Cape Town glistens at the southern toe of the African continent. Amazing sites, from Robben Island, Nelson Mandela’s former prison, to tourist brochure-views at Blaauwberg Beach and Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, are within easy driving distance of “The Mother City”. Sun worshippers, surfers and divers flock to nearby white sand beaches and azure waters under Table Mountain. The Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve provides sweeping sea vistas, hiking trails and wildlife encounters.
Standing on top of the flat surface of Table Mountain on a clear day is one of those special moments that you tuck away for safekeeping in the recesses of your mind. In the company of rock rabbits, an icy fresh sea breeze and your own thoughts 1086 meters above an Atlantic Ocean that stretches into blue infinity below, you feel like you’re standing on top of the world. As well as its unusual shape, the mountain is known as a place of deep spiritual significance, the brooding quartzite and granite cliffs casting a protective aura over the city it has cradled for more than three and a half centuries.
It is the presence of this iconic landmark at its rear and the ocean in front that has led Cape Town, nestled in a natural bowl between the two, to be internationally described as the most beautiful city in the world．Founded as a trading post in 1 652, the settlement became an important stop-over for ships to repair and resupply on the Asan spice route. It was because of the relief felt by these weary ancient mariners when they discovered not only one of the most beautiful places on earth, but also one that had fresh food and water, that they called it the Cape of Good Hope．South Africa’s oldest city, Cape Town is also known by locals as the Mother City.
Magieal Mountain
Table Mountain is Cape Town’s top attraction for visitors．For those who are energetic it’s a three—hour hike to the top, and as part of a nature reserve and a UNESCO Cape Floristic Region World Heritage Site there is an opportunity to enjoy the unique flora on the way up. More than 1400 species of plant life flourish in the area．Most pie opt to go up by cable car, with its revolving floor, that zips you up in minutes. Without warning, and almost like magic, a tablecloth of clouds Call float down and spill over the mountains’ edge, turning your visit into a fairy tale and softening the nearby rock formations known as the Lion’s Head, Signal Hill, Devil’s Peak and the Twelve Apostles until they look near enough to touch. An ancient legend says the ethereal tablecloth is due to an old Afrikaner called Van Hunks who sits on Devil’s Peak(adjacent to Table Mountain) having a smoking contest with the devil himself. The two keep puffing away, blowing clouds of smoke and neither ever wins.
Attractive Beaches
After the altitude of the mountain, get down to sea level and head for Cape Town’s legendary
Beaches which have earned Europe’s coveted blue flag status for outstanding beaches. Water sports include surfing, diving, kite—surfing. The trendy beaches of Camps Bay, Clifton and Llandudno along the Atlantic seaboard are right up there with the best in the world. Tanned, gym—sculptured bodies, ivory colored sand and sunsets crying out for film are all part of the attraction. It’s all too perfect．That is，of course，until you step into the water. The Atlantic tides that wash the Cape are teeth-chatteringly cold-dashing in and out to cool down is about all you’ll want to do.
The city has more restaurants and bars than you would need in a lifetime. Atlantic seaboard areas of Clifton and Camps Bay serve up fine dining, but if its wholesome earthy flavors you crave，point your shoes in the direction of Long Street for real African dishes and specialties like ostrich，crocodile and several varieties of game, all served with a bowl of traditional stiff corn meal porridge and washed down with the Cape’s world famous wines．For seafood，something Cape Town is known for, the waterfront provides everything from succulent pink crayfish to flesh sea-fish，while further out on the False Bay coast make a stop at Carla’s in Muizenberg for delicious prawns that are talked about worldwide.

“The hot springs in the valley of Reikholt, or Reikiadal, though not the most magnificent, are not the least curious among the numerous phenomena of this sort that are found in Iceland. On entering the valley, we saw numerous columns of vapour ascending from different parts of it. The first springs we visited, issued from a number of apertures in a sort of platform of rock, covered by a thin coating of calcareous incrustations. From several of the apertures the water rose with great force, and was thrown two or three feet into the air. On plunging the thermometer into such of them as we could approach with safety, we found that it stood at 212°.

“A little further up the valley, there is a rock in the middle of the river, about ten feet high, twelve yards long, and six or eight feet in breadth: from the highest part of this rock a jet of boiling water proceeded with violence; dashing the water up to the height of several feet. Near the middle, and not more than two feet from the edge of the rock, there is a hole, about two feet in diameter, full of water boiling strongly. There is a third hole near the other end of the rock, in which water also boils briskly. At the time we saw these springs, there happened to be less water in the river than usual, and a bank of gravel was left dry a little higher up than the rock. From this bank a considerable quantity of boiling water issued.

“About a mile further down, at the foot of the valley, is the Tungahver, an assemblage of springs the most extraordinary, perhaps, in the whole world. A rock (waoke?) rises from the bog, about twenty feet, and is about fifty yards in length, the breadth not being considerable. This seems formerly to have been a hillock, one side of which remains covered with grass, while the other has been worn away, or perhaps destroyed at the time when the hot water burst forth. Along the face of the rock are arranged no fewer than sixteen springs, all of them boiling furiously, and some of them throwing the water to a considerable height. One of them, however, deserves particular notice. On approaching this place, we observed a high jet of water near one extremity of the rock. Suddenly this jet disappeared, and another, thicker but not so high, rose within a very short distance of it. At first we supposed that a piece of the rock had given way, and that the water had at that moment found a more convenient passage. Having left our horses, we went directly to the place where this had apparently happened; but we had scarcely reached the spot, when this new jet disappeared, and the one we had seen before was renewed. We observed that there were two irregular holes in the rock, within a yard of each other; and while from one a jet proceeded to the height of twelve or fourteen feet, the other was full of boiling water. We had scarcely made this observation, when the first jet began to subside, and the water in the other hole to rise; and as soon as the first had entirely sunk down, the other attained its greatest height, which was about five feet. In this extraordinary manner, these two jets played alternately. The smallest and highest jet continued about four minutes and a half, and the other about three minutes. We remained admiring this very remark-able phenomenon for a considerable time, during which we saw many alternations of the jets, which happened regularly at the intervals already mentioned.

“I have taken the liberty to give a name to this spring, and to call it ‘The Alternating Geyser.’

“These springs have been formerly observed, though the singularity of the alternations does not seem to have been attended to as any thing remarkable. Olafson and Paulson mention, that the jets appear and disappear successively, in the second, third, and fourth openings. We observed no cessations in any of the springs, except in the two under consideration.

“To form a theory of this regular alternation is no easy matter; and it seems to require a kind of mechanism very different from the simple apparatus usually employed by nature in ordinary intermittent or spouting springs. The prime mover in this case is evidently steam, an agent sufficiently powerful for the phenomena. The two orifices are manifestly connected; for, as the one. jet sinks towards the surface, the other rises, and this in a regular and uniform manner. 1 observed once, that when one of the jets was sinking, and the other beginning to rise, the first rose again a little before it was quite sunk down, and then when this happened, the other ceased to make any efforts to rise, and returned to its former state, till the first again sunk, when the second rose and played as usual. This communication must be formed in such a manner, that it is never complete, but alternately interrupted, first on one side, and then on the other. To effect this without the intervention of valves, seems to be impossible; and yet it is difficult to conceive the natural formation of a set of permanent valves: so that this fountain becomes one of the greatest curiosities ever presented by nature, even though, in attempting to explain the appearances it exhibits, we take every advantage that machinery can give us. If it is occasioned by natural valves, these must be of very durable materials, in order to withstand the continual agitation and consequent attrition.”

Located at the foot of Mt. Hengshan in China’s Shanxi Province, the Suspended Temple is nestled in the steep precipices and cliffs of Cuiping Peak west of Jinlong Gorge. The temple was built among the cliffs, suspended in midair. It is arguably the No. 1 spectacle of Mt. Hengshan.
The Suspended Temple was built in the late years of the Northern Wei Dynasty (around 471-523 AD), some 1,400 years ago. It was repeatedly renovated in later dynasties, but the original structure remained unchanged. The existing building is the ruins of the renovations carried out in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The temple is the only existing one featuring the integration Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian cultures. Completely built on the mountain cliff, the wood-structure temple is supported by the beams inserted into the chiseled holes in the cliff. The temple is suspended in the air, with precipices on the top and chasms at the bottom. Looked from afar, the temple is like an exquisite relief sculpture; looked at close quarters, the temple is on the point of flying into the sky. There are over 40 halls in the temple and more than 80 Buddhist sculptures made of bronze, iron, stone and mud.
On the rock wall along the plank way of the temple, there are four engraved characters “Gong Shu Tian Qiao”. “Gong Shu” is the name of Lu Ban, who is considered by the Chinese as the father of builders. The meaning of the four characters is that a marvelous temple like this could only be built by great masters with exceptionally superb skills like Lu Ban. A local ballad describing the breathtaking nature of the temple goes like this: “the Suspended Temple is in mid air; looks like the temple is suspended by three horsetails”. The famous poet Li Bai of the Tang Dynasty wrote “zhuangguan” (which means “spectacular”) on the cliff wall. And the great traveler Xu Xiake of the Ming Dynasty called the Suspended Temple “a marvelous wonder” in his travel notes.
The Suspended Temple is located in the depths of mountains, with the reservoir of Mt. Hengshan at its side. Holding 13 million cubic meters of water the rippling reservoir is crystal clear. When the spillway gate is completely open, torrents are spewing in the valley. The water and the mountain contrast nicely with each other, adding luster and beauty to the fascinating Suspended Temple

St Peter’s Basilica is located inside Vatican City, and is the biggest church ever constructed. The original structure was originally built in the 300s, and was rebuilt because of structural collapses. The rebuilding was finished in the 1600s. It is one of the most popular places to visit in Rome for Catholics and non-Catholics both, and ranks right up there with the Sistine Chapel and other highly popular world renown and historic sites in Rome.

In the 1st century AD, the site of St. Peter’s Basilica hosted the Circus of Nero and a cemetery. According to ancient tradition, St. Peter was martyred in the Circus and buried nearby. His simple grave was remembered and visited by the faithful, and in 324, Emperor Constantine began construction on a great basilica over the tomb. The shrine of St. Peter is still the central focus of the church today.

In the mid-15th century it was decided that the old basilica should be rebuilt. Pope Nicholas V asked architect Bernardo Rossellino to start adding to the old church. This was abandoned after a short while, but in the late 15th century Pope Sixtus IV had the Sistine Chapel started nearby.

Construction on the current building began under Pope Julius II in 1506 and was completed in 1615 under Pope Paul V. Donato Bramante was to be the first chief architect. Many famous artists worked on the “Fabbrica di San Pietro” (as the complex of building operations were officially called). Michelangelo, who served as main architect for a while, designed the dome, and Bernini designed the great St. Peter’s Square.

St Peters Square is where crowds gather, especially each Sunday at noon. The Pope appears at the window overlooking the square and offers blessings to the crowd below. This is not the only time that crowds are in this area though, the square is usually full of visitors exploring the Vatican and fascinating history. From there you have a magnificent view of Rome and of the Saint Peter’s Square in particular. The famous square with long symmetrical colonnades was designed by Bernini. It features a central obelisk and two identical fountains.

Near the entrance of the Basilica you will probably encounter some of the famous Swiss guards.
Swiss GuardSince 1506 when pope Julius II invited Helvetian soldiers to join the small Vatican army, they have been the guards of the Vatican and the pope in particular. All entrants to the army must be Swiss, catholic and they must take the oath of loyalty to the pope. This oath is taken May 26th, to commemorate the sacking of Rome on the same day in 1527 when Swiss guards protected pope Clement VII during his escape to Castel Sant’Angelo. Of the 189 guards, only 42 survived.

Getting to St. Peter’s Basilica
By Subway – the Vatican area and nearest subway stop. Take Linea A (red line) toward Battistini and exit at Ottaviano-S. Pietro. Walk south on Via Ottaviano toward St. Peter’s Square.

By Walking – From the city center, the most direct route is to cross the Tiber and walk straight up Via Conciliazioni. A more interesting route is to go under the Passetto arch near Castel S. Angelo and walk up Pio Borgo, providing a more dramatic entrance from the right (north) side of the Piazza.

In the capital city of Yangon, you will find the magnificent fabulous Shwedagon Pagoda. The Shwedagon Pagoda sits upon holy Singuttara Hill, visible from miles away. Shwedagon is the most sacred pagoda as it enshrines the relics of the three earlier buddhas and the eight hairs of Gautama Buddha. It rises 99.4 metres (326 feet), with the perimeter measuring 432.8 metres (1,420 feet) and glittering in gold. The very top is tipped with a 76-carat diamond. Legend has it that the Shwedagon Pagoda is 2500 years old.

Most visitors to Shwedagon Pagoda climbed up the Singuttara Hill by one of four stairways or zaungdans. Shwedagon Pagoda, like most other pagodas in Myanmar, has four stairways or zaungdans, one on each side of the pagoda (north, south, east and west). The stairway that is most used by the foreign visitors is the Southern Stairway, which ascends from the direction of the city center. The stairway starts immediately at the end of the Shwedagon Pagoda Road, which runs straight from downtown Yangon (Rangoon). Shwedagon Pagoda Road starts near Bogyoke Aung San Market, and runs north until it ends at the foot of the Shwedagon Pagoda. From here starts the Southern Stairway. The entrance of this stairway is guarded by two beautiful and equally fearful Chinthes, which are mythical creatures, or leogryph. These are giant half lion, half griffin creatures which guard most entrances to pagodas in Myanmar. Along the length of the stairway on either side are the shops that sell Buddha images, flower pots, religious charms, books on Buddhism, flowers and souvenirs. Next to the stairway is a public lift and a toilet for tourists as well as a counter for collecting tourist entrance fees of US$ 5. There is also another entrance fee collection counter at the end of the stairway.

If you are lucky enough to be planning a trip to Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, then you are very lucky indeed. This is a country rich in culture, history, sacred sights, scenic wonders and personality. You will surely enjoy your travels to this region. No matter how many enjoyable people you meet, or how many lovely places you visit, though, your trip will not be complete until you view the Shwedagon Pagoda. Sitting high atop the sacred shrine of Singuttara Hill, housing relics of The Buddha and three Buddhas that preceded him, encased in gold and in jewels, the Shwedagon pagoda is a wonder to see. The beauty if the architecture and design will take your breath away, as will the sparkling, light catching jewels. This wondrous holy place, filled with history and legend, is not to be missed on your journey.

It is easy to see why the Schwedagon Pagoda is such a holy place for believers. Built on the site of the relics of previous Buddhas, containing the relics of the most recent Buddha, the site of miracles and of royal patronage, this is an important stupa indeed.

Quick Facts
Names: Shwedagon Pagoda; Shwedagon Paya; Shwe Dagon Paya; Shwe Dagon Pagoda
Type of site: Buddhist temple; Buddhist shrine
Dates: Founded 6th-10th century AD; first attested in 1485
Location: North of the city center between People’s Park and Kandawgyi, Yangon, Myanmar
Hours: 5am-10pm
Cost: $5
Photography: Permitted; $5 camera fee sometimes enforced

Schönbrunn Palace is one of the most important cultural monuments in Austria and since the 1960s has also been one of the major tourist attractions in Vienna.

Schonbrunn Palace dates back to the Middle Ages when it was commonly referred to as Katterburg. Over the following centuries, Schonbrunn was home to many prominent figures which included Hermann Bayer in 1548, who was mayor of Vienna and who was responsible for transforming Schonbrunn into a manorial estate.

Soon after the end of the monarchy the population of Vienna discovered the park as an attractive recreational area. Eventually the palace was also opened to the public, drawing around 2 million visitors annually. The park and all the other attractions at Schönbrunn together see a further 6 million visitors each year, giving a grand total of 8 million visitors to the imposing palace complex each year.

At the 20th session of the World Heritage Committee held in December1996 Schönbrunn Palace was put on the list of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites, an institution founded in 1972. Inclusion in this list confirms the importance of the palace and its gardens as a Baroque work of art.

The sculpted garden space between the palace and the Sun Fountain is called the Great Parterre. The French garden, a big part of the area, was planned by Jean Trehet in 1695. It contains, among other things, a maze.

The complex however includes many more attractions: Besides the Tiergarten, the world’s oldest existing zoo (founded in 1752), an orangerie erected around 1755, staple luxuries of European palaces of its type, a palm house (replacing, by 1882, around ten earlier and smaller glass houses in the western part of the park) is noteworthy. Western parts were turned into English garden style in 1828–1852. At the outmost western edge, a botanical garden going back to an earlier arboretum was re-arranged in 1828, when the Old Palm House was built. A modern enclosure for Orangutans, was restored besides a restaurant and office rooms in 2009.

The entrance to the park is free, you have to pay only if you want to see palace’s interior. There are 3 kinds of tours: the bigger the tour, the dearer the ticket. The imperial tour (small/cheap tour) visits 22 rooms, which is quite enough. Together with the ticket they give you a free audioguide and it takes about 40 minutes to go around these 22 rooms and listen to their stories.

The interior of the palace is really amazing and the information provided by the audioguide very good and accurate. At the end of the tour there is a shop with souvenirs; you can find interesting things there, but it’s a bit expensive –though worth the trip!

You can then go out and walk and get lost inside the park or walk up the up hill and enjoy the palace view from the Gloriette.

The Mogao Caves, or Mogao Grottoes (also known as the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas and Dunhuang Caves) form a system of 492 temples 25 km (15.5 miles) southeast of the center of Dunhuang, an oasis strategically located at a religious and cultural crossroads on the Silk Road, in Gansu province, China. The caves contain some of the finest examples of Buddhist art spanning a period of 1,000 years. Construction of the Buddhist cave shrines began in 366 AD as places to store scriptures and art. The Mogao Caves are the best known of the Chinese Buddhist grottoes and, along with Longmen Grottoes and Yungang Grottoes, are one of the three famous ancient sculptural sites of China

The Mogao Caves, begun six centuries later in the fourth century, were positioned on the more prosperous international trading network, known as the Silk Road. With 492 painted grottoes, the Mogao Caves have more than eight times as many grottoes as those at India’s primary two sites. That said, the Mogao Caves should not be understood as an isolated endeavor within China. They are merely the best example of an astonishingly widespread Buddhist cave movement in this nation. Apart from the UNESCO-registered grottoes at Dazu, Longmen & Yungang, prominent Buddhist grottoes on the Silk Road are the Kizil Caves near Kuqa, on which much of the content if not style of the earliest Mogao Caves are based, and the Bezeklik Caves near Turpan in China’s western Xinjiang province. Within their home province of Gansu, the Mogao Caves are but one of several painted cave complexes with nearby grottoes at Yulin, the Western Thousand Buddha Caves and Eastern Thousand Buddha Caves, as well as further afield, notably at Maijishan, Binglingsi and Laoshansi.

In the early 1900s, a Chinese Taoist named Wang Yuanlu appointed himself guardian of some of these temples. Wang discovered a walled up area behind one side of a corridor leading to a main cave. Behind the wall was a small cave stuffed with an enormous hoard of manuscripts dating from 406 to 1002 AD. These included old hemp paper scrolls in Chinese and many other languages, paintings on hemp, silk or paper, numerous damaged figurines of Buddhas, and other Buddhist paraphernalia.

There were originally about 1,000 Buddhist cave temples at Mogao, over 600 of which survive. Indian in origin, Buddhist cave art was soon wholeheartedly promoted in many cultural centers throughout China both on the Silk Road network and off. About 30 caves are accessible to the public, but visitors cannot usually manage to visit more than 15 in a day. The rest of the caves are closed for preservation, because they are not of significant interest, or because they contain Tantric murals considered too explicit for visitors.

Generally, the oldest caves are in the center of the cliff. Each cave is clearly labeled with a number above the doors. The caves are not lit inside in order to preserve the murals, but guides carry flashlights and visitors should bring their own as well.
Just outside the entrance to the cave complex is the excellent Research and Exhibition Center (daily 9am-7pm), which includes seven replicas of caves (3, 217, 220, 249, 275, 285, 419) with English signage. Lunch is available here too, which is convenient as the caves usually close at midday.

Getting There
Minibuses leave from Feitian Binguan at 8am (30 min.; ¥8 one-way, ¥10 round-trip); or on Xin Jiàn Lù for a similar fare. In peak season these fill up quickly, but in the off season, they include a free tour of Dunhuang. Buses return to Dunhuang only at noon and 6pm.

Leeds Castle is one of the most beautiful castles in England and is often referred to as ‘the loveliest castle in the World’. Leeds Castle has a chequered history which moves from its construction as an earthwork enclosure with wooden pallisades to a Motte and Bailey castle in the style of a Donjon by William the Conqueror to a fortified stone fortress built by King Edward I (r.1272-1307). William the Conqueror used enforced Anglo-Saxon labour for work on the construction of Leeds Castle. The original wooden castle was replaced by a fortified stone castle in 1119. An important feature of Leeds Castle is its access to the River Len. During the re-construction of Leeds Castle men by King Edward I equipment and building materials were transported by boats to the site of the castle. Once Leeds Castle had been built built fresh supplies, provisions and reinforcements prevented the castle occupants from being starved into submission during siege warfare. The decline of the feudal system saw castles built as fortified strongholds were no longer owned by feudal lords (this was seen as a risk to the monarchy). At this point in history King Henry VIII converted the castle into a Royal palace.

Leeds Castle is situated on the River Len where it was built by built on two adjacent islands. The name Leeds originates from the name of a chief minister of King Ethelbert IV ( 856-860) called Ledian ( it is not associated with the city of Leeds! )

You’ll find medieval gatehouses and Norman foundations, Tudor towers and a Gloriette updated during Henry VIII’s reign, as well as 19th century additions. All of this was lovingly restored during the mid 20th Century by Lady Baillie, the last private owner of Leeds Castle.

Not only was the stonework revived to its former glory, but Lady Baillie also filled Leeds Castle with a stunning and somewhat eclectic range of antiques, paintings and tapestries. Not surprisingly, this opulent home used to be a hit with film stars, royalty and politicians who were frequently invited to the many parties.

There are also plenty of attractions to keep the kids and everyone else entertained for an entire day. There’s a child-sized maze, a castle-themed playground, open-air concerts, falconry exhibitions, a working aviary, a vineyard, a grotto, restaurants and cafés.

There is also a scenic pay-and-play golf course nearby, as well as hot air balloon flights across this lovely stretch of Kent countryside.

Leeds Castle provides a venue for many country events in Kent. The castle can be booked for conferences, weddings, and other private gatherings. On the first Saturday of every month, the castle hosts Kentish Evenings, featuring a cocktail reception, a private Leeds Castle tour, and a five-course meal. In June and July, Leeds Castle hosts large open-air concerts, featuring music and performances.

Leeds Castle is just 40 miles from London, so it is easily accessible from London hotels. Trains run from London Victoria train station to Maidstone, four miles from the castle. There are also several good hotels in Maidstone, including the Grangemoor, a large, well-furbished hotel near the center of the town.

Leeds Castle is open daily, year-round from 10 am until 5 pm (3 pm in the winter). Admission for adults to the grounds and castle is about $25 per person. Admission to just the grounds is slightly cheaper. Family passes are also available.

Leeds Castle England may not be as famous as Windsor Castle, or as historically important as Scotland’s Stirling Castle, but its romance and beauty is unrivaled in British castles.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world’s great natural wonders. It is the largest reef in the world and consists of nearly 3000 individual reefs, 880 islands and hundreds and thousands of different types of plant, bird and marine life. Swimming with the fish and admiring the colours of the coral is a must for any holiday to the Great Barrier Reef.
The Great Barrier Reef stretches out for 2000 kilometers along the coast from the very northern tip of Queensland, Bamaga, to Bundaberg, better known．As the Capricornia section of the Reef (it actually goes on until Papua New Guinea).It’s a sort of Australian Wall made out of diverse ecosystems that is also visible from space. Cairns is one of the major points from which to set off for a trip to the reef．Although you can reach many spots from whatever place on the eastern coast of Queensland，many people opt for Townsville．
From Townsville，you can easily set off for the Great Barrier Reef Marinepark, that consist of hundreds of impressive uninhabited island with secluded beaches where you can stay for a few days and explore the reef area with snorkeling or diving equipment．Accommodation is expensive，one of the cheapest options is probably camping．Make sure you’ve brought along everything you needed before leaving．The closest island to the coast is Long Island and visited by many people who want to explore the barrier reef for only a day or a few hours．Maybe it’s a good idea to set off for one of the many other islands or islands groups such as the Whitsunday Islands or the Molle Islands. Daydream Island，Hook Island，Lindeman Island or Hamilton Island, and these are only a few of the many. At the Capricorn section it is more expensive to get from the coast to one of the other islands．However, islands such as North West, Lady Musgrave and Tyron(all of them being national parks)offer the perfect spot for relaxation．
The Great Barrier Reef is to Australia what rolling savannahs and game parks are to Africa，and is equally subject to the corniest of representations．”Another world” is the commonest elich6，which，while being completely accepted by people，doesn’t begin to describe the feeling of donning mask and coming face to face with extraordinary animals，shapes and colours. The big distinction between life under sea，such as animal, plant and plain rock，and life above the surface seems blurred，and we normally taken for granted，while the respective roles of observer and observed are constantly challenged by shoals of curious fish following you about.
Beginning with Lady Elliot Island，out from Bundaberg, and extending 2300km north to New Guinea, the Barrier Reef follows the outer edge of Australia’s continental plate, running closer to land as it moves north：While its 300km to the main body from Gladstone, Cairns is barely 50km distant from the reef．Far from being a continuous, unified structure，the nature of the reef varies along its length：the majority is made up by an intricate maze of individual，disconnected patch reefs，which—-especially in the southern sections–sometimes act as anthers for the formation of low sand islands known as cays；continental islands everywhere become ringed by fringing reefs；And northern sections form long ribbons. All of it，however, was built by one animal: The tiny coral polyp．Simple organisms，related to sea anemones，polyps grow together like building blocks to create modular colonies—-corals–which form the framework of the reef’s ecology by providing food，shelter and hunting grounds for larger, more mobile species．Around reefs and canyons flows a bewildering assortment of creatures：Turtles ”fly” effortlessly by, fish dodge between caves and coral branches，snails sift the sand for edibles，and brightly coloured nudibranchs dance above rocks．
Scuba diving is the best way to get to grips with the reef, and dive courses are on offer right along the coast．Five days is the minimum needed to safely cover the course work–three days pool and theory, two days at sea．Qualified divers can save on rental costs by bringing some gear along tanks and weightbelts are covered in dive packages but anything else is extra．You need an alternative air source, timer, C-card and log book to dive in Queensland(the last is often ignored，but some places insist，especially for deep or night-time dives)．

Surrounded by majestic mountains, Geneva is a compact and cultivated metropolis hugging the shores of the bluest lake in Switzerland. Geneva, international meeting place, the smallest of the world’s metropolises, peace capital of the world, situated between the shores of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) and Mount Salève, is a world for everyone, quiet apart from the rest of Switzerland.

Although the United Nations is now headquartered in New York, the organization still retains a large presence in Geneva at the Palais des Nations and many of its sister/child organizations, such as the World Health Organization and ILO. Geneva itself has only 188’000 citizens but 780’000 people live in the metropolitan region (Jan. 2009).

Geneva is still a very proud city. Some find it downright stuffy, although there is quite a bit more life to be found if you look under the surface, especially if you speak some French.

Geneva is officially a French-speaking city, and the vast majority of the population speak French. All advertisements, information, and signage are in French. With the large international presence, English takes a close second. Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, and Arabic speakers abound, and of course you will also occasionally hear German and Italian.

The river Rhône bisects Geneva with the main train station in the North and the old part of the town in the South. The Île Rousseau is a good starting point for a scenic walk around the city. Pass by Rousseau’s birthplace on the Grand-Rue in the medieval city on your way to the Place de Bourg-de-Four, Geneva’s oldest square, once a Roman forum. Take the Rue de la Fontaine to the shores of the lake and marvel at the Jet d’Eau’s 140m plume. The St. Pierre Cathedral, composed of Gothic and Romanesque influences, is the cathedral where John Calvin preached in the Reformation. Climb the tower and take in the spectacular panorama of the entire city and lake. Relax in one of the many beautiful parks or gardens that skirt the lake shore.

Get Around
Geneva, like most cities in Switzerland, is a marvel of public transportation efficiency. Transports Publics Genevois provides frequent bus, tram, ‘mouette’ (boat), and suburban train service to within a block or two of most locations in the city and canton.

The law changed this year and anybody staying in a Geneva hotel/hostel is entitled to a free daily travel pass for the local Transport TPG. This is provided by the hotel.

As well as a host of museums and fine galleries, Geneva has a lively cultural calendar. Most notable is the celebration of l’Escalade in December, which involves costumed and torch-lit processions through the town, and the consumption of sickly amounts of chocolate and marzipan.

Geneva is a gateway to Switzerland’s luxury ski resorts, an important banking centre and home to thousands of international delegates and diplomats. Among the many international organisations based in the city are the United Nations and the International Red Cross.

Best time visit Geneva

The best weather for a holiday in Geneva is experienced during the height of summer, July and August, but this is also the time when the city attracts thousands of tourists. Spring and autumn are less crowded and a pleasant time to travel to Geneva, although rain can be expected all year round. During late winter many travel to Geneva to access nearby ski resorts, and in December the city sees many tourists for the annual l’Escalade Festival.