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Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

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Brisbane is the capital and most populous city of the state of Queensland in Australia. Located on the Brisbane River, it is an important cultural and tourist center near the seaside resorts of the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast. Its port contributes to the economy of the country.

Tips

Mount Coot-Tha (a few kilometers from the city center) has a panoramic platform, a planetarium and botanical gardens that are worth a visit. In the maritime center of Moreton Bay (nearby) and on the islands, you can swim, go sea kayaking, snorkel among the coral reefs or rent a boat. You could also make the toboggan in the highest sand dunes in the world. If you want a getaway outside the city (about 30 minutes), Redcliffe (a mini-city) awaits you; well-known for its beaches and for its long bridge that connects the outskirts of the city to the Redcliffe Peninsula. If you prefer the night, visit Fortitude Valley with its bars and discos and its Chinatown.

 

Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland

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Giant’s Causeway is a volcanic formation located on the coast of Northern Ireland, 3 km north of the town of Bushmills. It is characterized by approximately 40,000 hexagonal columns constituted by the juxtaposition of prisms of cold lava. The whole, eroded by the sea, seems an old pavement with irregular paving that begins at the base of the cliff and disappears in the sea. The cliff has 28 meters. The site belongs to the National Trust which takes care of the maintenance but it has been declared a world heritage of the UNESCO. Various species of seabirds such as petrel, cormorant, guillemot, etc. can be observed.

Tips

You can get there by train from Belfast to Coleraine or Portrush (12-16 km respectively) and from there, take a bus service.

Another option to get there would be to take a car in Belfast and drive for 1h30.

You can also take a guided tour of a day with a tourist agency in the neighboring cities.

Bring sports shoes, comfortable and especially that hold well and do not slip on the rocks.

You can also go for a picnic, enjoy a nice walk or go cycling directly from the nearby towns.

If you are going to spend a few days in the area, you have a lot of interesting places to visit like the whiskey distillery in Bushmills. There are guided tours with tasting on site and you could even buy their products in their shop. There is also a restaurant.

Enclosures of Talavera de la Reina, Toledo, Spain

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The walls and the towers ‘albarranas’ of Talavera de la Reina is a defense system that protected the town in the province of Toledo, Spain, and counted on three walled enclosures, the roads were tangential to the Arab fortress but nowadays, there is only a large part of the first enclosure, the oldest, and some remains of the second. “La Villa” (first enclosure) was built in the IX-X centuries by Arabians possibly following the path of a Roman or Visigoth wall. Its main material are stone blocks, there are a lot of reused Roman remains there, even printed stones of that time; and rough stones. We also find semi-circular and square towers; these being the oldest towers and other flanking the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Unfortunately, the doors do not exist except for the remains of one of the semi-circular towers of the Door of Mérida. There still has a shield and a Virgin who presided the Door of  St-Peter, but they were put in the Basilica of Prado. The second walls (XII) protected the Major cities or New ones and the third (XIII) surrounded the old towns. The second enclosure still retained some of the early ones alongside the citadel, and the door of Seville (XVI); the Powder Tower, a part of the door Zamora and a tower in San Miguel Square. The third will keep several coats of arms of the Door of Cuarto and some traces of the foundation. This kind of construction attached to the first fortifications meant that Talavera was considered one of the safest cities for centuries.

Tips

The walls and towers are on free access. It is a walk that can be done without a guide as there are indicators and panels with photos and explanations.
Talavera de la Reina has a tourist office where you can request more information.

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