Paris, France

Paris, France, Europe

By Murielle Lucie Clément

One of the most beautiful cities in the world, Paris is often called “The City of the lights”. It is very true; that with her many streets lights and lighted shops windows till the middle of the night, Paris looks
gorgeous. During the day, one can visit numerous places (Place de Ternes, place Saint Michel, Montmartre, Jardins du Luxembourg, Boulevard Saint Michel, Saint Germain) museum (among them Le louvre is surely worth a visit to admire La Joconde), walk alongside the Seine. At night, one can visit many theaters (Châtelet, Les Bouches du Nord, Bercy), go to the opera or see films in many cinemas. This is common to all big cities in the world. But Paris is not like the other cities in the world. Paris has the Eiffel tower and the Champs Elysées!

Situated in the seventh arrondissement of Paris, the Iron lady towers the Seine near Quai Branly, just in front of the Iena Bridge. This tower is 324 meters high (if we consider the antenna at the top) and was build in 1887. During 41 years, it was the higher building in the world. Many people and personalities were against the construction; but nowadays it became the most popular symbol to represent the Elysées capital. Since 24th of June 1964 it is part of the long list of France’s historical monuments. In 1991, UNESCO declared it, along other Paris’ monuments, part of the world’s patrimonies.

Close to it, a huge place with green and decorated with statues and sculptures, fountains and stairs made of marble: le Champ de Mars and opposite to it “La Place du Trocadéro”. Wonderful surroundings where youth and elderly people cohabitate on sunny days.

In Paris, of course, there are also lots of restaurant and smaller places to eat. A very celebrated place
is Maxim’s. The rendezvous of celebrities, French and foreign as well. Among the world famous hotels, one will go to Hôtel Lutetia, where during the war the Gestapo agents took quarter. After the war, people coming back from the camps were hosted in the beautiful chambers, waiting for their return to the villages where from they originated.

Like many other cities Paris has a long and interesting history. A visit to Paris is the assurance not to be bored. Gastronomic escapes, cultural occupation, slandering along streets from which history drips at every corner is awaiting to tell you many well kept secret and well known anecdotes.

You can join Paris, by air, by train, by car, even by boat sailing the Seine from Le Havre and passing
Rouen, another wonderful historical city.

Murielle Lucie Clément


europe

Pokhara City, Nepal

Pokhara City, Nepal, Asia

by Suman Ojha

Pokhara is the most beautiful city of country Nepal. It is a valley bounded by gorgeous green hills.
Within the valley also, there are little hills which culminate the beauty of the city. Beyond the surrounding hills are the snow-white mountains that can be seen from several parts of the city and more vividly from top of the nearby hills. Pokhara is a little heaven on a small land.

Nature has blessed the city with a number of bounties. It is also called city of Lakes. There are several lakes within the valley among which
Fewa Lake and Begnas lake have been the heart of the city. In addition, there are several adventurous caves like Mahendra Cave, Bats’ Cave and Gupteshower Cave. Devi’s Fall is another interesting and should-be-visited aspect of Pokhara. This is not the end, Seti River which flows through the heart of the city is well known for the George structures it has created through the path. These are only the natural gifts of the city; besides, there are several culturally and religiously valuable assets as well. World Peace Pagoda (at the top of hill surrounding Fewa Lake), Matepani Gumpa and Bindabasini Temple are other important cultural places for tourists.
A lot of opportunities are also available for adventurous people. If one wishes to see the whole valley in a glance, s/he might go to Sarankot Hill. It’s a tall hill on the western side of Pokhara valley from where you can get a telescope to view the every detail of the city. Moreover, you can do Paragliding over the Fewa Lake and in the sky above the city to enjoy the all round beauty. If this doesn’t satisfy you, then experiencing the world's steepest, fastest and tallest Zip Line will be waiting for you to give the ultimate thrill.
If tourists happen to visit around the New Year (January 1), they become lucky to experience Street Festival at the Lake Side (area near Fewa Lake). During this festival, Lake Side glows in light for the whole night. Moreover, during the time of October and November, tourists can see people celebrating Dashain (the greatest festival of Hindus). The festival runs for 10 days and all the people throughout the country celebrate this festival regardless of their religion. People take ‘tika’ on their forehead and blessings from their elders. Relatives living far away meet together on the occasion of Dashain festival and share their happiness and sorrows. Similarly, Holi is another exciting festival that is celebrated here. In this festival, people play by throwing colored powders on each other. It is believed as a celebration of victory of divine over the devil in the ancient past.
Tourists can move from one place to another within the city in public buses. However, if they have enough money, taxis can be easily available to them. In addition, they can hire a cycle for short rides and bike for long distance tours.
Another interesting speciality of Pokhara is Rainfall. It is the city that has the highest rainfall record throughout the country. Monsoon season is the best time to visit Pokhara for rain lovers. However, it can be annoying if the days become cloudy and one doesn’t get chance to get the view of bright mountains. Also, heavy rainfall might be unfavorable if one is planning to do boating. Yet, if you are fond of rafting, this is the best time for you.

These were only a few things about Pokhara city. No absolute beauty can be described in words, since it lies in the eyes of the beholder. So, visit Pokhara city and explore its immense beauty and hidden treasures.

Almada, Portugal

Almada

Almada is a Portuguese city with around 175 000 inhabitants, being one of the most populated cities of Portugal. It has a big shore at west for the Atlantic Ocean and at North for the Tagus River, so it provides the city with a great potential for sun and sea tourism as well as country tourism. Almada rose as a city due to the industrialization from 19th century until the 70’s of the 20th century, its location near to the river allowed naval industries to supply jobs to families and give them good life conditions, although the city was very rural and behind the trends presented by the modern cities in Europe.

When Portugal adhered to the CEE, with the subsequent investment, the city of Almada also started to develop by developing the academic facilities like the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of Monte da Caparica and the Superior Institute of Egas Moniz where the academic spirit is well represented by young and dynamic people that give energy to the city with good programs to integrate all the population and the traditional academic events, like traditional festivals every week. One of the biggest struggles in Almada in the social inequality presented in the city that causes some assimetries, in terms of income and also safety, insecure areas are mainly in the perifery of the city.

The beaches of Costa da Caparica are the biggest touristic attraction of Almada, sun and beach in the summer with temperatures over 35ºC and with sports like surf, kitesurf, windsurf and bodyboard and good restaurants with fresh fish and acessible prices, and pubs and discos where anyone can have a good time and with acessible prices too, in average 10 to 20 €. If you prefer other types of tourism, there’s always the monument of Cristo Rei, where you can visit the top of it and you’ll have a great view of Tagus River and the entire city of Lisbon. If you want cultural activities, Almada provides the tourists with a great offer, with two big libraries, the City Forum Romeu Correia and the Jose Saramago City Library, both equipped with Audiovisual rooms, lobby, bar, newspaper rooms and a room which purpose is to held conferences, seminars, meeting or even areas to children. Almada has some recognized names at cultural level, like the former footballer Luis Figo, or the music bands like Xutos e Pontapés and Da Weasel or even Sara Tavares and Melech Mechaya

Almada is full of parks and nature, the environment has been a huge bet on the local government, so we can say that Almada is a green city. The kind of transportation used in Almada is mainly subway or bus. People often use the train, but to cross the bridge to go to Lisbon, which is the capital and where the majority of people get a job opportunity. Almada has a big problem with unemployment due to this proximity to the capital, so only small businesses are available in this city and one of the biggest shopping centers in Europe, the Almada Forum, where tourist can do some shopping and consuming fast food if they desire, but it would be a waste, since due to the proximity to the river and ocean, Almada has tradition in good local resturants. The inhabitants of Almada are very friendly and will welcome tourists in a good way.