Sölden in Tyrol

30 December 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Ötztal Tourismus - Ernst Lorenzi

© Ötztal Tourismus – Ernst Lorenzi

Sölden is a municipality in the Ötztal valley of Tyrol. Sölden is also a popular ski resort. The first World Cup race of the year usually takes place in late October. At c. 467 km² (180 sq mi), it is the largest municipality in the country. The population of 3,449 (as of 2003) is outnumbered by tourists, of which 15,000 can be accommodated. With tourist bed nights running at over two million per year, the municipality is third only to Vienna and Salzburg as an Austrian tourist destination. Sölden has lost some its former small village charm, but other attractions have been enhanced in recent years.   read more…

Reims, in the heart of Champagne

28 December 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

City Hall © Fryderyk

City Hall © Fryderyk

Reims, a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies 129 km (80 mi) east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire.   read more…

The Grand Canyon Skywalk

28 December 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Museums, Exhibitions Reading Time:  7 minutes

Eagle Point - Skywalk and Colorado River © Laslovarga

Eagle Point - Skywalk and Colorado River © Laslovarga

The Grand Canyon Skywalk is a transparent horseshoe-shaped cantilever bridge and tourist attraction in Arizona near the Colorado River on the edge of a side canyon in the Grand Canyon West area of the main canyon. USGS topographic maps show the elevation at the Skywalk’s location as 4,770 ft (1,450 m) and the elevation of the Colorado River in the base of the canyon as 1,160 ft (350 m), and they show that the height of the precisely vertical drop directly under the skywalk is between 500 ft (150 m) and 800 ft (240 m).   read more…

Theme Week Vienna – Schönbrunn Palace

27 December 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Manfred Werner

© Manfred Werner

Schönbrunn Palace is a former imperial 1,400-room Rococo summer residence in Vienna, Austria. One of the most important cultural monuments in the country, since the 1960s it has been one of the major tourist attractions in Vienna. The palace and gardens illustrate the tastes, interests, and aspirations of successive Habsburg monarchs. The sculpted garden space between the palace and the Sun Fountain is called the Great Parterre. The French garden, a big part of the area, was planned by Jean Trehet in 1695. It contains, among other things, a maze. The complex however includes many more attractions: Besides the Tiergarten, an orangerie erected around 1755, staple luxuries of European palaces of its type, a palm house (replacing, by 1882, around ten earlier and smaller glass houses in the western part of the park) is noteworthy. Western parts were turned into English garden style in 1828–1852. At the outmost western edge, a botanical garden going back to an earlier arboretum was re-arranged in 1828, when the Old Palm House was built. A modern enclosure for Orangutans, was restored besides a restaurant and office rooms in 2009.   read more…

Overview Theme Weeks

27 December 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  20 minutes

Theme Weeks (Latest addition: February 2024) In irregular intervals we publish Theme Weeks about cities, regions, and countries. Here you can find the complete list.   read more…

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus Christ

25 December 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  12 minutes

Church of the Nativity © flickr.com - Neil Ward/cc-by-2.0

Church of the Nativity © flickr.com – Neil Ward/cc-by-2.0

Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank in Palestine and approximately 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism. The New Testament identifies Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth. The town is inhabited by one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, although the size of the community has shrunk due to emigration.   read more…

The Jetset Destination St. Moritz

22 December 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow 2008 © Frédéric de Goldschmidt - www.frederic.net

Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow 2008 © Frédéric de Goldschmidt – www.frederic.net

St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The highest summit in the Eastern Alps, the Piz Bernina, lies a few kilometres south of the town. The year-round population is 5600, with some 3000 seasonal employees supporting hotels and rental units with a total of 13,000 beds.   read more…

Vinci in Tuscany

21 December 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

View from the Leonardo da Vinci Museum © Iamthestig

View from the Leonardo da Vinci Museum © Iamthestig

Vinci is a town and comune of Firenze province in the Italian region of Tuscany. The birthplace of Renaissance polymath Leonardo da Vinci lies just outside the town. The town is surrounded by the Tuscan Hills. The landscape consists of vineyards and olive groves that are much the same as in Leonardo’s time.   read more…

Schönau in the Black Forest, Germany’s ‘Electricity Rebels’

21 December 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Environment Reading Time:  5 minutes

Bergkirche - Protestant Church © Taxiarchos228

Bergkirche – Protestant Church © Taxiarchos228

Schönau im Schwarzwald is a town in the district of Lörrach in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in the Black Forest, on the river Wiese, 35 kilometres (22 mi) northeast of Basel, Switzerland, and 23 kilometres (14 mi) south of Freiburg. Schwarzwald transliterally is defined as “Black Forest” in German.   read more…

Return to TopReturn to Top