Hong Kong

Cortina d’Ampezzo

In winter, Cortina offers 110 kilometers of downhill and 58 km. of cross-country ski runs.  Cortina d’Ampezzo is a famous alpine town in northern Italy. It’s in the Dolomites, part of the eastern half of the Italian Alps. In winter the town is a busy skiing destination, with several cable cars and access to many runs. With the professionals at the Cortina Adrenaline Center, thrills and  are available to everyone: taxi-bob, snow rafting, crazy sledge.

The rocky cliffs of the Dolomites that crown the town, like Tofane and Cristallo, represent a dream for every mountain climber.  Extreme sports enthusiasts can ride down Cortina’s Olympic Bobsled at 75 miles per hour. Those who enjoy less extreme sports will enjoy the resort’s sledding runs.

Many restaurants ranging from fine dining to pizzerias provide fantastic meals. Cortina cannot be discussed without mentioning the shopping.

Hiking, biking, skiing, sledding, skating, swimming, snow shoeing  all is here to be enjoyed. Cortina is  favourite destination of the tourists from all over the world.

The hotels are centrally located, offer good value, and have been visited by a Ski Europe representa-tive.
Hotel Miramonti ( 0436-4201 ), Hotel Oasi ( 0436-862019), Parc Hotel Vitoria (3246 4734).

Singapore

Singapore is very clean, efficient and marvelous place with open-air bars, where young Singaporeans with stylish hair toss back martinis until the early morning. As well as the Ministry of Sound, has opened a branch in Singapore that pounds with local dj’s.

But if you prefer to taste more deeply Singapore you should take a tour into the Singapore Botanic Gardens. They are a 157-acre park, where you’ll see a a medley of Chinese, Indians and Malays practicing martial arts, doing yoga and flirting.

Singapore has its share of white-linen restaurants, open-air food courts where each stall serves one dish and the cooks yell out their specialties like ballpark vendors. One of the most popular food village is located at the tropical park on the beach. With more than 50 stalls, the Village offers everything from barbecued tiger prawns to Indonesian satay to drinks made from grass jelly and aloe vera. Dinner for one, about 10 Singapore dollars, or $6.80 at 1.47 Singapore dollars to the U.S. dollar.

But the skyscrapers in the city-centre makes it easy to forget that parks cover much of this island. Today the city is most popular with its adventure sports. If you get up before the mercury rises and head to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, a 400-acre rain forest that is home to garrulous macaques and some 500 other animal species. Hiking and biking trails wind through the jungle, creeping with vines and giant ferns. Watch out for the flying lemurs: the possum-sized critters glide overhead between huge jelutong trees.

Singapore Airport Lounges

We’ve all been there, sitting around at the airport, waiting for our flight. Although the wait is usually no more than a couple of hours, it always seems to be so much longer. There is however an alternative to hanging around at the main terminal building at Singapore Changi Airport, drinking seemingly endless cups of coffee and watching the minutes tick by while waiting for your flight to be called.

There are 3 airport lounges in Singapore Airport that serve terminals 1, 2 and 3, all of which can provide a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle of the main terminal building.

Often overlooked by travellers, Singapore Airport Lounges offer great value for money providing access to a range of complimentary features and facilities including free snacks and drinks. What might of otherwise been a long and stressful wait can be substituted for something far more calming and entertaining.

So, next time you fly from Singapore Changi Airport, why not enjoy a little of the VIP lifestyle at one of the Singapore Airport Lounges.

Soria, Spain

Soria is a beautiful town in the heart of Spain. The time is stopped there and its ascetic grandeur — “somber oaks, harsh stony wastelands, bald peaks” — still retains the vision of Antonio Machado, one of the great lyric poets of the 20th century.

Poems from Machado are written on plaques on the walls of buildings. Although he only lived in the town for five years, it influences his most important work.

The monastery of San Juan de Duero was refashioned into a monastic complex by the Hospitallers, a group founded during the First Crusade.

Gormaz was once one of the largest castles in Europe. Situated on a hilltop with outstanding views to the horizon and the Duero on both sides, it was once a Muslim fortress.

Hamburg,Germany

Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany, perfect destination to explore its culture walking or on water. The port of Hamburg is the second largest port in Europe. Huge numbers of rivers, canals and lakes offer many opportunities for sightseeing the city from water. Hamburg has more bridges than Venice, Amsterdam and London, all together.

The picture shows the Fleetschloesschen, a little canal castle, is a former public restroom, then a customs office and now a cafe and restaurant.

Homeowners in the famous Winterhude neighborhood kept their boats on the Goldbekkanal, one of the many branches of the Alster River. The Alster River flows under the Sengelmannstrasse Bridge in the Hamburg neighborhood of Ohlsdorf, nearly five hours from the city center.

Many of the buildings in Hamburg are converted into lofts and commercial space for publishing, advertising and architecture firms.

Hamburg has more than 40 theatres, 60 museums and 100 music venues and clubs.

Luxenbourg City, Luxembourg