Ever wondered what it would be like to float miles high above the world in a hot air balloon? You can do just that and take your pick from hundreds of balloons at the annual International Balloon Festival in Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, on the outskirts of Montreal. The Canadian balloon festival began in 1984 and quickly attracted balloonists from around the world to compete. For just over a week in August, the skies of Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu are dotted with hot air balloons that launch each day at dusk and dawn. The launch times are chosen in relation to the drop in temperature around those times of day, vital for ballooning, and luckily, they also make for breathtaking photo opportunities. Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu festival visitors line cordoned pathways along the fields ...
Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, is popular for its grand architecture and picturesque landscapes. If you're on a tour to this part of Northern Europe, a detour out of Old Town to Kadriorg Palace should be top of your list. The Baroque architecture here is a reminder of the brilliant past and is lavishly set amidst the beautiful Kadriorg Gardens. This Dutch style manor house was originally built by Italian master architect Niccolo Michettia under the order of Peter the Great. It took much of its current shape when it was stylishly, and heavily renovated much later in 1718. Its grand facade is surpassed only by the exotic ambience of its interiors. Contrary to the norm, Kadriorg Palace assumes an even more regal look ...
The horse has always been the most important animal for the Mongolian people, from the days when Genghis Khan led his horse warriors on a mission of conquest to today's nomadic families traveling across the rolling green steppe. In addition to providing a means of transportation, horses are a primary source of food. While families occasionally eat horse meat, the milk of the Mongolian horse is practically a food group all on its own. Airag, the traditional beverage of Mongolia, is made by fermenting the milk of mares in an open leather sack or plastic container. After the milk has been left out, it gradually transforms from a basic yogurt-like beverage to an acidic and very sour beverage with an alcohol content comparable to wine. ...
Sydney, Australia, with a population of nearly five million inhabitants, is one of the world's most fantastic cities. And nowhere is this more evident than looking out across the Sydney Harbor from the architecturally-impressive Sydney Opera House. Located on the south side of the harbor, all of Sydney's most impressive sites are visible from the Sydney Opera House and the nearby Royal Botanic Gardens of Sydney. Glimmering in the day's sun, Sydney's skyscrapers cluster on the south side of the harbor. It is the central business district for one of the world's largest cities. It is also home to the oldest dristrict in Australia, the Rocks; just a short walk around the quay from the Sydney Opera House, the Rocks is a perfect place to ...
Have you ever looked up at the starlit sky and wondered what your place is in the Universe? That’s the spirit that carried David Livingstone to the depths of Africa, Neil Armstrong to the Moon, Marco Polo across the seas, and even Sir Edmund Hillary to the top of Mt. Everest. That spirit of exploration is still alive and well if you make your way to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and dive its Cenote's. The Yucatan peninsula rests on a bed of limestone, which over time, as rainfall accumulated created subterranean caverns filled with fresh water. Known as Cenotes, sometimes the “roof” of these caverns collapses in, leaving pools open to the sky and creating a fresh water swimming hole in the jungle. Playa del Carmen ...
There are many ways you can describe Kathmandu: a capital city, the largest metropolis in Nepal, or maybe most appropriately a refuge of ancient temples. Today Kathmandu is the prime art and cultural centre of the country, and has developed into a great tourist destination of Nepal. A highlight for the thousands of tourists that visit each year are the ancient temples and historic buildings. They provide tourists who visit Kathmandu with a glimpse of rich culture and colourful heritage. Kathmandu is home to a large number of ancient temples, historic buildings and artistic monuments. Every sightseeing Kathmandu tour of the city usually starts with Durbar Square, famous for lots of ancient structures, one of which is Hanuman Dhoka (or Royal Palace). Hanuman Dhoka is ...
Hundreds of festivals are held all over the world every year. Some of them are big, and others are small and intimate events. If you're a beer drinker, and you're located somewhere in the US, you will probably won't get a bigger and better event than the annual Asheville Brewgrass Festival. This is a beer festival that is held once every year in the US state of North Carolina. This is beer country, and as you can expect, the Asheville Brewgrass Festival is held with a lot of pomp and glory. Of course, there’s a lot of beer to be drank, but the fact is that, this festival is not just about beer, or drinking. It's a festival full of life. If you make it ...
Admittedly, most people who go to Palm Springs are there for two things: the warm weather and the golf. But this resort town in the middle of the desert has more to offer than restaurants and condos. Just 15 minutes away from Palm Springs is the Living Desert, a zoo and conservation area that specializes in habitats and wildlife from the world’s deserts. In addition to perennial zoo favorites like meerkats and giraffes, the Living Desert has swathes of land devoted to the desert bighorn sheep, a formerly threatened native of California that is being rehabilitated through conservation areas such as the Living Desert and nearby areas such as Anza-Borrego State Park. Although the Living Desert has the crowd-pleasers—gazelles, warthogs, and zebras—the most interesting exhibits ...
Stretching nearly 4,000 miles, China's Yangtze river is the third longest river in the world and the longest in Asia. As the central dividing line between north and south China, the Yangtze river has played an important cultural and economic role throughout the country's long history. While the big tourist spots in Beijing, Shanghai, and Xian can be maddeningly crowded with tours moving at a hectic pace, taking a Yangtze river cruise gives you a chance to experience the natural beauty of the Chinese countryside at a more leisurely pace. Most Yangtze river cruises begin in the small city of Yichang and end in Chongqing, taking you through the Three Gorges of Hubei province. The controversial Three Gorges Dam, the largest hydroelectric power plant in ...
Located on the Estonian border with the country’s immediate neighbor Russia, the impressive Hermann Castle is a must visit for tourists who are travelling to Estonia. Originally built by the Danes almost at the end of the 13th century, it stands face to face with Russia’s equally formidable Ivangorod Fortress that is just across the river. This creates an architectural, as well as military ensemble, which is unique in the whole of Europe. Its location (on the border and at the junction of several trade routes) has helped the adjoining towns to amass wealth. Hermann Castle, also known as Narva Castle, has however also invited conflicts and even wars for ransacking and accumulating wealth. Hermann Castle has seen many masters during its warring days – ...
