A few years ago, I visited Geysir Park in West Iceland, a major attraction in one of the most volcanically active places on Earth.
By convention and history Iceland is a part of Europe although this island nation sits on the newest land on the planet — land that’s being formed as the North American and European plates slowly pull apart. It’session the home of the first ebullition spring, the one that gave every other propulsive plume of steam and sulfur its name. Geysir itself isn’t reliable any more, but the park has another star now, a geyser called Strukkor, which means “The Churn”. It erupts every five to ten minutes or so.
The whole hot springs area smells like sulfur, nevertheless that’s not remarkable in Iceland — a great deal of of the landscape is steaming and smells faintly to strongly sulfuric. Strukkor sits behind a casuallyroped-off area, and it at first it seems like not much is happening — like the gathered crowd is for some reason staring expectantly at gray slabs of rock. Growing closer, I could hear some gurgling and closer still, I could see the sounds were coming from a crater which seemed to be filled with swirling water, all ringed by a rock wall.
Presently, the water in the center starts to rise into a dome.
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Happy New Year persons! It’s been five days since the New Year festivities but I find myself unable to shake off the holiday stupor. So today I cracked my fingers, pulled out the camera and ran through photos from our New Year celebrations at London’s London Eye. I thought I’d share these with you.
A bunch of us headed to a friend’s terrace (situated in the heart of London) for this remarkable view of the London Eye.
London Eye
The London Eye, also known as the Millennium Wheel, was every one of lit up, waiting, like the slumber of the world for the clocks to strike 12. And then it happened.
Inaugurated in 1999, by the then PM Tony Blair, the London Eye was the largest Ferris wheel (or observation wheel, as some prefer to call it) in the world. It still remains the largest Ferris wheel in Europe.
Not only is the London Eye a popular landmark and tourist attractions, the London Eye fireworks display has become a highly anticipated global event. Thousands braved the cold (and it was cold!) to catch a glimpse of this. It was totally worth the effort.
The tradition of the London Eye fireworks display began in 2005.
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The New Year is working its way west across Russia to all of the nations in East and East Central Europe. Celebrants waiting to ring in 2010 brave the cold in historic squares and observe local traditions. The countries of Eastern Europe bring forth different ways of wishing others a happy New Year, but the sentiment is the same:
- Gezuar Vitin e Ri (Albanian)
- З Новым годам (Belorussian)
- Sretna nova godina (Bosnian)
- Щастлива Нова Година (Bulgarian)
- Sretna Nova godina!
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Winters can be difficult with the long cold, dark spells. But thankfully the winters are also a time for some of the best holiday treats. Recipe books are whipped out, special ingredients are purchased and supplementary effort is taken to create some rich strong flavours that help dispel the icy winds. It also helps that every country has its own unique take on these hibernate goodies, allowing for multiple variants and flavours. Here are my three favourites from Croatia:
Roasted Chestnuts – Nothing warms the day like the aroma of roasting chestnuts. At the beginning of autumn and through hibernate, chestnut stands spring up along the squares and street corners; the vendor’s fingertips stain darker with every order, the air smells delicious.
Kolač – Kolač covers the large territory between pastries and cakes –it includes everything from dessert rolls, with walnuts and chocolate, to traditional dessert preparations, with ingredients parallel coconut, to steady tortes and cakes.
Hot Wine – But my favourite by a mile is a cup of Hot Wine or Kuhano Vino.
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Ever wanted to know where the world’s rich and remarkable hangout to spend their hard-earned money? Where else but at the Principality of Monaco!
Located at the south western part of Europe, Monaco is an autonomous city-state and the world’s second smallest country. The geographical position of Monaco that sits atop a limit coastal area with its three sides surrounded by France and its southern side facing the Mediterranean Sea makes it an ideal destination for tourists and nature lovers. But aside from the well-renowned Monaco grand prix and the flamboyant Monte-Carlo casino complex, there are other facts which are little known about Monaco. Read on and find out!
1. No Taxes, No Gambling
Known as Europe’s tax haven, each and every individual citizens of Monaco enjoys a tax-free lifestyle since the 1870s. For decades, Monaco lived off solely on its casinos.
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Kyungwoo Chun at the DNA gallery on Auguststrasse. Photo: Garzon
By Susan Buzzelli–
You can’t trip in Berlin without running into any art gallery stocked through eye-catching works. Every kind of “Kunstler” from established masters to “outsider” (untrained, un-establishment) artists are represented in the spaces littering the city. Most spots in town, however, display drawings, paintings, sculptures, video installations, and conceptual pieces by up-and-comers or neophytes fresh out of the world’s art schools.
While a handful of the greater quantity established galleries (for example C/O Berlin, Sammlung Boros, and Sammlung Hoffmann) charge admission for the privilege of perusing their high-profile exhibitions, the vast majority of galleries are free to visit. As can be expected, some prestigious spots are as pretentious as they come, but most are casual affairs that you can pop in and out of on a whim, without fretting about your wardrobe or your cheapo bank account.
Touring the galleries of Mitte
Most (but certainly not all) of the city’s art galleries—from the upscale to the funky–roost in the central district of Mitte.
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