Akureyri is the centre of culture, education and leisure activities in North Iceland. With a population of about 17.200, the town is by far the largest outside the Reykjavík capital area.

Akureyri was first mentioned in 1562, when a sentence was passed on a woman who had bedded a man without being in possession of a marriage certificate. This was when the only buildings in Akureyri were the shops and storehouses of Danish merchants. It was not until 216 years later, in 1778, that the first residential house was built in Akureyri and only 8 years after that Akureyri became a certified trading post for the first time in its history, as part of measures taken by the Danish king to improve living conditions in Iceland. At this time Akureyri had 12 inhabitants. The royal attempts at improving the lives of the Icelanders, were mostly unsuccessful, however; the town failed to grow and prosper and lost its licence as a trading post in 1836. This important commercial status was not regained until 1862.

North Sealand stretches from Copenhagen northwards, surrounded by the Danish Sound and the Kattegat. With its popular beaches, first-class inns, and active nightlife, many call it the Danish Riviera. One thing is certain: Copenhageners and visitors alike enjoy the area to the fullest. North Sealand is home to Hamlet's castle, Kronborg, and to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, one of the world's finest.
As we leave Copenhagen and head north, for almost a whole hour, the coastline of Sweden follows us. We drive through the magnificent Danish countryside and pass the coastline to Elsinore and Kronborg Castle.

It is quite easy to understand why William Shakespeare chose Elsinore Castle as the setting for his famous play 'Hamlet'. Enjoy the beautiful surroundings and feel the atmosphere taken through the Chapel and the Knights' Hall (the longest room in Northern Europe) and the dark casemates. Lunch en route (not included in the tour price).

After the break, our tour continues to Fredensborg. The Queen's summer residence of Fredensborg Palace is attractively located in the middle of a lovely park, bordering the idyllic Esrom lake. The next highlight on this tour of many highlights is Frederiksborg Castle, built by King Christian IV. This pearl of history, built in magnificent Renaissance style, is now a national historical museum. It contains paintings, tapestries, porcelain, silver and furniture of great historical value.

Notre Dame de Paris is a Gothic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in Paris, France, with its main entrance to the west. It is the cathedral of Paris and the seat of the Archbishop of that city. Notre Dame de Paris is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. It was restored and saved from destruction by Viollet-le-Duc, one of France's most famous architects. The name Notre Dame means "Our Lady" in French. Notre Dame de Paris was one of the first Gothic cathedrals, and its construction spanned the Gothic period. Its sculptures and stained glass show the heavy influence of naturalism, giving them a more secular look that was lacking from earlier Romanesque architecture.

Notre Dame de Paris was among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress [arched exterior supports]. The building was not originally designed to include the flying buttresses around the choir and nave. After the construction began and the thinner walls (popularized in the Gothic style) grew ever higher, stress fractures began to occur as the walls pushed outward. In response, the cathedral's architects built supports around the outside walls, and later additions continued as such.

The cathedral suffered desecration during the radical phase of the French Revolution in the 1790s, when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. During the 19th century, an extensive restoration project was completed, returning the cathedral to its previous state.

The Palace of Versailles, or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles, in France's Île-de-France region. In French, it is known as the Château de Versailles. When the château was built, Versailles was a country village; today, however, it is a suburb of Paris, some twenty kilometers southwest of the French capital. From 1682, when Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in 1789, the court of Versailles was the centre of political power in France. Versailles is therefore famous not only as a building, but as a symbol of the system of absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime.

Origins

The earliest mention of the name of Versailles is found in a document dated 1038, the Charte de l'abbaye Saint-Père de Chartres (Charter of the Saint-Père de Chartres Abbey) (Guérard, 1840), in which one of the signatories was a certain Hugo de Versailliis (Hugues de Versailles), who was seigneur of Versailles. During this period, the village of Versailles centered on a small castle and church and the area was governed by a local lord. Its location on the road from Paris to Dreux and Normandy brought some prosperity to the village but, following an outbreak of the Plague and the Hundred Years' War, the village was largely destroyed and its population sharply declined (Bluche, 1991; Thompson, 2006; Verlet, 1985)

In 1575, Albert de Gondi, a naturalized Florentine who gained prominence at the court of Henry II, purchased the seigneury of Versailles. In the early seventeenth century, Gondi invited Louis XIII on several hunting trips in the forests surrounding Versailles. Pleased with the location, Louis ordered the construction of a hunting lodge in 1624. Designed by Philibert Le Roy, the structure, a small château, was constructed of stone and red brick with a based roof. Eight years later, Louis obtained the seigneury of Versailles from the Gondi family and began to make enlargements to the château (Batiffol, 1913; Bluche, 1991; Marie, 1968; Nolhac, 1901; Verlet, 1985).

Kaiser Wilhelm Church was built at the end of the 19th century and destroyed by British bombs in November 1943. Part of the ruins have been preserved as a memorial. A new modern church and a tower have been built beside it.
Cosmopolitan and village-like, historic and gentrified, urban and filled with parks, vastly spread out and navigable entirely by bicycle: Berlin offers a balance of lifestyles, not to mention a thriving youthful atmosphere, that makes it easy for a foreigner to sink in temporary roots.

Each neighborhood—from gallery-filled Mitte and the immigrant and counterculture base in Kreuzberg, to funky Friedrichschein and Parisian- styled Prenzlauerberg—has a distinct flavor. Like in New York, folks in Berlin stick mainly to their own “Kietz,” with an endless stream of exhibits, concerts, films, theater and other cultural venues that draw them out into the city. You’re free to work or not to work, nobody bothers you here, and it’s this laid- back, do-what-you-want atmosphere—combined with one of the hippest arts scenes in the West—that continues to cause the rush of expats into the city.

The Cinque Terre, the five villages on the Ligurian coast in western Italy, is a hikers paradise. The five villages of the Cinque Terre are linked together by a series of hiking trails all. The main trails range from very easy to very difficult. Additional hiking trails veer off from the main trails wandering up steep hills and through vineyards. The villages, trails and beaches are all beautiful, not just a hikers paradise but a photographers as well.

All of the main trails offer spectacular views of the Mediterranean Sea. With the exception of the trail linking Vernazza and Corneglia which leads away from the water the paths take you along cliffs high above the Sea.On a sunny day the colors are mesmerizing

On the trail from Monterossa al Mare to Vernazza you will hike through vineyards, over stone walls and along the Mediterranean Sea. The trails that run from Monterossa to Vernazza and Vernazza to Corniglia are the most difficult of the four trails. You will need a light weight hiking boot or hiking tennis shoe to make the trip comfortably. There are few handrails and the trail can be narrow in places so you need to bring a walking stick if you have balance problems. If you do not feel that you can walk the whole trail you can walk part of it and enjoy the view. You may encounter bees, bugs and birds so be prepared with an antihistamine (like Benadryl), bug spray and your binoculars.

 Photo's Gallery

The Dolomites are a section of the Alps. They are located for the most part in the province of Belluno, the rest in the provinces of Bolzano-Bozen and Trento (all in north-eastern Italy). Conventionally they extend from the Adige river in the west to the Piave valley (Pieve di Cadore) in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley (Val Pusteria) and the Sugana Valley (Val Sugana).

But the Dolomites spread also over the Piave river (Dolomiti d'Oltrepiave) to the east; and far away over the Adige river to the west is the Brenta Group (Western Dolomites); there is also another smaller group called Piccole Dolomiti (Small Dolomites) located between the Provinces of Trento and Vicenza (see the map).

One national park and many other regional parks are located in the Dolomites.

In summer Dolomites offers something for every taste: alpinism, free climbing, trekking to reach mountains, lakes and forests. In winter Dolomites are famous in the world for Dolomiti Superski, the largest ski carousel in the world (1,220 km of ski slopes with 450 lift facilities

Photo Gallery 

All those who visit Chiloé are charmed by its beauty. This is a place where an exuberant nature goes hand-in-hand with a friendly people, the creators of a fantastic mythology, a particular gastronomy and whose assets include 150 churches and chapels built by Jesuit miss during the 18-19th centuries. Today they have applied to the UNESCO for recognition as a World Heritage.

Chiloé is the second largest island in South America - after Tierra del Fuego - measuring 112 miles from north to south. The coastal mountains cross its entire length, creating two completely different environments: toward the Pacific, the coast receives constant damp winds from the ocean and heavy rainfalls, so there is abundant vegetation.

Facing the continent, the island's microclimate allows for human life with all its folklore and varied mythology its gastronomy - such as the typical curanto and all the necessary agricultural crops. With their maritime tradition, these people built most of their homes on palafitos -pillars of wood that hold the house above the water - which are one of the island's emblems, together with its characteristic wool handicrafts.

In the inner sea, between the island and the continent, there are a number of small is lands separated by channels that can be reached by boat or kayak. Some are so close together that, in the ebb tide, it is possible to walk from one island to another. The island's main urban centers are Castro, Ancud and Quellón where Chiloe's delicious cuisine can be enjoyed. Also, they are the starting point for tours to the surrounding areas, adventure excursions, bicycle tours, to the surrounding areas, adventure excursions, bicycle tours, fishing trips, maritime crossings, observation of the flora and fauna, etc.

Photo Gallery