Musee du Louvre, France

It’s hard to create a list of European museums without including the Louvre. All varieties of art, ranging from antiquities that date in the B.C. era to the famed Mona Lisa, fill the 652, 300 square feet of exhibit space. While it would take days to see all these amazing works, it is more than worth your time to map out a path to your favorite artists or periods of art and spend a few hours exploring the Louvre and ogling the art.

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

Van Gogh Museum, The Netherlands

While the French painters certainly had their hey-day of beautiful paintings, the Dutch had equally amazing master painters. Much smaller than the Louvre is the van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Here, visitors can see the largest collection of works by Vincent van Gogh, as well as works by his contemporaries, such as Paul Gaugin, Claude Monet, and Georges Seurat.

Galleria degli Uffizi, Italy

If you love the masterpieces of the Renaissance, the Uffizi is a gluttonous indulgence of riches. Here hangs some of the most famous works that came under the art-loving support of Florence’s Medici family. Michelangelo, Boticelli, and Raphael are just a few of the masters who have art here.

Museo Guggenheim Bilbao, Spain

One should visit the Guggenheim’s Spanish location even if modern art is unappealing. The architecture of the building is an amazing site to see on its own! Within this architectural landmark, visitors can see works by Basque artists and more general contemporary art from the Guggenheim collection. There are also site-specific installations. The rotating collections tend to focus on art from mid-20^th century to contemporary times.

Museo Guggenheim Bilbao, Spain by MykReeve

The National Gallery, UK

This landmark museum that towers over London’s Trafalgar Square has a well-rounded collection of paintings. Famous works by post-impressionist painter Paul Cezanne hang in rooms near Renaissance genius Titian. The National Gallery truly has something for an enthusiast of every period of Western art – plus, it is free.

Terry Carter writes about travel and backpacking for Camping Gear Outlet. 

The post 5 must-see museums of the EU appeared first on Europe Explored.

Kobala

It is a popular paragliding and hang gliding take off. Kobala is well known for its competition site and also for a great starting point for the long flights over the country around southern crest of the Julian Alps. The best conditions for long flights are with generally weak winds blowing from the north or east. However, the west wind, suitable especially for local flying, is more common.

Take off is a nicely maintained meadow on the pointed top of the forested Kobala hill at an altitude of 1080 metres above sea level. Two take off directions are possible depending on the direction of the wind. Suitable wind directions are: east, south-east, west and south-west.
GPS coordinates: N 46 10.86, E 13 46.76

Lijak

Lijak is one of the most popular flying sites in Slovenia. From Autumn to Spring it provides enough thermal activity for good flying. Unlike other take offs it is exposed to less sunlight related to the most favourable flying conditions with a weak general south-west wind.

This take off is a well maintained clearing in a forest located on the sharp edge of the Trnovo plateau at an altitude of 585 metres above sea level. The suitable wind directions are: south, south-east, south-west.
GPS coordinates: N 45 57.81, E 13 43.41

Stol

Being set in the high Julian Alps peaks, Stol is a paradise for a paragliding pilot. Its over 20km long panoramic ridge tops provide extraordinary opportunities for long cross country flights and large scale competitions.

Ideal flying conditions are with a very weak general north or north-east wind for cross-country flying and a weak south-west wind for local moderate flying. Stol is the highest take off in Soca Valley. It is often found as the only take off above the inversion layer ideal for thermal flying.

This take off is a meadow in the middle of a vast, grassy mountain slope at he AMSL altitude of 1405m.
GPS coordinates: N 46 16.36, E 13 28.39

All these three sites are hugely popular among the pilots from all over the Europe. Slovenia offers you unlimited paragliding possibilities for whatever you may be looking for from perfect holiday to the long cross country flights. Lots of paragliding schools head to Slovenia to enjoy their paragliding courses. In addition, top Czech manufacturer tests their famous glides there Axis paragliders.

Are you considering becoming a pilot yourself? Slovenia could be the right place for you. Check this offer! You will start your paragliding course by learning all necessary skills on the small hill. After 5 days of training you will move to Lijak, where you finish your course off by passing the final exam and flying in the Alps. In just eight days of intensive course, you may receive your pilot license that allows you to fly in most countries around the world.

View The best paragliding sites in Slovenia in a larger map

The post The best paragliding sites in Slovenia appeared first on Europe Explored.

The centre of Ķemeri National Park is Ķemeri town, where the tourist information center organizes expeditions to observe the bats, and half-day nature seminars. This spa town, hidden among the trees, is already since 30th of the 20th century, known for its healing mineral and sulfur springs. The spa is important especially for the people suffering from musculoskeletal diseases.

The town of Ķemeri is a great starting point for the tours to Ķemeri National Park, especially for Dumbrāja laipa route, which is formed by a raised wooden walkway. Another wooden walkway Laipa Lielajá Kemeru tīrelī is 3 km long, leads through the Great Ķemeri Moorland, which covers the entire southern half of the park. Kanieris lake which is home to 237 kinds of birds nesting on 14 islands, would be a great tip for bird-lovers and bird-watchers.

The reason for the declaration of the national park was an effort to preserve the unique local natural and cultural-historical values. The park contains many protected plants and microorganisms, which are typical for this climatic zone. Forests in the park are divided between numerous meadows and bushes. The lagoon-type lakes are e.g. Lake Dūnieris, Kanieris, Slokas ezers and Valhuma ezers. The largest swamps are Lielais Ķemeru tīrelis and Raganu purvs. Here you can find also the oldest Latvian primeval forest. Most of the park is situated in Zemgale region, a small part in Livonia in the cities Jurmala, Jelgava, Riga and Tukums.

In Ķemeri National Park there is a number of accommodation options, including camp.

The post Ķemeri National Park – the third largest national park in Latvia appeared first on Europe Explored.