Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, is a city open to the sea and carefully planned with 18th-century elegance. Its founder is said to be the legendary Ulysses, but the theory of an original Phoenician settlement is probably more realistic. Known in Portugal as Lisboa, the city was inhabited by the Romans, Visigoths and, beginning in the 8th century, the Moors. Much of the 16th century was a period of great prosperity and overseas expansion for Portugal. Tragedy struck on All Saints' Day in 1755 with a devastating earthquake that killed about 40,000 people. The destruction of Lisbon shocked the continent. As a result, the Baixa (lower city) emerged in a single phase of building, carried out in less than a decade by the royal minister, the Marques de Pombal. His carefully planned layout of a perfect neo-classical grid survived to this day and remains the heart of the city. Evidence of pre-quake Lisbon can still be seen in the Belém suburb and the old Moorish section of the Alfama that spr…

Gibraltar is the famous promontory located at the western entrance of the Mediterranean, with Spain to the north and, across the Straits, Morocco to the south. The Straits, a channel 36 miles long that connects the Atlantic with the Mediterranean, are 27 miles wide at the west end, 8 miles at their narrowest and 15 miles between Gibraltar and Almina Point near Ceuta. Africa is clearly visible on a fine day. Gibraltar's airport is known for its unusual runway that bisects the two-mile-long narrow isthmus linking the colony geographically to mainland Spain.

Offering an island bounty of electric-blue Caribbean Sea waters, sensational scuba diving, and elevated viewpoints, Philipsburg revels in Caribbean beauty. St. Maarten is an unusual island of dual personality - partitioned into French and Dutch sides. Discovered by Christopher Columbus on his second journey to the Americas in 1493. A truce was eventually brokered in 1648, sharing the island between the French and Dutch - an arrangement that endures today. View less A Caribbean mirage of soft sand beaches and perfect snorkelling and scuba diving opportunities – arrive on the south of this beautiful island at the Dutch side’s capital, Philipsburg. Squeezed between the bay and the Great Salt Pond, the town offers waterfront strolls in the gentle breeze, duty-free bargains, and plenty of room to sit and drink in the dazzling sea views. Clear, turquoise waters hold underwater worlds of colourful corals and fish, while glorious beaches of typical Caribbean beauty invite you to sprawl out be…

Miami, officially the City of Miami, is a metropolis located in southeastern Florida in the United States. It is the third most populous metropolis on the East coast of the United States, and it is the seventh largest in the country. Wikipedia