Topographic survey of France at 1:25, 000 in IGN`s excellent TOP25 / Série Bleue series. All the maps are GPS compatible, with a 1km UTM grid plus latitude & longitude lines at 5’ intervals. Contours are at 5m intervals except for mountainous areas where the maps have contours at 10m intervals, vividly enhanced by hill shading & graphics for rocky terrain. Colouring with graphics indicates different types of vegetation or land use (deciduous or coniferous forests, moors, orchards, vineyards, etc). PLEASE NOTE: coverage of France at this scale is currently being revised – the format & the presentation of each title are indicated by the letters at the end of its Sheet Reference number (e.g. 0416ET, 3531ETR, 1923SB, etc.)MAPS WITH FULL TOURIST OVERPRINT & AN ENGLISH MAP LEGEND: all TOP25 maps & the SB editions of Série Bleue have an overprint highlighting waymarked walking trails including long-distance GR routes &, where appropriate, ski routes. Symbols indicate campsites, gîtes d’etape, refuges, equestrian centres & other recreational facilities or sites, tourist information centres, cultural heritage, etc. Towns & locations of particular interest are highlighted.- ET or OT = single-sided TOP25 map covering approx. 29x 21 km / 18x 13 miles.- ETR or OTR = waterproof & tear resistant TOP25 map covering the same area as the corresponding ET or OT number, but double-sided, printed on a smaller size sheet with a good overlap between the sides.- SB = Série Bleue map with full tourist overprint; these maps, first introduced in summer 2014, each cover approx. 29x 24km / 18x 15 miles.SÉRIE BLEUE maps with numbers ending in E (Est) or O (Ouest): most editions now indicate the GR routes, but do not show any other tourist information. Map legend is in French only. Each map covers approx. 14x 20km / 9x 12 miles. ...

Topographic survey of France at 1:25, 000 in IGN`s excellent TOP25 / Série Bleue series. All the maps are GPS compatible, with a 1km UTM grid plus latitude & longitude lines at 5’ intervals. Contours are at 5m intervals except for mountainous areas where the maps have contours at 10m intervals, vividly enhanced by hill shading & graphics for rocky terrain. Colouring with graphics indicates different types of vegetation or land use (deciduous or coniferous forests, moors, orchards, vineyards, etc). PLEASE NOTE: coverage of France at this scale is currently being revised – the format & the presentation of each title are indicated by the letters at the end of its Sheet Reference number (e.g. 0416ET, 3531ETR, 1923SB, etc.)MAPS WITH FULL TOURIST OVERPRINT & AN ENGLISH MAP LEGEND: all TOP25 maps & the SB editions of Série Bleue have an overprint highlighting waymarked walking trails including long-distance GR routes &, where appropriate, ski routes. Symbols indicate campsites, gîtes d’etape, refuges, equestrian centres & other recreational facilities or sites, tourist information centres, cultural heritage, etc. Towns & locations of particular interest are highlighted.- ET or OT = single-sided TOP25 map covering approx. 29x 21 km / 18x 13 miles.- ETR or OTR = waterproof & tear resistant TOP25 map covering the same area as the corresponding ET or OT number, but double-sided, printed on a smaller size sheet with a good overlap between the sides.- SB = Série Bleue map with full tourist overprint; these maps, first introduced in summer 2014, each cover approx. 29x 24km / 18x 15 miles.SÉRIE BLEUE maps with numbers ending in E (Est) or O (Ouest): most editions now indicate the GR routes, but do not show any other tourist information. Map legend is in French only. Each map covers approx. 14x 20km / 9x 12 miles. ...

Topographic survey of France at 1:25, 000 in IGN`s excellent TOP25 / Série Bleue series. All the maps are GPS compatible, with a 1km UTM grid plus latitude & longitude lines at 5’ intervals. Contours are at 5m intervals except for mountainous areas where the maps have contours at 10m intervals, vividly enhanced by hill shading & graphics for rocky terrain. Colouring with graphics indicates different types of vegetation or land use (deciduous or coniferous forests, moors, orchards, vineyards, etc). PLEASE NOTE: coverage of France at this scale is currently being revised – the format & the presentation of each title are indicated by the letters at the end of its Sheet Reference number (e.g. 0416ET, 3531ETR, 1923SB, etc.)MAPS WITH FULL TOURIST OVERPRINT & AN ENGLISH MAP LEGEND: all TOP25 maps & the SB editions of Série Bleue have an overprint highlighting waymarked walking trails including long-distance GR routes &, where appropriate, ski routes. Symbols indicate campsites, gîtes d’etape, refuges, equestrian centres & other recreational facilities or sites, tourist information centres, cultural heritage, etc. Towns & locations of particular interest are highlighted.- ET or OT = single-sided TOP25 map covering approx. 29x 21 km / 18x 13 miles.- ETR or OTR = waterproof & tear resistant TOP25 map covering the same area as the corresponding ET or OT number, but double-sided, printed on a smaller size sheet with a good overlap between the sides.- SB = Série Bleue map with full tourist overprint; these maps, first introduced in summer 2014, each cover approx. 29x 24km / 18x 15 miles.SÉRIE BLEUE maps with numbers ending in E (Est) or O (Ouest): most editions now indicate the GR routes, but do not show any other tourist information. Map legend is in French only. Each map covers approx. 14x 20km / 9x 12 miles. ...

Marco Island
- Ten Thousand Islands Coastal Recreation Map at 1:40, 000 from the National Geographic in their extensive series
...

In September 1298, the rival Italian republics of Genoa & Venice fought a fierce sea battle at Curzola off the rocky coast of southern Dalmatia. Against the odds the Venetians, led by Admiral Andrea Dandolo, son of the Doge, were defeated. Among the thousands of Venetians captives was one Marco Polo, gentleman, merchant of Venice, & sometime traveller to East Asia. Incarcerated in a Ligurian fastness, he told his story to a fellow-prisoner, a writer of romances named Rustichello of Pisa. The account of his travels that Marco Polo dictated to Rustichello in captivity
- Il Milione
- would be exceptionally widely read & would stimulate European interest in the East & its riches. Marco Polo: from Venice to Xanadu is Laurence Bergreen`s thrilling & masterly reconstruction of the life & wanderings of one the great adventurers of world history. Between 1271 & 1275 Marco Polo accompanied his father Niccolo & uncle Maffeo on a journey east from Acre into central Asia along the Silk Route, eventually reaching China & the court of the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, Kublai Khan. Entering the service of the Khan, he travelled extensively in the Mongol Empire. The three Venetians returned home by sea in 1292-5, calling at Sumatra & southern India before reaching Persia, & making the last part of their journey to Venice overl&. Three years later came that fateful encounter with the Genoese fleet in the Adriatic...

...

The records of the Chinese Yuan dynasty do not mention a Marco Polo at all (and they should), & there are some suspicious omissions from Polo`s text
- no tea, no foot-binding, no mention of Chinese printing, or even of the Great Wall. Did Polo even go to China?
...

No mere travel account, the book that Marco Polo wrote after many years in Asia became one of the most influential of the millennium. Historian John Larner here explores for the first time the full range of influence of Polo's Book on the history of geography & exploration, showing why the work cam into being & how it played a key role in the development of European overseas expansion. ...

Armchair travellers & history & photography buffs will thrill to this trimmer, more affordable edition of the 2002 bestseller. National Geographic shooter Michael Yamashita traces the footsteps of Marco Polo's fabled journey, from the Grand Canal in Venice through the mountains & deserts of Iraq & Iran, to the war zone of Afghanistan, over the Silk Road & the roof of the world, & on to China, returning home by way of coastal Sumatra, Sri Lanka, & India. Undertaken to investigate academic doubts about the authenticity of the Venetian's first-person accounts of the Orient, the beautifully illustrated book documents the photographer's forensic confirmation of Marco's itinerary as well vivid impressions of his own adventures. The 350 photos are supplemented by a historical introduction & a precious selection of Marco-era maps & artwork. In addition to a spectacular visual travelogue over epic terrain, Marco Polo is also an evocative dialogue between two adventurers trekking over the same route in different centuries."ations from Marco's celebrated narrative, The Description of the World, punctuate & contextualize Yamashita's texts, enriching the reader's vicarious experience of their respective travels. The author, of course, encountered his own dangers, challenges, & mishaps, including vehicle & equipment failure, adverse weather conditions, armed conflict, & religious mandates against photographing certain sites. The end result is a treasure trove of history, geography, & culture, redolent of human toil, sun & spice, opium & axle grease, breathtaking vistas & citadels of exotic civilization. ...

Marco Polo Spiral Guides are practical guides presenting the most important things to see & do in a location in a nutshell, & aimed at travellers who don’t have a lot of time to prepare & research for a trip. These guides highlight the top 10 sights, suggest tours & great ideas for exciting day out, & feature colour photographs & a pull-out map & a street or road atlas pages. The guides open with introductory chapters offering general information about the area, its history, art, geography & the people & things that make it worth visiting. Then the guides divide the area into sections, & for each offer more specific information organised by Getting Your Bearings, Perfect Days giving examples of planned itineraries, the Top 10, Don’t Miss & At Your Leisure. There are planned day itineraries for each area including the best places to eat & drink along the way accompanied by local map extracts & dotted with useful tips. An additional chapter offers inspirations for walks & tours. The guides conclude with general & practical information, street/regional atlas pages & a removable pull-out map, conveniently stored in a plastic pocket on the back cover. The format is designed with practicality in mind; the spiral binding & the colour coding makes it easy to keep the book open where is needed & render orientation fast & easy, ideal for travellers on the go. ...

Most travellers want to have fun & feel relaxed from the moment they arrive at their holiday destination
- that’s what Marco Polo
...