This is one of the most famous places in France for Oysters and if you are in the area, you should consider visiting to try some fresh Oysters. In travel guides the “market” at the Porte de la Houle is recommended and this is where you might want to go: one word of warning though: it´s not a “posh” market, but just some tents with fisher men and women selling Oysters. You will get a dozen for about 5-6 Euros and they will open the Oysters for you. Then you take a sit at the harbour wall, put some lemon sauce on your oyster, cut it through and get them down.

For beginners, like me, you might want to go with the smallest size and aim for half a dozen.

I liked them, but I am not really convinced about the hype about eating Oysters.

You can also get Oysters in every (literally!) restaurant at the harbour, if you want to eat them with more style and have some wine with them. You might also see french people, who have brought some wine with them to the harbour: also a great idea.

More pictures from Cancale can be found at our german speaking Blog, wundrig.at !

You can visit Mont Saint Michel per car, or take, as we did, busses and trains – I do not advise to do so, as it was rather difficult to do so, as the french company, that organizes this (Ligne Baie) was not organised at all, and left people behind after the bus was full (and they were aware of that in the morning).

Mont Saint Michel itself is a gem and a great place to visit and I do advise everyone in the region to go to the place. You should not miss out on the Abbey on the top of the mountain, as it is the highlight of the visit. You will queue for some time, but after you entered the Abbey people will quickly disperse and it is a joy to be there.

You will have some excellent views over the bay and the rooms in the Abbey are interesting as well. We decided to not visit the other museums on the Mont and instead made a walk around the island during low tide, which was another highlight of the day.

Eating and drinking at Mont Saint Michel is something that can get rather costly, so you might consider to do it the “french way” . A lot of visitors from France had some sandwiches with them and were picnicking at some of the nicest places of the island: next time I will do this, too.

I am sorry about the lack of updates on heartlandeurope.com but as I am working as a journalist in Austria I decided to concentrate on my journalistic work in german. Moreover I run another travel blog in german, together with my wife, which consumes most of my times. She is a great photographer and if you want to see more pictures of our visit to Mont Saint Michel please visit our article at wundrig.at – “Ein Tag am Mont Saint Michel”. You can also find a lot more articles about our holidays in the Bretagne.

If you are considering a visit to this city with English promises, you will get a penny for thought over here:

The little Venice:

Little Venice in London is a beautiful corner of the city, which will bring you a memorable time on the shore of River Thames. The panorama becomes magical with sunset. Stunning views of the river against melting colours of the day will make it the most romantic experience of your life. The alfresco dining options along the river give some moments to remember. Spend sometime in the arms of your love. Nothing can be more soothing than the tranquillity of the waterways. A couple can opt for a ride heading downstream to the amiable Madia Vale’s regency streets.

London Eye:

The very same London Eye, where the romantic scene of “If Only” was shot, it is still a lover’s paradise. You can book a capsule, and head on to a revolution. The London skyline will take you off your feet in excitement. To make this entire experience even more sensational, you can book the cupid’s capsule to enjoy romance up there! If heading to the city during valentine’s time, London Eye ride in a cupid capsule is a must.

A Break In Boutique Hotel:

A break in London’s boutique hotel will be a thing to remember. If you are looking for a lodging laden with luxurious comforts, while also giving an intimate and comforting stay, boutique hotel is the place to be. You can take a spa, rejuvenate in the afternoon, and raise a glass to happiness and life. A very snazzy, and truly romantic stay is here with hotels in Central London. These hotels can be booked through londonhotels4u.com.

A Walk Along Serpentine Lake:

The sweeping view of London’s true beauty comes with a walk along the serpentine lake. You will get a vivacious view on your walk, and a chance to stop at one of the chocolate shops and taste a cup of hot chocolate. This feature right next to this magnanimous river will be a romantic experience.

Time at Its Garden:

Some exotic gardens of London have beautiful panorama, created by historical structures and greenery. Eltham Palace, Buckingham Palace Garden, Hyde Park, and Kew gardens will show you a dazzling view of its panorama. Spend a summer time relaxing in arms with your love. Valentines Day bring lovebirds over here.

Best London Brunch:

There is no best way to spend quality time with each other by relishing the most astounding brunch London city has to offer. The Wyndham Grand Sunday brunch that overlooks the Chelsea Harbour is an unbeatable experience in itself. Nothing can be more romantic than this as you get cosy with the views and side by side appreciating one of the finest brunches. Treat your partner with this kind of an option and be in her good books forever and ever.

These spots in London will make sure you get a romantic time in the city. Lovely and lively time at these spots will bring rejuvenation and romance.

Author Bio: Cheena is an associate write, working closely on travel guidance. This website offers a range of lodgings options to the travellers for stay. Find a hotel for any budget.

Heartland Europe: Thanks for sharing this fantastic article, I hope everyone loves it!

Sorry for lack of updates, but a lot of things have happened in the last year and I simply overpaced, when I started this blog. But here´s for the updates … stay tuned, as you might get to know what will happen to the blog formerly known as Heart of Europe.

1. Name Change: You might have recognized that the blogs name changed to “Heartland Europe”. This is, as I am no longer working on happyheartofeurope. I believe “Heartland Europe” is a name that fits very well for this blog and as I am no longer restricted to tourism alone, I am thinking about adding “other” news to this blog, too, whenever appropriate.

2. Content:

Skiing: This winter I did a lot of skiing. I started a Video Blog with a friend about a year ago – http://www.skivideo.at – which features the best skiing videos in Austria. This got me connected to some people and I started to do Ski-Resort reviews for the biggest german Skiing website – http://www.skiinfo.de. I plan to write about this skiing days, but not in the way of using the same texts, but of giving some more “Feature” like background stories and link to my (german) reviews.

Last years travels: I visited Eastern Central Europe last June, as I was at the European Championships. The articles about Cracow, Lviv and Auschwitz will start this blogs rejuvenation, as they are planned to go live in the first weeks of April. I am also considering to do some special about Salzburg and one of it´s most beautiful places, the Pinzgau. I spent a week on a lonely alpine hut there last year and it was fantastic. As a move out of “Heartland Europe” I am considering to give some insights into a trip to Istanbul, that I did last year.  Last but not least I will create some content about Vienna, as I have been there just recently and will revisit it this year. This years travel plans are still wide open, but I guess I will stay “European”.

Guest Entries: I am openly encouraging people to contribute to this blog and am actively starting to contact people with or without blogs, that I believe might contribute.

3. Useability

As a third step I will slowly update this blog, make it easier to navigate and backlink it to my other ventures.

Finally another blog entry. As I am in bed, being sick, I could not publish this guest post by Evita before, but I am feeling better again, so here you go. I hope you enjoy Evita´s post about traveling Europe.

Affordable Trip to the Heart of Europe

Europe is one of the seven continents in the world. There are some interesting and amazing places in Europe that everyone should visit. But before flying to your dream of Europe you should have a travel plan that includes accommodation, travel expenses and food expenses. In your Europe trip you should not miss some fascinating places like London, Rome, Italy, Paris, Berlin some other places.

London: In the United Kingdom, London is the largest metropolitan city. Every year 14 million visitors across the world are visiting London. The city is organised well with railways and airways. This city is known for its education, media, entertainment, tourism and arts. The most visited places in London are   London eye, British museum, Towers of London, and National gallery.

Rome: It is known as eternal city of Europe. In Europe continent it is the third most visited city. This city is known for its traditions, magnificent parks, and culture. In this city there are many museums like Vatican museum, Capitoline museum and so on. The famous tourist spots in Rome are Pantheon, Capitoline hill, Colosseum, and Trevi fountain.

Switzerland: It is popularly known as paradise on earth. Even though it a small country, it attracts most of the visitors with its natural beauty, shiny glaceries, green hills, snow mountains, rich heritage and resorts. Famous tourist’s spots in Switzerland are Swiss national park, Tropical Alps, Jungfraujoch and Wengen-Murren.

Paris: This is also known as city of lights. It is also the third most visited place in Europe. The best landmarks of Paris are Eiffel tower, Notre Dame, and Latin Quarters.

Italy: It is the fifth most visited place in the world. The major contribution of the Italy’s economy is earned by tourism industries. This city is also known as city of Heritage. The biggest tourism spots in Italy are Venice, Naples, Milan, and Florence.

These are the biggest tourist’s spots of Europe. As I said earlier in order to fly to your favourite spots you should have a plan.

• The first thing you have to do is decide your destination. As Europe has this many visiting places search for the popular one. Search on internet for various travelling packages available. This will enable you to determine the exact package which suits both your requirements and budget.
• Give priority to that travelling mode which is comfortable to you. If you are planning a trip for longer duration then you can take the Eurail pass. This pass will save your money.
• As there are many important places in Europe the accommodation costs are also high. Get the help of a travelling agent to find the cheaper hotels.
• Get the information about the weather conditions and pack those clothes which are suitable to the environment.
• It is beneficial for you to make insurance before planning for a trip. There are different type of insurances available like travel insurance, payment protection insurance. These insurances will provide you some coverage against losses in the future.

About the Guest Author: 
My name is Evita.  I am a tech writer from UK.  I am into Finance. At present I am focusing on  ppi claims . Catch me @financeport

]]> https://heartland-europe.com/2013/01/04/affordable-trip-to-the-heart-of-europe/feed/ 1 1132 elcattivo Affordable Trip To The Heart Of Europe https://heartland-europe.com/2012/12/31/2012-in-review/ https://heartland-europe.com/2012/12/31/2012-in-review/#respond Mon, 31 Dec 2012 06:53:22 +0000 http://happyheartofeurope.wordpress.com/?p=1129 Continue reading →]]> The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

I was going very active in the first couple of months 2012 and stopped posting after that. This is due to some changes in my professional plans and the creation of a video blog, which consumed most of my “blogging” time.

But I would like to revive this blog as well – I have some ideas about a slightly new direction (and a new name) and I got plenty of “fresh” travel material, as I have been busy traveling in Europe.

All the best to everyone outthere who is still stopping by, from time to time …

Tomorrow will be another post, as I received a great guest blogging article …

Enjoy the last day of 2012 and see you 2013!

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 3,400 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 6 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

This Graphic is an introduction to this weeks “Austrian Cuisine” blog entry, which will focus on Beer in Austria, as we are a nation of beer trinkers (you can see the stats in the graphic)

I hope you enjoy this entry – if you do please share and visit Jeets homepage

Fascinating Global Beer Industry Trends

Did you know that China has the fastest growing beer market and world’s biggest beer consumer with annual Beer consumption of around 29,000  Mega Liters ( 1 Olympic size pool contains 2.5 Mega Liters of water) , United states is at number 2 with annual consumption of 24,000 Mega Liters of Beer. A recent infographic “Global Beer Consumption Statistics” by 1001BeerSteins.com covers more such interesting facts about latest beer industry.

Czech Republic has the highest annual per capita beer consumption of 158.6 Liters, followed by Ireland (131.1 Liter) and Germany (110 Liter). United States is at no 13 with annual per capita consumption of only 81.6 Liter.

Nevada has highest per capita beer consumption of 44 Gallons, followed by New Hampshire (43.5 Gallons). Utah and New York has the lowest per capita beer consumption of 19.5 and 23 Gallons respectively.

Check our Infographic for more such interesting facts about Beer consumption trends from all over the world.

This info-graphic will give you a lot of new insights into the Global Beer Consumption.

Jeet loves the way infographics communicate complex statistics in an easy to understand manner. He has combined his love for beer and infographics in this one that he made for 1001 Beer Steins.

Travellers have been journeying to Paris for centuries, and it attracts a vast array of different cultures, ages and religions.

There numerous exciting places to explore whilst in the city, and you will never tire of seeing the magnificent architecture, beautiful scenery and natural sights. Regardless of why you have chosen Paris, you will feel a sense of romance as you stroll through the quaint back streets. Love is considered to thrive throughout the city, and people fall in love with each other as well as Paris itself.
The city is a hive of activity; however, the people remain calm and laid back, which is fantastic for enjoying the culture. There are plenty of small coffee shops to sit and update your travel blog, as you enjoy the delicious patisseries and unique French coffee on offer. People watching is a favourite past time, and the people who live in the city are fascinating.

The buildings and monuments throughout Paris are incredible, and there are so many for you to explore and enjoy. The Eifel toweris of course the largest and most impressive of all the landmarks in Paris. You can enjoy the most spectacular sights from the top level of the tower, with a 360 degree view of the stunning architecture.

The Arc de Triomphe is another incredible landmark, where you can again view the majority of the city. You may need to catch your breath after climbing the stairs; though the view is worth every step. Another, beautiful area of the city is the Rive Gauche district, which has remained untouched, and many artists travel to this area for inspiration.

The Musee D’Orsay is a beautiful building, which overlooks the River Seine, and houses some incredible pieces of art. Impressionist artists such as Van Gogh, Renoir, and Monet have pieces of art in this building. Once you have admired this stunning collection of art, you can easily join one of the river cruises.

The River Seine is mystical and offers an incredible views of the Eifel Tower and Notre Dame, there are both day and night cruises which are brilliant. The night cruise is perfect for a romantic evening meal, and an idyllic end to a fantastic day in Paris. Once you have tired of the landmarks and stunning buildings, you can enjoy the natural beauty in the parks.

Many people do not realize that there are several open spaces in Paris, which are the ideal place to stroll and have a picnic. The parks are incredibly popular with the workers in the city, and during the lunch period, they can become busy with people escaping the offices and boutiques. If you want to explore a structured park and garden, the formal Tuileries Gardens are ideal.

Set in the heart of Paris these gardens are stunning, highly maintained to ensure that they remain immaculate. The defined beds for the flowers, lush green lawns and elegant statues are typical Parisian. Shopping is another reason to visit Paris, and you will find a huge array of different shops, stores and boutiques on offer.

Article provided by Steve at Explore-Earth.co.uk

Thanks for this great article, Steve – great read!

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going down is more fun … most times …

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