Dubai, United Arab Ermirates




Any old fort, converted to a museum

Dubai began as a small fishing settlement. In the early 1800's the settlement was taken over by a branch of the Bani Yas tribe from the Liwa Oasis led by the Maktoum family who still rule the Emirate today

Four wheeling on the dunes and "wadi bashing" are some things for visitors to enjoy doing. This involves driving up huge sand dunes and through springs called "wadis" in four wheel drive vehicles. It is a great way to experience the desert within the comfort of a luxury vehicle. Sound like cool fun to me. You can opt to spend the night in tradional bedouin tents in the desert. One word of caution, if you are served a hot cup fo tea it is full of sugar! The rules of this city are pretty laid back and the city is one of the cleanest in the Middle East.

Weather Conditions in March

Adverage High: 80.0*F

Adverage Low: 63.0*F

Adverage Precipatation: Not Available

Alexandria & Cairo, Egypt

You had better get on with your neighbour if you live in Cairo. One of the world's greatest cities, it has a population of 17 million (and counting) and one of the highest population densities. It's not a genteel place, nor is it clean or organised, but Cairenes are unfailingly polite and their city is always an intense, fascinating experience.

Today, Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is the logical place to begin the journey back in time. It is a city with two faces. One very noticeable face is of a modern, sophisticated city with a cluster of easily identified luxury hotels and shops with logos of well-known designers. On the sands of the Giza Plateau, the majestic Sphinx gazes across the road into the eyes of KFC’s Colonel Sanders, and car traffic would strike fear into the heart of the fearless. In the evening, the heat of the day disappears with the cooling breezes from the desert and Cairenes take to the streets to enjoy their city. Families stroll together while pop music, eastern and western, ring out from a distance. Restaurant boats outlined with neon lights ply the Nile and smaller Feluccas, the traditional sailboat of the Nile, are filled with revelers singing and dancing to the loudest decibel possible until the wee hours. Discos normally open around 2:00 a.m., and it might be fair to say that some people never sleep.

The other Cairo continues to function as it has for centuries. The Khan El Khalili is the oldest marketplace or souk in the Middle East with its narrow, twisting alleyways, cloth-draped ceilings to filter the sun, and the aroma of incense floating in the air. Shops are filled with a myriad of goods from utilitarian metal cooking pots, colorful Galabiya gowns, good copies of archaeological finds, beaded jewelry, Egyptian perfume flasks, incense sticks, local candies and trinkets of all kinds. Bargaining for purchases is an old, well-practiced and required game to be played here.

And, plenty of camels to ride....

Weather Conidions in March

Adverage High: 73.0*F

Adverage Low: 54.0*F

Adverage Precipatation: 0.10"

Athens, Greece

Since this is the place I would love to see the most, I have loads of info on it.

CULTURAL AFTERNOON
One downside of visiting pre-Olympic Athens is that its finest museum is closed for refurbishment. The National Archaeological Museum at 1 Tositsa (00 30 210 821 7717) contains a dizzying collection of finds from Neolithic to Roman times, but it is closed until summer. Instead, take the narrow street Eolou through Plaka as far as you can go, with the Acropolis directly in front of you, until you reach the marble, octagonal Tower of the Winds , designed by a Macedonian astronomer as a first-century weather station. It once served as a sundial, compass, clock and weather vane, and still discernible today are eight reliefs of flowing male figures at the top of each side, depicting the different winds and their particular attributes.

WINDOW SHOPPING
The best all-round shopping street is Ermou , conveniently central, mercifully free of cars, and aptly named for Hermes, the god of commerce.
The well-heeled Kolonaki district is the place to go for designer clothing and shoes. For handicrafts, antiques and jewellery, try Kidathineon or one of its equally mercantile neighbours.

AN APERITIF
Two carless, leafy side streets off Kolonaki Square have numerous options. On Tsokalof , try Caffe da Capo or Ciao; on parallel Millieni Street, enjoy the eccentric artefacts and live music at Jackson Hall to get you in the mood for the evening.

DINING WITH THE LOCALS
Not far from the flea market, busy Thanasis at Mitropoleos 69, (00 30 210 324 4705) serves the best souvlaki in town, reputedly. In the shadow of the Acropolis (photo of view from Acroplois), on Mnisikleous, various establishments offer solid Greek fare. Nearby, Eden, at 12 Lyssiou (00 30 210 324 8858), is Greece's first vegetarian restaurant. It offers a fine range of fresh and organic dishes at excellent prices. A soya souvlaki or vegetable chilli, with a salad starter, dessert and a glass of organic wine costs around €15 (£10.50) a head.

Weather Conditions in March

Adverage Highs: 60.4*F

Adverage Lows: 53.1*F

Adverage Precipitation: 1.70"

Rome, Italy

From the port of Civitavecchia, it is but a short drive to Rome and the legends of the ages






Attraction
"La Ficoncella" is a small center with thermal baths which still use the flow of sulphurous waters which in ancient times made the Terme Taurine (nearby Roman archeological site) one of the locations most appreciated by ancient Roman society. Today, as in the past, thanks to the highly beneficial properties of these waters that fill the five thermal baths, this location is one of the centers of greatest attraction, and not only for the citizens of Civitavecchia, but also for its numerous visitors, including foreigners. For more information about this city follow this link:
http://www.world66.com/europe/italy/lazio/civitavecchia

Weather Conditions in March
Adverage High: 58.3*F
Adverage Low: 47.3* F
Adverage Precipatation: 2"

Le Havre & Paris France

Pyrimid at Louvre Museum

Le Havre Town Center

There is no 'best time' to visit Paris; in every season the city is always alive. Summer days are spent lazing on the banks of the Seine, sipping coffee at a sidewalk café, or idling in one of the city's many gardens or forests. In autumn afternoons the brisk walk from the Eiffel Tower through the Parc du Champ de Mars and up to the glittering Champs Elysées is accompanied with a carpet of leaves crunching underfoot. Winter nights induce a warm glow ice-skating in the outdoor rink at the Hotel de Ville, and in spring the passions of performers fill the air outside the Pompidou Centre and the nose is tickled with the subtle scents of flowering gardens.

Spring (21 March-21 June)
This is the season where Paris seems to reawaken, with its avenues fringed with new green shoots and its trees in flower. The days are getting longer, as are the opening times of museums, and the high season is just around the corner. There’s a holiday feeling in the air and the sweet smell of candy floss pervades the pathways of the Foire du Trône funfair. People venture out and about in the parks and gardens and along the river banks, strolling, cycling or skating.

Weather Conditions in March

Adverage High: 51.0*F

Adverage Low: 38.0*F

Adverage Precipatation: Not Available

Southampton, England

Southampton, while having a strong naval and maritime history, has only been a city since the 1960's. This shows, as the city centre is considerably smaller than somewhere such as Reading (still a town) for instance. This makes walking very easy, as all major streets are now pedestrianised. The parks are very agreeable for a picnic lunch, but don't venture in to them after dark - pikeys abound!
The road network is, as in all British cities, confusing. Less busy than most though, but watch out for traffic lights, there are more sets of traffic lights in Southampton than roundabouts in Basingstoke! Parking facilities are abysmal, but with the equally bad bus and train services, a visitor is left no choice. Try not to park in the overpriced and over-busy West Quay complex, but in one of the other multi-storeys (East Street is a good bet).
There are a few good pubs in the centre of the city, most notably the two J.D. Wetherspoon's (expect to meet plenty of students), the Hogshead, and the most aptly named Gay pub ever - The Hampshire Ram. Restaurants worth looking at are Kuti's Brasserie (Indian), Kama (Indian) and everything else really. Avoid the seafood restaurants in Ocean Village however - poor quality, expensive, and bad service.

Cunard’s home port, part of seafaring legend, is an ideal starting or ending point for a memorable cruise. I believe this is the funniest police car I have ever seen and just had to include.

Weather Conditions in March
Adverage Low: 50.0*F
Adverage High: 36.0*F
Adverage Precipitation: 2.60"