Chadi » Tourism http://thechadi.com Reporting live from the centre of the Universe - My living room Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:59:23 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Cefalù http://thechadi.com/2011/12/cefalu/ http://thechadi.com/2011/12/cefalu/#comments Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:58:35 +0000 admin http://thechadi.com/?p=622 A beautiful coastal city in the province of Palermo,  Cefalù is one of the most visited cities in Sicily by tourists from all across Italy and  Europe. The Cathedral of Cefalù is probably the most visited attraction that stands out in this city. There are other churches all around the city and a few old palaces. What is most impressive though is the view you have whether you are standing on top of the mountain side looking down to the sea or the opposite; it simply is breathtaking. Do not let the size of this city fool you, during the summer time you can barely set a foot here due to the flocking of tourists from all over Europe.  That is partly thanks to the active night life, events, tour operators and mainly the happy atmosphere that is there.

 

]]> http://thechadi.com/2011/12/cefalu/feed/ 0 Sintra http://thechadi.com/2011/12/sintra/ http://thechadi.com/2011/12/sintra/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:56:21 +0000 admin http://thechadi.com/?p=614 A must see town and municipality for any visitor to Lisbon. A beautiful mountainous region dotted by royal gems and palaces including the Pena National Palace which, among other castles and palaces, allowed for Sintra to be classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Romantic architecture and beautiful landscapes make Sintra one of the most visited places around Lisbon.

Cabo da Roca is within this beautiful municipality. This is a cape which forms the westernmost extent of mainland Portugal and continental Europe  forming the westernmost extent of the Serra de Sintra (Sintra Mountains). It was described by the 16th century Portuguese poet Luís de Camões in his epic poem Os Lusíadas as “Aqui, onde a terra se acaba e o mar começa” (Here, where the land ends and the sea begins). That is something, I am afraid, you will have to see for yourself to believe.

]]> http://thechadi.com/2011/12/sintra/feed/ 0 Palermo http://thechadi.com/2011/12/palermo/ http://thechadi.com/2011/12/palermo/#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:30:18 +0000 admin http://thechadi.com/?p=611 Palermo or Palermu, the capital of Sicilia (Sicily), and a city that I consider a very special place to myself. I have posted photos earlier of this place and promised some more to show more of the beauty of this ancient city. This is home to some of the greatest food, arancina and cannoli. You have not been to Palermo if you do not taste those two. In Catania, there is a variation of the arancina and they refer to it as arancino. Mixing up between the names could lead in you hearing a lecture about it.

Some history for those too lazy to go to my previous posts to read, Palermo stands for over 2700 years of culture, history, gastronomy and architecture. Although founded by the Phoenicians, it was only named by the Greek before joining the Roman Empire. It was then part of the Byzantine Empire, ruled by the Arabs, then became its own Kingdom. It later on joined the Kingdom of Naples before the Italian unification in 1860. In short, TOO much history to cover here. Get yourself on a plane and go visit. Again, I have to admit that I met some of the nicest people in Southern Italy and Palermo, like Napoli, welcomed me with arms wide open.

]]> http://thechadi.com/2011/12/palermo/feed/ 0 Zürich http://thechadi.com/2011/11/zurich/ http://thechadi.com/2011/11/zurich/#comments Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:46:45 +0000 admin http://thechadi.com/?p=606 Zürich, or Züri in Swiss German, is the largest city in Switzerland. Founded by the Romans, Zürich went on to become the busiest city in the country and one of the largest financial centres in the world. It consistently ranks among the richest cities in Europe and considered to be one of the best cities in terms of quality of life. Most R&D centres are concentrated there, and thanks to its low taxation, it has also attracted companies from all over the world to settle their HQ in there.

It is one of the largest centres in terms of German speaking theatres and has been inhabited by so many notable people including Albert Einstein and Vladimir Lenin. A hub to one of the best airlines on earth, Swiss International Air Lines and home to the famous Swiss luxury confectionery manufacturer, Confiserie Sprüngli. Sprüngli are most famous for their macarons, best known as Luxemburgerli. The photos though, should speak for themselves when it comes to describing the beauty of this city.

]]> http://thechadi.com/2011/11/zurich/feed/ 0 Bioparc Valencia http://thechadi.com/2011/11/bioparc-valencia/ http://thechadi.com/2011/11/bioparc-valencia/#comments Sun, 20 Nov 2011 17:16:20 +0000 admin http://thechadi.com/?p=598 Bioparc Valencia must be one of the coolest places I have been to in a long time. It is a zoo like none you have ever been to before. Everything seems to be very well thought of and planned to maximise the enjoyment for everybody, most importantly for the animals there. Ever wanted to see how different groups of species can live together in one space without any bars between you and them. There are no cages in this Bioparc and that makes it very unique. No visit to Valencia is complete without visiting this park.

]]> http://thechadi.com/2011/11/bioparc-valencia/feed/ 1 Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias http://thechadi.com/2011/10/cac/ http://thechadi.com/2011/10/cac/#comments Sat, 29 Oct 2011 23:01:13 +0000 admin http://thechadi.com/?p=591 Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias or the City of Arts and Sciences is a beautiful complex in Valencia, Spain. This wonderful cultural and architectural entertainment complex adds so much value and is considered the most modern attraction in the city.

The complex is made up of the following buildings:

  • L’Hemisfèric — an Imax Cinema, Planetarium and Laserium.
  • El Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe — an interactive museum of science.
  • L’Umbracle — a landscaped walk with plant species indigenous to Valencia.
  • L’Oceanogràfic — an open-air oceanographic park. It is the largest oceanographic aquarium in Europe with 110,000 square meters and 42 million liters of water. It was built in the shape of a water lily and is the work of architect Félix Candela.
  • El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia — an opera house and performing arts centre.
  • L’Àgora — a covered plaza in which concerts and sporting events are held.
Below you will find a photo gallery of the complex and followed by a few videos taken at L’Oceanogràfic of a dolphin show and a few more videos of a seal show. All that’s left for me to say is enjoy the show!
]]> http://thechadi.com/2011/10/cac/feed/ 0 Valéncia http://thechadi.com/2011/10/valencia/ http://thechadi.com/2011/10/valencia/#comments Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:43:09 +0000 admin http://thechadi.com/?p=587 The third largest city in Spain, home of the paella  and host to one of the most impressive futuristic museum complexes across Europe. It is also the home town for Pope Alexander VI or simply Pope Borgia. Once considered disconnected from the sea is now the biggest port on the Western Mediterranean coast and handles 20% of the traffic in Spain. It is a city filled with history and culture that one must not miss on a trip to Spain.

]]> http://thechadi.com/2011/10/valencia/feed/ 2 Schloss Charlottenburg http://thechadi.com/2011/09/schloss-charlottenburg/ http://thechadi.com/2011/09/schloss-charlottenburg/#comments Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:25:48 +0000 admin http://thechadi.com/?p=582 Built in the 17th century in the beautiful city of Berlin, Schloss Charlottenburg is the largest palace in the city. Built with very enticing baroque and rococo interior decoration. The palace was heavily damaged during the World War II but has been since reconstructed. Attached to the palace is a beautiful formal garden and surrounded woodland which adds all the more beauty to the palace and its neighbouring area. Plan to spend at least half a day when visiting this palace in order to discover it properly.

]]> http://thechadi.com/2011/09/schloss-charlottenburg/feed/ 0 Belém http://thechadi.com/2011/07/belem/ http://thechadi.com/2011/07/belem/#comments Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:24:10 +0000 admin http://thechadi.com/?p=572 Santa Maria de Belém or simply Belém is just at the mouth of the Tagus in Lisbon where all Portuguese discoverers set sail from. Vasco da Gama set sail from here before to open the sea route to India. There are two grand monuments Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Jerónimos Monastery) and the Torre de Belém (Belém Tower) built in a beautiful architectural style. Belém is a beautiful and spacious green suburb with lots of museums and gardens. On a sunny day, this whole area gives you a feel of being just by the seaside. A nice part of town to be in to relax and indulge on a journey back on the discoveries of those brave mariners.

]]> http://thechadi.com/2011/07/belem/feed/ 6 Lisboa http://thechadi.com/2011/07/lisboa/ http://thechadi.com/2011/07/lisboa/#comments Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:56:51 +0000 admin http://thechadi.com/?p=567 When I first decided to fly over to Lisbon, I had the impression that it might be one of those cities that I would be bored with after the first day. After landing, I saw a lot of people waiting for their loved ones to come out of the luggage hall. It gave me this warm feeling that you never get in most parts of the world these days. The taxi driver was bragging about how beautiful his city is and how difficult it is for visitors  not to come back. I dismissed all that in my head because he is talking about his very own city, who wouldn’t say that. I was mistaken, very mistaken indeed. Lisbon must be one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen anywhere.

The Portuguese capital city sits on a hilly site on the Tagus. Such a beautiful city rich in history, culture and beautiful sceneries. Besides Belém, Alfama has to be one of my favourite quarters in this city. It comes to life in the late afternoon with its bustling restaurants and bars and music in the air of its alleyways. It is the oldest part of town with its picturesque houses just clinging to the hillside. I can write about this beautiful city a lot but I will leave you to enjoy the photos instead.

]]> http://thechadi.com/2011/07/lisboa/feed/ 2 Trick Fountains http://thechadi.com/2011/07/trick-fountains/ http://thechadi.com/2011/07/trick-fountains/#comments Sat, 09 Jul 2011 19:30:07 +0000 admin http://thechadi.com/?p=560 From the beautiful Magic Fountain of Montjuic in Barcelona to the Trick Fountains of Schloss Hellbrunn. The water games played by those trick fountains have been conceived by Markus Sittikus Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg. This is a popular tourist attraction during the summer time along with the Palace and its gardens of course. The fountains are referred to as trick fountains because of all the practical jokes the host can play on his guests using water. Some would include spraying them with water from walls, the ground or even from under the seats they are sitting on. The photos here are of the park housing the trick fountains and the videos show you some tricks including the Prince dining table, a mechanical theatre completely operated by water, a grotto and crown being pushed up and down by a jet of water symbolizing the rise and fall of power. During all those games there is only one spot that remains dry at all times, that is where the Archbishop stood or sat.

 

Prince Table : This table is decorated with marble, the famous lion heraldic animals and Capricorn, and a cord relief with fruit. The seats and the table itself are part of playful banter water, where only the hosts remained dry. The fleeing diners was hampered here by a wall of water rising from floor jets to flee.

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

The Mechanical Theatre was in the years 1750-1753 under Archbishop Andreas Jakob von Dietrich stone erected. Previously this was the blacksmith cave, which was probably once more forged while working together. Today’s mechanical theater now very vividly describes the varied activities of a small town. More than 100 wooden figures, arms and legs move here represent about one of the many crafts, work, attention to the craft and the artistic character. Or they move to the rotating discs. In the houses before the soldiers marching brass music and circus people dancing with a bear. All these movements of very fine figures are performed by an elaborate wooden wheels, which is driven by the water of the creek. To complete the presentation of art continues, was here from Lorenz Rosenegger (renovated by Rochus Egedacher) and a small water-powered organ factory built, which drowned out even the noise of moving one or the other wooden figures.

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

A crown being pushed up and down by a jet of water symbolizing the rise and fall of power

Click here to view the embedded video.

]]> http://thechadi.com/2011/07/trick-fountains/feed/ 0 Salzburg http://thechadi.com/2011/07/salzburg/ http://thechadi.com/2011/07/salzburg/#comments Sun, 03 Jul 2011 11:34:25 +0000 admin http://thechadi.com/?p=543 Salzburg, or Salt Castle, one of the largest cities in Austria and home to the famous Mozart and Christopher Doppler. It was this city, in its beautiful Alpine setting, that the crew of The Sound of Music filmed their American musical movie in 1965. The movie featured some of the most important landmarks of Salzburg. Although famous for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his fine work, it is also home to Christian Doppler, a mathematician and physicist who proposed the Doppler shift or the Doppler effect in Prague in the 1800s. Here are some photos from Salzburg and its Altstadt (old town)

 

Beautiful is this city with its Salzach River crossing through it just to add more to its beauty. Take a walk down the Mirabell Palace and Gardens, have an original Sacher Torte or the very famous Mozartkugel. I challenge you not to fall in love with any of those. I leave you with some more pictures of the Mirabellgarten.

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