Beautiful Places On Earth

Napa Valley is the filming location for the 1995 film “A Walk in the Clouds” starring Keanu Reeves and Anthony Quinn. Success of the movie internationally has also helped to promote Napa Valley as both the most visited winery and a popular tourist destination in United States. In fact, Napa Valley had been awarded “The World’s Best Wine and Food Destination” by recently TripAdvisor’s 2010 Travelers’ Choice Awards!

Today, there are some 450 wineries in Napa Valley that grow many grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot, just to name a few. The valley is a very popular tourist destination in California, attracting approximately 4.5 million visitors every year.

Napa Valley is not just about wines and wine tasting. The climate is great and the environment is just wonderful! Napa Valley also features fantastic winery landscapes. Just get a vacation rental with panoramic views of winery just right in front of your windows. You can also enjoy the beautiful sunrise and sunset! To find out more on what you can do in Napa Valley, watch the video below.

The Grape Escape – Napa Valley

The Finger Lakes are a chain of 11 lakes in the state of New York, United States of America. Each lake takes a linear shape and is oriented on a north-south axis. Together, they resemble fingers, hence the name Finger Lakes.

Being the largest wine producing region in New York, the Finger Lakes are also a popular tourist destination. Over 100 wineries and vineyards are centered around the lakes. In the summer, the Finger Lakes are home to many festivals such as the Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance, Skaneateles Festival and many others. If you prefer urban culture, you can visit Rochester, the third largest city in New York.

Finger Lakes scenic railway blues & brews

Marlborough Wine Region is New Zealand’s largest wine growing area and is located on the north east coast of the South Island. Marlborough Wine Region is known for producing the best Sauvignon blanc wine in the world. Sauvignon blanc is a green skinned grape variety which originates from Bordeaux, France. It is used to produce good quality white wine. Marlborough’s vineyards are around the towns of Blenheim and Reinweck. Here, one could see vineyards stretching out in numbers.

Marlborough Wine Region, New Zealand

Differs from all other wine regions around the world, Marlborough Wine Region is not only famous for its grapes, the region also known for its picturesque scenery. One of such beautiful places is the Marlborough Sounds, an extensive network of sea drowned valleys created by rising sea levels million of years ago. The Sounds are divided into 2 main waterways, i.e. the Pelorus Sound and the Queen Charlotte Sound. Of the 2, the Queen Charlotte Sound, which the main town is Picton, is considered being more picturesque and thus more popular among tourists. Marlborough Sounds is an ideal place for kayaking, sailing, bird and dolphin watching. Do not miss out on the rare Hectors Dolphin in Queen Charlotte Sound! If you are not in hurry, you could walk or bike along the Queen Charlotte Track for the beautiful views of Marlborough Sounds.

Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand

Besides Marlborough Sounds, one should also visit Kaikoura, a scenic seaside town famous for whale watching, kayaking and other sea activities. Kaikoura is also famed for its seafood.

The Barossa Valley is Australia’s premier wine producing region. It is located 60 kilometers northeast of Adelaide, South Australia. The valley takes its name from the Barossa Ranges. Barossa Valley is approximately 13 kilometers long and 14 kilometers wide, and is considered as the most accessible winery in Australia if compared to other major wine regions in the country. This is because getting to Barossa Valley from Adelaide takes less than an hour!

Visiting wineries is a must do when you are in Barossa Valley. Many of the wines produced in Barossa Valley are internationally known. Some of the most recognized wineries in Barossa Valley include Jacob’s Creek, Two Hands Wines and Kaesler Wines. You can join one of many wine tours run by friendly local people. If you are visiting Barossa Valley in odd numbered years, be sure not to miss out on the Barossa Vintage Festival showcasing some of the region’s best foods and wines!

Besides its wine industry, Barossa Valley is also rich in culture. Due to German settlement as early as 1840s, there is strong German influence in Barossa Valley especially in the town of Tanunda. The local cuisine is also very heavily influenced by German culture. For example, meats such as Mettwurst, Bratwurst and a range of other tasty and old-fashioned sausages are found throughout the region.

This is a short promotional clip on Barossa Valley.

Barossa, South Australia

Santorini is a volcanic island located in the southern Aegean Sea, approximately 200 kilometers southeast from Greece’s mainland. Santorini is another beautiful island of Greece besides Crete. It is also known as Thira. Santorini is actually a present day caldera formed by the collapse of a single island during the Minoan volcanic eruption approximately 3600 years ago. The collapse had left a rectangular central lagoon measuring about 12 kilometers in length and 7 kilometers in width.

Due to its magnificent landscape and seascape, Santorini is today one of the Europe’s most popular destinations. Santorini is well known for those houses built on the edge of the caldera. All towns on the island of Santorini have white houses and blue domed churches. Coupled with the blue sky and sea in the background, this might just be the most photographed scenery in the world! Among the most famous town in Santorini are Fira and Oia. Fira, the capital of Santorini, is built on the cliff and overlooking the central lagoon. It has all that Oia has, but much more crowded. Over the years, visitors have started to turn to the picturesque town of Oia. Oia boasts of having one of the most stunning sunsets in the world. This is because Oia is located at the highest point of Santorini and also close to the sea, thus offering a good sunset view over the Aegean Sea. Besides, Santorini also has flourishing wine industry thanks to the volcanic soil.

Santorini – Jewel of the Aegean

During December through February each year, most of the hotels and guesthouses in Santorini may be closed. This period is the off season in Santorini. So the best time in the year to visit Santorini is from March till November. Santorini can be reached by both planes and ferries from Athens. But if you are prone to sea sickness, I would suggest you to get in from Athens by air!