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European Capitals of Culture 2007

Saturday, 26 May 2007

SIBIU, Romania - This medieval Saxon city has become one of Europe’s official culture capitals, drawing attention to centuries-old buildings that were once ordered demolished during Romania’s communist period.

Sibiu, in the region of Transylvania, set off fireworks and held concerts and light shows to celebrate its designation, timed to coincide with Romania’s accession to the European Union on New Year’s Day.

“Sibiu shows clearly this year an important aspect of what Romania brings to the EU: its cultural contribution,” Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu said at inauguration of a newly built library.

Sibiu, also known by its German name of Hermannstadt, joined Luxembourg as an official European city of culture for 2007.

The European Parliament each year names the countries that hosts the European Capitals of Culture. Started by Greece in 1985, the designations are meant to highlight the variety of European cultures and forge closer ties between the citizens of the EU’s 25 member states.

Authorities and private foundations have repaired Sibiu’s fortified wall, two towers and three fortresses, and renovated dozens of old buildings in the center.

During a visit Sunday, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier reaffirmed Germany’s strong ties to Sibiu, a city of 170,000 established by Saxons almost 1,000 years ago. Most of the ethnic Germans emigrated in the 1970s, but the city continues to emphasize its German heritage, and many of its residents speak German.

Steinmeier and EU Commissioner Olli Rehn visited the Brukenthal Museum, a palace with a large collection of medieval paintings that was recently returned by the government to the Evangelical Church.

Under communism, the city in central Romania was run in the late 1980s by Nicu Ceausescu, the son of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. Following his father’s example in Bucharest, Nicu proposed demolishing a large part of the old city to build new block-apartment homes, but local architects successfully delayed the plans until 1989, when communism was overthrown.

“The city has architectural treasures from the Gothic, Romantic, Baroque, Neo-classical and Modern periods,” said Virgil Ispas, a local architect who helped start Sibiu’s bid to become European cultural capital. “The communist period did not have the capacity to properly use this architectural jewel.”

Here you can read some tips how to travel and safe some

Copyright 2006 infoeuro.biz

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Why take the train when you can travel cheaper and faster by plane?

Flybe promises passengers a cheaper and more reliable service in the face of recent rail price increases. (So, if you interesting in cheap flightts, you can visit our Cheap flight guide)

Flybe, one of Europe’s leading low cost airlines, is reminding passengers that in light of the recent New Year price hikes by rail operators around the country, flying is a viable travel option in place of rail travel providing passengers with a fast, direct, efficient and low cost route to destinations across the UK.

Flybe provides passengers with a comprehensive route network which spans the backbone of Britain, operating regular flights to 21 destinations in the UK. And, with the introduction of online check-in last year, passengers face minimal fuss at the airport and can enjoy fast, efficient and good value domestic travel, without having to worry about the price increases of up to 8.4% imposed on train journeys this New Year.

Not only do many airlines also operate transparent pricing policies so that passengers are fully aware of the real costs to travel, flying is also more consumer friendly. Flybe champions short haul flying and currently operates one of the most environmentally friendly fleets in the world following the introduction of the Embraer 195 aircraft to its fleet last year.

Says Mike Rutter, Chief Commercial Officer, Flybe: “At Flybe, we operate a comprehensive domestic route network providing our passengers with direct, reliable and low cost air travel. The significant price increases imposed on rail travel at the beginning of the year have made it virtually impossible for some people to travel by train to destinations across the UK and in view of this we would like to remind stranded commuters that air travel is a viable alternative and we will welcome passengers onboard our services.

“Our environmentally friendly fleet provides efficient transport links to destinations across the UK and Europe and our flight prices remain low, with customers able to view each component of their fare thanks to our transparent pricing policy. And, in stark contrast to train operators, in January we are also running a sale on some of our flights to provide customers with even cheaper fares, so we would advise stranded train travellers to log on now to bag themselves a flight bargain!”

Read more, about UK and how Trafalgar Square goes green (with photos)

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Trafalgar Square goes green

Friday, 25 May 2007
Many tourists visiting London have been confused by one of the metropolis's almost renowned concrete patches abruptly sprouting weed.

Trafalgar Square - the key London house to Nelson's Column and the National Gallery - is normally covered with quite uneasy sidewalk.

But in a stunt that left some visitors confused and Londoners delighted, the concrete was replaced with soft turf. Workers for Visit London, an organisation that promotes tourism in London, spent the night turfing one of London's most famous tourist spots with 2,000 square metres of fresh turf.

Residents and tourists took advantage of the urban oasis and soaked up some springtime sun.

"There was a dog over there, some people doing circus tricks and a man playing with a baseball - it's amazing how grass suddenly attracts people to do things like that," said Haydn Oakley, who was handing out brochures for Visit London.

"It's a nice bit of green in London," said Alan Herbert, a commuter who was spending his lunch break sprawled out on the grass.

"It's very relaxing."

The stunt was part of Visit London's villages campaign, which tries to entice people out of the city centre - and into some of the capital's more rural areas, often overlooked by tourists.
The strips of grass will be removed tomorrow night, rolled up and transferred to Bishops Park in West London.

Read more `bout London and other Europe countries

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Travel to Saint Petersburg, Russia

Saturday, 19 May 2007
For the Saint Petersburg free travel guide Flashbooking staff efforts
concentrate on making it simple to read and with a nice format.


The guides are full of essential hints on where to go, things to see,
Saint Petersburg's Museums, shopping mall and flea markets, quality
places reasonably priced where to eat or sip a famous Pilsner and
clubs, budget hostels and cheap hotel deals to book, emergency numbers
and more.



Saint
Petersburg is a city located in Northwestern Federal District of Russia
on the delta of the Neva River at the east end of the Gulf of Finland
on the Baltic Sea.



Flashbooking is a growing cheap hostel Saint Petersburg
and hotels directory specializing in budget accommodation for
independent travellers, students, adventurous backpackers,
international volunteers, families and all the ones that travel on a
budget.



Saint Petersburg it is informally known as Piter and was formerly known as Petrograd and Leningrad.



Flashbooking
accommodation database is easily available online and comes completed
with all relevant information about youth hostel and hotel location and
map, description, services, hostel contacts, customer ratings, six
pictures and updated prices inclusive of taxes and services together
with instant real availability.



Founded by Tsar Peter the Great
on May 16, 1703 as a "window to Europe", it served as the capital of
the Russian Empire for more than two hundred years.



In the
Saint Petersburg guide students, families and backpackers can get a
large selection of cheap or low cost accommodation with plenty of low
cost solutions in budget youth hostels, Bed and Breakfast Saint Petersburg, guesthouses, cheap hotel deals.



St. Petersburg ceased being the capital when the government moved to Moscow after the Russian Revolution of 1917.



In
general, these guides have been written for giving the essential
information about the most visited cities in the world and in
particular for any traveller or first-time visitor. For a short visit,
a week-end, a city break, these free pocket guides are useful printable
and downloadable tools available online.



With the monthly
newsletter, Flashbooking puts at travellers' and partner hostels' free
disposal some useful information tools as pocket travel guides of the
top world cities: the Amsterdam City guide, the London City guide, the
Barcelona City guide, the Paris City guide, the Rome City guide, the
Florence City guide, and the freshly issued Saint Petersburg City guide!



With
about 4.8 million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, Saint
Petersburg is Russia's second-largest city, Europe's eleventh largest
metropolitan area, a major European cultural center, and the most
important Russian port on the Baltic.



Our travellers are also
our good partners as they help us either giving their ratings of some
accommodations, lodgings, BandB, youth hostels and budget small hotels
where they personally stayed, either enlarging the hostel offer by
reporting some new contacts.



Flashbooking policy tends to
privilege small and family-run hotels in order to promote an
alternative tourism respectful of cultures and different societies.



This article was written by Michele De Capitani with support from budget hotels in St Petersburg.
For any information on how travel insurance, please visit our website
to download your free travel guides for Saint Petersburg City in Russia.



[by PR-GB.com]

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