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Like the Empire State Building to New York, Big Ben to London and the Sydney    Opera House to Sydney, the Eiffel Tower is the single most recognizable structure in Paris, France. The Tower is over 120 years old – relatively new compared to the over 1000-year history of the city of Paris.

Located at the 7th arrondissement on Champ de Mars, the Tower’s history has been dramatic. It was hugely unpopular with the public in its early years and was almost torn down. This eventually gave way to acceptance before it was finally embraced as a prominent symbol of modern day Paris.

Few tourists to France will leave before seeing the Eiffel Tower and it has so far attracted well over 200 million visitors since it was first unveiled. The most spectacular views of the tower are at night when it is lit up and dominates the Parisian skyline.

The fees for accessing the Eiffel Tower depend on whether you intend to use the stairs or elevator, and the number of levels you would like to visit. Using the stairs costs less than ascending via the elevator. But the stairs can be extremely tiring and are also limited since they do not reach the higher levels. Persons on wheelchairs can access the tower’s first and second levels – access to higher levels is not permitted due to security concerns.

The Tower opens daily between 0930 and 2300 hours but this changes to 0900 and 0000 hours respectively during the summer. Admission may be suspended due to bad weather or for security reasons.

As the most visited location in Paris, it is often best to time one’s visit to the Eiffel Tower to when there is likely to be the least human traffic. The low season runs from October through March when there are less crowded observatories and shorter queues.

That being said, the freezing and rainy weather in November to February can make for an unpleasant experience. The low season fringe months of October and March are the most ideal. Other than the season, late evening, early morning and weekday visits typically have less people throughout the year.

Your visit to the tower can be a ‘superficial’ one where you will only be interested in going to the different levels and enjoying the Parisian view from the tower top. However, if you want a more engaged experience that includes a peak into the tower’s background,history and facts,guided tour options are available for that purpose. It will cost more than an ordinary tour but may provider a richer perspective of the tower.

The Vatican City, an independent sovereign state within the city of Rome, is probably best known as the global headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church and residence of the Pope. But Vatican City is also a place of tremendous historical significance in addition to being the home of several classical art pieces. The total official population of the Vatican is just shy of 1000 but it attracts more than 3.8 million visitors each year.

St Peter’s Basilica is probably the best known building in the Vatican and is the official church of the pope. It is atop the original site of the church that was built over the Apostle Peter’s tomb and remains among the largest religious structures in the world. St Peter’s Basilica is open between 0700 and 1900 hours daily. Entry is free but visitors must be modestly dressed with shoulders and knees covered.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0f1lMwk8Wo&feature=related

But the basilica is not the only place to see. Visitors should not leave the precincts of the Holy See without popping into the Vatican Museum. With slightly more than 1400 rooms, it is the largest museum building complex on earth. Given its place in Christianity as arguably its earliest denomination, it is not surprising that some of the oldest pieces of art in the world are found at the Vatican Museum including galleries with 3000 year old art work.

There is an entire room comprising art works by Raphael and the Pinacoteca Vaticana with its Renaissance art pieces is up there with the best picture galleries in greater Rome. The Vatican Museum also includes the 15th century Sistine Chapel, sections of the pope’s palace and the Hall of Maps (old map murals of past papal lands).

The Sistine Chapel is the site of probably the best known ceiling art in the world done by the great Michelangelo. The walls of the Chapel were done by other prominent artists including Botticelli and Perugino. Other interesting places to visit include a guided tour of the 23 hectare Vatican Garden and the Tomb of St Peter in the Vatican Underground (by reservation only).

As it does not have an army, the Vatican is protected by the Swiss Guard – a tradition that is more than 500 years old. The requirements for one to become a Swiss Guard are strictly adhered to with all Guards being between 19 and 30 years, at least 1.74 meters tall, high school graduates and single. The Guards must also be both Swiss nationals as well as adherents of the Roman Catholic faith.

Access to the Vatican is via the world renowned St Peter’s Square. The Pope holds a Wednesday session with the public starting at 1030 hours but you must have a ticket in advance to be allowed in. He also gives a blessing from his apartment window at noon each Sunday overlooking St Peter’s Square.

Ask most kids (and even adults) in Europe, North America and Oceania what their ultimate holiday location is and you can bet on Disneyland being the most frequent choice for the number 1 fun destination. The Disneyland Park in Paris was created in 1992 in Marne-la-Vallee, a town in Paris’ suburbia.  Disneyland Paris was the second Disneyland Park outside the United States after the park in Tokyo.

True to the defining theme of all Disneyland Parks, Disneyland Paris is a magical kingdom that breathes life into the best known and most loved characters of the most famous European folklores. And as stated at the start, Disneyland Paris does not only appeal to the young – the park is the place where adults can discover or rekindle the child in them.

Disneyland Paris is divided into three sections. There is the core theme park which is home to all the elements you would expect to find in a world class amusement park – of course the distinction being the Walt Disney theme around everything. The second section is the Walt Disney Studios park which is a special theme park that mimics elements of an actual Walt Disney studio.

The third section of Disneyland Paris is the Disney Village which is the park’s dining, shopping and entertainment district. Usually, if you want to experience all three sections of Disneyland Paris, it will take you about two days to fully explore the park.

When visiting Disneyland Paris there are a number of travelling arrangements that you want to consider, the first being accommodation. There are a number of hotels located within the Park (Disneyland Village) as well as some outside the park but at a walking distance. Depending on your budget and preference, the hotels range from budget to premium. You could of course also go for hotels that are a little further away of you do not mind the commute via public transport or a taxi.

The time of the year you go to Disneyland Paris does matter – make every effort to align your travel to coincide with the more favorable seasons. Disneyland Paris is especially great to explore on a warm and sunny day. That makes the summer season around June is most ideal.

One thing that you must be prepared for when you go to Disneyland is the crowds. In 2010, Disneyland Paris saw about fifteen million visits making it the single most visited tourist location in not just France but the whole of Europe. In the peak season,waiting for a thrill ride can take as long as one full hour. To avoid the crowds,it is best that you plan your visit during a weekday as long as it is not during a public holiday or the school holidays.

Port Aventura is the biggest theme park in southern Spain. Located in Salou resort in Catalonia, it is about an hour away from Spain’s second largest city of Barcelona. It is a place that the whole family can enjoy. There are lots of restaurants, shops, shows and attractions. Three companies came together to build the park – Universal Studios, Anheuser-Busch and Tussauds Group.

Since the park opened in 1995, it has experienced a steady growth in the number of visitors drawn from the greater Spain and around the world. The park has seen changes in ownership and name since 1995 but reverted to its original name Port Aventura when Caixa banking group acquired a controlling interest.

Port Aventura is divided into five different zones. The zones are referred to as ‘worlds’. As one enters the park, the first Port Aventura zone they will come across is the Mediterranean. In fact, at some point, the entire Port Aventura Park was known as Universal Mediterranea.

Compared to the other five zones, the Mediterranea does not have as many attractions – the most significant event in this zone is a ride on the Furius Barco roller coaster. Opened in mid 2007, the Furius Barco goes from 0 to 135 kph in just 3 seconds.

The second zone is the Far West. The Far West is the largest zone in the entire park. A visit to the Far West is considered incomplete without an experience on the wooden Stampida roller coaster. The Stampida is the second biggest roller coaster in the park.

The park’s third zone is Mexico, home of the 100 meter drop tower called the Hurakan Condor. The Hurakon Condor pushes even the bravest people to let out a scream.

Next is the Polynesia zone. It is usually thought of as the ‘softest’ zone. It is a place to get one’s adrenalin back to normal levels after the hair-raising experiences on the other 4 zones. Most notable here is the Tutuki Splash. But the relative serenity of Polynesia will quickly be shattered once you enter the last zone – China.

Here, visitors to the park come face to face with the largest roller coaster in the park – the Dragon Khan. In fact, for several years, Dragon Khan held the title of the biggest in Europe. It has 8 inverted loops that the coaster navigates at 110 kph.

Children are restricted from boarding these extreme rides. There are however several rides spread across the 5 different zones that are specifically developed for children. These include the Carrousel and Tomahawk in the Far West zone as well as Armadillos and Serpiente Emplumada in the Mexico zone.

Other than the rides, Park Aventura also has puppet shows, traditional dance and music. Each zone on Port Aventura has shops and restaurants each of which is designed in line with the theme of the zone it is in.

Entry tickets can be bought at the park’s main gate or at hotel receptions and travel agent offices. The park opens at 10AM and runs up to 8PM. During the summer and special occasions, Port Aventura is open up to midnight.

Semana Santa (or ‘Holy Week’) is probably the best known religious festival not just in the Andalucía region but in Spain as a whole. In Seville, where the festival takes place, it is one of the city’s two major religious celebrations – the other being Feria de Abril (or ‘April Fair’).

Semana Santa is celebrated in the week that leads up to Good Friday on the Easter Weekend. Feria de Abril is celebrated two weeks after Semana Santa. The Semana Santa celebration attracts visitors not only from the greater Spain but from all corners of the globe.

The focal point of Semana Santa is the floats known as pasos carried in the different processions. The pasos are borne by carriers (costaleros) and each paso procession is followed by nazarenos (or penitents), often in their hundreds.

Even though the festival holds the most religious significance to Catholic faithful, non-adherents of Catholicism or other Christian denominations will find the workmanship of the pasos and the adherence to age old traditions fascinating. The pasos themselves are an artistic masterpiece with some of the life size figures used in the processions being more than 300 years old.

Each paso tells some part of the Easter events. The processions come from different parishes some within the city and others on its outermost limits. Over 50 brotherhoods (or cofradias) participate in the Semana Santa and each has two floats. One float is on the events around the crucifixion of Jesus Christ while the other shows the Virgin Mary grieving for the loss of her son.

The floats eventually congregate at the Seville Cathedral before they make their way back to their respective parishes. Floats coming from the outermost limits of the city can take up to 14 hours to arrive back at their home parish.

Each paso follows a predetermined route that is announced beforehand. However, the routes and times can change year after year. Crowds will line the streets in their thousands. The throngs of people leave many with only a distant glimpse of the float.

The opportunity to be a costalero (carrier) for the pasos is a role that is held in high regard. This is despite the fact that the costaleros are concealed by a veil that runs around the bottom of each paso and they remain unseen for virtually the entire event. There is intense competition for the positions as demand far outstrips the slots available.

To put the demand for costalero slots in context, Seville was pounded by massive rainfall in 2004 and 2005 at the time of Semana Santa. Due to this, many pasos had to be cancelled. There was public outpouring of grief by some of the men that had been selected to be costaleros in that year as they knew they might never get another opportunity in their lifetime.

While some pasos allow women to be costaleros, most restrict the role solely to men. This is mainly informed by the weight of the pasos some of which weigh more than 2 tons.

The Barcelona Formula 1 Grand Prix takes place at the Catalunya Circuit in the town of Montmelo, some 20 kilometres to the north east of downtown Barcelona. The main event is on Sunday (in 2011, that will be on 22nd May) while practicing and qualifying sessions take place on the preceding Friday and Saturday respectively.

Attendees of the Barcelona Grand Prix can choose to buy separate tickets for the practicing, qualifying and main event, or purchase a 3 day pass that is valid for entry into all 3 events. Tickets may be bought on site. However, buying them online is usually more convenient – the crowds that descend on the small town during the Grand Prix can make buying tickets at the venue a hectic endeavour.

For most attendees of the Barcelona Grand Prix, access to the Catalunya Circuit will be via Barcelona city. Trains to the circuit can be boarded at Clot, Passeig de Gracia or Barcelona Sants, all of which are in Barcelona’s city centre. For travellers to the circuit, the 30 minute journey ends when they disembark at the Montmelo station. A one way ticket to Montmelo from Barcelona goes for Euros 1.60.

On arrival at the Montmelo station, visitors can opt to do a 30 minute walk to the circuit. However, this requires walking along some large roads and is not recommended. The preferred alternative is to take a shuttle train that operates between the Catalunya Circuit and the Montmelo station.

The advantage of the shuttle is that it not only operates throughout the day during the race weekend but it is also free for persons that have tickets to the race. In 2010, 47,000 Barcelona Grand Prix spectators used the shuttle service.

The service can get very busy especially on Sunday and race attendees must plan to catch the early shuttle. Other than the train shuttle service, there is a special bus service organised by the Sagales coach company that transfers attendees from downtown Barcelona to the Catalunya Circuit.

The third alternative is to drive oneself to the circuit. With 32,000 parking spaces at the Catalunya Circuit, one is unlikely to miss a parking slot. However, the problem might be getting a parking slot close to one’s sitting area. Since the track is 4 kilometres long, the challenge is getting a parking space that is as close to one’s seating area as possible.

There are more than enough food and drink spots around the edges of the circuit – over 120 in total. Most such spots serve fast food including pizzas and sandwiches. Three course meals are available in 3 locations – one known as the Mediterranean and two called the Gourmet Grille.

Spectators can also order in advance a ‘picnic box’ for a minimum of 20 Euros with the actual cost depending on what one orders. The picnic box will at the minimum have beverages, snacks and meals.

Organisers of the Barcelona Formula 1 Grand Prix recommend that all attendees to the race come with comfortable shoes, sunglasses, a hat, sun cream and of course, ear plugs just in case the roar of engines’ becomes unbearable.

In 2012, the Olympic Games (usually referred to as the Summer Olympics to distinguish them from the Winter Games) will be held in London. The event will run from 27^th July 2012 to 12^th August. In keeping with Olympic tradition, the Summer Olympics will give way to the Paralympics at the same venue from 29^th August 2012 to 9^th September.

As expected, the announcement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2005 that London was going to be the host city of Olympics 2012 was met with wild celebration throughout the United Kingdom. Yet, this is not the first time for the Olympics to be in the UK’s largest city.

London was the host city for the 1908 and 1948 Olympic Games in addition to hosting numerous other global sporting events such as the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games.  In fact, the decision to have the 2012 Games in London has made the city the first in Olympic history to host the event thrice.

Anyone attending the London 2012 will be presented with probably the most diverse field in Olympic history. The 302 events in the Summer Olympics are expected to attract 205 nations and about 10,500 athletes while 147 countries will participate in the Paralympics. This diversity is consistent with the London Games official motto – Live As One.

The Organising Committee of the London Games has taken deliberate steps to ensure the Games provide a rich cultural experience of the UK for the throngs of tourists that will make their way to the Olympics and Paralympics.

In this regard, the venues used will be a mix of new, modern facilities and older, refurbished, historic venues. Some of the facilities and venues will be in key London’s landmarks such as the Horse Guards Parade and Hyde Park.

Among the biggest concerns of the IOC prior to the award of the games to London was the capacity and efficiency of London’s transport infrastructure when inundated by the millions of visitors who are expected in the city for the Olympics.

Because of that, a special team known as TfL (Transport for London) has been charged with overseeing the expansion and improvement of the transport network. Changes expected to be completed before the Games start include the expansion of the over ground rail and the introduction of high speed bullet trains from Hitachi Corporation.

There are also plans to construct a cable car over the River Thames to cut travel times between venues and ease pressure on road and rail transport. The cable car will have the capacity to ferry 2500 persons each hour with each trip lasting just 30 seconds.

The mascots for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics are Wenlock and Mandeville respectively. Both are named after towns that have a history of involvement with either event. Much Wenlock is a Shrophshire town that hosted a forerunner of the 2012 Summer Olympics. Stoke Mandeville is a Buckinghamshire village that was the site of the first Paralympics.