Open Garden Days

Let's say the truth, Amsterdam is best known around the world for its wild side, for its tolerance, for its freedom. Yet Amsterdam is way more than that! If you wish to discover one of Amsterdam's hidden sides we advise you to be there from the 20th to the 22nd of June 2008.
In those three days the Canal Museums are going to give you the chance to view Amsterdam's hidden gardens.
This happening takes place once a year when, thanks to the kindness of private homeowners and various institutions, the doors to private gardens and spectacular hidden arbours remain open from
10 am to 5 pm. The Open Garden Days will let you see what goes on beyond some of the most beautiful façades of Amsterdam, and, with a ticket of 12 €, you will have the opportunity to board the canal boat that will bring you to these awesome hidden Amsterdam's secret gardens.

LONDON PECULIAR

TEMPTING STORES: LONDON TOP 5

FORTNUM & MASON (Piccadilly): a most glamorous grocer
SELFRIDGES & CO (Oxford Street.): hippest department store in town
HARRODS (Knightsbridge): “Everything for everybody everywhere”
WATERSTONE’S (Piccadilly): the biggest bookshop in Europe
HAMLEYS (Regent Street): largest toy shop in the world


LONDON MARKETS. 5 best ones

PORTOBELLO ROAD: antiques market - Saturday 7 a.m. – 6 pm
PETTICOAT LANE: second hand clothes – Sunday 9 am – 2 pm (metro Liverpool Street Or Aldgate)
COLUMBIA ROAD: flower market – Sunday 8 am – 1 pm
CAMDEN PASSAGE: antiques – best Wednesday/Saturday (metro Angel)
JUBILEE MARKET: souvenirs; APPLE MARKET: jewellery; in Covent Garden Piazza


MUSEUM SHOPS

Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A). silk and organza scarves, hand dyed Indian bathrobes, Raku ceramics
The Science Museum: educational and scientific toys
Royal Academy and Tate Modern: products linked to special exhibitions
British Museum: a last-minute-shopping at Heathrow Terminal 4

THE BEST FISH & CHIPS

Rock & Sole Place in Covent Garden, Costa’s ( Notting Hill) owned and staffed by Italians, Sea Shee in Lisson Grove and Geales in Notting Hill, Fish Central (near the Barbican Centre), Masters Super Fish (Warterloo) and Seafresh in Wilton road (close to Victoria Station).

London over 30.000 shops to satisfy your desires.

That's what London can offer you, but this is only one of hundreds of ways to visit this extraordinary town. From fashion boutiques to the big institutions like Marks & Spencer or Selfridges, to the multiclored stores of music chains HMV and Virgin, to a wide range of bookshops /mainly concentrated at the eastern end of Oxford street/Charing Cross road, to fashion stores and boutiques, to sex shops ... Indeed in London you can find anything you might wish, There is even a list of 'London's top 10 tempting stores': amond them the most glamorous grocer Fortnum & Manson (Piccadilly), Harrods (Knightsbridge), Waterstone's (Piccadilly), Europe's biggest bookshop whioch is worth a visit for its interior of the 1930s.
One cannot miss the area of Covent Garden, its market, its shops, its theatres, opera house, cafès and bars, one of the most pleasant shopping London areas. If you look for most famous European designers (like Armani or Versace) or some of the best-quality British accessories (like Mulberry's leather handbags and Church's traditional English shoes) just walk along New Bond street. Since you cannot but visit some of the many museums in town, do not forget that the shop inside the Victoria and Albert Museum (South Kensington) sells beautiful scarves in silk and organza and a stunning collection of Raku ceramics while at the Natural History Museum you can find prodcts made from recycled or raw materials. We suggest a weekend or city breaks, you can enjoy your shopping days, you can choose in many hotels in London to book your cheap or luxury room . Shopping in London is quite an experience!!! Good Shopping!

Sydney - A masterpiece 20th-century building.

There are many examples of modern architecture in Australia. First of all, Sydney’s Opera House, designed by a Danish architect (called Utson), and opened in 1973 in Sydney’s Harbor, which has achieved worldwide recognition and is still considered a masterpiece of 20th century architecture. But modern architecture in Sydney is not only represented by the Opera House and I would rather point out another landmark of the city: the Sydney Tower, Australia's tallest building ( 320 meters high) which opened in 1981 to serve as a communication tower as well as a tourist facility. Three high speed elevators lead to the turret at the top, with observation platforms and restaurants that can accommodate almost 1000 people. Just imagine that the size of the top turret is equivalent to a nine-storey building... But if you choose Sidney in Australia for your next holiday, you will find many more innovative buildings and examples of modern architecture in Sydney together with examples of art deco. It is said that the inner-city precincts of Potts Point and Elisabeth Bay contain the highest density of art deco architecture (a phenomenon of the 1930s) in the southern hemisphere. One good example is the Criterion Hotel in Park street, another one the Piccadilly Hotel in Pots Point. Hotel reservations in Sydney in Australia.