Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Garry Knight

The cathedral rises on a Ludgate Hill, offering a beautiful view not only of the roofs of surrounding houses, but also on the nearby River Thames. The place where the cathedral stands, belonged to the church purposes from time immemorial, and so St. Paul’s Cathedral is the fifth church that was built here. The first wooden church has already been here in the 7th century. However it took many centuries until the present cathedral was built here. The former buildings were destroyed especially by numerous fires. Churches have always been newly refurbished and underwent many modifications, especially during the Middle Ages.

The worst time in the history of the cathedral was the September 2nd, 1666, during London’s Great Fire, when the four fifths of the former metropolis were completely destroyed, including the cathedral.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Steve Cadman

The creation of a new model of church is credited with one of the greatest masters of that time – Sir Christopher Wren. Construction started in 1675 and was completed many years later – in 1710. Once the cathedral was completed, it was the third longest church in Europe with a length of 181m, and boasted a 149 m high tower.

Today, St. Paul’s Cathedral is the most beautiful old building in London, still used for regular worship, but also to the extraordinary and monitored events worldwide. In 1965 it became the scene of the funeral of Prime Minister and Nobel Prize winner for literature, Sir Winston Churchill, who is considered one of the leading statesmen of the 20th century. His funeral was at the same time the show of the world political figures, which has been overcome by the funeral of Pope John Paul II. in 2005. In July 1981, the cathedral was a place of the marriage of Princess Diana and Prince Charles.

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Cathedral impresses every visitor especially its western facade, which is well-illuminated in the evening. The cathedral is heavily decorated with numerous architectural features. The most richly decorated part is the altar area, where you can see spectacular, sophisticated gilded mosaics with images of birds, fish, animals and nature. In the south aisle of the cathedral there is a unique and even the only completely preserved statue from the old St. Paul’s Cathedral. The statue is a portrait of the poet John Donne, who was a preacher and Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral.

The cathedral is easily accessible by subway Central.

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It offers a large number of water slides, sea waves and other attractions. Among the most adrenaline attractions are the Kamikaze slide, slide Twin Peaks, where you also fly and the Water Jump, which is very steep slide. But the biggest adrenaline attraction is the slide Stukas. It is designed really just for brave ones. From the high tower you are falling down on the slide which is almost perpendicular to the ground.

In the Aqua Paradise Canevaworld you can find also enough green space, in some parts are also loungers with parasols. Of course there are several pools, including a wave pool, children’s playground, bars and restaurants. There is the large parking space for “unlimited” number of cars so you don’t have to be worry when you are coming by car.

Admission to Aqua Paradise Canevaworld is €24 per day for adults and €19 for children but there are lots of discounts, e.g. for Annual Pass. Aquapark is open from May to September. Opening hours are changing, it is appropriate to look at the official site of the park.

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Mechelen is situated in the “Flemish diamond” area, a densely populated part of Belgium, among the Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent and Louvain (Leuven). Found Artifacts from the period of La Tene, prove settlement already in the Iron Age (400 BC). Later there were Gallic-Romans in Mechelen and after those there were Germans.

In the 8th century, under the influence of Irish missionaries and preachers St. Rumbold, the residents went to Christianity. St. Rumbold’s Cathedral – Gothic cathedral is one of the landmarks of the city, built between 13th to 16th century, and has 97m high tower with two bells. The Cathedral is registered on UNESCO World Heritage Site.

From the 16th century it comes another important landmark of the city, Small and Large Béguinages (Begijnhof), a unique complex of buildings belonging to Beguines, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mechelen is a picturesque town with its typical atmosphere of winding streets, shops and cafes with a strong Belgian coffee or hot chocolate. In the center you will find a market where you can buy sweets. The best place for shopping is the square Ijzerenleen, which was famous in the Middle Ages for its fish market.

Another interesting tourist place in the city of Mechelen is the square Grote Markt, where you can find a statue of Margaret of York, and three current City Hall buildings: the late Gothic Paleis van de Groote Raad from 16th century, Gothic Belfort from 14th century and Lakenhal from 14th century. The square is surrounded by Renaissance buildings from the 16th century, rococo houses from the 18th century, and is dominated by the already mentioned St. Rumbold’s Cathedral.

In Mechelen you can find many other religious buildings, such as the Baroque basilica Basiliek van Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-van-Hanswijk and other churches.

Other important buildings in Mechelen are the late-Gothic palace of Margaret of York, which now serves as a theater and the Palace of Margaret of Austria, originally the seat of the High Court, today the Palace of Justice. The beautiful Renaissance palace gardens are now accessible to the public.

In 1835, the first railway on the European continent was built between Brussels and Mechelen.

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Eiffel Tower Slobozia is 54 meters high tower, which is an exact, smaller copy of the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris. It is a part of a private tourist complex built by Romanian billionaire. In the complex there is also a replica of the famous ranch from the series “Dallas”.

Eiffel Tower Slobozia provides a pleasant view over the surrounding countryside. At night the tower is illuminated.

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The city was founded sometime in the late of 12th century by rich Saxon merchants. Its strategic importance gradually grew and the fortifications were improved. Sighisoara is well known because of Vlad Tepes or Vlad III the Impaler (known as Dracula) was born here around the year of 1430.

Historical center is located on a hill, and it is thoroughly fortified. From the train station it takes for about 15 minutes to get there. At the courtyard there is the landmark of the city – Clock Tower, a 64m high tower built in the 13th century where is now museum. There is also Dracula’s family house, which is now one of the best (and most expensive) local restaurant.

There is a medieval festival in the courtyard and city events.

What else you can see in Sighisoara?

• Sighisoara Citadel – a 12th Century Saxon edifice, is the historic center of the city. Still inhabited, the citadel is listed as a World Heritage Site
• Weapon Museum – next to Vlad’s birthplace. Very small, but it contains an interesting selection of medieval weapons (swords, arrows, etc.)
• Covered Staircase – a very old stone staircase with a wooden roof along the whole span. This leads up to the Church on the Hill and the cemetery
• Church on the Hill – contains many frescoes and a crypt. Built on the location of a Roman fort. Located on the side of the hill next to it is one of the Lutheran cemeteries in the city, which contains many tombstones of Germans.
• Bust of Vlad Tepes – Located around the corner from his birthplace, within sight of the Clock Tower

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