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The Skating Capital

February 21, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

For those privileged few living on the Earth that’s not experiencing drastic climate change — I’m led to understand that’s roughly 1% of you — this won’t be particularly interesting. For the rest of us, though, as of today the skating conditions on Ottawa’s Rideau Canal are officially either “good” or “very good” (and, as might be expected from Canada’s capital city, “very good” is as the absolute best score).

Next year, who knows. It’s -7C (19F) right now and it made it down to -18C (0F) last night and that’s certainly cold enough for at least “good” ice conditions but that’s really not that cold so if you’ve never skated on an inner-city canal and you think you’d like to before Baffin Island becomes a tropical paradise then this would make an excellent winter to spend a weekend skating through Ottawa.

Skating on the Rideau Canal is an Ottawa tradition and has been for over forty years. So now it’s well-entrenched and the Rideau is a full day’s entertainment. There’s music and hot food and hot chocolate right on the ice, skate rental and sharpening services, first-aid stations and public toilets. It’s a giant, friendly community party and while the locals have a clear advantage they will absolutely not laugh at your amateur efforts to stand up on skates. Indeed, with the anonymity of a strange city, a good reason to wear a balaclava and 7 km (about 5 miles) of ice open all night and all day the Rideau’s skating season — typically from about mid-January to the beginning of March — is probably the ideal occasion to learn to skate.

Parliament Hill, Ottawa

Ottawa’s a little hard to access compared to, say, Toronto or Montreal. If you’re not coming from one of these cities then you’re probably going to have to get there first and either drive, fly or take the bus or train from there. It’s winter so I recommend the train and the corresponding wonderland view, but Ottawa itself is mighty easy on the eyes, too, and if you’re just making it a weekend to skate then maybe fly. The nicest bits of the city are, happily, within walking proximity of one another and if you make to Parliament Hill you’ve found the practical centre of Ottawa as a tourist destination. From there you can walk the older and more charming parts of Ottawa before returning to the ice from which you get another and equally charming perspective. Ottawa, being a capital city, has plenty of museums and most guides will tell you to see them and by all means do if you, say, break your leg skating (you’re not going to break your leg) but between you and me museums are not Ottawa’s trump card.

Having said that, the Rideau is easily the most accessible and most romantic and most frozen inner city canal on which you can make a weekend this winter and if you’re up for it you should make the most of it while you can.

Extreme Getaways… if you dare!

February 20, 2013 By admin 1 Comment

While some prefer to sunbath on beaches and take dips in pools, others… well, let’s just say others want to take a trip to the wild side. If you’re the latter, then check out these vacation spots/ activities that will tickle your adventurous personality and your daredevil personality.

Do you love mountain trips? Do you love food? If the answer for both questions is yes, then this restaurant is for you! Said to be the most exclusive restaurant in the world, Beifang restaurant is located on top of Mt. Huashan of the Anhui Province on the Great West Mountain. To get there, you’d have to hang on chains, travel on wooden planks, stick your toes in rocks and climb the steepest ladder ever. But the effort is worth it because when you get there the food’s free! Well… IF you get there.

Take Jaws on a date as you go shark cage diving. Give the Great White Sharks a chance to bond with you in shark dips. Several divers will be placed inside the cage in full gear, and will be placed in Shark-infested waters. South Africa’s Cape Town Shark Diving is one of the prime spots for activities like these, and there are also spots in Florida and Hawaii. Think you’re brave enough to try it?

Afraid of heights? They say that in order to get rid of a fear; you have to face it. Mountain climbing is too cliché for an adventure, but sleeping on hanging sleeping bags sounds pretty much like a frightful thing to do. Climbers secure their sleeping bags and they lay in it, using it like a hammock, except you can’t hang your foot out because your whole body might follow suit.

Finally let’s take ‘cool’ to another level. Say, South Pole? Well, if you like barren wastelands and lip-chapping temperatures, South Pole (Antarctic) tours are for you. See the aurora australis and spend the night with the penguins. But you can do more than this because there are also activities like hiking, mountaineering, kayaking, skiing and wildlife trips. It’s best to bring someone with you because cold, cold nights call for cozy ups with a partner.

Yes, life is a constant adventure. But adventures differ, and yours just might be better.

A City Where People Stop for Time

January 16, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

As you stroll through the streets of the famous city of Prague, you will get a lot of attention. Street vendors will all be hawking their goods at the top of their lungs in order to attract you to their wares. People will be strolling alongside you accompanied by the constant chatter filling the air. Suddenly you will notice that the noise level begins to subside and the attention of the people is being diverted to the tower of the town hall. There are two blue windows that begin to slide open. Figures emerge two by two representing Christ’s apostles come out. The leader is holding a large key.

What you have just observed is Prague’s famed astronomical clock, one of the most famous attractions of the Czech Republic. This event happens at the top of every hour from eight in the morning until eight in the evening. These mechanical figurines spring to life with amazing regularity. The display of the apostles is not the only parade of figures you will witness. Each hour the figures of the most feared people or events will parade out of the clock tower windows. You will see the Miser showing the greed of many. At another hour you will observe Vanity admiring himself in the mirror. Death also takes a turn at the window followed by the Turk who represents invasion.

A main focus for tourists that are traveling in the area is to watch the moving figures carefully. But the true draw of the clock is its astronomical dial. The outer ring of the clock is divided into 24 hour sections beginning at sundown. The ring always rings on the 24^th hour at the exact time that sundown occurs no matter what time of year it is.

Inside the ring is the Roman numeral division. This divides the day into two 12-hour time periods. Noon is at the top and midnight is at the bottom. The golden hands tell us the time of day it is.

But that’s not all there is to this world famous clock. An astronomical dial and a small sphere tells the path of the sun and the different phases of the moon. The rotation of the constellations in the night sky is also detailed among other things. This astronomical clock has been one of the most popular tourist attractions in Prague since its creation all the way back to the 15^th Century and with all of its intricate details you could be occupied for quite some time.

But if the intricacies of this very elaborately detailed clock are not enough to engage your fancy then you might want to visit the location of the Lennon Wall. Located in Mala Strana district, near the French Embassy until around the 1980’s when people began to cover it with graffiti and lyrics all inspired by the Beatles songs.

Before the end of the 80s communism was the power to reckon with and the authorities banned western music. Since the music of John Lennon promoted freedom it was considered illegal to listen to it. At the death of Lennon in 1980 he became a popular icon for the youth at the time. People started by painting his picture on the wall and over the years since then they have dedicated the wall to him with all sorts of graffiti and writings in his honor. The wall has been whitewashed several times and some taggers have even been jailed for their actions but the wall has survived in spite of the government’s threats.

A visit to the Civic Square will provide you with a connection to the Czech culture and the location of many public demonstrations. Here in the heart of New Town plenty of places to explore the history of the country. You can take walking tours from this point to just about any of the wonderful sights of Prague.

A must see is a visit to Prague Castle. Ranked number one in the Guiness Book of Records is not the real attraction of this amazing structure. The complex has been the home of many Kings, Queens and Presidents of the country. The entire complex encompasses more than eighteen buildings that include palaces, churches, halls and towers. You can wander through their beautiful gardens. There are eight of them and immerse yourself in the rich tales of life long past.

The city of Prague is a city of unparalled beauty and style. Whether you will visit for a day, a week or a month you will not be able to see and enjoy everything the city has to offer. When you are there you can’t help but to stop and let time catch up with you.

Obsolete Serendipity

January 14, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

Best to just leave it there until you need it.

Part of the great romantic appeal about hitchhiking, particularly across Europe and borders and linguistic and political and cultural divides, is the possibility of getting splendidly and serendipitously lost.

Mind you, this fanciful prospect is the flip side of getting hopelessly and desperately lost and not liking it one bit.

I propose a compromise — bring a phone. A good phone, mind you, with Google Maps. The astute reading this will point out that this isn’t a compromise at all but a complete discarding of the element of risk to which I say not true — the battery might run out. You can fine-tune the serendipity levels by keeping the phone off or not until you need it.

If you live in Europe and you’re hitching to other European countries you already know that roaming costs are extortionate and if you’re coming from North America you’ll find it out soon enough. I have a solution for that, too. Buy a SIM card for every country you’re in. Few and, so far as I know, no countries in Europe don’t have a discount prepay SIM provider from whom you can get a native number over the counter at almost any store.

For between €10 and €20 you can get a SIM with that much credit and if you’re careful how you use it (meaning, just don’t) you’ll have plenty of data credit if and when you need it. This means avoiding the temptation to surf the net while waiting for a ride which requires a degree of self-restraint so elevated that if you manage it you’ll also, as byproduct, achieve nirvana. So you might want to buy a little backup credit when you buy your SIM.

For hiking in the UK, Germany and Spain get a Lebara SIM (one for each country, of course). In the Netherlands get Hema or even one of the mainstream carriers like Orange. In France look for Bouygues (Lebara operates in France, too, but doesn’t offer data). Alternatively, if you’ve got a European postal address you can order a Belgian SIM from the Dutch/Belgian offering Mobile Vikings whose data plan works in both countries and beyond that has very reasonable, non-rapey roaming charges. Note though that Mobile Vikings can’t be bought in stores and can only be topped up online so if you run out of credit and your only way of getting online is your phone then your serendipity risk has obviously somewhat elevated.

A good traveling phone charges quickly and holds its charge for a long time, which means that at this writing there are no good traveling phones on the market. There are a couple of not entirely useless traveling phones, though, and I’m going to recommend the Samsung Galaxy Mini. It’s small, cheap, and durable, it charges reasonably quickly and the user experience is so poor that you’ll be tempted less often to play with it to while away the time between rides.

Remember that Google Maps employs GPS to find your position and GPS uses your battery like its bitch, so use it sparingly. Even if you’ve got plenty of charge the maps application itself is very data intensive so, really, until you need it just try to forget you have a phone.

Hitchhiking 2.0

January 10, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

Try this at home

There’s no arguing that today travel is more economical and enjoyable and democratic than it’s ever been but I confess to just a sliver of nostalgia for some of the romance made obsolete by the internet age. I kind of miss waiting in line with fellow travelers to buy tickets and passing the occasional night with the bums at a train station. And I’d like to experience one last time that anticipation of not having any idea at all what sort of hotel I’m booked into. I do not, however, miss hitchhiking in the slightest.

It’s a new millenium. You don’t need to be standing on the shoulder in the rain with your destination written on a bit of cardboard just to exchange the risk of being beaten death for a ride somewhere. There are websites for that now.

In fact all the best parts of hitchhiking are preserved in the internet age — you get where you’re going cheap and you meet people of all sorts except those too busy or unfriendly to offer you a ride. You’ve got to kick in for gas these days but that wasn’t unheard of in the age of the cardboard sign either. And any sentimental customs of the open highway lost to the mists of nostalgia are more than balanced out by the sheer breadth of possible destinations and routes.

Now, I love the trains and if you’re planning on bumming around Europe by train than I’m absolutely not going to try to talk you out of it, but if you’re undecided I’m going to suggest hitchhiking by internet. This is not your father’s hitchhiking; there are websites and networks and organizations dedicated to matchmaking drivers and passengers and destinations and there’s almost nowhere you can get by train that you can’t get to in a carpool and it’s going to cost appreciably less than a Eurail pass.

The advantage that scheduled trains have over hitchhiking is the scheduled part. They tend to leave roughly when they say they will and arrive at the places they say they’re going to when they say they’re going to get there. That’s changing rapidly but does it really matter? You’re bumming around, not commuting.

The most obvious site for arranging pan-European carpooling is craigslist. Coincidentally, it’s also probably the worse. It’s got some trips and if you look in both the city you’re in and the one you want to get to there’s a chance you’ll find something but there’s a better than even chance that it will be for an hour ago.

Have a look at craigslist anyhow but then look here: www.carpooling.co.uk. It’s pretty intuitive. Pick a start city (if the cities you’re looking for aren’t there then click on the Europe tab) and a destination and then select from the the numerous offers. Note that some of them look like rides but are in fact bus or train tickets and there’s nothing wrong with that except that they often have conditions (most commonly, student or age restrictions) that may render them invalid for you.

Read the description of the ride because as often as not they’ll tell you about the vehicle, whether or not you can bring luggage and how much, if there are other stops along the way or if the driver is willing to go off-route and of course your share of the costs. You’ll need to register to book a journey and it’s easy so you don’t need to use a fake name and the houses of parliament as your postal address. I did that just for fun. All you really have to have is an email address.

Carpooling.co.uk is also carpooling.fr and carpooling.de and a lot of other country domains so you’ll find a lot of ads in local languages but please don’t let that put you off. Your tourist enthusiasm will be widely welcomed and this is another advantage that internet hitchhiking has over the cardboard sign — you won’t be the only stranger in the car.

Up For A Scottish Highlands Adventure?

December 20, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Why not take a full-day trip to Loch Ness and the Scottish Highlands?

It is cool and foggy as we arrive at 60 High Street, on Edinburgh’s Royal mile. Exhausted and excited in equal measure we prepare for a 12-hour return excursion to Fort Augustus, nestled on the banks of infamous Loch Ness.

Andy, our guide is very friendly. Funny and knowledgeable he describes the trip ahead.

Heading north from Edinburgh, we wind through the cobbled streets of the Old Town and out of the busy capital. As the scenery changes from cityscape to countryside we travel along the fortified walls of Stirling Castle.

Our first stop arrives around 10:30am. We pull in to The Trossachs Weaving Mill Shed, where we meet Hamish the hairy ‘coo’ (Andy informs us that Scottish cows are called coo’s). This is the first of many stops, with enough time to explore the gift shop and take in the Callendar scenery.

Hamish – The Callendar Coo

As we venture on, Andy plays us local traditional music as well as more recognisable Scottish tunes from bands such as The Proclaimers, setting a relaxing tone as we cross Rannoch Moor.

We stop and absorb the dramatic Glen Coe, the site of the infamous massacre in 1692. A lone bagpipe player fills the fresh air with eerie song from the site’s car park.

Passing through Fort William, we stop off for a cheeky tipple of scotch and observe one of the largest settlements in the Scottish Highlands. It is from here that we are able to see Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the British Isles. Its peak breaks through the fine cloud.

As we drive through the Great Glen, Andy talks us through interesting sights and important local facts about the area.

Driving through Highland Perthshire, we dip through native forests and flowing rivers before arriving at our destination.

Caledonian Canal- Fort Augustus

Fort Augustus is a quaint village settled on the shore of Loch Ness with a peaceful vibe, despite the tourists. There is plenty to enjoy about Fort Augustus. The loch is calm and eerie, it is easy to see why so many legends are attached to this place.

While on the loch, there is an option for us to take a ‘Nessie’ hunting boat cruise. It is hard to resist, having traveled all this way. We climb on board and head our across the dark, murky water. Even in summer the wind is biting cold. With a complementary Taste of Scotland lunch provided by the company, many people choose instead to nestle on the grass in the sunshine and enjoy a picnic overlooking the Caledonian Canal.

The tour ends with a relaxing drive home on much the same course as we arrived by. Andy puts on relaxing local music and most of us fall asleep, while other ponder what they have seen. What sounds like an incredibly long day, slips by in a blink.

The full-day Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness tour is a truly worthwhile experience.

Up for a Caribbean Island Vacation?

November 18, 2012 By admin 1 Comment

“Welcome to the Caribbean, Lad!!!” – The Pirates of the Caribbean

This one statement has drawn many a visitors to these exotic islands after it was first heard from Johnny Depp in the movies “The Pirates of The Caribbean”. The Caribbean compromises of around seven thousand islands that are surrounded by seas that are very crystal clear. The Caribbean provides the tourist a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the open blue sky and the plenty of beaches that surrounds it. This place is in fact considered to be a spot for both families and the newly wed couples. With plenty of islands around, the visitors can simply have a gala time visiting some of the most popular ones with their loved ones and enjoy their vacation to their full satisfaction.

Saline Beach at St. Barts: This is a very small V-shaped island which is just around 8 miles in radius. Inspite of its small shape, this place has been one of the perfect holiday destinations for the average people and the rich. People seeking tropical luxury can get in bounty from this place. The Saline Beach is located on the south coast and is considered to be the most secluded and perfect beach of this island. The sandy beach is white in color and horseshoe shaped and is very close to the country’s important village of Gustavia. Walking for around ten minutes from the car parking area, the visitor can easily enjoy the beautiful scenery that this tropical paradise has to offer.

Englishman’s Bay in Tobago: Tobago is regarded as the lesser developed half of the country of Tobago and Trinidad and is said to be the home to one of the best beaches found in the world. The beach present here is around a mile in length and u-shaped and is enclosed by a lush green headland of this island. A beautiful stream flows in the southern end, out into the sea from the tropical jungle and one could view the beautiful and brilliant coral reefs teeming with various types of tropical fishes that surround the white sands. This place is also secluded and has some small refreshment centers run by the locals.

The Pink Beach of Barbuda: The beautiful island of Barbuda and Antigua is situated in the centre of Leeward Islands, in the eastern part of the Caribbean. The island of Barbuda is said to be almost undeveloped and is considered to be still an untouched paradise, hence making it the perfect place for tourists having a liking for adventure and nature. However, there are various luxurious resorts and plenty of sublime beaches that provide the tourists with natural scenery and relaxation. This place is really ideal for those beach lovers who want to spend their vacation in luxury. The Pink Beach is very popular in Barbuda and is situated only a few miles to the south of the village of Codrington. The coral sands that are champagne colored tend to stretch almost around 8 miles from the Palmetto Point to Spanish Point and the offshore snorkeling is simply amazing. People who want to stay at lonely places would simply enjoy this beach and can stroll for miles without actually seeing another soul in sight.

Up For The Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco?

November 8, 2012 By admin 2 Comments

Are you bored? It’s time to catch the cable!! Welcome to San Francisco. If you want a weekend break from your hectic workload and never-ending days, this is the place to be! The city welcomes you with its gigantic gateway. Declared as the wonders of the modern world by the American societies of civil engineer, this is the Golden Gate Bridge we are talking about. There is not a time throughout the day when this bridge is not alluring enough with its signature International Orange colour and art deco styling. But you just can’t canvass its beauty during sunrise, when it resembles a passage to heaven.

San Francisco is one of the few places on earth where you can ride a national historic landmark! With its new tracks, cables and turntables, CABLE CARS in this city operate much as they did in 1873. They travel throughout the city exploring several sightseeing places here. Just hop-in with your loved ones and tour the city as it rattles its way.

Imagine yourself on a cold, damped and fogged morning covered with heavy steel shackles, constraining your movement while you share a room with the most hardened criminals of American penal system. This was a prison for criminals who were too tough for steel walls to cage in 1861. Today ALCATRAZ ISLAND is one of the biggest tourist attractions and the most famous landmark in San Francisco. Visit the island to get a feel of cramped cells, rigid discipline and ruthless history.

With a size larger than the New York City’s Central Park, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park offers a welcome escape from traffic and close quarters of urban city. It is filled with lush California green. Prime features include Boathouse at Stow Lake, Spreckels Lake and the Music Concourse which offers perfect honeymoon evenings.

A food lover’s heaven Fisherman Wharfs boasts some of the best dining in the world. Salivate over fresh Dungeness crab served steaming hot at outdoor stands, smell the fresh sourdough bread baking and savour some locally made chocolates!!

During the day, street performers tirelessly entertain you as they welcome you in Fisherman Wharfs: magicians, mimes, musicians, jugglers, clowns and fire-eaters take pride in their efforts. But just wait for the night. San Francisco comes alive at night with music venues, bars and lounges for every taste, from huge dance clubs to a cool jazz lounge or a fun night of stand-up comedy. For artists, Friday nights at the de Young museum offers variety interdisciplinary arts programs, including live music, films and swing dancing. The cafe is open which serves special menu and cash bars are situated throughout Wilsey Court. It is the perfect spot for sunset watchers with a view from the de Young 144 foot tower.

Finally, there is no better way to enjoy San Francisco bay than on the majestic catamaran sailboats that add a charm to this city. One of the most exciting and adventurous experience of the city’s visit, these boats sail by the Alcatraz island and under the awe-inspiring golden gate.

A Rundown On Australian Cities

October 31, 2012 By admin 1 Comment

Australia is probably one of the most interesting countries to visit as it offers a lot of unique places to see. The entire territory of Australia, from the islands near the mainland, across the desert areas with wild nature and unique animal species, to the urban parts of the country, is magnificent and fascinating. If we talk about variance alone, the list starts here. J

First stop SYDNEY. It is the largest and the most populous city in Australia and offers a lot of interesting tourist locations. The most famous is, of course, Sydney opera house. It is designed by the Dutch architect John Utzon. Tourists are allowed to see the backstage and the front of the house. Beside the Opera house, other tour destinations are the Sydney Harbour Bridge which highlights cruises, Bondi Beach, Darling Harbour, St Mary’s Cathedral and many more.

Next we have,

PERTH is the city which offers a wide range of attractions from sightseeing, wildlife, water sports to aboriginal culture. Must watch places include Perth zoo, Kings Park, Adventure world and Aquarium of Western Australia.

TASMANIAis a place where you can go to catch a breath from fast urban life. It is a wonderful place to be with nature and wilderness at its best. From spectacular beaches to mountains and lagoons, Tasmania is well-known for its wildlife.

FRASER ISLAND, world’s largest sand island is the home to some of the endangered species such as wild dogs, Dingos and several other types of fishes that are found only here. It is an expanse of sand that leads through thick sub-tropical forests. The crystal clear water, the majestic trees and magical atmosphere is a popular holiday destination for people all over the world.

ULURUis the world’s largest monolith rock and in no doubt a natural wonder. During sunrise and sunset, Uluru can be seen at its best. It is during these times when you can observe the changing patterns of colours on this rock. Truly magnificent!!

CAIRNS is the entry point to what Australia is most famous for, The Great Barrier Reef. It is the largest coral reefin the world and spreads to about 80 million acres of the North East Australian Coast. You can observe these rarest organisms from here. The city provides a wide range of accommodation including five-star international hotels, luxurious resorts, waterfront apartments, family-friendly motels and fun backpacker hostels.

Wallabies, goannas, koalas, kangaroos, echidnas, dolphins, sea lions, penguins, fur seals, eagles, whales and ospreys, all can be found in KANGAROO ISLAND. A quiet and serene place with a distinctive variety of flora and fauna leaves you enthralled.

Thanks to Asian and European migrant influences, Australians enjoy a huge range of food in restaurants and homes representing their diverse culture. Warm climate, Informal people is the best way to describe Australia. Australians are compulsive buyers having some of the biggest credit card debts in the world. This is backed by the fact that it provides with tremendous areas of shopping excellence. 😀

Travelling in this part of the world is rejuvenating for your senses.

Up For The Swallow’s Nest of Ukraine?

October 24, 2012 By admin 3 Comments

The swallow’s nest is actually a tiny castle situated in Crimea, which is near to Yalta, Ukraine. This castle is said to stand on the Avrorianska rock just over the sea-abyss. The Swallow’s nest in its current form was constructed in 1912 by A. Shervud, the son of V. Shervud, a popular architect and author of the historical museum at the Red Square, Moscow. The castle actually overlooks Cape of Ai Todor in the Black Sea, situated near the remaining of Charax, the Roman castrum. The Swallow’s Nest is considered to be a major tourist puller from across the globe and has become Crimea’s southern coastline symbol.

Swallow’s Nest’s legend is said to date back to the medieval period. A well known Russian general had brought in a beautiful captive from one of the wars. He is said to have built this castle for this woman, whom he loved the most. Not much is known about the history of the woman, but this beautiful still stands as a sign of romance that has no boundaries. The locals residing nearby tell this medieval tale to the tourists who throng to have a glimpse of this beautiful place. The local residents call it the Generalif or simply the ‘Castle of Love’. This magnificent and romantic castle has been immortalized in the works of the great marine painter Aivazovskyi and artists Bogoliubov and Lagorio. This castle is quite compact in size and measures around 10 m wide and 20 m in length. The original design of Swallow’s Nest is that of two bedrooms, staircase to the tower, guest room and foyer. The guest room interior is beautifully decorated with wooden panels and the walls of the remaining rooms are painted and stuccoes. There is also an observation deck that rings the structure and provides a clear view of the sea and also Yalta’s far-away shoreline.

Before the Russian revolution, the Swallow’s Nest was owned by a merchant Shelaputin, who was the also the owner of a nearby cottage named ‘Pearl’. The castle was empty during the civil war, but was occupied during the Soviet era. A portion of the balcony was ruined due to a seven ball storm that occurred in 1927, but luckily, the main structure did not suffer any serious damage. Between the years, 1930-40, the Swallow’s Nest was made to be a tourist reading hall and was completely renovated and reopened for the visitors in the year 1968.

One can find plenty of white winged seagulls and swallows near this castle of love. If the tourist bends down over the balcony to look down, he could feel himself to be a bird that is flying in the sky and trying to touch the horizon. This must be the reason why this castle got its name ‘Swallow’s Nest’. As a matter of fact, this magnificent structure is considered to be one of the most glorious emblems of love in entire Crimea. Such is the importance of this castle of love that it featured in some of the Soviet movies.