Læsø is the largest island in the North Sea bay of Kattegat, and is located 19 kilometres (12 mi) off the northeast coast of the Jutland Peninsula, the Danishmainland. Læsø is also the name of the municipality (Danish: kommune) on that island. The island is a location mentioned in several instances in Norse mythology, including as the dwelling of the sea jötunnÆgir and as a feasting place of the Norse gods, the Æsir. read more…
The Plaza Mayor is a major public space in the heart of Madrid, the capital of Spain. It was once the centre of Old Madrid,. It was first built (1580–1619) during the reign of Philip III. Only a few blocks away is another famous plaza, the Puerta del Sol. The Plaza Mayor is for the people of Madrid and tourists to shop, walk around, eat, and enjoy the outdoors. There is a bronze statue of King Philip III at the center of the square, created in 1616 by Jean Boulogne and Pietro Tacca. Giambologna‘s equestrian statue of Philip III dates to 1616, but it was not placed in the center of the square until 1848. The statue was a gift from the Duke of Florence at that time. It was Queen Isabel II ordered to move it from Casa de Campo to become the centerpiece of the Plaza Mayor. read more…
Fanø is a island in the North Sea off the coast of southwestern Denmark, and is the very northernmost of the Danish Wadden Sea Islands. Fanø municipality is the municipality (Danish: kommune) that covers the island and its seat is the town of Nordby. Fanø is separated from the mainland by the Wadden Sea over a span of approximately five kilometres (3.1 miles), in the north at the closest point to the mainland 1.24 km. The island is 16 kilometres (9.9 miles) long and 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) wide, and it is located off the coast from the city of Esbjerg to which it is connected by ferry. The ferry ride takes 12 minutes. A variety of environments are to be found on Fanø. Not surprisingly, a very common one is sand. The island’s whole western shore is one long beach. The island’s northwestern corner is a vast sandbank called “Søren Jessens Sand”. Søren Jessen was an entrepreneur and captain from Hjerting, today the westernmost suburb of Esbjerg and the bank is named after him because his ship, the “Anne Catriane”, stranded here in 1712. The vegetation on Fanø is mainly heath and small pine trees, never growing tall because of the predominant strong westerly winds from the North Sea. read more…
Printemps is a French department store chain (French: grand magasin, literally “big store”). The Printemps stores focus on beauty, lifestyle, fashion, accessories, and men’s wear. The flagship Printemps store is located on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, along with other well-known department stores like Galeries Lafayette. There are other Printemps stores in Paris and throughout France. The company has opened branches outside France in locations including Andorra, the Ginza shopping district in Tokyo, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Shanghai. read more…
Sønderborg is a Danish town in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Sønderborg Municipality (Kommune). The town has a population of 27,841 (1 January 2020), in a municipality of 74,561. In recent times, Sønderborg is a center for trade, tourism, industry, and education in the region of Southern Denmark. The town is the headquarters for several industrial companies. read more…
