Travel Advice

Week Long Celebration of Sailing in Kiel Germany

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Plain sailing at Kiel Week

The Kiel Week regatta, held in the regional capital of Schleswig Holstein, is the largest sailing event in the world and a festival celebrated by millions. Besides the top sporting action, Kiel Week presents sailing in all its fascinating diversity – from classic yachts and cutter regattas on Kiel’s inner firth to the grand parade of tall ships on the second Saturday of the event.

At Kiel Firth, where the sea seems to meet the sky, you can experience all the maritime charm of northern Germany. For 30 years, sailing fans and visitors from all over the world have gathered here to enjoy northern Europe’s biggest summer festival. The event features around 2,000 ships and boats, regattas in every Olympic discipline and 16 other national and international boat classes – not to mention musical entertainment and delicious food and drink. And you don’t need to be a sailing enthusiast to enjoy the ten-day programme – the breathtaking parade of around one hundred historical sailing ships and the spectacular firework display over Kiel Firth are two highlights enjoyed by all. A classical open-air concert outside the town hall, jazz resonating from the city’s lanes and culinary delights from kitchen, cellar or galley are all part of the program. An adventure park for budding explorers, a cities forum, a number of exhibitions and the International Warsteiner Hot Air Balloon Sail complete the programme for this unique festival. There’s nothing quite like it anywhere else in the world, which is why the world descends on Kiel year after year.

For additional information: http://www.kieler-woche.de/

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Travel Advice

Opera along the Danube

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No other river in the world flows through more capital cities.
The Danube is a natural highway to experience the opera houses of Europe and a river cruise is the perfect way to travel that road. Offering a window into the past, one can enjoy the glory of period architecture and listen to great music.

Built in 1884, the design for the opera house in Budapest was commissioned by Emperor Franz Joseph. Decorated with marble and frescos by the best artisans of the day, the Neo-Renaissance interior is a highlight of any tour of Budapest. The opera house has seen performances by many leading musicians and is considered to have among the best acoustics of similar size opera houses worldwide. Attending a performance here can be a highlight of any European trip.

Performances at the Vienna State Opera date back to the mid-19th century, with the opening performance in May, 1869 attended by Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Elisabeth. A lighter sound, departing from the traditional voluminous orchestra, was featured after the war and became known as “typically Viennese”. As one of the busiest and most popular opera houses in the world, the Vienna State Opera hosts around 300 performances per year. Child friendly, the opera house is well known for its children’s productions, as well as an opera school for 8-14 year olds.

Although partially destroyed in World War II, the original foyer and frescoes in the front section, as well as the main stairways, vestibule and tearooms remain.

The Bucharest National Opera House is also a great venue to enjoy opera in a beautiful venue. Built more recently, the distinctive architectural style of this beautiful building harkens back to an earlier neoclassical style and is one of the visual treasures of Bucharest.

Not to be missed is the historic building of the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava, Slovakia. Located on a cobbled square at the entrance to the old town, it has a long history of renowned performances. The Slovak National Theatre, built near the site of the first stone theater in 1776, was completed in 1886 in the Neo-Renaissance style. The theater building is surrounded by a fountain and the busts of famous artists and is one of the best works of Viennese architects Fellner and Helmer.

Schedules for most opera seasons, sometimes only  become available only a few months before the season begins, so you have to stay flexible if you want to be able to combine one or more performances.

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