The river Arno flows through Florence and the bridges connect its banks in the narrowest point probably since Etruscan times. In ancient times Florence was situated on an important route the Via Cassia connecting Rome with the main cities of the north. Bridges were the only way to get across the river Arno. However due to flooding they had to be frequently renewed, but did not survive anyway and were torn down by floods completely. The present bridge was built in 1345 and Florentines gave it the name of the Ponte Vecchio, which means “old bridge”. They wanted to distinguish it from another one – Ponte alla Carraio. Although this bridge is much older (built in 1218), they already called it the Ponte Nuovo, the “new bridge”.

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Ponte Vecchio was built by an architect Neri di Fioravante, who created an elegant building with three arches. Today, the Ponte Vecchio is also known as “The bridge of jewelers” because on its both sides you can find plenty of shops and boutiques, mostly jewelry. The first shops were open here in the 13th century, but originally there were fish traders, tanners and butchers. The river served them as an excellent dump. Above the second arch, in the middle of the bridge was therefore a small space available, through which they could throw garbage straight into the river. Fortunately this free space does not serve to its original purpose any more, but it allows a nice view of the river and other neighbouring bridges.

In 1593 Grand Duke Ferdinando I. kicked all the existing traders off the bridge and replaced them with jewellers and goldsmiths. About 50 of them settled in wooden shops and thanks to them the bridge got its distinctive character. Above the shops there is a Vasari Corridor which was built in 1564 by order of Grand Duke Cosimo I, who wanted to have sheltered and safe walkway from Palazzo Vecchio square to Palazzo Pitti. In the middle of the bridge you can see a bust of one of the most famous Florentine goldsmith, Benvenuto Cellini (1500 – 1571), created in 1900 by sculptor Raffaello Romanelli.

Ponte Vecchio can boast the title of one of the most famous symbols of Florence or the most beautiful bridge in the world.

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This has been built on the river Tagus, close to Portugal’s capital – Lisbon. The traffic was heavy here and people were suffering from traveling from one place to another one.

The length of the Vasco da Gama Bridge is about 17 kilometers and it is the 9th longest bridge in the world. It took only about three years to complete the bridge. Cable-stayed and viaducts technologies have been used to construct this bridge. Normally, it would take about twenty minutes to cross the bridge and it would surely be a pleasant experience for all the travellers.

The bridge was opened to public service in 1998 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the invention of the route from Europe to India. By the way, Vasco da Gama was one of the most successful Portuguese explorer and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India.

Special aspect of this bridge is that it has been built within 18 months with over three thousand workers and should survive for at least 120 years. A 40 years long contract has been given to a private company to take care of the cost so the government didn’t have to spend money for the project. Though only six lanes are available at present, there is enough space to convert it into eight lanes bridge, when it is required.

If you are Technical Monuments lover, and already visited Paris with Eiffel Tower, now you should go more to the south and try driving across this technical gem.

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Keila Waterfall is 6.1 meters high and 60 meters wide. On its right bank there is the abandoned estate with a park, built in 1833. The adjacent park occupies an area of ​​25 hectares and there is growing over 80 species of trees and shrubs. Upstream of the waterfall you can see an interesting bridge, which symbolizes love. You can also visit here the small hydro power plant. Keila Waterfall is a popular tourist destination. You can use paid parking space near the waterfall.

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The Millau Viaduct serves to the speed up and calm the traffic. Before its construction it was necessary first to descend into the valley and then climb again on the other side, which greatly slowed down the transport, and meant a significant traffic load in the valley.

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The Millau Viaduct consists of 8 road fields, supported by seven pillars, which have the shape of an inverted Y. The road is 2460 m long and weighs 36,000 tons. Each field is 342 meters long (2 outer field has a length of 204 m), in the middle of these fields there is a pillar. 90 m high pylons rise above the road (each weighs over 600 tons) and with ropes keep the roadway between the pillars. A maximum height of the road above the ground is 246 meters.

The actual construction work began in October 2001, but weather conditions greatly complicated the construction which finally lasted for 3 years.

Millau Viaduct is not only the tallest bridge in the world but also the world’s longest cable-stayed deck.

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Kuršių Nerija National Park, Lithuania by fintlandia

Kuršių Nerija National Park has now become a popular tourist site and holiday resort, which is also one of the largest deposits of amber in the world.

Kuršių Nerija National Park contains of a range of pine forests and sand dunes, through which is sometimes referred to as the Baltic Sahara. The unique character of the landscape brought Curonian Spit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The larger part of the Curonian Spit in Lithuania is a part of Kuršių Nerija National Park covering an area of 265 km2 (98km2 are covered by land, and 167km2 by water). The park has been established in 1991 but the first steps to protect this area were undertaken already in 1960, when Curonian Spit became a Nature Reserve.

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Hunter-Desportes

European E20 route passes through Öresund Bridge as well, which is important connection between Scandinavia and Central and Western Europe. But not only the bridge is interesting here. Another part of this route is a well-built tunnel under the sea that ensures better navigation and transportation network for the ships. The long tunnel permits fleets of large cargo boats, passenger ships and speed boats steer safely through this extended tunnel.

On Öresund Bridge you will pass the borders but thanks to Schengen Agreement there are usually no passport inspections.

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The Architect of the bridge is Georg Rotne who designed several important bridges throughout the world. Öresund Bridge is 7,845 meters long and up to 23.5 meters wide and today it serves to more than 17,000 road vehicles every day.

If you visit Sweden or Denmark in the future, you have to make a trip by train or car through this unique bridge and tunnel. It is really very impressive!

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The bridge stretched local fishermen here in late April to September for more than 200 years, just for the salmon fishing season, but now there are very few salmon left. Therefore it is now only tourist attraction that is open for the whole year.

However, with approx. 250.000 visits a year it is one of the most visited attraction in United Kingdom.

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Magdeburg Water Bridge was opened in 2003 and connects Berlin’s inland harbour network with the ports along the Rhine river. The bridge also allows the traffic of larger ships. This unique bridge is able to support even the heaviest boats and also to withstand the winter ice.

Its length is 918m, depth 4.25m and width is up to 34 m. The construction took €500 milion and used 24,000 tonnes of steel and 68,000 cubic meters of concrete.

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Inside the five-story tall dome, you will find a massive size replica of the Angkor Temple. There are suspension bridges and towers throughout the park that offers some of the most amazing views and access to some of the most popular rides. You will find a number of pools and flowing streams situated throughout the theme park that will provide you with hours of entertainment.

Needless to say, the first moment that you step foot into Aquaworld Budapest, you would realize that you are in for an exciting day. There are swimming pools and streams as well as a number of saunas within the park grounds. You will be able to spend hours relaxing in the water regardless of what the weather is like outside.

You will find the Aquaworld waterpark located along the northern edge of Budapest just off the Megyeri Bridge abutment. It is easily accessible via its own exit on the Budapest M0 ring. There is more than a sufficient amount of parking available at the theme park, with a carpark capable of handling more than 1000 cars throughout the day. It is also extremely close to downtown Budapest which means it is only a couple minutes away from virtually every hotel and motel within the city.

Do not worry if you cannot spend all day at Aquaworld, because it is open up early every single day, and closes late. The park itself opens at six in the morning; but only one of the swimming pools and two saunas is available before 9:30. On most occasions the park stays open until 10 o’clock at night; but there are rare occasions in which it will stay open later.

Splash Night Slide Party

If you wish to enjoy some more fun, then you should plan your visit to aquapark when it is open throughout the night. There is a Night Slide Party with live DJ organized once a month, which is some kind of a dance show. The party starts at 22:00 PM and lasts till 03:00 AM with the water slides and pools opened. But even more you can also enjoy Specialty cocktails, watch the Light show or Salsa dancers.

Splash Night Slide Party in Aquaworld Budapest

To get on the party you can take a free party bus from Nyugati which runs hourly from 21:00 till 24:00 and stops on several other locations on its way to the aquapark. It’s good to check programme of aquapark and plan your visit accordingly.

Adventure Park

If you have already enjoyed lots of water fun and want to try something different, do not look elsewhere. The Aquaworld Budapest does not offer water attractions only, there is also the challenging Adventure Park that is waiting for you and your courage. The Park is located outside and the opening times are depending on the weather.

Adventure Park in Aquaworld Budapest

Sauna World

Sauna World is a part that you also should not miss once you are in the aquapark. Have you ever heard about Russian sauna, bio-sauna or crystal sauna? If not, be aware that you can enjoy these in Budapest along with all other sauna types you can even imagine, including the popular high-temperature Finnish sauna with snow chamber.

Admission to the Aquaworld Budapest

The prices vary and there are lots of discounts for children, students and seniors. The basic adult admission is 4990,-HUF on weekdays and 5690,-HUF on weekends, which is around €16 – €19 (valid on March 2013).

Hungary is a major aquapark and spa leader in Europe and there are countless aquaparks in Hungary that offer high class services including thermal water pools, sauna worlds and spa centres.

For more information visit the official site of Aquaworld Budapest.

Pictures delivered by aqua-world.hu and published with their kind permission.

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