Norway - Heaven of dreams

Situated at Northern Europe, Norway is one of the most beautiful countries in the world with famous majestic mountains, bays, lakes, and lots of modern cities. 

Found in 997, Trondheim is the oldest city in Norway. This city is proud of a rich cultural herritage as well as major center of Norway. Although the city's area is modest, there are various cultural and artistic events taken place in Trondheim.

Lysefjord is one of the famous fjords of Norway. Every year, it has 300,000 visitors come to visit and discover the exceptional natural beauty.

Rago National Park, located in Sørfold - Nordland county, has an area of 171 kilometers square. This is also a place where there are so many beautiful natural scenery that makes all visitors astonished to admire.

Geirangerfjord is a fjord in the Sunnmore, in the southernmost part of More og Romsdal county. It is considered the most beautiful bay in the world and was recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.

Lofoten Islands is the place owning beautiful natural scenery which is attracted to tourists. Even though it is located in the Northern Hemisphere, the warm climate makes Lafoten difference in this icy land.

Bergen is a port city located in the southwest of Norway; it is considered the gate to the spectacular and majestic bays. Bergen is the second largest area in Norway after the capital - Oslo.

Coming to Berlevag, an urban county of Finnmark, visitors will have opportunity to admire the Northern Lights. This is an extremely interesting scientific phenomenon showing the full color of light in the night sky.

Gjende Lake in Jotunheimen is 18 miles long, with the blue color, and surrounded by towering mountains blue water color characteristics.

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Europe a humorous perspective on the map

The entire Finland shaped like whales, while Italy territory is in the shape of a boot. You will easily recognize each European country from satellite map through these countries' funny shape.

Republic of Azerbaijan

The territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan look like a bird spanning its wings to fly in the vast sky. This country located in the middle of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Some countries share the same borders with Azerbaijan are Russia (North), Iran (South), and Gruzia (Northwest)

In the administrative area, Azerbaijan is divided into 59 districts, 11 cities, and one autonomous country which is the Republic of Nakhchivan. The major religion here is Muslim.

Bulgaria

Bulgaria is located in the Southeast of Europe; it has a long-standing history and culture. The famous tourist destinations include the capital Sofia, coastal resorts like Albena, golden sands and sunny beaches. This country is attracted by many travelers because of its Rila Monastery and Euxinograd castle. On the map, Bulgaria looks like a shadow of a warm fuzzy kittens.

Finland

On the map, Finland is shaped like a whale. In reality, this country has the least population in Europe. When coming here, you can visit the capital Helsinki, where you can feel the fresh air under the trees' shadows and admire many unique architectural buildings.

In addition, Finland has some popular destination for tourists such as the ancient capital of Turku, which used to be Finland's capital city until 1812; or the tourism city of Poorvo and Lapland, which are the lands of Santa Claus.

France

The magnificent and majestic France has the shape of an intelligent Owl in Winnie the Pooh cartoon. In the world, this country is outstanding due to the diversity in ethnic, architecture, and landscapes. 

The French music is also loved because of its romance in each of the words and musical notes. Nowadays, travelers to France can visit the magnificent tourist attractions such as the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Versailles castle, etc.

Moldova

For those who have a rich imagination, the shape of Moldova is like a ghost. This country is landlocked in Eastern Europe, and borders with Romania in the West and Ukraine in the other sides.

The largest part of Moldova is situated between the Dniester and Prut Rivers. This country is the homeland of some songwriters with lots of popular recognized songs such as Gavrii Musicescu, Stefan Neaga, and Eugen Doga.

Slovakia

Slovakia has the area of 49.000 kilometers square, and shares the border with the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, Ukraine, and Hungary. Slovakia joined in the European Union in 2004, and be the member of Eurozone five years after. On the map, this territory looks like a tasty sandwiches.

Ireland

Ireland has the shape of a teddy bear for children. This country is located in the Northwest Europe with the capital city of Dublin. Today, Ireland is notable by tourists for its beautiful natural scenery and long-standing culture; it is also well-known as the birthplace of many famous people such as Mick Moloney - a folk musician, boy band Westlife, and poet James Joyce.

Spain

Spain is simply imagined by lots of people as a hand shape. This country is situated on the Iberian Pennisula in the Southwest Europe, and í famous for flamenco dance.

The country territory includes the Balearic Islands, Canry and two autonomous city in the North Africa which are Ceuta and Melilla. Coming to Spain, in addition to visiting many famous destinations, visitors can witness lots of dramatic and compelling bull-fighting. 

Italy

Famous for tourism and fashion, Italy is memorized in visitors's mind with boot shape. Located in the Southern Europe, this country is sharing the same border with France, Switzerland, and Austria. 

Italy is known as the paradise of art, cuisine, fashion and culture. Tourists can visit the heart of Rome, Genova port, the fashion capital of Milan, or enjoy eating famous pizza and pasta when coming to this boot-shape country.

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Basic things you should know for the first time traveling to Europe

(Gotravelings.com) Instead of desiring to travel to all places or eat every foods, you have to calm down and plan carefully your journey to have the very first perfect backpacking trip to this old continent.

You want to eat pasta in Rome, stand on Eiffel Tower, come across the red street in Amsterdam, or join in the party in Munich .... It is just when you have the whole year traveling in Europe, or else, you only can choose places based on your capability.

1. Right choices

Europe is a continent which has rich culture and history, and countries here connect with each other strongly. You cannot go to all the countries in a journey (except you do not care about money and time). If you try to go as many as possible, your time spending for train, bus, plane will make your trip shorter.

 

Europe nations are small in square, but rich in cultural and historical places. Photo: Google Images

So what is the secret? You might choose the best 5 places must go. It can be drinking beer in Hofbrauhaus, Munic, Germany; or eating tapas in Barcelona; or visiting Tate Modern in London. Bookmarking all the important places that you have chosen, then spread the trip around those places. When you can define which countries or cities you want to go in the allowed time, the next step is find the way to get there.

10 days are normally suitable for backpackers' wallet. Traveling alone in Europe is easier than in any other continent, because most of European can speak English. You can book a hostel room or transportation ticket online. You should find (or hunt) cheap flight tickets for months before your trip start, sometimes even year before. You should remember that using inter-city or inter-country buses will be cheaper than that of train or plane. You had better find and compare the prices before buying.

You should not miss the symbolic places like the Colosseum arena in Rome (Italy), Eiffel Tower in Paris (France), Charles bridge in Prague (Czech Republic), etc. Those are really amazing places. Many posts in a lot of forums engage travelers to discover new places, but you don't have to follow all of it, especially in your first trip to Europe.

You also don't have to follow everything written in the guide book. There are many restaurant you want to try but are not written in the book, but you can be more opened by experiencing new things. If you read about the Louvre museum (Paris, France) is the place you must go, but you are accidentally lost in the Blek Le Rat world (the famous graffity artist) with a lot of his works on the walls, you can spend times to discover both of them.

2. Travel by season

July to September is the high traveling season in Europe when you have to share spaces with millions of other travelers. Hotel, hostel, dormitory are mostly full or high price; train, bus, and plane are also harder to book. 

Therefore, you can think about Autumn or Spring time, and if you are not afraid of the cold, you can go in winter. You will find everything easier and more peaceful like it is only for you.

Winter in Austria is cold, peaceful, and not very crowded will be an ideal place for your traveling. Photo: autocarhire.com

One thing you should take notice is to travel to Europe at the right time, participating into some festival in this old continent like Oktoberfest (beer festival in Germany), Biennale (modern art exhibition in Italy), La Tomatina (tomato festival in Spain), Tomorrowland (electric music in Belgium), Exit (summer music in Serbia), etc, you will definitely have the unforgettable memories. There also one thing you should consider is the fee and expenses, and you should book all the services 3 months or more before.

3. Know how to protect yourself.

The first time in Europe, you have to take care of yourself from being cheated. Sometimes, the offer for cheap price or some winged words might attract you. In this case, being wise and cold-head will help you to stand up from the attracted words from sexy girls in Amsterdam, or street vendors in Paris. The feelings of a backpacker this time have to be strong. If you don't feel safe, you'd better to quickly go away to another place.

If you still have times after traveling to main cities, you can think about Budapest, Krakow, or Lisbon. These cities will surely bring to you a lot of surprises.

Learning some basic sentences of local language, you can at least know how to greet and ask "do you know English" in local language. 

Pack your baggage lightly, you don't need 3 jeans in the summer or big coat in the Autumn in Europe. The 1 liter shampoo bottle can be replaced by the small convenient packs or a soap. Remember, you are backpacker.

But you need to have at least one decent clothes such as a t-shirt, long trouser, or shoes when you plan to hear opera in England theater or eating dinner in a restaurant in Berlin.

4. Spend money at the right places

Although you are backpacker, sometimes you still have to pay a big amount of money to experience the special characteristics like going on the gondola boat in Venice, enjoy the afternoon tea in London, drink German beer and eat smoked pork, etc.

Bring as much money as possible, especially small money, visa card, traveler check (type of check for traveler which can be changed into money). Visa card will allow you to buy flight ticket back home, and you don't need to put it with cash. Cash should be put in different places. Europe is beautiful and the people are friendly, but there are bad and good people everywhere, so you should take care of your safeness first.

You should have visa card (or master card) and cash to guarantee the expenses for your trip. 

Photo: us.123rf.com.

You go a thousand kilometers to go to different cities with lots of new things, so don't waste your time drinking beer or wine in a bar, hotel, or hostel. Step outside where a lot of amazing things are waiting for you.

Working hard and saving money for your own journey, sometimes, you can be mean to yourself when you are at home, but generous when traveling.

The final things is to enjoy every single moment on your trip.

- Hoai Nam -

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Underground death empire in Paris

(Gotravelings.com) Beneath the magnificent Paris still remains of more than 6 million dead people and the city formerly known under the name Macabre - Empire of the dead.

Underground Paris (France) is the 321 km long network of old caves, tunnels, stone mines, the main tomb area full of bones and skulls.

 

The skull and bones were arranged in the wall of the tunnel in Paris Catacombs (Photo: cnn.com)

The origin of this creepy tomb began two centuries ago. In 1786, dead people who was buried in the cemetery of Paris and the church became overloaded. The dead which were usually buried near residential areas seriously affected people's health.

After that, they found the solution was to move all the entire remains of the dead to the stone mines underground. This space was the perfect solution to ease the overloading in the cemetery, but it also showed many disadvantages such as the risk of land subsidence. That is why there are few tall buildings in Paris, the great foundations can not be built because the tomb is beneath the streets.

To reach the tomb area, visitors must walk down 139 steps and walked along the dark tunnel seemed endless.

One of the museum's surveillance, Tram Nguyen, talk about common reactions of people in the tour: "When coming here for the first time, you are quite impatient, but then will get used to it. Sometimes you do not recognize the bones as the remains are not human anymore, but just think of them as a form of decoration. "

Most of the remaining underground areas are prohibited to be violate. Any violation can be fined up to 60 Euro, but it stimulated strongly people who prefer exploring, discovering.

The secret grounds walked deep under the ground, going on hidden paths around the city. Sometimes, they stayed in one place for several days, preparing oil lamps and handmade maps.

Street names are etched into the walls to help explorers to adjust their direction underground. Some groups even organize party and drink in the tunnel.

For followers of this tomb, feeling the deep silence of the tunnel is the experience that they find in nowhere but this place.

A local explorer Loic Antoine - Gambeaud said: "I think it is in the collection of the imagination. Everybody knows that there's something underneath Paris, something mysterious., But I do not think many people imagine what the underground is like this. "

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Explore Heraklion - Greece

Heraklion, where has the warm sun, the breeze, alcohol and a series of excellent local dishes, really peaceful place to stop on and explore ancient culture.

Heraklion city, the capital of Crete island, Greece traces of many historical events in the past. Heraklion that also called Iraklion, is the largest city on Crete island and also is the 4th largest city in Greece. Here, you can find the ruins of the famous Knossos palace, where the largest concentration of population on the Crete island during the Minoan. Although no archaeological evidence, but Knossos may also have a sea port located in Heraklion from 2000 BC. Although no archaeological evidence but Knossos may have a port located in Heraklion from 2000 BC.

Heraklion city today was built in 824 AD. Over a period of imperial conquest, the city carries a different name. Heraklion name officially changed in the early 19th century. The city became the administrative center of the Crete island in 1971.

Heraklion has picturesque villages, romantic resorts on the beaches and many differently beauty beaches. Heraklion has many restaurants and taverna serving Greek cuisine to meet every need and taste. Nightlife here is vibrant. There are many bars and clubs open all year round.

Besides, Heraklion is also shopping area with lots of shops selling clothes, shoes, jewelry. The knowledgeable visitor will be able to trace the past under the urban sprawl of the present.

The core of the city is still enclosed and defined by the Venetian wall, which includes seven outjutting bastions. In the southernmost of these, the Martinengo Bastion, is the grave of Nikos Kazantzakis, standing on a windswept hilltop with its moving inscription, "I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free."

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Beauty of Russia in Majestic Paintings

I have never been to Russia, but the beauty of Russia was imprinted in my mind when I was a little child because of many Russia picture on the newspapers - especially the paintings of Russian artists. In the world art, Russia art plays an important segment in which Russia nature and scenes are painted with its special colors. 

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Wonderful Copenhagen - Denmark

 

Copenhagen - the capital of Denmark - located on the Zealand island, the point of connection between continental Europe and Scandinavia, with diverse cultures and many distractions. The attractions of Copenhagen almost concentrated in the inner city, there are parks, recreations and entertainment around.

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Vigilant things in Paris

Normally, we often share to each other or write the review about where to go - to eat - to play, and how to move; but we forget about sharing about the vigilant things that we have to pay attention - not only in Paris - but in the other places. I have just traveled to Paris, so I want to write about Paris; and if anybody have the review about the vigilant things in the other place, I hope that it can be posted.

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Venice - City of romantic stories

This is a city that has inspired poets, peoples who in love, and artists who often daydreams. Thus this place is also known as La Serenissima - which means "the most peaceful place".

Byron King once called this place as "fairy city of hearts". This place is known by the touching love story, as the capital of romance stories. This city make everyone crazy, attract both mind and heart of those who once came to visit this place. Then departed, the guests are always hungry to once again visit this beautiful city. Although this city is surrounded by shallow lakes, but its history is deep as the ocean beyond.

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The most outlandish and outrageous cuisine celebrations

From Georgia’s peaches to Maine’s lobster, nearly every state has its own prized food, and a festival to celebrate it. As delicious as these foods are, though, sometimes they can feel a little…boring. The next time you’re in a culinary lull, pack your bags and follow this list to find the country’s wackiest foodie fests. These events serve up a terrific sampling of regional cooking—everything from pig intestines to fruitcake—and are guaranteed to give your palate a jumpstart.

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Denmark - When and Where to go ??

Denmark might not be your first guess if you were asked what the oldest kingdom in the world is, but there seems to be plenty that people don’t know about this Scandinavian country—popular itineraries detailing a whirlwind tour of Europe rarely include Denmark travel, or at best it may suggest spending a day or two in Copenhagen only. However, there is much to see 450 or so islands that make up this beautiful country; there are certainly too many to visit during a single Denmark vacation. Those that stop only in Copenhagen are also missing out on a great number of tourist attractions in Denmark that are spread across its archipelago. From Odense to Aarhus, from Sonderborg to Skagen, a Denmark vacation will not be one you soon forget.

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Getting to Belgium from London: Plane, Train or Bus?

I’ve travelled to Belgium back and fourth a couple of times in the last month and each time I’ve done it differently depending on which is the cheapest option. The main ways to get to Belgium are by flying, taking the Eurostar or taking the bus. Before you travel, make sure you take a look at each method of transport to see which offers the best price and convenience for you.

1. Eurolines - The bus from Victoria coach station is often the cheapest option but the problem is the amount of time it takes to get there. Coaches depart daily from London to Brussels and other Belgian destinations including Antwerp, Liege, Bruges and Ghent, so if you don’t mind spending around 8 hours on a coach then it’s certainly the cheaper option. You don’t have to worry too much about baggage allowances because you’re allowed to take two medium sized suitcases and if you’re travelling from anywhere outside London, you can get a special rate connection fare on National Express coaches for as little as £15 return. Buses make refreshment stops, have reclining seats and on-board toilets. Return fares cost as little as £35 and the added advantage is the city centre to city centre service, meaning you’re dropped off right in the centre of the destination you’re travelling to.

2. Eurostar- The best thing about travelling on the Eurostar is that you get free onward train travel from Brussels Midi to any other Belgian station. It’s well worth it, so when you’re booking your ticket, make sure you select “any belgian station”. Check the Eurostar website regularly as it’s a bit like train fares- sometimes you can get a cheap deal on a ticket, and other times it’s rather expensive. The Eurostar departs from Kings Cross St. Pancras, which is an incredibly modern and trendy station with some great restaurants and cafés for eating. It’s incredibly quick and easy to get to Belgium-you can check in up to 30 minutes before departure and it only takes around two hours to get there! If you’re booking last minute you can select to print your boarding pass at home or collect your tickets at the station.

3. Plane- Check on the Easyjet and Ryanair websites for cheap flights from London and other UK airports to Brussels. Other budget airlines flying to Belgium include Jet2, bmi and flybe. If you’re looking to fly to an airport outside of Brussels, such as Antwerp, check out Air France and Brussels Airlines. I always check the Skyscanner website to check out the cheapest fares. The advantage of flying is that you can depart from an airport outside of London but the disadvantages are baggage allowances and getting to and from the airport. Remember that Ryanair flies to Brussels Charleroi, not the main Brussels Airport.

- Vitoria at Pommie Travel -

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Redlight district - the famous place of Amsterdam

Redlight District is the most famous place of Amsterdam. This is the old quarter of the city, including many coffes shops, cafe bruns, and the red houses. Coffes shop is the trading and drug consumption place. Cafe Bruns (Brown cafes_ are typical pubs in Netherlands. Red houses are also the places for playboys, or luxurious customers/visitors.

 

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The most beautiful squares in Europe

Most famous squares such as Albert Square, Trafalgar, Vendôme ... were built during the Middle Ages, with many historical, political and cultural value.

Here are some famous squares in Europe:

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Wandering around Munich during Weekend

Munich, also known as Munchen, is the capital of Baravia State - the biggest state of 16 states in Germany, and the third biggest city of Germany (after Berlin and Hamburg). 

Located at the foot of the Alps in Southern Germany, Munich has a long history of more than 800 years (built in 1158). Munich is famous for the ancient architecture building, large boulevards, especially the Oktoberfest beer festival for nearly 200 years.

According to the ancient German, Munich means "Monk", so perhaps the city's symbol is a priest. However, quite contrary to its name, Munich is a very busy and noisy and gaudy city.

When getting to Munich, tourists can visit Mary's Square. The square is the center of the city, which also attracts tourists the most because of the ancient architecture town hall, a two domed Frauenkirche church - which is the symbol of the city, as well as the shopping center, and also the transport hub to other attractions of the city. Mary's Square is considered one of the largest and most imposing squares in the world. It has many interesting activities year-round. Everyday, at 12 AM and 2 PM, the clock on the tower of Frauenkirche cathedral strikes and perform a spectacular puppet show. Many resident of the city and tourists come here to see this special moment.

From St Peter Cathedral, tourists can view all the Marienplatz Square

On Mary's Square, visitors can also meet many groups of dancers performing to promote for the image of their city; some artists on the street draw the landscape paintings to sell it to the foreign tourists. Those people have contributed to the impressive view of the square. There are many lion statues in different sizes located around the square. People in Munich believe that lion is their mascot - the god of protection to bring luck to the city. These lions increase not only the solemnity but also the romance of the squares.

Munich also has four Royal roads bearing the names of different kings. In particular, the largest road is LudwigstraBe, named King Lugwig I. It is said that in the past, many winning armies marching on this road. At the beginning of the road is an entrance gate like Brandenburg Gate in Berlin; however, the symbol of goddess of victory in Munich leading lions instead of horses. At the end of the road, a beautiful Amalienbe Palace was built in the early 18th century; in the past, it was the resting place of the Kings during the hunting period. The details of the palace were made of silver or inlaid by silver, so it was always sparkling and looking brilliant.

Not only ancient, Munich is a green city with many parks. Besides the modern Olympic park, the city still has many old-age parks. In particular, Hofgarten park is the oldest, which was built in the early 17th century under King Mazimilian I in the style of Italian Renaissance. Today, the park is open for the public to gather and hear the street musicians performing. Hofgarten was destroyed dramatically in the World War 2 and then was rebuilt in English style. Munich is also known for English-style garden with the width of 3.7 km square, larger than the Central Park in New York (USA). Besides, there are many other parks such as West park, or the park inside Nymphenburg Castle.

Munich has many great Museum. At the top is Science Museum with a huge collection of diesel engines, cars, planes, boats, and it is for sure that visitors cannot explore all the museum in only a day. The museum now has at least 8000 objects on display. In Munich, there is also a museum for only cars; all the car models  are on display here - from the first and ancient model to the most modern ones. There are also museums for motorcycle, or sport cars.

 

Deutsches Museum is one of the biggest Science Museum in the world.

 

Kunstareal (artistic area) of the city has the history from 16th century. Brandhorst Museum, opened recently, has brought a new modern breath to this area.

The beer festival is held in the late September and early October each year in Munich. Beer festival attracts millions of tourist every year. If you miss this festival, it will be somehow a pity. However, do not worry because in every street of Munich, beer is ready to serve tourists. One of the places where tourists never want to skip is "Beer Paradise (Heaven)" - which was built in 1589 and opened to guests in 1830. The "Beer Paradise" building can serve 5000 visitors loving beer and is considered the biggest serving place in the world.

If having time, tourists may explore many other architecture places, or wandering inside the parks, or go shopping at the famous market Viktualienmarket. 

 

The Glockenbachviertel gathers many cafe lounges, stores, and shops which are also the places for families and the homosexual people

 

The public transportation system of Munich are evaluated the best in Europe.

 

 Inside a restaurant in Bayerischer Hof hotel 

 

GOP Variet Theater

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