Marina Del Rey, California, USA

Marina Del Rey, California, USA
https://goo.gl/maps/WLDgXzLFcSH2

Marina del Rey translates from the Spanish as “Harbor of the King,” and if that seems a tad grandiose consider the following: One of the definitions of king is “best example of its kind.” So, adding a dose of humility, the designation Marina del Rey simply says “this is a pretty darn good harbor.”
.
Centuries removed, the area that is today’s Marina was the mouth of the Los Angeles River. Eventually the river shifted course, south to Long Beach and Los Alamitos Bay, leaving a 2-mile-wide body of water called Del Rey Lagoon. In 1839 the lagoon was, ironically, awarded as a “land” grant by the Mexican government to two pairs of brothers, Ygnacio and Augustin Machado and Felipe and Tomas Talamantes. By the time the project that would create modern Marina del Rey began, the lagoon carried the awkward name of “The Playa del Rey Inlet and Harbor of Venice, California.” Los Angeles County Supervisor Burton Chace, long a champion and developer of the city’s coastline, decided a new, more euphonious appellation was badly needed. By some accounts–and the history is fuzzy here–it was Chace who came up with the Marina del Rey moniker. Whether he did or did not, Burton Chace definitely was its leading advocate.
.
The beach in the image is Venice Beach.
.

Also in Around the Globe

Monopoli, Italy

Sitting on Puglia's Adriatic coast around 30km south of Bari, Monopoli is a lovely town for a day trip, possibly in combination with Polignano a Mare just up the coast, mixing a dip in the sea with a good lunch and a wander around the old town centre.

Like so many towns on the Adriatic, Monopoli's history has been thoroughly influenced by its east-facing position and its fortified sea-front walls and castle tell many a story.

Parking in or around Piazza XX Settembre, location of a colourful street market, head east towards the cathedral. To find it just look upwards and you are sure to see its elegantly conceived bell tower thrusting into the sky. Built in 1693, the tower is over 60 metres high, completely dominating the town below.

Tunis, Tunisia

In Tunisia's capital, the term 'living history' really does apply. Here, waves of colonisation have endowed the city's fabric and culture with an intoxicatingly rich and complex flavour that becomes apparent wherever you explore.

Take the magnificent medieval medina, sidelined by the French after colonisation but coming into its own in the 21st century, as boutique hotels open and arty cafes lure locals back to the neighbourhoods their grandparents grew up in. And consider the historic settlement of Carthage, once colonised by Phoenicians and Romans but now the province of upwardly mobile locals, whose sophisticated lives play out among the ruins.

Ed Dueim, Sudan

Ed Dueim is on the west bank of the White Nile, between Khartoum and Kosti. It is home to the University of Bakht, which lies to the north of the town. The university has played an important role in promoting education throughout Sudan. It is known for its two-year course called Al Sanatain, which prepared teachers to teach school, attracting students from all regions of Sudan and neighbouring countries.