Thursday, May 01, 2008

Why travel Europe?

The enlargement of the EU, the greater mobility of its population and new trade ties have led to more contact between cultures, religions and ethnic and language groups. The location and easy interconnection of transport where you can just fast and land to any destination you like. Europe is certainly a continent which must be also considered carefully when you are thinking of internationalising your education and studying abroad in many fields of interest like Science, Engineering, Language and Literature Courses, and Art.

Well, obviously I won't cover every country in Europe and what they have to offer in depth, but just to name a few why Europe is such as exciting, colourful and diverse place: I already know what made tourists attracted to Holland (by it's tulips and landscapes, arts of Van Gogh, Velmeer and Rembrandt etc.). So, I checked out what Italy and Spain offer.

Sagrada Familia (Holy Family), Spain.

Spain is the second largest country in Europe and has the second largest amount of mountains. Spanish culture includes the Gaudi architecture, traditional bull fights, Tapas bars serving Sangria and Rioja to drink are world famous, and Paella to eat, though I can experiment in my kitchen, still Iwould like to give them a shot. A full calendar of fiestas around the country, both religious and historical, and to top it all off, the traditional Flamenco dancing. The season of festivals and fiestas is revving up to full throttle, from the running of the bulls to concerts and ballet in the gardens of the caliphs. I’ve read about the eyepopping Guggenheim Museum that has transformed Bilbao, and other modernista architects who made Barcelona as visually arresting a city as any in Europe and so as in the capital Madrid.

The awe-inspiring view of Grand Canal, across the early Venetian Renaissance church of S. Maria dei Miracoli, decorated with coloured marble, and then the miracle of Venetian Gothic, Ca' d'Oro.

Italy is a cultural collage of things to see, eat, drink and do including: Italian Vogue, the Milan fashion show, leather shoes and Moschino; pasta, pizza and a variety of fine wines; football is huge and the skiing is good; places of interest include the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Vatican the Sistine Chapel. In Venice, home of the most fairy-tale like public residence of all times — a shrine of Venetian painting, with works by Carpaccio, Bellini, Tiepolo, Veronese, Bassano and Titian and the masterpieces of the Renaissance of Filippo Lippi. In the centre of the square is the majestic equestrian statue of Colleoni, by Verrocchio.

Above all these must-see places, there are a lot of things to discover that makes travel more interesting. Though travelling is not cheap but there are many ways to stretch your euro. If you have the money, then you have options to stay in hotels at reasonable price. Just like accomodations in Milan hotels, Hotels in Venice, Barcelona hotels and Madrid hotels may vary. Big cities are normally touristic just anywhere in the world. But if you have friends and relatives, then why not informing them of your coming:-) Backpacking is also a tip and try to hit around for bargains.

Travelling is riching your thoughts by the rich cultural heritage and the country's most breathtaking scenery. So much for the traveller to discover and explore and traveling in Europe becomes more convenient by the day. I will try to grab this opportunity and include this travel list to mine :-)

No comments: