For Travelers

Croatia

Croatia, situated in the Central Europe, has a forme and a surface resulted from the Civil War in the 90`s. In this way, Croatia is composed by 2 distinct parts:

• The hilly Slavonia with its capital at Zagreb in the East
• Dalmatia - region situated in the West, with Dinaric Alps (or Dinarides)

The calcareous peaks of this mountain chain from the coast of the Adriatic Sea descent abruptly to the water, where it`s transforming in countless little inslands, which prolongs the coasts line of this country with more than 4000 km.

This region has been, until the end of the 80`s, one of the most popular touristic destinations of Europe. Each year there arrived thousands of tourist, specially from Germany and Italy. They were visiting famous locations like Zadar (photo 1), Split (photo 2), Rijeka (photo 3), Dubrovnik (photo 4). Unfortunately, the war has turned off this important sorce of income of Croatia.

After the peace was settled, the tourists started, slowly, to come back. Mostly the italians are very attached of this country and many of them possess holiday houses in Instria Peninsula.

Croatia has temperate clime, but in Dalmatia is a mediteranean one. On the coast, the temperature is about 9 degrees celcius in January and 25 in July. In Zagreb 0 degrees celcius in January and 24 in July.

What you must see:

• the Roman Amphitheatre and the Arc of Triumph from Pula
• the Cathedral and the historic city from Rijeka
• The National Park Plitvice
• the byzantine ruins from Zadar
• the historical cities Trogir and Sibenik
• the chain of defence fortresses between Trogir and Split
• Diocletian`s Palace from Split
• old city Dubrovnik
• Dalmatia`s islands
• Zagreb

Tags: Adriatic Sea, Croatia, Dalmatia, Dinaric Alps, Diocletian Palace, Dubrovnik, Germany, Italy, Plitvice, Pula, Rijeka, Sibenik, Slavonia, Split, Trogir, Zadar, Zagreb

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The Cyclades

The Cyclades are located in the Aegean Sea, being a group of Greek islands and also one of the ones that constitutes the Greek Archipelago.

The Cyclades fascinate the guests with their pitoresque landscapes, by a brightly white, in the middle of which there are asymmetrical settlements, narrow streets and many churches.

The Archipelago has 38 islands, each one with a surface no bigger than 400 km, but also a multitude of little islands.

Only 24 islands are populated, most of the little islands being inhabited.

The Cyclades form a separate administrative area, having the capital at Ermoupolis, on Siros Isle. The different islands are separated one of the others by very narrow gorges. The largest one measures no more than 37 km.

There is an anual invasion of European tourists, thirsty of sun, which separates the islands into 2 categories: the rich and the poor ones.

If Mikonos, Ios, Santorini and Paros can`t complain about a lack of interest from the travel lovers, Anafi and Kimolos has left almost wildly.

Tags: Aegean Sea, Anafi, Cyclades, Ermoupolis, Greece, Ios, Kimolos, Mikonos, Paros, Santorini, Siros Isle

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San Francisco

San Francisco (photo 1) is located in California, United States of America. Surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west, San Francisco Bay to the east and the Golden Gate to the north, San Francisco is the 4th most populous city in California.

Being famous for the fog fenomen which lasts sometimes a couple of months, San Francisco`s climate has mild winters, rain from November through March and snow only rarely.

Golden Gate Park is the biggest park from San Francisco, with Japanese Tea Garden (photo 2), an open area with 3 water fountains - The Music Concourse, The Young Museum (photo 3),  the largest natural museum in the world - California Academy of Sciences and the Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum containing more than 7,500 plant species.

Other places from the Golden Gate park:

Stow Lake  there you can have a boat tour, like in the 4th photo .

Spreckels Lake - built of traditional wood and glass panes

The Conservatory of Flowers being one of the largest conservatories in the world and Kezar Stadium (photo 5).

San Francisco is also well known for its architecture, a combination between the Victorian and the Modern one, and for the hills with abrupt slopes. Those hills also represents the name of some neighborhoods, considering the location: Nob Hill, Pacific Heights, Russian Hill, Potrero Hill and Telegraph Hill.

The Bay Bridge (photo 6) links San Francisco and Oakland, as part of Interstate 80. Other means of transport are:

• trolleybuses
• standard diesel buses
• the Metro
• Bicycling - a famous way of transportation. There are 101 km of bicycle lanes and paths throughout the city.

There we also have the San Francisco International Airport, located at 21 km South of downtown San Francisco, with the largest international terminal in North America.

See the pictures »

Tags: Bay Bridge, Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum, California, California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate, Japanese Tea Garden, Kezar Stadium, Nob Hill, Oakland, Pacific Heights, Pacific Ocean, Potrero Hill, Russian Hill, San Francisco, San Francisco International Airport, Spreckels Lake, Stow Lake, Telegraph Hill, The Conservatory of Flowers, The Music Concourse, The Young Museum

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Coach travel

According to our financial situation, our preferences and the offers we find, we have many means of transport to choose.

If you have decided to travel by coach, no matter how long the trip will be, you have to consider some things:

1. The coach can assure the transport of 40 to 50 passengers, depending on its type. If you`ll travel alone, you`ll probably have a trip mate and that`s not a person chosen by you. It can have a ticket with the specified number of the seat or it will just assume that one because he paid for it.
2. You`ll depend on the driver`s goodwill. I recommend you to find more details about the trip before you buy the ticket, ask where will be stops, how many and other information like this.
3. The weather. If is summer or very warm outside, think that the conditional air might be on almost all the time. It`s true that you can stop from time to time the one above your seat, but it can get pretty cold in the coach anyway. So it will be good if you`ll take a blouse with zipper or buttons.
4. Make a list with necessary things while travelling:  what you can eat, drink, napkins, magazines, players, books and so on. If you have something which needs low temperature, you can leave it there with your luggages, it`s colder. But consider the possibility that other travelers might have many luggages with clothes or stuff and those will have priority.
5. For entertainment in a boring long trip you can bring some magazines or books for reading. Beware if you have car sickness, it`s not a good idea to keep your head down.
6. You can listen music at your mp3 player/cd player or others. Don`t forget to charge it completely before you leave.
7. If the coach has tv, the driver might put some movies. Those have between an hour and a half and 2 hours, so if you see 2-3 movies there are from 3 to 6 hours gone.
8. Word games can also be a nice way to spend the time or playing games at your mobile phone.
9. If you travel by day, you might see beautiful landscapes on the window from time to time. You should keep your camera near to you for some pictures.
10. If you have no problem with sleeping in the car, congratulations!

Tags: conditional air, entertainment, means of transport, movies, music, travel by coach, weather, word games

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Budapest

On the west side of Danube river, the hills from Buda throne over the city. For some centuries, the authories have used those hills as a method to protect the city of the attacks from East.In Budapest you can visit the Citadel (photo 2 - the entrance), upon Gellert Hill (photo 3), which represents more a fortress. There, it is used the name of Citadella for it. There, you will have the chance to take some beautiful pictures of the city, Gellert Hill offering an extraordinar view.

A visit at the Citadel will cost you 5 euro per person, and there you`ll certainly find many keepsakes for the dear ones or for yourself, to remember that place.

The buildings in Budapest have an amazing architecture, that`s why Budapest was often compared with Vienna, more than that, it was considerated its twin. There are impressionanting buildings (photo 4) by their size and in the centre there are narrow streets.

An important place for you to relax is Gellert Hotel and Baths (photo 5). That`s a spa centre, famous among the tourists, where you can spend some time in saunas, have massages or other therapies including drinking cures. There are many thermal pools where you could swim.

Other places for all these activities are:

• Széchényi Spa
• Danubius Grand Hotel/Thermal Hotel Margitsziget
• Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal Spa
• Király
• Dagály

The most famous places to eat among tourists are Gundel and Mátyás Pince, in Pest and for shopping you should take a tour in Great Market Hall.

Views from the Gellert Hill:

Tags: baths, Buda, Budapest, Citadel, Citadella, Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal Spa, Dagály, Danube river, Danubius Grand Hotel, Gellert Hill, Gundel, Hungary, Király, Mátyás Pince, Pest, Széchényi Spa, Vienna

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