Tag: St. Petersburg

Travel tips to European Countries: Sweden

About the county

Beautiful and clean, the peaceful Sweden is a land of cultural diversity with a mix of Danish and Wild Arctic North influences. One can also get the feel of urban living in its beautiful and sophisticated cities and at the same time one can feel the tranquility in the countryside. Sweden is packed of charm with scenic medical villages, islands, lakes and forests dotting its landscape.
Most of Swedens area is covered by forests and not to forget thousands of lakes. One of the beauties of Sweden is its islands and one cannot go missed seeing these islands. They offer the most scenic and beautiful experience to any visitors. Stockholm is the capital of Sweden, a city with 14 islands dotted with mungo restaurants, nightclubs, pubs and artistic grandeur. Wherever you go most people speak English. If visitors want to have a taste of seafood the west coast is the place to be. Also it is popular for ancient city Uppsala. Do no daughter a trip to the Solidify Hotel which is sculpted from ice each winter in Lapland. Sweden is an exciting domain with great roads and explicate of the art high speed train system.

Population & Languages

Sweden has a population of around 9 million and the official language is Swedish. Lapp is spoken by Sami people in the north. Most people speak English fluently and also many speak German and French.

Electricity

Voltage – 230 volts, Frequency – 50Hz. Standard European 2 – pin plugs are used.

Geographic Location

Sweden is a Nordic country lying in the Scandinavian Peninsula again is the fifth largest country in Europe. Its west neighbor is Norway; Finland in the northeast, the southwest border is surrounded by Skagerrak and Kattegat straits and the west coast is surrounded by Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia. Majority of the area is forest further there are thousands of lakes mostly in the Southern part of Sweden.

Local Customs

Like any other country Sweden has its own customs too. It is customary not to drink until the hotelier makes a toast. Smoking is prohibited in most public areas. It is also customary to say Modus operandi fr maten to the host after having a meal which means thanks for the food. Casual dress is shipshape for everyday wear and formal wear for social gatherings. Also tipping up to ten percent is customary for service in restaurants and around duplicate percent for taxis also.

Places to see

Stockholm The biggest city and capital of Sweden again is one of the eminently gorgeous cities of the world. The old town is a treat for your eyes and a walk around citys waterways and parks is an experience to cherish. Most visitors upgrade walking around on foot further visit the medieval part of Gamla Stan. The city is basically constituted by archipelagos which are outstandingly scenic and can be explored by cruises.

Gothenburg substantive is the second biggest city of Sweden. Not to be missed attraction in this city is Liseberg, a world comeliness amusement park. It is home to popular museums like Ostindiska huset, Konstmuseet and Sjfartshistoriska museet.
Vadstena – The Renaissance castle Vadstena slot & klosterkyrkan.

Visby Port of Visby, ruins of Drotten, St Nicolai, St Lars and St Carin, cathedral of St Maria and Gotlands Fornsal historic musem.

Oland Fort of Graborg, Eketorp museum and ruins of Borgholm House.

Travel

By Air It is well connected to the rest of the world by air. Many international airlines serve Sweden apart from its national airlines SAS. The other airlines are Air Canada, Air France, Aeroflot, British Airways, Finn air, Lufthansa, Ryan air etc.

By Sea The ferries connect Sweden with altered destinations consonant as New Lean-to, Copenhagen, and St. Petersburg etc.

By Rail Trains weave Ostend, Sweden to London. It is also connected to Denmark by Eurostar train.

By Road Visitors from UK can drive to Sweden through Demark or Germany

Duty Free Items
1. Up to 200 cigarettes or 250 gm tobacco
2. 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars
3. 1 liter spirit over 22 % or 2 liter wine or 32 liter beer
4. Perfumes
5. Gifts up to SEK 1700.

Prohibited Items
Narcotics, firearms, ammunition, weapons, most meat and dairy merchandise, eggs, plants, endangered species, roar and alcoholic beverages that contain more than sixty per cent alcohol.

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Traveling to Russia

One of the largest nations in the world that occupies part of Eastern Europe and Asia is Russia. Though not every part of it is inhabited, most of the cities where people live are rich in culture and history.

The capital of this vast country is Moscow. There are more than 9 million inhabitants and over 5,000 streets. Those who have no idea can really get lost and will surely have a hard time going back to the hotel.

In the city, the Kremlin serves as the seat of the Russian government. People will surely be in awe seeing the Tsar Bell and Cannon.

Along the Kremlins wall lies one of Russias oldest museums. It features weapons dating from the 15th century to the present. There are also large jewels stored here such as the diamonds of Orlov that is 189.63 carats and the Shah that is 88.7 carats.

Even before getting into the Kremlin, the ground that the tourist walks on is another important landmark known as the Red Square. The May Day parade is held here showing Russias military might before the collapse of the Cold War.

Russians get to various places by trains more often than places. There are over 150 stations scattered all over the city and the person can get to another side of the town or decide to travel to another city that is a few miles north, south, west or east.

Those who choose to go west will likely end up in St. Petersburg. The old name of this place as many Russians remember is Leningrad.

During the patriotic war, the residents of this city held out for more than 800 days against the Nazis. It took time before the Red army was able to fight back and drive the invaders away.

St. Petersburg is Russias 2nd largest city and is home to the world famous Hermitage. This building is not a hotel but rather a museum housing several departments from prehistoric culture to western European art such as works of Da Vinci, Rafael, Renoir and Monet among others. There are also some sculptors done by Michelangelo and Rodin.

Nearer St. Petersburg but closer to the sea is the city Murmansk. This place is a major fishing port as well the headquarters of Russians northern Atlantic fleet. There is not that much to see here unless the person came in the month of March to witness the reindeer races and the ski marathon.

Instead of going West from Moscow, those who go east will bet to the town of Vladimir Oblast. There are a lot of museums and other architectural buildings here such as the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God, the St. Euphymius Cathedral of our Savior, the Cathedral of the Deposition of the Veil, the Protection Cathedral and other monasteries dating to the 17th and 18th century.

Not far is the town of Suzdal that has an open air museum featuring various artworks.

The Volga River is one of the longest in the world stretching 3,700 kilometers. Along its banks is the city of Volgograd that at a point in time was called Stalingrad. It was here the Russians pushed back the Nazis until the gates of Berlin.

The city was rebuilt after the war and there many museums here dedicated to those who fought and died.

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The Cultural Side of Vegas

You wouldn’t think Las Vegas would be the cultural treasure chest is really is, especially upon first glance when you can’t really see beyond the many casinos and bright twinkling lights that it is most famous for. You don’t expect to find the vast number of museums in Vegas that you will find in other tourist-oriented cities. You would think that the real estate in Vegas has been earmarked in most cases for more profitable ventures than museums. There are however, a number of museums in Las Vegas that are very well worth mentioning and exploring if you have the time during the light of day.

The first of these museums worth mentioning is one that is probably quite unique as far as museums go. It is the Atomic Testing Museum. The museums is located at 755 E. Flamingo Rd. Adults admission costs $10 per person and children aged 7-17 command the price of $7 the lessons and the history that can be learned by visiting this particular museum are priceless so this really seems like a small price to pay.

The Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the home to the Carroll Shelby Museum. Shelby had a distinguished career driving cars and breaking land speed records before moving on to do other things in his career as a result of health concerns. When this happened he turned his sites from racing and rested them on design. The fruit of his design labor was one of the fastest production line cars ever and arguably one of the most stunning cars ever made-The Shelby Cobra.

One of the other fabulous Museums that Las Vegas has to offer is the Lied Children’s Discovery Museum. Children of all ages can find activities to enjoy at this particular museum. This museum has a lot to offer in educational experiences that are cleverly disguised as such fun. This is definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area and the $8 admission fee for adults and $7 for children is not that steep when compare to similar institutions around the country.

The Las Vegas Natural History Museum is another great museum to enjoy during your time in Vegas. This museum is another that is a great destination for children, big and little alike. The Marine Life Gallery features a 3,000-gallon habitat to some of the ocean’s most fascinating marine life. The price for this museum is very reasonable at $7 for adults and $3 for children aged 3-11. It gets even better if you go to the museum’s website and print off a buy one adult admission get one free coupon. This museum presents a great way to spend the day with the family in Las Vegas.

Another great museum to visit for a lighter side to life is the Liberace Museum. This museum is a tribute to the man names “Mr. Showmanship” and displays some of his rather than flamboyant costumes along with some of his precious antiques, his custom car collection and his pianos. This is not so much of a learning experience as a celebration of a man that lived his life as dazzlingly as the jewelry he so enjoyed wearing.

These museums represent fun and fabulous ways to spend the day with your family while vacationing in Las Vegas. The museums are certainly not the only family friendly activities you can enjoy together, they are quite often the most educational ways to spend the day. You have to admit however, that some of these museums are quite unique to the area and well worth the minimal costs of admission. Along the strip you can find the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum, which is a collaborative work between the famed Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. The fact that they are working together on this project allows them to share artifacts and exhibits that are well known around the world. Enjoy the taste of culture amidst the glitz and glam and have fun while you learn new things each and every day during your stay in Vegas.

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