This may be old hat to some but a friend recently introduced me to Google Earth. Wow, talk about the world's ultimate map!
Taken off their web site: "Google Earth puts a planet's worth of imagery and other geographic information right on your desktop. View exotic locales like Maui and Paris as well as points of interest such as local restaurants, hospitals, schools, and more."
Best of all it is free although they do have a $20 and $400 version.
Happy exploring you geography freaks. You just might even see your novia's home.
http://earth.google.com/