Markets of the world–Say it with flowers in Amsterdam

Bright colours everywhere in the flower market in Amsterdam.

Markets of the world–Sunflowers from Gdansk, Poland

We were at the fruit and vegetable market in Gdansk in Poland and I was fascinated by these sunflowers that were for sale.The market has been around since the 19th century and is one of the most colourful places to hang out in this town .



And in a shop nearby, they were selling these as well

Skywatch Friday– The Alcazar in Segovia

A fairy tale castle, the royal palace , this is the Alcazar or the Fortress in Segovia in Spain.  It is believed to be the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Cindrella Castle.

Read my story on Segovia here 
For more beautiful skies around the world, visit Skywatch

Skywatch Friday–The Roman Aqueduct in Segovia

Everywhere you go in Segovia in Spain, you cannot miss this imposing Roman aqueduct built around the 1st-2nd centuries. The Romans had a military base here and they built this aqueduct to source water from the mountains to their base. Restored and reconstructed, this aqueduct is the symbol of the city. More on it soon.

To see more gorgeous skies around the world, visit Skywatch

Adios Spain

Its 7.40 pm now and I am sitting in my room in the Parodores Hotel in Alcala De Henares with all my luggage strewn around me . In a few hours post dinner, I will be packing again for my marathon journey back to India. My last night in Spain and am lost in the castles and churches of this country. The hotel which sports a contemporary design was once a monastery and later on a prison . Alcala De Henares is rather charming and is an University town.

I was invited to Spain by the Tourism Board and the flights were sponsored by Turkish Airlines who upgraded us in the last sectors. We landed almost a week ago in a wet Madrid and it was rather cold and damp when we reached Avila, but the blue skies soon greeted us. We went to Segovia and finally landed in Alcala De Henares today . My favourite destination this time around was Avila, an extremely quaint charming town which is also a World Heritage Site. Tomorrow, we will be boarding the Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul from Madrid and from there to Mumbai and finally Bangalore. I do secretly wish for an upgrade now as well.. And three flights and about 36 hours from now, I will soon be with you again...Meanwhile, here is a snapshot of Avila

Where am I off to next ?

A lot of you have been asking where I am off to next. So,while I am waiting for my tickets, why don’t you guys take a shot at guessing ? I will give you three simple clues ..

1. This is for the literary enthusiast  - this country introduced me to a  very interesting and famous literary character, a personality that I studied /read about while in school. No, he is not English but his surname lends a word to the English language
2. I was there in August. It was one of those countries that I visited last month when I was invited by the Polish Tourism Board. If you need a picture for a clue, here is one ..


3. A recent Bollywood film literally “celebrated” this destination.
So go ahead and guess and the first three guesses will get a postcard each.

Travel update - Europe 2012

Well, this trip almost never happened. The doctor decided I needed another surgical procedure a week before the scheduled departure and just as she agreed to postpone it, the husband's office created confusion.  Poland Tourism had invited me to visit their country and I decided that I needed a break and hence had planned a last minute trip to a few other European countries before landing in Poland. Just as I thought I defeated Murphy's intentions by landing in Paris as scheduled, he struck just as we were leaving Amsterdam. The husband's office called him back and lo, after much chaos and confusion, he left for India, while I continued travelling solo to Barcelona and then onward to Krakow. The trip did have its highs and lows...Paris was beautiful as ever...it drizzled a bit as the sun warmed us up. Amsterdam looked colorful , although it rained. Vienna was quiet and unassuming  but Barcelona was sunny and vibrant. We had to give Prague a miss though . Poland was a surprise. It was quaint and the old towns were charming. The castles, however fairy tale like, resonated with tragic historic tales as we walked, explored and took in huge doses of history, revisiting wars and battles lost and won. I am now back in Bangalore..reminiscing and recouping and will post longer updates in a bit.

Traveling in Denmark

With the richness of cultural heritage and tradition, Denmark become as one top tourist destination in Europe. Many travelers came along just to visit, witness, and experiencing the alluring natural beauty that Denmark can offer to their visitors. The usual visited places in Denmark by most travelers:

• Aalborg. Consider as fourth largest city area of Denmark that strategically located beside the Limfjord. The beautiful views that can be found in Aalborg include Aalborg Historical Museum, Aalborghus Castle, and Jens Bang’s House.
• Billund. It became famous due to amazing gardens and lakes offered by this place.
• Aarhus. This entirely consider as second largest city area of Denmark that solely situated at Jutland. Recommended venues for sightseeing include wide arrays of churches, museums and various amusement parks. Some of this includes the ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Churches of Our Lady, Tivoli Friheden as amusement park.
•  Bornholm. It describe as breathtaking island that entirely lies in Baltic Sea. As several churches existed on this place, this became the mere reason upon gaining its popularity. 
• The Copenhagen. Copenhagen currently consider as the capital city of Denmark solely emphasizes the breathtaking cities surrounding Scandinavia. In this city, there numerous places to visit upon that include Copenhagen Opera House, The Little Mermaid Statue in Copenhagen Harbor, and Copenhagen Zoo. 
•  Esbjerg. Popular as Denmark’s one largest fishing harbor and still remain as economically essential city in Denmark intended for oil and offshore activities. 
• The Odense. Odense is known as third largest city area in Denmark that filled with various palaces, churches, and museums. The churches that can be found include Saint Canute’s Cathedral, Vor Frue Church, Hans Christian Andersen Museum, and City Museum Montegarden.

Visting Rome

Rome became interestingly popular due to cultural heritage and practice of Catholicism. As these places bear the cultural heritage of Italy and Catholic faith, it gradually captures interest of many to visit Rome for vacation purposes or those who plan for pilgrimage. The following are recommended places to go for travelers or pilgrims worldwide.

• Vatican
• Patheon
• Piazza Navona
• The Vatican City
• The Sistine Chapel
• St. Peter’s Cathedral – Take some time to visit this cathedral as to enjoy various statues, fountains, and the beautiful church dome.
• The Colosseum – Having a few plan along with plenty of so called gelato, this consider as Eternal City describe as quite sweet adventure to forego.
• Forum
• Trevi Fountain – Young couples usually like to throw out three coins and say their wish.
• Spanish Steps – It’s a good venue for people who are mountain climbers or love to climb on high places.
• Rome Guide – In the internet, there are various helpful informative resources that can be found for travelers to refer especially those who are still on the state of planning their travel in Rome. With that, take into consideration of scanning the maps as to know the routes in Rome, the photos, or have a virtual tour using this well known Borghese Gallery.
• Vatican Museum – Officially, it contains guiding photos and text of extraordinary holding artworks. The Vatican Museum solely emphasizes the inclusion of Vatican Library, liturgical services, archives, and State government city information.
• Rome City Guide – Online edition of print guide along with plenty of information on popular sights, restaurants, day travel, freeing Rome, touring around, financial tricks and tips, phones, mail, and more.
• The Café Life Rome – Having an excellent coverage in the archive featuring EasyJet of flight magazine entails of finding a best espresso, gelato (Italian ice cream), cappuccino in Rome.
• The Airport of Leonardo da Vinci and Ciampino Airport. Have the opportunity to conveniently avail their quality service, discounted airline fares, and some other promotional packages.

Visit Europe

There are numbers of destinations all over the world. One of most visited countries nowadays are the places of Europe. Mountain, cuisines, farm yards, road side taverns, majestic and cultural buildings are found in these places. Most of people attracted with these places because of wonderful scenic beauties offered. Europe has become one of the targets for any vacations. Whether you want to visit Europe places during summer or ordinary days, you can surely go there anytime you want because of the availability of tourist spots daily. Group of families, couples, and friends are most of people who are always choosing Europe places.

Planning to visit Europe needs some considerations to follow. One is to know the season. You need to pick season that suits to the attractions you wanted to see. The usual month popularly visiting time here in Europe is from April to June, September and October. These brackets of months are the perfect time to tour around the Europe places. To make sure that you are able to go to Europe safely and secure, you have to get some information about the places you want to visit. Such doing is a very helpful way to have right guidelines. You can get these guidelines from books or search from online.

European River Cruises

The newest river cruise in Europe is now available. If you intend to travel along with your family, you can choose what type of cruise you like to ride. Well, there are different new river cruise. Below are the following.

Amadeus waterways. The cruise ship is cruising at the river of Europe, Russia, china and Egypt. They provided deluxe ships for the English people only. It has two elegant cruises which is the MS Amadagio and MS Symphony. The two types are operating Europe river cruises on the Rhine, Moselle, and Danube in holand, and Belgium.

Avalon Waterways. The newest cruise ship in Europe is the Avalon Waterways. It is privately owned by tour company Globus. It has a larger cabin room in comparison to other cruise ship. It offers European cruises on the Moselle, Danube, Rhine, Black sea Russia, and tulip time cruises in spring.

Peter Dielmann Cruises. Dielmann cruises have also one of the largest cabin cruises. It is owned by German company that mainly focuses on quality. They are not just focusing in English people as other cruises offers. The company offers its Europe river cruise programs on the Rhine, Rhone, Saone, Moselle, Danube, Elbe and more.

Amazing Tilt-Shift Video of Swiss Landscape and Trains

Some of you, amateur world photographers, have probably heard about "tilt-shift" photography. It's a special technique, which allows you to focus only on specific parts of the picture, to emphasize its particularity. And the results, well - you can see an amazing example here:

First time I saw it, I thought: "Hey, those are toy trains!" and I bet I'm not the only one to think this way.
The truth is, this is a photo of a real train made using the "tilt-shift" technique.

This movie project is particularly interesting - it's all about beautiful Swiss countryside (villages of Sisikon and Göschenen) and its magnificent, legendary trains. If you had any doubts whether you should visit Switzerland and take a ride - I think the short movie below might be a nudge in the right direction for you. it is a project filmed by Andi Leemann and Jeri Peier (if you're interested in technicalities: they used two EOS 5D Mark II cameras, a Canon 90mm TS-E f/2.8 and a Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 combined with a 1.4x converter, woohoo!).


And now, sit back and enjoy the amazing views of Swiss Trains from an amazing perspective:

gottardo nord from fb1 visuals on Vimeo.

Hope you like it as much as I do :)

Source: http://www.geeksaresexy.net/

What to do in Grampian Scotland

What to do in Grampian Scotland  

by  Stig Johanson 

Have you been pondering lately the possibility of maybe taking a trip to a foreign country? If so, I would highly recommend that you look into going to either Grampian, Scotland or Aberdeen, Scotland as there are so many fun things to see and do there!

 For starters, while staying in the Aberdeenshire area that encompasses the cities of both Aberdeen and Grampian, you should definitely look into going on one of their hot air balloon rides! This is a fantastic experience that you will not soon forget! Do you love castles and all things having to do with royalty? If so, I’m sure you will be thrilled to hear that famous landmarks such as Crathes Castle and Castle Fraser are just a few of the gorgeous sights that you can expect to see while on your ballooning trip!





Also, are you a big fan of the performing arts? If so, I would highly recommend that you check out His Majesty’s Theatre while visiting Scotland! Every night, there are top notch actors and actresses here that put on a great show doing everything from opera, pantomime, and musicals, just to name a few.

If you happen to visit Scotland during one of their warm seasons, going to Codonas which is located at Beach Boulevard would be great fun for the whole family! At Codonas you will find an outdoor amusement park that offers not only rides such as roller coasters, but they also offer arcade machines, bingo and ten pin bowling!

Photo By: Divv3k

Another great activity in Grampian is quad biking. This can be enjoyed by anyone over the age of 16, this is for insurance purposes. Whilst better in the summer with dryer weather it can be done all year round. For the speed freaks amongst us, this is a lifetime must do. With the freedom of the track and in the company or your friends this is an great way to spend an afternoon or morning. I say afternoon or morning because youd have to be super fit to do a day of it, its very tiring. Do a search for Howie Irvine or House of Mulben. Both centres offer quad biking.

If you are an animal lover, and do you especially love marine animals? If so, you will be sure to enjoy going on a dolphin watching cruise trip through Aberdeen Harbour during your stay in Scotland! The view of the harbor is simply spectacular, and the dolphins themselves are quite stunning! Watching the dolphins play together as they swim near the boat is not only fun to watch, but it is also a very relaxing experience. Many times, the dolphins will even decide to do some acrobatic tricks which really are a fantastic sight to behold! Also, if you look closely during your dolphin watching cruise, don’t be surprised if you happen to spot a few other marine animals such grey seals and possibly even a minke whale!

Photo by: Almac555

I wish you the best of luck, and I hope that you and your family have a wonderful time while vacationing in Scotland!

About the Author: http://www.kirktowngm.co.uk
Article Source: ActiveAuthors.com
Photo Sources: flickr.com, visitscotland.com

Sweden: A Mythical Lesbian City

There is a wide range of reasons to visit Sweden: beautiful nature, friendly people, mooses and other wild game... the list is unending. But there is another, and a very curious one, reason to visit this Viking country: a hidden city of Swedish Amazones!

 If you are a tourist planning to visit Sweden, you shoud be aware of this story. There have been rumors of a city dwelled by 25,00 lesbians somewhere in the northern parts of the country. The Swedish tourist authorities (not to mention the Internet queries) are being swarmed with questions about this intriguing topic.






Source: anthromodernity.com 


The story has been spreading in Asia - in Chinese media, for example, you can find some information about a city called "Chako Paul City", supposedly founded in 1820 in northern Sweden by a wealthy man-hating widow who banned all males from entering the settlement. After some time, all of the women were to become lesbian, “because they could not suppress their sexual needs,” reports China’s Harbin News service. The city can be recognized by an medieval castle built there to protect the city, as well as tall, blonde and strong women guarding the premises.

 Needless to say, the Swedish tourist authorities are as surprised as the rest of the nation. Claes Bertilson, the spokesman for SALAR, says: “I've no idea where this came from, but it's not true. At 25,000 residents, the town would be one of the largest in northern Sweden, and I find it hard to believe that you could keep something like that a secret for more than 150 years.”

 Mountains in Lappland, Sweden.   

(Wikimedia Commons/Alexandre Buisse (Nattfodd)/"GNU Free Documentation License")

Although Per Wilhelmsson of the tourist office in Umea in northern Sweden said he had never heard of Chako Paul City, he did confirm that tourism in the area is bustling.
“Our tourism industry is doing quite well, among the best in northern Sweden,” he said.

He also confirmed that no “women-only” city existed in northern Sweden, but the story reminded him of an 30-year old stunt carried out by Pajala, a northern Swedish town suffering from a different problem:
“They arranged for bus loads of women to come up to this town because there weren't enough of them,” he explained.

When asked what else might be drawing tourists to northern Sweden besides the chance to visit an isolated town filled with sexually frustrated females, Wilhelmsson had a theory of his own.

“It’s hard to say for sure, but I think part of it might be increased interest following our designation as Europe’s Cultural Capital for 2014,” he said.


Source:   
http://www.newser.com/

http://www.thelocal.se/22476/20091005/

14 Breathtaking Castles - A Must See!

In my journeys, very often I like to plan the route considering the castles or palaces I can find along the way. Some of them are hidden in old forests or placed on top of a hill mysteriously covered with fog. Others - built on islands - seem to float on the water, guarding the city nearby. All of those spectacular buildings, most of them still remembering the medieval times, are certainly worth seeing. Each of them has their own story to tell, filled with mystery, ghosts and treasures...

Mont Saint-Michel
Mont-Saint-Michel is is a rocky coastline island located in Normandy, France. This majestic castle is one of the first places to obtain UNESCO World Heritage listing. It is also one of the most frequently visited castles in France.


Source

Neuschwanstein Castle
Neuschwanstein Castle is one of a kind in the world. It was built in 19th-century in Bavaria, situated on a rocky hill near Hohenschwangau in southwest Bavaria, Germany. You can see that the design of this castle is breathtaking: arched portals, all the arcade windows and high towers, columns and pinnacles. It looks like a fairytale castle. Rumor has it, that it has been an inspiration for Walt Disney and the famous castle in Disneyland.


Source


Matsumoto Castle
Matsumoto Castle is one of the unique four japanese castles, which are listed as national treasures of Japan. Next to Himeji-jo, Matsumoto-jo, this was the next best existing castle donjon (a tall and sturdy defense and observation tower) in Japan. Built by Ishikawa Kazumasa and his son Yasunaga in  the year 1590.


Source

Castle of Coca
Castle of Coca was built in the 15th century for Archbishop Alonso de Fonseca I. It is considered as one of the best castles in Spain, definitely worth seeing. The castle's characteristic turreted structure of plaster and red brick is surrounded by a deep moat. In spite of this defensive traits, the Castle of Coca has been more of a palace than a castle.


Source

Isola di Loreto
Isola di Loreto is a neogothic castle, which has been rebuilt around 1910, being based on the fortified structure of the castle dating further back than 15th century. This castle was built on island L’isola di Loreto, the smallest island of the lake Iseo. It is located on the north side of Montisola, Italy.


Source

The Potala Palace
The Potala Palace is located on the Red Hill of Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. It was originally built in the 17th century by King Songtsen Gampo. The Potala Palace was a winter palace and the main residence of the Dalai Lamas until the 14th Dalai Lama had to escape to Dharamsala, India (he resides there until now).


Source

Predjamski Grad
Predjamski Castle is a suprisingly placed renaissance castle built within a cave mouth in southwestern Slovenia, with lots of natural tunnels and smaller caves existing underneath, being a safe haven for many centuries for people living nearby. It is located approximately 11 kilometres from the famous Postojna Cave.


Source

Hunyad Castle
Hunyad Castle was originally built as a fortress in 1212. Many believe that this castle is the place where the unfamous and terrifying Count Dracula was held as a prisoner for 7 years after he was overthrown in 1462. The castle is situated in Hunedoara, Romania.

Source

Malbork Castle
The Malbork Castle’s construction began in 1275, along the river Nogat in Poland. This castle was made from red brick and became the world’s largest brick gothic castle. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1997. Today, it is well-preserved medieval gothic castle and a museum.


Source

Prague Castle
Prague Castle is the Czech Capital City's premier tourist attraction. It was largest medieval castle complex in Europe and the ancient seat of Czech kings throughout the ages.

Source

Eltz Castle
Eltz Castle is a medieval castle placed in the hills above the Moselle River between Koblenz and Trier, Germany. This castle is still owned by a branch of the same family (for 33 generations!) that lived there in the 12th century.


Source

Palacio da Pena
Palacio da Pena is one of Europe’s most magnificent and uniquely designed palaces. It was built on the top of a hill above the town of Sintra, Portugal.


Source

Löwenburg Castle
Löwenburg Castle was built around 1800 as a country residence for Count Wilhelm IX (Germany). This castle was intentionally designed to look like a medieval castle.


Source

Bodiam Castle
Bodiam Castle is a quadrangular castle, surrounded with a huge moat, located in East Sussex, England. It was built in the late 14th century by a veteran of King Edward III’s wars with France. The purpose of this castle was to be a strategical point of defense from a possible french invasion and also - a peaceful and quiet homestead for its owner.


Source


If you find any other castles you've seen or feel they should be mentionned here - write a comment, please! :)


Source: http://pixzii.com/

The Marble Cave - a breathtaking visual experience

In answer to my recent blog post, one of the regular readers (thanks, G!) sent me some informations about an another underground "natural miracle", which can be found in Eastern Europe. It is situated in the Crimea region, in Ukraine and called "The Marble Cave" by the locals.

You can visit this extraordinary cave any time you want and admire the amazing natural formations, which are subtelly punctuated by carefully situated artificial light sources.




The beauty of the Marble Cave is unique, making the location very popular among tourists. It is already said to be the second most visited place of this kind in Europe and one in the top five world's most amazing caves.

This crimean landscape above the cave, although rich in hills, rocks, and interesting mountain formations, doesn't match the beauty of the underground jewel hidden beneath the surface.

Some of the most interesting places in the cave are marked with labels giving a clue to what the particular formation resembles. You can find trolls, flowers, elephants... and even a Santa Claus among them!

This one looks like a mammoth, doesn't it?




Some formations resemble underground ancient cities and castles, built and dwelled by mysterious creatures...




Have you visited the cave yourself? If so, feel free to share your experiences and photos! :)


Source pictures: http://englishrussia.com