The Romantic City of Venice

The Italian city of Venice is celebrated in the world for being one of the top romantic destinations for couples. This city of dreams has a stunning architecture and original system of a city plan: the main transportation is through water streets. The city lies on more than one hundred islands which are separated by canals with streets linked by more than four hundred bridges. It’s an artistic city with its roots going back to the medieval times.

Venice is compared with Paris, as one of the most
popular romantic destinations in the world. 

To explore the city in its entire splendor, people take a unique kind of a boat called gondola, to pass through numerous canals and enjoy art at each step. Located in the north east of Italy, on the Adriatic Sea, Venice is compared with Paris, as one of the romantic cities and destinations in the world.  This wonderful city on water is an open museum under the sky, attracting thousands of couples to spend their honeymoon there and thousands of artists to admire its amazing art at each corner of the street. The article goes further to illustrate a number of activities one should do to feel all the romance of the city.

Gondola Ride

The list starts with a gondola ride for you and your beloved one in the many canals of the city, during which you will admire the baroque and Renaissance buildings of the past. The boater will be someone out of a fairy tale, with his hat taking you to the traces of the medieval city.

Explore the Nearby Islands

Take a boat to the nearby islands, where you can enjoy shopping and bargain with the locals to get some of the nice souvenirs which will remind you of your wonderful city of romance for the rest of your life.

Feel the Spirit of Casanova

Casanova is one of the famous Venice lovers. It is said that he met his beloved ones at the place where now Do Spade bar is situated. There are other places associated with the life of Casanova. You may visit the prison called the Dog’s Palace; he spent some period of his life before his escape.

Enjoy the Art Gallery at Frari Church

The road to the Church of Frari is a piece of romance itself with the calm corners and the mild breeze passing through it. Numerous passionate works of the Venetian painter Titian decorate the gallery housed in the old Gothic church of Frari. The masterpieces of art will pass you the glow of the medieval Renaissance.

Romantic Evening

What is more romantic than going for an evening ballet or opera performance at the Fenice Theatre? It’s a good opportunity or both of you to admire the local music art from the golden balconies of the opera house. To reach the theatre you can take the waterbus which will take you through the Grand Canal to the nearest stop of the theatre – Santa Maria del Giglio.

The Blue Mosque

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, well-known as Blue Mosque, it was built during 1609-1616. It is named after Sultan Ahmed I, with his tomb inside the mosque. The mosque is a classic example of Islamic art and architecture. It is considered to be one of the famous religious buildings in the world. The blue color was attributed to the name of the mosque for the blue tiles on the inside walls. It is one of the popular tourist attractions of the capital city. It is situated near another architectural wonder - the Hagia Sophia church. 

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, or the Blue Mosque is a classic example of Islamic art and architecture.

In the place where the mosque is located now, there used to be other buildings of social importance; Turkish baths, a bazaar, schools and a hospital, a caravanserai, etc. These buildings were to complete a whole complex, though only the Blue Mosque survived to our days.

The design of the mosque was given by the young architect Mehmet Aga, who died one year before the completion of the mosque. He is buried outside the mosque. The plan of the mosque was given by his master Sinan previously, but he fulfilled it in  larger measures.

The mosque is unique originally built with six minarets. It has three entrances, leading to the interior. The splendid design of the interior is guaranteed with colorful paintings, tiles and glass. The broad arches are followed with huge columns, which, in their turn support the side domes rising up. The upper part of the tiles is decorated with paint works, as well as the inner parts of the domes.

The interior of the Blue Mosque is lightened up with 260 windows.

To mention it, the blue color of the interior paint works is not the original one. During the later restoration works the mosque acquired its blue color, and the ‘blue’ modern name, as a result. In 1990, during the last restoration the mosque was repainted with light blue.

The whole inside hall of the mosque is covered with carpets. The interior is lightened up with 260 windows. The main entrance leads to a unique marble work (just opposite to the entrance). There is the box (loge) of the sultan, which has the form of a balcony.

Besides the mosque, there is a market building, which was repaired recently. The mausoleum of the founder of the mosque, Sultan Ahmet and the religious school are next to Hagia Sophia. The Blue Mosque is among the most visited monuments in Istambul. In the nearby park, numerous shows are organized.

Religious people reach the balconies of the mosque by spiral stairs. From these balconies, those believers say their prayers with loudspeakers five times a day.

This way the believers learn about the praying time, get washed themselves and start praying. On holidays, these prayers are held collectively in the mosque. 

Maldives: World Famous Romantic Gateway

The Maldives, listed in the world’s top romantic gateways, is located in waters of the Indian Ocean. In the sequence of its history, the Republic of the Maldives enjoyed independence, except its three historical turns when the Maldives ruled foreign countries. It is significant for being the lowest country in the world, and the smallest Asian country with its population and the area.

As being in the trade route of India, the Maldive cultures is a mix of the South, Southeastern Asian, African and Arabic traditions and cultures. The main language is Dhivehi, which is spoken with its numerous dialects in the different regions of the country.  In the sequence of its history the inhabitants of the Maldives practiced different beliefs and superstitions, though nowadays the majority of the population are Muslims.  This fact didn't lessen in the locals the belief in the supernatural, which can be credited to the Buddhist and folklore traditions spread throughout the islands.

Besides the various beliefs, Maldivian art has its uniqueness for being influenced by the aforementioned cultures. One may find a musical instrument called bodu-beru, which is a big drum resembling African drumming. The unique kind of a Maldivian boat called dhoni resembles the Arabian dows. The cultural influences in the Maldives are not limited to those mentioned above, as the islands are home to many undefined cultures that are practiced by the locals in a daily base.

To spend your holiday as a loving couple and to make your stay mystic, intimate and, most important of all, romantic, the Maldives is the perfect destination for you. The beautiful settings and picturesque landscape will make your honeymoon the most amazing celebration of love. The romance is followed by the evening dinners under the open sky with the stars glowing high above. The days spent in the unknown when you take a boat to an inhabited island on your own will make your trip one of those unforgettable ones. Another thing to enjoy, is to stay in your private bungalow, enjoy the evening breeze while getting a spa treatment in your room.

It’s a good opportunity for both of you to get know each other better by diving and diving in the nearby waters, going for a midnight fishing to compare who catches most. This is done before beautiful sunset, when you anchor at a proper fishing spot. The changing colors of the rays of the sun will mark everything around you, by making those of your meeting sunset days unforgettable for the rest of your life. 

Honeymoon is not a one time experience to celebrate the love of your life;each time you go back to the Maldives it will arose all of those amazing feeling  you had once in the same wonderland.

The City of Kathmandu (Nepal)

Nepal, the birthplace of Buddha, is an independent country located between Tibet and China. For hundreds of years Nepal had been a monarchy. In 2008, it was declared as the Federal Republic of Nepal. The tallest mountain in the world – Everest, also called Chomolungma, is located there. The mountain range of the Himalayas is crossing the country having eight of the highest peaks in the world. 

For thousands of years, the country was closed for foreigners, for which the explorations of the area started to be carried out from the 19th century. As the birthplace of Buddhism, Nepal is home to thousands of temples. Because of its diverse geography and picturesque landscape, Nepal attracts thousands of tourists and mountaineers. 

Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal. The name of the city derives from the Kasthamandap temple, one of the popular tourist attractions in Nepal. According to a manuscript the city was called Kasthamandap meaning ‘wooden shelter.’ Till nowadays Buddhist priests refer the city with its old name. Kathmandu was a trade route between India and Tibet. This made the architecture of the city as a fusion of different cultures, hence adopted to the local one.
It is the largest urban area in the territory of Nepal and one of the least expensive cities in the world. The population of the city is more than 970,000 inhabitants (according the recent consensus of 2011), and it covers an area of 50 square kilometers. The city is located in the Kathmandu valley, in the middle of Nepal. 

Kathmandu is the economic center of the country, representing the tourism gateway of Nepal. After the end of the political unrest in the country, tourism became one of the main industries in the country. With the flourishing of the tourism, Nepal became a member of a number of international tourism associations. Starting from 1950, a developed system of five and four star hotels emerged in Kathmandu. Accordingly, the considerable part of the Nepal industry is the tourism; it is listed in the 10 most visited countries in the world, and the first most visited in Asia. 

An inscription found in the valley of Kathmandu indicates that  the city has a history of two thousand years. Religion is the considerable part of the everyday life of the residents. The majority of them follows Buddhism and Hinduism, though other religions find their place, shaping the cultural and religious diversity of  Kathmandu. The residents speak Nepali, and the educated population speaks English.

The so called sister cities of Kathmandu – Lalitpur and Bhaktapur, together with Kathmandu (including tourist attractions in the three cities) are included in the Unesco Heritage List. 

Before Climbing The Mount Everest

The Mount Everest, as the highest peak on the Earth (8,848 meters/29,029 ft), has attracted thousands of explorers and mountaineers to try the adventure of climbing its top. Regardless of the professional level of mountaineers, professional guide is a must to accompany them to the summit. By taking into consideration the huge challenge of climbing the highest peak in the Himalaya Range, there should be encountered the following dangers; winds and the weather, oxygen lack, sickness because of the altitude and the icefall.

There are two main routes to access the peak (besides, several less famous paths); the comparably easy one starts from the southeast of Nepal, also called the standard route. The second one starts from Tibet in the north. As mentioned above, the southeastern route is an easy one and most climbings are realized from that route. In 1953, Edmund Hillary from New Zeland and Tenzing Norgay climbed the summit from this route, officially recognized in 1996 as the first climbers to the top of the Mount Everest.

The seasonal monsoon winds make it difficult to climb the mountain. The best season for climbing is May; strong summer monsoons are dangerous for climbing. The dangerous season ends with the coming of September and October.

The hikes from the southeastern route start from Nepal, the Base Camp at an altitude of 5,380. To get acclimatized to the density of the air and the cold around, the hikers spend two weeks in the Base Camp. The first challenge that hikers have to overcome is the passing of the famous hazardous part of Khumbu Icefall. They realize the pass of the Icefall part early in the dawn when the ice is firm enough because of the night cold.

The second camp or the ABC (the Advanced Base Camp) is located at an altitude of 6,500 meters. This camp is located in the glacial valley of Cwm, which is the hottest section of the southern route to the Everest.  Overcoming the ABC by ropes, the fourth Camp comes forward with its challenges for the hikers to pass black and marble rocks covered with snow  with the help of ropes.

 The checkpoint determining whether hikers can go on with climbing to the summit is the so-called dead zone (on the South Col). In this fourth Base hikers stay for two or three days to make sure if their body is capable of enduring the altitude. In case the weather is not good enough for completing the climbing to the top, climbers have to descend back to first Base Camp.

As mentioned above, it is more difficult to climb the summit of Everest from the northern route. The evidence for it is that this route consists of more than four camp bases (as it is in the case of the southern route). 

The Highest Peak in the World: Everest

The Mount Everest, also known as Chomolungma, is the highest peak in the world. The mount is a part of the Himalaya Asian mountain range, which includes some of the highest peaks in the world. The official height of the Everest is 8,848 meters according the Chinese survey in the year of 1975. Due to excessive length the climate of the Himalayas varies from tropical to eternal snow in different altitudes.

For thousands of years, the mount was called Chomolungma, having a Tibetian origin. Meanwhile, this part of the world was closed to the outer world. The Survey of exploring the mountain range lasted for several decades. The section of the mountain range starting from the south of India and extending to Nepal in the north, was explored by the Welsh geographer an surveyor George Everest. Accordingly, the official name was given to the mountain in honor of the Welsh Colonel George Everest.

Thousands of professional hikers all over the world are attracted by the challenge of climbing the highest peak in the world. Although most of them are professional hikers themselves, the local guides leading to the Everest are a must. There are two gates to climb the mountain; one is located in the southeast (Nepal), the other in the north (Tibet). The gate from the southeastern Nepal is also called standard route.

While admitting that those who climb the Everest should be professional hikers and climbers, we take into consideration the existing challenges of overcoming the cold winds, lack of oxygen, snow slides, sickness from altitude and many more. The majority of climbers uses oxygen bottles while climbing, though the number of climbers without a bottle is not little, as well.

The first human to climb as high as 8,300 meters was in 1922, by the British expedition members. For a long time mountaineer could not access the mountains from the Nepal part, as it was closed for foreigners. This is the reason why the British mountaineers accessed it from the Tibetian side climbing as high as 8,300 meters. The expedition of the British climbers in 1924  has been a mystery till nowadays. Two members of the expedition went to reach the top for no longer coming back. For a long time, there was a debate on whether these two climbers were the first to reach the top. The doubts vanished with the discovery of their corps at a height of 8,150 meters in 1999.

The Nepalese mountaineer Tenzing Norgay and the explorer Edmund Hillary from New Zeland were the first officially to climb the summit of Everest from the southeastern standard route in 1953.