Tag Archives: Natural Beauty

Strasbourg

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Strasbourg – A Starting Point for Short River Cruises

After the excitement of the holidays have settled down, start planning your get away with  our marvelous Rhine River cruise!  One of Europe’s major rivers, the Rhine flows through Switzerland, Germany, France and Holland. The area around the river – Rhineland – has a natural beauty that is simply stunning.  Picturesque mountain ranges, enchanting forests, mysterious castles and traditional vineyards provide a wonderful backdrop to a river cruise.

Strasbourg is one of the various beautiful destinations on Rhine River. The city is a starting point for various short river cruises such as Strasbourg to Koblenz etc. The port of Strasbourg is the second largest on the Rhine River.

Situated in the north-east of France, Strasbourg is the ultimate European city. It is a great metropolis and very cosmopolitan. Strasbourg is located on the border of France and Germany and absorbs the flavor of both the countries.  A unique thing about the city is that residents have mixed feelings of being French or German and they often agree that they are not totally either French or German, but a mix of both. As you visit this city, you too will be amused to see that the signs are in both languages and find it hard to decide which country you are visiting- France or Germany!

The intellectual and cultural capital of Alsace, and the official seat of the European Parliament, Strasbourg is famous throughout the world for its sandstone Gothic Cathedral with its renowned astronomical clock and nearby one of the finest collections of museums anywhere in France. The medieval cityscape of Rhineland with black and white timber-framed buildings is truly captivating.

Strasbourg also has the distinction of being famous for its beautiful historical Centre – the Grande Île – which was the first city center to be classified entirely as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.  And not only this, the place is the best area in France when it comes to delicious cuisine as the dishes here have a boldness that originates from its German roots. You’ll find there is always attention to quality and detail that is the essence of the French food. Visitors will also have a wonderful time shopping here.  There is a wide range of markets and great shopping venues such as the new shopping Centre Rivetoile at Place d’.Etoile that was opened at the end of 2008.

Being so unique, beautiful and amazing, Strasbourg is a must visit destination. Your trip to Strasbourg will be an experience for a lifetime!

Wurtzburg’s Bishop’s Residenze

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Known as the heart of Europe, Germany has plenty of fantastic tourist attractions and unique sights to offer. Visitors from all over the world travel to Germany to see architectural treasures and fascinating places of natural beauty. So, it will be quite exciting to begin your trip with a relaxing and scenic Danube River cruise or Main River cruise to visit some wonderful destinations.

Wurtzburg Residenze-the former residence of prince bishops of Wurzburg-is one of the several attractions in Germany and stands as a wonderful example of architecture and beauty.

Wurtzburg Residenze is one of the most important baroque palaces in Europe and has been a UNESCO world cultural heritage site since 1981. The uniqueness and unity of style makes it one of the finest south German baroque palaces. No wonder, it is also known as “palace of palaces.”  It was originally designed for Prince-Bishop Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn by the then young and unknown architect Balthasar Neumann and was completed in sixty years. The shell of the palace was built from 1720 to 1744 and the interior finished in 1780.

The staircase of Wurtzburg Residenze is world-famous as it is roofed by an unsupported vault featuring one of the largest ceiling frescos in the world, painted in 1752/53 by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, and is an allegory of the four continents of the earth known at the time.

Wurtzburg Residenze has a magnificent sequence of rooms that starts in the vestibule and the Garden Hall, continues to the staircase and the White Hall, and through to the Imperial Hall, which also features frescos by Tiepolo.

A great attraction inside the Wurtzburg Residenze is the completely restored mirrored hall, which was reopened in 1987. There are around 40 palace rooms to visit with a rich array of furniture, tapestries, paintings and other 18th century treasures. Court Chapel is one of the finest examples of religious art in Würzburg and you can enter it separately from the southern front yard. The State Gallery contains Venetian art from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Wurtzburg Court Garden is extremely beautiful and gives you a wonderful time to enjoy art and nature. It was designed at the end of the 18th century by the landscape gardener Johann Prokop Mayer, featuring sculptures by Johann Peter Wagner.

The place is so unique;  you shouldn’t miss visiting it. So, get aboard a Germany river cruise and get lost in the wonders of this marvelous architectural creation!