The most unfairly maligned stretch of coast in Europe, the Costa Brava has long been derided as a package holiday, chips-and-sangria destination, an image based solely on two or three towns at its southernmost tip. The truth is that this diverse region matches extraordinary natural beauty with a rich cultural heritage, an accumulated legacy of centuries of invading armies that shows itself in a tapestry of walled towns, fortified farmhouses and ancient hilltop villages.

In 1896 the novelist and playwright Arnold Bennett complained, “The difference between Bruges and other cities is that in the latter you look about for the picturesque, while in Bruges, assailed on every side by the picturesque, you look curiously for the unpicturesque, and don’t find it easily.”

Perhaps so, but for the modern palate, battered by postwar development, Bruges’ blend of antique architectural styles, from tiny brick cottages to gracious Georgian mansions, is a welcome relief - and retreat.

Amsterdam is the perfect city for a short visit or a weekend break. It’s easy on the eye, with plenty (but not too much) to see; it’s compact enough to explore mainly on foot; just about everyone speaks good-to-fluent English, and more often than not more than a smattering of French and German as well; and, last but not least, it’s a city that likes to party.

With some of Europe’s best sandy beaches, idyllic rocky coves, fresh seafood and picturesque fishing villages, the Algarve is justifiably the most popular region in Portugal for both overseas visitors and the Portuguese themselves. It’s a year-round destination, with bright, mild winters and long, balmy summers; it’s rare for the sun not to make an appearance even in midwinter, and a local Algarve saying maintains that “Saturday without sun is like Sunday without a church service”.

  В наше время трудно найти человека, не слышавшего об НЛО. Таинственные неопознанные летающие объекты легко встретить на страницах вполне реалистических рассказов, повестей и романов, о них пишут стихи и песни, служат они частенько и объектом шуток, а также темой карикатур. Ну и конечно же НЛО являются главными персонажами множества научно-фантастических произведений, количество которых столь велико, что, даже посвящая каждому несколько строк, придется написать солидное многотомное сочинение. К сожалению, назвать феномен НЛО, довольно любопытный сам по себе, целиком научным нельзя - уж слишком много сказок скопилось вокруг него. Более того, благодаря НЛО (по-английски UFO) возникла целая паранаука - уфология, забивающая сознание неискушенного обывателя всяческими баснями об инопланетных пришельцах.