Colline du Château

Cascade, Colline du Château, Nice

Already had your daily dose of sports? If not, it could be the time to climb up to the Parc de la Colline du Château on a 90 meters high rock above Nice. Walk to the east end of the beach where you’ll find the steps up to the Tour Bellanda from which you’ll have amazing views on the beach of Nice. Continue further up the hill, through parts of the former fortification to the park and from there continue to the Belvédère du Château with a great panorama of the city and an artificial waterfall underneath.

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Goats

Musée National Marc Chagall, Nice

Marc Chagall was a Russian-French painter born in Witebsk that today belongs to Belarus. He was travelling much and living at St. Petersburg, Paris, Berlin; in Mexico and the USA. He is seen as an expressionist and you can easily recognize his works because of his special colorful style and the symbols he continuously uses; elements coming from his hometown, the circus world and the bible. One of these is the goat that you can discover in many of his works, sometimes just as a tiny additional element, sometimes in focus playing the violin.

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Musée Océanographique

Musée océanographique, Monaco

What’s the most beautiful building at Monaco? The Cathédrale Notre-Dame-Immaculée, the Palais Princier or the Casino de Monte-Carlo? They’re all examples of beautiful architecture but I would rather nominate the Musée Océanographique, a historic museum building standing tall at the shore, high above the water in the city center of Monaco. It was created in 1889 by Albert I. of Monaco and inaugurated in 1910 in the presence of his German friend Wilhelm II.

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Gracia Patricia

Cathédrale Notre-Dame-Immaculée, Monaco

On the rock that hosts the historic old town of Monaco you can find the main church of the country, the cathedral Notre-Dame-Immaculée. It is located between the Palais Princier and the Musée Océanographique; the wonderful Jardins Saint-Martin begin directly next to it. The church is the burial site of the Grimaldi family reigning Monaco – rulers of the country during the last 500 years have found their final rest here. The current church itself was built from the year 1875 on the walls of an earlier church building and was inaugurated in 1911.

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Palais Princier

Palais Princier, Monaco

When you walk on foot up to the rock (le Rocher) hosting the old city center of Monaco you’ll pass the stone walls and through the ancient city gate – after that you’re standing directly in front of the Palais Princier de Monaco, the seat of the sovereign prince. The oldest parts of the home of the Grimaldi family date back to the year 1191 when this place was a fortress of the Republic of Genoa. Since 1520 it has evolved into a royal palace with all amenities and a changing of the guard ceremony every day at 11:55.

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Monte-Carlo

Casino Monte-Carlo, Monaco

It is just a city quarter of Monaco, but Monte-Carlo (or Munte-Carlu in local language) is very well known: for the Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo but especially for the famous casino. The Casino de Monte Carlo building surrounded by a park high above Port Hercule dates back to the year 1858 and even if you’ve never been there you’ve probably seen it before: in James Bond movies like Casino Royale (2006), Golden Eye (1995) or Never Say Never Again (1983). Getting into it is rather cheap (17 Euros) – but you need to wear a suite and a tie.

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Basement

Stadthalle, Northeim

German cities need to have a Stadthalle, an event hall for concerts and other cultural events. People in smaller towns often have a special connection to these places as they go there multiple times in live and especially graduation ceremonies take place within. This also true for the Stadthalle of Northeim in southern Lower Saxony – their local pearl was build in the 90s gives space for up to 700 spectators.

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Beijing Dumpling

BeijingDumpling, London

Chinatown is a part of London crammed with Chinese-run restaurant and shops. It is located north of Leicester Square around the Gerrard street. If you’re looking for good and authentic Chinese cuisine this is your place to be! Don’t skip this experience because you might probably have to wait in front of one of the tiny-looking restaurants – they’re larger than you might think especially as the cellars are used for dining as well and the waiters are experts in packing the restaurant with guests pretty fast.

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Richmond Park

Richmond Park, Richmond

Sometimes it is such a bless to leave the city of London, especially on a sunny weekend. One of the best options for that is the vast Richmond Park located between Richmond and Kingston. It was once a royal hunting ground created for king Edward I and is today the largest of all royal parks in the city. And it is still connected to its history as there are 650 deer that roam the park freely – a very unexpected pleasure in an urban agglomeration like the capital city of the United Kingdom.

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Kew Gardens

Kew gardens, Richmond

After some days at the city center of London you might probably want to get a little bit outside of the city and relax in a green environment. The perfect place for that are the Royal Botanic Gardens or Kew Gardens at Richmond; a city quarter in the West. It is a UNESCO world heritage site dating back to the year 1638 CE and exhibiting plants from all parts of the world next to Victorian-era greenhouses and vast gardens that give you a quiet and peaceful place to sit down, relax and maybe read a book.

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