Saturday, April 10, 2010

Enjoy Amsterdam Holidays With A Difference

While Amsterdam is certainly well known as a favourite holiday destination, there are many people that have pigeonholed it as merely a city ideal for stag and hen does. However, the largest city in the Netherlands has far more to offer than excellent pubs, clubs and restaurants, it’s also a fabulous place for history, art and culture lovers to take a break and enjoy the chance to soak up some of the city’s unique ambiance. From the fabulous and sometimes quaint architecture to the gorgeous and convenient canal networks, there’s plenty to enjoy an Amsterdam. What’s more, when it comes to this relaxed city, there’s far more to a holiday there than meets the eye.

Some of the most fascinating experiences in Amsterdam are in its historic hotspots. For example, few people would forget a trip to the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam – a Dutch national museum packed with arts and crafts artefacts – or the fabulous Hermitage Amsterdam museum, home to some eye-popping exhibits. Arts fan however, are unlikely to take a trip to Amsterdam without making sure they stop off at the fabulous Van Gogh museum. Visitors can also pop next door to enjoy some excellent modern art at the impressive Stedelijk Museum.

Those who prefer their cultural experiences to be live action, will love the various performance opportunities in Amsterdam. The city is stuffed with venues and a whole variety of different shows, from rock, pop and jazz to classical music, it’s easy to find some musical entertainment in Amsterdam. If it’s theatre or comedy you’re after, then the city has plenty to offer. With a strong tradition in musical cabaret, the delightful blend of music, storytelling, commentary, theatre and comedy can be found in numerous venues throughout the city.

When you’re looking for an exciting night out, Amsterdam finds it easy to provide. The city has two main areas for diverse nights out, the Leidseplein and the Rembrandtplein, where plenty of clubs and discotheques can be found. However, one of the most enriching experiences to be enjoyed in the city is a canal tour that will let you see the sights from a unique and comfortable vantage point and can be enjoyed by both day and night.

Holidays in Amsterdam can be wonderfully diverse experiences, so don’t feel as though you have to stick to preconceptions or the travel guides. Instead, follow your instincts and inclinations to create a holiday that you’ll never forget in this picturesque capital of culture.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Discovering Tropical North Queenslands Paronella Park

There are so many different exotic experiences to have in this region but perhaps one of the most incredible is the one that you will have if you choose to visit Paronella Park while in the Tropical North Queensland region of Australia. Paronella Park is located in the Mena Creek region of the TNQ and offers a year round experience that will blow your mind.

This park became Paronella Park named for Jose Paronella, a Spanish immigrant, who put alot of effort into developing it in the late 20's and early 30's. It had an attraction that was very future oriented, not seen before, but amongst all the other buildings people got to witness the first privately owned hydro electric fountain system that accessed water from all the fantastic waterfalls in the region. Paronella also planted 7000 trees to help with preservation efforts and make it more naturally aesthetically pleasing. It was available for decades, was closed and abandoned for over 45 years, then discovered all over again in 1993, becoming open to visitors again.

This place known as Paronella Park has much Australian culture and history for visitors to experience, along with the information on a special Spanish immigrant who had amazing creative engineering talent far ahead of his peers. There are many descriptions of the park on the internet for you to see but that does not compare to coming here it see it for yourself.

Both day and night tours are offered, and the admission is valid for a year so you can revisit all over again if you would like to. The tours, both of them, include all the information about Jose and his incredible visions for this area; the evening tour is especially beautiful because all the falls have lighting which will make your pictures stunning.

If you choose the night version of the tour you have the chance to camp out that night or reside in the caravan park. Whichever choice you make this is a definite must see in Tropical North Queensland, fun for the family along with a dose of culture and history.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Mallorca Holidays – Enjoy the Countryside by Going on a Mountaineering Trip

Even as a holiday to Mallorca might invoke pictures of idle days spent on seashores, wonderful climate, and excellent nightlife, the island can as well offer a bit to the more energetic, nature-loving visitor. Ahead of landing up in an excellent holiday villa in Mallorca, you might like to look into the extensive array of open-air enjoyment on offer on the island and plan some lively days on your Mallorca trip. Although several tourists to the island might at once rush to the sea for the most part of their vacation, Mallorca is in fact home to a mountain range with several tall peaks perfect for looking at on a stopover to one of its several holiday villas.

Serra de Tramuntana Mountain range stretches for some 90 kilometers from Pollenca to Sa Mola in Andratx and is about 15 kilometers broad, this mountain range is a perfect place to travel around by foot and get a bird’s view of the island of Mallorca. Even as scaling the Mallorca hills, you must watch closely for the wild animals like goats and sheep that stray here along with this, a large number of birds like falcon or an osprey can be spotted in the area. Several mountains in the range are predominantly tall, with Puig Major standing on top of all the rest at an altitude of 1,447 meters. The next highest mountain on the island is Massanella and is 1,352 meters high and can provide hikers an excellent view of this Spanish holiday destination from top.

There are several smaller peaks like Puig Tomir and Tossals Verds that are just a bit over 1,100 meters tall for the less energetic ones. Overall, the Serra de Tramuntana Mountain range has ten peaks that are more than 1,000 meters however visitors can climb a hill for magnificent views of the Spanish landscape below. Overall the Serra de Tramuntana Mountain range is a excellent spot for tourists to spend some hours in and there is in fact no better place to head to unwind after a hard day's mountaineering than a lavish villa on Mallorca, that have all the modern amenities that people are accustomed to in their own houses.

Since it can be hot during the day in Mallorca making a mountaineering trip uncomfortable, the most excellent time to go on a hiking trip is in the evening as it is cooler at this time and is thus perfect for those planning to attempt one of the higher peaks and view the amazing Spanish island of Mallorca from top. There several villages and towns, including Soller that lies inside the mountain valley and is famous for its olive and orange orchards.

The town of Deia can as well be explored on a mountaineering expedition and is perfect for individuals wanting to see a more customary side of Mallorca and has orchards of olive and orange, and is an excellent place to unwind with a glass of sangria subsequent to a day spent hiking in the mountains of the Serra de Tramuntana. Even as resting in the town, you might be able to get a whiff of the wild rosemary that covers the mountain peaks and emits a lovely fragrance in the heat of the Mallorcan sun.