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Ciudad de Las Artes y de Las Ciencias.

Ciudad de Las Artes y de Las Ciencias

There you’ll find:

1. Oceanografic - worth visiting, the best part is dolphin show. Normally overcrowded, so reserving tickets online might be a good idea.

Oceanographic - the best part is dolphin show

2. Hemispheric – cinema where movie is projected on the sphere. Another (better?) way to make 3D effects. Normally there are colorful movies about nature life.

3. Museum of Science – if you short in time or if you visited something similar in Germany or France you might skip this option, but if you have 1 day, you can buy a combined ticket to visit this museum too.

4. Former “Turia River” now 7 km park. Rent a bike or just walk!

5. Bioparc. It is not another zoo! Make sure you have enough free space on your flash-card.

Bioparc in Valencia

6. Former silk exchange market (La Lonja de la Seda) is UNESCO list and is just opposite to the main market (Mercado Central), for some reason not promoted much, but really nice place. You won’t need more than 20 minutes there.

Silk exchange market

7. Centro Cultural Bancaja (Plaze Tetuan 23) – search for the current exposition, its great exhibition place. There is also IVAM (Institut Valencià d’Art Modern).

IVAM (Institut Valencià d'Art Modern)

two more typical touristic places:

8. Central market

9. Cathedral of Valencia – if seen from the top the Latin cross shape of cathedral can be seen.  Holy Grail (according to some of Christian historians) can be seen in one of the cathedral’s chapels.

10. Albufera is about 20 minutes drive from Valencia. Do a boat trip there – you need to drive to Palmar.

Boat trip in Albufera

General tips:

• Rent a bike – there are short term (7 days) and long term options. Ask in TouristInfo for the map of the bike stations, it will be easier to locate them in the future;
• For hotel select something near center or near Ciudad de Las Artes y de Las Ciencias; Metro near your location is a big advantage. There are more connections with bus, but for first visit buses are not easy thing to find and use.
• Drive carefully especially on the circular crossroads – they are 4-6 lines and sometimes it is not clear where other drivers want to turn.

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It is worth visiting Třeboň to have a great weekend with delicious fish meals:

• Visit great fish restaurant Šupina (very popular so reservation is needed)

Visit great fish restaurant Šupina (very popular so reservation is needed)

Parking is available in street Novohradská, Třeboň

• If you will go about 400 meters from Šupina restaurant you will find a great shop with fresh fish, including bloater;

Shop with fresh fish, including bloater

Place to stay:

• There are a lot of small hotels in the city. If you drive to Třeboň by car you can stay in Lužnice, for instance in this inexpensive penzion; You can have a great walk by the bank of Rožemberk lake from there.

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Zugspitze the highest mountain in Germany – 2,962 meters above sea level.

Zugspitze - even in the summer you will need warm clothing

Sometimes it looks like moon base

Getting there:

1. Check weather report on official web-site.
2. If you drive by car point your navigator to Grainau (3 Seefeldweg, Grainau 82491). There will be direction signs to the Eibsee Cable Car (in German Seilbahn – but you will for sure see small pictures of cable car) and there is a large parking.
3. There are various possibilities to get to the top of the mountain, including train and several cable cars. Make sure that you will get back to the same point. From the top it is possible to get down to the Austrian or German side.

Not advertised much, but really beautiful is glacier (Gletscher).

When you are on top go to the German side and take a cable car down to the glacier.

• Make sure you wear good snow-proof shoes.
• Check the timetable, make sure you will finish your walk before the last train/cable car departures.

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Film Festival in Karlovy Vary

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival – July 2-10,2010

• Official web-site
• Book hotel in Karlovy Vary

One of the most popular film festival is held from 2nd to 10th July 2010 in Karlovy Vary. Be sure when you book hotel there take hotel with parking as it is hard to park there in center.

Some impressions from the 2009 Film Festival in Karlovy Vary.

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Luxembourg – small, but really nice country with just 500,000 population. If you travel by car it will take just 2-3 days to see major sights of interest. Their official languages are German and French, but as it always happens people speak there at most French.

1. Adolphe Bridge

Actually, you can use the bridge if you drive or walk, but you can also go down and walk in the park above the bridge – it is really nice and calm.

Adolphe Bridge - unofficial national symbol - total length 153 meters, clearance below 42 meters

Park under the Adolphe bridge

2. Casino that is not a casino

Probably the most popular phrase about this casino – “this is not a casino”. It’s actually small exhibition of contemporary art.

Center for contemporary art exhibitions.

Contemporary art exhibition few steps from Adolphe bridge, must visit as it is a chance to see some really unusual piece of art, like this billiard table.

3. Catacombs

Catacombs that supposed to be protection during war and now one of the tourists attraction. Normally, you will not need ward clothes there.

Luxembourg. Catacombs. 200 years back this place was visited by Napoleon as well as other famous persons.

4. Um Tunnel – another unusual art place

Um Tunnel is actually a long tunnel, which is located on the -4 floor level.

Am Tunnel - Tunnel with contemporary art and photo exhibitions

5. Mudam

The combination of old castle and modern buildings

Mudam - Old castle and modern buildings - in the east part of the city

6. Grund Part of Luxembourg

If walk from the Adolphe Bridge by the park to the east you will get to the really nice part of the city with historical museum and really nice streets with small cafes.

Grund part of Luxembourg

7. Vianden

Vianden is one of Luxembourg’s main tourist center with hilly, historic streets. Really beautiful place, probably the reason why Victor Hugo spend some time in Viaden.

Vianden is one of Luxembourg's main tourist center with hilly, historic streets

Hope it will be a tradition to exhibit winners of international contest of caricature and cartoon in the Castle in Vianden

8. Esch-sur-Sure – beautiful “village” in Luxembourg.

Other tourists attraction, differently worth visiting if driving from Clervaux

Another small, quite and beautiful "village" in Luxembourg. One of the other tourists attractions, differently worth visiting if driving from Clervaux

9. Clervaux – photo exposition – The Family of Man

Besides the nice countryside you will find in Clevraux really interesting photo exposition - The Family of Man

Clervaux's Cathedral

10. Echternach

The final or the start point of the journey may be Echternach!

Echtenach - green and beautiful. Just few kilometers from highway to Germany.

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In this post you will find useful information about Hamburg – port-city in Germany.

Hamburg center - by Alster and Rathaus

Hamburg is “Hafen-city” (Port-city) so you will find there storehouses made out of red brick and port itself, with huge number of tourist ships and huge cargo ship.

Cargo ship in Hamburg Port

Storehouses of red brick

Every night at 22 p.m. there is a colorful fountain show in Planten un Blomen park.

In Marine Museum you will find everything from marine art to some fancy ships, like Nautilus submarine

Hamburg Planetarium is also worth visiting, there is a projection device that creates a great show sharing the history and nowadays ideas about space and space research.

Open-air u434 submarine museum - great experience inside u-boot

Great auto museum placed on 3 floors - it is not focused on certain brand, but shows the most famous cars produced in Germany.

Few tips about driving

• There is Elbtunel the tunnel under Elbe, and there are always traffic jams in the weekends, so if possible, choose another road.
• If you need a long-term parking, check the Vinci Parking

Dinner in Hamburg

• Check the “Colonnaden” street (Stephansplatz or Gansemarkt U-bahn stations) – you will find there a number of inexpensive Italian restaurants (10-12 Euro per person) and there is also a sushi-restaurant with “All you can eat” option for 16 (?) Euro.

Short distance travel from Hamburg

• Bremen - you will find there the statue of famous Bremen musicians
• Stade – old city near Hamburg

Long distance trips from Hamburg

• Amsterdam (Netherlands)
• Copenhagen (Denmark)

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Copenhagen is another port-city. The first thing is how to get there. I was driving from Hamburg (Germany), so I have two options:

• Drive and use ferry service (about 60 Euro per car, ferry is every hour)
• Drive and use paid bridge (30 Euro, as far as I can remember)

I’ve taked “bridge” route – it is 30 minutes longer, but the country side is really beautiful, more over, if drive to Copenhagen to the west, you can Visit viking ships museum.

I've taked "bridge" route - it is 30 minutes longer, but the country side is really beautiful

Now few words about visiting interesting museums and places:

The “Belive it or not” – the branch for the Ripley’s museum. The most interesting experience was with the tube, where walls were rotating, if you get in, you start thinking the actually, not the walls, but floor is swinging. Very interesting, very unusual.

If you get in, you start thinking that actually, not the walls, but floor is swinging. Very interesting, very unusual.

Design museum – it another “must visit” place – the exposition was devoted to light – a lot of information about light physics with examples that you can see and touch.

Learn light physics - with examples that you can see and touch

The Mermain is the symbol of Copenhagen, don’t use public transportation to get to it – walk by the park instead.

The Mermain is the symbol of Copenhagen, don't use public transportation to get to it - walk by the park instead.

Classical museum are also very interesting, in Glyptotek you will find many sculptures by Roden. National museum is near – good structured and well represented information about Denmark, there are no audio-guides in museum, but it is really interesting, for instance, this check this kviz-picture.

For sure, Copenhagen is a port-city – so things like “self-made U-Boat” seems to be usuall there:

Copenhagen is a port-city - so things like "self-made U-Boat" seems to be usuall there:

Viking Boats Museum is located in the Roskilde town (Vindeboder 12, Copenhagen, Denmark), but it worths visiting it.

You will find there copies (free to visit under open-air) and originals of Vikings ships:

A lot of copies (free to visit under open-air) of Vikings Ships

Also, the process of viking-ship-building is covered in details, starting the tree selection and processing ending the discussion of sailing experience.

The process of viking-ship-building is covered in details

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Amsterdam is known not only for large number of Coffeeshops, but there are also some interesting places to visit, like great Van Gogh museum. Also, you will . face there many, probably too many, bicycles:

If you think there too many bicycles in Amsterdam - you are right. 3-level parking for bicycles near main train station.

One of the most unusual place to visit is a very small Boat Houses Museum. If you like the idea about living in the boat-house, you’ll find it really interesting.

There are more than 2000 boat-houses in Amsterdam, building new is not a problem, but all possible parking places are now occupied, so it is not possible to build a new house, but one can buy existent one.

There are more than 2000 boat-houses in Amsterdam

The price is typically lower (200000 Euro) than for the normal house, but yearly maintain is higher (500-1000 Euro).

Get inside on of the boat-houses - now it is a museum

It is good located – check visitors information here.

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Nürnberg – nice place in Germany. Take a good map in Tourist Center and follow major sights, as for the most interesting and unique – it is probably Train museum (near Main Train station) and very large (3 floors) toys museum.

Very Big Train Museum in Nürnberg, just near train station - must visit place!

Nürnberg Old City - is beautiful, just to walk it would take about 1 hour

Guess what is it? It is metro station - pay attention to the U sign

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Visiting Venice is probably on the most exiting experience in Italy. To these who have never been there:

• Venice is of the most beautiful and romantic places in the worlds, that is probably one of the reasons, why hotels in Venice are VERY expensive

Venice is of the most beautiful and romantic places in the worlds, that is probably one of the reasons, why hotels in Venice are VERY expensive

• there are just two big parking in the beginning of the Venice island, people move there only by boats

There are just two big parking in the beginning of the Venice island, people move there only by boats

So the logical thing to do would be stay in some town near Venice and combine – visiting sights of interest in Venice with swimming and taking sun bases on the beach.

Staying in Hotel Excelsior in Lido di Jesolo:

PROs:

• hotel is located near Venice;
• large and secure parking;
• direct access to sea sandy beach; or swimming pool (about 25 m) in case of bad weather;
• they have cook (even two, I think) who prepares delicious food!

CONs:

• actually, there was only good experience from the hotel itself
• people in Lido di Jesolo, as in any Italian city, have a “siesta”, so from 14-00 to 16-00 it is hard to find place to have a dinner, so better have dinner at the hotel

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