Trip around the World

Cherry bloom in Japan

The cherry blossom (sakura) is Japan's unofficial national flower. It has been celebrated for many centuries and takes a very prominent position in Japanese culture.

There are many dozens of different cherry tree varieties in Japan, most of which bloom for just a couple of days in spring. The Japanese celebrate that time of the year with hanami (cherry blossom viewing) parties under the blooming trees.

Tundra

In physical geography, tundra is an area where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term "tundra" comes from Kildin Sami tūndâr 'uplands, tundra, treeless mountain tract'. There are two types of tundra: Arctic tundra (which also occurs in Antarctica), and alpine tundra. In tundra, the vegetation is composed of dwarf shrubs, sedges and grasses, mosses, and lichens. Scattered trees grow in some tundra. The ecotone (or ecological boundary region) between the tundra and the forest is known as the tree line or timberline.

Autumn in Germany

The tourists are leaving and the wine is ready! Making your trip to Germany in autumn has plenty of advantages. The high season for traveling to Germany and the rest of Europe is from June through September. The warm weather draws more tourists than at any other season, driving up prices and creating long lines at museums and sights. In August, Europeans are themselves on the move to their own vacation spots.

By October, prices have dropped for airline tickets and hotel rooms, not to mention souvenirs and meals in popular restaurants. While the weather can turn temperamental, you can still experience wonderfully warm weather with brilliantly blue skies. Most of the tourist sights, restaurants and hotels will have diminished their teeming throngs, allowing travelers greater spontaneity and the chance to meet local residents rather than fellow vacationers. Classical music lovers will appreciate that autumn is also the time when Germany's opera and classical music venues begin their seasons.

The beauty of Antarctica

On average, Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents. Since there is little precipitation, except at the coasts, the interior of the continent is technically the largest desert in the world. There are no permanent human residents and there is no evidence of any existing or pre-historic indigenous population. Only cold-adapted plants and animals survive there, including penguins, fur seals, mosses, lichen, and many types of algae.

German's New Swan Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th-century Bavarian palace. Located on a mountain top in Germany, near Hohenschwangau and Füssen in southwest Bavaria, the palace was built by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as a homage to Richard Wagner, the King's inspiring muse. Although public photography of the interior is not permitted, it is the most photographed building in Germany and is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations.

Ludwig did not allow visitors to his castles, but since its opening in 1886, over 50 million people have visited the Neuschwanstein Castle. About 1.3 million people visit annually, with up to 6,000 per day in the summer. The palace has appeared in movies several times, and was the inspiration for the Cinderella and the Sleeping Beauty fairytale castles in several establishments of Disneyland.

View of Holland

The Netherlands is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba in the Caribbean. The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy, located in Western Europe. It is bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east.

The Netherlands is often called Holland. This is formally incorrect as North and South Holland in the western Netherlands are only two of the country's twelve provinces. As a matter of fact, many Dutch people colloquially call their country Holland, being well aware of the widespread use of this name.

Beauty of Tibet

Tibet is a plateau region in Central Asia and the home to the indigenous Tibetan people. With an average elevation of 4,900 metres (16,000 ft), it is the highest region on Earth and is commonly referred to as the "Roof of the World."

China, the People's Republic of China (PRC) claim Tibet as a part of China (with a small part, depending on definitions, controlled by India). As an exclusive mandate. In the Tibetan sovereignty debate, the government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of Tibet in Exile disagree over when, or if, Tibet became a part of China. Geographically, UNESCO and Encyclopædia Britannica consider Tibet to be part of Central Asia, while several academic organizations controversially consider it part of South Asia.

The Night Scene of Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is an iron tower built on the Champ de Mars beside the Seine River in Paris. The tower has become a global icon of France and is one of the most recognizable structures in the world.

The Parisian landmark is the tallest building in Paris and one of the most recognized structures in the world and is named after its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel. 6,719,200 people visited the tower in 2006 and more than 200,000,000 since its construction. This makes the tower the most visited paid monument in the world. Including the 24 m (79 ft) antenna, the structure is 325 m (1,063 ft) high (since 2000), which is equivalent to about 81 levels in a conventional building.

Breithorn Peak (switzerland)

The Breithorn is a mountain in the Alps, considered the most easily climbed 4,000 m Alpine peak. This is due to the Klein Matterhorn cable car which takes climbers to over 3,870 m (12,700 ft) for a starting point. The standard route (SSW flank) continues over a glacial plateau before climbing to the summit on a 35 degree snow slope. However, inexperienced mountaineers may run into severe difficulty if caution is not taken near cornices or in bad weather. For experienced climbers wanting more of a challenge, the half traverse of the Breithorn crest is another option.