Wednesday, April 21, 2010

UK -Europe-Dubai Trip -Part 8

Jungfraujoch - Top of Europe -11782 Feet above Sea Level
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It is pronounced as Yungfrovyak. You take the first train from a station called Lauterbrunnen. If you have been to Ooty by train from Mettupalayam you will remember that the train takes about 5 to 6 hours to reach a height of 5000 feet +. Here you are taken up to 11782 feet in just one hour. The first train takes you to Eigerwand which is 9400 feet high. There you get down and change to another train. Most of the remaining height is crossed by tunnels cut through the snow peaks. Once you reach Jungfraujock Railway station - they have constructed a Tower which is above the Mountain peak. You can go there by a High Speed Lift. This is the most beautiful part where the entire Swiss Alps is below you - you can see the mountain tops and the clouds. The temprature is Minus 12 Degrees.




































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The cow is the favaourite animal of the Swiss people since they produce enormous quantities of Milk, Cheese & Chocolates

Monday, April 19, 2010

Uk-Europe -Dubai Trip -Part 7


Switzerland - here we come.......

We said Goodbye to Italy after the Leaning Tower of Pisa visit, and drove to Switzerland - the most beautiful, Clean & Rich country of the World. Several years ago we have performed here and I have stayed in this country for 17 days. We stayed in a lovely City called Lucerne. The route from Italy to Lucerne has a 17 Km. long Tunnel. The Swiss are the worlds best in making Tunnels. The Country is full of them. All their life they have been building tunnels. This could be the reason for the low population in this country. The Country is rich because of its policy to hold secretive Bank Accounts of anyone in any part of the World. It is no secret that black money has been flowing into Swiss banks and other tax havens worldwide for years now. While there is no official estimate to quote yet, LK Advani, the prime ministerial candidate of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, recently said it might be in the range of Rs 25,000 crore to Rs 75,000 crore. R Vaidyanathan, professor of finance at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and a regular columnist for DNA, feels the real figure is many times more than that number.






Mount Titlis - a part of the Swiss Alps is one of the most attractive Tourist spots of the World especially for those interested in WINTER SPORTS. People from all over the world come here for Skiing . This mountain is 10000 feet high and is accessible by three different Cable Cars. The first Cable car takes you from Engleberg to Trumsee. You already reach a temprature from + 10 Degrees to Minus 11 Degrees.. You take a second cable Car from there and finally a third cable car (which rotates) from there to Mount Titlis. All through the way you see only SNOW - SNOW & SNOW. You find people from the ages of 7 to 70 Skiing all through the route.





























Tuesday, April 13, 2010

UK-Europe -Dubai Trip-Part 6

The Leaning Tower of PISA - Italy

Although intended to stand vertically, the tower began leaning to the southeast soon after the onset of construction in 1173 due to a poorly laid foundation and loose substrate that has allowed the foundation to shift direction. The tower currently leans to the southwest.

The height of the tower is 183.27 ft from the ground on the lowest side and 186.02 ft on the highest side. The width of the walls at the base is 13.42 ft and at the top 8.14 ft. Its weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons . The tower has 296 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase. Prior to restoration work performed between 1990 and 2001, the tower leaned at an angle of 5.5 degrees, but the tower now leans at about 3.99 degrees.

On January 7, 1990, after over two decades of work on the subject, the tower was closed to the public. While the tower was closed, the bells were removed to relieve some weight, and cables were cinched around the third level and anchored several hundred meters away. Apartments and houses in the path of the tower were vacated for safety. The final solution to prevent the collapse of the tower was to slightly straighten the tower to a safer angle, by removing 38 cubic metres of soil from underneath the raised end. The tower was straightened by 18 inches returning to the exact position that it occupied in 1838. After a decade of corrective reconstruction and stabilization efforts, the tower was reopened to the public on December 15, 2001, and has been declared stable for at least another 300 years.















Friday, April 9, 2010

UK -Europe-Dubai Trip Part 5

History of Vatican City

The original lands that the Vatican City occupies today was also the site of Roman Emperor Nero's Circus. The obelisk in the center of the Vatican square (the only remnant of the original Circus) was originally part of Heliopolis (an ancient Egyptian city which stood in the vicinity of present day Cairo) but taken by Roman Emperor Caligula and erected close to where it stands today.
The site of the Circus of Nero has the notorious reputation of being the place where many Christians were martyred. It is also believed that St Peter was crucified upside down here.

In 1929 the Lateran Treaty allowed the State of the Vatican City to be formed, and thenceforth ruled by the Bishop of Rome - the Pope.
There have been 365 Popes till now. Vatican City is built in 44 Hecteres of land. It is a separate state ruled by the Pope. They have their own Radio & TV Stations & Railway Station.










































Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Monday, April 5, 2010

UK - Europe - Dubai Trip Part 3 -ROME - Italy

The city of Rome is located in the central-Western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber river within the Lazio region of Italy. Rome's history spans over two and a half thousand years. It was the capital city of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, which was a major political and cultural influence in the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea for over four hundred years from the 1st Century BC until the 4th Century AD. Since the 2nd Century AD Rome became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, and in 1946 that that of the Italian Republic. Since 1929 it is also the site of the Vatican City, an independent city-state presided over by the Pope.
The current-day version of St Peter's Basilica was built and the Sistine Chapel was painted by Michelangelo. Famous artists and architects, such as Bramante, Bernini and Raphael resided for some time in Rome, contributing to its Renaissance and Baroque architecture.





The Travi Fountain in Rome. You hold a coin facing away from the Fountain on your right hand and throw it over your left shoulder into the water. It is beleived that by doing this you will return to Rome again in your life. The fountain is Beauty Personified. The coins are collected from the fountain every week and given to the Red Cross Society for charity.


Italy is famous for its ancient Architecture & Food. Pizza & Ice Creams are famous the world over. The original Italian Pizza in not round but square in shape. They bake them in trays and cut in squares.
























The Colosseum
It is an Amphitheatre Capable of seating 50,000 spectators . The construction started in the year 72 A.D & completed in 80 A.D. The Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles as well as the gladiatorial games, other public spectacles were held there, such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Europe- UK -Dubai Tour Part 2


A few more Pictures of Venice....













Double Click on photos to see enlarged version...

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Ramjhi`s Tour of Europe -UK -Dubai - Part 1


Venice - the floating City of Italy
We flew from Chennai via Dubai and entered Europe on the 17th March at Milan -Italy. We drove to Venice which was our first part of the European tour. It is a city of 118 Islands, 150 Canals and 409 Bridges. The whole city is surrounded by Sea water. We have roads like 100 feet road, Main Road, Cross Road, Muttu Sandhu & Moothra Sandhu. They also have all these with Italian names but the road is made of WATER. Houses and commercial buildings are on either side of the water road. You can visit by boat or walk through the curved bridges. The sizes of boats vary according to the size of the road.The Sea tide rises by 6 feet and after a few hours returns to normal . People live only on the first floor and above of all buildings.
This place is famous for the Hand made glassware.

The Gondola is the romantic boat here - you must have seen many heros & heroines singing on these boats in our movies. I could not take a photo of myself with Shobhaa because the stupid Boatman made her sit next to some other man.
















For a long time it has been predicted that VENICE will sink in the Sea but the Locals believe that Saint Mark the presiding diety will always save them. The Internationally famous Composer MOZART Lived in one of these Water roads.






Please leave your comments & or querries in the COMMENT column so that I will know that you have seen this page. Tomorrow 3rd April - ROME