Noorderlicht is an old dock place, used by 250 artists working in the fields of theater, film, media, architecture and design. The place is both cafe & restaurant and also a little getaway from the city. Especially when the weather is holding up, it’s a perfect way to spend a late afternoon contemplating your day in Amsterdam on the terrace overlooking the IJ and part of the city center.

The staff is very informal, laid back and friendly, but not particularly speedy when it’s busy. The food is always fresh, healthy and delicious. The menu changes with the seasons and offers a variety of prices, so you can decide if you want to stay on a budget or splurge a little. The desserts are to die for, especially the plum tarte tatin and hangop pudding with rhubarb sauce.

Getting there: An absolute must! From the new Aanmeersteiger behind Central Station, where the big ferry to Amsterdam Noord-establishes, leaves a NDSM ferry to the wharf. Hence it is five minutes walk to Northern Lights. Over 50 more after arriving straight and then turn right at the NDSM. Walk 300 meter straight to the sheds on your left. At the end you see right to a transparent dome ‘t IJ. Just make sure you don’t miss the last ferry back to civilization. Ferries operate daily at 12:00 till 22:00.

The Ibiza Rocks Hotel is situated in the centre of San Antonio, just 300m from the beach. The team of the hotel took over one of the largest hotels with the intention of revamping it, celebrating the glory of rock, naturally. There are 2 outdoor pools, 4 bars including the Electric and Back Stage bars, Ibiza Rocks Shop selling an amazing range of Ibiza Rocks merchandise and an on site supermarket.

This year are their pool and stage view rooms – book one of these babies for you and your friends and you can enjoy the Tuesday night live shows from the comfort and privacy of your very own balcony. Gig tickets are included with all of these premium rooms.

Most of the guests are 18-24 year old Brits who’ve come for a party, so don’t expect peace and quiet. In addition to the constant entertainment, there’s a large gaming room courtesy of X-box, and the consoles can be rented for in-room use. If you’re game for some action and sleep is not a priority, Ibiza Rocks Hotel is in the heart of the action. Rooms are higher grade furnishings with twin beds in the main lounge, a double terrace with pool view, plasma screen TV, fresh fruit and flowers on arrival and maid service and fresh towels 6 days per week.

When to go: June to September. Getting there: Fly to Ibiza, then car/bus to  San Antonio. The hotel is at only 300m from the beach and sunset bars.

Set just off the Ontario coast in Lake Huron, Manitoulin Island is the largest freshwater island in the world (2,800 sq km). A wonderful place of petit villages, rolling pasture, forests and lakes, its edges are fringed with long beaches and white cliffs.

The first nations Oijbwa people, the island’s original inhabitants believed that when the Great Spirit, Gitchi Manitou, created the Earth he kept the best bits and made Manitoulin his home. In 1648 a group of French Jesuits became the first Europeans to settle on Manitoulin Island, which they named Isle de Ste. Marie.

Unfortunately they brought with them new disease that rapidly devastated the Ojibwa population. Marauding Iroquois bands, then drove out those who remained, leaving the island uninhabited for over a hundred years. During the 19th century, the island’s beauty attract the attention of white settlers who, after first giving Manitoulin to other native bands, then revoked all treaties and claimed for themselves.

Nowadays Manitoulin and the waters around it serve as Ontario’s summer playground with boats and all kinds of weaving in and out of its many bays and filing its large inland lakes. Hiking is popular and the island has a well signposted system of trails. Every August the Ojibwa Band holds one of Canada’s biggest powwows, a celebration of life through dance, storytelling and displays of arts and crafts.

Islands, islands everywhere – hundred of them in the Mindanao Island group, of which is the largest by far is ‘big daddy’ Mindanao at 97,500 sq km. Mindanao is the centre of Islam in the Philippines, though it is now the island’s minority religion. Even so the struggle to secure an independent Muslim state on the island has been taking place for centuries and continues to these days. Photo by: frankeys creation

Mindanao is located at the mos southerly and easterly point in the Philippines. The island has a unique character that makes it seem very different from the rest of the Philippines. It is also a land between modern and traditional. Photo by: sweetcaroline?

The thriving industrial centre that is Davao City certainly belongs to the 21st century, as do the many intensive agri-businesses producing commodities like pineapples and meat. But once away from centres of population in the largely unspoiled back country, adventurous visitors will find themselves in a nature – lovers paradise and will be fascinated by the timeless way of life. Rich flora and fauna, astonishing attractions, stunning coastlines and islands, white sand beaches, crystal water, different ethnic communities with colourful festivals – all combine to make Mindanao a popular tourist destination. Photo by: anggebarcelona

There is more than enough of Mindanao to go round, but despite awareness of the importance of eco -tourism, some of the new facilities will seem intrusive to those who prefer things just the way they were. Photo by: rempleo (in a cocoon)

When to go: Any time – there is no significant wet or dry season and the climate is pleasant all year round. Population: 18,134,000. Getting there: Fly in to the recently upgraded Davao City international airport. You should know: Davao City is the world’s largest by area, at the last count sprawling out over 2,450 sq km and still growing. Photo by: Storm Crypt

Pangkor is situated off the west coast of Malaysia, between Kuala Lumpur and Penang and only seven km across from Lumut. It is a small island being only 8 sq km but it has interesting history, having been a major tin producer in the 19th century. The island has some of the best beaches on this side of the Malay Peninsula and these are situated on the west coast. The east coast mainly consists of fishing villages. Photo by: mike’sworld

Fishing, boatbuilding and allied industries employ the majority of the population, with cuttlefish and anchovy being the most common type of catch – their early morning landing at Pangkor town is a bustling, colourful sight. The island is one of the Malaysia’s largest dry fish suppliers and in addition it is credited with the invention of ‘Fish Satay’. Photo by: keshiki

The main beaches are at Teluk Nipah, Pasir Bogak and Teluk Belanga, whilst at Teluk Ketapang (Turtle Bay) if you are lucky, you might spot an increasingly rare giant leatherback turtles, with lay their eggs there from May to July. Jungle trekking in the interiors offers the opportunity to explore many rare orchids and butterflies – there is a four hour trail that crosses the island. For the less energetic, it is possible to follow the road around the island in a day. Photo by: Frank Mertens

There is a two-day Hindu festival of Thaipusam, which take place between February and early March. It starts on the west coast beach of Pasir Bogak and culminates at the Pathirakaliaman Temple on the east coast and is well worth, if you can come. Photo by: mike’sworld

When to go: Year-round. Population: 25,000. Getting there: Fly from Kuala Lumpur or ferries from the mainland and Lumut. Photo by:

If you’ve strolled in the sunny Barcelona you will came across magnificent modernist buildings gaze proudly over the tree-lined boulevards, sleek furniture, elaborate tapas, chic couture and handmade chocolates. Hidden from view, there are gardens and courtyards that offers shelter from the urban rush and an intimate view of everyday Barcelona life.

Most of the gardens have been carved in recent years from the patios that form the center of each city block, and are reached down narrow passageways or by cutting through a building. They are the ideal place to relax between the sights of the Eixample, which stretches from the old city to neighborhoods like Gracia.

The picture displays the swimming pool at Calle Roger de Lluria by a water tower. This is one of the first patios returned to the public by the city in the late 1980s and home to a looming brick water tower. “The patios are like a window onto Barcelona,” said Francesc Munoz Ramirez. He also mentioned that, ”You can be an urban voyeur — watch the business of the city from the inside.”

An enormous list of Barcelona’s often-overlooked public gardens — like the serene grounds of the Barcelona Seminary or the courtyard of the Casa Elizalde cultural center, where you can often catch a weekend children’s show — can be found on the Web site of ProEixample (www.proeixample.cat), a public-private partnership dedicated to revitalizing the Eixample. Photos by: Stefano Buonamici

Grass is a lovely spot to sip a colorful, tropical bottle surrounded by dense flora in Miami. Grass is 2 in 1 – lounge and restaurant, relax and eat, accompanied with quality chill music. A variety of substantial flower buds and plant specimens float in lit jars behind the bar, and the open air setting’s breezes rustle palm fronds overhead.

A variety of substantial flower buds and plant specimens float in lit jars behind the bar, and the open air setting’s breezes rustle palm fronds overhead. As well as favouring break beat and Michael Jackson, DJs have been known to fill its dance floor. The late-night party continues at their adjoining club, The King is Dead.

Grass Restaurant & Lounge is located on 28NE 40 Street, Miami Florida!

Christiania Freetown was established in 1971 by  under the ownership of the freethinking individuals who reclaimed the land for public use in 1986. Today the  self governing community has a population of roughly 900 inhabitants, with visitors arriving daily to bear witness and explore within this ongoing social experiment.

Until 2004, one of the main attractions in Christiania was a series of hash stands on the main thoroughfare, aptly named Pusher Street. While hard drugs have always been banned by community law, the hash trade was very much at home in Chritiania, until the Danish government finally cracked down and the community was forced to refocus its business ventures. Today, a series of small businesses including shops, cafes and restaurants lure visitors to contribute to the local economy.

Christianians has  defended themselves through peaceful means and remains autonomous. Cars are banned from use within the community borders, where community members reside in abodes as typical as houses and as non-traditional as tree-houses. Chritiania is certainly an important destination for dreamers, explorers and hippies.

Christiania is located within the parameters of Copenhagen’s city bike network, we recommend you hop on one of those free access bikes and cross the river to check out a truly one-of-a-kind community.

Tycho Brahe Planetarium, is hard to miss. A statement to everything galactic, the Planetarium is where you go if you have an interest in space rocks, interstellar light beams and the planetary rings of Saturn. With one word Tycho Brahe Planetarium is Denmark’s most advanced centre for popularizing astronomy and space research and promoting knowledge on natural science.

All day round they present the spectacular IMAX films – the largest film format in the world and digital 3D films – that show you nature’s magnificence, whether they take you below the surface of the sea, out in space or into the jungle. The films are displayed on 1000 m2 dome-shaped screen which gives you the impression of being part of the on-screen action. Each film starts with a brief description of the actual night sky. Seated in the comfortable flight seats you can look forward to an hour with no time or space limitations.

The current stellar constellations are shown on the screen, which prove to be a good come down, as they also own a star projector that is able to project more than 4000 stars, complete with the different planets of our solar system.

In their permanent exhibition, The Active Universe, you’ll find the answers to some of the mysteries of space. Most of the shows are narrated in Danish. If you would like to hear the English narration, headphones are available e for DKK 20. If you are interested in our planet, in the universe or in the twinkling stars, the exhibition on natural science, astronomy and space travel is a must.

This installation is created by the american artist Jeffrey Inaba, in collaboration with Luca Peralta Studio, Rome, Italy, at Rome’s Policlinico Umberto I, the most important hospital in the Italian capital and one of the largest in Europe. 

The structure is focused on the waiting and transit areas, used every day by large numbers of people. Within the delicate and complex social context that a hospital represents, the artist offers different kinds of space where patients, passers-by, visitors and doctors can enjoy moments of relaxation.

Colors, lights, geometric shapes and various environmentally friendly elements give the hospital a new, dynamic energy. Through art, waiting becomes potential energy, transmitting positivity and bringing an element of comfort to an architectural space normally seen as a temporary and highly emotional environment.  The solar PV system generates more than the energy needed for the electricity to run the lights and the monitors and DVD player inside the sphere.

Evolver is a spectacular artifact, interrelated with the panorama environment in Zermatt. The structure sits next to the lake Stelli, at an attitude of 2,536 m. It was created by a team of 2nd year students from the university in Switzerland. 

Evolver has 24 rotating frames, which support an enclosed space, where visitors are encouraged to enter. When you processes through the structure, a 720 degrees movement is unraveling along a transformed panorama. The transformation is obvious, only while inside a person is moving along, a selective string of openings only to be caught peeling off a sequence of unexpected views from the original landscape.

Move unsteadily from side to side, a distant horizon ground and sky have been mixed into an orbiting panorama by a journey that has already culminated to where it started. A loophole on the skyline.

During the Zermatt Festival in September ‘09, Evolver hosted the sound project Deviation: Alpaufzug. Creating a new electronic device inspired by the legendary Swiss Alphorn, the Deviation collective from Lausanne installed 6 sound sources. Deviation plays improvised music on devices every time different, created for the occasion, on the basis of sound equipment in close connection with the place or context of the performance.

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.

The Olympic Stadium in Quebec, Canada was originally constructed as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics. It subsequently became the home of Montreal’s professional baseball and Canadian football teams. Also it hosted both cycling and judo events. If your family likes sports, you can go on the 30-minute guided tour, which takes visitors through the Sports Center and the Olympic Stadium. The area features numerous stands featuring a wide variety of food, though most of it is supplied by chain restaurants such as McDonalds.

Only 20 km wide and 15 km long, Iriomote’s infrastructure is limited to a single coastal road between its northern and eastern hamlets. 80 per cent of the island is protected by the state, and a third of it forms part of the Iriomote National Park, which includes Japan’s biggest coral reef – the lagoon between Iriomote and its near neighbour, Ishigaki. Iriomote is covered by dense subtropical jungle and mangrove swamps, threaded through and around a dozen peaks over 420 m. Photo by: kaori

The island has seven kinds of mangrove, including what is said to be Japan’s biggest and oldest, the Sakishimasuou tree. A short walk from the Urauchi brings you first to the exquisite Mariyudo waterfall and then to the Kampire, descending rapids so fast and turbulent they can create a spectacular veil of mist. Part of the thrill is that you are walking in the buffer zone of virgin territory: 30 sq km of Iriomote is closed to all forms of human intervention. Photo by: Internet-Okinawa.com

This is the only home of the Iriomote wildcat, one of the world’s most endangered species. It looks deceptively cuddly, like a large house cat, but has the attitudes of leopard, its nearest relative. It is the highlight of Iriomote’s extraordinary ecology: tourists willing to reach such an isolated outpost find rare and pristine terrestrial and marine environments. Photo by: jsleeuw

When to go: Year-round. Come for the Yamaneko Marathon in February, or the Festival of Shitsumatsuri in November. Population: 2, 251. How to get there: By air, from Japan’s main islands or Taiwan via Okinawa, to Ishigaki Port to Funaura and Uehara. You should know: The after-party of the Yamaneko Marathon starts with a free-for-all grab for two boatloads of sashimi, ans ends in compulsory group dancing. Photo by: ajari

Photo by: twiga_swala

The little island of Symi is part of the Dodecanese Islands and lying just 41 km north-west of the Turkish mainland. This mountainous island is separated by lovely valleys and its coast has rocky outcrops and sweet bays, many only accessible by boat. The main settlement, in the north-east of the island is also called Symi, but locals usually refer to it as Yialos. The town has an upper and lower part. The upper part is emerged as Chorio and is dominated by the fortress of the Knights of St John. The lower part of town, around the port area is stunning, surrounded as it is by green hills making a natural amphitheater. The two parts are linked by the Kali Strata, 350 steps lined with pastel-coloured neoclassical houses with flower-filled courtyards. Photo by: alexandros9

There are many lovely churches and monasteries on the island, some of which can be explored on foot, others that are only accessible by boat. The church of Constantinos and Eleni on the southern slopes of Vigla had beautiful gardens and terraces. Set in a bay to the south-west of the island is the monastery of the Archangel Michael at Panormitis, an important pilgrimage site visited by people from all over Greece. Photo by: Marite2007

Every year from July to September, the famous Symi Festival takes place on the island. The festival features dance and theatre events, as well as a host of open-air concerts by many musicians. Photo by: Marite2007

When to go: May to October. Population: 2, 606. How to get there: By boat or hydrofoil from Rhodes or Piraeus. You should know: Although the island used to be famous for its sponges, those one on sale on the island are imported. Photo by: Padmee

Photo by: alexandros9