Could you imagine cruising the River of America? simply visit Disneyland California. For sure you will have tons of fun there like a small kid..I experienced the same!! That boat you see in the River is what they use for the Disney show every night. I truly enjoyed the show!!
Germany’s carnival called Fasching is being celebrated now. This photo was taken during the Fasching in Breitenbrunn in Germany last year. Most towns and cities in Germany are having carnival programs and activities which are unique from each other. During the Faschingszug or carnival Parade, participants wear colorful and festive customs. Here is some info about Fasching in Germany.
Germany, especially the western part (North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate) is famous for Karneval celebrations such as parades and costume balls. Whilst these events are widespread in places such as Wattenscheid, Krefeld, Aachen, Mönchengladbach, Duisburg, Bonn, Eschweiler, Odenheim, Bocholt and Cleves, only Cologne, Düsseldorf, Mainz are called carnival “strongholds” in the public media. In parts of East and South Germany and Austria the carnival is called Fasching and especially Munich developed a special kind of celebration. In Franconia and the southwest-parts and also some other parts of Germany a carnival is called Fastnacht or Fasnet.
Although the festival and party season in Germany starts as early as the beginning of January, the actual carnival week starts on the Thursday (“Altweiberfastnacht”) before Ash Wednesday. German Carnival parades are held on the weekend before and especially on Rosenmontag (Rose Monday), the day before Shrove Tuesday, and sometimes also on Shrove Tuesday (“Faschingsdienstag”) in the suburbs of larger carnival cities. The carnival session begins each year on 11 November at 11:11 a.m. and finishes on Ash Wednesday with the main festivities happening around Rosenmontag; this time is also called the “Fifth Season.”
While Germany’s carnival traditions are mostly celebrated in the predominantly Roman Catholic southern and western parts of the country, the Protestant North traditionally knows a festival under the Low Saxon names Fastelavend [ˈfastl̩.ˌɒːvm̩t], Fastelabend [ˈfastl̩.ˌɒːbm̩t] and Fastlaam (also spelled Fastlom) [ˈfastl̩ɒːm]. This name has been imported to Denmark as Fastelavn and is related to Vastelaovend in the Low-Saxon-speaking parts of the Netherlands. It is traditionally connected with farm servants or generally young men going from house to house in the villages and collecting sausages, eggs and bacon, which was consumed in a festivity on the same evening. While going from house to house they wore masks and made noise. The old tradition vanished in many places, in other places under influence of German carnival traditions it became to resemble carnival with its parades.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival
This is the photo of the Old Main Bridge of Wuerzburg as promised in my previous post. We had a visit there last Jan. 1, 2008 as seen on photo’s date. here is a little info about the bridge.
Würzburg’s Old Main Bridge (Alte Mainbrücke) was built 1473–1543 to replace the destroyed Romanesque bridge from 1133. It was adorned from 1730 on in two phases with well-known statues of saints and famous persons. A similar impressive bridge is the Charles Bridge in Prague.
Both ends of Charles bridge have towers. These are the two towers located on one of its end. People can go up there to see the view around. There were a lot of people here as we went for a short trip. I can compare Charles bridge to Germany’s bridge in Wuerzburg wherein you can also see statues on the sides of the bridge..amazing work of art! see photos of Wuerzburg Bridge in a couple of days..
A back part of Prague Castle near its garden. Photo taken during our trip last Sept. 2008.
Prague Castle (Czech: Pražský hrad, former Austrian: Prager Burg) is a castle in Prague where the Czech kings, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here. Prague Castle is one of the biggest castles in the world (according to Guinness Book of Records the biggest ancient castle at about 570 meters in length and an average of about 130 meters wide.
Architectural styles of Prague Castle
The castle buildings represent virtually every architectural style of the last millennium. The Prague Castle includes gothic St Vitus Cathedral, romanesque Basilica of St. George, a monastery and several palaces, gardens and defence towers. Most of the castle areas are open to tourists. Nowadays, the castle houses several museums, including the National Gallery collection of Bohemian baroque and mannerism art, exhibition dedicated to Czech history, Toy Museum and the picture gallery of Prague Castle, based on the collection of Rudolph II. The Summer Shakespeare Festival regularly takes place in the courtyard of Burgrave Palace.
The neighbourhood around the Prague Castle is called Hradčany.
This photo was taken near the St. Vitus Cathedral also located near the famous Prague Castle. We had a trip there last September 2008…a short but interesting trip…I love that tall monument you can see here..watch out for more photos in Prague!
If you have not been yet to Windsor castle, I am showing you a photo of it. This is only a part of the castle which is called the Round Tower of Windsor Castle..This is located in the middle of the Castle. can you imagine how big is this Castle? very huge!! to have more knowledge about it, better read the info about it below. Now you are also travelling to Windsor!! have fun
Windsor Castle, in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, is the largest inhabited castle in the world and, dating back to the time of William the Conqueror, is the oldest in continuous occupation. The castle’s floor area is approximately 484,000 square feet (44,965 square metres).
Together with Buckingham Palace in London and Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, it is one of the principal official residences of the British monarch. Queen Elizabeth II spends many weekends of the year at the castle, using it for both state and private entertaining. Her other two residences, Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle, are the Royal Family’s private homes.
Most of the Kings and Queens of England, later Kings and Queens of Great Britain, and later still kings and queens of the Commonwealth realms, have had a direct influence on the construction and evolution of the castle, which has been their garrison fortress, home, official palace, and sometimes their prison. The castle’s history and that of the British monarchy are inextricably linked. Chronologically the history of the castle can be traced through the reigns of the monarchs who have occupied it. When the country has been at peace, the castle has been expanded by the additions of large and grand apartments; when the country has been at war, the castle has been more heavily fortified. This pattern has continued to the present day.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor_Castle
The old but very nice and historical City Hall of Birmingham, England. This was taken during my trip to England last year.
a photo of a statue taken in front of the City Hall of Birmingham, England during my visit last year
Birmingham is situated just to the west of the geographical centre of England on the Birmingham Plateau – an area of relatively high ground, ranging around 500 to 1,000 feet (150-300 m) above sea level and crossed by Britain’s main north-south watershed between the basins of the Rivers Severn and Trent. To the south and west of the city lie the Lickey Hills, Clent Hills and Walton Hill, which reach 1,033 feet (315 m) and have extensive views over the city. Birmingham is located in the centre of the West Midlands region of England.
Much of the area now occupied by the city was originally a northern reach of the ancient Forest of Arden, whose former presence can still be felt in the city’s dense oak tree-cover and in the large number of districts such as Moseley, Saltley and Hockley with names ending in “-ley”: an Anglo-Saxon word meaning “woodland clearing”.
