Posts from ‘December, 2007’

The giant golden guitar

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Tamworth the Country Music capital of Australia in central New South Wales is home to a novel ‘big thing’ the giant Golden Guitar. Standing 12 metres high and weighing half a ton the massive guitar is a major icon in this country music loving town. The guitar was unveiled by Australia’s King of Country Music the Late Slim Dusty back in 1988, which was a fitting moment to celebrate Australia’s bicentenary. The Golden Guitar is modeled of the “Golden Guitar Award” which is given away in Tamworth every Australia Day weekend, Slim infact won more guitars than any other artist and his music loved not only in Tamworth but worldwide. The big Golden Guitar statue makes up the entrance to the Golden Guitar centre which houses tourist facilities, a country and western wax museum , gem shop and cafe, it is well worth a look when visiting central New South Wales.
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Cat and Fiddle Square

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Back in 1917 the Cat and Fiddle Inn stood in an alley off Hobart’s Elizabeth Street. The inn unfortunately is long gone but the legend continues. The alley now a shopping arcade in the centre of Hobart, the capital of Tasmania. The Cat and Fiddle arcade is a favorite shopping destination or place to relax over a cup of coffee before hitting the streets for more shopping. At the centerpiece of the arcade is a lovely cat and fiddle artwork which has animated characters which perform on the hour. The arcade was one of the first in Hobart and dates back to 1962 when it was opened by the the Lord Mayor of Hobart Sir Basil Osborne.

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Innsbruck’s Triumphpforte

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Way back in 1765 to honor the marriage of her son, and to mourn the death of her husband Empress Maria Theresa ordered a arch to be built. One side of the arch celebrates sadness, while the other side celebrates happiness. Arches were quiet commonly built to celebrate things in Europe but many were made of wood or other items which did not last, fortunately the designers of this arch built the structure out of stone and it remains today as a beautiful symbol of the time. The arch can be found on the southern end of the city on Maria Theresien Strasse. Read the rest of this entry »

Munich’s giant whoopee cushion

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The FIFA World Cup came to Germany in 2006 and to accommodate this huge sporting event many stadiums were built and the most spectacular was the Allianz Stadium in Munich which was designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron of Switzerland. This huge three tiered arena holds just under 70,000 people and has a playing surface of 8,000 square metres. The outer walls of the stadium are amazing there are 2874 huge foil panes which are inflated a bit like one of those fancy foil balloons you get at events. The foil can be lit up any colour with a monstrous lighting system making the arena a spectacle in itself each panel can be lit up independently and are usually lit in the home teams colours on match day. The stadium in affectionately known as “Furzkissen” (whoopee cushion), because of its shape.

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Salamanca Markets Hobart

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Every Saturday morning in Hobart Australia, Salamanca Place on the historic waterfront attract thousands of locals and tourists alike to a huge street market which sells just about everything. Located beside restored historic sandstone shipping ware houses this is one of the most beautiful settings you will find anywhere in the world. The market has a huge array of products from fresh produce, take away gourmet food including some tasty local sausages, crafts from pottery, jewelry and beautiful Tasmanian woolen items. Plants books, antiques and the cities best selection of souvenirs. There is always some great street entertainment and plenty of fun for all ages. This market is not to be missed for any visitor to Hobart. Read the rest of this entry »

Sun, Surf and Penguins?

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When you think of the tropical islands of Hawaii you think of the sun and the surf but you wouldn’t even dream of penquins. Well there is a happy little colony of the cute black and white critters alive and well and main attraction at the beautiful Hilton Hawaiian Village right on Waikiki Beach. The hotel has magnificent gardens and quiet a range of wildlife living among its lush jungle of ferns and palms, including macaws, parakeets, flamingos, kio carp and turtles. The penguins draw quiet a crowd especially at meal times when they duck and dive for fish.

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The Twelve Apostles

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Australia’s Great Ocean Road is home to one of the world’s most spectacular coastlines and the mighty Twelve Apostles is the highlight of any road trip along this magnificent coastal road. The huge limestone monoliths standing up to 45 metres high are constantly pounded by the fierce Southern Ocean. Only a few years ago one of the apostles fell into the ocean and was destroyed after centuries waves and wind crashing onto the rocks. The Twelve Apostles make up the centerpiece of the Port Campbell National Park and is a popular destination for photographers, bushwalkers and hundreds of day trippers from Melbourne or Geelong. Read the rest of this entry »

The John Lennon Memorial in Central Park

John Lennon was tragically taken 27 years ago this month and once again thousands of people visited the Strawberry Fields Memorial in New York’s Central Park. The memorial is close to the Dakota Building where John lived and was murdered on December 8, 1980. The memorial is set in a 2.5 acre landscaped area of the park and is dedicated to Lennon. The memorial opened on what would have been Lennon’s 45th Birthday on October 9th 1985 and was underwritten by Yoko Ono, Lennon’s widow. The gardens are not only a place to celebrate the life of John Lennon, it is a place to reflect peace, during the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11 2001 the gardens were used by hundreds for prayer and reflection of the happening events.

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A train that floats on magnets

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The last World Expo was in Nagoya in central Japan and to help get the 20+ million visitors to the site the Linimo Maglev Train was built. This amazing piece of technology offers a fully computerised, safe and smooth ride and is the first Japanese train to use the maglev system. It is hoped the technology will be used in the Shinkasen bullet trains in years to come, a Tokyo to Osaka train is in final stages of development, infact testing is being currently undertaken with speeds in excess of 580kmh. Nagoya’s train however is a suburban train it stops at 9 stops and rides upon a elevated track and reaches speeds of up to 100kph and actually floats 8 mm above the track being held up by magnetic force. The Linimo Train is able to carry 4000 passengers in each direction every hour with each train designed to carry 244 passengers, but as with all Japanese trains many more will squeeze in.

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A village built on the scurvy dead’s burial ground

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San Diego is one of North America’s most beautiful harbour cities and one of the most popular places to relax, have a bit to eat and do some great shopping is at the Sea Port Village right on the Pacific Ocean. Opening in 1980 on reclaimed land over the Point of the Dead or Punta de los Muertos in Spanish the site was where the Spanish buried their dead from Scurvy in the 1780’s. It later became a goods yard for the railroad and today has been transformed into a huge open air entertainment complex. The centre has over 50 shops, a dozen or so eateries and a number of fine dining experiences plus its only a short stroll to the Convention Centre, Marriott Hotel & Marina, Manchester Grand Hyatt and Midway Museum. The area is beautifully landscaped with lakes, cobblestone pathways and a boardwalk along the San Diego Bay. There is a full calendar of events and a beautifully restored 1895 carousel for the kids. A great way to fill in the afternoon for anyone visiting lovely San Diego.

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