I Am sterdam, Amsterdam the Netherlands

DSCF1730, originally uploaded by wim66.

Red Light District

This is the oldest and most historic part of the city, and it’s also arguably the most beautiful part, not even counting the infamous prostitutes in the windows. It’s a large area right across from the main train station and during the day it’s packed with tourists of all kinds who are roaming the area seeing what it’s all about. It may be wise to visit without children, but aside from that you may be shocked that the area is popular with young and old, male and female, and tourist groups of all kinds from around the world.

There are around 150 windows in the area, behind which you’ll usually find flirtatious girls who are trying to make a living under those flattering red lights. Along the main canals you’ll only find a few here and there, but if you turn down one of the narrow alleys you’ll be face to face with a dozen or more of them lined up in a row. With this in mind, it’s quite easy to get as big or small of a dose of this phenomenon as you want.

After around 8pm the ratio of male visitors to female visitors goes up noticeably, so it’s probably best to keep that in mind depending on your group and your goals. Prices for an unromantic 15-minute encounter with the girl of your dreams are generally €50, but you can pay more to get more time or even more unusual things thrown in. Negotiate everything first.

The city is following through on its initiative to get rid of some businesses that appear to have ties to organized crime, and they’ve bought back buildings that housed even more windows – recently leasing some of them to young fashion designers and stores. But the city has also insisted that they have no intention of plowing the prostitution thing under for good, as they recognize that it’s an important and famous part of their tourism draw.

Coffeeshops (cannabis coffee shops)

While it’s technically true that possession of cannabis is illegal in the Netherlands, it’s been “tolerated” for customers for more than 30 years now. In other words, there is zero risk to those who patronize the 150 or so coffee shops in Amsterdam, even if a police officer were to walk in while you were smoking.

Interestingly, there are a few laws the city and the shops themselves do enforce strictly. You must be at least 18 years old and you can only buy 5 grams per day (at any one shop). If you don’t know how much pot or hash 5 grams is, it’s a LOT, and far more than any human this side of Snoop Dogg could ever smoke in one day.

more you will find in a "fine" post By: Roger Wade

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
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Plaza del Socorro, Ronda, Andalucia, Spain

Plaza del Socorro, Ronda, Andalucia, Spain, originally uploaded by antsplan (away).

During Franco’s rule of Spain the plaza was known as Plaza del General Franco, but in 1981 after the transition to democracy the mayor of Ronda, Juan Ordoñez Harillo signed an order dated 21st April 1981 officially renaming the plaza Plaza del Socorro, and also ordering the removal of plaques on walls that honoured Franco.

For more info on Ronda (which is an amazing place) see here.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
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Frankfurt am Main, Downtown

Downtown | Main River, originally uploaded by P•A•U•L | Photography.

Frankfurt am Main (German: [ˈfʁaŋkfʊɐtʰ], English: [ˈfɹæŋkfɜːt]) is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2008 population of 670,000. The urban area had an estimated population of 2.26 million in 2001. The city is at the centre of the larger Frankfurt/Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region which has a population of 5.3 million and is Germany's second largest metropolitan area.

In English, this city's name translates into "Frankfurt on the Main" (pronounced like "mine"). A part of early Franconia, the inhabitants were the early Franks. The city is located on an ancient ford on the river Main, which is a shallow crossing. The German word is "Furt". Thus the city's name receives its legacy as being the "ford of the Franks".

Situated on the Main River, Frankfurt is the financial and transportation centre of Germany and the largest financial centre in continental Europe. It is seat of the European Central Bank, the German Federal Bank, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the Frankfurt Trade Fair, as well as several large commercial banks. Frankfurt Airport is one of the world's busiest international airports, Frankfurt Central Station is one of the largest terminal stations in Europe, and the Frankfurter Kreuz (Autobahn interchange) is the most heavily used interchange incontinental Europe. Frankfurt is the only German city listed as one of ten Alpha world cities. Frankfurt lies in the former American Occupation Zone of Germany, and it was formerly the headquarters city of the U.S. Army in Germany.

Among English speakers the city is commonly known simply as "Frankfurt", though Germans occasionally call it by its full name when it is necessary to distinguish it from the other (significantly smaller) "Frankfurt" in the state of Brandenburg, Frankfurt (Oder).

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

from Zurich with Love

dalla Zurigo con amore, originally uploaded by Toni_V.

City (pop., 2006 est.: 347,517), northern Switzerland.

Located at the northwestern end of Lake Zürich, the site was occupied first by prehistoric lake dwellers and later by the Celtic Helvetii before the Romans conquered the area c. 58 bce. It subsequently was held by the Alemanni and the Franks. Zürich grew as a trade centre, and in 1218 it became a free imperial city. In 1351 it joined the Swiss Confederation. Under the leadership of Huldrych Zwingli, Zürich became the centre of the Swiss Reformation in the 16th century. Attracting refugees from the Counter-Reformation, it established a liberal democratic order during the 1830s. Long an industrial centre and Switzerland’s largest city, Zürich is also an important financial centre and a major tourist destination. The city’s cultural treasures include the Swiss National Museum (1898) and the Zürich Opera House (1891).

Zürich is at the core of a constantly expanding metropolitan area that encompasses parts of central, northern, and eastern Switzerland. It is the industrial, financial, and cultural centre of the country and one of the most cosmopolitan and dynamic Swiss cities. Throughout the city centre, green space extends to the shores of Lake Zürich, which are lined by attractive public parks, and up to the slopes of Zürichberg.

The city has a diverse ethnic composition; more than one-third of its population is made up of immigrants. The largest immigrant groups are from Italy, the Balkans, Portugal, and Germany. There is also a small population of non-European immigrants. The integration of immigrants, particularly those displaced by conflict in the Balkans and those from non-European countries, posed a series of problems, especially for schools, at the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st. The resulting ethnic tensions eased, however, with the city’s introduction of social programs targeted at immigrants and as tighter restrictions were instituted for immigration from outside the EU.

Zürich was once a Protestant stronghold, but by the early 21st century only about one-third of Zürich’s inhabitants were Protestant. Roman Catholicism became the dominant religion, mainly due to immigration. Immigrants from the Balkans and Turkey have contributed to a growing Muslim community. There is also a small Jewish community in Zürich.

Zürich’s city centre and most of the city’s architectural features extend along both shores of the Limmat River, which runs from the north side of Lake Zürich through the city centre and out to the west. Zürich’s lively and well-preserved Altstadt (Old Town), part of the city centre, boasts an architectural legacy including the Romanesque Grossmünster, built by Charlemagne in the 700s; the 13th-century St. Peter’s Church; and elegant guild houses and patrician residences, some of which are used as restaurants or for civic functions. The Fraumünster (Minster of Our Lady) is noted for its stained glasswindows designed by Marc Chagall.

Adjacent to the historic Altstadt is the Bahnhofstrasse shopping district, whose distinguished architecture dates back to 1870. Centred on Paradeplatz, Bahnhofstrasse is home to luxury shops, including those of the country’s renowned jewelers and watchmakers. Cafés, department stores, and shops selling local handicrafts and books also line the boulevard. Just across the Limmat River from the Bahnhofstrasse lies Zürich’s youth-oriented Niederdorfstrasse, which features bistros, shops, and ethnic restaurants.

Zürich’s middle- and lower-class neighbourhoods are in the western and northern parts of the city. To the north of Zürichberg, between the airport and the city, is the Glattal, one of the most rapidly growing areas in Switzerland. In Zürich Nord, a district in the north of the city near the airport, a minor downtown area has gradually formed. A large number of firms, particularly the headquarters of international companies, have located there. Zürich West, a former industrial and red-light district, has been transformed into a popular area with ambitious contemporary architecture, theatres, shops, art galleries, residential living spaces, and lots of nightlife.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
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Main Market Square, Krakow - Poland

Main Market Square | Cloth Hall, originally uploaded by P•A•U•L | Photography.

Main Market Square in Kraków (Polish: Rynek Główny w Krakowie, also known as Rynek Krakowski — Kraków Market Square) is the main square of the Old Town, Kraków, Poland. It dates back to the 13th century and – it is the largest (200 by 200 meter square) medieval town square in Europe.

The main landmarks of the square are the St. Mary's Basilica (Kościół Mariacki), the Sukiennice (Cloth Hall) and the St. Adalbert's Church.

Rynek Główny was designed in 1257, during the location of the city of Kraków by prince of Kraków, Bolesław V the Chaste. It was purposefully designed to be large, to attract passing merchants so they would offer their goods in Kraków, which at that time was the capital of the Kingdom of Poland. At 40,000 m², for many centuries it was the largest marketplace and town square in Europe.

The square was a witness to many important events in the history of Poland. On 10 April 1525, Albert I, Duke of Prussia paid the Prussian Homage to the king of Poland, Sigismund I the Old. King Jan III Sobieski celebrated there his victory over the Turkish Empire in the 1683 Battle of Vienna. On 24 March 1794, Tadeusz Kościuszko announced the general uprising there and assumed the powers of the Commander in Chief of Polish armed forces, beginning the Kościuszko Uprising.

Kościół Mariacki w Krakowie, originally uploaded by Klearchos Kapoutsis.

St. Mary's Basilica is a Brick Gothic church re-built in the 14th century (originally built in the early 13th century), adjacent to the Main Market Square in Kraków, Poland.

The square is located on the coronation route, between the Barbican of Kraków and the Wawel Castle. Ever since its creation it has been considered the center of the city.

The square is surrounded by old brick buildings (kamienica) and palaces, almost all of them several centuries old. They house many tourism-oriented establishments as well as the Historical Museum of Kraków and the International Center of Culture. Probably the most famous of the oldest establishments is the Wierzynek's restaurant, remembered for the great feast (dated 1364) which, according to the legend, lasted for twenty one days and helped to reach a consensus between monarchs of Europe.

Among the square's landmarks are the Sukiennice - a Renaissance trading hall and one of city's most recognizable icons - now host to many merchant stalls, and the Gallery of the National Museum, upstairs. Another one is St. Mary's Basilica with its Altar by Wit Stwosz, a Brick Gothic church built in the 14th century adjacent to the main market square. Other landmarks include the Church of St. Adalbert, Town Hall Tower and the Adam Mickiewicz Monument.

Since its creation, the level of the Market Square has raised, in some places by over 5 meters. Underneath there are large basements, the most famous of which is the Piwnica pod Baranami. Many basements are now transformed into cafés and restaurants; other include the Theater Maszkaron and small archeological museum in the basement of the St. Adalbert's church. There are passages linking some of the basements — for example one linking the Town Hall Tower with Sukiennice. Sukiennice itself has a little known underground trading hall, 100 meters wide and 5 meters high. Near the Sienna Street there is another underground hall (Kramy Bogate), with 1200 square meters of space.

Like many other town squares, Main Market Square in Kraków is known for its large population of Rock Pigeons.


A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu

Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler





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Portofino Italy one of the oldest vacation destination

Butterflies with Portofino View, originally uploaded by ! . © Angela Lobefaro . ! Back & Busy.

According to Pliny the Elder, Portofino was founded by the Romans and named Portus Delphini, or Port of the Dolphin, because of the large number of dolphins that inhabited the Tigullian Gulf.
Portofino bay.

The village is mentioned in a diploma from 986 by Adelaide of Italy, which assigned it to the nearby Abbey of San Fruttoso di Capodimonte. In 1171, together with the neighbouring Santa Margherita Ligure, it was included in Rapallo's commune jurisdiction. After 1229 it was part of the Republic of Genoa. The town's natural harbour supported a fleet of fishing boats, but was somewhat too cramped to provide more than a temporary safe haven for the growing merchant marine of the Republic of Genoa.

In 1409 Portofino was sold to the Republic of Florence by Charles VI of France, but when the latter was ousted from Genoa the Florentine gave it back. In the 15th century it was a fief of families such as the Fieschi, Spinola, Adorno and Doria.

In 1815 it became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia and, from 1861, of the unified Kingdom of Italy.

In the late 19th century, first British, then other northern European aristocratic tourists began to visit Portofino, which they reached by horse and cart from Santa Margherita Ligure. Aubrey Herbert (1880–1923) was one of the more famous Englishmen to maintain a villa at Portofino. Eventually more expatriates built expensive vacation houses, and by 1950 tourism had supplanted fishing as the town's chief industry, and the waterfront was a continuous ring of restaurants and cafés.

thanks to:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portofino

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
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Siegestor in Munich Day & Night

Siegestor in Munich at Night, originally uploaded by werkunz1.

Siegestor in Munich at Day, originally uploaded by werkunz1.

What the Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triumph is for the people in Paris
is the Ludwigstrasse and the victory gate for the people in Munich. (Pretty likely it was also copied from Paris). I worked there at this place during my study times and it was all the time nice for me to cross the street exactly at this point day and night ;-)

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler






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Penarth Pier

Penarth Pier, originally uploaded by John the Neath.

is a headland on the South Wales coast, overlooking the Bristol Channel with views across to the Somerset Coast.
A line drawn between Lavernock Point and Sand Point, Somerset marks the lower limit of the Severn estuary and the start of the Bristol Channel.
Guglielmo Marconi, assisted by George Kemp (who was a Cardiff based Post Office engineer) transmitted and received the first wireless signals over open sea between Lavernock Point and Flat Holm island.

From Wikipedia

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler






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Natural Bridge, Santa Cruz, CA

Natural Bridge, Santa Cruz, CA, originally uploaded by du9drw.

Natural Bridges State Beach is a protected area in Santa Cruz, California, featuring a natural bridge across a section of the beach. It is also well known as a hotspot to see monarch butterfly migrations.

This beach, with its famous natural bridge, is an excellent vantage point for viewing shore birds, migrating whales, and seals and otters playing offshore. Further along the beach, tidepools offer a glimpse of life beneath the sea. Low tides reveal sea stars, crabs, sea anemones, and other colorful ocean life. The park also includes a large area of coastal scrub meadows, with bright native wildflowers in the spring. Moore Creek flows down to the ocean through these meadows, forming a wetlands in the sand.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler






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