The Hallgrimskirkja is a Lutheran parish church in Reykjavik, Iceland. It is located at the top of shopping street Skolavordustigur, Reykjavik. Rising 74.5 m (244 ft), Hallgrimskirkja is the tallest building in Iceland. The statue in front of the church represents Leif Eriksson, son of Erik the Red.

You can see here a part of the organ, which is composed of 5200 pipes. Between mid-June and mid-August you can hear this mighty beast in action three times per week at lunchtime/evening concerts.

It built in 1974 and structure remember a basaltic mountain. The structure in a heroic, nationalist style to replace an earlier church that was destroyed by fire.

The 18th century witnessed terrible misery among Icelanders in the wake of enormous volcanic eruptions, resulting in drastic climate changes and destruction of grazing fields.

The Museum of Quai Branly is a hybrid museum mixing post-colonial and postmodern. The museum is an attempt to merge art and ethnography. It is neither the Louvre nor the Musée de l’Homme. Quai Branly plays a role in transmission not only of knowledge, but also of testimony and emotion, offering visitors a choice of possibilities for taking part in a dialogue of cultures.

The museum boasts with an unusual profile from Jean Nouvel’s sienna-toned cubes piercing the postured exterior to the anti-gravitational plant wall by Patrick Blanc,. Entering through a Jurassic garden, the visitor commences on a winding tour through Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas.

Shows, music salons, master classes… the museum of Quai Branly is ready to transport you to all four corners of the world, from Morocco to Brazil, from India to Mexico, to discover other cultures and unique artists. As well as a school for documentary filmmaking in the tradition of the direct cinema of Jean Rouch, Richard Leacock and Fred Wiseman, Varan proposes an evening of screenings every three months at the museum.

The gallery installation (one critic dubbed the spotlit cases “monster lighting”) can be disorienting, swiftly shifting between tribes and continents with hidden text panels and interactive stations. That said, the 3,500 objects (out of a total 30,000) on permanent display are incredible. With a little perseverance, you might actually learn about them.

Getting there: The location of the museum Rue 37 Quai Branl 75007 Paris and there is easy access to the museum, by car/metro/bus. Entry to the museum is via rue de l’Université or via Quai Branly.

A mixture of colorful gateway into Paris’ ancient and arty Marais, the Pompidou stands out among the crowd; Renzo Piano and Richer Rogers’ winning design exposes, literally, the guts of the museum cultural center for all to see. Lovingly referred to as “Beaubourg” by many Parisians and the “gerbil cage” or “cruise liner” by foreign visitors, the Pompidou testifies to France’s surprising sense of architectural adventure, and bien sûr the lasting personal marks of its presidents.

The museum’s collection contains over 50,000 works from across the 20th century—only a fraction of those are exhibited at the huge gallery. Start your journey with contemporary art on the fourth floor and work your way up—and back in time—through Ono, Klein, Calder, Dufy, and Picasso. Canonize your visit with a new classic: une coupe de champagne on the sixth floor terrace café, aptly dubbed, Georges.

From stylish hotels, retro-chic bars that resemble cold-war bomb shelters to boutiques that elevate kitschy East German goods to high design, Berlin is still divided. The city is a mixture of past and future. Take a stroll into the twisted backstreets and you might bump into building, a courtyard or a block that looks frozen in 1989. The art mile in the Mitte district, in drab contrast to the slick galleries and Ikea-fied apartments.

Berlin is extremely rich in music and art. The music, as eclectic as the beer selection, is played by a rotating cast of floppy-haired D.J.’s. For modern beats in a retro lounge, climb the rickety scaffolding to Klub der Republik, or K.D.R. , a grungy hangout in Prenzlauer Berg named after the Palace of the Republic, the dismantled East German parliament building.

Berlin has 170-plus museums, but only one examines how ordinary East Berliners lived under Communist rule — another example, perhaps, that reunification is a work in progress. The small, privately financed DDR Museum opened in 2006 and offers a playful trip behind the Iron Curtain with authentic artifacts and archival film.

Berlin was a huge city even when it was divided. To cover more ground, see old East Berlin behind the wheel of a Trabant, the plastic car that was a symbol, for better or worse, of the Communist regime. See also how the other side lived. While East Berliners were scouring markets for fresh fruits and vegetables, Iggy Pop and others were drinking absinthe and ordering entrecote at the Paris Bar , in the upscale Charlottenburg district of what was West Berlin.

The city has coolest night life. whether it’s the urban beach bars that seem to wash up wherever there’s open space or the perpetually long lines outside the Watergate Club. Vintage drink carts. For groovy East German goods at moderate prices, bring your tote bag to Arkonaplatz, a little park at the edge of Mitte that becomes a retro-trendy flea market on Sundays. Cute cafes ring the park. Bring your sunglasses.

Photos by: Denny Lee

De Brehat Archipelago is a small archipelago, composed of two main islands, Ile de Brehat surrounded by a wash of reefs and islets stretched across Paimpol Bay off the coast of Brittany. This car-free island with its mild micro-climate is a heaven for flora and fauna. During the summer, the smell of eucalyptus, honeysuckle and mimosa fills the air, while the local ornithological survey has noted over 300 species of marine birds. Photo by: eric_arbras

All boats to the island arrive at the tiny harbour of Port-Clos. Form there it is a ten-minute walk to the pretty village of Le Bourg, full of character with a plane tree-shaded square. Be warned though that at low tide the ferries dock some distance from the harbour, requiring a five-minute hike up the beach. No new buildings are allowed on the island and existing buildings are subject to very strict planning regulations. Photo by: roarpett

The Pont ar Prat bridge takes you to the wider north of the island which has the feel of the open sea, with its tiny, whitewashed lighthouse overlooking craggy pink rocks and tidal races at the tip of the island. Photo by: alkainel

In the past, Brehat’s vivid colours and tranquil pace drew artists such as Henri Matisee and JD Fergusson – today, the idyllic island is a small resort, drawing in young, trendy Parisians. Photo by: Steve Walesch

When to go: May, June and late September to avoid the busy season. Population: 420. Getting there: By ferry from Pointe de l’Arcoust (all year round) or from Erquy (summer only). Photo by: alkainel

This former 17th-century mansion, now a stunning 4-star hotel. The hotel is situated on the outskirts of Tours, in the center of a property of 140 hectares with lake view Briffaut. Located 143 miles from Paris, 6 miles west of Tours and 2 miles from Luynes.

It used to be called the chateau de Beauvais, from the Latin “bellum visum” which means “beautiful view.” Hotel is surrounded by ornamental gardens and 350 acres of wooded parkland.

Rooms: 36 Total Rooms Superior room with queen or twin bed, king size bed possible on request. Briffaut pond view. Television, mini bar, direct dial telephone.

All rooms are for non-smokers!

Amenities: Business Center, High-speed Internet, Parking, Pets Allowed, Restaurant, Room Service, Swimming pool.

The restaurant serves sophisticated French cuisine, and there’s a lovely terrace for al fresco dining in the summertime.

Fitness, tennis, ballooning, wine tasting in private trogloditic cellar, Golf, horse riding, fishing.

This is not very popular, but Reunion Island is part of the European Union, being one of France’s fully incorporated overseas departments. It is one of the French Republic’s 26 regions with the same status as those on the European mainland. Because Reunion is in a time zone to the east of Europe, the first ever purchase with the EU’s new currency was made here in 2002 – a 1 euro bag of lichees in Saint-Denis market. Photo by: Gido Gerland

The tropical island is located in the Indian Ocean, 200 km to the south west of Mauritius. The British seized the Mascarene Islands every in the 19th century, but Reunion was latter returned to France. It was uninhabited when the first Europeans visited – Portuguese explorers in 1513 – but the Reunion of today is well populated and economically successful. It is 63 km long by 45 km wide. Photo by: xavierlelay

Reunion’s boasts with vulcanological fame is that – like Hawaii – it is located on a hotspot above the earth’s crust. Fournaise is a shield volcano that has erupted more than one hundred times since the 17th century and is still erupting, most recently in 2007. The higher Piton de Neige is an extinct volcano. The island has a great variety of landscapes – volcanic peaks and lava beds, heavily forested slopes, coastal lowlands, rocky shores and a few sandy beaches. Photo by: zanimo

Tourism is an important economic activity and a typically French range of accommodation may be found – hotels, pensions, gites and the occasional resort. Getting around isn’t hard – there is a good public bus service on paved roads, though traffic can jump up at peak times – and Reunion offers a really excellent and varied range of interesting visitors attractions. Photo by: stephjeu

When to go: The very rainy season (December to March) is best avoided. Population: 785,000. How to get there: By air, ideally (for coats reasons) from Paris or Mauritius. By boat from Mauritius. Photo by: miko974

Photo by: Aureline et Freddy

Martinique’s Creole chic is a Caribbean wonder. As a Department of France, the island gets all the benefits of the north European Euro – zone, allied to the technicolor brilliance of West Indian music and culture. It’s a heady and glamorous mix. The downside of the French umbilical is overdevelopment and overcrowding, which can be dismaying if you arrive from another island, but after a day or so the sheer of the island will captivate you. Photo by: *** Olivia ***

Martinique is big enough to have mountains, rivers, forests and flower-filled wolds – all of which have more than 350 years of history . Fort de France is itself set on one of the world’s loveliest bays. At St Marie et Macouba, perched on a cliff over the Atlantic, are some of Martinique’s most famous rum distilleries – but remember local rum is often twice the strength of the other islands. Photo by: cnszym

The Caravelle Peninsula is especially beautiful at Baie du Tresor and Chateau Dubuc. Further south, you can watch the fishing fleet come home from the hills above Le Vauclin, among the hundred secluded coves and offshore sandbars that make south Martinique so attractive to yachts. Photo by: ziboom

When to go: Year-round. Come for a really spirited 5-day Mardi Gras in February/March. Population: 400,000. How to get there: By air from Miami, Puerto Rico or Paris; or from New York or London via Antigua, St Lucia or Barbados. Photo by: cnszym

The hotel California Champs- Elysees, a prestigious hotel situated in the center of Paris.
Atmosphere and offers all the amenities you may need as a tourist or a businessman.

50 m off the Champs-Elysées, within walking distance of Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower, 500 m from fashionnable Avenue Montaigne.

The luxury hotel offers with 174 elegant suites and bedrooms. Rooms feature minibars, TVs with pay movies, air conditioning, and black-out drapes.

This hotel is also proud to boast concierge services, room service, laundry facilities, 24-hour front desk, business center, and dry cleaning service.

4000 paintings cover the walls in this great and luxury Parisian property.

 Guests can dine at the on-site restaurant that serves a variety of fine cuisines for them to relish and later relax at the cosy bar with a cooling exotic drink.

Activities: guests can engage in nearby golf, running, and yoga classes and massage.

The hotel is a 17th century private mansion in the historic centre of the French capital, Paris. The d’Aubusson is a ten minute walk from Notre Dame Cathedral and The Lourvre.

Rooms are large,  each attractively and comfortably furnished, often in a Directoire style and sometimes with exposed ceiling beams.

Room services: Room service for breakfast, air-conditioned, TV.

Hotel amenities: Alcoholic drinks bar, Garden/Terrace, Hairdryer, Free Internet Access, Laundry Service.

  Breakfast is available for an additional EUR25.
 

There are dozens of brasseries and cafes and restaurants in the area.

It is one of the most authentic corners of the Amalfi Coast, reckoned by many to be the most beautiful stretch of coastline in Europe. Praiano it was once the summer residence of the Doge, the dukes of the Amalfi Republic. It is a small town located between Amalfi and Positano, away from the most touristy areas and rich with history, culture, views and comforts.

Superb views of the coastline can be enjoyed from pleasant panoramic walks around Praiano, as well as from more demanding hikes above the town. Take the boat trip inside and you see a remarkable green light reflecting from the water and the rocks of the cave. One of Praiano’s most spectacular sights is the Parish church, dedicated to St. Luke, the Chiesa di San Luca Evangelista. Within the church are several side chapels, some treasured relics of the saint, and an attractive eighteenth-century majolica floor. 
 

The most popular hotels in Praiano are: Hotel Margherita, Hotel Onda Verde, Grand Hotel Tritone.

Guadeloupe is a mini-archipelago of wide geographical contrasts. The outlying islands of Marie-Galante, La Desirade and Les Saintes are undeveloped, fill of reminders of their historic importance as sugar plantations. Their tranquil coves are especially valued for their privacy and proximity to breathtaking reefs. Photo by: jendayee

Guadeloupe is also know as ‘Butterfly’ and it eastern wing is a mostly flat, dry limestone plateau ideal for the tremendous sugar plantation. At its extreme eastern point, St Francois, you’ll come across to the Pte des Chateaux, an arrangement of cliff and tumbled rock that look like a series of castles and carefully hides the only nudist beach in Guadeloupe. Photo by: Rh.P

During the nights the beats and action transferto clubs and bars of Gosier, Abymes and Pointe-a-Pitre. The island’s heart is a national park of mountains covered with orchid-filled tropical rainforest. You can hike through jungle to the Cascade des Ecrevisses, one of many waterfalls on the island. Then go to the terrific nightlife on the coast. Photo by: Rh.P

When to go: Year-round. Come for the Fete des Cuisinieres in August, a culinary nirvana of French Creole celebration, with music and parades and spectacular food. Population: 453, 000 (2006). How to get there: By air from Paris or Miami to Pointe-a-Pitre; or via San Juan, Martinique or Barbados. By inter island ferry or by private boat-taxi, from all neighbouring islands. Photo by: Rh.P

Photo by: jpmiss

Feel like a trip to London and Paris? You will find both on Kiritimati in mid-Pacific, also known as Christmas Island (Captain Cook arrived on 24 December 1777, in ‘naming’ mood). The world’s largest coral atoll extends to a substantial 640 sq km and makes up 70 per cent of the land area in the scattered island republic of Kiribati. Its villages are London, Tabwakea, Banana, Poland and Paris (now sadly in ruins). And no you don’t have to take a Geiger counter – the radiation from Britain’s 1950s H-bomb tests on Maiden Island, 32o km south of Kiritimati, has long dissipated on the four winds.

Many place names on Kiririmati date from the tenure of Emmanuel Rougier, a French priest who leased the island between the two World Wars, planting nearly a million coconut trees as his contribution to the islanders’ future. London is the main village and his modern port facility handling exports like coconut, copra, seaweed and tropical saltwater aquarium fish. There is little tourism, because the island is long way from anywhere and – despite some good beaches and a splendid lagoon – doesn’t have much to offer that’s worth going that far for, other than sport fishing and the opportunity to observe millions of nestling seabirds. 

There is a hotel, but the most of the Micronesian inhabitants live without electricity, running water or sanitation. This is one of the most primitive places on earth, but the people are very friendly and live a traditional community life, sheltered by thatched huts skilfully constructed from coconut plants and pandanus trees, subsisting on coconut products and the fruits of the sea. 

When to go: Any time, as there is no rainy season (indeed little rain at all). Avoid El Nino periods if you are bird watcher – the birds vanish. Population: 5,000 (2005). How to get there: The weekly Aloha Airline flight from Honolulu to Cassidy International Airport. Cruise ships visit frequently. Photos by: beckysue75

Paris is a world favorite destination for fashion… Shopping is the best way to discover the glamorous character of France with its inimitable sense of luxury. For more than a century, Avenue Montaigne has been an ultra-exclusive quarter, exuding hushed chic. This street is known for its wide array of luxurious fashion clothing shops and jewelers shops, including nearly all of fashion’s biggest names. This is a hot spot of many European and American millionaires, movie stars and royalty.

Also it’s one of the world’s most expensive streets – rent: $660 per sq. m. All high fashion institutions have their headquarters in this certain kind of street. That including Christian Dior, Chanel, Max Mara, Louis Vuitton, Lacroix, Prada, Versace, Ricci, Celine, Valentino, Calvin Klein and Hermes. You will find jewelers Bulgari and ST Dupont and luggage designer Louis Vuitton.

Standing on the chic Avenue Montaigne, Hotel Plaza Athenee is a true symbol of traditional Parisian style. This 4 star hotel offers an oasis of peaceful charm. Within easy walking distance of the Champs-Elysees, Arc of Triumph, and Eiffel tower, is the perfect luxury Paris hotel in which to be based.

Tortuguero is one of Costa Rica’s most popular National Parks. Protecting over 22 miles of beach strip beginning from the mouth of the River Tortuguero south to Parisimina, this national park is 19,000 hectares. The main attraction of Tortuguero National Park is the turtles, also a number of crustaceans, and over 50 species of freshwater fish.The Leatherback , the largest sea turtle species in the world, nests from February to July.

The park has incredible biological variety, due to the existence within the reserve of eleven different habitats , including rainforest,swamps,beaches , and lagoons. The flora in this area is also very rich and abundant. Some of the species found in this region are crab wood, coconut trees, banak and forest. The best way to see most of the park is from a boat.

Tortuguero shelters a fabulous array of wildlife, including more than 300 bird species, among them the great green macaw; 57 species of amphibians and 111 of reptiles. Commonly seen birds include toucans, aricaris, oropendolas, swallow-tailed hawks, several species of herons, kingfishers, anhingas and parrots.

Tortuguero offers the opportunity to see monkeys, sloths, manatees, caimans, snakes, river otter, macaws, toucans and dozens of other wildlife species.