Author: Maarten Van Den Driessche

Syria’s story is a palimpsest—new hands writing over old ones, never fully erasing what came before. Walk any old street and you’re tracing trade routes, empires, and faiths layered so densely that time feels near-vertical. Here’s a compact, readable sweep you can drop straight into a blog post—built to pair with photos from Damascus, Aleppo,…

Editor’s note — 21 Aug 2025: Marc Santens is flying this route shortly and will update this guide with fresh timings, photos, and a cockpit‑view clip. A detailed trip report will be added below once back on the ground. Fast facts What the flight is like Think bus‑with‑wings: single pilot, tiny cabin, and big windows…

Tucked into the Moselle valley where Luxembourg meets France and Germany, Schengen is a sleepy wine village with outsized history—the spot where Europe signed away internal border checks and birthed the Schengen Area. Start at the freshly redesigned European Museum (Schengen Museum) to trace that story, then step outside to the riverside monuments and flag-dotted…

Luanda has a brand-new front door. About 40 km southeast of the city center in Bom Jesus, Dr. António Agostinho Neto International Airport (IATA: NBJ, ICAO: FNBJ) is the long-planned replacement for Quatro de Fevereiro—built to turn Angola’s capital into a true regional hub. Officially inaugurated in November 2023, it began with cargo operations and…

Why go: Lake Tanganyika sunsets, palm-fringed city beaches, and hippo-spotting just outside town at Rusizi National Park. Bujumbura is Burundi’s laid-back waterside hub (and former political capital). Bonus: it’s a Brussels Airlines destination from Brussels. Quick facts Plan your trip Flights: Brussels Airlines operates Brussels → Bujumbura (BJM); frequency varies by season—check current schedules. Stays:…

August 17, 2025 marks Indonesia’s 80th Independence Day, a moment when the world’s largest archipelago reflects on its past while looking forward with pride. As communities across the nation raise flags, sing Indonesia Raya, and celebrate with parades and traditional games, it’s also the perfect occasion to discover why Indonesia belongs on every traveler’s bucket…

Meta title: Şanlıurfa (Urfa) Travel Guide: Göbekli Tepe, Balıklıgöl, Harran & Neolithic TurkeyMeta description: Plan the perfect trip to Şanlıurfa: sacred Balıklıgöl, world‑changing Göbekli Tepe, Roman mosaics, bazaars, sıra gecesi nights, plus day trips to Harran & Soğmatar. When to go, how to get there, practical tips—no fluff. Why go A sacred city with a…

In the middle of the windswept Nineveh desert, surrounded by miles of golden sand and open sky, the ruins of Hatra rise like a vision from another time. This ancient walled city — now a UNESCO World Heritage Site — was once one of the most powerful and cosmopolitan urban centres in Mesopotamia. Founded in…

South of Madrid, Don Quixote Airport (Ciudad Real, CQM) is a billion‑euro ghost airport reborn as an aircraft storage/MRO hub. Here’s how to see it. The story in a nutshell South of Madrid on La Mancha’s windmill plain stands an outsized dream: Ciudad Real International Airport—branded over the years as Don Quijote Airport and South…