Travel Guides

If u wanna be welcome in Shaghai, there are some basic rules to be followed. Nothing so special I believe, except these plattes appearing very often in the streets:

During my visit in Spain I visited Barcelona and Ibiza, with a short break in Madrid.

Now I would like to tell you about my stay in Madrid, and if you plan also a travel there, please join me.

I was very short in Madrid, 1 day and night. The day was for visiting Museo del Prado, and the night for the Hotel AC Palacio del Retiro, which was recommended to me by friends. And I can recommend to you, as was spoiled there!

The hotel is located in the very centre of Madrid, and you can reach within 5 minutes walk Museo del Prado, Parque del Retiro, Puerta de Alcala, Puerta Del Sol, Reina Sofia Art Center and the Stock market.

The hotel itself is high class luxury *****. It has all modern top ammenities, combining this confort with its 1900 architecture. FABULUOS!

And also fabulous are the frescoes inside, as the service itself

No megacity can escape to this plague, which represent a major cause for the lungs diseases: the smog. What would you do, being maire in Beijing(Pekin) to stop this strong pollution? Because the summer Olympic Games hosted by Beijing this year will start soon!

Do not try to recognize buildings or corners from Beijing, even if you are familiar with the city. It is practically impossible!

I think everybody of you heard about Mount Everest(or Chomolungma). If you want to know more about it, please read this post.

Mount Everest is a legend. World’s highest mountain with its 8848 meters. Imagine only to run, or to walk, almost 9 km. It means already an effort, and not many people will do this.

Climbing these almost 9 km is much worse! You need equipment, you need oxygen, you need intermediate camps and logistics. But a wider philosophical question emerges: why some people climb mountains? Maybe they seek the Gods. The legends about the Gods on Mount Everest are an explanation for the fact that no local conquered this mountain! The New Zealand born Sir Edmund Hillary was the first to realize it, together with a frightened local sherpa Tensing Norge.

Reinhold Meissner conquered Mt Everest without oxygen mask.

Many other people did, but they don’t want publicity. Conquering Everest is before all a fight against your limits. I saw and heard about blinds climbing Everest, about people with amputated legs who conquered Everest, a sherpa did it 17 times etc. It is really wonderful indeed: if you conquered Everest, no other task anymore will be impossible.

I wonder now, why me and you did not conquer Everest!

Many people may not realize that the country of Russia includes an area that is over 10.5 million square miles. Even though Russia extends over such a massive area it is shrouded in mystery. When one thinks of Russia it is often of revolution and snowy barren lands. This is not true by a long shot. Russia because of its large size encompasses a very diverse region to visit. With some tips and a more in depth look at this fascinating region you will find yourself eager to visit Russia.

Western Russia the Place to Start Your Russian Excursion

Western Russia is the core of the region today. It is home to Moscow, Volgograd and St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg was once the capital of Russia and is an intriguing city to visit. It is filled with memories and artifacts of Russia’s rich past. Once built by Peter the Great it is a city loaded with sites for those who enjoy beautiful architecture and history. Today the capital of Russia is Moscow. Moscow is also a city filled with history. Red Square and the mausoleum of Lenin can be visited when once they could only be read about in books. Volgograd is where the Russian Empire can trace its birth. You can actually view the area that was fortified to protect Russia from attack by its enemies on the southern border.

Six Thousand Miles of Travel From Europe to Asia

The Trans-Siberian Railway is a journey that you won’t soon forget on your trip through Russia. This world famous railway is the longest continuous railway in the world. You will begin your journey in Moscow and travel through six thousand miles to reach the port city of Vladivostok. There are other routes you can take through Russia to experience the sheer size of the country. You can travel into Asian and European countries on these additional routes. The Trans-Siberian Railway must be experienced to be appreciated. It is not to be forgotten on your itinerary of things to see in Russia.

Many of the restrictions on travel of the past have been lifted. A tourist in Russia is now able to arrange for stays in many of the places that were once off limits. The town of in Siberia is a particularly wonderful place to visit. It is the center of Russian Buddhism. You can visit a Tibetan monastery that has been rebuilt and restored since Stalin’s rule. Russia is home to many natural and beautiful wonders. The spectacular natural beauty of the Baikal Lake region is home to a wide variety of animal species and birdwatchers will delight in the thousands of birds that migrate to this region. Baikal Lake is reportedly between twenty-five and thirty million years old. This makes this spectacular lake the oldest on the planet.

Russia welcomes tourists with their new open attitude. It is a good idea to check with your travel agent for any additional information you will need to make your Russian vacation a trip to remember. Once a country shrouded in mystery, it is now open and welcoming to western travelers to enjoy and marvel over the wonder of Russia today.

Supposing you are an addicted biker, and also an addicted traveler, as we all here are. We must find a solution for these two innofensive(even positive ) addictions to match. Let us do together, in this post.

If you travel away, and want to bike there, you can of course hire a bike. Or you can take your bike with you, with these inconvenients: transportation could be too expensive and the bike could be dammaged, stolen, etc.

Some of these inconvenients would dissapear if you have a folding bike! But these bikes are more complex and more expensive. But it is also said, they would be more performant! Folding bikes are popular in Britain, but not very popular in U.S. Well, buyer’s behaviour is not easy to understand sometimes!

Whick are your opinions in this debate? And which are your personal experiences, positive or negative?

In the indian state of West Bengal you can find Darjeeling, a wonderful small town. It has a story, and I would like to unveil this story for you.

Supposing you are a british colonist from the XiXth century living in the dirty dusty hot Calcutta. In order to escape the big city, you need sometimes to go out. Where? You guessed, in Darjeeling!

Darjeeling is a little town surrounded by the hills announcing the high Himalaya. On all those hills, simply everywhere, there are tea plantations. The Darjeeling tea is one of the world’s best, and is very much beloved and appreciated in U.K. and other parts of the former British empire.

The most of the former residences are now hotels. You can enjoy a cheap luxury, pretending again being the british lord.

In Darjeeling you won’t feel suffocating hottness, traffic jams, tumult in the streets, overcrowded markets. Thus is a target for lovers and seniors. They all get an english packed piece of India.

The english traditions are still very present here. Almost everybody speaks english, which is teached according to the colonial methods. There are people coming here from Nepal and Bangladesh in order to learn english at high levels. And in this little town with 15 000 saws appear daily two english language journals! You can also admire the countless english colonial buildings( Tudor or gothic style).

I visited last month Darjeeling and it was fantastic. Hurry up to catch the best period(april-june). After that will beginn the mansoon season, but you have another opportunity in October-November!

You can get Darjeeling by the Himalaya train, which is still steam propulsed(UNESCO monument).

In Darjeeling you will surely drink tea! You can afford having your 5 o’clock tea at any hour, with sandwiches! The prices are a little bit higher than in the rest of the subcontinent: 40 $/person /day for hotel, and 15 $ daily for the food(ask momo, a local speciality). For an english lord is not very much!

So, why not drink a cup of tea in its homeland, Sir?

talia is well known for pizza, Singapore for the asian food, Argentina for huge juicy steaks. This the truth, O.K. And if you want to find and taste them in the same place, go to New York! If you want to know more about secret corners of New York, be welcome here!

Where else in the world can you enjoy the best kitchen inventions? Where else can you find bigger dishes, free portions, more sophisticated sauces? Where else can you see the shadows of the Twin Towers ? (On that location is builded the freedom Tower, ready in 2012).

I ate in New York the world’s best pretzels, cooked by jewish bakers, according to a traditional recipe! The traditional Italian pizza took in N.Y huge proportions; the kebab, falafel, hamburger and hot dogs taste very different in New York, at least in my opinion. Dream and name a dish impossible to find in New York, or send me 100 $! I am sure to win this bet.

New York means Bronx,Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Staten Island and every one of this quarters has something special.

Supposing you come to N.Y. by plane in one of the airports JFK or La Guardia, you will meet first Queens. This is the biggest and most dynamic quarter nowadays.

In the north of the city is Bronx. Known from violent movies. Many poor blacks and Hispanics live there, but these thing are obsolete. Bronx, the only one continental quarter is safe again.. It hosts the City Zoo, with 6000 species of animals, and the team New York Yankees. Here are born the breakdance, rap and hip hop in the 80’s.

Brooklyn is famous for its bridge. Here are most of the people I reported you in the start of this post: the cookers from the bigger or smaller restaurants who are able to cook all those fabulous exotic dishes! Here you can get also Coney Island, one of the oldest amusement parks in the city.

Staten Island means, almost incredible, New York to the countryside. Traditional houses with big gardens, even forest are here possible to be seen. Very attractive here is the ferryboat connecting Staten Island with the rest of the city.

The heart of New York, and its most mediatised part, is no doubt Manhattan with its skyscrapers. It is the most expansive part , and you can find here Central Park, Broadway theaters, Metropolitan museum, Greenwich village etc. Here live most of the American stars, and here is also the world’s political and financial centre.

Important to know about New York:

-the running water is drinkable. Only other 4 cities in America enjoy this privilege!

-the new Yorkers are environmental aware. Maire Bloomberg wants to ban cars in Manhattan. New York is the greenest U.S. city, due to the many bio buses and hybrid taxis.

Which is your New York?