirty War and in protestation against the government´s never having revealed/uncovered what happened.  White kerchiefs are also painted on the square to represent their silent movement and political protest.

I´m not crazy about fútbol and didn´t have the chance to attend a game... but, my favorite part of the Boca Juniors stadium is all the flags.  Legend has it that when the city fútbol team split into two they had a playoff game to decide which of the new teams would keep the original colors.  The Boca Juniors lost and had to find new colors.  To do so, they decided to take the colors of the first ship that came into port.  The first ship happened to be from Sweden, thus their new colors became blue and yellow.  It appears that there are Swedish flags flying all over La Boca and perhaps they are indeed Swedish flags, but they are not for Sweden... they are for the fútbol team!

Cumaná is such a cozy place, serving wholesome food that you cannot readily find elsewhere in Buenos Aires.  They serve wholesome casseroles in clay pots and Cumaná is the only restaurant in BsAs I have encountered that serves yerba mate.  Cumaná is relatively inexpensive, but just beware, though, that it is cash only.

Junior's has an uncanny ability to make a creamy, yet crumbly cheesecake all at once.  It is not too sweet, yet satisfying and filling.  Definitely recommended to satisfy the "New York cheesecake" requirement while visiting New York City.

The Picos offer some excellent hiking and clean, pure air in the mountains of northern Spain.  They are fantastic in the summertime!

Sardinero is very clean and pleasant beach in Santander.

Today, El Parral is a nice place for a jog, to walk your dog, to have a barbecue or have a picnic lunch.  There are already grills there that can be used by the public.

There is a really great aerial vantage over the city of Burgos from the castle.  Worth the climb!

Burgos is worth a stop, even if it is only to see the cathedral.  Its intricate, giant gothic twin spires pierce the Burgalés sky and hints at its history and importance on the Camino de Santiago.

My favorite are the woven rug washing stations where the locals will come to wash their home's rugs in the sea.

Had a very early morning AM train once out of the Helsinki train station, but the station closes overnight, so we were chased out of the station by guards.  We had planned to spend the last few hours at the station to be sure to catch our train without trouble, but had to, instead, spend the night in a nearby park.... :(

I could have spent all day in the section dedicated to pre-history and early Finnish history (and I did spend several hours there, indeed); I found the exhibits on later history (1950s, etc) was kind of boring, though.

Such a peaceful place -- great for photography or a picnic!

Classy winery with a variety of their own wines to sample and purchase.  Tasty and reasonably priced.

The Soviet-built museum building is a somber reminder of dark, windowless times.  Inside, there are a number of impressive, albeit grave exhibits showing Latvia's history.

Esplanadi is the best place in Helsinki to take a break and sit down in a park in the summertime.

This is my favorite piece of architecture in St. Petersburg.  So ornate and colorful!

This is the best castle to visit in Finland, located strategically at a small straight between lakes in Savonlinna.  Take a guided tour!

Rocky and cold, but a nice seaside beach in Oulu.

The Elephant Walk serves Cambodian and French Cuisine.  I went during Boston's Restaurant Week and indulged in the set menu and also the wine pairing menu.  Everything was heavenly; I can't wait to return!

The food was exquisite, as was the atmosphere.  Service at the wine bar on the street level was a bit scant.

Om had a really chill atmosphere (ruined slightly then by a television in the bar) and the menu looked fantastic; however, the food and service somehow didn't meet the expectations I had.  I'm not quite sure why, though.  I would try it again, perhaps it was just an off day...

Asmara is a really cozy little restaurant, serving shared dishes in woven basket tables.  It was at Asmara that I first tried Ethiopian cuisine and have been hooked since!

Really beautiful and easily-accessible park, year round.  Go for a stroll to watch the birds, take a picnic lunch or view the greenhouse.

The Snow Castle is pretty neat to visit, because it changes from year to year, as it is built from scratch every time.  Even the "glasses" are made out of ice in the Ice Bar!

I wasn't so impressed by the gold, but rather watching the world's rich converge in one corner of the Arabian Desert, namely Dubai's Gold Souk, to spend their fortunes and one-up their neighbors with their golden goods.

The shopping center is upscale and pricey, but the area is just beautiful in terms of traditional architecture and landscaping.

Incredible view over the Forbidden City!

Between the Rotuaari and the Market area, you will find most all of Oulu's best shopping and restaurants!

Hands down, this is Oulu's best cafe for their variety of pullas and other pastries and the comfy environment.  Sometimes it is difficult to find a place to sit due to it popularity, however.  In the summer, it is really lovely to sit outside in the sun (sometimes even at 23:00 during the "White Nights"!) and watch everyone passing by on the pedestrianized Rotuaari.