Results for "Cathédrale+Naples+|+9+>+215"

Bonjour,

J'aimerais discuter avec quelqu'un qui est déjà allé en Sicile. Nous plainifions de nous y rendre en nov. 4 -5 jours. Est-ce suffisant?

J'aimerais savoir ce qu'il ne faut pas manquer...

De bonnes adresses où se loger pas chères...

Par la suite nous aimerions traverser à Malte soit en ferry ou par avion?

A bientôt j'espère,

Anne

🙂Bonjour a tous le 21 septembre je souhaite partir en voyage de noce 😎à Genève alors j'attends l'avis de ceux qui y sont allés merci de votre opinion a tous😉

Nous avons passé une semaine magnifique du 9 au 16 avril, au Sunscape Casa Del Mar, à Bayahibe.

Nous sommes partis avec 3 heures de retard, problèmes techniques, changement d'avion, faire la file une 2ème fois pour réserver nos sièges dans l'avion. C'est le seul désagrément de notre voyage.

Nous avons eu une chambre dans le bloc 2 au 3ème étage, comme promis par Raymundo. Bien située, tranquille, plafond cathédrale. Nous nous attendions à deux lits queens, mais avons eu deux lits doubles, plus un lit jumeau, suffisant. Maria, notre femme de chambre était une perle, très gentille, est très efficace dans son travail. Le seul problème des chambres est l'insonorisation. On peut entendre un voisin ronfler, et je n'exagère pas. Le frigo rempli tous les jours, jus, liqueurs, eau, et bouteille de rhum au début du séjour. Pour ceux qui écoute la télévision, plus de 60 postes disponibles. Le coffre-fort, $3.00 par jour.

Le site est très beau et très bien entretenu. La piscine est assez grande et très très propre. Il y a des flotteurs disponibles, très agréable. Autour de la piscine, il y a des pergolas en bois, pour avoir de l'ombre. Les chaises bleues sont confortables. Il y a également un casse-croûte, avec popcorn, hots dogs, pizzas, et bien sûr un bar avec tables en fer forgé et beaux parasols.

La plage est belle, mais pas très longue. Il y a des palmiers et des arbres fruitiers pour avoir de l'ombre, mais il faut se déplacer souvent, si on veut rester à l'ombre. Je dois dire que l'eau m'a un peu déçue. Oui elle est calme et claire, quoique un peu brouillée au bord à cause du sable qui reste en suspension, mais ce n'est pas la couleur de la mer des Caraibes que j'ai vu à Cayo Largo. Nous y avons vu quelques poissons colorés près du quai. Il y a des chaises bleues, jaunes, très confortables, et blanches en résine, moins confortables.

Nous avons déjeuné au buffet, très bon et beaucoup de variétés. Jus de fruits fraîchement pressés, crêpes, pains dorés, omelettes, bacon, muffins, croissants etc.

Pour le dîner, nous allions au restaurant Saona près de la plage. C'est pratique, en costume de bain et jupette. Poulet grillé, brochettes, nouilles, frites, hamburgers, par contre pas de poisson. Bons desserts.

Les restaurants à la carte ne nécessitent pas de réservations. Premiers arrivés premiers servis. Il vaut mieux arriver vers 6h30 7h00, sinon, on peut attendre 1 heure. Restaurant Asia, chinois, Restaurant Italien, essayez l'assiette fruits de mer avec langoustes, calmars, crevettes, poisson, miam! miam! et le Saona sur la plage qui devient Steak House, tous très bons. Un soir ils ont installé des tables sur la plage, et le buffet y était servi, très agréable, manger sous les étoiles, les pieds dans le sable.

Un cocktail du président est servi, je crois, mercredi soir, avec champagne. Le gérant nous présente les employés, il y a un spectacle dans l'eau de la piscine, et un feu d'artifice. De petites attentions que nous n'avons pas vu ailleurs.

L'animation est très présente sur la plage, en après-midi, danse, jeux. A la piscine, water-polo. L'équipe est formidable. Chapeau!

Il y a un Club Explorer pour les enfants. Nos enfants ont 10 et 13 ans, ils se trouvaient trop vieux pour y participer, mais ça semblait très bien organisé, et varié.

Egalement sur le site, il y a le Metamorphosis Spa, pour les massages. Ce spa est situé dans la jungle, avec des petits passages en bois, entourant un étang avec tortues, poissons, canards, oiseaux etc. très relaxant. Vous pouvez vous y promener, les enfants ont adoré.

Nous avons marché jusqu'au village de Bayahibe, et y avons pris un taxi pour aller à Altos de Chavon, très beau et La Romana coût $30.00/4 pers.

Nous voulions aller à Saona, mais $120. pour le bateau, trop cher. Si nous avions trouvé d'autres adultes pour partager le bateau et les coûts, nous l'aurions fait. Une autre fois...

Il y a un petit marché aux puces sur la plage, beaucoup de choix, mais il faut marchander.

En résumé, nous avons passé une très belle semaine, la température parfaite, pas une seule goutte de pluie, sauf quand nous avons embarqué dans l'avion au retour, là il pouvait bien pleuvoir, Hi! Hi!

Si vous avez des questions, il me fera plaisir d'y répondre.

Manon.

Bonjour,

Nous partons à 4 (2 couples) pour Nerja (proche Malaga) les deux premières semaines d'Août.

Je cherche à organiser beaucoup d'activités mais je n'ai pas trop d'idées.

J'ai déjà pensé à la plage : pedalo, jetski, ...? aux visites (Cordoue, Séville, Malaga, Grenade, Jaén, Cadiz et ?) au quad et la bronzette (un peu quand même !) + farniente 😛

Et surtout je cherche des endroits où sortir (même lieux à peu près que les villes citées pour les visites).

Je voudrais montrer à mes amis ce qu'est le flamenco, voir un carnaval s'il y en a un, trouver des férias, ... Je cherche aussi certaines ambiance sympa voire traditionnelles ??

Connaissez-vous des trucs sympa à faire au mois d'août entre amis ?

Merci beaucoup de votre aide.😉

Audrey

Hello!

Je pense me rendre ces prochains jours plus ou moins dans le centre de la France, du côté de la région des volcans... Je ne connais pas du tout cette région. Est-ce qu'il y a un coin à ne pas rater? PS je voyage en mini-bus camping... Pas de problème pour camping sauvage? Merci pour infos...

Je pars début avril en week-end à Florence.(Il y a de super promo en ce moment en formule train-couchette + hotel). Pouvez vous m'indiquer les incontournables à visiter et à se balader. Je ne voudrais pas consacrer les 2 jours entiers à des musées.

Merci à tous.

Je transite par Paris à l'aller et au retour d'un voyage vers l'Egypte à la fin du mois d'avril. J'aurai donc environ une journée tant à l'aller qu'au retour de complètement libre. Mis à part la tour Eiffel que nous comptons visiter puisque notre hôtel devrait être tout près, qu'est-ce qui pourrait être intéressant à voir avec mon mari et trois ados : une fille de 15 ans et deux gars de 13 et 10 ans ? Si possible à pied puisqu'à 5 personnes, cela augmente les frais car ça nous prendrait deux taxis. Merci !

bonjour

je suis allé en RD une semaine mais trop court, j'envisage d'y retourné 15 jours car il y a tellement de chose à voir et pour cela j'aimerais savoir le prix de location de voiture, le forfait journalier et les infos concernant les locations de voitures.

merci

Bonjour

j'aimerais obtenir vos commentaires à propos de l'hôtel Rancho Luna à Cuba. Est-ce que c'est une grosse hôtel? Qu'est-ce qui est intéressant à faire? Est-ce possible de sortir à l'extérieur du tout-inclus et visiter un peu à l'extérieur? Est-ce possible de faire de la plongée? Merci à l'avance afin de mieux planifier mon voyage.

Daniel

Je pars o mois de Fevrier seul et je me cherche un endroit ou ca bouge sans etre a Varadero suis allé a Cayo Largo et Holguin, je desire un hotel pour adultes preferablement, j'ai entendu que Santiago a un hotel pour adultes (club Bucanero) mais que c'etait plutot terne comme bouffe..O pire je retournerais a Varadero pour une 5eme fois et si c le cas avez vous des conseils comme hotel et pas loin des boites.

Merci😎

Bonjour, je dois partir fin fevrier à Cuba et on me propose le LTI Panorama à la Havane pour mes 3 premiers jours. Connaissez vous cette Hotel ? Que vaut-il ? Sinon etant 3 jours sur la Havane que me conseillez- vous de faire et de voir ? ( une visite de la vallée de Vinales c'est possible ? trop loin ?) Avez vous des bons plans ? Merci d'avance pour votre aide. @+ Sperli

Bonjour à tous.

Voici un premier extrait de mes carnets de route écrits pendant mon voyage dans le Transsibérien. Il s'agit d'une rencontre surréaliste. Cette rencontre n'a pas eu lieu dans le train lui-même, mais dans un restaurant à Ekaterinburg (anciennement Sverdlovsk).

Mercredi 10/09/03

Ekaterinbourg

Restaurant “Sunday” 13 :30 LOC 11 :30 MOS

Sverdlovsk est bien un trou, j’en ai maintenant la certitude, et à part deux trois jolis bâtiments et la cathédrale fraîchement reconstruite des Romanov, il n’y a rien à voir ; on en regrette presque de s’y être arrêté. Certes, le temps ne joue pas en la faveur de l’impression que peut donner la ville au voyageur solitaire à petit budget, sans parapluie, que je suis (horreur des parapluies). Cette ville n’est pas faite pour les étrangers, ni pour les piétons. Or, je suis piéton, étranger. Tout ici, est assez difficile. Trouver un cyber (Siber ?) café est une aventure plus ardue que je ne l’aurais pensé, dégotter un petit restaurant bon marché où s’asseoir, au sec, est un vrai défi. Tout est payant, des toilettes de la gare, par ailleurs au plus bas de l’échelle absolue de la saleté des toilettes déjà visités dans ma vie, au bout de pain du restaurant où je suis finalement, d’ailleurs assez cher pour la qualité. En gros, les prix de Moscou. Ce restaurant est un fast-food aux allures de kebab parisien, avec des plats russes, et un décor de jardin zen, si on fait abstraction de l’inévitable télé à clips qui braille dans un coin.

Avoir à tuer douze heures dans cette ville, sans endroit où pouvoir se poser tranquillement au sec, sans payer, est une perspective relativement désagréable. Si seulement il ne pleuvait pas ! Je pourrais m’allonger dans l’herbe sauvage d’un parc de la ville, un de ces parcs où il y a tellement peu de passages qu’on en finit par avoir de fortes montées d’adrénaline à la seule rencontre avec un chien errant au regard fuyant.

Ce qui réconforte, comme partout dans ce pays, ce sont les belles filles. Je suis assis dans ce restaurant mi-sushi, mi fast-food russe étrange, et mon attention est souvent perturbée par des passages non loin de ma table. Se dire que la plupart de ces belles filles sont seules, et luttent pour se trouver un homme rend malade. Hier soir encore, dans le cyber café que j’avais fini par trouver, finalement, une magnifique blonde était sur un site de rencontre. Si j’avais résidé dans cette ville, je l’aurais aidé volontiers ! Et là, à mes deux heures, une femme seule est attablée, et une autre, plus jeune, s’installe une table plus loin. C’est terrible ! Mais que font les hommes ! Et je ne parle pas des filles accompagnées. Que les hommes sont chanceux dans ce pays ! Mais le concept même de drague, tout au moins dans les lieux publics, semble avoir été oublié. A part, hier, où Volodia a abordé une femme qui attendait dans la gare comme lui, je n’ai pas vu d’entreprise masculine de rapprochement. Où sont les méditerranéens ?

Bon, l’une des filles seules ne l’était pas. Elle était la première au rendez-vous, nuance. Deux hommes charmants viennent de la rejoindre.

Je vais demander à cette femme seule, attablée juste à côté de moi, qui lit, si elle connaît un musée intéressant pas trop loin.

Bonjour,

Quelqu'un parmi vous a-t-il pratiqué les pistes de l'Atlas marocain en véhicule tout terrain et pourrait me donner des infos ( état, kms, durée du trajet...) sur les 3 pistes suivantes?

1- Secteur entre El Ksiba et Boulmane n'Dades

* Tizi n'Isly - Cherket - Ikassenne - Ou Ali ou Idir - Tassent - Imilchil - Agoudal - Tilmi - M'semrir

Je crois que certains tronçons sont en cours de recouvrement... savez vous lesquels?

2- Secteur entre Ouaouizerth et Demnate

* La "Cathédrale" de Tamga - Zaouia Ahensal - Tizi n'Illissi - Tizi n'Thighrist - Vallée des Bouwguemez - Ayt Bou Wily - Tarbat n'Tighsal - Zawia Sidi Bouakhlif - Imi n'Ifri

3- Secteur entre Ouaouizerth et Azilal

* La "Cathédrale" de Tamga - Zaouia Ahensal-Tizi n'Illissi-Ayt Mehammed

Merci d'avance

José

Bonjour,

Je compte aller passer 2-3 semaines en Chine en partant de Hanoi et en y revenant, seulement je n'ai pas envie de trimballer d'affaires inutiles. Quelqu'un connait-il une guesthouse de confiance ou l'on peut laisser un sac pendant 2-3 semaines.

Autre question : obtenir un nouveau visa pour le vietnam a partir de la Chine est-il aise sachant que j'ai deja un visa pour le vietnam mais qu'il n'est pas multi-entree.

Merci

Yannick

Après des années d'hésitation, je me suis décidée, je pars en Afrique! Je compte arriver au Mali et y rester 1 mois, puis direction le Bénin, via le Burkina. Je pars seule et je ne connais personne. Si certains d'entre vous pouvaient me donner des tuyaux, des infos sur le logement, les associations, les choses à faire ou à éviter, des adresses...ce serait très charitable :-)

De plsus, j'aimerais savoir si ça craint pour une femme seule

Bonjour,

je cherche tout information pertinante sur le chemin de compostelle... (les prix, la durée, l'hébergement) tout tout tout. Je dois dire que je quitterais le Québec en Mai 2004 est ce un bon mois pour de la belle température?? Par quel ville est-il préférable de commencé?? J'aimerais beaucoup en savoir d'avantage...je me suis renseigné pour m'acheter un bouquin sur le sujet mais les prix sont beaucoup trop élevés alors je vais commencé par chercher de l'information par internet je penserai pour le livre plus tard....alors j'attend de vos nouvelles avec impatience....

merci 🙂

ariane

Hello,

L'envie de visiter la Sicile me démange depuis qque temps. J'ai décidé d'y aller en octobre. Est-ce que qqu'un aurait des adresses à me conseiller (logements, visites etc...) ??? Enfin dites-moi tout sur la Sicile 🙂

Merci

FeeBleue😉

Originaires du Québec (Canada), nous allons en Allemagne pour 22 jours dans 3 semaines

Nous arrivons à Frankfort, d'où nous louons une voiture pour la durée de notre séjour.

Nous hésitons entre une visite de l'ensemble du pays, et un petit détour vers l'Autriche ou la République Tchèque.

Nous aimerions connaître l'avis de voyageurs qui ont visité l'Allemagne pour savoir quelles régions sont à visiter en priorité.

Si nous changeons de pays avec la voiture, devrions-nous rencontrer des problêmes particuliers ?

Merci à ceux qui voudront bien nous éclairer un peu sur ce pays qui est notre prochaine destination.

Linel

Bonjour tout le monde. Je suis à la recherche d'informations sur la ville de Barcelone (bons plans, commentaire, témoignages divers ...)je compte m'y rendre quelque jours d'ici peu. Petite précision : je n'ai pas un gros budget, je ne parle pas espagnol et je désire éviter les pièges à touristes.

Merci d'avance pour vos réponses😉

pareil que pour mon post pour le benin, je vais faire un copier/coller de mon post sur la lituanie sur lonely planet, pour qu'un plus grand monde profite des infos!

En avril 2001 et 2002 je suis partis en lituanie et j'en garde un tres bon souvenir. Vilnus est une tres belle ville surtout son centre ville ( attention la nuit cela devient un quartier infame), n'oubliez pas la cathedrale gothique que Napoleon a voulu rammener en France, et qui est maintenant au patrimoine de UNESCO. Il y a la colline des croix pres de scaulai qui est une experience inoubliable avec ses 50 000 croix plantées et d'inombrable croix possées sur les autres! Trakai est a visité, c'est l'ancienne capital de l'etat, et on y visite un chateau fort sur les rives du lacs; tres jolie, mais un peu cher pour les touristes. Klaipeda est le port principal du pays et celebre pour sa dune qui fait office de frontiere entre Kaliningrad et la Lituanie. A KAunas se trouve un camps de concentration ou vous pouvez trouver des guides parlant francais qui pourront vous expliquer son histoire et ne manquez pas la rue pietonne qui par de la Basilique, dont j'ai oublié le nom! Palanga est la ville balenaire mais en Avril il n'y avait personne dans les rues et donc ville triste.(de tres nombreux km de plage)

Sachant que les gens sont assez froid a premiere vue mais des qu'on se montre un peu poli qu'on sort un peu quelques mots lituanien ils sont chaleureux et vous invite a manger et a dormir chez eux. Un bon conseil, preparez vous a boire bcp de vodka et interdiction d'en refuser car c'est un signe de politesse que d'accepter et regardez bien c'est souvent de la vodka fait maison dont 60° facile!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pour partir en lituanie il n'y a pas 36 manieres: l'avion: il y a qu'un compagnie qui dessert la lituanie et c'est la compagnie lituanienne; pour 2000fr vous vous en sortez bien le train: tres peu de train en lituanie mais vous pouvez prendre le train de la gare de l'est il me semble direction varsovie par train de nuit(paris-cologne-berlin-varsovie) et puis il ya un train qui fait la liaison avec Vilnuis en voiture: De marseille compter 25heures non stop pour dormir!!!!!!!!! Au depart de paris passez par la belgique c'est plus rapide. Un bon conseil: ne jamais traverser la pologne de nuit car pirates de la route (ancien souvenir)! En bus: avec euroline il y a des liaisons Paris vilnus et Paris kaunas ( une nuit et un jour dans le bus)

Que faut il voir absolument à Santo Domingo ?

Comment s'y rendre depuis les hotels, bus, taxis, collectivos ???

Quelqu'un aurait il quelques bonnes adresses, bar, resto??

D'avance merci

EUSKADI

Since I don’t have time to come up with an original theme, I’m suggesting a broad, international topic: religious buildings around the world. Given how vast the subject is, I’d like us to focus on photos of exteriors—wide shots or details. Interiors, which are just as varied, could be the subject of another contest.

A few of my own photos, just to give you an idea:

Hi there,

Last February, I made a trip using "public transport" from France to southern Senegal via Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, and Mauritania.

It’s a journey of about 5,000 km, where I took trains (as far as Marrakech), ferries (to cross Gibraltar and then to reach Casamance from Dakar), and mostly buses on the long desert straightaways. I hadn’t planned any stops in advance or booked any hotels, except for the very first train to Spain, which left plenty of room for the unexpected. Why travel by land and sea? In recent years, flight-free travel has been gaining popularity. On social media, posts explaining how to cross Europe by train as quickly as possible go viral. Traveling without flying—and making sure people know about it—has become a great way to earn a badge of eco-responsibility: an essential totem for anyone wanting to prove both their dedication to the ecological cause and the wisdom of slow travel. I haven’t flown in years, and this journey to West Africa could easily be filed under "responsible travel." But it wouldn’t be honest to say that: in reality, it wasn’t really my aversion to flying that motivated this long trek. I see overland travel primarily as a way to experience the world’s geography at a grounded, earthly pace—the pace of the locals. Besides, I’ll be flying back, which disqualifies any claim to being a model of sustainability. So no eco-badge, and no adventurer’s badge either: you won’t find any heroic tales of camel rides in lost lands or mineral train wagons in this account (popular with influencers, the Mauritania iron ore train now attracts tourists from all over the world, turning "the experience" into something you "have to do at least once in your life"). This five-part story, written on the road, has no other ambition than to recount a journey through places and people, and to share the thoughts they inspire in me. As simply and, I hope, as humbly as possible.

I’m posting the episodes here, which you can also find on my blog (with more photos) at the following links:

Episode 1: Spain, from Avignon to Algeciras

Episode 2: Morocco, from Tangier to Tarfaya

Episode 3: Western Sahara, from Tarfaya to Guerguerat

Episode 4: Mauritania, from Guerguerat to Nouakchott

Episode 5: Senegal, from Rosso to Saloulou

To help those who might want to make the same trip, I’ve also put together a summary of the route with recommendations—you can read it at the end of the story and on the blog: From France to Senegal Without Flying: Route and Itinerary Recommendations

Happy reading, and safe travels!

It's been 39 years since we last came back to Andalusia...

For this last week of March, we waited until the end of the "votes" in France to go soak up some sun in southern Spain. And spring is the ideal season.

Our itinerary was a very (very) classic loop: Seville / Granada / Ronda and the white villages / Seville (with the start of Holy Week as a bonus gift!).

We flew from Lyon with Transavia (no issues) and landed in Seville on Monday. We rented a car (Goldcar), drove for 3 hours, and there we were in Granada, charmed by its ZTL (limited traffic zone) that Waze made us discover in detail (a nightmare!). Our hotel: Hotel Monjas del Carmen (perfectly located and with parking).

The weather was overcast, but a little stroll through the Albaicín district was a must. In the evening, we had dinner at "Restaurant Arabe Ambar" to get into the Nasrid atmosphere—we recommend it!

Hello everyone,

For our latest 3-week family trip (yes, the kids are growing up, and two of them are about to enter the working world), we’re heading to South America! For our first time on this continent, I had planned a classic 3-week loop in Peru.

But since we won’t be returning to this part of the world anytime soon, I thought: why not follow in the footsteps of Franck, aka Bibouns51, who, in 18 days, didn’t just stick to Peru but also added two of the planet’s most stunning landscapes to his itinerary... the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia and its neighbor, the fabulous Atacama Desert in northern Chile !!

So, I set about the tricky task of limiting the regions we’d visit in Peru to those we considered must-sees, to avoid rushing too much. The visit schedules were optimized, including several comfortable overnight buses that have the huge advantage of letting us hop between regions.

So, we’re off on a somewhat adventurous trip with three domestic flights (two on the first day and one on the last), two overnight buses for quick hops, several car rentals, the services of a few drivers to make the trip more comfortable, and even a tour operator for crossing the Salar...

Our main concern is altitude sickness, and we’re bringing Diamox, aspirin, etc., just in case.

Our second worry before departure was not even getting off the ground... Yes, for once, we’re leaving from France—Marseille, to be exact. The week before our departure, with the surprise air traffic controllers’ strike, I remembered why we usually prefer to leave from abroad, like Turin or Barcelona... In the end, it wasn’t the air traffic controllers who made us nervous but the early July wildfires that paralyzed the airport a few days before our departure. Fortunately, the fires were quickly brought under control, and on the big day, everything was smooth sailing!

Detailed itinerary (which changed on Day 1 due to departure hiccups): Day 0: Flight Marseille - Madrid - Lima PERU Theoretical and abandoned Day 1: Flight Lima - Cuzco and visit Cuzco (Puka Pukara, Tambomachay, Cristo Blanco Observatory, Sacsayhuaman sunset) - Night in Cuzco Day 2: Taxi -> Chinchero - Moray - Maras Salt Mines - Ollantaytambo - Train to Aguas Calientes Day 3: Machu Picchu - Return train to Ollantaytambo Day 4: 2-day taxi -> Pisac - Tipon - Andahuaylillas - Huaro - Night in San Pedro Day 5: Palcoyo - Checacupe - Vinicunca - Return and night in Cuzco Day 6: Day in Cuzco (catch-up on Sacsayhuaman, San Blas district, Temple of the Sun) - Overnight bus to Arequipa Day 7: Rental car -> On the road to Colca Canyon, night in Cabanaconde Day 8: Descent to the bottom of Colca Canyon, night at Oasis Sangalle Day 9: Ascent from the canyon - Maca - Chivay - Return and night in Arequipa Day 10: Visit Arequipa (Santa Catalina Convent, La Recoleta Church and Monastery, La Compañía Church, Cathedral) - Overnight bus to Puno Day 11: Lake Titicaca - Night in Puno BOLIVIA Day 12: Shared taxi -> Road to La Paz, visit downtown La Paz - Night 1 in La Paz Day 13: Moon Valley and Las Animas Valley - Night 2 in La Paz Day 14: Day in La Paz - Night 3 in La Paz Day 15: Flight to Uyuni - Day 1 of Salar de Uyuni tour - Night at the edge of the Salar Day 16: Crossing the Lipez region and lagoons - Night near Laguna Colorada Day 17: Sol de Mañana CHILE Day 17 cont.: Pre-booked transfer to SPDA - 4x4 rental - Pukara de Quitor - Stargazing tour - Night 1 in SPDA Day 18: Death Valley and Moon Valley - Night 2 in SPDA Day 19: Miscanti and Miniques Lagoons, Salar de Aguas Calientes and its Piedra Roja, Tebenquiche Lagoon and Quebrada del Diablo - Night 3 in SPDA Day 20: Rainbow Valley and swim in the Puritama River - Night 4 in SPDA Day 21: Tebenquiche Lagoon - Bus to Calama - Flight to Santiago Day 22: Return Santiago - Madrid - Marseille

Day 0 - 11/07: Destination Lima

Our first flight from Marseille went smoothly to our Iberia layover in Madrid.

In Madrid, just after getting off the plane around 8 PM, and as we were walking through the terminal, we got a rude awakening!!

We saw the word "Cancelled" next to our flight number on the display boards. Thinking it must be a glitch, we checked another screen, but the system was stubborn, and the same dreaded word appeared !

So, we headed to the Iberia counter, where an agent confirmed that our Friday evening flight was canceled and rescheduled for the next morning. The reason? A breakdown and no replacement plane, even though we were in Madrid, Iberia’s home base!

To make matters worse, I remembered our super-tight schedule, planned to the minute, with no buffer day in Lima. Since I’m a bit phobic of megacities and hadn’t found anything appealing in the Peruvian capital in our guidebooks, we’d planned to leave Lima as soon as possible for Cusco, the heart of the Sacred Valley, to spend our first day there.

Bad idea, because we already knew the 4-hour buffer wouldn’t be enough, and we’d miss the domestic flight, which was, of course, non-refundable and non-changeable. So, we had to call LATAM from Madrid to find another flight for Saturday evening and negotiate a rate to recover some of our initial outlay.

After an hour on the phone with customer service, several endless holds, and three failed attempts to dictate our credit card number over the phone to a Spaniard speaking English with a thick accent, we finally managed to confirm the transaction, securing our new flight tickets for a moderate extra cost of just 150 € total.

At first, we were pretty bummed about losing a day and incurring extra fees to reschedule the domestic flight, but then, when we learned from an Iberia customer service rep that we’d receive the max compensation of 600 € per traveler, we even ended up grinning... because 3000 € in refunds for only losing the first day in Cusco? We’d sign up for that 10 times over!!

Iberia then took care of us, putting us up in a hotel where we had dinner before a short 5-hour night and an early morning departure. I took the opportunity to improvise a quick day of sightseeing in Lima, focusing on the Barranco and Miraflores districts.

Hi there,

I arrived in Tunisia this afternoon for a full 14-day stay.

I took a direct Tunisair flight from Nice, which departed about thirty minutes late (that’s nothing compared to the "nightmares" I’ve had on some of my recent trips).

The flight lasts around 1 hour and 20 minutes, and a small snack was served on board (a sort of quiche with chickpea purée, a small bread roll, a portion of cheese like La Vache qui rit, and a small chocolate cake). It’s worth mentioning because it’s becoming increasingly rare on short flights. I was seated between two Tunisian gentlemen who gave me some great tips for my trip, especially about negotiating prices. One of them is a former cameraman for France Télévisions, very cultured and well-traveled—his daughter is a journalist at France Télévisions (I found some of her articles online). In short, the flight was very pleasant and quick.



I’m staying at the Hôtel Royal Victoria. I booked it yesterday afternoon by email without providing my credit card number. The room costs 241 TND (71 €) with breakfast included. It has heating, a small fridge, a safe, a hairdryer, Wi-Fi, and a TV with international channels. There’s a police van permanently parked in the square where the hotel is located.

This hotel is housed in the former British consulate and later embassy. It has a lot of charm with its painted wood ceilings and doors, and its bathroom covered in ceramic tiles. The tiny elevator is from another era. The main advantage of the hotel is its location between the medina and Avenue Bourguiba. Nearby, there’s the Magasin Général, where you can find groceries and some typical products like rose water, geranium water, and tons of halwa (a customer kindly explained how to eat it and which is the best).

After nightfall, I took a short stroll down Avenue Bourguiba. There weren’t many people around—it’s windy and cold.

I’ve already noticed the warm welcome from Tunisians. The supermarket cashier welcomed me to Tunisia, and a gentleman I asked for directions to the Magasin Général (I was about to climb stairs leading to a mosque!) insisted on inviting me for coffee, but I declined.

The rest of my itinerary will depend on the weather. If it doesn’t rain tomorrow, I might visit Carthage since the Bardo Museum is closed on Mondays, as are the museums in Sidi Bou Said.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Hi, I’m planning my trip to La Spezia and I’m struggling to find nice places to visit besides the Cinque Terre and Portovenere. Budget: Mid-range NO hiking

Can you help me out?

Thanks!

I got into music with the will To light up many hearths like Che could do, To circulate ideas, to advance utopia Alternating barricades, sharp thought, and poetry. Mc Solaar, Guérilla

Subscribing without a fight to the slightest line of my itinerary sometimes feels like an illusion. Because there are countries where, despite the fever and enthusiasm, despite the triumphant revolution, certain elements block my path. And if I had planned, for F. and me, a beautiful ascent up Tabouret Hill (Loma del Taburete, 453m), it was without accounting for vegetation as dense as it was thorny, which barred our way after just a few quarters of an hour of walking. Exhausted, I had to face the facts: we wouldn’t go any further. I needed to come up with some kind of Plan B.

But what is this country, an unwitting laboratory of the worst that white civilization has done during its reign? What is this magnificent place—yet another—entrusted to the care of oblivion, just 150 km from the land of freedom? According to Donald Trump, a country supporting terrorism; according to the locals, the vast battlefield of 20th-century ideologies; according to the average tourist, a hot country, a beautiful country, a country where the last illusions of a lost paradise are dying.

On the other side of Havana Bay, we love that statue of Christ blessing the city. There’s something gentle, soothing, in that patriarchal gesture. You’d almost be tempted to forget that at the dawn of the 16th century, those who claimed to represent the Church had no scruples about eradicating the Ciboney and Taíno populations. Worse, you’ll find magnificent this cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary, right in the heart of the old city. Under the guise of a civilizing necessity, Havana became, like so many other places, the gilded seat of European pretensions, at the expense of local populations doomed to extermination, then enslaved populations—more or less indigenous—who, you can imagine, didn’t often set foot in this holy place.

Lost in my thoughts, I try to push through this tangled vegetation. Nature reclaims its rights; nature abhors a vacuum. Yes, the well-trodden path of revolution couldn’t stay free of weeds! The road is buried. We give up and turn back, until that fork I’d noted before leaving, which would let us reach the top of the hill by skirting its northern slope.

So the white man arrives, settles, and gets rid of everything that bothers him. He has two unstoppable forces at his disposal: gunpowder and the spiritual certainty of being on the side of an all-powerful god. While the first gives him an unmatched material advantage over his new enemy, the second lets him use the first without feeling too guilty. That’s the magic of this supreme Church: it condemns all forms of pleasure—calling them impurity—while promoting plunder and crime under the cover of evangelization.

Walking through the city, you find a bit of Algiers, except that here, the decay is almost irreversible. You feel the splendor of the past, a disconcerting image of all vanity, from an era when men knew how to build beauty—especially if they didn’t have to share it. We’ll debate the benefits of colonialism for a long time, while glossing over the fact that those benefits often stopped at the city limits, limits all too obvious to the indigenous people. Havana isn’t just one or a few buildings; it’s an impressive collection of works of art built one after another, in what I think was a spirit of healthy competition. Yes, you find Algiers in this exuberance. As if these distant cities were the receptacle of everything that was best in the lands of origin. Atlantes and lintels, golds, blues, ogives, and monumental windows—exceptional architecture in an exceptional place.

Some streets are clean, swept with care; others are not, scattered here and there with potholes filled with water. A rather persistent smell of urine invades us regularly. We move on. And we look up: Havana is visited with your nose in the air. Because the beauty is truly up there, on those magnificent balconies and terracotta arches. Also because it’s not impossible that a piece of that balcony might suddenly detach, hurling our ends into an overseas tragedy we’d rather avoid. On the ground, here and there, rubble. Inexorably, this city is returning to dust.

My Plan B turns out to be no more successful than the first attempt. After a cheerful progression of a few hundred meters, same outcome, same struggle—the vegetation opposes any revolution: impossible to go around the hill! Once again, we have to turn back. We’ll try Plan C. I reassure myself by convincing myself to stay in the logic of this country: Cuba has been searching for itself for five centuries.

Coffee, tobacco, and sugarcane—the green gold of the colonies—so that money could flow and Europe could enjoy itself. Cuba’s history isn’t original. In reality, all the hot lands at these latitudes suffer the same fate: to serve the white man. While waiting for the awakening of consciences, UN Resolution 1514 and more or less affirmed revolutionary desires. Except that—and this reflection is just my own—if the awakening of consciences and the revolutionary will don’t play into what Resolution 1514 hides, there’s a good chance the said state will become a pariah. Those who don’t follow the American doctrine risk a lot; those who decide to follow Moscow risk everything. Independence was only the barely discreet instrument of American views. Patrice Lumumba will gladly enlighten us on the subject.

Turning back is good. Setting up Plan C is better. I won’t deviate from my goal: we will reach the top of Tabouret, whatever the cost! Near a small country road, I hesitate to change the program. Time is ticking—is it really reasonable to attempt the ascent? Then a tricycle taxi appears, a kind of tuk-tuk powered by an electric moped. I take it as a sign from fate, and we board for the starting point of Plan C.

In Cuba, even before Resolution 1514, independence was assured by a pawn of the United States, Fulgencio Batista. There’s no need to go over the whole history here; we’ll just remember that if you know how to give without counting to your former masters, you can enjoy a facade of freedom. Fidel Castro, on the other hand, didn’t know how to give. It never even occurred to him. That’s why the United States harbors such terrible hatred for this rebellious state, opposed to capitalist values and political prostitution. From there to slowly killing its people for nearly seventy years, one can legitimately cry injustice. But there are other priorities. Oh yes! Greenland...

Do Cubans eat their fill? Does seeing overweight people mean opulence? Food grows, no doubt about it. The soil is fertile, the climate favorable. No, what shocks here is the absolute precarity, the feeling of a people living in survival mode, and the decay of both goods and hope. Where to go? What’s the point? The stubbornness of the United States in wanting to impose its views on the Cuban government is felt much more by an overwhelmed people than by those few elites—caricatures of communism—who instill their vision of happiness with a crowbar. The embargo imposed in 1960; the false-flag attacks—American planes flying the colors of the Cuban revolution during the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961—the exasperation of placing Cuba on the list of countries supporting terrorism. More recently, Donald Trump decided to heavily tax countries supplying Cuba with fuel. The last time I saw such long lines near gas stations was during my first trip to Romania... in 1991. It’s not for me to judge whether Raúl and his clique are playing fair by thumbing their noses at the West. I don’t hold the ins and outs of this war of egos that keeps the world’s great powers awake. I only caught a glimpse of the poverty of an island in 2026, while we in Europe are buried under an avalanche of the useless and superficial.

At the start of the San Juan baths, we find the trailhead. It climbs steeply. But the weather is relatively mild, thanks to a cold wave hitting higher up in the United States. Dallas is under snow; we’re walking in 16°C, a stroke of luck. We climb over rocks, under fairly decent vegetation, sometimes low but passable. And we succeed in the ascent in an hour. Up there, the top of the hill is somewhat maintained, at a minimum, but maintained, as if to honor Che through an awful monument erected in his glory—a stubborn specimen from those years when good taste was inversely proportional to the delusional ideas of those being honored. Birds of prey (raptors?) circle overhead; the monument is dying, crumbling, falling into ruin. *Hasta siempre*—forever—will be for the words. Nature, erosion, life itself will have the last word over all revolutions.

Back at the foot of the hill, just before a memorable swim, we talk with a family living there in miserable shacks whose stability wasn’t unlike that of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The grandmother holds an animal, a rodent, by its feet. The grandfather has just killed it; she’s plucking its fur. A few steps away, water boils in a pot. She plunges the beast into the container. Tonight, the family will eat ragondin stew. Further on, another shack where, in a disorder rivaling the filth, a mother breastfeeds while sitting on the edge of a bed. Then, on the way down, we’ll meet a middle-aged man carrying a large jerrycan of water on his shoulder. Are these people happy here, far from the cities and their stakes? Is it too much to ask that they at least have access to electricity, running water, and decent, safe housing?

Outside the old city, Havana reveals wide avenues serving imposing institutions here and there. But whether in the colorful alleys of the old town or on the majestic and austere Plaza de la Revolución, the same feeling moves me: sadness. Seeing that only chaos has come from ideas crushes me. We praise, we sing the revolution—above all, we impose it in people’s minds as a necessity, when it’s nothing of the sort. Revolution is just the fruit of a few tortured minds who, once in power, do nothing better than all those before them. Enjoy power. Impose their views. It’s just a matter of color. Fidel saw red and knew how to persuade—or silence forever—his many detractors. The West sees everything in white, through the prism of human rights, and also knows how to persuade and silence its slightest detractors forever.

Paradoxically, Cuba survives largely thanks to tourism, a key element—let’s not be afraid to say it—of capitalism. And when a few players pick up the crumbs from transactions, the lion’s share and the foreign currency go to the government. So we won’t go to Varadero, the high place of relaxation overrun by Canadians. Instead, we’ll limit ourselves to crossing the ocean 30 minutes from the capital, at Santa María del Mar, to get an idea of cheaper tourism and to splash around for a few minutes in turquoise water invaded by sargassum. At the heart of the tourist season, we’ll meet few people. Like Havana, and according to its inhabitants, the high season is rather dead. But we won’t have come for nothing: we particularly love this return where, feverish, the taxi driver pushes his Moskvitch 2140 to the max on the highway, singing karaoke versions of hits at the top of his lungs from an onboard DVD player. East/West, the culture clash with a hint of Latino.

It’s time to leave this country of resourcefulness where extremes are very present. We’re leaving a 5-star hotel in front of yet another crumbling building. We’ve known restaurants at 40,000 pesos while in the street people eat for 400. We’ve seen those countless cars from another era and another culture—Pontiac, Lada, Chevrolet, Moskvitch—being overtaken by gleaming Mercedes and other Porsche Cayennes, the prerogative—if it still needed to be demonstrated—of the newly rich in search of recognition. Boarding the plane, we also understand that we’re not just traveling with tourists: there’s undoubtedly a rich and prosperous diaspora, just as there are relatively wealthy Cubans—well, wealthy enough to travel comfortably in the front of the aircraft. Meanwhile, on all the country’s roads, other Cubans try hitchhiking, their wives and children perched on a suitcase by the roadside. The father holds out his arm and holds a few bills in his hand like a card game. Where are they going? Who will pick them up?

Behind me, the gold of the Capitol. I’m told this gold comes from Russia. Like Marx and Lenin’s smoky theories? Like Stalin’s subtle and delicate paternalism? Let’s bet that, like the other buildings crumbling around it, the Capitol will also collapse one day, to avenge the Indians who perished from the diseases and guns of the whites, to avenge the Africans who obliterated their lives so Europeans could enjoy themselves, finally, to avenge all this abandoned people, left to the arbitrariness of democratic or non-democratic elections.

A sign in the street: We understand history. This is the revolution! We understand history. That’s the revolution.

No comment.

Gosuslugi / Госуслуги is the Russian administrative portal. EBS / ЕБС is the unified biometric system.

Since 2025, foreigners (residents or not) must have a biometric profile in addition to a Gosuslugi profile to obtain SIM cards and open a bank account.

Administrative services are mostly centralized in MFCs, МФЦ (Multi-Functional Center), nicknamed "My Documents" Мои документы.

A non-resident foreigner can register with the pension fund, which provides a social security number, SNILS / СНИЛС. To do this, you must present your passport and a notarized translation at an MFC. The SNILS can be issued on the spot or within a maximum of five days. If not issued immediately, you receive a receipt, and the deadline is communicated by the administrative agent. You return to the MFC after the deadline to collect the certificate with the SNILS.

Once the SNILS is obtained, you revisit an MFC counter to register on the Gosuslugi portal. You must present your passport and notarized translation again, along with a phone number and email. The Gosuslugi portal authenticates users with three pieces of data: SNILS, email or phone number, and password. The agent creates the profile and completes the initial email and SMS confirmations on your phone.

After the Gosuslugi profile is active, you register on the biometric portal. If last year’s law centralization measures are fully implemented, you can do this at any MFC; otherwise, you go to a SBERBANK (or VTB) branch. Again, as always for foreigners, you must present your passport with its translation and show your open Gosuslugi profile on your phone. The employee records your voice (reading a series of numbers) and takes a photo of your face.

After that, you can go to a telecom agency to buy a SIM card. The staff will take your passport details with the translation and your Gosuslugi profile info. Then, they’ll take a photo with their webcam, which is verified by the online EBS biometric portal. However, procedures may vary depending on the provider (Megafon, MTS, Beeline), and some employees may not be familiar with the process.

Potential delays can be caused by network maintenance or slowdowns due to peaks in administrative activity.

I’ll illustrate this process as I experienced it in February and April 2025 in the next post. Just need to gather the photos I took on the spot.

Hi there!!

This summer, we're planning to explore Poland from July 4th to 23rd. I’ve outlined our rough itinerary below—could you let me know if the number of days allocated to each destination makes sense or if there’s anything we should change? Thanks in advance!

S4 Departure, overnight in Würzburg (Germany) to break up the drive. D5 Travel day with visits: Jawor and Świdnica churches, Książ Castle (likely just the exterior), and a few other stops. Overnight in Wrocław. L6 Explore Wrocław M7 Explore Wrocław M8 Visit Kłodzko—is one day enough? Overnight near Auschwitz. J9 Visit Auschwitz, overnight in Kraków V10 Explore Kraków S11 Explore Kraków D12 Visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine, overnight near Zakopane L13 Zakopane M14 Zakopane M15 Visit Zamość, overnight in Lublin J16 Explore Lublin, overnight in Masuria (TBD) V17 Explore Masuria S18 Explore Masuria D19 Depart for Gdańsk, visit the Teutonic Castle, overnight in Gdańsk L20 Explore Gdańsk M21 Explore Gdańsk J22 Explore Gdańsk, possible day trip to Sopot? V23 Visit Toruń, then drive back to Germany. Overnight stop like on the way out. S24 Home!

Best, Christophe