15 Places to Visit on a Walking Tour of Cannes, France!

15 Places to Visit on a Walking Tour of Cannes France!

The south of France is known for its many beaches along the French Riviera and Cannes is just one of the many cities that stand out. It’s a great place to visit because of the beautiful beaches where you can relax and enjoy the blue water of the Mediterranean Sea. It also has many cultural attractions like the international Cannes Film Festival that takes place once a year in May. Since it is located along the Mediterranean sea, it has a mild climate year round and perfect for relaxing on the beach from May to October. The boulevards are lined with palm trees and tropical flowers giving visitors the perspective of being in paradise. Cannes has a reputation of glamour with the number of famous and wealthy people who frequently visit the city. From private beaches to luxury yachts, along with expensive hotels and great tasting restaurants, Cannes is just one of the many treasures of traveling throughout the French Riviera. Read about the 15 places to visit on a walking tour of Cannes, France. 

-- Luke Keeler

8 Places to Visit on a Walking Tour of Toledo!

8 Places to Visit on a Walking Tour of Toledo!

Treasures of Traveling in Toledo!  

Toledo is a wonderful Spanish city to visit full of culture, history and treasures of traveling. Toledo is located only 45 miles south west of Madrid so it makes it a wonderful day trip if you happen to be visiting the capital of Spain. Toledo is the capital of Castilla-la-Mancha and is an ancient Spanish city that is full of interesting things to discover due to its history of the co-existence of Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures within the city. Toledo is one of the many cities of Spain with stunning treasures of traveling to see and explore while visiting such a charming city. Everything in Toledo is within walking distance, which makes it easy to discover most of the city. The historic center is small and dense so you will have the best experience of the city by exploring it on foot. Walking tours are one of my favorite ways to discover a new city. Here are 8 places to visit on a walking tour of Toledo! 

-- Luke Keeler

16 Places to Visit on a Walking Tour of Segovia!

16 places to visit on a walking tour of Segovia! 

Segovia is a wonderful Spanish city to visit full of culture, history and treasures of traveling. Segovia is located in north western central Spain, in the autonomous region of Castile and Leon. Segovia has many famous landmarks from the Roman Aqueduct that runs through the city, to the Segovia Cathedral and el Alcázar de Segovia; three places you can’t miss if you are visiting this Spanish city. The Roman Aqueduct and the Alcazar of Segovia have been added as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but even more interesting, is that the entire old city of Segovia was added as a UNESCO site in 1985. Segovia is one of the many cities of Spain filled with stunning treasures of traveling to see and explore! Everything in Segovia is within walking distance, which makes it easy to discover most of the city. Walking tours are one of my favorite ways to discover a new city. Here are 16 places to visit on a walking tour of Segovia. 

-- Luke Keeler

Exploring the Alcazar of Segovia!

Exploring the Alcazar of Segovia!

Segovia is a wonderful Spanish city to visit full of culture, history and treasures of traveling. Segovia is located in north western central Spain, in the autonomous region of Castile and Leon. Segovia has many famous landmarks from the Roman Aqueduct that runs through the city, to the Segovia Cathedral and el Alcázar de Segovia. The Alcazar of Segovia is not only a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but was also one of the European castles that inspired Walt Disney’s Cinderella Castle. It is one of the many stunning treasures of traveling to see in the charming Spanish city of Segovia. 

Read more about the Alcazar of Segovia on the Treasures of Traveling website!

-- Luke Keeler

Top 14 Places to Visit in Madrid, Spain!

Top 14 places to visit in Madrid!

Madrid is the capital city of Spain and is full of treasures to explore. It is central to the entire country and is the seat of the central government. It is filled with grand boulevards full of shopping and restaurants. 

There are world famous parks like El Retiro, where you can relax and watch people enjoying themselves away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Madrid has world famous museums filled with European art, like the Reina Sofía and the Prado Museum showcasing works by Goya and Velázquez, just to name a few. 

Last, but not least, I can’t forget about the Royal Palace and the many famous city plazas filled with art and street performers. Madrid is just bustling with activity at all times, during the day and especially at night. Take a look at the top 14 places to visit in Madrid on the Treasures of Traveling website.

  — Luke Keeler

Visiting the Royal Palace of Madrid!

Visiting the Royal Palace of Madrid!

Madrid is the capital city of Spain and is full of treasures to explore like the Royal Palace of Madrid. In Spanish, it’s known as Palacio Real de Madrid. It is the official residence of the Royal Family, but they don’t actually live here. Today, the Palace is mostly used for state ceremonies. Right next to the Royal Palace is Madrid’s Cathedral that was completed in 1994! The Palace is also just a short walk from other famous Spanish squares like Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor.   

The current location of the palace is located on the site of a 9th century Moorish Alcázar, (Muslim fortress), after it burned in 1734. King Felipe V decided to construct a new Royal Palace on the same site. During this time, the palace was also known as “Palacio Nacional”. The palace was built in the form of a square and was inspired by sketches made by Bernini he construction of the Louvre in Paris. The palace is made up of over 3,000 rooms, which makes it one of Europe’s largest castles and is now filled with multiple artworks and antiques. 

Read about the history of this Royal Palace and what to see while visiting this Spanish treasure on the Treasures of Traveling website. 

-- Luke Keeler

11 Places to Visit in Peru!

Peru is a fantastic country to visit and is full of different treasures of traveling to explore and these are the 11 places I recommend to visit on any trip to Peru.

Peru is a county located in western South America. The countries Ecuador and Colombia border it to the north while Brazil surrounds it to the east and along the southern border is Bolivia and Chile. To the west, is the Pacific Ocean that allows for lots of trade in and out of the country. Peru is a country of many contrasts and is a wonderful place to visit on any trip through South America. When most people think of Peru, the Andes Mountains are generally the first thing that comes to most people’s minds, but Peru’s western coast is in stark contrast with its dry and arid desert, while to the east of the Andes is the Amazon jungle, steaming with wildlife.

Not only does Peru have stunning beauty and varied landscapes throughout the country, but the many different ancient civilizations and cultures have given Peru some of the most interesting archaeological sites in South America from the Inca Empire in the Andes to the Chimu Empire on the north west coast. Peru is filled with an immense quantity of treasures, so continue reading below and start exploring some of those 11 unique places to visit in Peru on the Treasures of Traveling website!

-- Luke Keeler

4 Cities to Visit in Denmark!

Denmark is a fantastic country to visit and is full of different treasures of traveling to explore and these are the four cities I recommend to visit on any trip to Denmark.

Denmark is located in northern Europe and is part of the region known as Scandinavia. It primarily consists of Jutland, the peninsula that extends north of Germany and western Europe, along with more than 400 different islands in both the North and Baltic Seas. Because Denmark primarily consists of islands you are never more than 50 km from any ocean. It’s relatively flat, but is so clean and eco-friendly and has lots of green spaces to visit throughout the country. It’s a country with a history of Vikings exploring the world and Denmark’s Kingdom actually consists of the Faroe Islands and the Island of Greenland, which are both located in the North Atlantic Ocean and both islands have a history of Viking exploration. 

Denmark is considered as one of the world’s safest place to live and visit based on its extremely low rate of violent crime and theft. Danes are very welcoming and friendly people and the majority of the country speaks English so if you find yourself in need of help, you can easily find someone who is willing to speak to you in English and answer your question or help you out in any way they can. Even though English is widely spoken it’s important to learn basic Danish phrases to communicate some of your needs, as Danes love it when you have taken an interest in their language and tried learning to communicate. 

You can visit Denmark anytime throughout the year, it is important to remember the best times based on the seasons. The best time is during the summer when Denmark experiences warmer weather with longer daylight hours, but that also generally brings higher prices and more crowds. The low season is during the winter season and this is generally when Denmark experiences wet and colder weather with very short hours of daylight. 

You can easily travel around Denmark on public transportation and I seriously think their favorite type of transportation is cycling. Every city has bike lanes along the roadways and you will see bikes parked everywhere. Denmark is a fantastic country to visit and is full of different treasures of traveling to explore! Visit the treasures of traveling website to see the four cities I recommend to visit on any trip to Denmark. 

-- Luke Keeler

Visiting the Alhambra in Granada Spain!

Looking up from the beautiful Arabic barrio called the Albaicín, you can see the majestic walls of the Alhambra on top of the cliff! This part of the palace and fortress complex is the Alcazaba, which is one of the oldest parts of the Alhambra, which is located in Granada, Spain. The fortress has the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the background!

No visit to the south of Spain is complete until you have visited one of Andalusia’s most iconic sites, the exquisite Alhambra fortress, which has been both an Islamic Palace during southern Spain’s 800 years under Moorish rule and a Christian Palace during the Roman Catholic rule. The fortress and the city of Granada really has such a fascinating history and is definitely worth a visit. This is just one of the many treasures of traveling through Andalusia and the south of Spain. It was originally constructed as a small fortress in AD 889 on the remains of Roman fortifications. Read more about the Alhambra on the Treasures of Traveling website. 

-- Luke Keeler

Danish Gymnastics in Viborg, Denmark!

Viborg is a wonderful Danish city to visit and is located in Jutland Denmark! From the Gymnastics and Sports Academy, to the cathedral and its bustling city center, Viborg is full of treasures of traveling and has much to offer the foreign traveler. Check out some of those treasures below.

After visiting Copenhagen, we continued our month long journey of exploring Danish culture through the study of Danish Gymnastics in the city of Viborg which is located in central Jutland! Viborg is actually one of the oldest cities in Denmark.

City of Viborg

Looking over Søndersø Lake to the city of Viborg and its Cathedral.

Viborg was actually settled by vikings in the late 8th century due to being so close to the Lim Fjord, which was once considered an important waterway through Jutland. Due to the central location of the city, Viborg was important both politically and religiously during the middle ages. Also, the elections of all the Danish monarchs occurred in Viborg. Viborg actually gets its name from two old Norse words. They are ‘vé’, which means holy place or sanctuary, and ‘borg’, which means a type of fortress. The word ‘borg’ originally came from another Danish word ‘bjerg’, which basically means a hill or a mountain so technically, Viborg means a sanctuary on a hill, which helps to sum up Viborg nicely! It is believed that the city existed when King Harald Bluetooth (yes, our current electronic capability of connecting wirelessly to other electronic devices is named after King Bluetooth of Denmark) formed the first Danish Kingdom in the tenth century. Today, Viborg is a vibrant city and is known as one of Denmark’s leading cities for sports and is a great place to visit!

Read more about Viborg, the cathedral and the Danish Gymnastics and Sports Academy on Treasures Of Traveling website!

-- Luke Keeler

5 Places to Visit on a Short Trip to Copenhagen!

There are so many treasures of traveling to discover while visiting Copenhagen, but if you are short on time, here are 5 interesting places to explore while touring the capital city of Denmark.

Copenhagen was the start of our month long journey of exploring Danish culture through the study of Danish Gymnastics! Berea College made all students participate in what is called a short term course of study during one month of the year. Two other students, along with myself decided to complete our independent study by immersing ourselves within multiple Danish Gymnastics Schools throughout the country over a four week period. It was one of the most physically demanding experiences I have ever participated in, but also a fantastically fun experience that I will never forget! I loved Denmark, the people and the culture, but I will advise anyone to visit the country during the summer months as the winter was just too cold for me. It always seemed to be grey and gloomy and snowing off and on over the entire month. I was also not a fan of the extremely short days where the sun would rise around 9:00 am and set around 3:30 pm.

Luke and Greg waiting for the next train at Islev station in the cold and snowy weather.

We chose to study Danish culture because our college participated in a Danish American Cultural Exchange Program where a Danish Gymnastics Sports Instructor would come and teach the students at Berea College for the entire year while some students would also have the ability to travel to Denmark to experience Danish culture through the help of the Danish Gymnastics and Sports Association (DGI) which is a national organisation, working through sports and other cultural activities to strengthen the work of local amateur associations in an endeavor to promote the education of both youths and adults in a community based sports environment. I thank DGI for supporting our independent study and allowing us the opportunity to experience Danish Gymnastics by immersing ourselves into multiple schools throughout the country!

Luke and Sarah Beth finally warming up on the S-train after waiting in the cold snowy weather at Islev station.

We arrived to Copenhagen after a long delayed flight where all of our luggage had been diverted to another airport so it did not arrive on the same plane as us. It was unfortunate that our luggage had been lost, but what made it worse was that we didn’t have any clothes to change into or basic necessities like our toothbrushes, soap and shampoo. Luckily, Air France gave us a t-shirt and a small toiletry kit. We each wore that same shirt for three days until our bags finally arrived in Copenhagen. I was so happy to finally get my suitcase full of warm clothes so I wouldn’t have to walk around everywhere and be so cold all the time!

Eating Breakfast with the Host Family

After that ordeal, we settled in with our host family in Copenhagen who were part of DGI and who were absolutely fantastic. They lived near the Islev train stop where we would catch the train into downtown Copenhagen for our different activities. They showed us around so many interesting places throughout the city! 

To discover what these five treasures of traveling while visiting Copenhagen are please visit Treasures Of Traveling website! 

-- Luke Keeler

Jungle Expedition in the Amazon Rainforest!

Reflections along the Amazon River!

Iquitos is surrounded by the Amazon River on one side and the Amazon Rainforest on all other sides so the only way to reach Iquitos is to either fly there or travel by boat. Therefore, Iquitos is the world’s largest city that can not be reached by any roads. For this reason, Iquitos is also an important port city for this area of Peru as many goods and supplies arrive by boat after a week long journey floating up the Amazon River from the Atlantic Ocean. A journey of over 2,200 miles. 

Transportation along one of the Amazon River tributaries to a local jungle lodge.

There are so many things to see and do in Iquitos and you can read about all of those things in this post about Iquitos, but If you would like to venture deeper into the Amazon rainforest there are many tour companies that offer jungle expeditions down Amazon tributaries to jungle lodges which allow you to visit tribal villages where you can stay and experience the local culture of the local indigenous Indians of the region. Take a look at some of the pictures below to see what visiting a jungle lodge and tribal village is like and let me know in the comments below what you think about it!

Read about and see more of the pictures from the jungle expedition in the Amazon Rainforest on Treasures Of Traveling website!

-- Luke Keeler

Treasures of Traveling on the Amazon River in Iquitos, Peru!

Floating Houses change height with the tide of the Amazon River in Iquitos Peru! These houses float on the river.

We had quite the adventure traveling from our last stop in southern Peru, the beautiful mountainous and colonial city of Arequipa to the hot and humid jungle of the Amazon in Iquitos; the gateway and access point to the Amazon Rainforest in Peru! I write about that adventurous experience on the previous rock slide post. Iquitos is surrounded by the Amazon River on one side and the Amazon Rainforest on all other sides so the only way to reach Iquitos is to either fly there or travel by boat. Therefore, Iquitos is the world’s largest city that can not be reached by any roads. For this reason, Iquitos is also an important port city for this area of Peru as many goods and supplies arrive by boat after a week long journey floating up the Amazon River from the Atlantic Ocean. A journey of over 2,200 miles. We didn’t have the time to travel by boat up the Amazon River as it takes a week, so we decided to fly.

Flying over the Amazon River and Amazon Rainforest was a once in a lifetime type of experience and it was awe inspiring to see just how large it actually is! May I remind you that we were only flying over the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest, much smaller than the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest. Once we landed, it was clear to see we were in a completely different world from where we had been just a few days earlier in Arequipa. Peru is such a diverse country in land, people and language and there is no better place to see that than Iquitos, which is fairly isolated as it is inaccessible by road. We arrived to Iquitos on a smaller aircraft so we walked directly off the plane and down steps onto the tarmac and one of the biggest changes from Peru’s Coastal Region and the Andes Mountain was the temperature difference. When we stepped out of the plane door, the heat was oppressive. The heat and humidity hit us like a smack in the face and we immediately started sweating and we didn’t stop until we left Iquitos.

Read more about the city of Iquitos on the Treasures Of Traveling website!

-- Luke Keeler