Take the opportunity of a cheap airline ticket to visit places and buildings that are full of history and beauty. Some of the amazing places that must be seen are:

The Amalfi Coast-Italy

In the stretch of coastline on the southern side of the Sorrentine Peninsula of Italy lies the breath taking Almafi Coast in the Province of Salermo. The Almafi coast extends from Positano in the West to Vietri sul Mare in the East. Vertical cliffs plunge into the Mediterranean, as a coastline of seaside towns. You could imagine that this was a remote area in Italy in the early years only able to arrive by sea or horse. This cliff-hanging type town is still the ultimate refuge. The town´s fishermen´s homes painted in paste colors trickle down a maze of alleyways to the beach. The Almafi Coast has been an inspiration to artists and poets. In the book  ‘Immoralist’ written by the French author André Gide , a book perceived to be a story of dereliction, others see it as a tale of introspection and self-discovery, he writes about Almafi as “nothing more beautiful can be seen on this earth.”

The Monasteries of the Metéora-Greece

The name Metéora means, “in the air”. The breath taking and amazing monasteries were created in 1344 for the monks, followers of Athanasios Koinovitis. At Meteora the monks were safe from political upheaval and were on control of the entry to the monastery. However, it was the need of the monks that inhabited the caves to avoid the Turkish persecution during the 14^th century occupation.

The only way to reach the monastery was by climbing a long ladder, which was drawn up whenever the monks felt threatened. More than 20 monasteries were built in Meteora. Six remain today

Nowadays the monasteries are all connected by a series of paths and roads. The monasteries kept alive the artistic and religious culture of the Greeks during foreign occupation this is one of the many reasons why Meteora is one of the places to be seen.

Bavaria and Neuschwanstein Castle-Germany

Amongst the fairy-tale alpine setting lies the Neuschwanstein Catle situated on an isolated rock ledge in a breath taking scenery. The Neuschwanstein Castle inspired the castle in Sleeping Beauty and Disneyland.

This fantasy castle is situated in the Bavarian meadows in Germany amongst dense woodlands, mountains, and crystal-blue lakes. The foundation stone of this dream castle was first laid in 1869.

The castle was commission by the King of Bavaria Ludwig II. King Ludwig II was known as an eccentric whose legacy is related with the history of art and architecture. He commissioned the construction of several extravagant fantasy castles. The most popular one is the Neuschwanstein Castle. The palace was originally called New Hohenschwangau Castle. Upon the king’s death the castle was renamed Neuschwanstein. This castle it is known for being King Ludwig most ambitious and theatrical extravagance. King Ludwig II died without seeing the final work of the castle however it was overseen by him from his nearby castle of Hohenschwangau. This project was finalised seventeen years after the mysterious death of King Ludwig’s at age forty. He was believed to die days after he was forced to abdicate for reasons of insanity.

La Mezquita-Spain

This breathtaking building resembles the exquisite Spanish Muslim architecture.

The story of the development of these building is full of history and resembles the development of the Spanish culture. The construction of this building begun in approximately 600 AD as a church. The Christian Visigothic church of St. Vicent.

At the beginning of 784 AD Emir Abd ar-Rahman bought the church. It is amazing to think that over two centuries him and his descendant reworked the building to convert it as a mosque. The building was originally known as Aljama Mosque, named in honor to his wife. It was adjunct to his palace. According to history the church of St. Vincent was demolished after it was bought from the local Christian community.

The mosque underwent numerous subsequent changes; in 961 Al-Hakam II ordered a tall spire with a conical crown called a ‘Minaret’. Subsiquently Abd ar-Rahman III enlarged the building and enriched the mihrab. The final reform was done in 987 by AL-Mansur Ibn Aamir.

In its time La Mesquita was the second largest mosque in the Muslim world one of more than 1,000 mosques in the city. Each time there was an invasion the conqueror added their own mark to the architecture. The building has 856 columns of made o granite, onyx, jasper and marble.

The Mezquita is said to have reached its current dimensions in 987 AD.

The City of Lhasa-China

Lhasa is a breathtaking place located at the bottom of a basin surrounded by mountains in the Himalaya Mountains. This city is one of the highest cities in the world, which covers a flat river valley. It lies in the middle of the Tibetan Plateau surrounded by mountains. This city is one of the highest capitals in the world, capital of Tibet home of Dalai Lama. Lhasa means ‘place of the gods’ or ‘holy city’. However, ancian Tibetan inscriptions demonstrate that until the early 7^th century the place was called ‘Rasa’ which means ‘Goats place’.

‘The Holy city’ or ‘Place of the Gods’ is the meaning of Lhasa.  In the hilltop Potala stands the fortress that was once the winter palace and seat of the god-king, the Dalai Lama.

Now an empty thirteen-story with white-and-red walls and golden roofs that rise above the holy city. The building is now a museum. Despite the emptiness of the structure a sense of power and beauty is experienced. The Chinese-born author Han Suyin wrote, “No one can remain unmoved by the sheer power and beauty of the structure, with its thousand windows like a thousand eyes.”