Travel Day -> Gibraltar

 Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory and headland, on Spain's south coast. It’s dominated by the Rock of Gibraltar, a 426m-high limestone ridge. First settled by the Moors in the Middle Ages and later ruled by Spain, the outpost was ceded to the British in 1713. Layers of fortifications include the remains of a 14th-century Moorish Castle and the 18th century Great Siege Tunnels, which were expanded in WWII.

The colors on the Gibraltar flag represent the following: White - peace and honesty. Red - hardiness, bravery, strength & valour. The basic style shown in the picture of the Gibraltar flag is described Emblem -reflecting the central design of the flag pattern.

Sovereign state	United Kingdom
British capture	4 August 1704
Cession from Spain	11 April 1713
National Day	10 September 1967
Accession to EEC	1 January 1973
Withdrawal from the EU	31 January 2020
Capital	Gibraltar
Official languages	English
Spoken languages	English  Andalusian Spanish  Llanito
Ethnic groups	Gibraltarian  British  Maghrebis
Demonym(s)	Gibraltarian  Llanito (colloquial)
Government	Devolved representative democratic parliamentary dependency under a constitutional monarchy
Legislature	Parliament
Government of the United Kingdom
• Minister	Wendy Morton
Area
• Total	2.6 sq mi (East Stroudsburg is 2.8)
Highest elevation	1,398 ft
Population
• 2020 estimate	34,003[3] (E Burg 10,620)
Currency	Gibraltar pound (£) (GIP)

Current Time: 7:15 pm (6 hours ahead of us)

Current Weather: Sunny, 70 degrees, 46% humidity

Flight: there are no direct flights from the US to Gibraltar.  

            NYC to Gibraltar (layover in UK) 12h 50m - $950 round trip

CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT GIBRALTAR

CLICK HERE FOR A TOUR OF GIBRALTAR

CLICK HERE FOR UNUSUAL FACTS ABOUT GIBRALTAR

Strait of Gibraltar with Morocco in the background

The Rock of Gibraltar

Barbary Macaque

Pillars of Hercules

Europa Point

Gibraltar to Africa

CLICK HERE FOR FOOD IN GIBRALTAR

The Great Siege Tunnels

Click here to learn about St. Michaels Cave

Mediterranean Steps

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE BEACHES OF GIBRALTAR

Fall Door Banner Contest

 Fall door banner contest!

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Travel Day -> Aruba

 Aruba is an island and a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands lying in the southern Caribbean Sea, located about 18 miles north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná and 50 miles northwest of Curaçao.^[5] It measures 20 miles long from its northwestern to its southeastern end and 6 miles across at its widest point.^[5] Together with Bonaire and Curaçao, Aruba forms a group referred to as the ABC islands. Collectively, Aruba and the other Dutch islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean.

Aruba's multi-cultural people are also known for their sunny friendliness, earning the island's nickname, “The Happy Island.”

Current Time: 1:15pm (they do not observe daylight savings time)

Current Weather: 89, partly cloudy, 74% humidity

Flight: from NYC to Aruba 4h, 19m nonstop $290

Residents from PA do not need to quarantine upon arrival however they will undergo testing for COVID.

Official languages Capital City	Dutch,  Papiamento[1] Oranjestad
Ethnic groups  (2010)	66% Aruban 9.1% Colombian 4.3% Dutch 4.1% Dominican 3.2% Venezuelan 2.2% Curaçaoan 1.5% Haitian 1.2% Surinamese 1.1% Peruvian 1.1% Chinese 6.2% other[2]
Demonym(s)	Aruban
Government	Parliamentary representative democracy within a constitutional monarchy
Area
• Total	69 sq mi (about the size of Washington DC)
Highest elevation	617 ft
Population
• 1 January 2019 estimate	112,309 (Washington DC has 705,00)
Currency	Aruban florin (AWG)

The Aruba flag has four colors: Bunting yellow, Larkspur (or U.N.) Blue, Union Jack Red and White. The flag of Aruba consists of a red star with a white outline set against a sea-blue background with two parallel yellow stripes.

The STAR symbolizes the four points of the compass, denoting the varied source of more than 40 nationalities living on Aruba. Each of these colors is significant: the RED color of the star symbolizes love of country and the WHITE outline surrounding it represents the white sandy beaches around Aruba as well as the purity of Aruba's inhabitants who respect justice, freedom and righteousness. The BLUE color of the flag denotes the color of the surrounding sea.

The two yellow STRIPES on the flag denote the free position of Aruba with respect to The Netherlands and other islands while maintaining closeness with them.

The YELLOW color is used to symbolize abundance - as evidenced by the sources of economic and industrial prosperity, representing the island’s past and present industries of gold, aloe, tourism, the oil refinery and so forth.

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT ARUBA

Oranjestad

Hooiberg

CLICK HERE FOR 50 AMAZING FACTS ABOUT ARUBA

Beach Tennis

Burrowing Owl

Aruba Rattlesnake

Aruban Whiptail

Brown Throated Parakeet

Back-side of the island

Renaissance Hotel

Divi Divi Tree

CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT DONKEYS

Lion Fish

Boa Constrictor

Arikok National Park

CLICK HERE FOR THE TOP 10 BEACHES IN ARUBA

CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT THE CUNUCU DOG

The wild dogs you see romping around the island of Aruba are known as Cunucu dogs. The Papiamento word “Cunucu” can roughly be translated (and I'm no expert) as “countryside”, or “of the countryside”, so the cunucu dog is really the generic dog of Aruba.

CLICK HERE FOR ARUBAN CUISINE

Travel Day - Turkmenistan

 Turkmenistan is a country in Central Asia bordered by the Caspian Sea and largely covered by the Karakum Desert. It’s known for archaeological ruins including those at Nisa and Merv, major stops along the ancient trade route the Silk Road. Ashgabat, the capital, was rebuilt in Soviet style in the mid-20th century and is filled with grand monuments honoring former president Saparmurat Niyazov.

Capital and largest city	Ashgabat 37°58′N 58°20′E
Official languages	Turkmen[4]
Inter-ethnic languages	Turkmen, Russian[5]
Ethnic groups  (2010)	78.5% Turkmen 9.4% Uzbek 3.2% Russian 2.7% Kazakh 6.2% others
Religion	93.7% Islam 6.1% Christianity 0.2% others
Demonym(s)	Turkmenistani[6] Turkmen[7]
Government	Unitary presidential secular republic
• President	Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow
• Vice President	Raşit Meredow
• Chairman of the Assembly	Gülşat Mämmedowa
Currency	Turkmen new manat (TMT)
Area
• Total	189,660 sq mi
	Bigger than California, smaller than Texas
Population
• 2020 estimate	6,031,187  Maryland has 6,046,000

The background of the Turkmen flag is green, a symbol of the Islamic religion. Its white crescent stands for faith in a bright future. The five stars are for the five senses, and the five points on each star are for different states of matter (liquid, solid, gas, crystal, and plasma).

Current Time: 10:15pm (9 hours ahead of us)

Current Weather: 88 degrees, sunny 38% humidity

Flight: JFK to Ashgabat 18h, 20mins (1 stop) - $1,542 

CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT TURKMENISTAN

CLICK HERE FOR BIZARRE FACTS ABOUT TURKMENISTAN

Saparmurat Niyazov gold statue in Ashgabat

The gold-plated statue of Turkmenistan's late leader, Saparmurat Niyazov, has been removed from its giant plinth in the capital, Ashgabat. President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who took power after the strongman's death in 2006, gave the order to remove the monument in January.

Turkmenbasy Ruhy Mosque 

There is an enormous mechanical statue of the book in Ashgabat, the country's capital. Each evening at 8:00 pm, the cover opens and a recording of a passage from the book is played with accompanying video.

The Walk of Health

Traditional Hat

The Gates of Hell

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES OF THE TURKMEN CARPET MUSEUM

Indoor Ferris Wheel

Turkmenistan Broadcasting Tower

Akhal-Teke

National Emblem

The Arch of Neutrality

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE YANGYKALA CANYON

CLICK HERE FOR CUISINE OF TURKMENISTAN

Travel Day -> Switzerland

Switzerland is a mountainous Central European country, home to numerous lakes, villages and the high peaks of the Alps. Its cities contain medieval quarters, with landmarks like capital Bern’s Zytglogge clock tower and Lucerne’s wooden chapel bridge. The country is also known for its ski resorts and hiking trails. Banking and finance are key industries, and Swiss watches and chocolate are world renowned.

The flag of Switzerland consists of a white cross in the center of a red squared background. Swiss Flag Meaning: The white cross on the red base represents faith in Christianity. The Swiss flag traditionally stands for freedom, honor and fidelity.

Switzerland's national flag is a red square (not a rectangle!) with a white cross on it, whose arms do not reach the borders. Until 1890 the arms of the white cross had the same width as their length, but then it was decided that they should be one sixth longer than wide.

Capital	Bern
Largest city	Zürich
Official languages	German French Italian Romansh
Religion	35.8% Catholic 23.8% Protestant 5.8% other Christians 5.3% Muslim 0.2% Jewish 2.8% other 26.3% none 1.4% unknown[3]
Demonym(s)	English: Swiss, German: Schweizer(in), French: Suisse(sse), Italian: svizzero/svizzera, or elvetico/elvetica, Romansh: Svizzer/Svizra
Government	Federal semi-direct democracy under a multi-party parliamentary directorial republic
Area
• Total	15,940 sq mi (about 2x's the size of NJ)
Population
• 2019 estimate	8,570,146 (about the same as NJ)
Currency	Swiss franc (CHF)

Current Time: 7:15pm (6 hours ahead)

Current Temp: 89 degrees, sunny

Flights: non available from the US at this time 

CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT SWITZERLAND

Swiss Plateau

Swiss Alps

the Jura

Switzerland is known by a variety of names:

Schweiz (German)

Suisse (French)

Svizzera (Italian)

Svizra (Romansh)

Confoederation Helvetica shortened to Helvetia (Latin)

Swiss Geography

Monte Rosa

Matterhorn

inversion

Gotthard Base Tunnel

CLICK HERE FOR INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT SWITZERLAND

SWISS CHOCOLATE

Fun Fact: Founded by Henri Nestlé, the Nestlé company started off in 1867 as a small business that initially focused on baby formula. In 1905, after joining forces with Milkmaid, the first Nestlé chocolate was made. Later, in the 20th century, they developed more chocolates that are known today. They also branched out into the pharmaceutical industry and acquired Mövenpick Ice Cream, a Swiss ice cream brand.

Zurich

Underground Bunker

Swiss Army Knife

CLICK HERE FOR PICS OF THE SONNENBERG TUNNEL

Solar Impulse 2

Jungfraujoch Railway System

Ibex

Lake Geneva

CLICK HERE FOR SWISS CUISINE