The 2009 Munich Oktoberfest kicks off on September 19th and celebrates the 176th year of the world’s biggest party. This year reservations are high, even the ‘Global Financial Crisis’ cant dampen the Oktoberfest spirit – so if you are planning to attend get in early and book your table, you don’t want to miss out. This year beer will cost between 8.30 and 8.60 euro a litre or Mass and there is bound to be about 7 million litres of it served, along with half a million chickens, 150,000 sausages, 60,000 pork knuckles and over 100 oxen. Construction of the huge tents are underway and this year there are some new rides and attractions making it bigger and more fun than ever. Some of the services stats are incredible with nearly 1000 toilets needed, 800 metres of urinals, 27 of Munich’s daily water use and 14% of their electricity. About half a million people are expected to attend every day of the 16 day event.
There is nothing more romantic than taking a gondola through the narrow canals of Venice at sunset, taking in the breathtaking sights and sounds of this beautiful Italian city. Back in the 18th century the gondola was the city’s major source of public transport and there were thousands of the vessels floating around the canals. Today the craft is one of the most popular tourist transportations with several hundred of the elegant vessels available for hire. The gondola has tight seating for two people, there are some larger vessels which can carry more people, but that takes the romance out of it.. The ride can get quiet expensive, but you the experience is well worth every Euro. You can expect to pay around 80 Euro for a 30-40 minute ride and even more with a evening or night cruise. It is well worth shopping around and bargaining a bit during quieter times, you never know what deal you might strike. For a few euro extra you will probably even be able to negotiate a serenade by the gondolier. For those a bit frightened of the high cost, a cheaper although not quiet as magical experience is to board one of the public ferries that punt around the canals around twilight. You don’t quiet get the luxury of your own gondola and are usually packed in like sardines, but you can experience the amazing palaces and architecture from the water and soak in some of the charm and atmosphere of one of the world’s most unique cities.
The Charging Bull is one of the most recognisable pieces of art around New York Wall Street financial district. Weighing in at over 3200 kg and standing 11 feet tall and 16 feet long the huge bronze bull was sculptured by Arturo Di Modica as a symbol of Strength and Power to the American People after the 1987 stock market crash. The artwork was actually a piece of guerrilla art by the artist who had it installed under the stock exchange Christmas tree in 1989. The statue was seized by police and impounded but after public outcry was brought back and installed a little up the road at Bowling Green. The statue today is one of New York City’s most photographed and loved sculptures with thousands posing with the bull every day. Some pose beside the head and horns of the beast while just as many want to pose with the rather graphic rear end.
Visitors to the Mexican / USA border tourist town of Tijuana might be a bit surprised to see Zebras in the main streets. Well on closer inspection you will see that they aren’t zebras but donkeys that have been painted up to look like the stripy African critters. The idea dates back to the 1940’s when the owners came up with a solution to the problem of donkeys shiny greyish fur being washed out by the sun in black and white photographs. Today there are Tijuana Zebras on many of the major tourist intersections around Tijuana and for a few Peso and a bit of bargaining you can have your photo taken with them as a memento of your visit to the city. Tijuana is a easy day trip from southern California. Just jump on one of the red trolleys from San Diego and after a 15 minute walk through the border control you are in Tijuana. Tijuana is home to some great shopping and dining, with great value, but like everywhere people should take care with their personal belongings and keep their wits about where they are as some parts of this city are deemed unsafe. But Staying to the tourist areas you are bound to have a great experience.
Opening in 1993 the Luxor on the Las Vegas Boulevard strip is one of the more eye-catching of the huge theme hotel casino resorts. Owned by the MGM group the resort is home to over 4400 rooms and some of the city’s best gaming, nightclub, bars and theatres. The centrepiece of the complex is a 30 story black glass pyramid topped with a spotlight which is claimed to be the worlds brightest and can be seen from Los Angles and it is claimed can be seen from space. The pyramid is guarded by a massive Sphinx which is one of the city’s best photo oppourtunities. Over the last few years over $300 million dollars has been spent renovating the Luxor, which has replaced much of the Egyptian inspired interior out of the complex and replacing it with a more luxurious and contemporary style. But the exterior still retains the amazing ancient Egyptian look. The Luxor is home to LAX, on of the world’s hottest nightclubs and has hosted some of the world’s hottest celebrities including Britney Spears, the Hiltons and Christina Aguilera to name a few. Like many other Vegas casinos the Luxor also features an amazing Cirque du Soleil show called Criss Angel Believe which is set to run until 2018.
One of the most recognisable images of Berlin is the Victory Column or Siegessaule standing in a roundabout at the Tiergarten. Standing at nearly 67 metres the huge column is topped with a magnificent golden bronze statue of Victoria which alone weighs over 35 tonnes and is 8.3 metres high. The monument was designed by Heinrich Strack to commemorate the Prussian victory in 1864. the monument has been shifted a few times with the last being in 1939 as part of Hitler’s failed Welthauptstadt Germania plans. The column has been used in many movies and video clips including U2’s Stay single and is a focal point of the Berlin Love Parade. Even Barack Obama used the column as a backdrop to his historic visit during the 2008 Election campaign.
The Rockerfeller Centre in New York City is one of the world’s largest complexes covering around 22 acres and consisting of 19 huge commercial complexes including the 70 floor GE Building and world famous Radio City Music Hall. The centre was built in the early 1930’s and has some of the most incredible examples of modern art deco artwork and design seen anywhere in the world. 1987 saw the entire complex declared a National Historic Landmark on the USA national register. The Lower Plaza is a famous meeting place and is a place of celebration during many special days during the year, especially around christmas when the huge Christmas Tree is illuminated and plaza is turned into a giant ice skating ring. The plaza is also an important venue during the US elections, where plaza is used for television vote counting. Many people go to the top of the Empire State Building for the best view of New York, but in our opinion they pick the wrong building. The Rockefeller offers much more spectacular views- sure you are not quiet as high but you get a magnificent view of Central Park and lower Manhattan, especially of the Empire State Building, twilight is quite spectacular.
Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida has just opened its newly updated Hall of Presidents staring all 43 US presidents and taking centre stage for the first time a Barack Obama animatronic robot. The attraction has been a hit since opening in 1971 and the new updates make this show one of the most technically advanced productions ever seen at Disneyworld. The voice of President Obama is actually him, he recorded a special message for his robot a few months back. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln also speak in the show and all the other presidents look on and move to the speeches with some amazing facial expressions and limb movements. The show has been retitled for the look and is now known as A celebration of Liberty’s leaders” and focuses on the strong bonds between the people and the president. Patriotically opening on the 4th of July this attraction is sure to be one of the more popular at the Disneyworld resort.
Burning Man is only a few months away and a new doco about the massive festival is just about out too. Called Dust and Illusions, the documentary traces the history of the festival that has grown from 20 people in 1986 on a San Francisco Beach to almost 50,000 people in the Black Rock Desert last year. If you can’t get to the festival make sure you check out the doco (the film’s trailer is above). Read the rest of this entry »
Tokyo’s Odaiba has some pretty interesting futuristic architecture and the Fuji Television building is one of the more out there which its strange grid like structure and huge golden ball lookout. The building is both offices and studios for many of Japan’s favourite television programs, one being the Iron Chef which was filmed there during the 1990’s in their Kitchen Stadium. The building was designed by Kenzo Tange who is responsible for some other interesting architecture including the Tokyo Metropolitan Offices, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and the American Medical Association Headquarters Building in Chicago. The Fuji building is open to the public, visitors can go on a Japanese speaking studio tour- which can be quiet fun as some of the Japanese live television is crazy. The big golden ball is a Chinese restaurant which although fairly expensive is very popular, the ball has a viewing platform too, which costs about Y500 which is about 5 bucks for a visit and spectacular view over the Tokyo harbour. Read the rest of this entry »
