2004 - Bad Benthein (Germany)

The next stop in the 2004 Interrail trip was the small village of Bad Benthein.

It was supposed to be an one night stop but everything was so peaceful in the place that we simply stayed longer. There are no big attractions but the castle is worth a visit with stunning views once you go to the top. We found a really nice hostel to stay where we found the only person in the village that spoke English with us. Everyone was really nice but communication was quite hard.

Nevertheless I recommend a visit to all that need some time off.

2004 - Paris (France)

In 2004 a Interrail trip across Europe had Paris as the first stop.

After 24 hours in a train from Porto to Paris we got to the "City of Light". Home of the Sun King,  Louis XI,V it was a wonderful opportunity to visit this city for the second time. 

The Eiffel Tower is the landmark, but there are other things one must do, like a visit to the Luxembourg Gardens and the Notre Dame Cathedral or walk next to the Seine. French waiters in Paris are really as rude as you expect them to be... 

2003 - Madeira (Portugal)

In 2003, again with my University Cultural Group, 3 weeks in Madeira Islands, nicknamed "The Pearl of the Atlantic".

Situated in the north Atlantic Ocean, Madeira is an archipelago part of Portugal with two inhabited islands: Madeira and Porto Santo.

Madeira

The main island, Madeira, is where the largest city can be found. Funchal is a modern and small city, tourism oriented yet completely organized and without tourist crowds. Gastronomy is amazing in the islands and some of the most amazing dishes one can find include fried corn and tuna steak. Tropical fruit can also be easily found.

Is a great island to explore, specially using the "levadas" walks. "Levadas" are the water channels of an ancestral irrigation system. This can be visited providing amazing views over Madeira's natural beauties

Funchal

"Levadas" path start

Interior of island

"Véu da Noiva"

Porto Santo

Porto Santo can be reached by boat (Leão Marinho) and by plane (I have no idea how to fly there), and is the only place where one can have a beach with sand (a 7km beach). I enjoyed every second there, but had the advantage of being with a large group, otherwise other beach and walking there wasn't a lot to do.

Leão Marinho on its way to Porto Santo