Koninginnedag (Queen’s Day) – a national holiday, Amsterdam, The Netherlands by Jeroen

Really Amsterdam is not for the faint hearted. Do not be surprised if you see people smoking pot on road, gays moving hand in hand in the malls and the erotic sights in red light districts of the city. Some get a cultural shock of sorts when they arrive in Amsterdam, but for those who are on the lookout of delicious foods, Amsterdam is a paradise. People in Amsterdam have an easy view of life. Enjoy food in all possible ways and make merry no matter what tensions you are facing in life.

One thing to keep in mind when you arrive in Amsterdam is to look for apartments. Yes, staying at apartments in Amsterdam is not just inexpensive, they are more spacious than hotel rooms and a tourist can relax in style with a lot of privacy in these apartments. Of late, people are getting attracted to apartments as they provide a chance to come close to the local people and culture and so the situation is same whether we are making a reservation for apartments in Lisbon or apartments in Milan in Italy.

Many believe Amsterdam to be a shopper’s paradise. It is true but Amsterdam is also a great place for the foodies if they know where and at what time to be in for some really delicious foods.

Elf – for great food and panoramic view of the city

Elf is a great café, more so because of its location. It is situated at the top floor of a building close to Central Station that allows the tourists to relax in style to have a glimpse of the city while having their food. Whether it is brunch, breakfast, lunch or dinner, come to this 11th floor restaurant that becomes a great nightclub at nights.

De Waag

If you want unique ambience with great tasting food, come to De Waag. The building has great architecture and is very old. It was built in 1488 to be precise, and till a few years back the building served as headquarters of Dutch Mail. More suited for brunches and for sudden cravings for tasty foods, you can come her to have tasty soups, steaks, sandwiches and salads.

Sumo

Unlimited Sushi and more for just 25 Euros make this restaurant a very popular one. There are some who feel that it is perhaps quantity over quality but once they have tasted the sushi over here, they realize they are truly getting their money’s worth.

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1. The Eiffel Tower

Located in L’ecole Militaire, the chic end of Paris, it is one of the most famous tourist destinations.  At 324 metres tall, it will certainly give you a fantastic panoramic view of the city. There are three levels to The Eiffel tower and the entrance to the top is under just 14 euros per person (adult).  If you are feeling peckish, you can have a meal at one of the restaurants on the first or second level, but it will be pricey as you are paying for location.

View of Paris with Eiffel Tower / Florian Plag

2. The Arc de Triomphe

Located on the top end of Charles de Gaulle Etoile, the terrace of the Arc  has great views of Paris.  From one end you can see all the way down Les Champs Elysees and right behind you can see down to La Defense.  It is free to enter, you just have to pick a clear day as there is no protection from the rain at the top.  You might like to go at night as the Eiffel Tower puts on a sparkle 10  minute light show every hour on the hour.

The Arc de Triomphe / Kieran Lynam

3. The Grande Arche, La Defense

The business district situated just over the Pont de Neuilly is home to not just the headquarters of many corporations, but also to The Grande Arche.  It was built in 1989 to market the bicentenary of the French Revolution and now attracts thousands of tourists each year who visit the 110 metre roof from where you can get a panoramic view of Paris.  On a clear day, you can see all the way to the to the Stade de France in the north. There is also a restaurant on the top floor where diners can enjoy the view of Paris.

La Défense, Paris / stephane martin

4. Sacre Coeur

Climbing the stairs (or taking the elevator) up to Sacre Coeur is well worth it once you see the view.  It is amazing and takes your breath away, even if you might be a regular visitor to the place. The Dome of the Sacre Coeur is the second highest viewpoint after the Eiffel Tower and you can see everything, from the Paris apartments to the Boulevard Haussmann and of course La Tour Eiffel.

Sacre Coeur / Serge Melki

5. Montparnasse Tower

This is probably one of the least known attractions from where you can see all of Paris.  It is 210 metres high and was the tallest skyscraper in France until 2011 when Tour First was built. On the top floor is a restaurant and for those who are watching the pennies, they also offer a delicious hot chocolate for under 5 euros. To visit the terrace, it costs 7 euros, so nearly half the price of the Eiffel Tower.

Montparnasse Tower / Vladislav Bezrukov

There are many places to stay when you are over in Europe on holiday.  Many people pay for hotels and hostels, but renting apartments in London, Paris, Rome and Berlin gives you more flexibility and can also work out cheaper too.

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Hungarian Snow

Another interesting mountain range is Börzsöny which is protected by National Park of Duna-Ipoly. It lies at the Slovakian border, above Budapest, and includes also popular Hungarian towns of Visegrád and Nagymaros.

The park is also famous for many castles and forts. It is a pleasant, mostly forested landscape that waves together with the banks of the Danube and Ipoly rivers, interwoven with series of waterways and wetlands. Only in the Börzsöny mountains there are more than 335 different springs and streams. This area is one of the least accessible parts of Hungary. There are no roads, but you can get there by the narrow gauge railway which is also interesting and popular technical monument here. Of course, the best way how you can get to know the landscape is on foot, but be careful, some parts of the park are not accessible at all due to protection.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Tamas Ring

Most features of the landscape were created by volcanic activity, there are an extinct volcanic cones, steep ravines or bizarre rocks. Fourteen million years ago these places were occupied by the great volcano, about 1400 meters high. After the eruption, the central part of the volcano failed down, so today we can see the remnants of the crater. The highest point of Börzsöny mountain is Csóványos peak with a height of 939 metres above sea level, offering a panoramic view of the region. However, there are also other peaks and hills where you can enjoy beautiful views, such as Hegyes-Tető with the great vista of the Danube. In good weather conditions, you can even see the Slovak High Tatras mountains from some hills.

The area a home to many rare and protected animals, especially reptiles, amphibians and birds including several species of eagles. There are also wild cats and martens. It boasts also a varied composition of plants, including the relics from the post-glacial period.

Börzsöny Mountains are not very visited areas, in comparison with Balaton, Budapest or any of the Hungarian thermal aquaparks. But the prices here are reasonable and the romantic local scenery is an alternative for less demanding, but interesting holiday – especially for hikers and cyclists.

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Jannis Andrija Schnitzer

The cathedral was built over 600 years. Its eastern part with the chorus and part of the two towers were built in the year 1300. In the 15th century there was added the second floor to the south tower where was placed a bell. Towers were connected with the chorus through a long low building. Cathedral, as we know it today, was built in the 19th century of neo-Gothic style.

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Its official name is Hohen Dom zu Köln. The total length of the cathedral is 144.58 m, width is 86.25 m, and height of tower is 157 m. The median nave is 119 meters long and over 45 m wide, the higher one is the only cathedral in Beauvais, France (48.5 m). The church could accommodate 4,000 people and all windows cover an area of 10,000 m².

Everything that was newly built since 1842, was built according to the original medieval plans.

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Ulm Minster is the Lutheran church built in the Gothic style with a rich and unique decor. Its construction lasted from 1377 until 1890. Upon completion, about 320 singers met here and sang.

Ulm Minster is a city symbol. It can accommodate up to 2,000 people. Its length is 123.5 meters and width 48.8 meters. Its dominant is 161.5 meters tall tower, which made it the tallest church in the world. From the tower you can enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of the entire city of Ulm. During the nice weather you can even see the Alps.

Fortunately, during the World War II the church was almost not harmed, despite the fact that all the surrounding area was bombed and more than 80% of the buildings were totally destroyed.

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Sněžka is not forested, therefore offers a panoramic view of the Czech Republic and Poland in good weather. This makes Sněžka frequent tourist destination. To the top you can get through several hiking trails from the Czech or Polish side. Probably the most beautiful leads through Obří důl. It takes about 3 hours walking to get to Sněžka from the most of the resorts.

The oldest building on top is a Polish rotunda chapel of St. Lawrence, which was built in the 17th century. Sněžka has, among other things, the highest post office in the Czech Republic, inaugurated in 2007.

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The waterfall itself travels a total distance of 380 meters from its highest point to the pool below. It is separated into three distinct stages of which the upper and lower stages feature a drop of just over 140 meters while the middle stage features a drop of 100 meters. The point at which the Krimmler Ache flows over the edge of the cliff is 1470 meters above sea level.

Krimmler waterfalls, Austria by Manuel Heinrich Emha

The Krimmler Ache which feeds the Krimml Waterfalls is a glacial stream which ranges between 20,000 cubic meters an hour during the summer months to only 500 cubic meters per hour during the winter months. It is also important to point out that back in 1987, the largest ever recorded flow of more than 600,000 cubic meters per hour was recorded; affording anyone who visited at the time one of the most awe-inspiring views imaginable.

After the water has fallen into the pool below, then makes its way out to the Salzach River which then flows into the Inn River before finally meeting up with the famous Danube River. Eventually all the waters that cascade over the edges of the Krimml Waterfalls find their way out into the Black Sea.

Tourism in the area can be dated back several hundred years. A number of password created between the upper and lower portions of the waterfall prior to the 1870s. In 1879, in order to improve panoramic view and access the region, the Austrian Alpine club for forth a lot of effort into developing the area in and around the Krimml Waterfalls. Today, close to a half 1 million people visit the falls every single year.

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