Greece

Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic and known since ancient times as Hella, is a country in Southeast Europe. According to the 2011 census, Greece's population is around 11 million. Athens is the nation's capital and largest city.

Greece is strategically located at the crossroads of Europe, Western Asia, and Africa and shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north and Turkey to the northeast.  The country consists of nine geographic regions: Macedonia, Central Greece, the Peloponnese, Thessaly, Epirus, the Aegean Islands (including the Dodecanese and Cyclades), Thrace, Crete, and the Ionian Islands. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland, the Ionian Sea to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin and the 19th longest coastline in the world at 13,676 km (8,498 mi) in length, featuring a vast number of islands (approximately 1,400, of which 227 are inhabited).  Eighty percent of Greece consists of mountains, of which Mount Olympus is the highest, at 2,917 m (9,570 ft).

A country filled with history which has left its mark all over the world, Greece is a country rich in heritage and culture. With amazing beaches and great architecture, it is a place that has inspired me in many of my designs of interiors.

Tahiti

Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia (an overseas country of the French Republic), located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous with surrounding coral reefs. The population is 183,645 inhabitants (2012 census), making it the most populous island of French Polynesia and accounting for 68.5% of its total population. Tahiti was formerly known as Otaheite.

The perfect Honeymoon location, Tahiti- Bora bora is a place I have to visit with my husband. To me the most romantic place on this Planet. What is better than clear oceans, white sand and swimming with dolphins and sting rays. The image of the perfect honeymoon is fresh in my mind every time I think of this amazing location. Spending with someone who is meant to mean to the world to you would just make that experience even better for me.

 

Sweden

At 450,295 square kilometers (173,860 sq. mi), Sweden is the third-largest country in the European Union by area, with a total population of about 9.5 million.[1] Sweden has a low population density of 21 inhabitants per square kilometer (54 /sq. mi) with the population mostly concentrated to the southern half of the country. About 85% of the population live in urban areas. Sweden's capital city is Stockholm, which is also the largest city. Since the early 19th century Sweden has generally been at peace and has largely avoided war.

With the Swiss alps being the most intriguing part of Sweden, it is known to be a great destination to ski down the mountain side.

 

Stockholm being it capital is the heart of the country. A little quaint city with narrow streets and amazing Swiss Chocolate stores. Dreamy, milky chocolate by the bucket load puts Sweden on the top of my bucket list.

North Pole

 

The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It should not be confused with the North Magnetic Pole.

The North Pole is the northernmost point on the Earth, lying diametrically opposite the South Pole. It defines geodetic latitude 90° north, as well as the direction of true north. At the North Pole all directions point south; all lines of longitude converge there, so its longitude can be defined as any degree value.

Home to the Polar bears, the Northern Lights and Santa Claus, the north Pole is a place I have to visit. Not just because of its amazing views but also to see an orca hunt. Imagine how invigorating that sight will be.

 

One of the biggest things to do in the North Pole is a cruise through the arctic to see the Northern light or fly for eleven hours to sight see every part of the North Pole.

 

Fascinating France

Famous for its wines and cheeses, France is the world’s most popular tourist destination receiving 82 million foreign tourists annual. Visitors are attracted by historic cities, a beautiful countryside, the castles of the Loire Valley, and Brittany and Normandy. In addition, France offers an agreeable climate, some excellent beaches on the French Riviera, the Atlantic coast and the island of Corsica, wide possibilities for winter sports, most notably in the Alps and the Pyrenees, and a rich culture with food and wines that are among the most celebrated in the world.

Home to the city of lights and romance, Paris the capital of France is a place I have dreamed go going. Finding LOVE there would be a bonus. During my tour of Europe I will be visiting Paris, France and taking in the amazing views and exquisite cuisine.

LONDON....

 

Big Ben, London Eye, Harrods, Westminster Abbey, Red telephone booths, Buckingham Palace, London dungeon and St Pauls Cathedral... all amazing places in London I want to visit. Being such a great tourist destination, London is definitely one of the places I will visit during my tour of Europe. The shopping, the site seeing and the architecture are aspects just pulling me to London.

 

With such great political hold on the world, London England has become the centre of Europe’s economy, where Queen Elizabeth rules.

 

I will definitely tell you more about my trip to London when I return...

Intriguing Italy

Italy, slightly larger than Arizona, is a long peninsula shaped like a boot, surrounded on the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea and on the east by the Adriatic. It is bounded by France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia to the north. The Apennine Mountains form the peninsula's backbone; the Alps form its northern boundary. The largest of its many northern lakes is Garda, the Po, its principal river, flows from the Alps on Italy's western border and crosses the Lombard plain to the Adriatic Sea. Several islands form part of Italy; the largest are Sicily and Sardinia.

 

In 2014 my family and I plan on visiting Europe, we will travel from North to South, East to West. It has always been a dream of mine to visit Italy, to be able to see the St Peters Basilica Church, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Coliseum, Roma, the canals of Venice and mostly Lake Como.

 

But the greatest thing for me will be the FOOD... Italian food has always been a favourite of mine. Sitting in the streets of Rome with a big hearty bowl of freshly made Pasta in an amazing tomato sauce will make my trip to Intriguing Italy all worth the while.

 

 

Captivating Canada...

Canada is a country in North America consisting of 10 provinces and 3 territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean. At 9.98 million square kilometres in total, Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, and its common border with the United States is the world's longest land border shared by the same two countries.

Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary all located in the second largest country in the world with regards to land mass. With stunning views and breath-taking attractions, Canada has become a huge tourist destination.

With its scenic views, mild climate, and friendly people, Vancouver is known around the world as one of the best places to live and is a popular tourist attraction. Vancouver is also one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada. Vancouver has been host to many international conferences and events, including the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics. Vancouver is definitely a place to visit, with a long list of activities you can enjoy, from hiking through Stanley Park, the largest park in North America, get your snow shoes on and ski down the Alps or simply take a midnight stroll on the beach. Vancouver was a great experience for me, I was able to enjoy nature’s gift to us, and I definitely took advantage of the opportunity.

Another must see when visiting Canada is the city of Toronto, known for its great and lively night life it is most definitely a place for anyone looking to have a great time. My favourite experience was the view from the CN tower which overlooks the entire city of Toronto. A great experience in Toronto was our visit to the Toronto Zoo, which was magnificent and beautiful. Seeing orcas, snow leopard, grizzlies and polar bears so close up was incredible.

My stay in Calgary tops my list by far. Waking up in the morning and seeing the infamous foothills which rolled on forever. Being extremely close to the Rocky Mountains, skiing was at the top of my to do list in Canada.

 

I also visited Niagara Falls, the largest water fall in the world, as well as Glacier National Park. But what caught my eye was the incredible architecture Canada exhibits. Their wooden structured homes and amazingly tall steel sky scrapers were but 2 of the many architectural wonder Canada is home to.

This is a trip I will treasure for the rest of my life. I would definitely o back to visit what I taught to Captivating Canada... 

Places i wish to visit so that i may add to this amazing jorney called LIFE...

Oman:

With its rich heritage and culture, Oman is definitly a place I dream of going. Just as Dubai and Abu Dhabi are developing, Oman is the next one on that list and is waiting to take the world by storm.

 

 

New Orleans:

New Orleans is a place which has a huge scope for the career that i am in, i therefore wish to go their an work and beable to become independant away from family in a country with so much cultrue and history and amongst all amzing architecture.#

 

 

Spain:

As my favourite Soccer team hails from Spain, i have every dream to go there. visit Madrid and Barcelona with its breathtaking views and amazing cuisine, Spain is deffinitly on my top five place to visit at the moment.

 

 





Turkey

Turkey officially the Republic of Turkey is a contiguous transcontinental country, located mostly on Anatolia in Western Asia and on East Thrace in Southeastern Europe. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea is to the south; the Aegean Sea is to the west; and the Black Sea is to the north. The Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles (which together form the Turkish Straits) demarcate the boundary between Thrace and Anatolia; they also separate Europe and Asia. Turkey's location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia makes it a country of significant geostrategic importance.

After visiting the Turkish Masjid replica in Midrand, my heart has been set on seeing the real masjid and all the history it holds. as it was my dream to go their my dad fulfilled it and before i knew it we were on our way to Turkey to bask in its glorious architecture and rich culture and history.

Upon arriving in Turkey i met a few people from London who i became good friends with. we toured together and most of all had loads of fun. We visited the Top Kapi museum which contains both religious and historical artifects. the To Kapi museum has the greatest amount of the hair of the Prophet Mohammed, the last and final prphet of God according to the Muslims. I visted many other places such as the Blue masjid which is the original masjid of the one we saw in Madrand. I even got to scuba dive in the Medetaranian Sea which was an amazing experiance.

Visitng new places and making new places is was inspires me nd this trip definitly inspire me...

Zambia and Zimbabwe

Zambia officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west. The capital city is Lusaka, located in the south-central part of the country. The population is concentrated mainly around Lusaka in the south and the Copperbelt Province to the northwest.

When visiting Zambia I experianced amazing things, bungy jumping of the bridge at the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe was the highlight of my trip. During this visit we were given the oppertuinity to stay at the same hotel as the president of Zimbabwe was staying at while he was attending a conference in Zambia. while touring we visited the Victoria falls where in order to stand at the edge of teh falls we were instructed to wear rain coats as to not get wet. the falls were beautiful and an amazing view. i will never forget a trip like that. this was my first holiday in Africa out of South Africa.

The Holy Pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabi officially known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest Arab state in Western Asia by land area (approximately 2,150,000 km² (830,000 sq mi), constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula) and the second-largest in the Arab world (after Algeria). It is bordered by Jordan and Iraq to the north, Kuwait to the northeast, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates to the east, Oman to the southeast, Yemen in the south, the Red Sea to the west and Persian Gulf to the east. Its population is estimated to consist of 16 million citizens and an additional 9 million registered foreign expatriates and 2 million illegal immigrants.

At the age of four my parent took my brother and I to Mecca for the Holy Pilgrimage. At that young age it was a fun experiance as it was the first time i hade been over seas. my brother and I enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. we travelled during the Holy month of Ramadhaan which was extremely challenging for us at that young age but we still complete the pilgramage.

There are a few memories which will accompany me through life. I still remeber one night when my parents had left us asleep in the room to have the morning meal before fasting. My brother woke up after they left and went into panic as he found the room empty. He woke me up and being that young is started crying and looking for my mother. He eventually got the door open but accidently locked me inside. As i was very short i was unable to open the door and follow him to look for our parents. One of the guests saw his locked outside the room and phoned the reception to find out where our parents were. he took us to the resturant in the lobby, there we found our parents. It was a a very traumatic situation at that time but now when i think about it i laugh to myself as it is a memory i will never forget.

My parents taught us alot during our stay to Saudi Arabia, one which has made me wish to return to the Holy plains of Mecca and Medina.

The Emirate of Dubai

Dubai is a city in the United Arab Emirates, located within the Emirate. The emirate of Dubai is located on the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf and is one of the seven emirates that make up the country. It has the largest population in the UAE of 2,106,177 and the second-largest land territory by area after Abu Dhabi^. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the only two emirates to have veto power over critical matters of national importance in the country's legislature. The city of Dubai is located on the emirate's northern coastline and heads up the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area. Dubai is nowadays often misperceived as a country or city-state and, in some cases, the UAE as a whole has been described as 'Dubai'.

With great enticipation and longing to visit Dubia from a very young age, i was not let down at all. Although being situated in the centre of a desert, Dubia is nothing short of amazing. infact it is short of nothing when it comes to exquisite cuisine, incredible architecture and not forgetting the amazing cars. During my visit to Dubai i was in awe of the architecture, as architecture and interiors are my passion. There were many different places I visited such as the musical fountains at the mall of Dubai, the Burj Dubai known as the tallest bulding in the world and the Burj Khalifa one of Dubai's seven star hotels. A great experiance for me was trying on an original Ellie Saab dress, a designer who i have adorded since a young age.

We took a trip to Abu Dhabi for the day and visited Farrari World which a world famous theme park. Farrari World is home to the worlds fastest roller coaster and is situated in the next up and coming city after Dubai.

After that tip i will deffinitly visit the emirates of Dubia again.

The Kingdom of Thailand

 
Thailand  formerly known as Siam, is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Burma. Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast, and Indonesia and India in the Andaman Sea to the southwest.

During my visit to Thailand I soent time in Phuket aswell as bangkok which is the official capital of Thailand. I enjoyed every moment of the visit, but most of all i enjoyed my stay in Phuket with its crystal clear beaches and amazing climate. We stayed at teh Laguna holiday resort which consists of seven different resorts, each which has it's own beach. While in Phuket we visited many different interesting places such as the location at which 007 james bond the movie was taken. the island is called james bond island to comameoate the movie.

 

After spending a week in phuket we visited Bangkok, a city which never sleeps. traffic which never stops flowing and amazing city lights jus as the sun goes down. from the floating markets, to the gem factory in down town, bangkok was an experiance never to be forgotten. we enjoyed an alephant ride followed by fresh coconut ice cream. But what interested me the most was the amount of shopping i could do without breaking the bank. Even after buying an original louis vuitton  bag I was able to shop for all my friends and family members.

my trip to Phuket and Bangkok was epic and i would love to return to the magnificent Kindom of Thailand...

Incredible India

 

India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Burma and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.

India is a country with over 1600 languges, which include Hindi, Urdu and Tamil. It is home to one of the most exotic beaches, situated in Goa in the west of India. during my travels over 32 days trough india, i experianced the best and worst partsof India. Travelling with my parents and older brother at the age of 14 i learnt alot about a country which is known as my ancesteral home. I enjoyed every moment of my stay in India, it was a great experiance and learning journy for me. We started off in one of the biggest cities in India, Mumbia, where i experianced a real Indian wedding with the colours and amazing culture. we spent time at the beaches in Goa, where I experianced scuba diving for the very first time. We also spent a few days on the well known house boats in chennia, where we sailed trough the famous rice peddies and  enjoyed the largest prawns i have ever seen.



 

One of the best experiances I can recall from my trip to India, was the week we were scheduled to stay in Delhi, the caital of India. We were booked into the Taj Mahal hotel, which is a seven star hotel with the most amazing rooms. On the second day my dad insisted that we go and visit a holy site in our religion which was a five hour drive away from Delhi, i was forced to leave this seven star hotel and spend the night on the floor in a hotel which was not even a one star hotel. We spent the next two days in Berelli where a priest is buried. When we got back to Delhi we spent only one day at the amazing Taj Mahal hotel and then it was bak to traveling.

we travelled from the South of India trough to the North where we experianced great things and learnt amazing things about our culture and ancestors.

These experiances taught me alot and i have grown as a person after my trip to Incredible India...

 



South Africa... a place i call HOME!!!!

From its varied cultures and breathtaking landscapes, South Africa is a place i call home. With the best climate and wide variety of wildlife South Africa has become a a world wide tourist destination. It is a country which has successfully left behind the past and become a country with 11 official languages, 5 different ethnic groups and a population count of 5.2 million people.

With the 11 official languages we have a unique way of communicating with each other, using words such as ayoba and lekker, this creates a whole new culture which includes all those hailing from South Africa. This is the home of the vuvuzela and the braai, which add to our South African heritage and cultures. we are also home to one of the eight wonders of teh world known as Table Mountain as well as our exceptional sport teams. Our soccer team, Bafana Bafana, our cricket team, the Proteas and most importantly our rugby team, the springboks have brought great pride to our country. We as South Africans take the  pride of our country very seriously, this is all thanks to a man who fought for our freedom and the freedom of our coutry, freedom of religion, culture and race. this is all thanks to our former president Nelsom Mandella. South Africa is now in its 20th year of democracy and still going strong.

 

Today I am very proud to call South Africa my Home...