>>'attractions' related Travel Topics
Oct16
Published by misha in Arts, Brazil, Cities, Cultural, Events, Photos, South America, Travel Stories, Urban Tourism

Displayed on bubble-shaped stands, Galeria Melissa’s hip, gaudily-colored prime sellers—plastic shoes made in collaboration with design stars like Karim Rashid—look like art objects from outer space. The shop aims to be Sao Paulo’s “go to” place for cutting edge styles and ideas. Housed in a space created by Muti Randolph, the architect behind the electronic music temple D-Edge’s retro-futuristic beat box design, Galeria Melissa updates itself every three months by renewing the prints and graphics on its walls, a jungle of striking tints and bold shapes.



Jul31
Published by Asya in Australia, History, Monuments, Parks, Photos, Relaxing, Sightseeings, Travel gear

The Twelve Apostles are giant rock formations lies along the majestic coastline of Port Campbell National Park, app.230km from Melbourne, Australia. It is Victoria’s second largest marine national park and covers 7,500 hectares including some of the most spectacular underwater scenery – incredible underwater arches, canyons and caves.

Millions of years of constant sea erosion and blasting winds have battered the soft limestone cliffs, creating grottoes and gorges, arches, caves and sea-sculptures. The caves eventually became arches and when they collapsed rock stacks up to 45 meters high were left isolated from the shore. The Twelve Apostles have been created by erosion that began 10–20 million years ago. The cliff top road gives occasional glimpses of the drama below – the Australia’s most famous rock attractions.

May11
Published by misha in Adventure, Africa, Camping, Eating, Fishing, Malawi, Parks, Photos, Restaurants, Safaris, Sightseeings, Travel Stories

Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa, also emerged as Nyasaland. Behind the shores of lake Malawi known for boutique eco-resorts and rich international tourists is another Malawi with green hills, tea plantations, high mountains and game parks free of safari jeep traffic jams. The country covering about 400 miles in total and every traveler will find an extraordinary experience.

Despite of the fact the roads could sometimes be rough, in general the country provides an easy trip. The widly spoken language is English. The other language is Chichewa. The main point in Malawi is Blantyre. Blantyre is like Malawi’s New York. It’s a centre of finance and commerce and is the second largest city. During daytime in Blantyre you will bump into vendors hawk, avocados, bananas and cellphones card ending up to the window of your car; traffic police try to stop wild drivers.

As well as Blantyre boast several ”Out of Africa” restaurants, where you can sit on an open -air terrace and sip a late afternoon Malawi style gin and tonic.

Then from Blantyre, lies the Thyolo region about 25 miles southeast though winding road. Everywhere in Malawi is recommended to hire a car and driver (for about $30 a day). So Thyolo is a home to tea plantations, reminds very much of Sri Lanka. The roads there have winds and meanders up through rich green hills. Several of the plantations like Satemwa Tea Estate welcome overnight visitors offering them traditional planters’ bungalows.

But if you going north from Blantyre in a trip you will come across the biggest attraction of the country: the famous lake and Liwonde National Park. The park is very wild and animals have become almost conditioned to seeing tourists. If you are not on a paid safari tour, the best way to explore the park is to take a boat, provided by Mvuu Camp, the main lodge in the park, along the Shire River.

Just 80 miles north of Liwonde you will come to lake Malawi, which has the widest diversity of fish in the world and shore with its rocky outcroppings reminds of the Indian Ocean beach.

May11
Published by misha in Arts, Cultural, Eating, Europe, Museums, Parks, Photos, Restaurants, Sightseeings, Switzerland, Urban Tourism, Walking

 Zurich is a city with no shortage of timekeepers. Zurich is also a city of landscape design, the Helvetica typeface and the Swiss Army Knife. Clocks are everywhere, over train and tram stations and from the facades of office buildings and church steeples. Time may rule this modern capital but also symbolizes the dynamic between the city’s history and modernity.

Zurich is the world’s most livable city, owing to its small size and population of fewer than 400, 000. It’s a place where bankers dance during summer evenings and where wealth attracts contemporary art.

Zurich is very exciting, attracting more young people and more foreigners. You have more galleries per person than any other city in the world, after New York. Zurich offers spectacular museums, restaurants, boutiques and nature in every doorstep, which is very important. That’s why an Italian wants to compare his muscles, he does it with the German and the French.

On the west side of Zurich (also known as Kries 4), the industry is there and so its art. Everything is there. There are new apartments, lofts and cinemas in old factories. Schiffbau is a lovely theater with a good restaurant called LaSalle. It’s an aesthetic glass box.

Swiss people, in general plan the future too much, so they are not really alive. They know exactly what they will do at 60. and this is not sexy and attractive for me. There you can have the sexiness. They just want to do the best. You will see this in the benches or the design of bins- it’s too much. It’s too material.

May07
Published by misha in Cultural, Eating, Hiking, North America, Parks, Photos, Restaurants, United States of America, Urban Tourism, Walking

Houston, Texas is a place famous for its weird view of bigger is better. But today residents are starting to realize the environmental predicament that we need to change our actions in order to have a future in this world. Houston is a diverse city that attracts intellectuals from all over the world to industries such as energy and aerospace. Nowadays as I already mentioned the city offers a surprisingly large number of modern and international style architecture.

In this city of the biggest people, they are slowly learning the benefits of small. People are more aware of the environment and more concern about the future of our Planet Earth.

Houston is a place where people like to have their car: it’s a freedom, you know. Because it’s so hot and humid, you have the underground city where you can go from one building to another all through tunnels and without having to go the street level or outside. It’s all connected by walkways underground. There’s everything in the underground city: restaurants, business, laundry services and many more.
On ground level Houston itself boasts with Discovery Green park. A spot with different activities like performances and concerts, great restaurants, pilates, yoga classes, a playground for kids, a manmade water pond for boats. It’s wonderful. It’s one of those things that make you think ”Houston is actually progressing”.

The food in Houston is fantastic. When it comes to food, it’s one of those places -discoverable. They have incredible seafood and barbecue traditions with a variety of flavors.But watch you eat – Houston’s the fattest city in the United States.

May07
Published by misha in Cultural, Europe, Events, Italy, Monuments, Photos, Urban Tourism

Pescara – a city in the Abruzzo region of Italy, situated at sea level on the Atlantic coast. The coast is low and sandy and the beach extends untouched for some distance to both the north and the south of the river. The city has Mediterranean climate typical of Atlantic Sea with dry hot summers, rainy winters and high humidity all year round. Pescara is also city of culture, art and relax.

In this article I’m very pleased and attracted by one of the fountain in Pescara’s Della Rinascita, created by Japanese architect Toyo Ito and integrated on 14 December last year, cracked by itself. The celebration of the inauguration of Plaza Della Rinascita was attended by 10, 000 people with great expectation and participation in which citizenship has been waiting for the completion led.

The day in the square is continued with all the events planned and rebirth of Plaza Lounge has closed the concert with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Pescara with its 55 elements entertained the audience playing known opera arias.

The fountain itself comprises 20 cubic meters of transparent acrylic material dubbed in the huge wine glass, five meter high on the two meter-square base. Passers- by heard creaking noises and the water in the tremendous bowl appeared to freeze. The monument which costs more than one million euros has been cordoned off by the police.

Apr28
Published by misha in Arts, Asia, China, Cultural, Eating, Hiking, History, Museums, Parks, Photos, Shanghai, Sightseeings, Travel Stories, Urban Tourism

Pearl of the Orient, Paris of the East. For a century and a half Shanghai was the wildest, wealthiest, flashiest city in Asia—the rival of any world capital. Western visitors were captivated by the crowded, chaotic, yet thoroughly cosmopolitan city. Foreign powers carved out concession zones featuring their own cafes, clubs, police forces, and legions of prostitutes.

Everything seemed so different. China crowded it was, and so hot. There were lots of people everywhere, sleeping on the streets. Apartments were so small and basic. Everything was so dark, so dank.

But today the city is unlike any in the world. Travelers from around the globe poured in, creating a uniquely international place, with newspapers and performances in spectacular art deco theaters in a dozen languages. Splendid colonial architecture rose along a riverfront called the Bund that contrasted delightfully with traditional tile-roofed Chinese dwellings, creating a unique fusion of East and West. Food, fashion, and music blended in a similar spirit.

It’s got a great vibe and great music. Ten years ago, Shanghai was a completely different place and none of what you see now existed. The city used to be the only spark of creativity, with a basement that had the only alternative art and music in the city. The place has changed.

There’s a lot of great places to explore in Shanghai like very cool art districts and a lot of great designer boutiques, pottery shops, and other creative shops. I also like the Shanghai Art Museum, which has this fantastic setting along the old racing track, the former British Jockey Club. Green tea is the way to go—and a lot of wine.
Apr26
Published by misha in Adventure, Events, Extreme, North America, Photos, Racing, Travel gear, United States of America

The record speed for a wind powered vehicle is 126.1 miles per hour! That is the record set by Richard Jenkins this past weekend at the Ivenpah Lake in Nevada, where he finally managed to do what he set out to do 10 years ago – pilot the fastest wind powered vehicle in the world.

The Greenbird is a carbon-fiber composite vehicle that is exclusively wind powered, making it essentially an earthbound sailboat. There were challenges involved, since at high speeds the vehicle tends to, well, take off. To counter this problem the vehicle incorporates specific design solutions, such as wings similar to those found in formula one cars.

The crafts are elegant, sophisticated and futuristic – but are based on familiar aeronautical, sailing and wind technology principles. They use solid sails, much like an aircraft wing. The crafts’ design achieves staggering efficiency. It enables the land craft to travel at between 3 & 5 times the real wind speed, depending on the surface traction.


Apr14
Published by misha in Cruise, Europe, France, Hiking, Photos, Resorts, Romantic, Sailing, Sightseeings, Swimming, Travel Stories

Côte d’Azur is also popular in English as the French Riviera – it is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeastern corner of France, extending from Menton near the Italian border on the east to either Hyères or Cassis in the west. The Côte d’Azur was once one of the first resort areas in the world. It began as a health resort for ailing British tourists at the end of the 18th century, after that in the mid-19th century, when the railroad arrived, it became the playground and vacation spot of British, Russian, and other aristocrats, such as Queen Victoria and King Edward VII, when he was Prince of Wales.

In the first half of the 20th century it was visited by artists and writers such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Edith Wharton and Somerset Maugham, as well as wealthy Americans and Europeans. After World War II it became a popular destination for mass tourism and conventions, as well as a summer home and meeting place for celebrities from Brigitte Bardot to Elton John.

Officially, the Côte d’Azur is home to 163 nationalities with 83,962 foreign residents, although unofficial and semi-official estimates of the number of non-French nationals living in the area are often much higher. The French Riviera also contains the seaside resorts of Cannes, Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Beaulieu, Cap d’Ail, Fréjus, Saint-Raphaël, and Saint-Tropez, and surrounds the principality of Monaco, with a total population of over 2m.

Monaco
Apr13
Published by misha in Arts, Asia, Cultural, Events, Photos, Singapore, Urban Tourism

Singapore Arts Festival is the biggest cultural event on Singapore’s arts calendar with artists from dozens of countries. It features hundreds of activities – a 4-week infusion of performances and events that inspires and captures the public imagination of the city. The festival first started in 1977 as a national arts festival celebrating the local arts activities of Singapore’s various communities. During the decades, the Festival has a crucial catalytic role in the development of the artistic and cultural life of Singapore.

The Festival also helped to transform the city’s cultural landscape, turning it into one of Asia’s major cultural capitals and gave new cultural platforms, events, and movements that help underpin the lively cultural scene in present Singapore.

Nowadays the Festival is described as a bold, progressive and innovative spirit, committed to commissioning new works by Singapore, Asian and international artists, exploring among others, contemporary issues related to history, memory, migration, and urban living and encouraging regional and international artistic exchanges and collaborations. The Festival also includes events of free outdoor performances island-wide, bringing the arts to the doorsteps of Singaporeans.

The Singapore Arts Festival continue to exist as the largest singular event on Singapore’s arts calendar, including artists from more than 20 countries, offering more than 400 activities and attracting up to 500,000 attendances and events that inspires and captures the public imagination of the city.

Mar16
Published by misha in Asia, Cultural, Events, Hotels, Japan, Parks, Photos, Relaxing, Urban Tourism

The Four Season Hotel is placed in the Marunouchi central business district, adjacent to Tokyo Station. The hotel offers a striking, contemporary setting within the landmark glass-clad tower of the prestigious Pacific Century Place.

The Four Seasons hotel boasts the most convenient location in town. For first-timers leery of traveling between Narita Airport and Tokyo Station, the hotel offers a unique “greeting” service at the airport to assure a seamless transition all the way to the hotel (cost: Â¥5,250/$44/£22).

This property offers the ultimate in service, privacy, and exclusivity, with a well-trained staff that goes out of its way to make guests feel welcome (including special amenities and services for children).

Guests are accompanied to rooms by guest-relations officers, and with good reason, as rooms are so high-tech it’s almost impossible to figure out even such mundane tasks as double-locking the doors or engaging the bathtub stopper.

At 44 sq. m (474 sq. ft.) and larger, the attractive rooms are tremendous by Tokyo standards, with such standouts as wall-mounted 42-inch plasma-screen TVs with Internet connections, hookups for MP3 players with surround sound, leather-covered desks, bathrooms with separate tub and shower areas, and floor-to-ceiling windows. The ultimate comfort!

At Four Seasons, you enjoy a unique vantage point from which to explore the sights, sounds and experiences around you.

As well as the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi is part of the 31-level Pacific Century Place, a prestigious office and retail development neighbouring Ginza shopping district and Tokyo’s train and subway stations.

It’s wonderful because Tokyo offers four defined seasons with comfortable temperatures throughout. Cherry trees blossom in springtime before temperatures reach 30°C (86°F) in summer months. The vibrant colours of autumn paint a memorable image, amidst crisp temperatures. Relatively mild winter temperatures rarely fall far below freezing.

Mar16
Published by misha in Asia, China, Eating, Hiking, Hotels, Photos, Resorts, Sightseeings, Spa, Surfing, Swimming

Hainan Island is often called the Chinese Hawaii, and it is the only tropical beach destination in China. It puts its arms round the South China Sea and the Gulf of Tonkin, about a 90-minute flight southwest of Hong Kong. The island is a paradise, he sea is a pale, minty hue and empty of people, the sand gleaming white!

The picture displays the south coast around the port city of Sanya, which is experiencing a luxury hotel boom: Ritz-Carlton, Banyan Tree, Le Méridien and Mandarin Oriental. In the past, Hainan had a romantic air. It served for centuries as a place of banishment for criminals, exiled poets and political undesirables.

After Hainan separated from Guangdong to become its own province in 1988, a development boom was started by a bust that left many building projects on the island half-finished. In the recent years, Hainan has welcomed back investors and become a fashionable spot for Russian tourists. The picture shows a dinner at the Resort Horizon in Yalong Bay.

The island also has a reputation as a surfer’s paradise. Between April and September, waves tend to come from the south, while October to March brings a northeastern winter swell.

These ingredients Star anise and coffee beans are used for spa treatments at many hotels.

Despite rapid development on Hainan, stretches of rice paddies and green, mist-covered mountain slopes remain. The warm, humid climate makes the island a bounty of tropical crops.

Mar06
Published by misha in Denmark, Eating, Europe, Events, Hiking, Photos, Sailing, Sightseeings, Travel Stories, Urban Tourism

Today the Copenhagen Harbour is in the middle of a transformation from an industrial port and traffic junction to being the cultural and social centre of the city. During your stroll in the Copenhagen Harbour you will come across the Harbour Bath, which extends the adjacent park over the water by incorporating the practical needs and demands for accessibility, safety and programmatic flexibility.

The Harbour Bath also offers an urban harbour landscape with dry-docks, piers, boat ramps, cliffs, playgrounds and pontoons. As a terraced landscape, the Harbour Bath completes the transition from land to water, making it possible for the citizens of Copenhagen to go for a swim in the middle of the city.

But if you want to enjoy the whole harbour you may get a better view from the water. Why not go on board one of the yellow harbour buses or on a sightseeing boat through the canals? On land the City Bikes are free of charge and a fine way to get about the city and discover interesting places and things off the beaten track – but only within the city ramparts.

There are several possibilities for eating with water below the hull. Visitors can find a few ideas of where to go, but do also look around the canal areas of Christianshavn and Holmen.
Feb26
Published by misha in Adventure, Africa, Extreme, Hiking, Parks, Photos, Sightseeings, South Africa, Travel Stories, Walking

There is wildness to Cape Town – the big skies, the rugged canyons, the jagged outcroppings of sandstone and granite that rises over the icy South Atlantic at the tip of Africa. Today in Cape Town you can enjoy penguins waddle across white-sand beaches, elands wander the dunes, hungry baboons jump on unsuspecting tourists pifer apart their stuff.

Cape Town is a place, which can amused a visitor with its grand-scale landscapes. Besides it’s all became very cheap to explore with the South African rand. You can stay in a good hotel room, rent a car, eat excellent meals and stroll in spectacular wilderness, all for a total of $300 per a day. The picture displays Kalk Bay – a funky mix of tidy Edgartown and rough-edged New Bedford — hug the coast.

In this image Table Mountain National Park, a tremendous area that encompasses the Table Mountain range and extends from Cape Town’s Signal Hill to the southernmost tip of the cape.

The neighborhood of Bo-Kaap, also emerged as its colorful architecture and large Muslim community.

Baboons scavenge for food in Table Mountain National Park.

A view of Cape Town.
Jan27
Published by misha in Adventure, Climbing, Hiking, Panama, Photos, Rafting, Sightseeings, South America, Travel Stories

Boquete is a small town situated between the green mountains of Panama, about 60km from the border of Costa Rica. Boquete is also emerging as one of Central America’s latest eco-tourism destinations.

Surrounded by green mountains as we mentioned, and topped by misty peaks, Boquete offers plenty of outdoors activities, such as hiking, climbing, bird-watching and white-water rafting.

The weather is warm during the daytime, bracing at night and perfect for growing bananas, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, strawberries and coffee.

Some of its landmarks include nearby Volcán Barú, a dormant volcano and, at 3,475 meters, the tallest point of land in Panama. Hikers enjoy a relatively easy hike up and over the volcano, along the Sendero de los Quetzales, which runs from Boquete up to Cerro Punta and Volcan, on the other side of the volcano.

Panama also offers magnificent bird-watching. The forests in and around Boquete are home to a dazzling array of quetzals, toucans and parrots.