United Kingdom 2002: London, England - The Crown Jewels…

"To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it..." - Confucius

London, England

(22 & 25 February 2003)

London, a city that first appeared as a small Roman military base during their invasion of Britain a mere 43 years after the death of Christ.

It soon became a port of some importance but suffered a major set back in 61 A.D. when it was burnt to the ground. It was rebuilt and through time London became a centre of considerable importance with a population of people living in fairly splendid surroundings with public baths, paved streets, temples and villas.

(The Tower Bridge)

Destinations of interests: Top of our list must be the royal palaces, and top of that list has to be William The Conqueror's watchtower, the Tower of London, out at Tower Hill in the City. The Crown Jewels may be utterly spectacular but more interesting still are the stories surrounding the Tower - Traitor's Gate, the death of the little princes - the stuff of legend.

(The Big Ben)

It is easy to walk around London just staring at the profusion of extraordinary buildings in a city that has existed since pre-Christian times, but to get a real flavour of the nation, its heritage and place in history you have to dive into some of its unique attractions.

We took the hop-on hop-off bus and visited most of the attractions.

(A tour in the London Dungeon)

Note: I was in London previously in 1995 and 2001...

👈 2002: Madinah/Makkah, Saudi Arabia

2002: Rotterdam, Nederlands 👉

Nederland 2002: Rotterdam - The World's 2nd Largest Harbour…

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you handle it..."

The city was known for having the world's largest harbour, but lost the title in 2004 to Shanghai. It is the second largest city in The Netherlands after Amsterdam, which lies approximately 80 km to the north.

(A glimpse of Rotterdam)

The city's street scenery is characterized by the large presence of people from North Africa, Turkey and the former Dutch colonies of Suriname and Indonesia.

(A city tour around town)

It centre was bombed away during WW2, forcing the city to renew itself completely. The result is a lot of modern architecture.

(A mosque along the route)

👈 2002: London, UK

2002: The Hague, Nederlands 👉

Nederlands 2002: The Hague - Diplomats and Expatriates…

"Anything you truly want must be worth fighting for..."

The Hague is the third largest city in the Netherlands after Amsterdam. It is located in the west of the country, in the province of South Holland, of which it is also the provincial capital.

(Calm and tranquil town)

The Hague is the de facto seat of government, not the official capital of the Netherlands. City life concentrates around the Hofvijver and the Binnenhof, where the parliament is located.

(The site for International Criminal Courts)

The city has many civil servants and diplomats. The number and variety of expatriates makes the city quite culturally diverse, with many foreign pubs, shops and cultural events.

(International Courts residing in the Hague)

👈2002: Rotterdam, Nederlands

 2002: Madurodam, Nederlands 👉

Nederlands 2002: Madurodam - A miniature Deutch City…

"You can't let other people tell you who you are. You have to decide that for yourself..."

'

Madurodam is a miniature city located in Scheveningen, The Hague, in the Netherlands. It is a model of a Dutch town on a 1:25 scale, composed of typical Dutch buildings and landmarks, as are found at various locations in the country. This major Dutch tourist attraction was built in 1952 and has been visited by tens of millions of visitors since then.

(A park with scale-model city)

(Miniature buildings and landmarks)

The miniature city was named after George Maduro, a law student from Curacao who fought the Nazi occupation forces as a member of the Dutch resistance and died at Dachau concentration camp in 1945. In 1946 Maduro was posthumously granted the honor of Knight 4th-class of the Military Order of William, the highest and oldest honor in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, because he had distinguished himself in the Battle of the Netherlands against German troops. His parents donated the money to start the Madurodam project.

(A miniature windmill)

👈 2002: The Hague, Nederlands

2002: Amsterdam, Nederlands 👉

Nederlands 2002: Amsterdam - Capital city of inspiration…

"If you are afraid of failure you don't deserve to be successful..." - Charles Barkley

(A day tour to the many attractions)

The Nederlands Travel

(23 - 25 February 2002)

Amsterdam is often referred to as one of the most colorful cities in the world. And rightly so! Where else do you find so many places of interest, famous museums, cozy pubs and fun shops and flower markets.

(The wooden clog factory)

(A horse-carriage around town)

'Some of the greatest pleasures in Amsterdam are the simplest - such as a walk along the canals admiring the stately houses along the way. The centre of Amsterdam can boast nearly 7,000 national monuments, and is a candidate for inclusion on the World Heritage List, alongside the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal. From 15th-century fortifications to the grand gables of the Golden Age, these buildings make for a unique cityscape.

(Bicycles for rent)

(A canal cruise tour)

👈 2002: Madurodam, Nederlands

2001: Zurich, Switzerland 👉