Holiday 4 U

International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin

2012-01-31T22:59:00.002+01:00

The 28th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival will start on December 1, 2011 and last to February 29, 2012. The ceremony will be officially launched on January 5, 2012. As it before the festival is held with many winter activities, such as alpine skiing, sledding, winter-swimming, ice sculpture competition, ice & snow carnival, ice lantern exhibition and firework display etc.

The annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival has been held since 1963, interrupted for a number of years during the Cultural Revolution until it was resumed in 1985. Harbin is the capital of Heilongjiang province, in northeastern China. It is nicknamed "Ice City" and aptly so for winter January temperatures that average minus 18 degrees Celsius, under the influence of the cold winter wind from Siberia.

In these stunning photographs the festival's amazing sculptures are seen illuminated from the inside after night has fallen - with visitors meandering in between the impressive works.

Those who attend the event can navigate the ice cities on foot or via the festival's horse and carriage rides. As well as walking around and marvelling in awe at the colourful creations, they can also zip down snowy slides or climb up the staircases of ice castles and investigate what's inside.
The Harbin Ice and Snow Festival is one of the world's top ice festivals.

The best collections of ice artworks are exhibited in the following five main places:

Harbin Ice and Snow World - came into being in 1999 and is one of the world's largest ice architecture parks. The inspiration for the ice and snow sculptures there usually is derived from traditional Chinese fairy tales or world famous architectures such as the Great Wall, the Egyptian Pyramids, etc.
Ice Lantern Garden Party - ice lantern in broad sense refers to a series of plastic arts using ice and snow as raw material combining ice artworks with colored lights and splendid music. The specific patterns of ice lantern include ice and snow sculptures, ice flowers, ice architectures and so on.
Sun Island Scenic Area - is the site of the Snow Sculpture Exposition displaying a wonderful snow world. It has the world's largest indoor ice and snow art museum and it opens to the public from November every year.
Zhaolin Park - is a 'must see' during the Harbin Ice Festival because it has a traditional program that shows the most excellent ice lanterns. With water, lights and the natural ice from the Songhua River running through Harbin as the material, the ice lanterns are made by freezing water, piling up ice or snow, then carving, enchasing, decorating, etc.
Yabuli International Ski Resort

Recommended Tours for Harbin Ice and Snow Festival Harbin:

First Academy of nightlife in the world, Belgrade

2012-01-24T23:30:00.000+01:00

Dutchman Ralf van der Zajden (34) was sitting in a coffee shop and drinking coffee, and talked with people around like any other guest. But in fact, he was born 1500 miles away, in the Dutch city, Scheveningen, near The Hague.

The first time I came to Belgrade in the year 2004. Between the 2007th and 2010th I come on every three months, and in March last year I definitely came in and decided to live in Belgrade. I do not know how to explain why exactly, but the atmosphere makes you feel at home.

He started with iBikeBelgrade, where visitors learn about Belgrade in bicycle tours. But as winter is not exactly ideal for biking, Ralph figured out other ways to do the same job in a manner appropriate to the season. He founded the Academy of Belgrade nightlife! City has become the world's only metropolis that has that kind of "scientific institutions"!

Ralf's Academy teaches you where to eat the best barbecue or burek in the early morning hours, which and where is the best rakia, local branded famous drink...and when you are maximum relaxed and feel like dancing and singing on the table like everybody else around, he teach you how to distinguish the authentic of silicone beauty...

In fact, this is a serious project, and the Academy has three directions in which participants indicate:

1.Kafana Class (culture life in a bar)
2.spirit of Belgrade
3.Belgrade Underground (secret of capital underground)

My intention is to show people why Belgrade is different and better than other European cities. He has some unique things that nowhere else could find.

More and more cheap flights to Belgrade, which suits us. This year Belgrade will be the best city to visit!

Leverkusen, Germany

2012-01-24T13:54:00.000+01:00

Leverkusen, city, North Rhine–Westphalia Land (state), west-central Germany. It lies on the Rhine River at the mouth of the Wupper River, in the Dhünn valley, just north of Cologne.

Formed on 1.4.1930 by the union of the town of Wiesdorf, the communities of Schlebusch, Steinbüchel and Rheindorf, it is well served by highway and rail and is the headquarters of the pharmaceutical firm Bayer. In 1975 the regional reorganisation took place and by union with the district town of Opladen (with Lützenkirchen, Quettingen, Rheindorf, Alkenrath, Bürrig, Küppersteg, Manfort), the town of Bergisch Neukirchen and Hitdorf, a former part of Monheim. Other economic activities include metal plating and the manufacture of machinery and textiles. Morsbroich Castle houses a museum of modern art and is used for plays and concerts. There are numerous parks and open spaces. Pop. (2003 est.) 161,543.

Leverkusen is well connected with the airports of Desseldorf and Cologne. Thus it is very easy top reach the city and the good networks or railway and roads make it even easier.

By its twin towns it is connected with Oulu, Finnland (since 1968), Bracknell, England (since 1973/74), Ljubljana, Slowenien (since 1979), Nazareth Illit, Israel (since 1980), Chi-nandega, Nicaragua (since 1986), Schwedt, Federal Republic of Germany (since 1989), Villeneuve d’Ascq, Frankreich (since 2001), Ratibor/Racibórz, Polen (since 2002) and it is in loose contact with Wuxi, China.

If you are interested in art, history, architecture, botany, environmental questions or in the carnival, there are some interesting places:

The baroque Morsbroich Museum in Alkenrath, buiilt the 18th century on the ruins of a moted castle of the 13th century, where you find an international collection of modern art. Here numerous worthy exhibitions held on literature and art that attract considerable visitors.

The Colony Museum or the Museum of Industry is excellent places to get a taste of the culture and lifestyle of Leverkusen, Germany.

Near by the Chapel St. Gezelin is situated with its healing water, as people believe.

The fabulous Water Tower allows tourists to enjoy the breathtaking view of the entire city from its heights.

Once a year an European day is celebrated and all the different clubs of foreigners, living in town, present themselves, here concerts take place and here you find a nice restaurant.

The other must-see places in Leverkusen are Recovery House, a Museum of Industry in the Kuhlmannsche Sensenfabrik in Schlebusch, or the Villa Wuppermann, built in the 19th century in the style of an Swiss country house, a citizens meetingplace. The history of town is presented in the Villa Römer, former residential building of a factory owner, in Opladen.

The Stadium BayArena is a place that throbs with life and gets filled with football lovers from various parts of the world.

Australian Open 2012

2012-01-17T14:46:00.006+01:00

The Australian Open was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court event. The tournament is held in Melbourne in the Australian summer, in the last fortnight of the month of January; the best male and female tennis players in the world battle through blistering temperatures in the hopes of getting their hands on the coveted trophy.

Melbourne Park is home to the Australian Open, one of only four Grand Slam tennis tournaments in the world and the first to occur in any calendar year with over 650,000 people expected to attend this two week tournament. Located Southeast of Melbourne's Federation Square, along Swan St by the Yarra River, Melbourne Park has four indoor courts and 22 outdoor courts which are available for public hire seven days a week, except during January.
Garden Square is the popular spot for families, featuring tennis on the big screen, roving entertainers, MLC Tennis Hot Shots, the Tennis Australia information booth and Wilson racquet stringers.
Fans flocked to the multi-faceted entertainment precinct – Grand Slam Oval – in 2011. This year you’re sure to lose yourself in the buzzing atmosphere.

The 2012 Australian Open will mark the 100th staging of the event. In recent years, the Australian Open has often provided the platform for unheralded players to emerge with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2008), Marcos Baghdatis (2006), Rainer Schuettler (2003) and Arnaud Clement (2001) among the surprise finalists of the past decade.

Australian Tours For Sport has been appointed an Official Licensed Tour Operator for the Australian Open 2012:

Name: Australian Open
Category: Grand Slam
Place: Melbourne, Australia
Date: 16.01.2012-29.01.2012
Draw Size: S-128 D-64
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $ 11,806,550
Total Financial Commitment: $ 11,806,550
Ticket Hotline: +61 3 9299 9116

Cesky Krumlov

2012-01-13T23:10:00.004+01:00

Cesky Krumlov nowdays belongs to the most attractive cities amongst the visitors - mainly due to its unique character and its preserved hisotry. It is famous for its Old Town, with 300 protected medieval buildings, and its castle complex, the second largest in the Czech Republic.
This small picturesque city is situated on the banks of the Vltava River (Moldau in German) in Southern Bohemia and is about a 2 hour drive from Prague. The town was built around a 13th century castle with gothic, renaissance and baroque elements. Despite the passage of time, the town together with chateau complex has retained its exemplary mediaeval character for more than five centuries.

The town Cesky Krumlov is dominated by two grate landmarks: the chateau complex, which was included to the list of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Monuments in 1992, and the gothic Church of St.Vitus. Cesky Krumlov chateau complex is one of the largest in Central Europe. Complex is composed of more than forty historical buildings, a cylindrical tower reconstructed in its preset form in the 16th century, unique Baroque theatre with original equipment and fittings. Under the Castle Complex lies the old town with its winding alleys and venerable Gothic and Renaissance houses, many galleries, little shops and inns.

The International Music Festival in Český Krumlov has an extensive tradition starting from 1992. Václav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic said about this festival: “This Festival has been for a long time a well established event, which far exceeds the borders of Český Krumlov. Today, it is considered an event of national importance. I have had the chance to visit many of the concerts and I must say that that last year´s opening concert was the most impressive - thanks to its repertoire and excellent performances.

I have a soft spot for the International Music Festival Český Krumlov and if I didn’t visit, many people would be disappointed. And I wouldn´t like to do that.”

One of the three Prizes in Category Conservation has been awarded to the conservation of the Southern facade of Horní Hrad (Upper Castle) of the Český Krumlov State Castle and Chateau in the Czech Republic, European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards 2008. This project estabilishes new standards of Czech monument care and is appreciated as an excellent example of a respectful approarch to conservation in Europe.

Plitvice lakes, Croatia

2011-03-24T11:10:00.004+01:00

Discover why million people every year visit this pearl of world's natural heritage that is on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979. Experience a unique blend of continental and maritime Croatia on remarkable cascade lakes. Timeless beauty of waterfalls thrills in every season in a different way. The perfect picture nature has been creating for several millenniums, leaving everyone breathless.
Though it’s a trek from either Zagreb or Zadar, Some 300 sq. km of forested hills, dappled with 16 lakes and hundreds of waterfalls, Croatia’s oldest and largest national park is one of the country’s most spectacular sights. Experience the birth of a vivid rainbow while getting refreshed with the scattered drops of 78 meters high waterfall.
Take a walk on one of 18 kilometres marked trails in unspoiled countryside or relax while driving on electric boat or small train. Only 2 hours from Zagreb, do not miss the opportunity for unique experience that attract visitors from all over the globe.
On the way to Plitvice there is a small Millers village Rastoke usually called “Little Plitvice”. Rastoke is situated at the Slunjcica River estuary which over travertine barriers "dissolves" into the river Korana creating a series of small lakes and picturesque waterfalls. Experience this natural monument compared with famous Fontana di Trevi in 1860 by well known philologist and travel writer Adolf Veber Tkalcevic. Discover the rare symbiosis of fantastic natural creations and centuries old human technical achievements such as old mills from the 17th century.

Free shuttles drive around the lakes (3 per hr.), and a boat crosses Jezero Kozjak, the largest lake (2-3 per hr., 9:30am-6:30pm). At the main entrance, local women sell delicious strudels, bread-cakes stuffed with cheese, spinach, nuts, apples, peaches, or cherries (15kn). If you want to enjoy the peace of the lakes by yourself, go in the early morning or the late afternoon and avoid the shortest trails. Most tourists circulate around the four lower lakes (Donja Jezera) to get a shot of Plitvice’s famous 78m waterfall, Veliki Slap.
Buses run to: Rijeka (3hr., 1 per day, 120kn); Split (3hr., 7 per day, 150kn); Zadar (2hr., 6 per day, 72kn); Zagreb (2hr., 9 per day, 70kn). Most bus drivers let passengers off at the park’s main entrance. Tourist offices offer maps and exchange currency for a 1.5% commission at each of the three entrances. (☎023 751 026; www.np-plitvicka-jezera.hr. Open daily 7am-10pm. Park open daily July-Aug. 7am-8pm; May-June 7am-7pm; Apr.-Oct. 110kn, students 55kn; Nov.-Mar. 70kn/40kn. Tour guide 700kn, min. 4hr. for groups only. MC/V.) To get to the main info center from the bus stop, walk toward the pedestrian overpass; crossing the road can be dangerous.

Caution! The takeover of Plitvice Lakes National Park by the Serbs in 1991 marked the beginning of Croatia’s bloody war for independence. Throughout the 1991-95 conflict, the Serbs holding the area planted landmines in the ground. Both the park’s premises and surrounding area have been officially cleared of mines, and the last mine-related accident dates back to 2002. However, do not stray from the trail for any reason.

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Aokigahara Forest – One of the Creepiest Places on Earth

2011-03-16T13:52:00.004+01:00

Aokigahara is a woodland at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan that makes The Blair Witch Project forest look like Winnie the Pooh's Hundred Acre Wood. It probably has something to do with all the dead bodies scattered around.

Also called the Sea of Trees. It is the most popular place to commit suicide in the whole Japan. More than 500 people have taken their own lives in Aokigahara since the 1950s. For, example 78 bodies were found there in 2002. The trend has supposedly started after Seicho Matsumoto published his novel Kuroi Kaiju (Black Sea of Trees) where two of his characters commit suicide there. After that-always eager to prove they are bizarrely susceptible to suggestion-hundreds of Japanese people have hanged themselves among the countless trees of the Aokigahara forest, which is reportedly so thick that even in high noon it's not hard to find places completely surrounded by darkness.
Besides bodies and homemade nooses, the area is littered with signs displaying such uplifting messages like "Life is a precious thing! Please reconsider!" or "Think of your family!"
By the way, if an entire dark forest full of hanged corpses wasn't bad enough, a few years ago some people noticed that a lot of the dead in Aokigahara probably had cash or jewelry on them. Thus began the proud Japanese tradition of Aokigahara Scavenging where people are running around the Death Forest, looking for dead guys to loot.

Holiday 4 U

International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin

First Academy of nightlife in the world, Belgrade

Leverkusen, Germany

Australian Open 2012

Cesky Krumlov

Plitvice lakes, Croatia

Aokigahara Forest – One of the Creepiest Places on Earth

Crater Lake National Park, Orego

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8. Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Maryland

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