Viktualienmarkt in Munich

29 November 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon appétit, Shopping Reading Time:  6 minutes

Viktualienmarkt © Helmlechner/cc-by-sa-3.0

Viktualienmarkt © Helmlechner/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Viktualienmarkt is a daily food market and a square in the center of Munich. The Viktualienmarkt developed from an original farmers’ market to a popular market for gourmets. In an area covering 22,000 m2 (240,000 sq ft), 140 stalls and shops offer flowers, exotic fruit, game, poultry, spices, cheese, fish, juices and so on.   read more…

Theme Week Lombardy – Desenzano del Garda

29 November 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

Old port of Desenzano © RicciSpeziari/cc-by-sa-3.0

Old port of Desenzano © RicciSpeziari/cc-by-sa-3.0

Desenzano del Garda is a town and comune in the province of Brescia, on the southwestern shore of Lake Garda. It borders the communes of Castiglione delle Stiviere, Lonato, Padenghe sul Garda and Sirmione. Sometime in the first century, the area around lake Garda, including what is now Desenzano del Garda, became a favourite vacation spot for the Veronese élite, Verona being one of the largest Roman cities in northeastern Italy.   read more…

Cristo degli Abissi

28 November 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Christ of the Abyss at San Fruttuoso © liguriaguide.com

Christ of the Abyss at San Fruttuoso © liguriaguide.com

Christ of the Abyss (Italian: “Il Cristo degli Abissi”) is a submerged bronze statue of Jesus Christ, the original of which is located in the Mediterranean Sea off San Fruttuoso between Camogli and Portofino on the Italian Riviera. It was placed in the water on 22 August 1954 at approximately 17 metres depth, and stands c. 2.5 metres tall.   read more…

Theme Week Lombardy – Mantua

28 November 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

© EdoM/cc-by-sa-3.0

© EdoM/cc-by-sa-3.0

Mantua is a city and comune with 49,000 inhabitants, and capital of the province of the same name. In 2007, Mantua’s centro storico (old town) and Sabbioneta were declared by UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site. Mantua’s historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family has made it one of the main artistic, cultural, and especially musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole. Mantua is noted for its significant role in the history of opera; the city is also known for its architectural treasures and artifacts, elegant palaces, and the medieval and Renaissance cityscape. It is the place where the composer Monteverdi premiered his opera L’Orfeo and where Romeo was banished in Shakespeare‘s play Romeo and Juliet. It is the nearest town to the birthplace of the Roman poet Virgil, who was commemorated by a statue at the lakeside park “Piazza Virgilio”.   read more…

Theme Week Lombardy – Cremona

27 November 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Cremona Duomo and Baptistery © Einer flog zu Weit/cc-by-sa-3.0

Cremona Duomo and Baptistery © Einer flog zu Weit/cc-by-sa-3.0

Cremona is situated on the left bank of the Po River in the middle of the Pianura Padana (Po valley). It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city and province governments. The city of Cremona is especially noted for its musical history and traditions, including some of the earliest and most renowned luthiers, such as Guarneri and Stradivari and several members of the Amati family.   read more…

Theme Week Lombardy – Brescia

26 November 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  9 minutes

Brescia Panorama © Luca Giarelli/cc-by-sa-3.0

Brescia Panorama © Luca Giarelli/cc-by-sa-3.0

Brescia is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella River and the Naviglio, a few kilometres from the lakes Garda and Iseo. With a population of around 194,000, it is the second largest city in the region and the fourth of northwest Italy. The urban area of Brescia extends beyond the administrative city limits and has a population of 673,000, while over 1.5 million people live in its metropolitan area. The city is the administrative capital of the Province of Brescia, one of the largest in Italy, with over 1,200,000 inhabitants.   read more…

The Canaima National Park

26 November 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  5 minutes

Carrao river and tepuys © Berrucomons/cc-by-sa-3.0

Carrao river and tepuys © Berrucomons/cc-by-sa-3.0

Canaima National Park (Parque Nacional Canaima) is a 30,000 km² (12,000 sq mi) park in south-eastern Venezuela that borders Brazil and Guyana. It is located in Bolívar State, and roughly occupies the same area as the Gran Sabana region. The park was established on 12 June 1962. It is the second largest park in the country, after Parima-Tapirapecó, and sixth biggest national park in the world. It is the size of Belgium or Maryland. In 1994, the Canaima National Park was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, as a natural reserve that has abrupt relief special and unique around the world, the tepuis.   read more…

Theme Week Lombardy – Varese

25 November 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  5 minutes

Palazzo Estense and gardens - Town Hall © Docfra/cc-by-sa-3.0

Palazzo Estense and gardens – Town Hall © Docfra/cc-by-sa-3.0

Vares is a city and comune in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 55 kilometres (34 mi) north of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Varese. The hinterland or urban part of the city is called Varesotto. The city also looks over Lake Varese.   read more…

The research vessel Polarstern

25 November 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Polarstern arriving at Reykjavik © flickr.com - Bruce McAdam

Polarstern arriving at Reykjavik © flickr.com – Bruce McAdam

Reasearch vessel Polarstern (meaning pole star) is a German research icebreaker of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven. The Polarstern was commissioned in 1982 and is mainly used for research in the Arctic and Antarctica.   read more…

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