Lisbon is the capital of Portugal.

It is situated on seven hills at the wide mouth of the river Tagus (Tejo) where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. A port city, an economic centre, a cultural powerhouse and a thriving mix of Portugal’s rich history and vivid contemporary culture, Lisbon enchants travellers with its white bleached limestone buildings, intimate alleyways, and an easy going charm that makes it a popular year round destination.

Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world, and the oldest city in Western Europe, predating other modern European capitals such as London, Paris and Rome by hundreds of years. Lisbon has two sites listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site: Belem Tower and Jeronimos Monastery.

Fatima is one of the most important catholic shrines in the world dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

It is a town located 142 km (88 miles) north of Lisbon. Fatima’s fame is due to the apparitions of Our Lady of the Rosary that appeared to three shepherd children; Lucia dos Santos and her two younger cousins, Francisco and Jacinta. Between May and October of 1917, the three children witnessed several apparitions. The last one, on October 13th, was confirmed by a miracle witnessed by 60,000 people known in the Catholic world as “the day the sun danced”.

The title of Our Lady of the Rosary is also used in reference to the same apparition; the children related that the apparition specifically identified herself as “the Lady of the Rosary.” It is also common to see a combination of these titles, i.e., Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima (Portuguese: ”Nossa Senhora do Rosario de Fatima”).

Caceres is the capital of the province of Caceres in the Extremadura region of Spain. It is considered to be one of the “Most Beautiful Cities in Spain.”

Caceres is an amazing city. It has Roman, Moorish and conquistador architecture, is surrounded by medieval walls, has numerous palaces replete with stork-topped watchtowers and managed to avoid the wars and so remains amazingly intact. It was the first city in Spain to become a listed UNESCO World Heritage site.

Caceres is also a lively university town and hosts an annual WOMAD (world music) festival.

Set on the foothill of Sierra de Altamira, La Puebla de Guadaloupe is an illustrious town, because of its history and the remarkable monumental patrimony that it preserves.

This typical mountain village, declared Historic-Artistic Site, grew under the wing of the Sanctuary-Monastery of Our Lady of Guadaloupe. The Monastery, which was declared World Heritage in 1993, was commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile in the 14th century as a sign of gratitude to the Virgin, after winning the Battle of Salado (1340).

Madrid is the capital and most populous city of Spain, located right in the center of the Iberian Peninsula.

It is the seat of government and residence of the Spanish Monarch. Madrid is likewise the political, economic and cultural center of the country. While Madrid possesses modern infrastructure, it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighborhoods and streets.

As the historically and culturally rich capital of Spain, and the third most-populous metropolis in Europe (after Paris and London), Madrid is a popular tourist destination. It is a very active city with a bustling nightlife, busy business centers and lively streets either by day or night.

Laguardia is a town and municipality located in the southern province of Alava, in the north of Spain.

It belongs to the region of Rioja Alavesa in the Basque Autonomous Community.

The place lies over a hill and it is surrounded by a wall that the King Sancho the Strong ordered to build. There are still preserved five different entries to access the city. The streets and surroundings of Laguardia still keep a medieval atmosphere that give the city an ancient touch.

Regarding the economy, its main strength is the wine industry. Indeed, the wine is elaborated and processed in numerous wineries.

Logrono is the capital of the province of La Rioja in northern Spain.

The city is famous for its red wine and for being a stopover on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage that cuts across northern Spain.

In recent years, Logroño has become an up and coming destination in Spain. After being named one of the top cities to live in throughout Spain, Logroño was also just awarded the prestigious honor of the 2012 Gastronomic Capital of Spain. Unaffected by the mass tourism that has swept across Spain in the past few decades, Logroño feels like a “traditional” Spanish town with a modern twist, especially when it comes to food and wine.

Alfaro is a town and municipality in La Rioja, northern Spain.

Alfaro has a spectacular colony of storks, the world’s largest nesting on one single building. More than 400 of these birds choose the San Miguel Collegiate Church for their nests. Watching this number of storks flying through the air is an unforgettable spectacle.

Alfaro is the birthplace of St. Ezequiel Moreno y Diaz, OAR, patron of cancer patients.

Tarazona is a town and municipality in the Tarazona y el Moncayo comarca, province of Zaragoza, in Aragon, Spain.

It is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tarazona.

Tarazona is an episcopal and Mudejar city. Its cathedral is one of the most unusual of the nine in Aragón, since added to the original Gothic structure are Mudejar towers and a dome base, as well as a Renaissance façade.

Some distance from the cathedral are the Episcopal Palace and the church of La Magdalena. Tarazona also has a polygonal bullring from the 18th century formed by houses which are still lived in today.

The small town of Monteagudo stands just a few kilometres to the Northeast of the city of Murcia. Whilst the town itself is nothing out of the ordinary, it is dominated by a ruined castle topped by the largest statue of Jesus Christ in the whole of Spain. It is so big that you simply cannot fail to notice it if you are in the area.

From his assignment to the Philippines, St. Ezekiel Moreno returned to Spain to serve as prior in Monteagudo for three years. Then he gave all his energy to various forms of ministry in Colombia, South America until shortly before his death. Struck by cancer he returned to Spain at the insistence of his priests in order to receive treatment, and died there at Monteagudo on August 19, 1906 at the age of 58.

Biarritz is a large beachside town on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrenees-Atlantiques department of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, in south-west France. It is known for the Hotel du Palais, built for the Empress Eugenie around 1855, its casinos, and its surfing culture.

Biarritz is very pedestrianised, and it is easy to get around the town centre, to the beaches, and to the best spots for surfing or shopping.

In a magnificent setting on the Bay of Biscay in France’s Basque country, the celebrated seaside resort of Biarritz is synonymous with elegance and upper-class style. Biarritz was a favorite summertime destination of the Empress Eugénie (wife of Napoleon III), who transformed the sleepy fishing village into a fashionable beach town. To entertain her court, the empress built a grand palace (which has been converted into a luxury hotel).

Lourdes is the largest Catholic pilgrimage destination in France and one of the most popular Catholic shrines in the world.

On February 11, 1858, the Blessed Virgin Mary revealed herself to a poor shepherd girl, Bernadette Soubirous. Eighteen such apparitions were reported.

The most sacred site at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is the Grotto of Massabielle, also known as the Miraculous Cave or the Cave of Apparitions. The Grotto of Massabielle is the site of St. Bernadette’s vision of the Virgin Mary where she revealed herself as the Immaculate Concepcion. The Virgin Mary is said to have pointed out a previously undiscovered spring in the grotto and instructed St. Bernadette to “Go and drink at the spring and wash there.” The spring water from the grotto is believed to posses healing properties and to date, seventy cures have been officially recognized as miraculous by the Roman Catholic Church.

Paris is one of the most beautiful cities on earth.

It is the cosmopolitan capital of France and one of the largest agglomerations in Europe. Located in the north of France on the river Seine, Paris has the reputation of being the most romantic of all cities, brimming with historic associations and remaining vastly influential in the realms of art, fashion, food and design.

Dubbed as the City of Light, a large part of the city, including the River Seine, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city has the second highest number of Michelin-restaurants in the world (after Tokyo) and contains numerous iconic landmarks, such as the world’s most visited tourist site, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre Museum, Moulin Rouge, etc. making it the most popular tourist destination in the world with 45 million tourists annually.

Lisieux is considered the second most important pilgrimage town in France, thanks to its 19th century saint, Therese Martin.

St. Therese joined the Carmelite nunnery at the age of 15, by special dispensation. Not just because of her exemplary pious life, but also because of her clear writings on faith, she became one of the best-loved Catholic figures of her century. She died young, having achieved a great deal. In the 1920s, she was made a saint, as Sainte-Thérèse de l’Enfant Jésus. In 1997, Pope John Paul II declared her just the 33rd Doctor of the Catholic Church because of her spiritual writings – at the time, she was the only woman to be given the exceptional title.

The Basilique Sainte-Therese is the largest church built in France in the course of the 20th century. This enormous domed edifice stands out on the hillside above town. The interiors, visited by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims every year, are dazzlingly ornate, decorated in neo-Byzantine style. There are sections on the saint’s life and on the Carmelite Order.