World Travel Guide Online

Many European cities have the bad reputation of being expensive to visit. And when you plan to see as much as you can during your vacation, the entrance fees really add up. Thankfully, there are also lovely places which can be visited for free. These can vary from a stroll down a popular street, to spending time in a park or visiting incredible historical places like churches.

1 – St. Peter’s Basillica, Vatican City

St. Peter’s Basillica is one of the greatest Roman Catholic churches in the entire world. It is also has the largest interior, capable of holding 60,000 people. Catholic tradition holds that the tomb of Saint Peter, one of the Apostles of Jesus, is under the altar of the basillica. Despite popular misconception, St. Peter’s Basillica is not a cathedral (as it is not the seat of a bishop).

There was an old Constantinian basillica on this site since the 4th century and the present building was completed in 1626. It is associated with Michelangelo (the first chapel on the north aisle contains the famous Pietà) and with papacy. There are over 100 tombs within the Basillica, many located beneath the building (including 91 popes).

2 -The Pantheon, Rome, Italy

The Pantheon is the best-preserved Roman building in Rome and was built as a temple to all Gods in Ancient Rome. The current build is actually a reconstruction of the first temple which existed here. Since the 7th century, the Pantheon has been used a Roman Catholic church (and yes, masses are still held here on important Catholic holidays).

One of the most interesting features of the build is the central opening, called the Great Eye. When the Pantheon was used as a temple the fire inside the temple would create smoke which escaped through the opening. Today it is the only light source in the building.

3 – British Museum, London, UK

The British Museum is one of the most important museums in the entire world. The collections comprise over 7 million items, depicting the human history from its beginning to the present days. Among the key highlights you will be able to see: the list of the kings of Egypt from the Temple of Ramesses II, the Rosetta Stone, fragment of the beard of the Great Sphinx, Mummy of ‘Ginger’ (3300 BC), mummy of Cleopatra from Thebes and much more.

The museum opened in 1759 and has always been free to visit (except for the special exhibitions which usually require a fee to be paid).

Also free in London: Changing of the guards, Museum of London and many more

4 – Schonbrunn Gardens, Vienna, Austria

Schönbrunn Palace is one of the most important cultural monuments in Austria. For decades it has been a very popular tourist destination for those visiting Vienna. Only the Gardens can be visited for free and they are worth some hours of your time.

The gates open at 6 a.m (or 6:30 a.m. during winter) and close between 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., depending on the season. If you arrive by metro you’ll probably enter the grounds via the Zoo gate while if you come by tram, you can enter the grounds via the main gate.

The Privy Garden is located between the palace and the Gloriette (on top of the hill). In between those, there’s Neptune Fountain. The western parts of the grounds have been turned into an English Garden. On both sides of the Privy Garden there are 32 sculptures. Generally speaking, unless you enter a building, the maze, the Zoo or climb up to see the views from the Gloriette, you don’t need to pay anything.

It’s pretty much impossible to see all the parts of the Gardens during one day. It gets very hot during summer so make sure to bring enough water (you have to enter to Zoo to get to the mini-shops, so that’s not exactly a good idea) and good walking shoes. It’s pretty easy to climb the hill to the Gloriette and the views are magnificent, even if you don’t go up on the viewing deck.

Also free in Vienna: St. Stephan’s Cathedral, Hofburg Gardens, walk on the Ring Street

5 – Gellért Hill Cave, Budapest, Hungary

Gellért Hill Cave is also known as Saint Ivan’s Cave, from the hermit who lived here and was believed to have cured the sick by using the natural water from the muddy lake located next to the cave. The entrance in the cave is located 75 feet above the Danube River, on Gellért Hill (right opposite the Gellért Hotel & Baths).

Between 1926 and 1951, the cave served as chapel and monastery, while during the World War II it was a field hospital. When the Soviet Army captured Budapest, the entrance to the cave was sealed and it wasn’t until 1992 that the cave was open again for the monks and the public.

The church can be visited for free but it’s advisable to show up right after the mass (while the organist still plays religious songs).

Also free in Budapest: guided tours of The Parliament (free for EU citizens only), a walk on Margaritsziget (an island)

6 – War Museum, Athens, Greece

Inaugurated in 1975, the museum depicts the history of warfare over thousands of years. You can admire weapons from every era, starting with stone axes and ending with fighter plane.

The primitive weapons and the Bronze Age ones are among the most interesting. If you are interested in the Greek War of Independence, you can learn about the weapons used. Children will most likely enjoy climbing in the cockpit of a fighter plane.

Also free in Athens: Changing of the guards in front of the Parliament, Railway Museum, Museum of Popular Musical Instruments, The Hellenic Children’s Museum, Municipal Gallery of Athens

7 – Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France

Paris is filled with incredible places to visit and Notre Dame is one of those iconic landmarks we all have learned about at some point during our school years.

The beautiful Gothic Cathedral is located on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité. It was the first building in the world to use the flying buttress, although it was not originally designed to use them. The construction began in 1163 and was completed in 1345.

Just like visiting any other Roman Catholic or Orthodox cathedral, make sure to dress accordingly (or how they put it on the official web site “show a respectful attitude, through both their behaviour and their clothing”).

Also free in Paris: The Louvre Gardens , Sacre Coeur

8 – The Berlin Wall, Berlin, Germany

Once the barrier dividing West and East Berlin, the Berlin Wall is an important part of the German history. The wall fell on November 9, 1989 after a series of protests. Right after the fall, the government opened ten new border crossings and visa-free travel was allowed starting on December 23, 1989. In the summer of 1990 the official dismantling of the Wall began.

Today, only some sections of the walls exist as memorials, and nearly all of the original wall is gone. The longest remaining stretch is the East Side Gallery, which is now considered an open-air museum. There are also sections of the wall along with their histories located in the busy Alexanderplatz area (pictured above).

Also free in Berlin: Reichstag

9 – Charles Bridge, Prague, Czech Republic

The Charles Bridge is one of the most beautiful places and best-known attractions in Prague. And best of all, it’s free. The stone Gothic bridge started its life in 1352. There are towers on each end of the bridge but only one can be climbed. The bridge is lined with 30 statues (most of them are replicas of the originals). Touching the status of St. John of Nepomuk is believed to bring luck.

The pedestrian bridge is almost always full so if you want to avoid the crowds, plan to walk on the bridge either early in the morning or late at night.

Also free in Prague: the Prague Astronomical Clock

10 – Red Square, Moscow, Russia

The most famous square in Moscow and possibly the most famous in the entire Europe is, without a doubt, the Red Square. During the Soviet era, the square was used to hold all the parades, and soviet rulers even wanted to demolish the famous St. Basil’s Cathedral only to have more room for their displays of power. Nowadays, the square is a preferred place to organize concerts.

Today the Kremlin and the Red Square are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The buildings located in the square are: Lenin’s Mausoleum, the State Historical Museum, Kremlin towers, the Iberian Gate and Chapel and St. Basil’s Cathedral.

Also free in Moscow: Alexander Gardens

11 – Vigeland Sculpture Park, Oslo, Norway

Part of Oslo’s Frogner Park, Vigeland Park features 212 bronze and granite sculptures created by Gustav Vigeland. Among the interesting art pieces, one can admire the fountain – originally designed to be placed in front of the Parliament -, the Monolith and the eight statues of children playing (in the area called Children’s Playground).

The park is also known for the lovely picnic area and the possibility to sunbath.

12 – La Rambla, Barcelona, Spain

The most famous street in Barcelona is, without a doubt, La Rambla. During summer it’s awfully crowded with both locals and tourists but it represents a lovely way to do some people watching and window shopping. The middle part of the street is pedestrian only and at any time during the tourist season it comes to life due to the live performances and the flower market. There are interesting buildings on both sides of the street and if you want to relax, go to Placa Reial, just off La Rambla. And for a colorful and exotic meal, check out La Boqueria, the iconic street market filled with pretty much anything you might want to buy or eat.

In the search for more unusual, out-of this-world travelling experiences, travellers are being lured to the ends of the earth to find the most eccentric, wacky and exciting activities, sights and venues. So if you’re fond of a tipple or two, you might want to try one of these bars. Their locations and gimmicks are sometimes enough to pique your interest, but add alcohol to the mix and you’re in for quite a fun time. Here are 13 of the world’s most strange, exciting and different watering holes that will leave you thirsty for more.

1. Clinic – Singapore

Many people don’t like visiting hospitals so this bar might be a little questionable in taste for some. Clinic is a hospital themed bar located within the shopping and entertainment district, Clarke Quay.

It’s not surprising that the architect of the bar was wacky artist Damien Hirst, famous for such works as the cow in formaldehyde. The pill shaped rooms are all interlinked and are designed to give a drug ‘trip’ effect. Guests can drink from test tubes and IV bags, sit in wheelchairs instead of sitting on bar stools, lie on hospital beds with white curtains, and boogie on the capsule-shaped dance floor in the nightclub, Morphine.

The restaurant is designed like an operating room where guests can dine sitting in gold wheelchairs and eating from kidney shaped steel trays. Yum, I just hope the food doesn’t taste like hospital food…

2. Absolut Icebar – Sweden

The very first bar to be made entirely of ice can be found in the small town of Jukkasjarvi in Sweden. Although novelty ice bars seem to be popping up everywhere these days, even in the baking hot Niger desert, the Absolut Icebar, within the Ice Hotel, is the original ice bar.

Guests don thermal capes and huddle together in freezing cold conditions surrounded by carefully-crafted ice sculptures. The Absolut vodka cocktails are served in ice glasses, just make sure you don’t get your lips stuck to them!

The ice is sourced from the Torne River in the village of Jukkasjarvi and the frosty bar is only open during the winter from December to April.

3. Red Sea Star Underwater Restaurant, Bar and Observatory – Israel

The world’s first underwater bar, the Red Sea Star, is submerged six meters below the Red Sea in Eilat. Each table has Plexiglass windows – two either side and one above – so that diners can admire the fish, coral, and other sea life from their dinner table. The décor is even marine-inspired with jellyfish stools, urchin cushions, and anemone lighting fixtures.

Before the Red Sea Star was built in 1998, the area on which it stands was a damaged seabed, but four years before it opened the Red Sea Star team started growing a coral nursery surrounding the reef to save and preserve what used to be an active and colourful coral reef.

4. Bojangles – Australia

In the town of Alice Springs in the red centre of Australia, backpackers and travellers on their way to visit Uluru will almost certainly end up at this curious bar.

Walk through the closely guarded saloon doors and you’ll be amazed at what you see – boots hanging from the ceilings, snakes in tanks, and a coffin with a suit of armour inside which says ‘How Much To Touch Ned’s Nuts?’ Pull out some peanuts and throw the shells on the floor, because at Bo’s anything goes.

Sounds like a quirky bar already, but wait – it gets better. If you go to the bathroom you might get a little surprise, for when you come to wash your hands, each tap turns on the water in a different sink!

5. DM Bar – Estonia

If you’re a huge fan and you just can’t get enough of Depeche Mode, this bar in the capital city of Estonia, Tallinn, is entirely devoted to the band.

It doesn’t seem the most obvious choice of band to dedicate a bar to, but the synth-poppers from Basildon in the UK are extremely popular anywhere east of Berlin. The bar’s walls are filled with Depeche Mode memorabilia and guess what’s on the playlist for the night? You guessed it, Depeche Mode songs.

Members of the band Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher have actually partied the night away in the bar which is sure to be one of the strangest hat tips to the band.

6. Hobbit House – Philippines

Hobbit House in the Philippines is based on the J.R.R. Tolkien trilogy, “Lord of The Rings,” and all the staff in the bar are friendly and charming dwarfs. The dark, smoke-filled bar offers around 100 different kinds of beer and is a great live music venue.

Opened 35 years ago, The Hobbit House has been around in Manila so long, it is a famous institution. The Iowa-born owner, Jim Turner, is an ex-Peace Corps volunteer who has rescued these dwarfs from the slums and streets of Manila and given them an honest place to work. He has given them new cultural identities and they are no longer shunned or avoided; they are respectable business people.

The bartenders are merry characters and entertainers who are up for a laugh and will happily pose with tourists for photos. The Hobbit House features possibly the world’s smallest Elvis impersonator, hobbit jugglers, comics, dancers, flame-eaters, and singers.

7. Baobab Bar – South Africa

Drinking a beer inside a tree? You wouldn’t think anyone would even fit, but you will inside this 6,000 year old Baobab tree.

The hollow 72-foot high tree offers a cool interior to step into from the heat outside and now has a bar, dart board and benches.

It was created in a Baobab tree in Sunland Farm in Limpopo to keep the thirsty locals happy and now thousands of tourists travel from miles around to have a pint in this interesting establishment.

The trunk has a 155-foot circumference and is wide enough to fit 40 people inside it. It even has its own cellar with natural ventilation to keep the beer cool!

The pub is owned by the van Heerdens, who decided to open a pub when they discovered a natural hollow in the tree in the 1980s. While clearing out the hollow centre of the tree trunk, the van Heerdens found historical evidence of Bushmen who may have once lived in the tree.

8. Das Klo Bar – Germany

One of the most bizarre drinking experiences ever, Klo Bar in Berlin is reputed to attract more tourists than Charlottenburg Castle and the Museum Island. Klo 1 and 2 no longer exist, but Klo 3, which started life on Christmas Day 1971, still does. Part flea market, part zoo, and part theme park, Das Klo (German for “the toilet”) is meant to evoke the inside of a toilet, but it ends up giving visitors the feel of stepping onto an Indiana Jones movie set.

Prepare to be shocked – expect red wine in blood transfusion packs, electric shocks from tables, rotating bar stools, a hammer that comes down unexpectedly, and a bird spider, boa constrictor and iguana. It’s an attack on the senses – upon entering Klo you’ll be sprinkled by water, spooked by skeletons and a gust of air might blow ladies’ skirts up. Lightning flashes across the rooms and there is a false ceiling of paper mâché rocks that fall in a giant avalanche every 10 minutes. A kilted figure in the ladies loo is booby-trapped so that whenever a lady lifts the kilt to see if he is going commando, a siren goes off in the bar.

Seating is a choice of coffins or toilet seats, the beer is served in new urine specimen bottles, and the food is sausages with sauerkraut fetchingly presented in huge enamel potties. Supposedly most of the owner’s ideas came to him sitting on the loo.

9. Skeleton Bar – Switzerland

This odd museum-bar was designed by Swiss man Hans Rudi Giger who worked as a designer on the Oscar-winning Alien movies. Giger designed the title character, the human-eating Alien monster, and won an Oscar for best special effects in 1980.

The bar in Gruyere, Switzerland, will remind you of the alien – or perhaps sitting inside a monster’s stomach, with its spinal chord-like skeleton decoration.

The creepy, horror movie-inspired bar is decorated with skeleton bones throughout, from the walls and chairs to the flower vases.

10. Floyd’s Pelican Bar – Jamaica

Floyds has to be the coolest bar in the Caribbean. Looking out from the shore at the dot on the horizon, your first reaction might be “is that really a bar?”

Perched on stilts on a sandbar, Floyds is made completely of driftwood and palm leaves. Bring a sharp object and you can carve your name in the floor. It looks like it might fall over, but it’s surprisingly sturdy.

Floyds sits about a mile off the south coast of Jamaica in Parottee Bay and local fisherman will take you out there. There’s nothing like a cold beer in the middle of the ocean, doing a bit of snorkelling and enjoying a fresh lobster meal prepared by Floyd himself. You might spot some pelicans and a few sting rays too.

11. Alux Restaurant & Lounge – Mexico

Alux, in Playa Del Carmen, is one of only two restaurants in the world inside a cavern.

The whole Yucatan peninsula in Mexico is riddled with an interconnected system of caverns and subterranean rivers and after years of planning and restoration, Alux restaurant and lounge was opened for the public to enjoy this natural environment with a drink in hand.

The Flintstones-like cavern has numerous chambers where you can lounge, drink, dine, and dance amongst the stalagmites and stalactites, which are lit up in shades of violet, blue and pink. Small, magical beings called ‘Aluxes’ are said to occupy these caverns, so look out for one as you dance the night away! It’s a drinking spot you mustn’t miss if you’re staying in Playa Del Carmen.

12. William Thornton Floating Bar & Restaurant – British Virgin Islands

The William Thornton is a steel 100-foot schooner with a restaurant and bar on board, moored at The Bight off Norman Island.

The Willy T, as it is affectionately known, began life in the 80s as a wooden Baltic vessel. But after the boat sprung a leak and sank at its anchorage, the owners, Annie and Mick Gardner, replaced it with the larger steel boat everyone knows today.

The William Thornton who the floating bar is named after was born in the British Virgin Islands and is the man behind the design of the United States Capitol building.

13. The Rock Bar – Bali

Perched 14 meters above the Indian Ocean, this open-top bar is literally served straight up on the rocks.

It’s a perfect place to sit and watch the sunset, sip cocktails and admire the view of the perfect Bali waves splashing against the rocks below. What makes it even more novel is the outdoor elevator which takes you down the cliff to the bar. Beware though, it only holds four so you might end up taking the stairs!

Live musicians play on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays so you can sit back and enjoy some tunes with a view. Located within the Ayana Resort & Spa in Jimbaran Bay, The Rock Bar will certainly leave a lasting impression and is Bali’s most chic sunset and after-dark destination.

In early 2008, the writers and editors here at BootsnAll put our heads together to come up with our top 10 list of destinations for independent travelers. In case you are new to our site, we have the world’s best group of regulars and visitors using our travel forums, and there are always discussions between people wanting recommendations and informed travelers helping them out.

So in 2009 we wanted to include our stellar community in this process, and we asked everyone for nominations for this list. We got quite a few suggestions, including many great destinations that those of us on the staff have yet to visit, so this list belongs to our entire community of travel fanatics.

Without further ado, here are 10 places you might consider visiting in 2009, and a few reasons why:

10 – Tasmania, Australia

When a country takes up a whole continent, it stands to reason that any island off its coast might often suffer from a case of overlooked-itis – and that’s definitely the case with Australia’s smallest state, the island of Tasmania. Tourists head for Oz in droves, but the vastness of the country (not to mention the cosmopolitan eastern cities) are enough to keep most travelers occupied for their entire trip. If you’re interested in seeing another aspect of Australia, however, you’ll head for Tasmania off the southeastern tip of the continent.

Well-known for its incredible landscapes, Tasmania is nearly 40% protected area (national parks, nature reserves, and World Heritage sites) and is understandably popular with outdoors enthusiasts. Biking, hiking, fishing, and sailing are all great options to fill your days on the island, and the capital city of Hobart is pretty and charming. Getting to Tasmania by plane usually requires a stop elsewhere in Australia, and once you’re there you’ll have the most freedom with a rental car. Just remember that the Aussies drive on the left side of the road, and be on the lookout for wildlife – you don’t want your first look at a Tasmanian devil to be when it runs out in front of your car in the middle of the night.

9 – Siem Reap, Cambodia

While Bangkok is by far the most popular entry point into the cheap, exotic, and fascinating world of Southeast Asia, it has its share of problems, even when the government is stable. Siem Reap is just a bit south of Bangkok, and it offers a far more authentic and less slick look into the culture here, while still having a well-developed tourist infrastructure to make things easy.

Most visitors to Siem Reap use it as a staging area for their time at the nearby and amazing Angkor Wat temple complex, and while that’s a good enough reason alone, that’s only one of the benefits. This Cambodian town has responded to the crowds by building out all the needed resources, while keeping much of the authentic beauty of the place in tact. Before or after your trip to Angkor Wat you can check out the various street markets, visit a landmine museum, take a trip to a nearby “floating village,” or just get a cheap and refreshing massage.

You can fly into Siem Reap from all the major cities and capitals in the area, or you can take a bus from Thailand if you are already nearby. Hotels starting around US$5 are fairly easy to find, but there are also plenty of tourist-class hotels for those who prefer to spend a bit more for air conditioning and satellite TV.

8 – Bariloche, Argentina

This city isn’t too well known internationally, but once you are in the region it will be recommended by nearly everyone you meet. The person who nominated this for our list helpfully pointed out that it’s considered the South American equivalent of Queenstown, New Zealand, which made our 2008 destinations list for being jammed with winter and summer activities, all within close range of an excellent tourist infrastructure.

Bariloche is located in the foothills of the Andes, very near the border with Chile, in the region of Patagonia. In addition to stunning scenery in every direction, you’ve got excellent skiing and snowboarding spots in the winter, and nearly unlimited amounts of summer activities including trekking, rafting, cycling, horseback riding, and many water sports. The city is also notable for its Swiss-style mountain resort look, including an abundance of chocolate shops ready to hand out samples. The food and wine are also excellent, and there are plenty of very affordable hotels mixed in among the pricy resorts.

Being as remote as it is, it’s not all that cheap or easy to reach from North America. You’ll have to connect through one of the major South American capitals, so it’s most popular among those touring the whole region. Consider adding it to a trip that includes Buenos Aires, the Mendoza wine region, or Santiago, Chile.

7 – Panama

When you mention you are going to Panama, you’ll probably get a bunch of raised eyebrows immediately followed by the question, “To see the Canal?” While you may not hear a lot about Panama, this Central American country has a lot more to offer than a passageway linking the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean.

From the colonial architecture of Casco Veijo in the modern and cosmopolitan city of Panama City, to the lush jungled highlands (and a volcano which you can spot both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea from the top), to excellent surf and beaches on the Pacific side, and picturesque white sand, palm fringed islands surrounded by coral reefs and turquoise clear water on the Caribbean, Panama has a little bit of everything to offer intrepid travelers. Add into the mix friendly people with diverse and rich cultural backgrounds, and cheap food and accommodations, and you have yourself an equation for a perfect travel destination.

While Panama doesn’t have the tourism infrastructure of Costa Rica, it is equally beautiful, easier to get off the beaten path, and a lot less expensive than its neighbor to the north. However, with tourism on the brink of expanding in a major way in Panama, the inexpensive prices and lack of tourist crowds won’t last long. For anyone who envisions a vacation with everything from mountains and rain forests to beaches and nightclubs, Panama has got you covered.

6 – Bangladesh

It’s true that Bangladesh is more known for poverty and natural disasters than for being the perfect vacation spot, but nearly every member of the BootsnAll community who has been here raves about it. The fact that it’s not an obvious choice certainly adds to its appeal, and yet the place is no gimmick just to prove how hardcore you are. Past visitors warn that it’s a place for “travelers” and not “tourists”, so this is not an ideal first destination in the region, though it’s definitely worth a look for anyone looking to get off the main tourist trail in Asia.

The capital city of Dhaka is the obvious place to start, and definitely worth a few days on its own, but it’s a chaotic and crowded city so the smaller towns and rural areas will be even more welcome when you reach them. The people are notoriously friendly as well as accepting of others, and even though Westerners are a constant source of curiosity for locals, there is unlikely to be any trouble. The port city of Chittagong and the resort area called Cox’s Bazar (which claims to be the world’s longest beach even though it’s not), are two more highlights out of a long list.

And even though there are plenty of great sights and things to do, visiting Bangladesh is more about the people and how they live than about checklist attractions. If you decide to go you will have to be patient and understanding because the tourist infrastructure barely exists, but once you settle in you’ll probably fall for the place just like so many others before you have.

5 – Sardinia, Italy

Travelers don’t need to be told to go to Italy – countless people head for The Boot every year. But many people do need to be told that there’s another big Italian island besides Sicily. Sardinia, which is off Italy’s west coast just south of the French island of Corsica, has long been a popular vacation destination for Italians who head for the island’s beaches every August. In fact, it’s so popular in August that the beaches are absolutely jam-packed with people and the prices for hotels are at their highest. Outside the peak season, however, Sardinia is still a haven for anyone who loves the outdoors.

The island is full of great hiking trails, and being surrounded by water makes it an ideal spot for things like kayaking and snorkeling. Public transportation is notoriously challenging on Sardinia, and there could be a bit of a language barrier for those who stray away from the bigger cities (not only do people not necessarily speak English, most of them are speaking Sardinian and not even Italian!), but if you’re willing to go off the beaten path in a country that’s been pretty well-trodden, you’ll be rewarded handsomely. Do note that getting a direct flight to Sardinia is pretty difficult (unless you’re starting in Italy), so you’ll likely be going through Rome or Milan – making Sardinia an easy addition to your existing Italy vacation plans.

4 – Senegal

Independent travelers looking to Africa generally start with Egypt, Morocco, or South Africa, and few get any deeper than that. But those looking to explore some of the “real Africa,” should consider Senegal as a great entry point. The capital city of Dakar is most famous for being the finish line of the Paris to Dakar Rally, but it’s actually a lively and relatively safe city with outstanding nightlife and a music scene that is the envy of the continent. Knowing French is more useful than English here, though it’s not terribly difficult to get along with just English, especially if you make a point to learn a few local phrases.

In addition to the fascinating and easily accessible culture in the capital, Senegal is known for its outstanding beaches. They have noted beach resorts, which offer sailing, scuba diving, and fishing, as well as a surfing scene that is starting to make waves internationally. From the resort areas you are also close to wildlife and nature reserves, so it’s possible to mix many things on your trip.

You can actually fly into Senegal non-stop from Atlanta, as well as from many different cities on the European continent, so it’s one of the easiest African countries to reach, in addition to being among the most friendly, welcoming, and safe.

3 – Berlin, Germany

As one of Europe’s largest cities, Berlin is plenty well known, but it’s definitely not an obvious choice for a vacation in the way that is true for London, Paris, Amsterdam, or Rome. Of course, visiting was quite complicated before Germany reunified in 1990, and the entire country still has a reputation as being productive and efficient, but not really fun-loving. However, today’s Berlin has plenty going for it, including a feeling that is still somewhat exotic compared to most of Europe’s tourist-filled cities, and it’s noticeably cheaper than most as well.

The area that was once East Berlin is fairly compact, and filled with interesting WWII and Cold War sights, as well as some amazing new attractions that have come together just recently. And since real estate prices were so cheap after the fall of the Berlin Wall, there are vast areas filled with experimental art shops, colorful coffee houses, and unique bars and clubs. This new and edgy style probably won’t last forever, so it’s great to be able to see it now before the chain stores move in and spoil it all.

Most trendy locals have moved on to the Prenzlauer Berg district for their nightlife, but the touristy area along Oranienburger Strasse is still very worthwhile, as it’s lined with unique bars and restaurants that still live up to the hype. And those who don’t speak any German will be happy to learn that Berlin is now a place where English works just fine by itself, as nearly all locals welcome the chance to practice as they are giving you tips for your stay there.

2 – Damascus, Syria

As the person who nominated Damascus for this list put it, "There are few destinations left in the world where you can feel like you are truly stepping back in time. Damascus is one of them." Syria’s capital and biggest city, Damascus is also one of the oldest cities in the world, so that feeling of stepping back in time is completely justified. Never mind that the market stalls stock thoroughly modern wares – the winding streets of the old city will transport you to the Damascus of hundreds of years ago, when this part of the city looked, sounded, and smelled much as it still does today. Aside from the markets, other major sights include the Umayyad Mosque (one of the world’s oldest and biggest, and housing what’s said to be the head of John the Baptist) and the Citadel of Damascus, but it’s hard to look anywhere in the old part of the city and not see one historic site or another.

Budget travelers especially should put Damascus on their list, because in addition to being full of history it’s also incredibly affordable – even spending less than US$50 per day will still allow you to take taxis all over town, do some shopping, and dine in fancy restaurants. It’s easy to get to Damascus as well, because there’s a big international airport a short distance outside Damascus with regular flights to and from major cities all over the world.

1 – Colombia

Even before Anthony Bourdain featured the Colombian renaissance during his 2008 season of “No Reservations,” this country had plenty of momentum in the stakes to be “a place you just have to visit.” No longer does the chatter only center on drug cartels and random violence, as it’s been replaced by discussions about friendly people, natural beauty, and a country that is fun and safe to explore.

The coastal Caribbean city of Cartagena has long had a great tourist infrastructure mixed in with its colonial architecture and history, but now that things are under control many visitors are also visiting Bogotá and Medellin to get a bit deeper into the culture. However, most independent travelers will tell you that this country is filled with hidden delights in the smaller towns, where tourism is only starting to take hold. Salento is one of those towns that happens to be in the heart of the fertile coffee-growing region in the Andean Highlands. Taganga is a small fishing village on the Caribbean coast that sucks in nearly everyone who visits with its friendly locals, ideal setting, and subtle charm.

All the major cities in Colombia have fairly large international airports, and flights from North America are often easier and cheaper than you might expect. There are plenty of tourist-standard hotels in the major cities, as well as small guesthouses and hostels that can make the country extremely affordable for the budget travel crowd.

Annually tourists flock to hundreds of well-known villages and cultural attractions scattered in Bavaria, including Munich’s Oktoberfest, Nürnberg’s Imperial Castle, Bayreuth’s famous Wagner festivals and the Old Stone Bridge and Cathedral of Regensburg. What many travelers overlook is the unofficial capital of the Upper Palatinate (Oberpfalz) region, located about halfway between Regensburg and Bayreuth. Discover authentic local Bavarian charm, culture and history without the crowds in small town Amberg.

During the Middle Ages, Amberg grew rich mining ore in the region and transporting iron ore and salt on its waterways. Walls surrounded Amberg’s old town, protecting its important role in trading and shipping. The old town was considered one of the strongest fortified towns in medieval Germany.

The wall surrounding the egg shaped center of Amberg has been preserved through the centuries. Roam into this ancient fortress and let Amberg’s history rise up before you.

My husband and I had a little help wandering the streets of this historic village. My son and his wife live within walled in Amberg and they gave us the full blown tour of this impressive town.

We explored cathedrals, Gothic towers and buildings, and Renaissance-styled gates dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries. In between Amberg’s Town Hall and Town Spectacles, cobblestoned bridges carried us back and forth over the river Vils, which runs through the center of the old town.

If you can spend a few hours in Bavaria’s Amberg, here are 8 places you won’t want to miss. Grab a map, set your own pace and head to Malteserplatz at the western end of this oval shaped inner town. A good place to start is…

#1 St. George’s Church. Once the parish church of Amberg, this 14th century Gothic church replaced the original Romanesque 11th century church destroyed by fire. St. George’s Church resides in a complex which at one time housed the Jesuit College and a Baroque library. In the 18th century the Jesuits installed a Rococo interior. Peek inside to admire the sculpture-like stuccowork and frescoes decorating the ceiling. Out in front of the Maltese Complex (Maltesergebäude), follow Georgenstraβe and look for the…

In part one of Getting Into The Christmas Spirit German Style, I spoke of how Saxony helped get me into the Christmas spirit. In this article, I got further into the Christmas spirit by taking in some of the every day Yuletide holiday-themed sights and sounds within the old city walls of Nuremberg, Germany.

Before visiting this city, I associated Nuremberg with just two things: The Third Reich, where those shameful, yet eerily hypnotic rallies were held to glorify Hitler and also for the war criminals trials after World War II. Yet Nuremberg is much more than that. This city of half a million people (and a 3.5 million metropolitan area population) will really be in your face the first time you venture into it. But because many of the city’s major attractions are within its old city walls and because of its very user-friendly and extensive public transport system of trams, subways, and buses, Nuremberg soon becomes small town manageable, which will make it easier to enjoy its numerous museums (including for pigeons and kidney dialysis) and storied history around every turn of the corner.

Ironically, for such a big city, one of its claims to fame is the smallest sausages in Germany that weigh less than an ounce. They’re called Nurembergers, of which I savored the nicely-smoked taste inside the city’s old walls around its Hauptmarkt in a busy sausage house called the Bratwursthausle, frequented by locals and tourists alike, where the owner visits the tables and dispels his special brand of “Christmas cheer” on a daily basis.

Christmas Shopping Year Round For All Budgets, Even For The Late Michael Jackson!

How did the largest chain of stores in the world selling traditional German Christmas items come to fruition? Well, you can thank being accosted the military police as the reason. Circa 1963, IBM worker Wilhelm Wohlfahrt went door to door around the military installation in Boblingen trying to sell some music boxes made in Erzgebirge (in Saxony). He had only wanted to buy one originally for his friends, but was forced to buy a lot of ten from a wholesaler, so wanted to unload the rest to recoup his money. He was found out and foiled by the military police since the activity was illegal. They suggested to him that he sell them at weekend craft shows on base instead, and the rest is history from that small forage into selling.

Within the city walls of Nuremberg is the charming and intimate retail outlet of Kathe Wohlfahrt, named after Wilhelm’s wife, where every day is like Christmas, except for the music selections. They wait until December 1 to start playing Christmas music (because listening to such music all year can get on one’s nerves), so I got to hear some other festive music as I browsed the various Christmas decorative items like ornaments, rauchermanner/mannchen (smoking men which puff out incense and which I fell in love with the first time seeing them in Dresden), nutcrackers, and music boxes that are priced for all budgets, including the late Michael Jackson’s. In 2003, he bought a music box called “Children of the World”, which is still available today for customers willing to pay about $2,500 to say they have something the “King of Pop” got enjoyment from.

Dolls Galore at the Spielzeugmuseum!

Nuremberg is known for its dockenmacher (dollmakers) dating back to medieval times. Because a nice dollhouse is often on the Christmas wish list of many, I found the most comprehensive collection of doll houses, dolls, and doll house fixtures of all the museums I’ve visited during my lifetime at the Spielzeugmusuem. It will blow you away, especially if you are into these kinds of toys! The older the dolls and their related items, the more detailed they seemed to be. I never get over just how much effort the past generations have put into creating such detailed toys, an art that seems to have been generally lost because of the hyper-technological age we live in today. But this is just the tip of the iceberg of what toys you’ll see there, toys that brought back a lot of childhood memories back for me.

The periods I saw covered on the four floors of exhibits go back to the early 1800’s through the present day and include tin soldiers, view finders, puppets, trains, animals, and rocking horses. I was especially impressed with its collection of Seiffen matchbox miniatures from the early 1900s. I was awed by the tin American toys from the previous century like those of Dick Tracy and Walt Disney. Visitors can get up to the fourth floor via a spiraling staircase, which I took and found even more of a child’s fantasy land full of interactive exhibits to help keep them occupied while the adults reminisce about their childhood.

Lest We Forget the Gingerbread

Nuremberg gingerbread (known as lebkuchen) is considered some of the best in the world. You won’t get any arguments from me, especially after I got to savor a variety of this holiday treat. Lebkuchen has its roots via the Franconian monks who created honey cakes (pfefferkuchen), of which the sweet nectar was procured from the local bee colonies since it was cheaper to use than imported Asian sugar. But the lebkuchen that we know today goes back around six centuries to 1395, though the first city gingerbread guild didn’t come out until 1643. A law was made requiring sellers to own their own oven and a number of bakers became masters by marrying the daughter of a master baker.

I visited a local family run bakery Confiserie Café Neef to see the making of top knotch lebkuchen, known as “Elisen”, named after a baker’s daughter. I was able to savor some freshly-baked product. The mid-afternoon traffic inside was constant as patrons sat with liquid refreshments enjoying a variety of hand-created pastries and chocolate Santas with red and white suits. These works of art were almost too beautiful to eat!

The Neefs use such ingredients like ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, hazelnuts, vanilla, cloves, honey, lemon peel and orange peel for their base recipe that’s over 500 years old, though they offer 8 kinds during the fall and winter (including one with chocolate). The bakery uses machinery that can produce 2500 mound-like lebkuchen in an hour (compared to individual hand molds that a skilled baker would take 5 hours to shape that same amount by scraping the batter like a brick layer does mortar for bricklaying). I was able to sample some of the raw dough that was dominated by the flavor of orange. It takes 15 minutes at 356 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Centigrade) to bake the lebkuchen, and upon coming out of the oven, it’s a must try, even if you’re on a diet! What I like about the finished goodies is the lightly fruity flavor that’s got a chewy feel to it. The ones with chocolate were especially good.

Visiting Saxony and Bavaria has put the spirit of Christmas into my soul and stomach for sure!

Roy A. Barnes attended the German National Tourist Office’s “The Making of Christmas” press trip, in which he got to experience the following things discussed in the article. He freely wrote his impressions without any editorial scrutiny from the press trip sponsor.

Sometimes visiting a city is like being in a dreamstate, where fantasy seems to cohabitate with reality. That happened to me when I visited a Bavarian city that’s a 2 hour train ride from Frankfurt and that doesn’t always get mentioned in guidebooks on Germany, even though it’s been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. Yet for US servicemen, it’s a place that’s been voted as their favorite base several years running. I know why now.

A Sense of Déjà Vu

The first night and ensuing morning while taking my jogs in a city that has been described as “Franconian Rome” (because of its seven hills), I felt as if I knew what was going to be around every corner, experiencing a noticeable sense of déjà vu, even though in this lifetime, I’d never visited the city that’s been in some form of existence for the last 14 centuries.

I have often dreamed of wondering around the corridors of hospitals though I’ve not been in one as a patient since childhood. Well, I bunked down at the Hotel Residenzschloss, which once housed Europe’s first modern hospital, built in 1789 through the efforts of the benevolent Prince Franz Ludwig von Erthal. He really cared about his subjects, so much so that he even provided health insurance for those employed in trades. Now, the building features work tables longer than hospital beds and nightwatchmen who often stand guard at the entrance and entertain guests with guided tours. They make sure you don’t have to wander around directionless like I have in other dreams.

The Morning Jog in Misty Fog without Harassment from any Dog

My day with the world while on the road always starts with a jog. Jogging around the neighborhood of my hotel through a misty fog and my sense of déjà vu heightening, I first took notice of the city’s other Italian namesake “Little Venice”, where life size and multi-colored 14^th through 18^th century homes that look like dollhouses stand on tree poles even though you can’t see the tree poles. These dominated the canal front and their enchanted quality made me forget the autumn chill. I shared the streets and sidewalks with others hurriedly passing me by on bicycles (more ominous to runners here than cars) while others took a stroll with their unleashed dogs or babies in carriages. The untethered dogs, unlike in my hometown in Wyoming, actually left me alone.

After running and cleaning up, I ate a wonderful German breakfast full of whole grain breads and cereals plus fruit: so much for hospital food! That feast would give me the energy for my strolling around this mystical city with a population of a little more than 70,000.

A Legendary Stroll and German Practical!

I began a less hurried pace with some window shopping and taste testing in the city center, first visiting a butcher shop on Sandstrasse, where the friendly staff offered samples of a “revolutionary” spicy hot pork (that originated in 1776) called Leberkase plus their own recipe of semi-moist and sweet butterstollen. I spoke a few words from my German guidebook to a jovial regular customer eating a sandwich who was taking a break from his window washing duties.

As I headed toward the town square, my eyes often diverted upwards to see the four spires of Bamberg Cathedral in various states of fog shrouding it. It’s the first church that I ever heard of that may have been built partly by the devil, according to legend. The legend being where a young builder sold his soul to ol’ Mr. Scratch himself in order to outdo his older superior in the race to completion only to find that upon finishing the 13^th century church, the young master was rewarded with Satan tossing him off one of the spires, as I understood my guide.

A fruit and vegetable market was well underway in the city center’s Bamberger Markt. Schoolchildren were on hand with pencil and paper rambunctiously doing an exercise identifying the nutritious items. I took notice of one kid who was wearing a traditional Bavarian hat called a trenker. He must’ve known that tourists were coming, and dressed for the occasion. The only missing from that scene was a black and tan dachshund.

I then headed across the River Regnitz, where right smack in the middle is another one of Bamberg’s most notable sights, the Altes Rathaus (Old City Hall), which proves the notion that when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, according to another legend. In the late 14^th century, the residents couldn’t get the Bishop of Bamberg to give them any land for building a town hall, so they decided to build it on the river. Oh, the Germans are ever so practical during consciousness! The first structure lasted until it was blown up in 1444. The rebuilt building I saw has exteriors in Baroque/Rococo fashion that were put there from 1744-1756. Right next to the oddity, I took a short Spezl (Coke + Fanta soft drink) break at an Italian gelateria that overlooks the river and rathaus to ponder my adventure so far in this enchanted city.

As I headed up to the foggy Bamberg Cathedral, I couldn’t help notice the little mom and pop shops along the way which were selling Christmas items and antiques. The latter really appeal to me, especially when trains, miniature soldiers and old paper money beckon from the window. The cathedral itself, standing proudly on one of the seven hills, contains the much heralded Der Bamberger Rider (Bamberg Horseman), which dates to around 1230. For centuries, it wasn’t known who the rider was. Now, it’s been pretty much narrowed down to Stephan of Hungary. Who created this work of art is still a mystery.

It’s Here Where I Drank Some Rauchbier

Bamberg is known for its 9 major breweries, and produces a smoked beer called Rauchbier, like the one served by the Schlenkerla Brewery and Malt House. Even though I’m not much of a drinker, I just had to try the local specialty after my church visit. When in Franconian Rome, do as the Franconian Romans do, which I did at a local dining establishment-pub down the hill from the cathedral called Hofbrau Restaurant & Bar. I really liked the smoky taste that went down smoothly and wasn’t that bitter. It went well with some goose liver dumplings with a German name so long on the menu, that even in my Bamberg dreamstate, I wouldn’t dare try to pronounce it or write it out asleep or awake.

All dreams must come to an end, as it did for me in Bamberg’s city center. But not before spending a little time and money in that quaint antique shop with the distracted shopkeeper. There were more places to see as the constraints of time became all too real. So I’m left with just memories of my sauntering through the mystical land of doll houses, where I could take a morning jog in mis

Revisited Binondo last Sunday, with my fellow aspiring travel photographers. With DSLR cameras around our necks, and feeling like a bunch of tourists lost in the jungle called Chinatown, we had the people around the area freely posing for us.

I was pleasantly surprised by how accommodating and gracious the people were, from sidewalk vendors to store owners, side-car pedallers to kalesa drivers, even the security guards were quite helpful – not to mention the roving policeman, who posed nonchalantly while he answered some of our questions.

We met at 6:00 a.m. in front of Binondo Church, aka Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz. Mass was going on and around us were sampaguita vendors peddling, street children begging, all with smiles on their faces. Walking along Ongpin towards Salazar Street, we saw the neighborhood stirring. Newspaper boys were loading the news sheets onto their bicycles, fruit vendors were displaying their wares on their karitons, bakers were rolling their doughs ready for the oven and sidecar pedallers were waiting for their first passengers.

We had a hearty breakfast of kiampeng (fried rice) and kikiam (deep fried ground meat wrapped in tofu skin) at Cafe Mezzanine Volunteer Firemen’s Coffee Shop, wherein part of their proceeds are donated to the volunteer fire fighters of Binondo.

Binondo streets are known to be narrow and fire trucks from other areas have had difficulty entering the vicinity whenever a fire hits. Therefore, the residents came up with their own fire fighting units; the most famous of these are the purple colored fire trucks donated by Eng Bee Tin Hopia Factory.

We walked back to Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz and started our first photo project. It was creatively challenging and the stifling weather made it more so. Patience was stretched to the limit that morning, as the assignment was titled. Starbucks beckoned. Apparently, Starbucks Binondo, located across the street from the plaza, was one of the first branches worldwide to offer a menu with Chinese translations and a Chinese signage.

After quenching our thirst and answering nature’s call, off we went to our next assignment. My buddy and I decided to hit Ongpin Street. It was mid-morning, the street was relatively quiet. There was no traffic, the pedestrians were very relaxed, a far cry from the hustle and bustle Chinatown is known for. Lunch was at Tasty Dumplings, where we had their famous battered fried pork chop, hongma with kiamchay (braised pork belly with salted vegetable in pot) and deep fried silver roll, (deep fried bread to lap up the sauce of hongma) all downed with a tall ice cold bottle of – water.

Off again to our next assignment. We were confined to shoot along Salazar Street, where the fruit vendors were. Lucky for us, we found our subjects in a quaint little air-conditioned charm store, right smack in the middle of the fruit stalls, selling all sorts of oriental idols, Buddhist prayer beads and lucky charms. They even had a beautiful Buddhist altar, complete with water falls and fountains, at the back of the store. The gentleman at the counter was most gracious and allowed us to shoot away. My target was the Buddhist Singing Bowl displayed on the countertop.

The next assignment was an artistic challenge because we had 45 minutes to take only four shots, no more, no less. We walked around the block to find our composition. We started from Salazar corner Benavidez Street, walked towards Masangkay, turned right and headed towards Soler. Along the way, we met a group of street children playing, who caught sight of our cameras and gamely posed for us and there we took some great shots. We turned right again from Soler Street, which brought us back full circle to Benavidez Street.

Our final task was to take scenes of Binondo as a travel destination. Instructions were received at the final pit-stop, the Golden Fortune Tea House along Masangkay Street. Everybody was hot, tired and weary. All I could manage was a tall glass of ice cold lemon tea and a fruit platter I shared with a friend. As we cooled our heels, we started to compare notes and share our experiences.

To cap the day, and shoot our last shot from a different perspective, I decided to share a kalesa ride with a friend who hadn’t been to Binondo in a long time. I myself hadn’t ridden in one in years. For Php200, we started our ride from Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz and headed towards Ongpin. We turned left at T. Alonzo Street straight to Claro M. Recto. From there, we turned right at Rizal Avenue, right again on Ronquillo, passing Plaza Santa Cruz. We then made a left at Dasmarinas Street, left again at Nueva to take us to Escolta. From Escolta, we rode to Carriedo, which brought us back to the other end of Rizal Avenue. We went through Ronquillo again and passed Plaza Santa Cruz. We hit Tetuan and turned left at Gandara until we reached Quintin Paredes and rode back to Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz. (Whew!)

Binondo for a day as a tourist/photographer was an unforgettable experience. It opened my eyes to the unique sight, sound and smell of a true Chinatown. I realized how friendly the people were, how culturally rich the locales were and the abundance of food to taste was unimaginable. I accomplished things I never thought possible and relived experiences long missed.

I realized Binondo was a representation of myself – brought forth from Chinese roots and shaped by Filipino hands.

Christmas in Germany is taken really seriously and has much historical significance. Decorated Christmas trees originated in Germany in the 16^th century when Christians started bringing decorated fir trees into their homes (a symbol of their faith because of its triangular shape that represents the Holy Trinity). It’s purported that Martin Luther was so impressed with a bright starry night amongst evergreen trees, that he re-created the scene for his family by putting up a tree in his house, substituting lighted candles for stars; and thus, starting the lighted Christmas tree craze. I got into the Christmas spirit by visiting Saxony, a region that’s contributed much to this holiday season.

To Saxony’s Capital for Stollen

The first Christmas market (Striezemarkt) originated in 1434 in the city of Dresden, which is in Eastern Germany, close to the Polish border. And it’s here in the trendy and artsy Neustadt part of the city that I came across some really wonderful-tasting holiday season sweet bread called stollen. Stollen is made with a number of ingredients which include finely ground flour, yeast dough, butter (which makes up 1/3 of the recipe, including some that’s melted and then hardened), bitter and sweet almonds, raisins soaked in rum, salt, candied orange and lemon peel, sugar. There are modifications to this as some 150 recipes exist for the city’s bakeries.

When Stollen first came out in the 14^th Century as a result of a contest originated by the Bishop of Nauru’burg, each loaf weighed 30-plus pounds, and became so popular, that Stollen only utensils were made. People would not eat the first or last pieces because they saved them in hopes of good luck.

The Backerei Grundmann, near the Three Kings Church (Dreikonigskirche) emanated a pleasant fruity bread smell. A retired baker by the name of Frank Ludolphy, still active in the bakers association (and baked for a living some 45 years), gave a demonstration on how it’s made by first displaying the above ingredients he used. I got to sample the Zutaten (“very fine ingredients”), and found the rum-soaked raisins irresistible. Ludolphy rolled out the dough and began shaping it. There’s normally a maturing time for the fruit flavor to soak into the bread. He let me sample the dough (which he bakes at 356 degrees Fahrenheit for 40-50 minutes). The raw form had an orange-like taste, reminding me of the orange sweet rolls mother used to bake for the family on Saturday nights.

No artificial preservatives are used by this bakery, which sells their stollen at various locations around the city, baking 14,000 loaves for the holiday season. It’s generally available between September and January. The baked loaf is quite dense and the fruit juices can make the stollen appear to have brown spots. If you store it in a cool and dry place, the bread lasts for months. It can also be frozen and microwaved.

I had never tasted stollen before, and I wasn’t let down by the incredible fruity, sweet taste of the semi-soft bread that’ll get even the Scrooge-iest of people into the Christmas spirit!

Saxony’s Small Towns Produce Big Time Christmas Memories!

There are so many aspects of Christmas, including the decorations and the gifts. But do people really take the time to think about where they came from? Well, some of Saxony’s small towns are responsible for making Christmas memorable. The drive through Saxony to the towns of Glasshuette and Seiffen from Dresden is like driving through Appalachia with its winding roads, babbling brooks, old mills, plowed earth, and rolling hills full of trees.

It’s “Time” for Christmas in Glashuette: You Don’t Need Big Bucks To Appreciate Watches

Watches are one of the most popular gifts to give for Christmas. In the town of a few thousand people about an hour away from Dresden to the south and very close to the Czech border lies Glashuette (founded in 1506), where some 10 watch manufacturers are located. You don’t have to be one of the rich and famous to take a free tour of the Germany’s premiere luxury watch maker Glashuette Original, whose roots of watchmaking go back to 1845. Because of the amount of components that are used, the hand assembly, and craftsmanship, these watches are not your ordinary Kmart Special. Watch collectors and those who like status or who are “lucky” enough to receive a watch with a glass bottom to witness the working parts pay big bucks/have big bucks spent on their behalf for this brand of watch, with prices starting at about $6,700 and going up well over $150,000. They’re sold in over 70 countries and in chic cities like London, New York and Hong Kong. One of their customers has been Bruce Springsteen. This company uses gold screws, Louisiana alligator skin (for the watchbands), and Meissen Porcelain (for the dials) to make some of their watches.

The company produces about 8,000 watches a year via watchmakers who’ve had 3 years of apprenticeship training to install between 150-500 movable parts (some as small as a tiny bread crumb) per watch. They implement concepts like spark erosion technology, bronze plating (superior to gold) and complex measuring and polishing of the plates. It can take more than 40 hours to complete one watch. I got a chance to wear the guide’s Senator Panorama model, dating from 2005. I didn’t ask him how much he paid, but Senator models in the 2009 catalog begin at close to $7,600. The one I daydream about is a sleek black Senator sporty model with a perpetual calendar that costs just over $30,000 (It’s also free to dream on).

After the factory tour, I took a short walk to the German Watch Museum, where I got the lowdown on watchmaking in this area via pictorial and computer exhibits, many of which are in both German and English. I looked at numerous kinds of pocket watches, table clocks, and pendulum clocks on display. I got see some really nice looking timepieces, including one dating back to 1778 as well as a pocket watch from 1899 that has over 800 components called the La Grandiose Universal Watch, a 12 year project. The lobby contains a large priceless pendulum clock that was crafted by Herman Goertz circa 19^th century that not only tells the time, but the age phase of the moon and current Northern Sky representation, only taking 32 years to make.

Seiffen is all about Toys, Toys, Toys!

About 90 minutes southwest of Dresden near the Czech Republic is Seiffen. It’s been around for close to 700 years and has a population of roughly 2,500.

The town became a major toy maker for the Nuremberg market in the 18^th century because of its quality products and low manufacturing costs.

As I walked around town, I noticed a quaint toy shop at every turn or glance across the street. They sell Seiffen’s ring-turned animal toys, nutcrackers, and intricately-crafted matchbox miniatures, the latter coming about to help cut down on the weight of toys to save on export taxes.

The Seiffener Volkskunst not only sells these goodies, but you can actually watch the toymakers ply their trade making these beautiful and festive objects.

The scent of wood dominates the nostrils, especially that of spruce, the principal wood used for ring-turned toys, which have been fashioned on the lathe for around two centuries to cut down on carving time.

The Erzgebrige Toy Museum or Spielzeugmuseum, located on Seiffen’s main drag, is a must see for those who love toys, especially those made of wood.

Over 2,000 items are on display via 3 floors at any one time that cover just about every Christmas-themed toy you can think of from trains, soldiers, smoking men, angels, games, and mining (since Saxony has quite a mining history). Their collection of Christmas pyramids really helped me appreciate all the more the artistic talents that humans have. I saw the attention to detail paid to those magical playthings that I noticed dated back to 1699.

On the top floor are interactive exhibits that will keep the young and young at heart occupied.