Hong Kong - Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2011!

Merry Christmas & Have a Fruitful New Year 2011.

Let's take a look how Christmas lighting in Hong Kong is.

Attraction in Ciutat Vella, Bacelona

Ciutat Vella is the oldest part of Barcelona and it is situated in the city center. You can arrive by train, subway(L1, L3, L6, L7) or regular bus(or Aerobus to the Airport) to Plaça Catalunya. The district is divided in four quarters, Barceloneta, La Ribera, Barri Gòtic and Raval.

La Ribera

Palau de la Música Catalana is an UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997, which is a masterpiece of Catalan's Modernist Architecture. It was the headquarters of the Orfeó Català, the oldest Catalan Choir. The most beautiful part is fine glass ceiling inside of the Modernist Cencert Hall. As said by the director, the joy of the color, the glass and the atmosphere - these make it special and impressive.
Guided Tour of Modernist Concert hall (and Lluís Millet Hall and the Chamber Music Hall when available) : Euro. 12/adult (20% discount for Barcelona Card holders)
Personally, I highly recommend to listen to symphonic music inside as well as enjoy the amazing architecture. However, it is worth to have a guided tour if your schedule is tight.

Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar at Plaça de Santa Maria is a Catalan Gothic architecture featured a sombre appearance but with beautiful interior. It is located near the Picasso Museum.

Picasso Museum, where you can understand the formative years of Pablo Ruiz Picasso. Please note that it is FREE on the first Sunday on each month (close at 8:00pm).
Entrance: adults: Euro 9/adult

Raval

La Rambla. Often the first landmark that people identify with the city. It is the central and the most famous boulevard which cuts through the heart of the city centre and is a vibrant and lively promenade filled with Barcelona action at its best and worst. It stretches from the harbor to La Plaça Catalunya running through the Ciutat Vella like a spine. Come here to see the street performers jump out at unsuspecting tourists, enjoy the flower and pet stalls, or just sit back and watch all of Barcelona walk by. During the day, La Rambla is packed with tourists, at night, the locals come out, as well as many prostitutes. There, you can find newspaper and book stands, birds, flowers, musicians, street-performing artists that all contribute to create a lively and unique atmosphere. If you happen to be here after Barca win, you're in for a treat! A few blocks south of its north end, you'll find La Boqueria, a very large, fresh air (but covered) market.

Cansaladeria i Formatgeria Josep's is a market with front-line stand featuring most of hams and meats a tourist needs.

Barceloneta

You can just walk down La Rambla until the monument to Columbus in Barceloneta or take subway (L4 yellow line stopping at Barceloneta).

Parc de la Ciutadella is a central park, which includes a zoo, a lake and several museums. The Catalan Parliament can be found in the center of the park.

Zoo-Barcelona - was famous for its albino gorilla "Snowflake" and there is a a science museum inside the zoo today.
Entry fee: Euro. 16/adult.

L'Aquarium is the second biggest aquarium in Europe and is located at the Port Vell leisure center, next to the IMAX cinema.
Entrance ticket :Euro 16/adult.

Olympic Port is a dining and entertainment place where you can find lots of restaurants, bars as well as casino.

Beach stretches from the tip of Barceloneta in Port Vell till Vila Olimpica and so on. The beach is just 10-15 minutes walk from Barceloneta, or a few minutes from Vila Olimpica/Ciutadela.

Useful links:
The official website of Palau de la Música Catalana - http://www.palaumusica.org/
The official website of Picasso Museum - http://w3.bcn.es/V66/Home/V66XMLHomeLinkPl/0,4589,417470534_417617303_3,00.html

Accommodation in Tokyo - Tokyu Stay Hotels

Tokyu Stay has 14 hotels within Tokyo. It is a new style of hotel serving the guests for business and vacations.

1. Hotel Tokyu Stay Ikebukuro - Newly opened this April(nearest to Ikebukuro Station)


2. Tokyu Stay Nishi-Shinjuku


3. Tokyu Stay Aoyama Premier (nearest to Gaien-mae Station)


4. Tokyu Stay Shinjuku Shin-minamiguchi Hotel


5. Tokyu Stay Shibuya Hotel , in a prime location in trend-setting Shibuya.


6. Tokyu Stay Gotanda Hotel (easily access to Shibuya, Shinagawa and Odaiba)


7. Tokyu Stay Yotsuya Hotel

8. Tokyu Stay Suidobashi Hotel (nearest to Suidobashi Station)


9. Tokyu Stay Shimbashi (Near the entrance to the Tokyo Waterfront Area)


10. Tokyu Stay Higashi-Ginza Hotel

11. Tokyu Stay Nihombashi Hotel


12. Tokyu Stay Monzen-Nakacho Hotel


13. Tokyu Stay Yoga Hotel (easily access to Shibuya)


14. Tokyu Stay Meguro-Yutenji Hotel (near to Shibuya and Jiyugaoka)



They offer free daily breakfast in 11hotels, daily linen exchange and periodic room cleaning, 24hours front desk and rental service, like extra bed with charges or free of charge iron & board.

Reservation can be made through online reservation system or telephone. Guestroom fees must be paid in full at time of check-in.


Check-in time: From 4:00pm ( except Tokyu stay Aoyama from 3:00pm )
Check-out time: 10.00am (except Tokyu stay Aoyama, Nishi-Shinjuku & Ikebukuro By 11:00am)





Useful link:
http://www.tokyustay.co.jp/e/

Transportation Guide - Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona is Spain's second largest city, with a population of 1.5 million people, and the capital of Catalonia. Barcelona is located on the northeast coast of the Iberian Peninsula, facing the Mediterranean Sea. It is 160 km (100 mi) south of the Pyrenees and the Catalonian border with France.

Transportation

By Air

Barcelona International Airport (BCN), also known as El Prat, is a major transport hub and fields flights from all over Europe and beyond. There are now two terminals, T1 and T2. T1 and T2 are linked by a bus shuttle (every 6 to 8 minutes, travel time 10 minutes).
There is a cheap and fast way by taking the half-hourly RENFE C-2 suburban train, which runs between airport and Sants station in city centre. (travel time: 20 minutes), The train terminates next to T2, with a free-of-charge connecting green colored bus service to T1 (travel time: 15 minutes).

The budget airlines, Ryanair, uses the airports in Girona, nearly 100km to the north, or Reus, around the same distance to the south, instead.
For Girona Airport: The Barcelona Bus service runs a shuttle bus from Estació del Nord in Barcelona to Girona Airport and this ties in with various flight times. A one-way ticket costs €12 and a return ticket costs €21. The journey takes approximately 1hrs 10mins. Timetables are available online.
For Reus airport, the easiest way is to take the train from Barcelona Sants station to Reus and then the local bus to the airport. The train costs €6.45 and then the bus costs €2. This takes roughly about 1.5hrs.

By rail
Several trains per day (including overnight hotel trains) from other parts of Europe (via France) are regular & reliable.
Main train stations are Barcelona-Sants (SW of the center) and Barcelona-Estació de França(on the edge of the old town next to the seafront district of Barceloneta).
From/to Estació de França: there are several connections per day to France. Elipsos Trainhotel runs between Milano, Italy and Barcelona Estacio de Franca, Spain.

By sea
The city's port is one of the busiest on the Mediterranean. It supports both ferries and cruise ships. Large cruise ships dock 1-2 kilometers to the southwest. Many offer bus-shuttles to points near the south end of La Rambla.
You can arrive to Barcelona by boat from the Balearic Islands, from Genoa and from Rome. The ferry docks almost directly on the Ramblas.

Tickets
The metro can take you to many places. Stations are marked on most maps; every station has a detailed scheme of exits to the city. A one-journey ticket cost €1.40, so it's probably best to buy a multi-person 10-ride ticket for €7.85 (called a T-10). These tickets are also valid on the buses and trams. You also can buy a T-10 from the ticket vending machine at the airport station.

The Barcelona Card features unlimited free travel on public transport and free admission and discounts at around 100 visitor attractions. The card costs €24 for a 2-day card and €34 for a 5-day card. If you don't plan to see lots of museums every day, then it is cheaper to buy transport-only tickets.


Useful links:
The wikipedia information of Barcelona - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona
The travel information of Barcelona from WikiTravel - http://wikitravel.org/en/Barcelona
The official website of Barcelona Metro - http://www.tmb.cat/en_US/home.jsp

Attraction - A Day out to Discovery Bay

Discovery Bay is situated on the north-eastern coast of Lantau Island, New Territories in Hong Kong. Discovery Bay is currently residential site with a sizable community of expatriates. Unlike many other developments in Hong Kong, pets are allowed there.

Discovery Bay is located 2 km west of Hong Kong Disneyland and approximately 12 km west from the nearest point on Hong Kong Island.


Transportation

Ferry

Central Pier 3 <--> Discovery Bay Pier - around 30mins/ride

Ferry fee: HKD31/adult/way

Train - MTR / Bus

1. Bus DB01R - around 20mins/ride

Take bus from Tung Chung Citygate Bus Terminal, at Tung Chung MTR station

2. Bus DB02R - around 30mins/ride

Take bus at Bus stop outside of car park at Hong Kong International Airport

3. Bus DB03R - around 15mins/ride

Take bus from Sunny Bay MTR station

Things to DO

Dining

Food outlets can be found at D Deck, where offers dining and drinking.


Sun, Sand and Sea

Enjoy a stroll on the Tai Pak Beach, just next to D Deck. Don't miss to watch Disneyland fireworks at night.

Hikking


1. Within Discovery Bay

Start from Discovery Bay Pier --> Waterfront --> Seahorse Lane --> Discovery Valley Road --> the Lookout Point (panoramic view of Discovery Bay) --> descend via Discovery Valley Road or climb up 700m long stairs --> Turn left to Central Park or walk back to D Deck

2. Mui Wo to Discovery Bay

Start from Mui Wo Pier --> Silvermine Bay Beach --> take stairs to the viewing pavilion --> the ancient Trappist Haven Monastery in Tai Shui Hang --> Nim Shue Village --> Discovery Bay




Useful link:
The official website of D Deck - http://www.ddeck.com.hk/eng/index.htm

Attraction - The Wetland Park

The Wetland Park is located at the northern part of Tin Shui Wai, New Territories, Hong Kong. The site was originally intended to be an ecological mitigation area (EMA) to compensate for the wetlands lost due to Tin Shui Wai New Town development.

Transportation



Take West Rail to Tin Shui Wai Station and then change to Light Rail 705 or 706 Tin Shui Wai Circular. Get off at Wetland Park Station.


Admission Fee:
HKD30/adult and HKD15/child (aged 3 to below 18)

Opening hours:
Open daily from 10.00 to 17.00 except Tuesday. But if public holiay falls on Tuesday, the park will open for public.


Exhibition & facilities


Wetland Reserve

Pui Pui's home

Salt Water Crocodile "Pui Pui", was first found in Shan Pui River in North West New Territories of Hong Kong on 2 November 2003. It is suspected that she might be an illegal pet escaped from its owner's home. The discovery of "Pui Pui" aroused public concern on conservation of wildlife of wetlands.


Stream Walk

Succession Walk

A boardwalk over open water takes visitors along a trail of aquatic plants.


Mangroves Boardwalk

You can enjoy the floating boardwalk experience in Mangrove habitat.

Wildside Walk

Butterfly Garden

In the Wetland Reserve area, you are able to see the variety of birds in bird hides, where are located at riverside, fish pond and mudflat.

Wetland interactive World in Vistor Centre

Through interactive games shows, you can explore issues on wetland conservation and learn how we should save wetland and our wildlife.

Useful link:
The official website of The Wetland Park - http://www.wetlandpark.com/en/index.asp

Accomodation - Snow Village in Lainio

Location : Lainiotie, Kittilä, Finland

Lainio Snow Village is located nearly 200km above the Arctic Circle. It is easily reachable - only 25mins by car from Kittilä airport, 40 minutes from Levi and just 15 minutes from Ylläs.

"Each year in late November, about one thousand truck loads of snow are used to create the Snow Village - a complex of ice and snow, changing shape and size every winter ..."

SnowHotel offers 15 double igloo standard double rooms and 15 ice suites for the winter of 2009-2010. SnowHotel provides high quality thermal sleeping bags in each room. So you can slip into the warm and comfortable sleeping bag and rest your senses in the tranquil silence of the igloo. Due to everything made by crystalized water, the indoor temperature of Snow Village remains always between -2 and -5 Celsius degrees. Wow, cool !

Besides igloos, Snow village also provides Log cabins - Teepee cabins, JP1, Karkelo, Koppelo and Chalet Aurora.


You truly can enjoy traditional dining experience at Ice Bar. Snow village also offers a wide range of adventure, such as overnight safari to Snow village and Snowmobile safari to huskies.

Useful link:
The official website of Snow Village - http://www.snowvillage.fi/index.htm