subject: Search For Budget European Vacation Packages And Research On Traditional Shopping Hubs And Festivals [print this page] European Vacations to Medieval Stockholm European Vacations to Medieval Stockholm
Stockholm settlers in Gamla Stan, the Old City, had been in the area since the establishment of the city more than 750 years ago. As early as 1252, pillaging raids abounded in the winding medieval alleyways, small town squares, ancient churches and of course, the Royal Palace. Nowadays, instead of horses or donkeys with carriages on the streets, you can find bus tours galore with tourists from all over the world. You can easily avoid them by keeping off the main streets and instead taking the quaint side streets during your European vacations. Celebrate how far the country has gone by visiting the Stadshuset, the City Hall. It is Stockholms most prominent landmark that hosts some of the worlds most respected individuals at its annual Nobel Prize banquet. A 10,000-pipe organ, the stunning Golden Hall which depicts Swedish history through 18 million pieces of gold leaf on wall mosaics, and the Council Chamber resembling an open roof of a Viking longhouse are among the must-see attractions in the city.
Learn About Vienna's Art and Culture on European Vacations
Vienna has a rich heritage in the arts and culture, making it a great city to visit for enriching European vacations. The Vienna State Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, is a beautiful structure, especially at night, where you can catch world-class performances of opera 50 to 60 times a year. The Hofburg Museum exhibits the imperial jewels of the royal family of Habsburgs. The Sisi Museum is devoted to the Empress Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie of Austria, and allows guests to view the imperial apartments. The Kunsthistorisches Museum and Naturhistorisches Museum have numerous paintings by old masters, and ancient and classical artifacts. These museums are not even part of Viennas museum quarter, formerly the imperial stalls which were converted to a museum complex in the 1990s. The complex houses, among others, the Leopold Museum, home to one of the largest collections of modern Austrian art and featuring artists such as Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele.
Amsterdam European Vacations
If you are spending your European vacations in Amsterdam, they will surely be full of color. The area is rife with clogs, cheeses, tulips and windmills. Check out the eight windmills in Amsterdam, especially the famous De Gooyer where its location next to the prize-winning brewery Brouwerij t IJ makes it ideal for having a beer. Travel to the Singel and pick out the best tulips at the Bloemenmarkt or taste the flavorful cheeses you can bring home from the Wegewijs emporium. Just outside the city is a clog-making museum, Klompenmakerij De Zaanse Schans that shows visitors the shoes history and symbolism. More on the theme of colorful shoes, Amsterdams Historisch Museum displays objects like 700-year-old footwear pairs, demonstrating the urban evolution of the past eight centuries. Explore the 165 canals that encircle the city and keep the sea at bay. The most charming is Prinsengracht with its green shades and fun houseboats. Walk up this area to see Anne Franks house.
Admire the Beauty of Rome on European Vacations
Rome has many beautiful churches that could make your European vacations more memorable and meaningful. Five patriarchal basilicas can be found in the city, with each one ceremonially assigned to one of the patriarchs. San Giovanni in Laterano, for St. John Lateran, the Pope, is the popes first church. It is Romes cathedral and was built in the Baroque style. The Patriarch of Antioch, St. Mary Major, was assigned the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore -- an exquisite structure with 5th century religious mosaics, marble flooring, brilliant ceilings and a bell tower. The Patriarch of Constantinople, St. Peter's Basilica, was assigned San Pietro in Vaticano in the Vatican City. The church of the current pope, it is one of the largest and probably the most important Catholic church in the world. It is very popular for Michelangelo's Pieta, as well as its bronze, marble, and gold trimmings. It is said that the Apostle Paul is buried in Rome's second largest church -- San Paolo fuori le Mura, for St. Paul Outside the Walls, the Patriarch of Alexandria.
