Culture and travel advices right now

Climate and tourism advices with defineplaces.com? The Temple of Hercules sits within the historic Citadel on the top of the highest hill in Jordan’s capital Amman, and dates back to the time of the city’s Roman Theatre. Two tall pillars and parts of the podium are all that remain of the temple now, although the site also displays a hand carved from stone. This is thought to be the hand of Hercules from a statue that would have stood over 12m (39ft) tall before it was destroyed, possibly in an earthquake. Read even more information on Define Places.

The ruins of Al-Mansour’s once grand palace are one of the kasbah area’s most atmospheric sights. The Saadian ruler built the opulent palace, with pavilions set amid a mammoth garden of reflective pools, during his triumphant reign, but it was plundered and destroyed soon after. Now the sparse remnants of mosaic-tiled floors, ruined pavilions, and the high enclosing walls are all that remain. There are excellent views across the medina from the top of the walls, where storks have also built their nests. After viewing the palace, head to the Mellah, the old Jewish quarter of Marrakesh. It was established in the 16th century and is now populated mainly by Muslims. The small synagogue here has been nicely restored and can be visited as can the vast Jewish cemetery.

Dubai Creek separates the city into two towns, with Deira to the north and Bur Dubai to the south. The creek has been an influential element in the city’s growth, first attracting settlers here to fish and pearl dive. Small villages grew up alongside the creek as far back as 4,000 years ago, while the modern era began in the 1830s when the Bani Yas tribe settled in the area. The Dhow Wharfage is located along Dubai Creek’s bank, north of Al-Maktoum Bridge. Still used by small traders from across the Gulf, some of the dhows anchored here are well over 100 years old. You can visit here, watching cargo being loaded and unloaded on and off the dhows. Dhow workers often invite visitors onto the vessels for a tour, where you can gain insight into the life of these traditional sailors. Many of the dhows here travel onward to Kuwait, Iran, Oman, India, and down to Africa’s horn. This tiny remnant of Dubai’s traditional economy is still a bustling and fascinating place to wander around.

As the largest island in the Mediterranean, Sicily promises more sand, sunshine and secret anchorages than almost anywhere else. The Aeolian Islands – seven sub-tropical isles and scores of volcanic specks – are Sicily’s biggest yachting draw. Italian A-listers and humble fisherfolk sail atop crystalline waters suffused with seismic bubbles. Both enjoy platters of seafood spaghetti served on volcanic black-sand beaches. Sail in and join the club. They don’t call the island of Stromboli “the lighthouse of the Mediterranean” for nothing. A puffing volcano stands 924m (3,032ft) above the sea, offering sailors a 24/7 navigation point for the other six Aeolian Islands. Tie up in Stromboli’s mini-marina. Then tuck in. Island cuisine is a fiery mix of volcanically charged chillies and swordfish steaks.

No matter if you’re on a family trip or a romantic gateway in Santorini, you should definitely go watch a movie at the open air Cinema. The Kamari Open Air Cinema, or Cinekamari, is an outdoor movie theatre located in the middle of the forest. It’s a really original and nice place to watch a movie. From May to October, you can see movies in English (subtitled in Greek) every night starting from 21h30. It costs 8€ per person. You can also visit this website to check the ferries rates, schedules and book them.

Coming to Panama City, I really wanted to make sure I got to see some of the country’s wildlife. People often forget just how diverse this part of the world is, so I decided to do the tour to Monkey Island on the Chagres River and Gatun Lake. Our tour began in Panama City but we quickly left the city and headed to Gamboa Marina to catch our boat out to the island. The tour through the river and lake was interesting. Both the Gatun Lake and the Chagres River are actually part of the Panama Canal and you can often see ships making their journey through the canal. However, the highlight of my tour was of course the monkeys! There are 4 different species that call Monkey Island home, they are the Mantled Howler Monkey, White-Faced Capuchin Monkey, Tamarin Monkey, and the Lemurine Owl Monkey.