After decades of being just too hard for visitors, Moscow is starting to become a popular destination for tourists. Things still are not as easy or as safe as the other big cities in Europe but things are changing and the city has so much to offer. Magnificent architecture, lovey parks and gardens and friendly people are only some of the what this amazing city has to offer. Today’s You Tube video gives you a few tips for visiting this former Soviet capital which for so long the West was nervous of.
Posts under ‘Europe’
Plenty of trolls and a fairytale palace
Hunderfossen Park in Norway’s Lillehammer is fun for all ages with over 50 activities and attractions. One of the highlights is Troll Park where a huge Troll guards the activities including Norwegian themed water rides and other amusement rides. The park also features and Eldorado which features a petting zoo, car rides for the young and even a gold digging area. There is a great 4D theatre experience based around Petra the bug and her creepy beetle friends and for the bigger kids some great rafting attractions. The centre of the park has a huge fairytale palace set in a magic forest where traditional Norwegian folk stories are told here you can meet the Hunderfossen king and queen and plenty of trolls. Kids love it!
A good sleep after a hard day night
Liverpool the home of the Beatles has just opened a brand new 4 star hotel paying homage to the fab 4. Called Hard Days Night the hotel has transformed one of Liverpools’ classic buildings not far from the Cavern Club into another Beatles landmark. The hotel features some magnificent artwork including what is called the Shannon Collection which is a series of commissioned works telling the story of the Beatles. The hotel even features artworks and photographs from Paul, Ringo and photographers Paul Ygartua and Klaus Voormann. The hotel has all the trappings of a luxury hotel including a great bar called Bar Four which is fast becoming one of the hottest places in Liverpool and a restaurant which has a Sergeant Pepper’s inspired theme and brasserie which has a very cosmopolitan menu. The hotel features 110 rooms and are well decked out and even include interactive services like online shopping. The top of the line suites are called the Lennon and McCartney suites and feature things like white pianos and even a Knight’s suit in the McCartney room. Total indulgence.
Le corkscrew museum du France
We all know the French like their cheese, snails, garlic, frogs legs and of course wine, so it’s no wonder they have a Corkscrew Museum. The Musée du Tire-Bouchon has over 1000 exhibits with some dating back to the 17th century. No one really knows where the corkscrew originated but is believed it may be English dating back to the end of the 17th century. Back then they were very simple not like the ones we have today, some nearly needing an engineering degree to work. The Corkscrew museum is part of the Domaine De La Citadelle estate who make a lovely selection of wines including the La Chataigneier and Les Artemes which uses old vine grapes from the lovely southern Rhone Valley, so its well worth a visit to the vineyard when you visit the corkscrew museum.
More green than Paris? well when its not ice and snow.
The beautiful Russian City of St Petersburg claims to have more green space than that of Paris, but for most of the year its ice and snow. But when they are green they are truly beautiful and some of the best gardens in the world. The city boasts about 200 parks and gardens plus thousands of tree lined streets, it is estimated there is about 56 square meters of plant life for every one of the city’s 4.5 million residents. Alexander Gardens is one of the most spectacular, its located opposite the Hermitage and is home to a beautiful illuminated musical fountain and Russia’s oldest Zoo. Once a swamp it is today one of St Petersburg’s favorite places to relax. St Petersburg is also home to Russia’s only botanical gardens and features over 12000 species of plant life including the unique Queen of the Night which blooms every may for only one night. Read the rest of this entry »
Dracular may suck your blooooooood!
Today’s story is not for the faint hearted its Dracula’s Castle or Bran Castle which stands in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania deep in Transylvania. The castle was once a residence of Prince Vlad Tepes who Bram Stoker based his 1897 of Count Dracula on, but details are sketchy. But the ledged of Count Dracula has become stronger as time goes on and people have blurred folk law with story telling and the truth. No one really knows if Count Dracula is now real or not. Let’s hope he was it only makes the story of the castle more fascinating. The castle was actually used as a Royal residence up until 1947 when the monarchy fell in Romania. Today the castle draws thousands of tourists, many for the legends but just as many for the beauty of the Gothic, fairy-tale picture perfect setting.
Mad fun in Munich
A lot of the world’s biggest street celebrations happen in the first weeks of February including the Mardi Gras, Chinese New Year and the Munchen Narrisch or Mad Munich celebrations. All the fun takes place at the Viktualienmarkt in downtown Munich where thousands of costumed revelers party on with carnivals, entertainers, heaps of confetti and of course Munich Beer. It’s pretty cold in Munich today but with early morning temperatures down to as low as -1 and a high of only 9 but with all the fun who cares. Tuesday the celebrations come to a head with Dance of the Market Women which is great fun. The festival is the biggest think in Munich other than you guessed it Oktoberfest which is only 229 days away.
How can I sleep with Hitler watching?
You have got to wonder about some peoples idea to make a dollar. What would possess you to build a hotel room and have nasty old Adolf Hitler on the wall your hotel room overlooking your bed. It is what nightmares are made of but some guy in Belgrade is trying to make a quick buck. Well if you don’t want to stay in the Hitler room and rightly so how about the George W Bush, Joseph Stalin or even Margaret Thatcher room and have them looking down on you while you are trying to take a nap- well you can- they also feature in other rooms at “Mr President”. The Hitler room is pretty popular, and sadly all the outrage and controversy it has caused has only helped bookings. Dusan Zabunovic the hotelier at Mr President has been quoted as saying that it’s not wrong to have Hitler in museums like Madam Tussauds so he doesn’t think it is wrong to have him featured in his hotel- well many might like to argue, but there’s always a few who will agree. Read the rest of this entry »
A giant dome and a mouse for a mascot
Well lets set this up first, we have found a theme park, the mascot is a mouse, the centerpiece of the park is a giant silver dome, there’s attractions representing different countries of the world and plenty of rides and fun for all. Well you have probably guessed where I’m talking of, well you are wrong, its not in the heart of Florida it’s in Germany! Europa Park is a park in Rust which is in the south western part of Germany between Freiburg and Strasbourg. The park is home to nine rollercoasters, some great shows including a very popular gladiator show, a 4d cinema and has a few other familiar attractions like jungle rafts, a Mississippi steamer and even a dwarf city and fairy tale alley. It still sounds a bit familiar doesn’t it, but there’s more- there’s a puppet boat ride, a ghost castle ride, even a pirate boat ride and they have a monorail and a castle too. The park is Europe’s second most popular park, guess what is the most popular, it has a mouse and pretty much most of the above- it’s just outside of Paris.
Knut the polar bear and friends
Knut the Polar Bear has made the Berlin Zoo even more popular and when you see the cute little bugger on this video you will see why he is gorgeous. But the Berlin Zoo is more than just Knut there are a huge variety of fascinating animals to see including monkeys, penguins, kangaroos, ostriches, hippos, tigers, and some pretty weird and mean looking wart hogs among other things. The zoo also features an Aquarium which is ranked as one of the world’s best and includes tropical reefs and even sharks. The Berlin Zoo is right in the heart of the city- near Zoo Station, where else and is a great experience for young and old.
