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4 Lesser Known Must See Cities In Europe

September 30th, 2009 No comments
by Morten Elm

There are 50 countries in Europe ” so you cannot visit all of them on a trip to Europe (unless you have several months). Instead you should focus your energy on a few large cities. In the following you can read about 4 cities in 4 countries, which have unique sights, food and/or nightlife.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands. If you are looking for a very liberal minded city with legal hash and sex, Amsterdam is the place to go. You can buy hash in the so-called coffeeshops or sex (which comes in all kind of sizes and nationalities) in the Red Light District.

But Amsterdam is much more than a city of sins. You can also find museums with great art from Van Gogh and Rembrandt. Or you can visit the Anne Frank House ” the place where the Anne Franks Diary was written.

Barcelona, Spain. The capital of Spain is Madrid ” but the most interesting city is without doubt Barcelona. The city has everything: great food, interesting sights and a very fine nightlife. And then there is FC Barcelona ” the famous football club with the amazing stadium Camp Nou.

On a visit to Barcelona you also have to see Sagrada Famlia ” the unfinished cathedral by Antoni Gaud. Finish your day by a stroll down the La Ramla to the great harbor area, and eat tapas in Barceloneta.

Budapest, Hungary. The capital of Hungary is divided in two parts by the famous Danube (know for the waltz by Johann Strauss). The hilly Buda-part is on the left side while the Pest-part is on the right. The best sights are either located on the Castle Hill in the Buda-part or in central Pest.

Sights not to bed missed are the National Gallery and the Royal Palace. On Margaret Island there are great parks to relax and wander. For shopping you should go to the Vci Street or the largest shopping centre in Central Europe, Westend City Center.

Prague, the Czech Republic. If you need a cheap vacation, Prague could be the place to go. Even though the prices have gone up since the Cold War, you can still find cheap accommodation and eating in Prague.

The city has many great sights. A good place to start is Star Mesto, which is the old part of the city. Here you can see the impressive Astronomical Clock. From there you can follow the Charles Bridge over the Vltava River ” remember to look at the paintings and souvenir. On the other side you find the Prague Castle ” known as the biggest ancient castle in the world. Other great sights are the Jewish Museum, the Kafka Museum and the historical Jewish ghetto Josefov.

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A Brief History of the Orient Express

April 16th, 2009 No comments

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, more commonly known as the Orient Express, is something that conjures up visions of mystery and intrigue. It has been the subject of many books, and many movies and novels have taken their settings from this luxurious train. It has a powerful grasp on the imagination, and in many ways, it is still the epitome of luxury travel.

Luxury train travel has a long history, with George Pullman being one of the first to hit upon the idea of offering luxury travel to passengers with all of the amenities available. By the mid 1800s there were train cars, which featured parlours for relaxing and sleeping berths. In Europe, Georges Nagelmackers began building luxury trains to provide upmarket travellers with comfortable travel by train.

The Orient Express first run was from Paris to Giurgiu, Romania, stopping in Strasbourg, Vienna, Budapest and Bucharest along the way. The train quickly acquired a reputation as a luxurious means of reaching the then-exotic (for travellers from Western Europe) destinations of Hungary and Romania. By 1900, the Orient Express was running an extended route travelling all the way to Istanbul via the Simplon Tunnel.

The twenties and thirties saw the reputation of this luxury train come into full flower, but the advent of World War II put a halt to it, and due to economy constraints and the advent of air travel, the train made its final run in 1977.

The Orient Express has found new life in recent years. Two of the Orient Express carriages were purchased at auction and 16 million dollars were invested in acquiring and restoring the 35 cars of the train.

It runs today and taking a trip in this historic train is for many one of the most romantic and historic trips that they will ever take. You can enjoy a truly international experience as you take the train to all of the cities that the train once travelled to. While the cities have changed, the loving recreation of the train allows you to step back in time.

Your personal steward will greet you and direct you to your compartment as you board. While you ride the Orient Express, you will dine like royalty. Expert French chefs are in the kitchen crafting exquisite meals from the finest ingredients obtained in each city where the train stops. There are three dining cars, which offer an atmospheric setting for each meal.

Choose from a single compartment or a double compartment, or combine two cabins into a private lounge with a banquette sofa and a sleeping compartment.

Sure, you could just continue to daydream about the experience of riding the Orient Express; but now that it?s something, which you really can enjoy for yourself, there?s no reason to! Stop dreaming and start experiencing the Orient Express.

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