Posts under ‘Europe’

The Sony Centre in Potsdamer Platz, Berlin is a new entertainment complex and a very popular meeting point, the young and the beautiful meet under the huge tent like atrium for a bite to eat or a drink. The expansive plaza is surrounded by cafes, restaurants and some good bars including an Australian bar. The centre has some very flash designer shopping, with many of the world’s hottest brands and has a 40 theatre cinema including an Imax. There is exhibition space and the centre is used for a lot of promotion work used by TV and radio for special events. A lot of music and film superstars have appeared to the pubic in the complex drawing thousands of people, sometimes it can get frantic. As with the centre’s name you would expect a huge Sony showcase, and yes Sony a a huge display centre where you can test drive their latest technologies like cameras, phones, stereos and computers. For those travellers looking for free wireless internet- the Sony Centre is the place to go, you can read some emails while sipping great coffee and watching Berlin’s beautiful set. Read the rest of this entry »

While you could describe Hitler as not one of the nicest people about, in fact he was one of the worst, but while in power he did start huge and lavish projects to try and win over the support of the German people. His Kraft durch Freude (strength through joy) program gave the German worker holidays on cruise ships and other leisure activities to keep the people happy and in turn working hard.

One such project was the Prora Spa complex on the island Rugen in north eastern Germany. The massive building was built between 1936 and 1939. Hitler planed that the huge resort would have space for 20,000 beds, theatres and all sorts of leisure activities. With the onset of the war the building was never completed and apart for part of it been used by the East Germans for a time the huge building sits mostly derelict along the shore of Rugen. Today the Prora complex has a formal heritage listing as a particularly striking example of Third Reich architecture. A visitors center is at the site with an exhibition about the sites history.

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The Brandenburg Gate is one of the most recognisable structures in the German capital Berlin. Built just north of the parliament The Reichstag it was commissioned by Friedrich Wilhelm II as a sign of peace and was built between 1788 and 1791. The gate is huge, it is 26 metres high and 65 metres wide and 11 metres thick. The centerpiece of the gateway is the beautiful sculpture on the top which shows Viktoria the goddess of victory driving a Quadriga of horses. The Brandenburg gate has been an important symbol of Berlin and has been used as the focal point of many historic events; The Nazis used the gate as their symbol when they ascended to power. Strangely it was one of the few structures in the Pariser Plaz during the bombing raids of World War II. US President John F Kennedy visited the gate in 1863 and was confronted by huge Soviet banners preventing him looking into the east. In 1987 the then US President Ronald Regan spoke at the gate demanding its opening and then two years later the Brandenburg gate symbolized the revolution of 1989 which saw the fall of the Berlin Wall, when the chancellor of West Germany Helmut Kohl greeted the East German Prime Minister Hans Modrow. Now after a 2000 restoration the Brandenburg gate will stand proudly and no doubt be the centre point of Berlin’s history in the future.

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Piazza San Marco or St. Mark’s Square as we like to call it, is probably Venice’s popular tourist destination, not only for people but also for pigeons, they seem to out number people 10 to 1. With Venice’s narrow streets and maze of canals there is little open space in Venice, the Piazza San Marco is Venice’s largest area and principal square. The square dates back to the 9th century, and the piazza hasn’t changed since 1810 when a new wing to the Procutatie Nuove which was converted into a royal palace for Napoleon during the French occupation. Today other than a lot of souvenir carts, thousands of people and pigeons everything is how you would have seen it hundreds of years ago, other than a few much needed restorations and touch ups. Being the lowest point in Venice the square is often flooded from storms and high water and planks are used to move across the square. Around the piazza are some of Venice’s most spectacular and important buildings including Doge’s Palace, St Mark’s Basilica, St Mark’s Clocktower, and Procuratie Vecchie, many have some of the most beautiful sculptures and artwork seen in Europe, and inside the Basilica and palaces it is even more spectacular, it’s no wonder people queue for hours for their chance to visit.

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Well we thought we had seen it all but this takes the cake and it is in Germany of all places. It is a huge airship hanger which has been transformed into an amazing tropical island. Germany was the world leader of Airships during the first part of last century and built many huge hangers, but after the war and the horrific Hindenburg Zeppelin disaster, airships fell from popularity and development of planes took over. The country had quiet a few huge hangers, this one is monstrous, it is in fact the second largest indoor space in the world, after the Boeing Factory. Inside there is a forest, pools, walking tracks and everything you would expect to see on a Polynesian Island. The centre has bars, restaurants and even special shows. Being just 60km South of Berlin Tropical Island is a very popular weekend get away where it is 25 degrees all year round and 28 in the ‘sea’. Weekdays are cheaper and less crowded, ticket prices are around the 20 Euros for general admission and yes you can get a suntan there- the dome is UV penetrable.

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After a shaky start Disneyland Paris is now one of Europe’s premier attractions and is going from strength to strength. There’s quiet a few new attractions to celebrate the 15th anniversary and an addition of some new rat friends. Yes that’s right- Remy and his brother Emile from the hit Pixar Disney film Ratatouille have joined the crew at Disneyland Paris much to the delight of young and old. They are adorable- the mouse better watch out- these rats might just steal the show. They make daily appearances in the parks and of course can be found in the many gift shops.

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Way back in 1765 to honor the marriage of her son, and to mourn the death of her husband Empress Maria Theresa ordered a arch to be built. One side of the arch celebrates sadness, while the other side celebrates happiness. Arches were quiet commonly built to celebrate things in Europe but many were made of wood or other items which did not last, fortunately the designers of this arch built the structure out of stone and it remains today as a beautiful symbol of the time. The arch can be found on the southern end of the city on Maria Theresien Strasse. Read the rest of this entry »

The FIFA World Cup came to Germany in 2006 and to accommodate this huge sporting event many stadiums were built and the most spectacular was the Allianz Stadium in Munich which was designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron of Switzerland. This huge three tiered arena holds just under 70,000 people and has a playing surface of 8,000 square metres. The outer walls of the stadium are amazing there are 2874 huge foil panes which are inflated a bit like one of those fancy foil balloons you get at events. The foil can be lit up any colour with a monstrous lighting system making the arena a spectacle in itself each panel can be lit up independently and are usually lit in the home teams colours on match day. The stadium in affectionately known as “Furzkissen” (whoopee cushion), because of its shape.

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There is a lot to see in the Czech city of Prague and there is no better way to cover the distances between palaces, castles and museums than on the Tramvaje. The local tramway has over 500 km of tracks around the city and it is estimated used by over 300 million people a year. You will catch a tram every 10 or so minutes so there is no long waiting time but peak hours the carriages can get very busy. Tram 22 and 23 are probably the most useful for tourists they go past many of the city’s most scenic routes including passing the National Theatre to StaromÄ›stská and Malostranská metro stations, and continuing up to the Belveder, Prague Castle and PohoÅ™elec. Tickets are cheap as chips costing only 25Kc for adults and 10kc for kids and seniors, but for a real bargain get a short term tourist pass they work on all public transport . Tickets can be bought from newsagents, stations, hotels and some department stores. There are also vending machines close to many stops.

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Plans are underway to build a huge Las Vegas style city in Spain called Gran Escala in the Los Monegros Desert about half way between Madrid and Barcelona. The plan will feature huge resorts with 32 hotel- casinos, a race course, sports stadium, golf courses, equestrian centres and two major theme parks including a water park and spy themed park. Over 17 billion Euros have been committed to the project and over 25 million people are expected to visit a year once this stage is complete over the next decade. Tourism is a huge earner in Spain, it now makes up 12% of the country’s economy. It is hoped this development will further strengthen tourism and threaten France as Europe’s most visited city. We are not sure if there is going to be a Spanish Elvis or the wedding chapels and buffets but there’s every chance.

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