Attractions of Isla verde and around:
• Luis Muñoz Marín Airport: This Airport’s Local Name is Aeropuerto Internacional de Luis Muñoz Marín. It is the Caribbean’s large international airport and also the largest in Puerto Rico. It is situated to the east of San Juan which is in the suburb of Isla Verde. This airport has restaurants, communications areas, and VIP lounges. Flights from the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean serve this airport.
• Luis Muñoz Marín Park: This a famous park in Puerto Rico which has a biking trail, walking and jogging path. It is amidst several small lakes.
• Old San Juan: Its Local Name is San Juan Viejo; it is an old historic colonial city about 500 years old. In here, one can see Spanish colonial history blended with contemporary Puerto Rican culture. It is the second oldest city of America. It has more than 400 restored Spanish colonial buildings of the 16th and 17th centuries.
• Old City: This city was given the title of a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1983. It is located on a long narrow inlet at the northeast entrance to the San Juan Bay, Old San Juan that was founded in 1521. Gold mining was done here during 1508.
• Puerta de Tierra: This is a part of the colonial part of San Juan. Now it is a combination of commonwealth government buildings, residences and Navy and Coast Guard facilities.
• Río Piedras: This is the academic enclave of San Juan. It houses the University of Puerto Rico along with the district’s restaurants and cafés. This is also a shoppers spot with indoor and outdoor markets and bazaars. The Jardin Botanico and the Museo de Antropolgia, Hisotria Y Arte are the other attractions of this place.
• Santurce: This is the modern business dense district of Greater San Juan. The main shopping and Commercial Street here is The Avenida Ponce de León. The Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, The Habana club and great nightlife are all part of this district.
• El Castillo San Felipe Del Morro “El Morro”: This is a citadel that dates back to the sixteenth-century. It is located towards the northwestern-most point of the islet of San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is part of National Historic Site and is a World Heritage Site, declared by the United Nations in 1983.
• El Castillo de San Cristóbal: This is a Spanish fort that is located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This fort was built to protect against land based attacks on this city of San Juan. It is one of the National Historic Sites. It has a height of 150 feet and is built on an area of 27 acres of land.
• Palacio de Santa Catalina: The residence of the Governor of Puerto Rico. This was built between 1533 and 1540 to defend the San Juan harbor. It is also known as El Palacio de Santa Catalina or Palace of Santa Catalina which is also the oldest executive mansion in the New World. La Fortaleza is a World Heritage Site (UNESCO).
• El Catedral de San Juan Bautista: Juan Ponce de León, a Spanish explorer’s tomb lies here which was built in the 1520′s. It was rebuilt in 1540 after being destroyed by a hurricane.
• Castillo de San Jerónimo: This fort was built in 1595 to defend from attacks.
• Iglesia de San Jose: This is a church and Monastery that dates back to 1523.
• Ayuntamiento or Alcaldia: This is also known as the City Hall.
• The municipal cemetery of Santa María Madgalena de Pazzis: This is a cemetery that is situated just outside the city walls.
• Fuerte San Geronimo: This is a fort that was built to tighten defense within the city with a small museum housed inside.
• Centro de Bellas Artes: This is a fine arts centre in the Caribbean in 1981.
• Bacardi Rum Factory: This has a trolley based guided tour inside the factory.
• Condado Beach: This beach is a one mile long stretch along the Atlantic Ocean and Laguna Condado. The line has many luxury hotels and facilities.
• The Casino of Puerto Rico is a large building and The Teatro Tapia is the oldest theatre in the Western Hemisphere.
• San Juan National Historic Site: This place has the old and the colonial portion and includes three fourths of the city wall and forts San Cristóbal, San Felipe del Morro, and San Juan de la Cruz, also called El Cañuelo, plus bastions, powder houses.

Best time to visit / climate:

Isla Verde has a tropical marine climate and has minimal seasonal variations. The climate is mild but has abundant rainfall in the north coast. June and November are usually the seasons of Hurricane. So avoid this time.

Location on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

How to get there:
US citizens do not need any visa since Puerto Rico is a US territory. A Picture ID should serve the purpose. For other citizens visa and supporting documents are required.
By plane: Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is the main airport which is in Carolina, near San Juan. Aguadilla and Ponce also connects with flights like Jet Blue, Continental and Delta. There are direct flights from US. From airport taxi services are available.
By boat: The west coast city of Mayaguez and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic has ferry services available. From Fajardo to St. Thomas, there is a ferry. There are cruise ships that land in San Juan.
Getting around:
It is best to rent a car or take a taxi as the public transport system is not very good. A público is a shared taxi service that is another option that is cheap and best to go around the island. The “main” público station is in Río Piedras that is a suburb of San Juan and which are also known as colectivos and pisicorres.
There are ferries from San Juan and Fajardo to Cataño, Vieques Island and Culebra Island along with Mayaguez ferry travels between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
Tren Urbano is a fully automated transit serving San Juan, Bayamón, and Guaynabo. Tren Urbano consists of 16 stations on a single line and is the reliable public transport.

Places to stay (hotels / restaurants along with website / contact numbers):

• Frommers.com
• Wikitravel.org
• http://www.sanjuanhotelsltd.com/
• Virtualtourist
• Hotels.com

Blogs / Sites about Isla Verde:

• Travelpod.com
• Travelblog.org
• http://10000birds.com/isla-verde-avifauna.htm
• http://www.islaverdevacations.com/

Images and photos of Isla Verde:

• Google Image Search
• Webshots
• Virtualtourist
• Tripadvisor

Videos of Isla Verde from Youtube:

Vacaciones en Puerto Rico ,Isla Verde Beach Part 1

ISLA VERDE

Beach in Isla Verde

Water Club Hotel on Isla Verde Beach, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Attractions of Herrera:
• La Casa Vegetariana: One can get vegetarian food with wide varieties of fruit drinks and soya bean milk etc.
• Gamboa Rainforest Resort: This resort has a magnificent view of the rainforest. There are adventure programs around the Panama Canal area.
• Portobelo National Park: This is a park which offers snorkeling opportunity and kayaking the mangroves and this place is famous for the Spanish and the pirates.
• Colon: Colón is a sea port that is on the Caribbean Sea coast of Panama. This is a city that is on the entrance to the Panama Canal and is capital of the province by the same name. It is also known as the second city of Panama. It is located on Manzanillo Island. It is surrounded by Limon Bay, Manzanillo Bay and the Folks River. It now includes the towns of Cristobal, Rainbow City, Margarita, and Coco Solo, and the former U.S. Army base of Fort Gulick.
• El Casco Viejo: This is a Spanish colonial city, established in 1671. This city was established after the downfall of Panama Viejo in battles and until 20th century, this city was Panama City. Panama bay and other sites depict its history with Spain, France and United States.
• Iglesia de San Francisco de la Montaña: This is a church that dates to 1727. It has unique Baroque architecture and is a declared National Historical Monument on January 27, 1937. About Seventeen kilometers from Santiago, the San Francisco de la Montaña Church is stationed. This church has hundreds of hand carved pieces and is known to have the oldest baroque group of altars of the continent. These altars are painted or covered with gold leaf. These altars have Scared scriptures carved on them with scenes. It is a reflection of Spanish Catholicism with Indian culture. This is located a few kilometers away from the Pan American Highway.
• La Laguna, Las Colinas: This place is near the mountains and beaches zone. One can enjoy being at the top of a mountain or explore the pre mountain tropical forest with birds, plants and wildlife.
• Palacio de Las Garzas: There are many historic buildings in this area.
• Istmo Brew Pub: This pub provides the tourists with locally brewed beers and imported beers.
• The Panama Canal: This canal is about 77 km (48 miles). It is a shipping canal, located in Panama and this canal joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean; it is a key for maritime trade. The traffic is about 1000 ships in the early days and much higher right now. This canal has its own measurement system called Panama Canal/Universal Measurement System (PC/UMS) in tons. It is one of the largest engineering projects of the times. The route is via the Drake Passage and Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of South America.

Best time to visit / climate:

Herrera has a tropical wet and dry climate. The dry season is from January to April whereas the wet season is in remaining year. The best time to visit this place is in the dry season.

Location on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

How to get there:
There is a large regional bus terminal in Chitré from where there are bus services to and fro to the destinations like Las Minas, Las Tablas, Los Posos, Ocú, Panama City, Pesé, Santiago, and Tonosí. Chitré has a small airport that has flight service to and fro from Panama City on Aeroperlas.
To reach Panama City:
By plane: Tocumen International Airport is outside Panama City. This airport offers services for Copa Airline, American Airlines (Dallas/Ft.Worth, Miami), Delta Airlines (Atlanta, Georgia), Continental Airlines (Houston, Newark), Avianca (Bogotá, Colombia) and TACA (San José, Costa Rica and San Salvador, El Salvador) along with major Central American airlines, and several South American airlines and European Airlines. There are direct flights between Tocumen and New York, Newark, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Orlando, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta, Amsterdam, Madrid, and all major cities in the Caribbean area, Central America and South America, like Santiago de Chile.
By train:
Between Panama City and Colon, only one train service operates with a passenger car. This ride offers a scenic ride with views of the Panama Canal and the tropical rainforest.
To get around in local taxis is the best way of getting around.

Places to stay (hotels / restaurants along with website / contact numbers):
• Hotels at allstays
• Hotel at virtual panama
• Hotels at gtahotels
• Hotels at maplandia
• hotels at exclusive hotels
• Hotels at costaricalink

Blogs / Sites about Herrea, Panama:

• Blogs and reviews at travelblog
• Blogs and reviews at travelpost
• Blogs and reviews at the panama realestate

Images and photos of Herrea, Panama:

• Images at google
• Images at tripadvisor
• Images at Panama Pictures
• Images at Topix

Videos of Herrera, Panama:

Caballo en plaza Colonial de Parita (Herrera-Panama)

Herrera Province, Panama

Herrera Cathedral, Chapel,Center, Azuera Peninsula HD

The main attractions in Hamilton are:
- Anglican Cathedral of The Most Holy Trinity
- Barr’s Bay Park
- Bermuda Farmers market
- Bermuda Historical Society Museum
- Bermuda National Gallery
- Bermuda National Library
- Bermudiana Arcade
- Cabinet Building and Cenotaph
- Canon’s Court
- Cathedral of St. Theresa
- City Hall
- Law courts
- Par-la-Ville Park
- Royal Bermuda Yacht Club
- Sessions House
- Victoria Park
- Washington Mall

Few of the popular attractions are:
• Bermuda Forts: There are large forts and smaller batteries on the island. They were built from 1612 to 1957. Almost 100 fortifications are built on this island. The larger ones are restored while some are on displays. Some can only be reached by boat.
• Fort Hamilton: This is a Victorian fort and has a view of Hamilton Harbor. The fortification dates back to mid-19th century. It was the times of rift between Britain and the USA. The ramparts are mounted with 18-ton artillery pieces (to date unused) capable of firing 400-pound (181kg) cannonballs through iron-hulled vessels. There is a small beach nearby known as Clarence Cove. There is a house known to be the residence of Royal Navy’s regional commander and the house is dated from the early 19th century.
• Harrington Sound: This is a big inland sea that is five miles (8km) northeast of Hamilton. The sound is associated to the changing tides and water rush below the bridge connecting. One side is Flatts village on north side and the other side is south side.
• Crystal Caves: The caves are on the land between Harrington Sound and Castle Harbor. One can see stalactites and stalagmites formations. There is a lake known as Cahow Lake which is at a depth of 55ft (17m). Palm garden is another attraction nearby. Further located are Leamington caves which has underground pools.
• Bermuda Maritime Museum, Pender Rd., and Royal Naval Dockyard: One can go for 1/2 a day to the Royal Naval Dockyard. During the American Revolutionary War, the island had naval bases. This island had been the base of the British Royal Navy which relocated the headquarters of its Atlantic Fleet here from 1812 to 1957. The tourist attractions include the old limestone storage buildings, fortresses which were redeveloped by the Bermuda Government. There are shopping centers too.
• Bermuda Perfumery & Gardens: These gardens are for nature lover. There is horticulture and jungle spread with flora like hibiscus, passion flowers, Easter lilies, thumbergia, night-blooming cerus and other flowers. This is known to be the oldest and best perfume shop which also shows how the scents are made. The perfumery is in an old farmhouse that was built around 250 years ago.
• Hamilton City Hall, Repton, Church St, Repton: This hall is known to be built in 1960. It has two galleries and a theatre. The Bermuda Festival of the Performing Arts take place here, and others like the magical Evening of Jazz concert etc. are performed in this hall.
• Scuba Look, Hamilton, 11 Blue Hole Hill, Hamilton: This is on the east side of Bermuda and at Grotto Bay Beach Hotel. It is the only dive operator.
• Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo, 40 North Shore Road, Flatts Village: This aquarium has a centerpiece of a 140,000 gallon replica coral reef which is special and there are Over three hundred birds, reptiles and mammals and 200 species of fish housed in this centre.
• Devil’s Hole Aquarium, Harrington Sound Road, Hamilton: It is a small aquarium but one has to look for reef fish and turtles with bait.
• Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, 40 Crow Lane, East Broadway, Pembroke: This is just outside Hamilton which takes tourists to an underwater expedition.
• John Smith’s Bay Beach, Hamilton Parish: This is another nice pink sand beach.
• Shelly Bay, North Shore Road, Hamilton Parish: This bay has lots of shallow water. It also has a large playground ideal for families with small kids. It is not far from Flatts Village and the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo are also nearby. This bay also has Restrooms, beach rentals, food concession.
• Bermuda Railway Trail: This trail was dismantled after 17 years in 1948. It is now a public walking trail from St. George Town in the east end, through Pembroke Parish near the City of Hamilton and on toward Somerset Village in the west end. On the way one can find trestle houses, station houses and railway ties and views of the island and waters.

Best time to visit / climate:
The climate of Hamilton is sub-tropical, the weather being sunny and hot all year round. July, August and September are hot enough. The best time to visit Bermuda is from spring through to autumn. The warm waters of the Gulf Stream give it a quasi-tropical atmosphere. Overall, Bermuda has a mild, humid subtropical maritime climate; strong winds are common in winter. The hurricane season is from June to November. It is best to avoid this time of the year.

Location on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

How to get there:
Hamilton is accessible from all parts of Bermuda.
By plane: Bermuda International Airport is the airport operating in Bermuda and is located in St. George’s parish which is beside Castle Harbor. This airport serves daily flights from Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Newark, New York, Philadelphia, Toronto and Washington, together with less frequent flights from other US and Canadian cities. British Airways fly from London (Gatwick) to Bermuda.
By boat/yacht: The cruise ships operate from the ports of Baltimore, Boston, Bayonne, New York, Norfolk, Miami/Ft Lauderdale, and Philadelphia on the eastern seaboard of the United States.

Get around: All locations in and around Hamilton are easily accessible by foot.

Places to stay (hotels / restaurants along with website / contact numbers):

• Wikitravel.org
• Tripreport.com
• Tripadvisor
• Travel at Yahoo

Blogs / Sites about Hamilton (Bermuda):

• http://blog.laurellkhamilton.org/
• Travelblog.org
• Travelpod.com
• http://ca.loadedweb.com/cities/ontario/hamilton/blogs/
• http://www.travbuddy.com/Hamilton-travel-blogs-520444

Images and photos of Hamilton (Bermuda):

• Google Search
• Travel-tips
• dere-street
• Travelpost

Videos of Hamilton in Bermuda from Youtube:

Hamilton Bermuda, HD Video

Cruise ship, Front Street, Hamilton Bermuda

Bermuda Hamilton Harbor

Hamilton Harbor

• St. George’s Cathedral, Georgetown, also known as St. George’s Anglican Cathedral: It is situated on Church Street. This church has one of the tallest wooden structures in the world and is the second tallest wooden church with its height being about 43.5 meters. The architect of this Cathedral is Sir Arthur Blomfield and the church was accessible to public on 1899. This is a National Monument as it is the first church and it dates back to 1810. The arches are of Gothic style and it gives a Guyana historical glimpse. The glasses were stained and portray scenes like Crucifixion and the Ascension and it also has a large chandelier gifted by Queen Victoria.

• Demerara Harbour Bridge, Guyana: This Bridge is a floating toll bridge of length 6,074 feet long. It was opened in 2 July 1978 and is one of the longest floating bridges in the world. The construction of Demerara Harbour Bridge, Guyana was assisted and started under British Government. It is 1.25 miles long and has 61 spans with even small crafts being able to pass through. This bridge links people of Georgetown to people living in West Bank Demerara and to enhance business and trade in the country.
• Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology, Guyana: This is a museum of anthropology that is one of the oldest museums of the country. It was open to public in 1982 though open in1974. It was run by a NGO of Government of Guyana. This museum houses collection and artifact of culture of Guyana. It also hosts exhibitions.
The organization takes care of the collection, exhibition and conservation of the artifacts that showcases the spectacular culture of Guyana. Dr Denis Williams founded Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology, Guyana who was an archaeologist. This museum also has excavated objects and information on its culture.
• Kaieteur Falls: It is situated in the centre of Guyana and on the Potaro River. It is one of the natural wonders. It has a single drop of 741 feet which is the largest in the world. It is located in Kaieteur National Park. It has a series of cascades with a total height of 251 meters (822 ft). It is known to be five times higher than the Niagara Falls and two times the height of the Victoria Falls. It is the 123rd tallest according to the World Waterfalls Database and the 19th largest waterfall in terms of volume and in their estimation, the 26th most scenic waterfall in the world.
• Iwokrama Canopy Walkway: It was opened in 2003 of November. It is a 154 meter long Canopy Walkway from heights of 30 meters. One can see the birds like the Green Aracari, Scarlet Macaw, Guiana Toucanette or Channel-bill Toucan and Red Howler Monkeys.
• Ecotourism: This is a booming industry in tourism in Guyana.
• The Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology, the National Library, the Bank of Guyana, the National Museum of Guyana, State House and St. George’s Anglican Cathedral..

Best time to visit / climate:
The climate is Tropical and moderated by northeast trade winds. There are two rainy seasons which are from May to mid-August and mid-November to mid-January. There is a threat of floods in the rainy seasons and so it is best to avoid this time for tourists.
Location on Google Maps:

Go to maps.google.com, search for the place, and when you find it, click on Link on the right side, Paste the HTML in the lower text box.

View Larger Map
Or click and paste the URL below on your browser:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Georgetown,+Demerara-Mahaica,+Guyana&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.863178,56.513672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Georgetown,+Demerara-Mahaica,+Guyana&z=12

How to get there:

Citizens of the following countries do not need a visa to visit Guyana: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Luxembourg, Montserrat, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, United States.
By plane:
The Timehri international airport which was named in honor of the indigineous displaced peoples of Guyana and which was renamed Cheddi Jagan International Airport. There are daily international flights into and out of Cheddi Jagan International Airport which is about 40km south of Georgetown. International flights include flights to the US, Canada, UK and the Caribbean with Caribbean Airlines.
By car:
Guyana has road accessible to Suriname to the East and Brazil to the south.
There are no road links between Venezuela and Guyana. Travel to Venezuela may be done by air via Trinidad or overland through Roraima State in Brazil.
Get around:
Minibuses travel throughout Guyana and are the cheapest way to travel. Many parts of Guyana are separated by large rivers which can be traversed by way of river taxi. Taxis are a good way to get around in Georgetown or also rent cars.

Places to stay (hotels / restaurants along with website / contact numbers):

• http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-485312-georgetown_vacations-i
• http://guyanahotels.com/
• http://www.guyanahotel.com/
• http://www.herdmanstonlodge.com/

Blogs / Sites about Georgetown:

• http://www.herdmanstonlodge.com/
• http://www.expat-blog.com/en/directory/south-america/guyana/
• http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Guyana/blogs-page-1.html
• http://en.wordpress.com/tag/guyana/
Images and photos of Georgetown:

• http://www.google.co.in/images?hl=en&biw=1024&bih=653&q=Georgetown,+Guyana+images&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=H9nXTILWFpGkuAOt0p2bCQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCYQsAQwAA
• http://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/guyana/georgetown/
• http://www.infohub.com/pictures/images_guyana_291.html
• http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g294078-Georgetown.html

Attractions of El Condado and around in San Juan:

• Condado Beach: This beach is one mile long stretched along the Atlantic Ocean and Laguna Condado. The line has many luxury hotels and facilities.
• The modern Convention Center: This convention centre is in Condado. It is known to be one of the largest in the Caribbean. This centre can hold about 10,000 people and houses and hosts many art exhibitions and festivals. The total area is about 580,000 square feet. It is located on a site that was earlier a US Naval and Coast Guard Base. It is the centre for many shopping centers, theatres, restaurants, and more.
• Casinos: There are two popular casino hotels of San Juan. Also there are small parks in the surroundings.
• Shopping: Most of the shopping centers are found on Ashford Avenue. The main centers are
1. Cartier
2. Louis Vuitton
3. Ferragamo
4. Furla
5. Hellmuth
• Nightlife: The following are the casinos and restaurants that stay open late into the night:
1. Eternal, the lobby-level lounge at the Conrad Condado Plaza.
2. The lobby bar at the La Concha Resort.
3. Kali, an Eastern-themed lounge and restaurant.
• El Castillo San Felipe Del Morro “El Morro”: This is a citadel that dates back to sixteenth-century. It lies to the northwestern-most point of the islet of San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is a part of National Historic Site and is a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1983.
• El Castillo de San Cristóbal: This is a Spanish fort that is in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This fort was built to protect against land based attacks on this city of San Juan. It is part of National Historic Site. It is of a height 150 feet and is on an area of 27 acres of land.
• Palacio de Santa Catalina: It is a residence of the Governor of Puerto Rico. This was built between 1533 and 1540 to defend the San Juan harbor. It is also known as El Palacio de Santa Catalina or Palace of Santa Catalina which is also the oldest executive mansion in the New World. La Fortaleza is a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
• El Catedral de San Juan Bautista: Juan Ponce de León, a Spanish explorer’s tomb lies here which was built in the 1520′s. It was rebuilt in 1540 after destroyed by hurricane.
• Castillo de San Jerónimo: It is a fort that was built to defend from attacks in 1595.
• Iglesia de San Jose: This is a church and Monastery that dates back to 1523.
• Ayuntamiento or Alcaldia: This is also known as the City Hall.
• The municipal cemetery of Santa María Madgalena de Pazzis: This is a cemetery that is situated just outside the city walls.
• Fuerte San Geronimo: This is a fort that was built to tighten defense within the city with a small museum housed inside.
• Centro de Bellas Artes: This is a fine arts centre in the Caribbean in 1981.
• Bacardi Rum Factory: This has a trolley and guided tour inside the factory.
• There are famous beaches in Condado and Isla Verde.
• Parks in San Juan: Central Park, Garfield, Munoz Rivera Park and Parque de las Palomas.
• The Casino of Puerto Rico which is a large building and The Teatro Tapia is the oldest theatre in the Western Hemisphere.
• San Juan National Historic Site: This place has the old and the colonial portion and this includes three fourths of the city wall and Forts San Cristóbal, San Felipe del Morro, and San Juan de la Cruz, also called El Cañuelo, plus bastions, powder houses. Among the best preserved, this city of San Juan is one of the oldest locations and is also a National Historic Site.

Best time to visit / climate:
El Condado, San Juan has a tropical marine climate and has minimal seasonal variations. The climate is mild but has abundant rainfall in the north coast. June and November are usually the seasons of Hurricane. So avoid this time.

Location on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

How to get there:
Condado is located between Luis Munoz Marin International Airport and Old San Juan and is a 10 minute taxi ride away from each. To get around, one can just walk around.
US citizens do not need any visa since Puerto Rico is a US territory. A Picture ID should serve the purpose. For other citizens visa and supporting documents are required.
By plane: Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is the main airport which is in Carolina, near San Juan. Aguadilla and Ponce also connects with flights like Jet Blue, Continental and Delta. There are direct flights from US. SJU is the modern airport in the Caribbean. From airport taxi services are available.
By boat: The west coast city of Mayaguez and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic has ferry services available. From Fajardo to St. Thomas, there is a ferry. There are cruise ships that land in San Juan.

Places to stay (hotels / restaurants along with website / contact numbers):

• Hotelguides.com
• Wikitravel.org
• http://www.sanjuanhotelsltd.com/
• http://www.condado.com.pe/pages/index.php
• Virtualtourist.com

Blogs / Sites about El Condado:

• http://www.travelpod.com/s/el+condado
• Tripwiser.com
• Lonelyplanet.com
• http://sanjuansafaris.com/blog/

Images and photos of El Condado:

• Google Search
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/jjd_photography/3515913303/
• http://www.terragalleria.com/america/puerto-rico/san-juan/
• http://photos.igougo.com/pictures-l613-San_Juan_photos.html

Videos of El Condado on Youtube:

Travel San Juan, Puerto Rico: Glitz @ El Condado & Isla Verde

El Condado, San Juan

El Condado, San Juan – Puerto Rico

The Events in the town:
• Weissensteinlauf: Weissenstein Walk (Aug)
• Swiss Walking Event (Sep)

Places to see:

• Old Town – It is the finest and most compact Old Towns in Switzerland. It has old building with many Baroque highlights and a marked French influence.
• St. Urs Cathedral – It is made of pale Solothurn marble. It is the most important Early Classical building in Switzerland which has 11 altars and 11 bells. It was begun by Gaetano Matteo Pisoni and completed by Paolo Antonio Pisoni. The interior has stuccoes by Francesco Pozzi and canvasses by Domenico Corvi.
• Museum of the Old Arsenal (1609–14) – This museum has the most ancient collection of armor in Europe.
• Museum of Fine Art –This museum has an important collection of Swiss Art from 1850 onwards, with works by Cuno Amiet, Ferdinand Hodler, Bernhard Luginbühl, Meret Oppenheim, and Jean Tinguely.
• Boat ride on the Aare (in summer) – The boat ride from Aare to the Stork Colony in Altreu and via Büren is splendid. The Old Town features in the National Inventory of Heritage Sites, to bilingual Biel/Bienne.
• Weissenstein – It is the Solothurn’s local mountain (1291 m) which has a chairlift to reach the top and the Hotel Kurhaus Weissenstein in the Jugendstil. One can enjoy the views of Central Switzerland and the Alps. It is a place for walking, cycling, cross-country skiing and sledging.
• The cathedral: This cathedral is of st. Urs and Victor and its tower to which one can go up, are worth watching.
• The clock tower
• Einsiedelei im Verenaschlucht (Hermitage in the Verena gorge): This can be reached by a 45-minute walk north of the city. It is in a forest. It is a place to walk around, especially in the evenings when candles are lit and placed in between the rocks throughout.

How to get there:
By train: Solothurn is served by passenger rail services, the Swiss Federal Rail (SBB) system. Trains run to and from Geneva, Zurich, Bern, and points in between. They are accessible half-hour between 4AM and 1AM every day.
By Boat: Solothurn is also connected by boat to the bilingual town of Biel/Bienne. Boats by the BSG connect to the two towns and leave two (Spring/Fall) or three (summer) times a day.
Get around: The old town is north of the train station and across the river. To get around the town, by foot is the best option.

Best time to visit / climate:

The best time to visit Solothurn is summer that is around May, June and August. The places are mostly churches, chapels, museums, and palace and walks which are best suited in early summer to mid summer.

Location on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

Driving directions from Geneva to Solothurn:

View Larger Map

Places to stay (hotels / restaurants along with website / contact numbers):

• Booking.com
• Hotel.info
• Tripadvisor (hotel, restaurant)
• http://www.hotelscombined.com/City/Solothurn.htm
• http://www.hotels-and-more.ch/en/solothurn/solothurn/
• http://www.hotelclub.com/Switzerland/Solothurn-hotels/
• http://www.switzerland-trips.com/Solothurn/Solothurn-Hotels-Tourist-Info.html
• http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-city/Switzerland/Solothurn/tpod.html
• Virtualtourist

Blogs / Sites about Solothurn:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solothurn
• http://wikitravel.org/en/Solothurn
• http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-city/Switzerland/Solothurn/tpod.html
• http://www.travbuddy.com/travel-blogs/57313/Solothurn-Switzerland-5
• http://realtravel.com/e-232547-solothurn_entry-solothurn
• Travelpost
• Virtualtourist

Images and photos of Solothurn:

• Google Search (link)
• http://search.pbase.com/search?q=Solothurn
• Tripadvisor
• Trekearth
• Vrtualtourist
• http://wiki.worldflicks.org/solothurn.html

Videos of Solothurn (link)

Solothurn the city, Switzerland

Solothurn city Switzerland

Solothurn: Timelapse Movie [HD]

Places to see
• Basilique de Valère – The Valère basilica (Basilique de Valère), is a church in Sion. The church (Notre-Dame de Valère) was built during the 12th and 13th centuries. This church is full of Swiss architecture.
• Château de Tourbillon – The Tourbillon castle (Château de Tourbillon) is a castle in Sion in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It is located on a hill and the Basilique de Valère, located on the opposite hill.
• FC Sion – FC Sion is a top league Swiss soccer team located in town.
• Vineyards: Just outside the city centre, Sion is full of vineyards. It is really nice to see bunches of grapes and to watch the landscapes. It shows the varieties of vines of different species of grapes and shows the different types of wines per district.
• NAX: This is a village around Sion. This village can be reached by a bus or a car. It is worth a visit because of its location on the top of a plateau and its views of Rhone plain and the “Bas Valais”. It is also known as “THE BALCONY OF THE SKY”. This village comprises of old wooden houses, oven, a church and magnificent Alpine Flora.
• Sierre – Chateau De Villa: There is a village close to Sion, called Sierre. It has a castle named CHATEAU DE VILLA. One can take a walk or get a train to reach the castle.
• Sierre – Chateau Merciere: The village Sierre has another castle name chateau merciere which is 15 minute uphill taking the Escaliers-Jean-Daetwyler from the train station. This castle and the villas have nice park with flowers.
• St. Leonard – The biggest underground lake: St. Leonard is a small village near sion which has the biggest underground lake in Europe. This lake is 300m long, 20m wide and 10m deep. One can take a boat to navigate.
• THE OLD TOWN: The Tourbillon Castle and the Valère Fortress are part of the Old town. The Old town is for a nice walk with nice buildings around and streets are traffic-free. There are many churches in the heart of Old Town.
• Notre Dame Du Glariere – It is a Cathedral with Romanesque tower built in 12th century and later rebuilt in the 15th century. Church has works of art; wood etc. Close to it there is the smaller 16th century EGLISE DE ST THEODULE.
• Chateau De Valere: This church is on a hill built in 12th century. It organizes old organ. Frescoe, postcard view from the terrace are its special features.
• Rue Du Grand Pont: It is a street of Sion which is full of flags. It is a 3D reconstruction of the old city, river inside the wizard’s tower. The Town Hall and an astronomical clock are the highlights.
• Tour Des Sorciers – WIZARDS’ TOWER: The Tour des Sorciers (12th C.) is remain of the medieval city walls. It is a 3D reconstruction of the old city, river inside the wizard’s tower.

How to get there:

To get to Sion, rail is the easiest method. The route the goes through Sion starts from Brig and goes towards Montreux.

By Train: From Milano (Italy) To Sion in Switzerland. There are at least 10 departures per day of trains from Milan in Italy to Geneva which have a stop in Sion. Four of them are direct trains (Cisalpino train). They pass through the Simplon pass and Tunnel

Get around: This area is excellent for hiking in alpine valley. One can view the Swiss Architecture and go up the shills to take a look of castles and churches.

By air: Sion Airport is the airport of Sion. This connects to other airports.

Best time to visit / climate:

The best time to visit Sion is summer, that is around May, June and August.

Location on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

Places to stay (hotels / restaurants along with website / contact numbers)

• Virtualtourist
• Hotel.info
• Snowjet
• Tripadvisor (hotel, restaurant)
• http://www.hotelscombined.com/City/Sion.htm (cheap deals on hotels)
• Accorhotels
• http://www.allstays.com/Europe/switzerland/sion-hotels.htm
• http://www.agoda.com/europe/switzerland/sion.html (lowest discounts)

Blogs / Sites about Sion:

• http://wikitravel.org/en/Sion
• Virtualtourist
• Tripadvisor
• http://www.blogged.com/topics/sion/
• http://en.wordpress.com/tag/piory-of-sion/
• http://sionphoto.blogs.com/
• http://www.oleole.com/switzerland/sion/tlm8.html

Images and photos of Sion:

• Google Search
• http://sionphoto.blogs.com/
• http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Switzerland/West/Valais/Sion/
• http://myfrenchwindow.com/the-rest-of-my-sion-photos/
• http://realtravel.com/dp-19601-0-sion_photos
• http://www.webshots.com/explains/travel/sion.html
• http://photos.igougo.com/pictures-l1651-Sion_photos.html

Videos of Sion (link)

Sion Switzerland

Sion, Switzerland

Cycling in Sion, Switzerland

Places to see:
• Bern Bridge, (Bus 4 to Palme): This Bridge is a wooden bridge which is 40m long. It is a renovated bridge and is the only wooden bridge left in Fribourg.
• Berne Gate, (Bus 4 to Palme). This gate has a winding staircase and is 24m high. This gate was built back 1270 and 1290. The doors are original.
• Bibliothèque Cantonale et Universitaire: This library has photographs, books, and audio-visual materials, medieval documents and transcripts.
• Cathedral of St. Nicholas, Rue des Chanoines 3 (From the SBB station, bus 2 or 6): This Cathedral was constructed in 1283 and was completed around 1430. It has been the Cathedral of the diocese of Lausanne, Geneva, and Fribourg since 1945. There are a total of 13 bells in the western tower and bell tower of the choir. The western tower is open to the public and provides a view high above the city.
• Chemins de fer du Kaeserberg, Fondation des Chemins de fer du Kaeserberg: This museum exhibits a network of miniature railways with 2045m of track through a model of Switzerland. The model is built on three levels on a scale of 1:87. The show lasts approximately 90 minutes.
• Espace Jean Tinguely Niki dè Saint Phalle; This is a museum that displays major works from both artists. It also holds temporary exhibits. The museum in a building from 1900 that was once used to shelter trams.
• Fontaine Jo Siffert, Grand-Places: This fountain by Jean Tinguely was dedicated to the memory of his friend Jo Stiffer. The specialty of this mechanical fountain varies depending on sun, clouds, and ice.
• Musée d’Art et d’Histoire: This museum is of art and history. It is housed in Fribourg’s only Renaissance building, The Ratzé Palace. It comprises of paintings and statues from the 12th to 19th centuries as well as historical remains that depict political, religious, and business aspects of life in Fribourg during that period. There is also a slaughterhouse that contains paintings and stone statues from the 19th and 20th centuries.
• Musée de la Bière Cardinal (Cardinal Beer Museum): One can learn the history of the brewery and ancestral brewing methods, housed in former storage cellars.
• Zaehringen Bridge: This is a suspension bridge and is an original piece. It was built back in 1834 and replaced in 1924 with concrete. The bridge is 165m long and spans the Sarine River. There is a footpath beneath the roadway. For a clear view, the Bern Gate or Bern Bridge is the best option. From the steep slope, Whole of the Old town can be viewed.
• Old Town: The Old Town of Fribourg is also known as Basse Ville. It comprises of churches, fountains, ancient bridges and medieval buildings with over 200 Gothic facades dating from the 15th century, cozy cafes and warm restaurants throughout the area.

Events: St Nicholas Day, held in the first week of December.

How to get there:
• By train: Fribourg is accessible by the SBB. Trains run from Geneva airport, Geneva, Thun, Lausanne, St. Gallen, and Bern and Zürich.
• By plane: There is an intercity train from Zürich airport to Fribourg (1hr 41min). Zürich airport is Switzerland’s largest international gateway with flights from all over Europe and North America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East and is 160km from Fribourg. Fribourg can also be accessed from Basel’s Euro Airport within 1hr 48min by bus and train. Bus 50 takes you from the airport to the Basel SBB in 17 minutes and runs frequently throughout the day. There are connections every hour from the Basel SBB to Fribourg. Euro Airport is an international airport servicing many cities throughout Europe and is 140km from Fribourg. Geneva airport is also 140km from Fribourg with direct train links that run hourly.
• To go around: The best option to go around is by foot as all of them are at walking distances.

Best time to visit / climate:

The best time to visit Fribourg is summer that is June-August. The time is right to walk around and visit the places.

Location on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

Driving directions from Zurich to Freiburg on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

Places to stay (hotels / restaurants)

• Booking.com
• Tripadvisor (hotel, restaurants)
• Accorhotels.com
• http://www.gtahotels.com/cities/fribourg.htm
• http://www.hotels-and-more.ch/en/fribourg/
• http://www.hotelclub.com/Switzerland/Fribourg-hotels/ (for cheap deals)

Blogs / Sites about Fribourg:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fribourg
• http://wikitravel.org/en/Fribourg
• Expat Blog
• Travelpod.com
• Travelblog.com
• Travelpost.com

Images and photos of Fribourg:
• Google Search
• http://www.travel-images.com/switzerland6.html
• Infohub.com
• Tripadvisor
• http://travel.webshots.com/album/175454697LbZCYJ
• http://photobucket.com/images/Spirit%20Club%20Fribourg/
• e-architect

Videos of Fribourg:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPqExvVCQ3s

FRIBOURG REGION (Switzerland) – Lakes

FRIBOURG REGION (Switzerland) – Mountains

Arrival in Fribourg, Switzerland

Summer 2007 in Fribourg, Switzerland (time lapse)

Events
• Public City-Tours May until October
• Classic tour incl. visit at the Abbey Library and Textile Museum: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday in July and August daily.
• Theme tours:Tuesday (only in German).
• OLMA, the traditional Swiss Fair for Agriculture and Nutrition in autumn.

Musical events
• The symphony orchestra St. Gallen: The symphony concerts are performed at the city theater and in the city concert hall.
• St. Gallen Open Air Festival takes place in the nearby sitter valley the first weekend in July. During the summer open air opera are performed.
• St. Gallen is also home of the Nordklang Festival which takes place in February.

Places to see
• Abbey precinct with cathedral and Abbey Library – These are in the UNESCO World Heritage listing and are the landmark of the town. This library includes 140,000 documents, which are a thousand years old. The library contains books which belong to the 9th century.
• Old town – This town is charming and traffic-free where shopping and strolling are done. The typical features are the burgher houses. The special feature of this town is its Colorfully-painted oriel windows that date from the 16th to 18th century; excellent gastronomy.
• New Art Gallery – It is a venue for contemporary art, international and regional projects. It is not a museum as understood.
• St. Gallen Art Gallery: It comprises of national and international modern art.
• ‘Schoggiland’ – Maestrani chocolate factory in Flawil.
• Textile museum & library – The textile museum includes the historical laces, embroidery and cloth embroideries from Switzerland and abroad which date back from the 14th to 20th century.
• Abtwil Säntispark –It is a leisure and water park with wave pool, water slide, brine baths and sauna village.
• Beer bottle museum; It is located at the Schützengarten brewery which is the oldest brewery in Switzerland.
• Santis – It is a viewpoint at 2502 meters in the Alpstein rambling paradise. One can enjoy the spectacular views of the ‘Alpenkranz’ (crown of Alps) and into 6 countries (cableway from Schwägalp).
• Theater St. Gallen: It is a modern and an extravagant building where operas, operettas, ballet, musicals and plays are performed.
• The Historical and ethnographical museum: This museum has several collections of regional early history, city history, folk art, cultural history as well ethnographical collections from all over the world.
• The Trogenerbahn is a connection from St. Gallen to great hiking trails in Speicher and Trogen.
• The other places to see are the reformed church of St. Laurenzenkirche, the Catholic Parish church of St. Maria Neudorf, the Cantonal library and archives, the Art and Natural History museum, the Museum in Lagerhaus and the Cantonal archive, Drei Weieren and nouveau-bath houses.
• In the city, the main train station, main post office, University of St. Gallen, Cantonal School, City Theatre and the towers Lokremise with Wasserturm and the Tröckneturm and Wildlife park Peter and paul, City park at the theater and Cantonal school park are worth seeing.
• The city has a Concert hall where a grand art nouveau style of concertslike classsic, symphony, and jazz are performed.

How to get there

• By plane: St. Gallen has its own small airport Airport St. Gallen-Altenrhein and the closest international airport to St. Gallen is Zurich International Airport. There are direct trains to St. Gallen from the airport. They run twice every one hour. The other alternative airports are the St. Gallen-Altenrhein Airport which connects to Vienna and the Bodensee-Airport Friedrichshafen.
• By train: There are trains between St. Gallen and Zurich. The travel time is 1h10min. The train station of St. Gallen is 500m from the old town. To get to Munich, the Eurocity from Zurich stops at Saint Gallen. There are many local train lines running to Appenzell and Trogen.
• By Bus: From the train station there are many buses and Postbuses to get around St.Gallen.
• Get around: Inside the town, one can take VBSG buses that connect to the part of the city. Taxis are present near the train station and along Marktplatz in the old town. Since the place is traffic-free, one can travel even by foot.
• Bike rental is available at the train station, but check the opening hours before planning a trip.
• By car: The A1 motorway links St. Gallen with St. Margrethen, Zürich, Berne and Geneva.

Best time to visit / climate:

The best time to visit is in summer that is around June to august. This time will match with the weather and the events mostly. All the activities can be best enjoyed at this time along with visiting and touring the place.

Location on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

Directions from Zurich to Sankt Gallen on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

Places to stay (hotels / restaurants along with website / contact numbers)

• Tripadvisor (hotels, restaurants)
• Booking.com
• http://www.holidaycityeurope.com/stgallenhotels/
• http://www.hotels-and-more.ch/en/sankt-gallen/sankt-gallen/
• Onetime.com

Blogs / Sites about Sankt Gallen:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Gallen
• http://wikitravel.org/en/St._Gallen
• http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Tourism-g188068-St_Gallen-Vacations.html
• Travelblog.org
• http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-city/Switzerland/St.%20Gallen/tpod.html
• http://news.esadeblogs.com/tag/st-gallen/

Images and photos of Sankt Gallen

• Google Image Search
• http://www.infohub.com/pictures/images_st_gallen_4259.html
• http://goeurope.about.com/cs/switzerland/a/st_gallen_sw.htm
• http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Switzerland/East/Sankt_Gallen/
• http://www.galenfrysinger.com/switzerland_st_gallen.htm
• http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/st-gallen.html
• http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/LocationPhotos-g188068-St_Gallen.html

Videos of Sankt Gallen

• On Google Search

St. Gallen Sights on Youtube:

University of St. Gallen on Youtube:

Best time to visit /climate:

Trabzon’s climate is typical Black Sea, with high rainfall all year round. Summers are warm and humid, with the average maximum temperature reaching 28 degrees C .Winters are cool and damp, the average minimum temperature touching 5°C in January. Rainfall is very heavy in autumn and spring. Between December and March, snowfall is common and often heavy, sometimes snowing for a week or two. The best time to visit is summer, when the weather is warm and rainfall not too heavy.

Location on Google maps:

View Larger Map

Driving directions from Ankara to Trabzon:

View Larger Map

How to get there:

By plane: There are flights to Trabzon from Ankara and Istanbul.

By Bus: There are buses operating between Istanbul and Trabzon regularly, many times a day. There are also buses available from bilisi and Georgia.

By Sea: There are ferries from Soch, a Russian city along the Black Sea coast, twice a week.

PLACES TO STAY (HOTELS / RESTAURANTS ALONG WITH WEBSITE / CONTACT NUMBERS):

There are many hotels available in Trabzon. If you are on a strict budget, then the hotels near the port, down the Ataturk square, are the cheapest. But sometimes they are used for prostitution, so one has to be cautious. Some the top rated hotels are given below:

1. Novotel Trabzon
Cumhuriyet Mah kasustu Beldesi | Yomra, Trabzon 61250, Turkey
2. Aksular Hotel
Toklu Mah.Sahil Cad.No:465, Trabzon, 61040,Turkey
3. Zorlu Grand Hotel
Maras Caddesi No 9, Trabzon 61100, Turkey
4. Buyuk Sumela Hotel
Macka, Trabzon 61750, Turkey

Source: Trip Advisor

There are a number of places to eat in Trabzon. Local cuisine is by far the favourite in Trabzon. “Pide” (a kind of bread) and kofte (meat balls) are a hot favourite. “Akcaabat koftesi”, meat balls made in Turkish way with garlic, bread and meat, eaten with ayran, a kind of yogurt, is another local delicacy. “Lahmacun”, a kind of pizza, with mince meat topping and thin bread, is also something one should try. Sea food is also popular. Besides these, there are many restaurants selling cuisines of other countries.
Some of the top rated restaurants are as follows:

1. NIHAT USTA
AKCAABAT, Trabzon, Turkey
2. ARI BUFE
Bolluk Sk., Trabzon, Turkey
Phone: 0090-462-230 58 08
3. Kilcik Fish Restaurant
Meydan, Trabzon, Turkey
4. YalIncak
YalIncak, Trabzon, Turkey

Source: Trip Advisor

BLOGS / SITES ABOUT ISTANBUL (WITH SMALL EXCERPTS FROM THESE BLOGS):

1. A brief history (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trabzon)
The city was one of a number (about ten) of Milesian emporia, or trading colonies along the shores of the Black Sea. Others include Sinope, Abydos and Cyzicus (in the Dardanelles). Like most Greek colonies, the city was a small enclave of Greek life, and not an empire unto its own, in the later European sense of the word. Early banking (money-changing) activity is suggested occurring in the city according to a silver drachm coin from Trapezus in the British Museum, London.
Trebizond’s trade partners included the Mossynoeci. When Xenophon and the Ten Thousand mercenaries were fighting their way out of Persia, the first Greek city they reached was Trebizond (Xenophon, Anabasis, 5.5.10). The city and the local Mossynoeci had become estranged from the Mossynoecian capital, to the point of civil war. Xenophon’s force resolved this in the rebels’ favor, and so in Trebizond’s interest.

2. Things to do, sightseeing and attractions:

http://www.kultur.gov.tr/EN/Genel/BelgeGoster.aspx?17A16AE30572D31395FB1C5180B6EBD698CDA43385F0101A

• Ataturk Palace
Situated in a small pine grove in the Soguksu area, this mansion was constructed at the beginning of the 20th century and belonged to Greek banker Karayannidhis, who was forced to abandon it 20 years later. Ataturk stayed at there in 1924, 1934 and 1937 during his visits to Trabzon, and it was formally presented to him a year before his death. It was then decorated with furniture and décor from that period, filled with photographs of the leader and opened by the city’s municipality as Ataturk Museum.

• Sumela monastery

http://wikitravel.org/en/Trabzon

Sumela Monastery (Turkish: Sümela Manast?r?; Panagia Soumela, “Virgin Mary of Soumela” in Greek) is a spectacular rock-hewn monastery perched dramatically on the narrow ledge of a steep cliff in the forests south of Trabzon. It was built in the fourth century, just before the Roman Empire split into east and west, by two Athenian priests, Barnabas and Sophronius, who, according to legend, found a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary in a cave. The monastery’s location in this geopolitically tumultuous corner of the globe naturally saw times of trouble and fell into ruin numerous times throughout its history, with its most thriving times falling under Byzantine and Ottoman rule.
The twentieth century, however, was not kind to the monastery. It was abandoned following the chaos and inter-ethnic violence at the end of World War I, and the population transfer of Trabzon’s (formerly Trebizond) Greek population back to Greece. Its remote location gave it some sanctuary, but its frescoes still attracted the occasional casually hurled rock by a bored shepherd. The beautiful frescoes today suffer from decades of heart-wrenchingly pointless vandalism by travelers—judging from the various alphabets and names scrawled across these impressive religious works of art, it appears that just about every culture in the world has taken part in the desecration. The buildings themselves have been fairly heavily restored in recent decades, as the Turkish government has stepped in to protect the monastery and to turn it into a museum.

3. Photo Gallery:
1. Photos of Trabzon by a traveler: http://www.pbase.com/dosseman/trabzon
2.Huge collection of photos: http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Middle_East/Turkey/Black_Sea/Trabzon/

4. You Tube Videos:
1. THE SUMELA MONASTERY ?N TRABZON TURKEY:

2. Trabzon – Agia Sophia, Frondistirio and Karadeniz: