Gill Dewar - Travel Talks Platform

Amazing Travel Fact South Korea

Written by Gill Dewar on July 27, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

South Korea:

We all know there is a competition when it comes to building the largest tower in the world. I think it’s the same with elevators. Did you know that the fastest elevator in the world is 496 meters tall and travels from the basement to the 121st floor in just 1 minute?

Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel in order to experience this exciting ride?

It is the Lotte World Tower in Seoul.

A bit more about it:

After six years of construction, the 555-meter-tall Lotte World Tower opened in Seoul.

Not only is it the tallest tower in South Korea and fifth highest in the world – it’s also home to the highest glass-bottom observatory at 478 meters.

The Lotte World Tower features the world’s tallest and fastest double-decker elevator, the Sky Shuttle, which whisks passengers from the basement to the 121st-floor observation deck in one minute, or at 10 meters per second.

The views are amazing!

Definitely to be part of a city tour of Seoul!

Amazing Travel Fact Sweden

Written by Gill Dewar on July 26, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

Sweden:

Did you know that there is a country that has nearly 222,000 islands (the most islands of any country)? Even its capital is built on one.

Amazing right?

Do you know where we need to travel to see these amazing islands?

It is indeed Sweden.

A bit more about it:

Out of all countries on the planet, Sweden has the most islands with 221,800, although this number seems to be growing. Even the capital of Stockholm is built across a 14-island archipelago with more than 50 bridges.

Out of the 222k islands, only 1000 are inhabited. From the far north in Swedish Lapland, wrapping around the coastline of the deep south, before stretching up the west coast, there are thousands of islands where you can get a taste of island life and many Swedes have tales of glorious summers spent sailing.

Travel to Sweden anytime of the year for different experiences!

Amazing Travel Fact Spain

Written by Gill Dewar on July 26, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

Spain:

Did you know that there is a medieval village built on a basalt cliff of 50 metres high and almost a kilometer long? It looks like it could fall off the cliff any moment. Most houses were made out of volcanic rock.

Amazing, right?

Do you know in which country we can find this spectacular village?

It is indeed Castellfollit.

A bit more about it:

Narrow streets, breathtaking landscapes, buildings dating back to medieval times, stone walls and a giant basalt cliff are just some of the features of Castellfollit de la Roca.

Located in the province of Girona, Spain, (day tours in Spain) this odd looking place has no more than 1000 inhabitants which makes it one of the smallest towns in Catalonia. Its dramatic location above a basalt cliff bordered by the rivers Fluvià and Toronell fascinates travelers everywhere.

The basalt cliff where the town is situated is over 50 m high and almost a kilometer long. It was formed by the overlaying of two lava flows. The basalt-resulting materials were used both for industrial purposes and decorative elements, such as the pavement of the old town, fireplaces and so on.

Amazing Travel Fact Prague

Written by Gill Dewar on July 26, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

Prague:

Did you know that there is a famous city which has the largest ancient castle in the world? This 9th century castle is 130 meters wide and has stunning chapels and a tropical garden.

Amazing, right?

Do you know where we can find this castle?

Prague is home to the largest ancient castle in the world. Dating back to the ninth century, Prague Castle spans an impressive 18 acres.

The castle complex is comprised of four palaces, four churches, five halls, four towers, and 11 gardens. It has expansive courtyards, fascinating museums, beautiful fountains, and massive statues.

It has earned the castle a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest ancient castle in the world.

Many of the buildings in the complex have immense historic, political and religious significance. St. Vitus Cathedral serves as the final resting place of the much-revered St. Vitus, while St. George’s Basilica is the oldest surviving church structure in the complex. Meanwhile, other buildings serve as houses for leaders of the Czech Republic. The Wallenstein Palace is home to the Czech Senate and includes 26 houses and six gardens, while Lumbe’s Villa in the Northern area of the complex is the official home of the President of the republic.

A must add on for a tour of Prague.

Amazing Travel Fact Austria

Written by Gill Dewar on July 26, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

Austria:

Did you know that salt mining started about 7000 years ago? In fact we can still visit the oldest salt mine in the world where it all began!

Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel in order to visit this beautiful mine?

The one dating back 7000 years is indeed Hallstatt Austria.

7000 years ago, as the prehistoric humans from Hallstatt began to take the salt from the salt mine who would of guessed, that this little village would give its name to a period in history – the Hallstatt period (800-400 BC).

Rich findings in Hallstatt and the upper valley of Hallstatt gave this village international recognition; even today discoveries are still made in the salt mountain of Hallstatt. Among the most beautiful places of interest in Austria are the oldest salt mine in the world.

Amazing Travel Fact Ecuador

Written by Gill Dewar on July 26, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

Ecuador:

Did you know that there were beautiful islands which were a natural secret for millions of years? In 1835 Charles Darwin visited the islands and wrote “On the Origin of Species”, his theory of evolution. It made the islands world famous.

Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel in order to see these islands?

It is the Galapagos, off the coast of Ecuador.

The Galápagos archipelago is world-renowned for its unique and fearless wildlife- much of which was inspiration for Charles Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection.

The landscape of the islands is relatively barren and volcanic, but beautiful nonetheless. The highest mountain amongst the islands is Volcán Wolf on Isla Isabela, 1707 m (5600ft) high. The Galápagos were claimed by newly-independent Ecuador in 1832, a mere three years before Darwin’s visit on the Beagle. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the islands were inhabited by very few settlers and were used as a penal colony, the last closing in 1959 when the islands were declared a national park.

Strict controls on tourist access are maintained in an effort to protect the natural habitats and all visitors must be accompanied by a national park-certified naturalist tour guide.

Add Ecuador and a visit to The Galapagos Island to your bucket list.

Where in the World Bolivia

Written by Gill Dewar on July 26, 2021. Posted in Where in the world.

Bolivia:

Did you know that there is salt flat, which stretches for 4086 miles across the country and after the rains each year, is often called the largest mirror on Earth? Many people refer to it as “The place where Heaven meets Earth”.

Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel to in order to see this natural wonder of the world?

It is indeed Bolivia. Stunning, right?

Salar de Uyuni is often described as the largest mirror on Earth and for good reason! This breathtaking destination in Bolivia is the largest salt flat in the world and can be visited all year round. It is enjoyed by travelers and photographers alike due to its jaw-dropping landscape and the opportunity to create some unique memories and pictures playing with perspective and reflection in photos. The rainy season is between January and March. This is the best time to visit Salar de Uyuni if you are looking to discover that famous ‘Mirror Effect’.

There is also a well-known salt hotel you can stay at during your Salty Adventure which is made up of over one million blocks of salt to construct the floors, walls ceilings, and furniture! What’s being reflected in the world’s largest mirror? Stars, galaxies, and a planet.

Where in the World Hawaii

Written by Gill Dewar on July 26, 2021. Posted in Where in the world.

Hawaii:

Did you know that there is a volcano, which is 9,170 meters tall and therefore the largest in the world? In fact is so heavy, that its weight has bent the oceanic crust under the volcano several kilometres downwards into the earth.

Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel to in order to see this volcano?

It is indeed Mauna Lao in Hawai.

A bit more about it:

From sea floor to peak, Mauna Loa, on Hawaii’s Big Island, is the tallest shield volcano on Earth. Mauna Loa is one of the Earth’s most active volcanoes, with 33 well-documented eruptions in historic times since 1843. Its last eruption was in 1984 and since 2004, Mauna Loa is showing increasing signs of a possible awakening in a not-too-distant future.

For a while it had competition for the title: The Tamu Massif, a 4-kilometer-tall volcanic feature the size of the British Isles on the sea floor east of Japan, contains almost 7 million cubic kilometers of material and was once thought to be the world’s largest shield volcano. But sadly for Tamu, it is now believed to have formed along a mid-ocean ridge rather than over a single source of magma. Such is the way of the world.

Another interesting fact to add to your travels to Hawaii.

Where in the World Netherlands

Written by Gill Dewar on July 26, 2021. Posted in Where in the world.

Netherlands:

De Stijl Dutch for “The Style”, also known as Neoplasticism, was a Dutch art movement founded in 1917 in Leiden. A great tour from Amsterdam.

De Stijl consisted of artists and architects. In a more narrow sense, the term De Stijl is used to refer to a body of work from 1917 to 1931 founded in the Netherlands. Proponents of De Stijl advocated pure abstraction and universality by a reduction to the essentials of form and colour; they simplified visual compositions to vertical and horizontal, using only black, white and primary colors.

Like many other avant-garde art movements at the time, De Stijl was a reaction against the horrors of World War I. It was utopian in nature in the sense that the members of De Stijl believed art to have a transformative power. For them, art was a means towards social and spiritual redemption.

It was also a reaction against the decorative excesses of Art Deco, the reduced quality of De Stijl art was envisioned by its creators as a universal visual language appropriate to the modern era, a time of a new, spiritualized world order.

Led by the painters Theo van Doesburg and Piet Mondrian – its central and celebrated figures – De Stijl artists applied their style to a host of media in the fine and applied arts and beyond. Promoting their innovative ideas in their journal of the same name, the members envisioned nothing less than the ideal fusion of form and function, thereby making De Stijl in effect the ultimate style. To this end, De Stijl artists turned their attention not only to fine art media such as painting and sculpture, but virtually all other art forms as well, including industrial design, typography, even literature and music.

De Stijl’s influence was perhaps felt most noticeably in the realm of architecture, helping give rise to the International Style of the 1920s and 1930s.

Where in the World China

Written by Gill Dewar on July 26, 2021. Posted in Where in the world.

China:

Did you know that there is a country, where a bride cries for one hour each day, starting a month before she gets married? Not only that, after 10 days she is joined by her mother and later by her grandmother and other family members.

Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel to in order to see the crying brides-to-be?

It is indeed in China.

A bit more about it:

Weddings are often an emotional affair, but in certain parts of China crying is a required part of preparation for marriage. A month before their forthcoming nuptials, Tujia brides will cry for one hour each day. Ten days into the ritual, the bride is joined by her mother and ten days after that, the bride’s grandmother joins the weeping duo and eventually other female family members will join in the cacophony of crying.

Termed Zuo Tang in the western Sichuan province, the ritual is said to date back to China’s Warring States era when the mother of a Zhao princess broke down in tears at her wedding.

Interesting Chinese traditions for when you travel there.

Amazing Travel Fact Turkey

Written by Gill Dewar on July 26, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

Turkey:

Did you know that in 1865 a Belgian banker’s son started the Orient Express? The first formal journey with many journalists aboard lasted 80 hours. Agatha Christie was one its passengers later on.

Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel to in order to see the famous train station where the journey ended?

It’s indeed Istanbul.

Georges dreamt about a train that would span a continent. The train ran from Paris to Istanbul, then called Constantinople.

The newspapers called it the Orient Express. On October 4 the first journey began, which lasted 80 hours. The train was very luxurious, like the finest European hotels. Later on the train was also nicknamed the Spies Express. But that’s a story for another day.

So many great ways to visit Turkey!

Where in the World Spain

Written by Gill Dewar on July 23, 2021. Posted in Where in the world.

Spain:

Who recognises the town in this famous painting by El Greco?

In this, his greatest surviving landscape, El Greco portrays the city Of Toledo where he lived and worked for most of his life. The painting belongs to the tradition of emblematic city views, rather than a faithful documentary description. The view of the eastern section of Toledo from the north would have excluded the cathedral, which the artist therefore imaginatively moved to the left of the Alcázar (the royal palace). Other buildings represented in the painting include the ancient Alcántara Bridge, and on the other side of the river Tagus, the Castle of San Servando.

Part of a great tour of Spain

Where in the World Mexico

Written by Gill Dewar on July 23, 2021. Posted in Where in the world.

Mexico:

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artefacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country’s popular culture, she employed a naïve folk art style to explore questions of identity, postcolonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society.

Her paintings often had strong autobiographical elements and mixed realism with fantasy.

In addition to belonging to the post-revolutionary Mexicayotl movement, which sought to define a Mexican identity, Kahlo has been described as a surrealist or magical realist. She is known for painting about her experience of chronic pain.

Kahlo contracted polio at age six, which left her right leg thinner than the left, which Kahlo disguised by wearing long skirts.

After the accident, Frida Kahlo turned her attention away from the study of medicine to begin a full-time painting career. Frida Kahlo once said, “I paint myself because I am often alone and I am the subject I know best”. Her mother had a special easel made for her so she could paint in bed, and her father lent her his box of oil paints and some brushes.

Drawing on personal experiences, including her marriage, her miscarriages, and her numerous operations, Kahlo’s works often are characterized by their stark portrayals of pain. Of her 143 paintings, 55 are self-portraits which often incorporate symbolic portrayals of physical and psychological wounds. She insisted, “I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality”.

Kahlo was deeply influenced by indigenous Mexican culture, which is apparent in her use of bright colors and dramatic symbolism. She frequently included the symbolic monkey. In Mexican mythology, monkeys are symbols of lust, yet Kahlo portrayed them as tender and protective symbols. Christian and Jewish themes are often depicted in her work. She combined elements of the classic religious Mexican tradition with surrealist renderings.

Travel to Mexico to learn more about her.

Amazing Travel Fact Prague

Written by Gill Dewar on July 23, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts, Where in the world.

Prague:

Of course you have heard of the Chinese Wall, the Berlin Wall, and the Western Wall, but did you know that there is a famous capital that has the Lennon Wall? One of the most photographed walls in the city, it has a lot of paintings, graffiti art work, messages of love and peace on it.

Amazing, right?

Do you know which city we need to visit in order to see the Wall?

It is indeed in Prague

John Lennon’s wall is in Prague although John Lennon himself never visited Prague in his short life.

The ever-changing wall of graffiti named after John Lennon can be found the district of Mala Strana. It’s been dubbed in the past as the ‘crying wall’ and was used by protesters of the day to paint political messages. One of the most photographed walls in the city, this fifty metre wall has a lot of paintings, graffiti art work, messages of love and peace on it.

Lennon was a hero to the pacifist youth of Central and Eastern Europe during the totalitarian era. Prior to 1989 when Communism ruled, western pop songs were banned by Communist authorities, and especially John Lennon’s songs, because they were praising freedom that didn’t exist there. Some musicians were actually jailed for playing them!

When John Lennon was murdered in 1980 he became a sort of hero to some of the young and his picture was painted on this wall, for whatever reason right there, along with graffiti defying the authorities. Don’t forget that back then the Czech people had few opportunities to express their feelings with their lack of freedom. By doing this, those young activists risked prison for what authorities called “subversive activities against the state”.

But the threat of prison couldn’t keep the people from slipping there at night to scrawl graffiti first in the form of Beatles lyrics and odes to Lennon, then, they came to paint their own feelings and dreams on the wall.

The Communist police tried repeatedly to whitewash over the portrait and messages of peace but they could never manage to keep the wall clean. On the second day it was again full of poems and flowers with paintings of Lennon. Even the installation of surveillance cameras and the posting of an ovenight guard couldn’t stop the opinions from being expressed.

Amazing wall!

Include this stop on a city tour of Prague.

Amazing Travel Fact Zimbabwe

Written by Gill Dewar on July 23, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts, Where in the world.

Zimbabwe:

Did you know that the world’s largest man-made reservoir, a beautiful lake now, covers an incredible 5400 square kilometres? It offers spectacular views and stunning sunsets. Do you know where we need to travel to in order to see the lake?

It is Lake Kariba and in the picture you see a houseboat. Stunning, isn’t it?

A bit more about it:

Lake Kariba is the world’s largest man-made reservoir, created by the completion of the Kariba Dam in 1958. Covering an incredible 2,085 square miles (5,400sq km), the waters stretch along the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe.

This is Africa’s largest man made dam, 226km long and in places up to 40 km wide. It provides considerable electric power to both Zambia and Zimbabwe and supports a thriving commercial fishing industry. The sheer size of it makes one forget it’s a dam and in certain places it almost feels like an ocean!

It offers spectacular views, stunning sunsets, great fishing, boating opportunities, water sports or wonderful relaxing holidays or weekends just soaking up the sunshine.

The weather there is mostly sunny and fine. It can get quite hot in mid summer, but even mid winter days are warm and the nights are balmy.

Enjoy great houseboat trips when you travel to Zimbabwe.

Amazing Travel Fact Iceland

Written by Gill Dewar on July 23, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts, Where in the world.

Iceland:

Did you know that there is a country where you can find a beautiful rock in the shape of an elephant? Aptly named Elephant Rock, it looks almost exactly like the head of a large elephant sticking its trunk in the water.

Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel in order to see this rock?

It is indeed Iceland. A bit more about it:

Iceland is a land of volcanoes. Nowhere is this more evident than on the Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands), an archipelago off the southern coast of Iceland. Here, centuries of volcanic eruptions formed sea cliffs that appear almost fairy-tale-like.

Among these eye-catching formations, one stands out: A portion of the volcano-formed coast on Heimaey (which means “Home Island”) looks almost exactly like the head of a large elephant sticking its trunk in the water.

The rock is elephantine enough that some people think that it must have been shaped with human intervention. That is not the case, however. The elephant’s realistic appearance is, at least partially, due to the fact that the cliff consists of basalt rock. The rock gives the figure “skin” that looks wrinkled and grayish, just like a real elephant.

The most common hypothesis is that the elephant and other rock formations on Heimaey came from the Eldfell Volcano, which has erupted many times and continues to be active in the modern era. In 1973, an eruption caused significant damage to the island, and the harbour area was only saved by a dramatic cooling operation that solidified the advancing lava with ocean water before it reached the coast.

What an amazing tour to include in Iceland!

Amazing Travel Fact Zanzibar

Written by Gill Dewar on July 23, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

Oman and Zanzibar:

Did you know that there is a country in the Middle East that once had their capital in Africa? Their ruler decided he liked it so much that he wanted to live there.

Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel in order to see this ancient capital?

It is indeed Oman and Zanzibar.

Muscat’s position as the centre of all things Omani was compromised in 1832. In fact, this was the year that the city endured a humiliating demotion.

Oman had clawed the east African island (which is now part of Tanzania) into its grasp in 1698. By the middle of the 19th century, the ruler of the time, Said bin Sultan, had decided that he loved his tropical outpost so much, he was going to live there – and moved his capital to Stone Town.

Much of the latter’s ambience – narrow souk-like streets, its defensive Old Fort, its House of Wonders (an ornate former royal palace built in the late 19th century) – is pinned to this epoch.

Check out Oman or Zanzibar for great travel experiences!

Amazing Travel Fact Egypt

Written by Gill Dewar on July 23, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts.

Egypt:

Did you know that the largest man-made pool in the world is located in the middle of a desert and was also the most expensive pool ever built? It cost $5.5 million dollars. Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel to in order to swim here?

A tricky one this time, it is Egypt.

A bit more about it:

Citystars Sharm El Sheikh includes 1.2 million sqm of beautiful Crystal Lagoons and 22 kms of white sandy beaches, not to mention the largest Crystal Lagoon on the planet today covering an area 120,000 m2.

Opened in 2015, the Citystars Sharm El Sheikh lagoon is officially the largest man-made body of water in the world. And beyond its size, this vast pool is remarkable for its location in the middle of the Sinai desert — three miles inland from the famous Sharm El Sheikh resort town.

The saltwater supply comes from otherwise unusable desert aquifers, and takes several weeks to fill up. The $5.5 million beach-fringed lagoon is part of an exclusive gated community, and while it’s declared at 30.9 acres, Guinness World Records’ official measurement puts it at 23.9 acres — still comfortably taking the crown from the next biggest pool.

Great to add onto an itinerary to Egypt!

Amazing Travel Fact Dubai

Written by Gill Dewar on July 23, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts, MICE, Where in the world.

Dubai:

Did you know that there is no such thing as a 7-star rating for a hotel? But in 1999, a journalist gave 7 stars to a hotel during its opening. It is one the tallest hotels in the world and built on a man-made island. Amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel to in order to stay in this hotel (and probably best to have some money with you if you do)?

It is indeed Dubai.

Officially, there is no such thing as a 7-star rating. The term 7-star was created by a journalist who attended the opening of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai and felt the standard five stars didn’t do its decadence justice. …

It’s one of the tallest hotels in the world and the reason why the term “7-star hotel” started. The impressiveness of this hotel starts just from its exterior, as it stands on a man-made island.

For those who have money to throw away on one luxurious night, the Royal Suite will not disappoint, yet it costs $20,000 per night with some sources claiming it costs an upwards of $27,000 per night. As the most expensive suite at Burj Al Arab, the Royal Suite features a butler service, cinema room, Rolls Royce chauffeur and a discreet check-in. Expect nothing less than 7-star service at this 7-star hotel.

Check out all of the other great hotels in Dubai!

Amazing Travel Fact Italy

Written by Gill Dewar on July 23, 2021. Posted in Amazing Facts, Where in the world.

Vatican City, Italy:

Did you know that there is a country which has an ATM machine in Latin? It reads: inserito scidulam quaeso ut faciundam cognoscas rationem. Rather confusing, but pretty amazing, right?

Do you know where we need to travel to in order to use this ATM?

It is indeed the Vatican.

A bit more about it:

The Vatican is the only country in the world to have ATM’s that speak Latin. Latin is the official language of the Vatican and one can choose this option by simply pressing the button. Rumor has it, that the former Pope Benedict XVI, loved his transactions done in Latin.

The economy of Vatican City is supported financially by the sale of stamps, coins, medals, and tourist mementos as well as fees for admission to museums and publication sales. The Vatican City state employed 4,822 people in 2016.

The Vatican City issues its own coins and stamps. It has used the euro as its currency since 1 January 1999, owing to a special agreement with the European Union. Euro coins and notes were introduced on 1 January 2002—the Vatican does not issue euro banknotes. Issuance of euro-denominated coins is strictly limited by treaty, though somewhat more than usual is allowed in a year in which there is a change in the papacy. Because of their rarity, Vatican euro coins are highly sought by collectors.

Include a visit as part of your city tour of Rome!

Author: Gill Dewar

Amazing Travel Fact South Korea

Amazing Travel Fact Sweden

Amazing Travel Fact Spain

Amazing Travel Fact Prague

Amazing Travel Fact Austria

Amazing Travel Fact Ecuador

Where in the World Bolivia

Where in the World Hawaii

Where in the World Netherlands

Where in the World China

Amazing Travel Fact Turkey

Where in the World Spain

Where in the World Mexico

Amazing Travel Fact Prague

Amazing Travel Fact Zimbabwe

Amazing Travel Fact Iceland

Amazing Travel Fact Zanzibar

Amazing Travel Fact Egypt

Amazing Travel Fact Dubai

Amazing Travel Fact Italy

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