Posts under ‘Must see’

One of the highlights of visiting Sydney is the historic rocks precinct which lies just under the Sydney Harbor Bridge, and if your there on a weekend you are in for a further treat. The Rock’s Market operates both Saturday and Sunday and features an amazing assortment of arts, crafts and other had made items. It is a great place to pick up something truly Australian including Aboriginal Art, beautiful Australian timber products and exquisite jewelry using local stones and minerals. There’s plenty of street entertainment and don’t forget to visit some of the many galleries, restaurants and historic pubs in the Rocks while you are there. Read the rest of this entry »

Olympia Looping is the worlds largest portable steel rollercoaster and is one of the more notable rides found at Oktoberfest in Munich each year. The huge ride features 5 loops- the Olympic rings which give huge g force to the rider. The structure is monstrous it weighs over 875 tonnes and takes up a space 85 metres by 36. The highest point is about 32 metres off the ground and it has a 26m drop. Speeds are in excess of 83 km per hour. Usually people queue for hours to ride the 1.45 minute ride, but the exhilaration is well worth the wait. Read the rest of this entry »

Skoda now owned by the VW Audi group is the Czech Republic’s own car and very popular throughout Europe. They have a factory about an hours drive from Prague in a town called Mlada and a great museum which is open to the pubic. Here you can see some fascinating Skoda vehicles and get an insight into their products and history. They have a very good display on their rallying and racing vehicles and plenty of historic cars all beautifully restored. Next door to the museum their is a Skoda new car showroom where you can see some of the exciting new models the company sells today. Read the rest of this entry »

When travelling up Shinsaibashi-suji shopping mall in Osaka which is an undercover shopping strip which runs over 1.8 km we came across this great little pub. It served crispy cold Carlsberg beer on tap and nothing else, they only had 8 glasses. The pub was no more than 2 metres long by about 1.5 metres deep had a bar and 2 bar stools. You rubbed shoulders with the other person if there was more than 2 people in the bar. Anyway the service was friendly and the beer sure was refreshing. Read the rest of this entry »

Sick of the standard hotel room on your tour of Europe, well here is the answer, a Botel- its a hotel but its a boat. This one is in Prague in the Czech Republic on the Vltava River. It is a stationary vessel which has bar, restaurant, lobby and all the things you would expect in a budget hotel only it is a boat. on the It might not be 5 star luxury (or even 2 star for that matter) but it sure is fun and good value. The cabins are fairly small and sparse but for novelty value who cares and lets face it your only sleeping there as there’s so much to do and see in Prague you will hardly find time to sleep. Prague has a few different botels to choose from and you will find them in other European cities including Amsterdam.

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The Munich Toy Museum is a novel attraction which will entertain young and old for a few minutes. The museum building itself is interesting it is? built in a tower at the end of the city gate at Marienplatz. This building has 5 rooms all about the size of a bed room but they are connected via a? narrow windy stone staircase which is very difficult to navigate. Only one person can fit up or down at any one time and you wont want to be too big. The toy museum itself is quiet interesting there are a large collection of old toys heaps of crusty old bears, dolls, early puzzles and some? mechanical toys, model cars and lots of childhood memories. Threes a tiny gift shop at the bottom where you can pick up something interesting? too. Read the rest of this entry »

The Heineken museum is one of Amsterdam’s premier attractions and well worth a visit whether you enjoy a cold beer or not. The self guided tour is great value it costs about 10 Euros and takes you on more than a journey of beer manufacturing its more a journey of the history of Amsterdam and the brewery. There are plenty of displays and quiet a few interactive areas, you can DJ in your own nightclub, you can go for a horse and buggy ride on a simulator or play some great electronic toys in the bar room. The highlight of course is the beer, and you are treated to some complementary beer in two of the special bars in the museum. When exiting the bar you are in for a surprise too, with a special gift reminding you of your visit. Don’t forget to bring some coin for the gift shop there are some great products to purchase including t-shirts, bottle openers and stubby holders. Read the rest of this entry »

This 747 Jumbo jet is on display at the Technik Museum in Speyer which is about an hours drive from Stuttgart. It part of one of a few great automotive and aeronautic museums found throughout Germany. The 747 is the real thing it is a Lufthansa aircraft which has been decommissioned. You can climb the stairs and inspect the whole plane including the cargo hold which is quiet interesting. The museum has hundreds of other displays including submarines, trains, planes, cars, boats you name it- if it moves they will have one. There is also a IMax theatre, a really good cafe which serves good food and drinks including some of the regions best beer and wine and of course a gift shop which has got some great things to purchase. Read the rest of this entry »

Tokyo has one of the worlds coolest theme parks, Disney Sea. This one of a kind park is just like Disney land but its all themed around the sea. There are some amazing rides including some old favorites from Disneyland like 2000 Leagues under the sea, The tower of terror and an amazing take on the Indian Jones ride found in the Anaheim park. There’s plenty of attractions found only at Disney Sea including a ride through a volcano in a mining buggy called, a whimsical Aladdin ride and some very fun little mermaid inspired rides. The highlight of your visit will be the amazing closing show which is a fire, light and fireworks show which is held on the large lake- it spectacular and an amazing technological feat. Read the rest of this entry »

St Marks Square in Venice would have to have the biggest flock of pigeons anywhere in the world, there are what appears to be millions. These flying rats are everywhere, and to make things worse they are encouraged by people feeding them. Fortunately most of the buildings in the area have been covered in fine wire to stop the birds nesting and destroying the historic buildings but its hard to walk too far without stepping on a bird or their waste. They are very game and not afraid of people so it’s relatively easy to get a good photograph of these colourful pests. Read the rest of this entry »