As Europe marks the 20th anniversary of the Soviet collapse, this nation that's still shaking off its troubled communist legacy is opening a museum dedicated to the totalitarian past.
Showing posts with label tourism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tourism. Show all posts
Bulgaria opening museum of socialist art
As Europe marks the 20th anniversary of the Soviet collapse, this nation that's still shaking off its troubled communist legacy is opening a museum dedicated to the totalitarian past.
River and ocean voyages of a lifetime
River and ocean voyages of a lifetime - Travel - Destination Travel - msnbc.com: "The romance of long ocean and river voyages of history holds powerful sway over the dreams of many world travelers. But there's no need to relegate the great voyage to the realm of books and dreams — many can still be done today in classic style." Tourists pay more to keep Venice above water
Ritz-Carlton tops JD Power survey for luxury hotels
Marriott's most exclusive hotel chain earned top honors among its luxury hotel rivals for a second consecutive year, besting by a few points its biggest rival: Four Seasons."
Russia To Celebrate Anniversary Of St. Basil's Cathedral
Russia To Celebrate Anniversary Of St. Basil's Cathedral: "MOSCOW -- Russia will celebrate the 450th anniversary of St. Basil's Cathedral by opening an exhibition dedicated to the so-called 'holy fool' who gave his name to the soaring structure of bright-hued onion domes that is a quintessential image of Russia.The eccentrically devout St. Basil wore no clothes even during the harsh Russian winters and was one of the very few Muscovites who dared to lambast tyrannical Czar Ivan the Terrible."
Tequila: It's not just a drink, it's a place
To the uninitiated, the wrong tequila consumed incorrectly also opens medicine chests.
The first thing one learns on a tour of the heart of Mexico's tequila country is that no one here drinks tequila as a shooter — it's better sipped from a brandy snifter or champagne glass so that the full sweet and buttery flavors and aromas of the agave can come through."
Alanya, the St Tropez of Turkey
Alanya by day and Alanya by night are two very different places.
By day, one passes the time soaking up the sun on its golden beaches, shopping, touring its castles and forts and eating fresh seafood on its restaurant ships.
By night, its harbor area resembles Ibiza's West End, with multi-story nightclubs dominating rows of streets that pulsate with house music while beautiful people dance the night away.
You will see a lot of beautiful people in Alanya, chiefly as it's become a summer destination of choice for girls in their twenties from Scandinavia, Germany and Russia; lending the place a gigantic pan-European spring break feel."
Vacation tips on how to truly unplug - CNN.com
Vacation tips on how to truly unplug - CNN.com (CNN) -- In the United States, we don't vacation often. And thanks to our ever-growing cadre of mobile gadgets, some experts fear that we don't vacation very well, either.Five decadent spots for chocolate lovers
Five decadent spots for chocolate lovers - CNN.com: "(CNN) -- Traveling to beautiful places is already sweet, but the journeys can get decadent if you succumb to the power of chocolate."
Seeing Art in Paris as the Sun Sets
Over the first few days of April, the Art Paris fair draws crowds of collectors to the Grand Palais exhibition hall. This year the organizers are offering an additional attraction: Les Nuits Parisiennes, an evening art stroll on April 1 and 2 that links 15 art installations in nine locations across the city center.
“We wanted to make art more accessible, to create an emotional encounter that everyone can appreciate,” said Marie-Ann Yemsi, one of two young curators who conceived and put together the program.
“We wanted to show art in another way, other than in a white cube gallery or museum space — to let the artists’ imagination play with the city,” added her partner, Agnes Violeau.
The walk takes strollers from the fabled Hotel Meurice on the Rue de Rivoli to the Fondation Ricard on the rue Boissy d’Anglas, before cutting over to the Artcurial auction house and the Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton, both on the Champs-Élysées, the newly renovated Royal Monceau hotel on the Avenue Hoche and the Villa L, a private mansion in the 16th Arrondissement.
Slovenia offers up charm without the crowds
With just 2 million people, tiny Slovenia is one of Europe's most overlooked, yet unexpectedly delightful destinations. Located where the Germanic, Mediterranean, and Slavic worlds come together, Slovenia has an intimate capital city, eerie caverns, breathtaking mountains, historic villas, and a unique tradition at a lake that prompts grooms to wed slender brides.
For centuries, Slovenia existed as a backwater of the Germanic world — first as a holding of the Holy Roman Empire and later, the Habsburg Empire. In the aftermath of World War I, Slovenia became one of six republics that formed Yugoslavia. After defeating the Nazis in World War II, Yugoslavia emerged under the leadership of Communist Party president and war hero Josip Broz (known as Tito). In the early 1990s, Yugoslavia broke up into separate countries, and Slovenia became independent.
Slovenia's capital is Ljubljana. With only about a quarter-million people, it feels small for a major city. Lacking big-league sights, Ljubljana's the kind of place where the best activities are simply strolling the riverfront promenade and sitting in an outdoor cafe watching the stylish Slovenes strut their stuff. After being leveled by an earthquake in 1895, Ljubljana was rebuilt in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles that were so popular in Vienna, the empire's capital, at the time. A generation later, architect Joze Plecnik remodeled the city in his distinctive classical-meets-modern style. Like Gaudí shaped Barcelona and Bernini shaped Rome, Plecnik made Ljubljana what it is today.
The Ljubljanica River, lined with cafes, restaurants, and a buzzing outdoor market, bisects the city. The riverfront market is a hive of activity, where big-city Slovenes buy directly from the farmer. Some farmers still use wooden carts to bring veggies in from their garden patches, then flip them over to use as a sales stand.
Bridges to history
Spanning the river are several distinctive bridges designed by Plecnik, who walked to work each day and had to live with what he designed. The Triple Bridge is both a popular meeting place and a beloved symbol of the city. The bridge seems almost Venetian: a nod to the city's location — midway between Venice and Vienna, linking the Italian and Germanic worlds. The Cobblers' Bridge encapsulates Plecnik's style perhaps better than any other structure: simple, clean lines adorned with classical columns.
For a more personal look at the architect, visitors can tour his home, decorated exactly as it was the day Plecnik died in 1957. The house is filled with furniture and bric-a-brac he designed, as well as souvenirs from around the world that inspired him. As you inspect his drawings, equipment, and personal items (including his glasses and the hat that he was famous for wearing), you'll feel as though Plecnik himself invited you over for dinner.
About an hour south of Ljubljana, Slovenia's Karst region is honeycombed with a vast network of caves and underground rivers. At the Skocjan Caves, visitors tour a series of large caverns, learning how, drip by drip, stalactites grow from spaghetti-thin strands to mighty sequoia-like stone pillars. In the final cavern, a mighty river crashes below as hikers cross a breathtaking footbridge 150 feet above the torrent. It's a world where a thousand evil Wizard of Oz monkeys could fly in formation.
Equally dramatic are the Julian Alps, arcing along Slovenia's northern border. Lake Bled, Slovenia's top alpine resort, is the best home base for exploring this region. It retains an aura of the Romantic Age, complete with a sweeping alpine panorama, fairy-tale island, cliff-hanging medieval castle, and lakeside promenade. Since the Habsburg days, this is where Slovenes take their guests — whether kings or cousins — to show off the country's natural wonders.
Lake Bled's iconic island is the focal point of any visit. To reach the island, visitors ride romantic pletna boats, built by hand from a design passed down from father to son for centuries.
Ninety-nine steps lead from the island's dock up to the summit — and the Church of the Assumption. On summer Saturdays, a steady procession of brides and grooms heads for the island. It's traditional for the groom to carry his bride up the steps to prove himself "fit for marriage" (about four out of five are successful).
Handsome villas line the lake, including what was once the vacation getaway of Tito, who huddled here with foreign dignitaries like Indira Gandhi and Nikita Khrushchev. After Tito died in 1980, his villa was converted into a classy hotel, offering guests a James Bond ambience. In one high-end suite, you can actually sleep in the dictator's bed. And guests can use Tito's personal desk for something I bet he never imagined ... sending an email.
This fascinating and offbeat corner of Europe is one more example of the continent's many hidden charms. With all it has going for it, it's hard to believe that Slovenia continues to glide beneath most tourists' radar.
Why Americans love Europe
For as long as there’s been an America, Americans have been flocking to Europe. From the moment our colonial compatriots escaped that oppressive old museum-piece of a continent, they began plotting their return on a 10-country all-inclusive tour. We still call it “The Continent,” as if there weren’t a half-dozen others. Sure, counter-intuitive types will stray off now and then on some exotic fling — to Brazil, New Zealand, Japan — but is it ever quite the same? Our fantasy landscapes will always be planted with Dutch tulips, Italian cypress, and Provençal lavender.Some say we’re drawn to Europe because so many of our ancestors came from there. They’ll tell you Americans and Europeans retain a “common bond.” But come on — look at them. Look at us. We say potato, they say ziemniak. They say Campari, we say Tequiza. We could not be more different.
Though their influence has waned considerably, Europeans had quite a run for a while, inventing democracy, the printing press, gravity, and Krautrock. No wonder Americans have a long-standing inferiority complex. As soon as we set foot on the Continent, we lose all our powers, like Superman returning to Krypton, or Rudy Giuliani to New York. Our basic verbal skills fail us. Our ATM cards, mobile phones, and hair dryers cease to work. Our daunting American swagger is reduced to a tentative “mi scusi.”
Of course, historically speaking, we’re barely teenagers by comparison. Americans in Europe tend to feel like the gawky, wide-eyed prepubescent visiting the hip older sibling — the prodigal brother who learned to smoke unfiltered cigarettes and habituate subterranean jazz clubs. (Jazz! For crying out loud, they play it more than we do — and we invented it!)
So what explains our unwavering obsession? Why — in spite of rising airfares, a still-high exchange rate, and the scarcity of rental cars with automatic transmission — do Americans insist on vacationing in Europe?
Well, because it’s Europe. And it’s awesome.
Paris Cheat Sheet in Hot Spots
Paris Cheat Sheet in Hot Spots on Concierge.com:
"Paris can easily overwhelm. There is simply So. Much. To. See. That's also what makes Paris so beguiling: Each time you visit is a chance to fall in love with the city all over again. Yes, of course, you should always make time to savor a chocolat chaud on a café terrace and lose yourself among winding cobblestone streets. But just as in any relationship, getting to know Paris takes work—or at least some planning. Whether it's your very first time (and you're a bit nervous about exposing yourself to the Louvre) or your next rendezvous will be one of many in a lifelong affair with the city, our Paris primer will keep the romance alive."
Barcelona and beyond: Best beaches and bays
Barcelona and beyond: Best beaches and bays - CNN.com:
"Facing out onto the Mediterranean Sea, with its privileged location on the eastern edge of the Iberian peninsula, Barcelona is Spain's cultural capital -- as well as home to one of Europe's largest ports."
Battle for luxe cruiser heats up as Crystal goes 'all-inclusive'
Battle for luxe cruiser heats up as Crystal goes 'all-inclusive' - USATODAY.com: "The battle for the luxury cruiser is heating up today as Crystal Cruises announces plans to go more all-inclusive by early next year.
The luxury line says that, effective in spring 2012, it no longer will charge extra for fine wines and premium spirits on its two ships, the 922-passenger Crystal Symphony and 1,070-passenger Crystal Serenity."
The luxury line says that, effective in spring 2012, it no longer will charge extra for fine wines and premium spirits on its two ships, the 922-passenger Crystal Symphony and 1,070-passenger Crystal Serenity."
Moscow tips from international correspondent
Moscow tips from international correspondent - CNN.com
"Everything is massive, like the 10-lane roads that run through the city. The buildings are vast and monumental, as befits the capital of the world's biggest country," said Matthew Chance, a CNN senior international correspondent who has lived in Moscow for six years.
Russia is about 1.8 times the size of the United States and more than 10 million people call Moscow home, according to the CIA World Factbook.
It's a huge city with price tags to match. Moscow is regularly ranked among the world's most expensive cities.
"That means limos and bling everywhere,".
Martinique: French Flair Caribbean Style
Karen Schaler: Martinique: French Flair Caribbean Style (PHOTOS)
It's almost guaranteed Martinique will surprise you in an intoxicating way that leaves you wondering what took you so long to visit this true Caribbean gem.
Boeing's biggest passenger jet makes first flight
The biggest passenger jet ever built by Boeing took to the skies for the first time Sunday.
A Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental lands at Boeing Field in Seattle after making its first flight, Sunday, March 20, 2011.
Viking River Cruises to offer largest suites in Europe
Viking River Cruises to offer largest suites in Europe - USATODAY.com: "Viking River Cruises' next generation of vessels in Europe will boast the largest suites ever for a river ship in the region as well as other new features the line says will revolutionize the industry."
Details of the new vessels, dubbed Longships by the line, will be announced today and include top suites that measure 445 square feet and feature a separate living room, bedroom, bathroom and private wrap-around balcony.
The vessels also will feature all-weather indoor/outdoor terraces at their fronts -- a new concept for river cruises in Europe. The terraces will have retractable floor-to-ceiling glass doors. Also innovative will be al fresco dining areas with grills on the upper deck, adjacent to the lounge.
Pierre Cluizel's Un Dimanche A Paris, An All-Chocolate Concept Shop
Pierre Cluizel's Un Dimanche A Paris, An All-Chocolate Concept Shop (PHOTOS)
Un Dimanche À Paris, a pop-up concept store was opened late last year by Pierre Cluizel, son of master chocolatier Michel Cluizel.
The shop, which, according to the New York Times holds down not one, but three buildings in the famed Saint Germain des Pres, is devoted entirely to all things chocolate: the building contains a chocolate shop, patisserie, bar, restaurant, and lounge all in one area. The shop also hosts cooking classes and workshops.
The restaurant's menu, which diverts from the all-chocolate theme (at least for entrees), is equally impressive, with saffron risotto, veal with vegetable ravioli, and marinated salmon and durade, among a slew of others. On the dessert side, there are soufflé's galore and an extensive wine and champagne list.
According to ChocoParis.com, a Parisian "chocolate and pastry lover's guide", the shop is open seven days a week from 9am to 12am.
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