• Official Name: Vatican City State
    Established: 1929 (Lateran Treaty) 
    Population: 825 (2019 estimate)
    Religion: 100% Catholic
    Language: Italian
    Capital: Vatican City
    Order of Visit: Eighteenth  
    First Visit: 12 June 2006
    Last Visit: 12 June 2006
    Duration: 1 Day
    Visit Highlights:  Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo’s ‘Book of Genesis’, St Peter’s Basilica, Vatican Museums, stunning artwork.
    Places Visited: Vatican City
    Vatican Journal Entries  

  • Official Name: Italian Republic
    Established: 1861 Kingdom of Italy 
    Population: 60,317,116 (2020 estimate)
    Religion: 83.3% Christianity, 12.4% No religion, 3.7% Islam
    Language: Italian
    Capital: Rome
    Order of Visit: Seventeenth  
    First Visit: 8 June 2006
    Last Visit: 22 June 2006
    Duration: 15 Days
    Visit Highlights:  Gondola ride in Venice, Rialto Bridge, Visiting The Colosseum (Rome), Trevi Fountain, The Pantheon,  The buried city of Pompeii, Stunning views from the Isle of Capri, travelling along the Amalfi coast, exploring Florence, seeing Michelangelo’s David, the crazy and energetic Italians!
    Places Visited: AmalfiFlorenceIsle of CapriNaplesOrvietoPisaPompeiiPositanoSorrentoRavelloRomeVenice
    Italy Journal Entries  

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  • Official Name: Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
    Established: 1768 Kingdom of Nepal 
    Population: 28,095,714 (2018 estimate)
    Religion: 81.3% Hinduism, 9% Buddhism, 4.4% Islam
    Language: Nepali
    Capital: Kathmandu
    Order of Visit: Sixty-Ninth 
    First Visit: 13 October2018
    Last Visit: 27 October 2018
    Duration: 6 Days
    Visit Highlights:  Kathmandu Streets, Thamel Market, Durbar Square, Sisterhood of Survivors, hiking around Panauti, dancing with Panauti locals, Panauti homestay
    Places Visited: Kathmandu, Panauti
    Nepal Journal Entries  

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  • Official Name: Tibet Autonomous Region
    Established: 1951 (As part of the People’s Republic of China), 
    Population: 3,180,000
    Religion: Tibetan Buddhism
    Languages: Tibetan, Mandarin
    Capital: Lhasa
    Order of Visit: Seventieth 
    First Visit: 17 October 2018
    Last Visit: 26 October 2018
    Duration: 10 Days
    Visit Highlights: The Himalayas, Mount Everest, Tsamkhung Nunnery, Polata Palace, Tashilunpo Monastery, Shigatse Bazaar, Pelkor Chode Monastery, Gyantse Kumbum, Gyatso la pass, Yamdrok Tso Lake, The clear air
    Places Visited: Lhasa, Gyantse, Shegar, Rombuk, Shigatse, Mount Everest 
    Tibet Journal Entries

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  • Way back in May 2017 after a discussion with my nephew Andrew and his fiancé Danelle we commenced watching the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) Top 100 Movies. At the time they have temporarily move in with me while saving for their wedding and a future house. While they didn’t quite make it to the end after moving out I did and due to the unfortunate COVID-19 situation I watch the last 66 movies over five months.

    So after starting with Yankee Doodle Dandy (ranked 100) and finishing with The Godfather Part II (ranked 13) on Friday 4 September 2020 this turned out to be highly enjoyable and exposed me to many great films I would never have experienced.

    Overall the IMDb Top 100 listing was exceptionally strong which was what I was hoping for. Nineteen of the movies I rated 9.5 or 10 out of 10. Of these nineteen films I had previously only watched 8 of them including my only rated 10 /10 film the great Schindler’s List.

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