Краткое описание: Perhaps Turner captured its essence best. Elusive, floating, enigmatic, Venice rides in a misty middle distance of muted colours and sounds, a dreamlike place that defies definition and beggars description.

In this improbable city, built upon islets and platforms of countless pylons slammed over the centuries into the mud of the lagoon, people go about their business, traipsing along lanes and beside canals, up and down the countless bridges. The air hums to the sound of padding feet, chatter resonating off the walls along narrow, crooked streets and bustling, uneven squares.

Краткое описание: Book a flight on the Web, and grab your walking boots, reef shoes, snorkel gear, hat and, if you must, a spare set of clothes. That’s it. You’re ready. Off to paradise. The thing about these two exotic destinations is that everyone helps you with a smile, but nobody is hassling with ‘Come to my hotel’ or ‘I’ll give you the best deal’. It’s all comfortably easy - everything you think’d be cool to do can be organised by any of the agents along the main streets of Vila and Noumea. They’ll arrange tours, plus grand adventures to outer islands or away from the centres.

Краткое описание: For those of you who came in late, in 2004 there was a popular revolution in Ukraine. And while that Orange-clad uprising failed to leave the nation basking in a happily-ever-after future, it was a revolution that, contrary to the famous dictum, didn’t eat its children.

The map remains the same, with the awe-inspiring, monumental capital of Kyiv at its heart, irrepressible Odessa and striking Crimea on its southern shores, plus cosy central-European Lviv near rolling western hills.

Краткое описание: If you get it right, travelling in Tuscany and Umbria is one of those rare experiences in life - like a perfect spring day or the power of first love - that cannot be overrated. Despite incessant praise, the bellezza (beauty) of this region continues to defy description, for Tuscany and Umbria, it seems, really do have it all: extraordinary art and architecture; colourfulfeste; a season-driven cuisine emulated the world over; and a never-ending landscape of olive groves, vineyards and poplars. In few places do art and life intermingle so completely.

Краткое описание: Fate has put Turkey at the junction of two continents. As a land bridge, a meeting point and a battleground, it has seen peoples moving in both directions between Europe and Asia throughout recorded history. That human traffic has left monuments and debris, dynasties and lasting cultural legacies, all of which have contributed to the character of modern Turkey. Turkish history is such a hugely rich patchwork of overlapping eras and empires that it boasts figures, events and phenomena familiar even to the layperson.

Краткое описание: Arabian, African and Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and European, yet curiously provincial — the laid back capital of Tunis has two distinct hearts.

The new city, created by French colonials in the 19th century, is an orderly European grid, with wrought-iron balconies, cafés and pâtisseries bordering the boulevards. The city’s main drag, palm-lined ave Habib Bourguiba, is prime territory for promenading, coffee-drinking, gossiping and idly watching the passing human traffic.

Краткое описание: Russia’s ambitions turned eastward towards the immense Siberian hinterland and distant Pacific coastline. Russia sought to consolidate existing holdings and to extend her influence in the region. At stake was Russia’s claim over the still undeveloped and even undiscovered natural wealth of inner Eurasia. But these ambitions were checked by the Russian state’s limited reach across these far-flung eastern territories. Until this time, the distance between St.Petersburg and the Pacific was measured in an arduous overland trek or a hazardous sea voyage. The solution was found in the construction of the world’s longest railroad, the Great Siberian Railway.

Краткое описание: There is something extraordinary about New Zealand’s primeval landscape. The place is a South Pacific remnant of Gondwanaland, and the best way to see its brooding forests and cloud fringed peaks is to walk it. Whether it is bush bashing in the Waitakeres, strolling Abel Tasman’s gorgeous coastline or hunkering down from the weather on the Milford Track - spectacular is the word that defines this country.

Краткое описание: Tokyoites inhabit a singular capital inimitably yoking past and future, where Zen temples nestle in sd-fl cityscapes and centuries-old madness for cherry blossoms coexists with an insatiable desire for nonstop novelty.

Old and new are forever juxtaposed in Tokyo: its residents are at home both donning loincloths to shoulder a portable Shinto shrine through Asakusa’s religious festivals and piloting humanoid fighting machines in Akihabara’s robot sport tournaments. Tradition, happily, is not ossified, but feted along with innovation.

Краткое описание: Tibet: the Land of Snows, the roof of the world. For centuries this mysterious Buddhist kingdom, locked away in its mountain fastness of the Himalaya, has exercised a unique on the imagination of the West. For explorers, imperialists and traders it was a forbidden land of treasure and riches. Dreamers on a spiritual quest have long whispered of a Shangri-la, steeped in magic and mystery.