The only difficulty you face when planning a visit to Europe is deciding where to go. There is so much to see, so many beautiful cities and so little time that you are spoilt for choice. In no particular order, these are five cities that you should see. There are many, many more such as Barcelona, Madrid, Budapest, Prague ?

London. When you tire of London you tire of life as someone once said, and it is still true even now. London is dirty, noisy, crowded and the public transport isn?t the best in the world but there is something about London that has to be experienced. Hyde park, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, a walk along the Thames, Harrods, Oxford Street, Covent Garden, Soho. You can go on and on.

Paris. If you are planning a visit to Europe, how could you not spend at least a few days in Paris? It is probably the most chic city in the world, with its beautiful architecture, cafes, churches, monuments, art galleries and more. Walk along the Seine or take a bateau mouche to see the city from the river, climb the Eiffel tower, visit Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, eat, drink and be merry.

Rome. Like London Rome is noisy, crowded and amazing. It has great food and great wine combined with thousands of years of history. Visit the roman forum, Vatican City, the Coliseum., the Fontana di Trevi and the Pantheon. As with all these cities, the only hard decision is what to miss out if you only have a limited time. You could live in Rome for a month and only scratch the surface.

Venice. Simply, the most beautiful city in the world. It has to be seem to be believed. After visiting St Mark?s Square and the main tourist sites, I would suggest leaving the normal tourist areas and wandering through the back streets to see something of the real Venice. Even during the long tourist season these are relatively empty, and you will stumble across many hidden gems, not only architecturally but also gastronomically.

Berlin. In common with the other cities, there is a lot of interesting history attached although Berlin is different in that much of it is more recent. You can follow the track marking out the Berlin wall, see the last remaining bits of wall (now preserved), Checkpoint Charlie, the last remaining watch tower and so on. There are also an astonishing number of museums and beer halls within easy reach, and of course the Berlin State Opera.

Finally, a little bit of language helps. English is widely spoken, especially in the tourist areas, but people appreciate it if you make an effort in their language. This doesn’t have to be more than hello, goodbye but it usually gets a good response. You will also find that in places where you might expect an understanding of English, such as the metro in Paris, it can surprisingly be absent.

Vicki Landes, author of “Europe for the Senses – A Photographic Journal” gave her first radio interview last week with Penny Sansevieri of the ‘Fascinating Authors Radio Show’. Landes discusses finding herself moving to Europe “kicking and screaming” and her gradual emersion into the European culture. Once acclimated, Landes set out to explore her surroundings and ended up visiting 45 different countries throughout the world. She credits her grandparents with giving her the book idea and has spent a total of 6 and a half years so far, traveling Europe on the weekends and snapping pictures.

Landes notes that although travelers should not miss the popular sites in Europe, the lesser known destinations can be just as meaningful, especially if you get to explore them without tourist crowds. For example, Maulbronn Monastery, just outside Stuttgart, Germany, is not a tourist trap and ‘you can explore the hallways as the only living soul’. Almost 1,000 years old and hailed as being in the best condition of any monastery north of the Alps, this monastery delights. Unlike traditional museums that rope you off from exhibits, Maulbronn allows you to “wrap your arms around the enormous pillars and press your cheek against the cold stone”.

Another example of a lesser known site is Schwetzingen Castle and Gardens – “everyone knows Heidelberg Castle, but what about Schwetzingen? It’s only 20 minutes away from Heidelberg and the gardens blow me away every time I visit”. Between the perfect symmetry of the arched hedges and the contract between vivid green foliage and stark white marble statues hidden throughout, Landes notes that this destination should be a ‘do not miss’ for any Germany-bound tourist.

Europe has been the center of much of Western Civilization throughout the history of mankind. Here are 20 interesting things about Europe you should know, but may not.

20 Interesting Things About Europe

With the amazing history of Europe, picking 20 things out can be a controversial effort to say the least, but here we go anyway.

1. Europe is the second smallest continent with roughly 4 million square miles.

2. Europe is designated as a continent for political reasons. There is no geographic basis for the claim.

3. Europe is home to more than 700 million people, but birth rates are stagnant.

4. Most scholars believe Europe was named after Europa, a Phoenician Princess in Greek mythology.

5. The smallest country in Europe is the Vatican, which is considered a separate country from Italy even though it is in the middle of Rome.

6. The largest city in Europe is Paris with a population of just under 10 million people.

7. La Sapienza University in Rome is the largest university in Europe with a whopping 184,000 students.

8. Europe produces just over 18 percent of all the oil in the world.

9. The European Union has 25 country members.

10. 80 to 90 percent of Europe was once covered in forest, but this has been reduced to 3 percent in Western Europe.

11. Europe has one of the lowest fertility rates in the world.

12. Europe has been racked with war throughout its history to the point where more than 70 former countries have been conquered and no longer appear on maps.

13. The great Roman inventions so often cited by scholars actually were created by Etruscans, a small empire in the south of present day Italy.

14. The Dark Ages in Europe lasted from 476 to 1,000 A.D. or twice as long as the United States has been a country.

15. The Renaissance followed this period and lasted roughly 200 years.

16. The first country to join the industrial revolution in Europe was Great Britain.

17. The First World War lasted from 1914 to 1918 and resulted in four empires radically changing or dissolving completely: the German, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and the Russian.

18. Adolf Hitler was not German. He was Austrian, born in the small town of Braunau am Inn.

19. It is estimated that 62 million people died in World War II, 2.5 percent of the world?s population at that time.

20. The 10 most generous countries in the world when it comes to charitable giving are all located in Europe.

To be honest, the 20 items mentioned about Europe cited above are just scratching the surface. If you have a hankering for history, Europe is a fascinating subject to study.

World Travel Watch is a weekly report designed to help you make informed judgments about travel. Conditions can change overnight, so always make your own inquiries before you leave home. The U.S. State Department and embassies or consulates are good places to start.

India: Jewish Centers at Risk of Terrorist Attack
Israel’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau advised Israelis to avoid synagogues and Chabad centers in India because terrorists may be plotting attacks similar to those staged in Mumbai on Nov. 26, 2008. FBI agents investigating two Chicago men allegedly involved in planning the Mumbai attacks recently flew to India to share intelligence with Indian security officials. One of the Chicago suspects was arrested on charges that he was working with a Pakistani terrorist group to plot new attacks on Jewish gathering places. Indian and Israeli officials believe the threat is real, and logic suggests that all travelers, not just Israelis, should consider avoiding synagogues and Chabad centers at this time.

Mali: Risk of Kidnapping for Westerners Is Critical in Timbuktu, Elsewhere
The U.S. Embassy in Bamako issued a warning urging Americans “in the very strongest terms” to avoid travel to the regions of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu, and if present, to “leave immediately” because of the critical risk of kidnapping. The abduction of a long-term resident French citizen in November and the taking of three Spanish aid workers in neighboring Mauritania a few days later confirm the credibility of the threat.

Mexico: Drug Violence Increases in Chihuahua State, Ciudad Juarez
The U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez, across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas, issued an alert Dec. 8 saying that drug violence has now spread to family members of rival cartel members and violent crime is increasing throughout the state of Chihuahua. Because of such violence, the consulate advises Americans to defer non-essential travel to the Guadalupe Bravo area southeast of the city—known locally as “Valle de Juarez”—and to the entire northwest quarter of the state, a region that “begins in Puerto Palomas and runs south to the municipalities of Namiquipa and Madera, and west to the Chihuahua state boundary with Sonora; it includes the city of Nuevo Casas Grandes and surrounding communities.” In other news, the Consulate General Hermosillo issued an alert Dec. 4 stating that a seasonal spike in robberies on toll roads in Sonora and Sinaloa states usually occurs at this time of year as criminals target visitors bringing presents to family members. Such robberies usually occur at night or before dawn when thieves pull over their victims using flashing lights that resemble police lights.

Northern Ireland: Police Urge Stores to Check Security in Wake of Car Bomb, Fears of “Real IRA” Campaign
Police urged retailers across the province to review their security arrangements because of concerns that a dissident IRA faction might mount a Christmas bombing campaign. The Real IRA splinter group left a car bomb that partially detonated at the Policing Board headquarters in Belfast Nov. 22, and authorities worry that they have access to a store of explosives and may try to stage a spectacular incident in the coming weeks. The warning followed security alerts Dec. 7 that paralyzed sections of Belfast when suspect devices caused two hours of gridlocked traffic and bus diversions on one of the city’s busiest streets.

Tanzania: Police Shoot Robbers Targeting Safari Lodge
Police shot dead five men they said were planning to rob a luxury tourist lodge near the Gurmeti Reserve west of Serengeti National park on the Kenyan border Dec. 1. Police acted on a tip and laid an ambush for the armed men. A police official called the incident “very rare,” but another armed robbery occurred in October in the neighboring Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya when bandits invaded a tented camp. Whether the incidents are rare or signal a trend, tourism officials know that their industry depends on keeping tourists safe, and they have increased security in response.

Brussels is not only the home of the European Union. The Belgian capital is a diverse and attractive city in its own right, a town rich in history and full of places to see. Designated the cultural capital of Europe in 2000, Brussels is no mere town of faceless bureaucrats. It has its own story to tell.
A fortress in the middle of a river.

The name Brussels (Bruocsella) is first documented in 966. It means chapel in a swamp, and likely refers to its position on the Senne River. The settlement itself had probably been founded between three and four hundred years earlier. The earliest stronghold on Brussels Island dates back to around the end of the 10th century.

Central Brussels
The story of Grand Place (in French, or Grote Markt in Dutch), the town square located at the centre of Brussels, leads us on a trip through the citys history. Grand Place was created as a market and business square, but soon attracted the trade guilds and city officials.
They designed magnificent guildhalls and government buildings as proof of their power and affluence, Brussels became one of Europes most important trading and financial centres during the High Middle Ages and would remain so until 1695, when French cannons bombed the city for three days, levelling Grand Place and reducing much of the city to rocks and ashes. It was rebuilt quickly, and the guildhalls that currently stand on Grand Place bear witness to the citys revival.

Grand Place remains a favoured gathering point for residents and tourists alike. Many of its countless restaurants, cafes and eateries are open around the clock.

Brussels city hall
The Hotel de Ville (Brussels city hall), completed in 1450, is an architectural jewel even among the grandiose guildhalls and structures around it. Its facade was one of the few structures to survive the French bombardment of 1695. With its 96-metre-tall tower topped by a gilded statue of St. Michael and the dragon, the Hotel de Ville is Brussels most talked about landmark, visible from every part of the historic old town.

A different kind of city emblem
Most visitors consider the statue called Manneken Pis (literally, the boy peeing) at the corner of the Rue de lEtuve and Rue des Grands Charmes to be the symbol of Brussels. Just who the little boy in this work by sculptor Heironimus Dusquesnoy is supposed to be is an unsolved mystery. In any case, the cheeky lad is certainly one of the citys main visitor attractions. Meanwhile, his girl version, the Jeanneken Pis, can be viewed at the end of a cul-de-sac called Impasse de la Fidelite just off La Grand Place. The habitants of [the city~Brussels} have always been in favour of equal rights, and if that meant commissioning a statue of a similarly indisposed little girl, so be it. The statue was dedicated in 1987.

The giant molecule
The 102-metre-high Atomium is another favourite installation in Brussels. It began its existence as an exhibition hall built for the 1958 World Fair. It represents a crystalline iron molecule, magnified 165 thousand million times. The tubes connecting the nine atomic particles are actually conduits containing escalators and walkways.

Due to its use of futuristic materials and interesting design, it has long been considered both an architectural icon and an impressive piece of civic monumental sculpture.

Within, the Atomium still houses the occasional exhibition on topics related to nuclear technology, aeronautics, astronomy and meteorology. Inside the uppermost sphere is a restaurant that affords a beautiful view of the entire city, weather permitting.

In order for you to get some pleasure from your holiday, you should be prepared with the names of places that best fit your own temperament. Ask yourself what are the spots you can visit that afford you the nicest time at the best prices. As you prepare for your holiday, you’ll discover that a travel guide is most certainly a compass.

The guide, like a compass, will direct you to your destination. Of course, it’s where you want to go in order to achieve your holiday vacation pleasure and enjoy your vacation to the hilt. If you keep this in mind then your holidaymaking will be a success. Directions No matter how delightful, pretty, or celebrated the place is, the primary job of a guide should offer you excellent travel directions. It should give clear concise comprehensive details about how to reach wherever you’re headed; and as always, the shortest route makes it all possible. Of course, you want the more inexpensive offer available.

Your holiday life will be really easy if someone hand holds you the way that only a good travel guide will.

The next step you should learn from a guide is the main attractions that your chosen location will offer. The guide will index these attractions for easy reference and will offer you comprehensive details. I am talking here about details such as the street address, or how to reach it by transit. (In some cases, you may have to use private transport). Other facts the guide may give you is the historic significance of the tourist spot, plus any other pertinent information that may be of interest. The one thing a travel guide should never be is short on information and facts. These facts assist travelers who are planning to visit the attractions. One thing the guide might also tell you is whether you have the time and the financial budget to visit the various attractions. If there were no guide available, the holidaymaker would have to rely on the locals to explain everything.

This would not be a reliable situation. In fact, the information obtained from locals is very often inaccurate.

Your travel guide has information about your accommodation and restaurants. It should be complete and up-to-the-minute about the area’s budget, medium and high-end hotels, complete with their charges. This is needed so that you can plan your reservations in advance. That way you won’t end up in spots where it is unsafe, otherwise problematic, or just too costly. A good guide will deal with the subject of seasonal travel. As a last word, you ought to be able to see when and what you should not visit. On the subject of when, for example, the top tourist time is usually known to anybody who travels regularly. Therefore, you may not wish to travel to that destination on holiday when you’ll meet a huge stampede of people.

Besides this information, there are numerous other forecasts about your chosen location. Another plus for traveling with this kind of forecast information, is that your vacation may actually pay a fraction of the what you might have paid.