Those of us who have visited the restored Catherine Palace outside of St. Petersburg in Russia have seen the photos of the destruction caused during the World War II “900-day” (actually “only” 872-day) siege of the city then called Leningrad.
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Dear Globetrotter:
Possibly as long as 40,000 to 60,000 years ago, Australia’s Aborigines arrived on that island continent from Southeast Asia via the islands of Indonesia. Eventually they occupied almost all parts of Australia, including southeastern Australia, where Sydney is now located. Known archaeological sites near Sydney date back at least 15,000 years. That’s four times older than the Egyptian pyramids, the oldest of which dates to about 2600 BC.
Walking the undulating paths of Te Kainga Marire, through an idyllic landscape of native New Zealand plants, it came as a bit of a jolt to peer through the foliage and see a next-door neighbor’s quite ordinary-looking backyard. In my wandering, I’d quite forgotten that I’d entered this “wild New Zealand” from its entrance on a neighborhood cul-de-sac, with the city of New Plymouth’s busy downtown but minutes away.
As far as I’m concerned, there are two IQs for travelers: those who queue and those who don’t. If you plan ahead, you can avoid nearly every line that tourists suffer through (except for security checks).
Many museums are free one day a month — a great deal for locals, but for visitors it’s generally worth paying the entrance fee on a different day to avoid the hordes on a museum’s free day. The Sistine Chapel feels more like the Sardine Chapel when it’s open and free on the last Sunday of the month.
(First of three parts)
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