With one of the world’s most beautiful pieces of real estate Luna Park on Sydney Harbor is more than just a good time. The park opened in 1935 on Milsons Point near to the northern western pylon of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, and has had a controversial and sometimes tragic history but today the park has been restored and new attractions added making it the biggest fun park in New South Wales. The park is popular for weddings, functions and even home to music festivals throughout the year. The huge smiling face is actually the 8th face to grace the entrance it was based on the face at Melbourne’s Luna Park at St Kilda and the Steeplechase Park in the USA. Read the rest of this entry »
Toyota is a city in Nagoya Japan and as the name suggests it is home to the worlds biggest automotive manufacturer Toyota. Dubbed the Motown of the Far East the city was once called Koromo. Toyota have a quiet a few museums in the greater Nagoya and are all worth a visit but the Toyota Exhibition Hall combined with a factory tour is a great day out and a chance to get up close to some cutting edge technology. One of the center’s newest exhibits are Toyota’s musical robots which were a hit at Nagoya’s World Expo. The exhibition hall is geared towards innovation and technology with many interactive exhibits featuring Hybrid engines, safety systems and futuristic vehicles. Read the rest of this entry »
Everyone’s favorite mice Minne and Mickey celebrated 2 years in Hong Kong recently with all their cute and cuddly friends. Hong Kong Disneyland has been a huge hit with bumper crowds most days. The park joins the other Disneyland parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris and Tokyo and has all the favorite rides and attractions with a mix of Chinese culture and traditions. Due to its success expansion plans are underway a 15 year plan to expand the park to being able to take 10 million visitors annually. There is even talk of a second Disney park being built on site over the next few years.
The Sears Tower in Chicago has been the tallest building in the USA since 1973 and we have found this cute little ad on You Tube. It features a couple of pidgeons who explain the massive tower which attracts more than a million visitors a year to it’s skydeck and is 610 baseball bats high- what amazing facts. On a good day you can see over 50 miles and see states Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin and spectacular views of lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline. Read the rest of this entry »
This Friday the world’s most famous Christmas Market the Christkindlesmart will bring Christmas cheer to around 2 million visitors in Nuremberg, Germany. The market is a special place with magical scenes of snow, Christmas and decorations amongst the beautiful cobblestone streets and gothic lanes, with the Church of Sebadus , The Church of Our Lady and the lovely fountains being the centerpiece for this beautiful setting. The market dates back nearly 400 years and always opens on the Friday before the first Advent and runs up to Christmas Eve. There are about 180 lovely stalls all decked out in red and white canvas selling everything you could ever want for Christmas. There is arts and crafts, toys and some of the worlds best chocolate, confectionery and of course German gingerbread, and you know you’re in Germany with the fresh smells of grilling sausages and mulled wine.
At over 1 million square metres and able to handle 53 million people a year the new terminal at Beijing Airport promises to be the world’s biggest and most technologically advanced airport facility doubling the all ready huge airport. The brand new terminal three has been designed by British architectural firm Foster and Partners at a cost of over $3.5 billion US dollars. With the 2008 Olympic Games starting in August it is hoped the terminal will be ready for its first visitors around March next year. Nearly a quarter of a billion dollars has been spent on a roller coaster like luggage system which will be able to handle nearly 20000 items an hour from nearly 3oo counters. The system will allow departing passenger to pick up their bags in under 5 minutes of landing even from international flights.
The magnificent Hagia Sopia is probably Turkey’s most known building. A former basilica and mosque and since 1935 it has been a museum and is building alone is the museums greatest treasure. The massive dome measures over 30 metres and stands over 55 metres above ground level making it the world’s largest cathedral for over a thousand years until the Seville Cathedral was completed in the 1500’s. The building is beautifully decorated with gold leaf and amazing mosaics depicting many religious scenes many have been rediscovered in recent years when plaster and paint was removed from walls during renovations.
While we enjoyed the video above of this group of people setting up their dinner party in a London Tube Train, it’s probably not recommended and perhaps frowned upon by the transit police. If you have ever been on London’s subway you will remember how cramped these trains are compared to other trains around the world. Many of London’s subways were built in the late 1800s and looking back it would have been better if they were built a wee bit bigger, the trains are shaped to maximize the little space they do have and are well known for being overcrowded and uncomfortable. Read the rest of this entry »
The Serpentine Lake, Marble Arch and Speaker’s Corner are all popular places in London and they are all part of London’s premier Royal Park Hyde Park. The park is home to many of the City’s celebrations and hosts many major events and concerts including the last years huge Live 8 concert. The parkland was originally owned by the Monks of Westminster Abbey but was acquired by Henry VIII in 1536 as a hunting ground. The park covers 350 acres and has over 4,000 trees a lake and lush meadow and is also home to the Princess Diana Memorial. There’s plenty of places for walks and picnics. For a something a bit special Winter Wonderland comes to Hyde Park from December 1st. to the 6th of January- with a huge ice rink, Christmas Market and ice rides, cafe’s bars and lots of entertainment.
The Colosseum is probably the best known of Rome’s ancient buildings. It is a huge arena even in today’s standards and had seating for over 50,000 people and rising 160 feet above street level. The Colosseum has had many uses over its 2000 years including a scene for mock battles, gladiator battles, was flooded for naval skirmishes and was even the site where Christians were fed to lions. Sadly the arena has suffered serious damage due to stone robbers and earthquakes but the Colosseum remains an iconic symbol of Italy and is Rome’s most popular tourist attraction. Today the coliseum is still used for smaller performances and events, but only a few hundred spectators can be accommodated. Quiet a few superstars use the Colosseum as the backdrop to their Rome concerts, Paul McCartney and Elton John are two of the huge acts who have visited in recent years. Read the rest of this entry »
