Archives for June 2007

Liverpool is a town and urban municipality in Merseyside, England, all along the eastern face of the Mersey Estuary. Liverpool is governed by one of five councils within the metropolitan county of Merseyside, and is one of England's core cities and its fifth most populous — 447,500 in 2006, with 816,000 in the Liverpool Urban Area, which includes suburbs on the Liverpool side of the Mersey but not those on the Wirral Peninsula. The term Greater Merseyside is sometimes used to described a broader area, which also includes the borough of Halton.
Built across a ridge of hills rising up to a height of around 230 feet (70 metres) above sea-level at Everton Hill, the city's urban area runs directly into Bootle and Crosby in Sefton to the north, and Huyton and Prescot in Knowsley to the east. It faces Wallasey and Birkenhead across the River Mersey to the west. Inhabitants of Liverpool are referred to as Liverpudlian and nicknamed "Scousers", in reference to the local meal known as 'scouse', a form of stew. The word scouse has also become synonymous with the Liverpool accent and dialect. This year (2007), the city is celebrating its 800th anniversary, and in 2008 it will hold the European Capital of Culture title (together with Stavanger, Norway).

 It took many years for Russia to grow and develop as a country. This development essentially started when the Principality of Muscovy began to conquer and absorb surrounding principalities. In the 17th century, the Romanov Dynasty continued this expansion.Eventually, under the rule of Peter the 1st, the conquered land mass was extended to the Baltic Sea and the whole territory was renamed the Russian Empire. More territories were conquered during the 19th century and then later, in 1917, the imperial household was overthrown. Communism took a hold of the country, many lives were lost and the economy slowly fell into a decline. In December 1991, the USSR was splintered into fifteen independent republics and it has since struggled to build a good democratic political system. The country is starting to regain economic momentum and many of the scars left by communism are slowly disappearing. Unfortunately, there is still guerrilla conflict in Chechnya.

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Płock is a town in middle Poland, on Vistula watercourse, with 131,011 residents. It is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), having previously been the capital of the Płock Voivodeship (1975-1998). It now heads a Powiat (province) at the extreme west of the Mazovian Voivodeship.
Its 12th century cathedral contains the tombs of Ladislaus Herman (died 1102) and Boleslaus III the Wrymouth (died 1138) - the dukes of Poland. They are buried in the Cathedral Basilica in Płock. Some historians say that Płock was the capital city of Poland during their reign (1080-1138). It was also a seat of several of the Dukes of Masovia and one of the capitals of that state.

From the high Alps in the South, the Bavarian plain, and the flowing hills of central Germany to the coast of the North and Baltic Sea: it all looks like a miniature train landscape packed with the nicest of old towns, medieval houses, gothic churches and small villages.Thanks to the different regional princedoms, earldoms, monarchies and states Germany did not unite until the last centuries. Thus Germany has not one but many major cities. And each city has its own unique character, formed by its history and the surrounding region. Each is a whole new world unto itself in which you will experience not only different architectural styles and art treasures but also a very distinctive lifestyle. Local traditions and mentalities are clearly reflected everywhere - in the arts, the nightlife, the shops, the pubs and restaurants and the way people work and live.  

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With mild temperatures and almost round-the-clock daylight, summer is the best time to discover Iceland.If you are there for a week, base yourself in the capital Reykjavik and explore the southwest by either renting a car or going on day tours with one of the many operators in town. Those with more time on their hands can do the full Monty and go round the island on the famous Route One. Whatever you decide, there is plenty to see and do along the way, and the hospitality of the Icelanders, as well as their fascinating culture, will ensure this is a memorable trip.

One Week

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Turku, established in the 13th century, is the oldest and fifth biggest town in Finland, with a populace of 175,354 (as of 2006). Located (60.27° N 22.16° E) at the opening of the Aura river in the southwest of the country, it is the capital city of both the region of Finland Proper and the province of Western Finland, as well as being the centre of the country's third largest urban area, with around 300,000 inhabitants. Turku has one of the largest Finland-Swedish populations in the country. Due to its location, the Port of Turku is one of the busiest seaports in Finland with around 3.7 million passengers per year.
Turku has a cultural identity as Finland's historical centre, as it was the largest city in the country. It was also the capital from 1809 to 1812 after which time Helsinki was made the capital. It also hosted the country's first university, The Royal Academy of Turku. Turku has a long history as Finland's largest city and administrative centre, but has, over the last two centuries, given up both titles to Helsinki. To this day, the city's identity stems from its status as the oldest city in Finland and the country's former capital. Originally, the word 'Finland' referred only to the area around Turku (hence the title, 'Finland Proper' for the region).

Ulm is a town in the German Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, located on the waterway Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 (2006), forms an urban district of its own (Germ.: Stadtkreis) and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and traditions as a former Free Imperial City (Germ.: freie Reichsstadt). Today, it is an economic center due to its varied industries, and it is the seat of a university (University of Ulm, founded in 1967). Internationally, Ulm is primarily known for its Ulm Münster and as the birthplace of Albert Einstein.
Ulm lies at the point where the Blau and Iller rivers join the Danube, at an altitude of 479 m above sea level. Most parts of the city, including the old town, are situated on the left bank of the Danube; only the districts of Wiblingen, Gögglingen, Donaustetten and Unterweiler lie on the right bank. Vis-à-vis of the old town, on the other side of the river, lies the "twin city" of Neu-Ulm in the state of Bavaria, smaller than Ulm and until 1810 a part of it (pop. ~50,000). Except for the Danube in the South, the city is surrounded by forests and hills which rise to altitudes of over 620 m, some of them part of the Schwäbische Alb. South of the Danube, plains and hills finally end in the Northern edge of the Alps, which is approximately 100 km from Ulm and is visible from the city on clear days.

Catania is the second-largest town of Sicily, southern Italy, and is the center of the region which abides by its name.
With some 306,000 inhabitants (750,000 in the metropolitan area) it has the second highest population density on the island. The city's patron saint is Saint Agatha. Catania is located on the east coast of the island, halfway between Messina and Siracusa and is at the foot of the active volcano Mount Etna.

Tallinn is the principal and biggest capital of Estonia. It lies on the northern coast of Estonia, beside the Gulf of Finland. The city is an important industrial, political and cultural center, and seaport.
The origin of the name "Tallinn" is certain to be Estonian, although the original meaning of the name is debated. It is usually thought to be derived from "Taani-linn" (meaning "Danish-castle/town"; Latin: Castrum Danorum). However, it could also have come from "tali-linna" ("winter-castle/town"), or "talu-linna" ("house/farmstead-castle/town"). The element -linna, like Germanic -burg and Slavic -grad/-gorod, originally meant "fortress" but is used as a suffix in the formation of town names.

Prague is the center and biggest town of the Czech Republic. Situated on the Vltava river in central Bohemia, Prague has been the political, cultural and economical center of the Czech state for over 1000 years. The city proper is home to nearly 1.2 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have population of over 1.9 million.
Prague is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and belongs to the most visited cities on the continent. Since 1992, the historic centre of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Nicknames for Prague have included "the mother of cities", "city of a hundred spires" and "the golden city".