On Weekends

Discovering the beautiful side of north Cyprus is possible during most of the year time, starting from April and up until till December. At north Cyprus, the sea is warm, the water is light blue and crystal clear, similar to what you’d have near Greece yet absolutely different from Israeli and Jordan shores..

Due to the warm climate, here is a massive population of life under the water — big water turtles, octopus, grouper, and numerous other fish and of course - the unforgettable corals. Diving in water there is as well a fantastic chance to visit special underwater dive sites (no, I do not mean online websites!) such as shipwreck in the world which artifacts and other remains are still visible when diving in north of the country just off Girne seabed.

There are quite a few courses ranging from 2 hours to over 3 days, avenged for diving tourists who wish to discover the underwater world with minimum learning or base knowledge. In my opinion, Cyprus is one of the best diving sites in the whole Mediterranean Sea.

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Berlin is the capital city of Germany, and is its largest city. Because the western and eastern parts of Berlin were separated from 1949 until 1989, Berlin is one of the most diverse cities in the European Union. The city is located on the rivers Havel and Spree, and is surrounded by the state of Brandenburg. Berlin has a population of approximately 3 and half million people.

The city is an important part of the expansion of the European Union, and is the cultural and political center of the country. The city of Berlin is well known for its universities, as well as its museums and research facilities. Berlin was founded in the 13th century after Germanic peoples settled on the land that was once a Slavic area.

Berlin is without a shadow of a doubt the heart of Germany, a city which defines Germany and its culture. Despite the fact that the Berlin Wall has fallen, the city is still divided, with east Berlin being a somewhat neglected part of town.

Berlin is a great city to visit at all times of the year, but the weather is best between the months of May and September. The city is very busy during the summer, but is a great time for those who love the outdoors. When it comes to attractions, Berlin is a city which has something for everyone.

Those who enjoy going to museums will find many in Berlin. Those who enjoy history will want to visit the Brandenburger Tor, which at one time was the iron boundary between east and west Berlin. It is one of the most photographed areas of Germany.

When it comes to dining, Germany has a fairly simple traditional cuisine. Most German dishes are composed of meats and potatoes. Despite this, you can find many different types of food in Berlin. Germany is a fairly expensive city where it is easy to spend lots of money.

If you use a rail pass to get around and prepare your own meals, you may be able to stay in Berlin for 50 euros a day. Those who choose to stay at mid range hotels and use public transport can expect to spend 100 euros per day. Read the rest of this entry »

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Absinthe is liquor, usually green in color and hence received the name The Green Fairy. It was discovered by doctors and used mainly as a military medicine early on. It contains a psychoactive neurotoxin called thujone, made from wormwood, an herb. In the United States and many other countries it is illegal. In the Czech Republic, it is legal.
Absinthe enjoyed a huge and important history in the 19th century. The choice of many artists, poets, Bohemian free spirits and the like, the drink quickly became synonymous with excess and was eventually outlawed probably because of political reasons as governments decided they just didn’t like the effect it was having on society. Not unlike the outlawing of cocaine and marijuana in the United States in the 1930s.

Vincent Van Gogh cut off his own ear while in the throes of an absinthe binge, and Oscar Wilde once compared a glass of absinthe to a sunset. Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemmingway, Paul Gaugin, Charles Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Voltaire, and the famed Toulouse-Lautrec all reveled in the stuff. References to it in the writings, paintings, and works of many artists have helped lend a sense of mystery to the liquor, contributing to its legendary properties.
Czech Republic is one of the very few countries still producing Absinthe. You may buy it in most of the souvenir-shops, for a price that is much cheaper than ordering it in your country over the internet. The first stadium is like normal drinking, the second stadium is like seeing cruel things, but if you don’t give up, you will see things you want to see - great, unusual things!
There are about million ways that people will suggest to you to drink your absinthe. Here are a few, but we suggest you find your own way to enjoy the drink, if you can and the most important: try to drink it in booking your accommodation in Prague.
Modern-Style: Add equal amount of water and sugar (or coke) to absinthe and drink.
French Tradition: Pour the absinthe into a shot glass, put a sugar cube on a slotted spoon and hold it over the shot glass. Pour water over the sugar to dissolve it into the drink.
Czech Tradition: Pour the absinthe into a big glass. Stir the drink, and then dip the wet spoon into sugar, covering the spoon. Light the spoon on fire, letting the sugar caramelize, then dip it into the drink and stir. Add water to the glass and drink. You will see many variations of this in Prague. If you drink it the first time, it will be better to be not in a pub or a night club, but to be in a safe place as Prague hotel, pensions or whatsoever Prague accommodation it is, in case your organism could not stand the Absinthe’s test. Read the rest of this entry »

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New York, in case you are not aware is quite a big city. It’s about 140,000 km square territory, and over 19 million population, so let’s say it’s bigger than your average hometown. Finding a good place to dine at when we are talking about a 140,000 kilometer square area is by all means mission impossible. Travelers guides are likely to “guide” you to some expensive hamburgers bars and people on the street will point at McDonald’s. So, where to go?

If you like Italian food, and believe me, Italian food is quite universal, Barbetta Restaurant would be an excellent choice. Remember we are talking about expensive, fine dining restaurant, not the regular bar where you can grab a sausage. It’s a 100 years old spectacular place, however, it’s located in the center of the city and is very easy to reach, most locals will be able to explain how to get there. You sure will find a wine and dish for your taste, only be sure you will be able to cover even the bread with butter before you step in there!

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Though generally referred to as a coffee tree due to the huge dimensions it can get to, the coffee plant is an evergreen specific to the warm subtropical areas all over the world. Though there are quite many species varieties, there are only two types of coffee plant that global economy exploits on a large scale: they are Arabica and Robusta, the two coffee kinds on which international commerce depends.

Though these two varieties of the coffee plant are used, Arabica leads beyond any trace of a doubt as it is responsible for 75% of the world coffee production, whereas Robusta only gives 20%. This huge difference comes from the coffee plant specificity of each of these subspecies. The beans produced by Robusta coffee plant are inferior in what the quality is concerned due to the higher level of caffeine that also influences taste.

Thus, Robusta coffee is a little bitter than Arabica and darker too; nevertheless, certain communities also depend on this coffee variety for economic survival. To make harvesting pretty easy or comfortable, the height of the coffee plant is kept under control on plantations, and it doesn’t get to grow as high as ten meters as it would normally do, if left wild.

Another major difference between Arabica and Robusta coffee plant lies in pollination specificity: Arabica for instance is self fertilizing whereas Robusta depends on cross pollination. The full development of the coffee fruit, the delicious bean we depend on for our morning coffee, takes about thirty to thirty-five weeks after which it’s time to harvest. As for the growth period of the coffee plant until it becomes fertile it ranges between four and five years. Read the rest of this entry »

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After the “Borat” movie many people around the world have been introduced for the first time to the country, located in the middle of Asia, called “Kazakhstan”. Contrary to what you had seen on the movie (which I personally found to be damn retarded), not all Kazakh’s are like that. In fact, none that I know of. I happened to visit that country about 16 years ago and then once more a several years ago, and the one thing I can tell for sure is that if you’d not have known it’s the same place on the map, you’d never recognized it. 15 years ago it was a middle class country from the former USSR, very similar to Russia in culture, habits and customs, only that 1/4 of the population were Kazakhs and Muslims. If not the peculiar ornaments on some buildings and slightly aligned eyes of some people you come across on the street, you’d not be able to separate Kazakhstan from Russia, or even some other former USSR countries.

Today, after quite of few hard years of poverty and economical breakdown, during which poor stayed poor and rich got oh-so-rich, Kazakhstan stands on its feet an seriously competes with New York. New York is still unaware of the tough competition, however, Almaty (former capital) raised buildings just as high as NYC’s ones, hanged 2 times more billboards and even planning to convert the Kazakh language to Latin letters writing. The attempt to catch up on the western world is noble and praise-worthy, yet very much incomplete.

Maybe I will make some more posts about this place in the future, so stay tuned.

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This is one of the most important economic centers of Belgium. It is the fifth largest harbor in the world and probably the most productive one. This is no wonder, as the Belgians are the most productive workers of the world per working hour. And the Antwerp harbor workers also score high with yearly productivity.

Apart from the economic importance Antwerp has always been and still is one of the most important cultural and artistic cities of the country and of Europe. Old masters like Peter Paul Rubens an P. Van Dyke lived and worked there. The city’s cathedral is among the most famous and beautiful of the world. The cathedral and a number of places of the city play a very important role in the famous story “The Dog of Flanders” which is extremely popular in Japan.

When you visit this city, be sure to visit the famous Antwerp cathedral one of the important masterpiece of European Gothic.. Its construction began in 1352 as a church. But only in 1559 it became known as the Antwerp cathedral of Our Lady. It is among the finest and exquisite Gothic constructions of Europe. Famous architects worked on it: Jean Appelmans, Herman de Waghemakere, Domien de Waghemakere, Antoon Keldermans II and Rombout Keldermans. What you can see now as a beautiful architectural masterpiece is indeed the work of centuries. The central nave is flanked by three aisles. Each aisle has 48 pillars. The total length of the Antwerp cathedral is almost 117 meter! Can you imagine how huge is this place? Read the rest of this entry »

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To get a good idea of what Czech Republic is, there is a thing you have to do besides visiting its capital, Prague: you should take a tour around the country, visit its towns and old castles.

To do this, you don’t have to go far from Prague. The most beautiful of all the Czech castles, Karlstejn, is located only 33 km south-west of the city. As seen from its name, the history of this castle is connected with the name of Charles IV – it is for him that this unassailable fortress was erected in the XIV century. Karlstejn (or Karlstein) stands on a high rock above the Berounka river. A wonderful view observed from here makes tourists grab their cameras and forget about what the guide says. Meanwhile, Karlstejn was not only the king’s residence, but also the place for safekeeping royal treasures. Royal regalia were kept in the Chapel of the Holy Cross, walls decorated with precious jewellery and Gothic panel paintings by Master Theodoric.

While Karlstejn belonged to the king himself, other castles were the property of local aristocracy. After the so-called Velvet Revolution some castles were returned to their former owners. One of them is Cesky Sternberg, built in the 13th century, whereas in XVIII it was rebuilt in Baroque style. The castle boasts of its antique interiors, walls adorned with huge paintings and hunting trophies. At the same time, while walking around the castle, you feel ill at ease – this is a private property and you feel like you’re having an excursion around someone else’s flat. The excursion is guided by some relative of the castle’s owner, who lives in its other part. Still, you get the feeling that the old duke will appear soon, and its even hard to believe that you live in the XXI century!

Each castle has its story, its zest. For instance, Konopiste castle, built in the XIV century keeps the largest European collection of armory and medieval weapons. For a period of time, the castle belonged to Franz Ferdinand of Austria, who was assassinated in Sarajevo – this triggered World War I. The historical castle is located about 45 km from Prague and is surrounded with an English rose garden.

Those who are assured that the only thing you can find in Czech Republic is beer should visit Melnik town and its castle, famous wine-making sites. In XIV century king Charles IV brought vine from Burgundy, and since then, wine was produced in Melnik. Nowadays visitors to the castle wine cellars can try excellent wine and hear its story. The castle is situated 35 km north of Prague.

Castles not far from Prague are often visited by tourists, but only those who value real beauty venture for a trip to remote castles. Lets move to the south of Czechia, as it is here that you can feel national diversity. There are many beautiful cities in this region which you are advised to visit whenever you have a chance to: Tabor, Ceske Budejovice, Cesky Krumlov and many others.
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No avid espresso drinker’s life feels complete without an espresso coffee maker that will deliver espresso the way the espresso drinker likes it each morning. Surprisingly, many people still go plop down $2 to $4 at the local coffee shop instead of buying their own espresso coffee makers . If you are one of these people that for whatever reason still has not purchased an espresso machine, stay tuned.

Of course, you don’t want to just throw money at the first espresso coffee machine that comes along. You need to decide how lazy you want to be with your espresso machine. Odds are that the reason you don’t own one has some correlation to not wanting to spend a whole lot of time making your espresso. But just in case you are interested in all of the details of making espresso, we’ll discuss manual espresso coffee makers too.

Manual espresso coffee makers basically require you to already have your coffee beans ground and to manually put the grounds and the water in the machine. Also, if you like frothing, most of these have a pump you can use to add frothing.

For a little more convenience, you can get a mostly automatic espresso maker. To use these machines, you have a pump you start and then wait about thirty seconds for extraction. These are about the most popular home espresso coffee machines because they are inexpensive and relatively small. For a little more money, you can get a slightly larger mostly automatic espresso machine that has self on-off control built in as well. Read the rest of this entry »

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This large country whose capital, Mexico City, is one of the largest countries in the world and also boasts of a lot of wonders. If you are a nature-tripper who would love to spend your time on the beach or on the green, Mexico will appeal to your taste. If you fancy ancient architecture, you would be pleased to know that Mexico is just the right place for you.

1.) Rio Grande Rivers

Rivers are abundant in Mexico. The biggest of the Mexican rivers and of all the rivers in the world is the Rio Grande. It serves as a separator between Mexico and the USA, and it is also known as Rio Bravo in Mexico, a river that is popular for thrill-seeking tourists.

2.) Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre Oriental

There are two mountain ranges that run across Mexico, and these are Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre Oriental. Both are known for their majestic height and beauty. While here, make sure that you take a visit to this place for you to see these mountain ranges.

3.) Oaxaca Plateau

Situated in Oaxaca in Southwest Mexico, the Oaxaca Plateau is more than just a wonder of nature. It is also where the early Zapotecs, one of the predecessors of the Mexicans, built an ancient city. As such, Oaxaca Plateua remains to be one of Mexico’s greatest treasures.

4.) Isla Mujeres

You will be excited to know that the Caribbean Sea is actually a nearby neighbor of Mexico. Isla Mujeres is one of those beautiful islands whose beauty is partly thanks to the Caribbean seas. Aside from a perfect place to sunbathe, Isla Mujeres was also actually part of the Mayan civilization.

5.) Internationally recognized beaches

Beaches are aplenty in Mexico. You will definitely want to visit at least one of the Mexican beaches - prided by the Mexicans for its pristine waters and precious sand. These beaches are good places for you to hang out, sunbathe or swim in.

6.) Bull fighting

The Mexicans have this rich cultural heritage that has been remarkably well preserved. Until now, traditional practices such as the bull fighting are still being exercised. You will do well to witness at least one of these cultural events.

7.) Day of the Dead or El Dia de los Muertos

Mexicans love to celebrate, and one of their most cherished celebrations is the El Dia de los Muertos, a day meant to commemorate the people who have passed over. The celebration is marked with a festive mood. Colorful costumes, food and flowers mark this event.

8.) Nuestra Señora del Carmen

The cathedrals in Mexico are of high value, just as much as religion is a big part of a Mexican’s life. Your visit to Nuestra Señora del Carmen will grant you witness to the “Doorway of the Archangels.” This is a world-famous altarpiece that is alluded to as the doorway of the angels.

9.) Maya City of Tulum

Marvel at the beauty and glory of Mayan civilization through the ruins of their city. You can find this in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Aside from ancient and well-preserved structures, the Maya City of Tulum is also where you can find preserved objects and tools used by the ancient people of Maya. Read the rest of this entry »

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