Singapur

Famous Places 

zoologico de Singapur
The Singapore Zoo (Former Singapore Zoological Gardens) is acclaimed as one of the world's most spectacular zoos. The use of natural barriers like streams, rock walls and vegetation to separate animals from visitors enhances the "open" zoo concept. Spreading over 28 hectares, it is home to over 3,600 mammals, birds and reptiles, including rare and endangered species. The Zoo's orang utan breeding programme has created a large community of these gentle, endangered species. 

The breeding programme has also witnessed the first tropical birth of a polar bear. Other endangered species like the Malayan tiger, the white rhino, proboscis monkey, komodo dragon and the sealion have also found a haven in the zoo. A highlight is the Fragile Forest - an exciting and educational display of ecosystems and rainforest culture.

A regular tram service that covers the entire Zoo offers an excellent overview of the attractions. The commentary provides useful information. However, to fully appreciate the zoo, the tram introduction should be complemented by a walking tour.

isla Sentosa

Beach lovers can enjoy exciting games and sea sports along the 3.2-km long sandy beaches stretching across Siloso, Palawan and Tanjong. You can indulge in a host of leisure activities such as cycling, in-line skating, canoeing, horse riding or simply unwind at the beach pubs. On weekends, the beach pubs will spring into action as beach volleyball fans flock to Siloso Beach for their favourite game. In recent years, Sentosa had also gained international fame for holding some of Singapore's most exciting themed events like the Sentosa Sandsation (an international sandsculpting event), Black Moon Foam Parties, Zouk Out Dance Festival and Sentosa's yearly Countdown Parties right here!

it is situated along the Marina Bay and covers an area of about six hectares. The credit for building such a magnificent structure goes to the DP Architects of Singapore and the Michael Wilford and Partners. The features of this hall are: The striking feature of this theatre is the Concert Hall that includes acoustics that has been designed by Russell Johnson (one of the famed acousticians of the world.). This place is aptly suited for recitation performances and concerts. The orchestral platform is able to accommodate 120 musicians and the acoustic canopy, which is movable, just lies above the orchestral platform.

The reverberation chamber of the concert hall is about the size of fourmagnanimous swimming pools and features flaps as well as computer controlled doors that are 85 in number. The Pipe Organ, another most important feature of the hall boasts of 61 stops and 4470 pipes. The Concert Hall can hold upto 1,600 people and the choir stall can hold upto 200 people and if the necessity arises it can be converted into gallery seats. You can also go for the VIP boxes to watch the performances from close quarters. The theatre can accommodate about 2,000 seats and the stage measures 23 meters in width and 39 meters in length .

.

it is situated along the Marina Bay and covers an area of about six hectares. The credit for building such a magnificent structure goes to the DP Architects of Singapore and the Michael Wilford and Partners. The features of this hall are:

The striking feature of this theatre is the Concert Hall that includes acoustics that has been designed by Russell Johnson (one of the famed acousticians of the world.). This place is aptly suited for recitation performances and concerts. The orchestral platform is able to accommodate 120 musicians and the acoustic canopy, which is movable, just lies above the orchestral platform. 

The reverberation chamber of the concert hall is about the size of fourmagnanimous swimming pools and features flaps as well as computer controlled doors that are 85 in number. The Pipe Organ, another most important feature of the hall boasts of 61 stops and 4470 pipes. The Concert Hall can hold upto 1,600 people and the choir stall can hold upto 200 people and if the necessity arises it can be converted into gallery seats. You can also go for the VIP boxes to watch the performances from close quarters. The theatre can accommodate about 2,000 seats and the stage measures 23 meters in width and 39 meters in length .

The reverberation chamber of the concert hall is about the size of fourmagnanimous swimming pools and features flaps as well as computer controlled doors that are 85 in number. The Pipe Organ, another most important feature of the hall boasts of 61 stops and 4470 pipes. The Concert Hall can hold upto 1,600 people and the choir stall can hold upto 200 people and if the necessity arises it can be converted into gallery seats. You can also go for the VIP boxes to watch the performances from close quarters.

The theatre can accommodate about 2,000 seats and the stage measures 23 meters in width and 39 meters in length .

Typical Food

Laksa

Ingredients

Paste: 
Shollots ,Candle nuts ,Garlic ,Tumeric ,Dried Chillies 

and: 
dried shrimps ,lemon grass - bruised ,laos - bruised ,tomatoes ,fish sauce ,fried bean,curd (tao pok) - quartered up, laksa leaves - absolutely crucial fish balls (or sliced boiled chicken) ,cockles - fresh ,stock ,salt ,prawns ,coconut milk ,thick rice noodle 

the ‘original’ laksa

The original Hokken  

Singapore hotels

 The Marina Mandarin Singapore is a world-class, 5-star luxury hotel that enjoys an excellent location in the heart of the city.

With breathtaking views of Marina Bay and the financial district, the hotel also offers convenient access to  the Marina Square Shopping Mall, and is directly opposite the Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre and The Esplanade – Singapore’s Performing Arts Centre.

With a distinctively majestic atrium soaring through 21 levels of the hotel, Marina Mandarin Singapore is imbued with a philosophy of providing Asian grace, warmth and care in an atmosphere of relaxed elegance.

Pan Pacific Singapore Hotel, with its proximity to the Central Business District, is located in the heart of Marina Bay, a shopping haven of over 500 shops and restaurants near the Singapore River. The hotel offers direct access to the Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre via a sky bridge. In fact, this luxury hotel in the heart of Singapore, is walking distance from many historic landmarks, such as the Padang,stage to some of the most significant national events, the Cenotaph and the commemorative landing site of Sir Stamford Raffles - founder of modern Singapore.

Germany

Famous Places


Berlin 

The city of Berlin, Germany is built around the River Spree in Bundesland, the federal state of Brandenburg. Berlin is Germany's capital city and has undergone enormous changes in the past 100 years. No longer divided, this city is now a thriving, modern and exciting destination, welcoming tourists and business visitors alike. Since World War II, the city has emerged from the past and undergone the biggest construction project in Europe.

Much of Berlin has been rebuilt, restored or rejuvenated and there is some wonderful architecture, both old and new, standing side by side. Many come here for the exceptional nightlife alone, while others prefer the tourism aspect offered by the city. Those who choose to sightsee by day will discover that many of Berlin's landmarks come with their very own observation decks, such as the Reichstag (the German Parliament Building), the Europa Center on the Zoologischer Garten, the Kollhoff Tower on the Potsdamer Platz, the Siegessäule (Victory Column) in the Tiergarten area, and the Fernsehturm on the Alexanderplatz, the latter of which is a television tower and the tallest structure in the city, boasting a revolving restaurant.

L

Berlin Wall

Construction began on The Berlin Wall early in the morning of Sunday, August 13, 1961. It was a desperate – and effective - move by the GDR (German Democratic Republic) to stop East Berliners escaping from the Soviet-controlled East German state into the West of the city, which was then occupied by the Americans, British and French. 

In the evening of November 9th, 1989 Gunter Schabowski, Minister of Propoganda, read out a note at a press conference announcing that the border would be opened for "private trips abroad”. The news spread like wildfire and the German people immediately gathered in their thousands by the checkpoints, demanding passage. There was some confusion as to what the official line was and the border guards, uncertain of what to do and ill-equipped to deal with the huge and unyielding mob, were forced to let them pass. The Wall had fallen. 

Medieval City Goslar

The imperial city Goslar was founded by Henry I. in 922 AD. It is very likely that the highly profitable silver mining induced the Saxon and Salian emperors to construct their biggest and safest palatinate/imperial estate at this site.

For centuries it was the Emperors’ preferred seat of government. Goslar was also a centre of Christianity. Its riches were used for funding crusades but also to construct about 50 churches and chapels. Because of this Goslar was also called “the northern Rome”. Even today, the skyline of Goslar is dominated by its five big Parish churches.

ciudad medieval de Goslar 

Today, many of the medieval guild houses dominating in the overall impression of the heritage protected old trown of Goslar contain hotels (e.g. Hotel Brusttuch [stomacher], Hotel “Zur Münze” [to the Coin] und Hotel “Zur Börse” [to the purse])

Reichstag

Typical Food 


Traditional Dishes

Over the last 50 years the Germans acquired a taste for mediterranean and exotic food and integrated into their menu various dishes from countries where they went on holiday. Especially Italian food is an alltime favourite. Asian food - particularly Chinese dishes and curries - has also become very popular. The chefs of upmarket restaurants get their inspiration mainly from the French Cuisine. Nevertheless the German home cooking - and restaurant kitchens - still favours a great number of traditional dishes. Some of them are typical for certain regions only. But here are the most popular ones that you might find all over Germany

Beer Can Chicken 



Ingredients:
1 chicken, 3 1/2 to 4 pounds 
Vegetable oil, to coat chicken before applying DRY RUB
Marinade:
1 can dark beer 
1/3 cup German style stone ground mustard 
1/3 cup soy sauce 
2 Tablespoons lemon juice 
1 medium onion, chopped fine 
4 cloves of garlic, crushed 
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce 
1 tsp. course salt 
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Schweinebraten

Pork roast in a rich gravy. Served with boiled potatoes, Knödeln (dumplings) or Spätzle in Swabia.

Germany Hotels  

  Swissotel Berlin          

The hotel is ideally situated in the heart of the cities illustrious shopping district. Located 3 miles from Templehof, 6 miles from Tegel, and 12 miles from Schoenfeld Airports, this is an ideal location for both the business and leisure traveller.

The Swiss Hotel in Berlin, located in the Ku'Damm shopping District is a great location. From Tegel International Airport, the X-9 Bus (which cost 2.10 Euro) will take you to the Zoologisches U'Bahn station in 17 minutes. From this U'Bahn station, the Swiss Hotel is a 5 minute walk.

From the Swiss Hotel, you are a 15 minute train ride from key places such as Alexanderplatz, Unter den Linden, Checkpoint Charlie, and the Reichtag. Near the hotel are many restaurants and plenty of Shopping. Also, the History of Berlin museum is a short 5 minute walk.

Read more:  Concorde Berlin 

Hotel Concorde Berlin has a sauna and a fitness facility. Business amenities at this 5.0 star property include a business center, wireless Internet access,meeting rooms for small groups, and audio visual equipment. The property has a restaurant, a bar/lounge, and a poolside bar. 24 hour room service is available.

Underground Russia

Famous Places 

Description of the Metro

The Moscow Metro is a state-owned enterprise.^[3]
The Moscow Metro has of route length, 12 lines, and 182 stations. The average daily passenger traffic during the year is 6.6 million passengers per day. The highest passenger traffic is highest on weekdays, when the Metro carries over 7 million passengers per day. The traffic is lower on weekends.
Each metro line is identified by an alphanumeric index (usually consisting of just a number), a name, and a colour. The voice announcements refer to the lines by name. The lines are also assigned unique colours in the maps and signs. Naming by colour is frequent in colloquial usage, except for the very similar shades of green assigned to Kakhovskaya Line (number 11), Zamoskvoretskaya Line (number 2), Koltsevaya Line (number 5) and Butovskaya Line (number L1)).
The system operates according to an enhanced spoke-hub distribution paradigm, with the majority of rail lines running radially from the centrally located downtown Moscow to the peripheral districts. The Koltsevaya Line (number 5) forms a long ring that enables passenger travel between these spokes.
The signs showing the stations that can be reached in a given direction are installed on the stations.^[4]
The majority of stations and rail lines are built underground. Some lines have ground and above-ground sections. Fewer than 10% of the stations are at or above the ground lev

Moscow's subway has 182 stations 

third longest in the world after London and New York

Is also known for its decoration, varied and rich in many stations

As can be seen in the images, the Moscow subway stations are more like an art gallery toterminals a subway terminal

And it's not just a nice station, but the Moscow metro network is a great architectural masterpiece and tourist attraction

  

Plaza roja de Moscow

Red Square remains, as it has been for centuries, the heart and soul of Russia. Few places in the world bear the weight of history to the extent that Moscow's central square does. From the 16^th Century St. Basil's Cathedral - one of the most famous pieces of architecture in the world - to the constructivist pyramid of Lenin's Mausoleum, Red Square is rich in symbols of Russia's turbulent and intriguing past.

Although it's known to everyone as St. Basil's, this legendary building is officially called "The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin by the Moat". The popular alternative refers to Basil the Blessed, a Muscovite 'holy fool' who was buried on the site (in the Trinity Cathedral that once stood here) a few years before the present building was erected.

.The Cathedral was ordered by Ivan the Terrible to mark the 1552 capture of Kazan from Mongol forces. It was completed in 1560. That's pretty much all the genuine history that's known about this celebrated landmark. There, however, scores of legends. Nothing is known about the builders, Barma and Postnik Yakovlev, except their names and the dubious legend that Ivan had them blinded so that they could not create anything to compare. Historians unanimously state that this is nothing but urban folklore.

The Resurrection Gate and the Iberian Chapel

Miraculous properties have always been attributed to icons of the Iberian Virgin: one protected the Iberian (or Iveron) Monastery on Mount Athos from enemies, and was often reported to have cured the sick. In the distant past of Byzantium an image of the Virgin is said to have brought one of the wars of iconoclasm to an abrupt end when blood flowed from the icon. From that time onward the Iberian Virgin has always been depicted with a wound on her face. Russia became aware of the of the miraculous icon in the 17^thcentury, and the future patriarch Nikon ordered an exact copy to be painted and sent to Moscow. In 1648 the icon was officially greeted in Moscow, and sent to the Valdaiskiy Monastery, whereupon another copy was commissioned from the Iberian Monastery. It arrived in Moscow a year later, and was placed in the Neglinenskaya Tower of the Triumphal Gate, with a small awning placed over it for defense. Thus the Iberian Chapel appeared in Moscow. The painting was held to have healing powers not just by Orthodox believers, and no Muscovite could begin anything new without first praying before the icon. Even the imperial family would go to bow before Moscow's most sacred site when they arrived in the city.

City of Suzdal 

The people call Suzdal the heart and soul of the Golden Ring. The open-air museum is another name for this glorious city where the small area comprises more than 200 ancient monuments. The colorful Suzdal is one of the few genuine Russian cities that manage to preserve the charm of antiquity, the unique spirit of Slavic traditions, the stunning architecture and the warm aura of the holy places. The history of the city dates back to the 11th century. Suzdal was built on the river (Kamenka) as a fortress. The powerful fortress - the Suzdal Kremlin - was the beginning of a new city. In 1024 the Suzdal was first mentioned in the chronicles. And no wonder, because at that time it became a large and developed city in the northeast of Kievan Rus. In the middle of the 11th century it reached its zenith and became the capital of the Rostov-Suzdal principality. Yuri Dolgoruky became the first Prince of Suzdal. But his successor, Andrew Bogolyubsky, moved the capital to Vladimir principality. Then Suzdal suffered from the Mongol invasion. The next stage in the life of Suzdal was its entry into the Moscow principality in the end of the 15th century. The beginning of the 16th century brought a lot of tribulations to Suzdal land. In 1608 and 1611 the city was twice occupied by the Poles. In 1634 the city suffered devastating raids of Crimean Tatars, then the devastating fire in 1644 destroyed the entire western part of the dwelling, and in 1654-1655 the epidemic of “pestilence” turned the city into a wasteland. In the 17th century the city saw intensive construction. Erected at that time were all current complexes, the best of which are the ancient Kremlin, the Intercession and Savior Efimyev monasteries.

Typical Food of Russia


Russian Food is very much a product of the Russian climate and environment. With short bountiful growing seasons and long harsh winters, Russian diet traditionally consisted of milled grains, storable produce (like potatoes, beets, carrots and cabbage), plus fish, poultry, beef, pork and game.
These traditional staples (meat, potatoes,bread, eggs and fish) still comprise the key ingredients in Russian food today.
Stroganoff

 Tiene ternera o pollo salsa de champiñiones y cebolla a veces lo sirven con PELIMINI que se parecen a los ravioles 

 Pelmeni

• A traditional Russian dish made with minced meat filling, wrapped in thin dough dumplings.
• see Russian food recipe for Pelmeni

Este plato tradicional se elabora básicamente con carne de cerdo, cordero, buey, harina, huevos, agua e incluso leche.

salad oliver 

·         A flexible salad composed of boiled potatoes, vegetables,often with meat, mixed in mayonnaise.

·         This salad is the creation of a French chef, M. Olivier, who in the 1860s opened a fashionable restaurant in Moscow called The Hermitage.

·         see recipe for Olivier Salad

Russia Hotels

Grand hotel Europe Sanpetersburg

A cultural and culinary landmark, Grand Hotel Europe has played a central role in the life of St Petersburg for over 130 years. A truly iconic Orient-Express hotel, it stands on Nevsky Prospekt among the city’s great architectural treasures—renowned for its impressive façade and decorative interiors. 

Grand hotel Europe Sanpetersburg

·         A five-star Golden Apple Boutique Hotel has been providing superb services in Moscow since  2004. The hotel is famous for its personalized service, distinctive atmosphere and, mostly, for exclusive hotel design by a Canadian architect Raphael Shafir.

·         The hotel's 7-storey Moscow historical building of late XIX century contains 92 rooms: standard, superior, deluxe and suite. In his project Shafir successfully combined luxurious minimalism and avantgarde. Huge gold-coated apple in the hotel lobby is a favorite place for picture sessions. Each of 7 hotel guest floors matches different colour, which is further used in room design. Rooms are luxuriously decorated with natural wood, marble and stone. Elegant hotel furniture and fantastic lights add to the feeling of comfort.                                        

Golden Apple Boutique