France has a lot of ground to cover in a week exploration, but Courtney Dyer would not trade her experience for anything. In March, Dyer traveled through Paris and Barcelona as her break from school.

After a rigorous eight-hour plane ride, she arrived in Paris, where she stayed for the first three days of her trip. Excited about her trip, she explained that the touring began as soon as she checked into the hotel.

"We figured out the metro system in Paris very well because we used it daily," Dyer said.

In only three days in Paris, she was able to explore many famous and interesting sites.

"We were able to take a bus tour of Paris, so we saw the Arc de Triomphe, the Military Hospital, Notre Dame, and the Opera House," Dyer said. She also took a night cruise on the Seine, where she was able to see the Eiffel Tower and other buildings at night sparkle in their natural beauty.

France's most famous tourist attraction is probably the Eiffel Tower. This magnificent structure, built in 1889, is located next to the Seine River and rises about 317 meters.  From the top of the tower, visitors can enjoy wonderful views of France's capital city. Visitors to the European Union always rank the Eiffel Tower as one of Europe's best attractions.  It has recently been nominated to become one of the world's seven wonders.

In the parts of Europe occupied by the Soviet Union after WWII, both urban planning and the environment suffered under regimes interested in slap-dash solutions to difficult problems. The result? In the Czech city of Brno, train tracks are built into the downtown roads. As seen above, passenger and freight trains in downtown Brno run directly at street level, in a road lane parallel to motor traffic. Thanks to Czech photographer Michael Uhler, we have plenty of pictures. It looks like these tracks will stick around for the time being; neither the national nor local government has the funding to install new grade crossings.

My sister works at the famous Gramercy Park Hotel in NYC. She cocktail waitresses at the swank Rose Bar in her stunning black Narciso Rodriguez back-zippered dress that fits like a glove on all of the modelesque servers. The atmosphere is funky and laid back, with upbeat lounge music playing in the background. The lighting is very bare; the stone fireplace and tiny table candles create the minimal glow. It's as if you're in ancient times reading the drink menu with candelas. Maroon velvet curtains hang down over the doors and plush rose-colored cloth lines all of the booths, seats and comfy royal-like chairs throughout the bar. Surrounding the discerning celebrities and hotel guests are eclectic murals and paintings that mirror their very styles and pull together the overall modish theme.

 The drinks are as trendy as the guests. I tried the rose martini, which literally tasted like I was drinking a flower, the incredibly delish fig martini, and my favorite, the vanilla martini, which came with an orchid floating atop. My friend tried ordering a cosmo and the waitress simply would not let her because there were so many amazing specialty martinis to sample. We then finished off the night with champagne, every girl's favorite. And as we sipped on our bubbly we peered over to the table in front of us and spotted Entourage star Jeremy Piven surrounded by a booth of girls. Later in the night we saw Crash star Terrence Howard in a tight suit and hat and Leonardo DiCaprio's model girlfriend Bar Rafaeli. Supposedly a Sports Illustrated cover model was roaming around as well.

So if you're not a celebrity, model or posh hotel guest, just try working it. Up-and-coming photographers, businessmen and stars saturate the bar, who I'm sure are more than willing to buy some girls a few drinks. And if you're lucky, you may even walk out with a number.

As far as I remember 16 countries, but 3 of them just plane
transit for 2-3 hours, lol

Home: Indonesia
Current stay: Germany
Been in (in order of visitation): Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan,
Korea, Srilanka, Dubai, Netherland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland,
Italy, Qatar, Nepal.

Places will visit next year: Chile, France, some Eastern Europe.
Just dreaming: US, UK, Africa, otherpart of Europe, other part of Asia,
and everywhere else

Favorite place: Homeland, there is no place like home...!

Arriving in Belarus
Belarus travel allows you to experience a different world. Belarus still clings to the Soviet past and has a very different atmosphere compared with neighboring countries, such Lithuania. In fact, a trip to both Lithuania and Belarus, two ex-soviet states and very close neighbors, is a remarkable experience. Lithuania has rapidly become very Western-oriented while Belarus is still very much Eastern-oriented and you feel the difference instantly. (The contents of this website are copyrighted by TravelsWise.com, the Europe Travel Guide).

Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland by Paul Stanbury:

 Our holidays in Europe are generally no longer than a week or ten days and focus on the outstanding wildlife habitats that we have left in the region. We explore the great Danube Delta in Romania, the Coto Donana in Spain, the Biebrza Marshes and primeval Bialowieza Forest in poland. In particular we focus on Europe's spectacular mountain ranges - the Pyrenees, Alps, Picos de Europa, Carpathians, High Tatras and Dolomites - all exceptionally rich in plants, birds, mammals and butterflies. These regions also provide fine walking opportunities, although we always move at a pace slow enough to enjoy all aspects of the natural world! Europe's lowlands too provide some very special habitats; the Spanish Steppes and Hortobagy national Park (that protects the very best of the grasslands and wetlands of the Great Hungarian Plain. Northern Europe offers its own special landscapes; the great fjords of Norway where we watch Killer Whales in November, and botanise in summer; the dramatic Arctic wilderness of Spitsbergen - home of the Arctic Fox and Polar Bear. Wherever you choose to travel with Naturetrek, you will enjoy the best of Europe's last great mammals - Brown Bears, Bison and Wolves! Furthermore, you will be able to enjoy all this in comfort and on a full stomach, for the characterful and freindly family-run hotels that we choose for our holidays offer both comfort and fine local cusine, whilst the quality of the Naturetrek picnic lunches is legendary!

These three countries along the coast of the Baltic Sea, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, are known for having experienced numerous upheavals over the past, and thus for a long time tourism has been minimal. For centuries, they have been dominated by various European empires, interspersed with periods of independence. This similarity and their geographical proximity give the countries some common historical background, but different languages and cultures. Their historical, cultural, architectural, and artistic richness can’t help but attract travelers who are fascinated by the man-made, while the beautiful landscapes and parks attract lovers of the outdoors.

A Bit of History
From the 12th to the 17th centuries, the Baltic States were under the influence of the Hansa (merchants’ guilds); Riga was the principal eastern trading post. In 1589, although Latvia and Estonia remained in the Hanseatic League, Lithuania joined with Poland. In 1795, after a new partition of Poland, Lithuania and the two other Baltic States became attached to Russia. They regained their independence after World War I, thanks to the will of the eastern countries to establish a geographic barrier between themselves and Russia, which had become Communist. In 1939, Russia and Germany signed a reciprocal treaty of non-aggression, and on this occasion the Baltic States returned to the Russian fold.

It's efficient, safe, uncrowded [by locals - total population is about 8m], and has stunning towns and magnificent mountains.
The rise and fall of the Hapsburg [aka Habsburg] dynasty [1278- 1914] and the Austrian Empire is a monumental story, gone but not forgotten by tourists gaping at the mass of gothic, baroque and rococo royal relics or listening to present day concerts by long-dead Vienna inhabitants - Mozart, Strauss, Brahms and Beethoven to name but a few.
Museums offer a lot more than Habsburg lifestyle samples and cover many topics in great depth and style.
The climate offers a comfortable heat in the summer and acceptable cold in winter, encouraging year-round outdoor activities, particularly summer hiking and winter skiing.
Transport systems are brilliant and road access to other European cities is easy.
Locals are friendly and many speak English.

Downside:
- Food is heavy and dedicated to carnivores. Vegetarians may have a hard time finding suitable body fuel.
- German is more a language of command than conversation.