After breaking many fast speed records, Eurostar (high-speed train services between Paris, London and Brussels through the English Channel tunnel) plans to set a Paris to London speed record via a new 186mph (300km/h) high-speed line.
History lovers, among others have all the more reason to visit Copenhagen this week as the city celebrates Golden Days festival (1st September-10th September) marking the 200th year anniversary of the bombardment of Copenhagen.
There are so many castles in the UK and Europe. Some people visit castles just for the sake of going and taking pictures for the sake of telling the world ‘yes I have been there’. But for few others, visit to castles is a wonderful opportunity to know about the past. One such castle that speaks lot about past is Carbisdale Castle. Said to be built between 1905 and 1917 for the Duchess of Sutherland-Mary Caroline Mitchell, the castle still stands in a commanding position overlooking the Kyle of Sutherland.
Call it impersonal or call it a very private dining experience. In Nuremberg, Germany has opened a restaurant which is being billed as the world’s first waiterless sit-down restaurant.
The Mechanism
The restaurant has fully automated ordering and table service system. Orders are placed by typing on a touch screen. The whole restaurant has been connected by a real time computer network and hence there is no delay between placing the order and the kitchen receiving the same. This network includes a computer which keeps stock of inventory. When an order is placed the computer returns information like whether the particular item is available or not, and how much time it would take to deliver it.
Almost coming alive to grasp for air through the smoke, a winged statue of victory stands surrounded by wildfires that nearly destroyed the site of the ancient Olympic Games in southwestern Greece.
Ancient Olympia seems to have weathered time as well as the raging destructive fires that have cost more than 60 lives in Greece. The 2,800-year-old site is the holiest sanctuary in ancient Greece. It was here that the first Olympic Games were played in 776 B.C. Firefighters were finally able to beat the raging flames, even as the outside of the museum housing antiquities was singed.
Venice, the city of canals and palaces attracts thousands of tourists everyday. The tourists leave behind quite a lot of litter making the place unsightly. The officials have decided to take steps to maintain the cleanliness and the decorum of ‘drawing room of Europe’.
They have deployed a group of multi-linguistic women nicknamed ‘guardians of the square” who patrol through the Saint Mark’s Square, the Grand Canal and the Doge’s Palace to keep a check on tourists with unacceptable behavior. Discarding leftover food, roaming around bare-chested and having picnics in non-designated places fall into the unacceptable behavior category.
A thought-provoking museum that explores the slave trade and Liverpool’s involvement in issues such as freedom, identity, human rights, racial discrimination and cultural change has been opened in Liverpool. Named International Slavery Museum, it is the first national museum in the world to deal with transatlantic slavery and its legacies.
If Europe is your next holiday destination, then don’t forget to check out the fabulous new spa in Berlin. It’s called Yi-Spa. The spa has eye-opening architecture and interior design. The hot pink, red and brown colors take over the usual authentic white for the spa’s interior which is surely a refreshing change from the interiors that characterize most spas around the globe.
Wooden floors, white walls which are in contrast with hot pink screens and the dome shaped lighting add to the splendor of the spa. Leaving your stress addictions behind, the spa promises to rejuvenate your mind and body in no time.
Yi-Spa’s treatments include the Royal Thai Massage, Exotic Body Scrub and the Asian Body Wrap which are complimented by all-natural beauty products and deep-space techno beats. Add Yi Spa visit to your must-do list while on trip to Europe and pamper your body in a soothing atmosphere.
Location:
Yi Spa
Unweit Hackescher Markt
Monbijouplatz 3a
Berlin.
Source: The Cool Hunter
The world’s biggest Viking ship - Stallion of the Sea - ended its six-week voyage in Dublin. The endeavor took the crew of 65 men from Scandinavia around Scotland and into the Irish Sea retracing the path of Vikings who invaded Ireland.
The 100-foot Stallion is a replica of a Viking ship believed to have been built in 1042 in Glendalough, Ireland. Viking-era tools were used to craft this 30m long and 4m-wide Viking vessel which took four years to complete.
The passage was being undertaken as part of a living archaeology project with an aim to understand the seamanship of early Norsemen in a much better way. The crew members had to face many hardships during the voyage. The crew had been blogging from the boat and the data was gathered during the voyage. The researchers now plan to analyze the film and the computer data whereas, the vessel will be kept on display at Dublin’s National Museum until next year.
Source: BBC
A magnificent landmark which dominates long and colorful history of Scotland is Edinburgh Castle. Set on an extinct volcano and offering stunning views, it is second most visited place in Britain after the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow.
The castle is a powerful national symbol and part of Edinburgh’s World Heritage site. It is one of the oldest buildings in Edinburgh and is the most popular tourist attraction. The castle has served both as fortress and royal residence. It has a rich and colorful history and presently houses the Scottish Crown Jewels, the Stone of Destiny and a permanent exhibition which depicts the history of Scotland.
Every day except Sundays and bank holidays, at one o’clock a gun is fired from the castle and the annual Military Tattoo takes place in the Castle Esplanade for three weeks in August.
Location:
Edinburgh Castle, Castle Hill, Edinburgh EH1 2NG, UK.
Getting There:
By Air: Edinburgh Airport.
By Rail: Waverley Station.
The Chapel and Stone of Destiny.
Scottish Crown Jewels.
Image Credit
The Stone of Destiny.
