Astute Press: 629 books

Latvia is a historic and pretty coastal European country on the Baltic Sea that is bordered by Estonia, Lithuania, Russia and Belarus. The capital Riga is a World Heritage Site. Next door, Lithuania is also an emerging tourist destination in the era of low-cost flights in Europe. The country has beautiful rivers, lakes, forests and natural areas occupy large parts of the country.

The ‘quintessentially English’ Cotswolds is the famous countryside area of southcentral England. This popular tourist destination is close to the cities of Gloucester, Bath, Oxford, and Stratford-upon-Avon. The Cotswolds is an English ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ (AONB) and crosses...

Florence (Firenze) is Tuscany’s capital and was once Italy’s capital. The city is known for its importance during the Renaissance between the 14th and 17th centuries. Today Florence offers stunning artwork, galleries, manicured gardens, winding streets and delightful waterfront shops.  Pisa...

New York City is a center for technology, culture, cafes, bars and restaurants, fashion, music and the arts, R&D, finance, and business. It has one of the largest and most famous skylines in the world, dominated by the famous Empire State Building. New York City is the largest city by population...

Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and is holy to the three major monotheistic religions of the world – Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Once considered the center of the world, the Holy City of Jerusalem has always fascinated travelers and pilgrims with its rich history and culture that dates...

Istanbul straddles both Asia and Europe and is located on two sides of the Bosphorus River. It is Turkey’s largest city and it was one of the three European Capitals of Culture in 2010.  Ankara, in Anatolia province is the capital of Turkey and is the country’s second largest city. Ankara an interesting yet less-travelled place to visit.

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the seven-member United Arab Emirates (UAE). With a population of 921,000, it is the second-largest city in the United Arab Emirates. Fifty years ago the city was not much more than a fishing village with a fort, huts and above all, the desert. Today, it is one of the world’s...

On the west coast of Ireland is the beautiful county of Galway with its famous Connemara mountains and rocky coastline. The university city of Galway is a typical Irish city of music and merriment with an atmosphere of culture and sport and is known as Ireland’s cultural heart.   TABLE...

Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands (after Guernsey, Sark and Alderney) and is a self-governing British crown dependency. The island, which lies off the northern coast of France is not a part of the United Kingdom nor is it a member of the European Union (although the free trade of goods...

Here be pirates. Seafaring maps of old might well have included this warning note about the port of Saint Malo, as the most memorable chapter of this fortified city was written during the 17th and 18th century, when its cobbled streets witnessed the regular passing of corsairs and pirates, dragging...

Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands (the others being Guernsey, Sark and Alderney). The island, which lies off the northern coast of France is not a part of the United Kingdom and is also not a member of the European Union (although the free trade of goods within the EU is allowed). The official...

Tourists have long enjoyed the sunshine and the French “joie de vivre” in Nice, the elegant city on the French Riviera. The city is the second-most visited tourist destination in France with four million arrivals a year. Its Mediterranean beaches stretch for miles along the famous “Promenade...

Varadero is a major tourist resort city in Cuba made famous by its beautiful stretch of white sand beach. It is a part of Matanzas province and is located on the northern shores of this Caribbean island. Varadero is a long narrow peninsula stretching into the Gulf of Mexico in the shape of a hockey...

Mexico’s capital city is an ancient gem. The city center is centered on the Zócalo (Plaza de la Constitución) and the historic Aztec Templo Mayor, can be found here. The Zocalo is the largest square in Latin America and the third largest in the world. As one of the largest cities in...