Astana (translated: Capital), is the capital and second largest city (after Almaty) of Kazakhstan, with an officially estimated population of 708,794. It is located in the north-central portion of Kazakhstan, within Akmola Province, though administrated separately from the province as a federal city area. Politics and government are the main economic activities in the capital, which also forms a Special Economic Zone. Since the move, Astana has seen one of the world’s greatest building projects, as oil money has been spent on government buildings, a massive home for the president, a mosque, and numerous parks and monuments. The project is designed to make the town the centre of not only Kazakhstan, but all of Central Asia. read more…
Leicester is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands area of England. It is also the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest. In 2006, the population of the Leicester unitary authority was estimated at 289,700, the largest in the East Midlands, whilst 441,213 people lived in the wider Leicester Urban Area. Eurostat’s Larger Urban Zone listed the population of the area at 772,400 people as of 2004. Leicester is the 10th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom using the 2001 census definitions and the urban area is the fifteenth largest conurbation in the UK, the second largest in the region behind the Nottingham Urban Area. read more…
A factory outlet mall (or outlet center) is a type of shopping mall, in which manufacturers sell their products directly to the public through their own branded stores. read more…
Grasse is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department on the French Riviera. The town is considered as the world’s capital of perfume. It obtained two flowers in the Concours des villes et villages fleuris contest and was made “Ville d’Art et d’Histoire” (town of art and history). read more…
Saint-Tropez is a town, 104 km (65mi) to the east of Marseille, in the Var department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of southeastern France. It is also the principal town in the canton of Saint-Tropez. It is located on the French Riviera, and it is known today for its famous and extremely wealthy summertime guests. It has been dubbed the ‘playground to jetsetters, fashion models, and millionaires’. The inhabitants of Saint-Tropez are called Tropéziens, and the town is familiarly called “St-Trop”. The port was widely used during the 18th century; in 1789, the port was visited by 80 ships. Saint-Tropez’s shipyards built tartanes and three-masted ships that carried 1000 to 12200 barrels. The town was the site of various associated trades, including fishing, cork, wine, wood. The town had a school of hydrography. In 1860 the floret of the merchant marine, named “The Queen of the Angels” (a three-masted ship of 740 barrels), visited this port. Its role as a commercial port declined, and it is now primarily a tourist spot besides being a base for many well know sail regattas. Here you also find a fast boat transportation with Les Bateaux Verts to Sainte Maxime on the other side of the bay and to Port Grimaud, Marines de Cogolin, Les Issambres and St-Aygulf. read more…
The Elbe rises at an elevation of about 1,400 metres (4,593 ft) in the Krkonoše (also known as Giant Mountains or in German as Riesengebirge) on the northwest borders of the Czech Republic. Of the numerous small streams whose waters compose the infant river, the most important is the Bílé Labe, or White Elbe. After plunging down the 60 metres (197 ft) of the Labský vodopád, or Elbe Falls, the latter stream unites with the steeply torrential Malé Labe, and thereafter the united stream of the Elbe pursues a southerly course, emerging from the mountain glens at and continuing on to Pardubice, where it turns sharply to the west. At Kolín some 43 kilometres (27 mi) further on, it bends gradually towards the north-west. read more…
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department. The city is also famous for its various luxury shops, restaurants, and hotels. read more…
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of 71.92 km2 (28 sq mi). The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of over 955,000 on an area of 721 km2 (278 sq mi). Located on the south east coast of France on the Mediterranean Sea, Nice is the second largest French city on the Mediterranean coast. Nice was included in UNESCO’s world heritage list in 2021 as “Winter resort town of the Riviera” because of its architectural, landscape and urban heritage. read more…
The route stretches over 600 km from Hanau near Frankfurt in the south to Bremen in the north, meandering through the towns and cities where the Brothers Grimm lived and worked, connecting the places and landscapes of their collected fairy tales into a route of wonders.
The Fairy Tale Route offers culture and history, enchanting medieval towns of half-timbered houses, castles and fortresses, museums and art galleries, concerts and theatres – a charming blend of traditional town life, urban atmosphere and local folklore crafts.
The diverse landscapes and scenes along the Fairy Tale Route are varied but always magical. The countryside includes the German low mountain range with the Kinzig river valley between the Vogelsberg and Spessart, the gentle Schwalm, the densely wooded Knüll, the historically interesting Chattengau area southwest of the art metropolis of Kassel, the idyllic Eichsfeld and the Weser mountain region with its charming river valley. There is the lowland plain in the north with its fertile marshes of the Weser River and its mouth close to the sea near Bremen. This fairytale paradise can also be discovered on foot along numerous enchanting footpaths, or by bicycle. A myriad of regional and national cycle paths run through gentle valleys, in many places through an intact cultural landscape. read more…
