Spirit of Discovery - May 22, 2025

Dover is the port city for London, England. Its famous white cliffs have inspired songs and have been a welcome-home sight for returning Brits. Your trip to London takes you through the gorgeous countryside of Kent, where many of England's well-to-do keep fabulous country estates. In London, you'll know you're in one of the great capitals of the world.

This Andalusian city is gateway to Granada, former capital to the Caliphs and Almoravids. The city's most noted period in history was the occupation of the Moors, who fled to Granada from Cordoba and ruled Spain under the Nasrid dynasty. During their stay, they built the lavish Alhambra Palace, one of the world's largest and most extraordinary fortresses and the Generalife, an opulent summer retreat.

Korcula is the native town of the famous world traveler and explorer of the Far East, Marco Polo, and his native house has been preserved in the old city center. The largest settlements on the island are Korcula, Lumbarda, Vela Luka, and Cara. Today Korcula is connected with the rest of Europe and the world by ship and ferry lines, roads and the airports in Dubrovnik and Split.

Dubrovnik, a Croatian port, is considered the most beautiful city on the Dalmatian coast. Dubrovnik sits high on a cliff overlooking the sea, and is nestled in the shadow of Mount Srdj. The walls of the city are one of its landmarks, and many structures from the medieval era remain standing, despite the many battles fought in Dubrovnik throughout history.

This natural harbor on the Adriatic coast of Montenegro was an important artistic and commercial center with famous masonry and iconography schools in the Middle Ages. A large number of its monuments, among which four Romanesque churches and the town walls, were heavily damaged by an earthquake in 1979 but the town is now completely restored.

One of the "Pillars of Hercules," Gibraltar is an historic landmark with British and Spanish influences. Guarding the entrance to the Atlantic, the great rock still serves as Britain's threshold to the Mediterranean. Take a cable car to the top of the rock for a spectacular view of two continents as well as the famous Barbary apes.