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

]]> http://heartland-europe.com/2013/01/04/affordable-trip-to-the-heart-of-europe/feed/ 0 elcattivo Affordable Trip To The Heart Of Europe http://heartland-europe.com/2013/01/04/affordable-trip-to-the-heart-of-europe/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HeartOfEurope/~3/Eexk1pqFKJ8/ http://heartland-europe.com/2012/12/31/2012-in-review/#comments Mon, 31 Dec 2012 06:53:22 +0000 Gernot S 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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• ~* Paris my love *~ (ladybohemia.wordpress.com)

Going up is the hard part …

going down is more fun … most times …

I wish all cyclists out there a great season without injuries!

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Maibock (deer) is the first deer you will get served in Austria during the year. This is because the hunting season starts at the beginning of May and traditionally the hunters try to shot some two year old deer, which will later be served as “Maibock”. After the rather poor food deer eats in Winter in spring they begin to eat fresh grass and herbs again and they start to gain some weight .

Maibock is traditionally served with vegetables who are very common in Spring, like spinach, green onions, chard or aspargus.

You should be careful when ordering Maibock – because in Bavaria its a very strong beer which is only brewed in May and if you confuse these two, you might spend an afternoon being drunk and hungry.

Aspargus is the other traditional dish in May – in the Marchfeld in Lower Austria there are huge fields of Aspargus and the markets and shops are full of it. You will get it with sauce hollandaise and potatoes, you will have it as a side dish with a Maibock (see above) or fish and some people also make salad out of it. Grüner Veltliner is my wine of choice with any Aspargus dish!

Moreover in Austria we celebrate Mothers Day on the second Sunday of May – which will be this weekend. In my family there is the tradition that the kids prepare breakfast for Mum and also have some small gift (like flowers or something sweet). Other families do some trips and have lunch or dinner with the family. Restaurants and Cafes are generally very crowded, as a lot of Austrians celebrate Mothers Day outside of their home. So be prepared, that it might be very busy in restaurants on the second Sunday of May … reservations might be needed.

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London is one of the most densely populated cities in Europe, with its multicultural population, vibrant nightlife, ancient and modern tourist attractions and endless shops and restaurants. It also has a more reflective side to it too. You may be surprised to learn that England’s capital city also has over 5,000 acres of parkland, many of them considered to be Royal Parks.

Royal Parks were once the property of the English monarchy and used mainly for hunting land. As the population increased and the balance of political power shifted, the parks were given to the nation granting free access for all.

If London is on the list of possible destinations for this year’s senior class trips, take some time out at one of these Royal Parks:-

St James’s Park

Backing onto Buckingham Palace, St James’s Park was originally purchased from Eton College by Henry VIII. It was transformed into a zoo full of elephants, crocodiles and even camels when James I came to the throne in 1603. During the 17th and 18th century cows ambled through the park but today it is simply home to a vast troupe of ducks and wildfowl.

Green Park

Sandwiched between St James’s Park and Hyde Park, Green Park was originally used as a burial ground for deceased lepers from the nearby St James Hospital. In 1668 Charles II created a deer park, installing an ice house to provide ready made cool drinks in the summer. Composer Handel wrote Music for the Royal Fireworks especially for national celebrations held at Green Park during the 18th and 19th centuries. It was also a haunt of notorious highwaymen at the time. Today, Green Park is a typical city park ideal for picnics, joggers and sunbathing (weather permitting). A Bomber Command Memorial is also under construction, to commemorate the men of Bomber Command who lost their lives in the Second World War (over 55,000).

Regent’s Park  

Consisting of nearly 500 acres, Regent’s Park is also home to London Zoo. Originally a hunting ground for Henry VIII, it was transformed into an ornamental park by designer John Nash for the Prince Regent in the early 19th century. This inviting landscape is also a sporting center with diverse sports such as Australian Rules football, Ultimate Frisbee, boating, tennis and rounders played through the summer months.

Hyde Park

Originally another one of Henry VIII’s hunting parks, Hyde Park is the most famous Royal Park and at 350 acres, one of the largest.  The royal processional road alongside Hyde Park was built in 1689 and is now intriguingly named Rotten Row. Its famous Serpentine Lake was created by Queen Caroline in the 18th century, so called due to its snake like curves. Landsbury’s Lido – part of the lake – will host the swimming part of the Olympic triathlon in this summer’s Olympic Games. The Diana, Princess of Wales’ Memorial Fountain can also be found in Hyde Park.

Students heading to Florida for the forthcoming show America Sings! will also be inspired by this setting, legendary for its outdoor concerts. Over the years bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Red Hot Chili Peppers have entertained crowds here. Way back in 1976 rock legends Queen broke the attendance record with 150,000 fans attending a free outdoor concern (although the numbers were unofficially thought to be closer to 180,000). That’s a supersize crowd for sure!

Greenwich Park

Dating back to Roman times, Greenwich Park is part of the Greenwich World Heritage Site, and home to the Royal Observatory. Surprise, surprise, Henry VIII used Greenwich Park for hunting and introduced deer here back in the 16th Century. The deer remain in the park today and budding scientists may be interested to know that the Meridian Line which divides the world into western and eastern hemispheres passes through Greenwich Observatory at zero degrees longitude.

Further afield you’ll find other Royal Parks such as Richmond Park in Surrey and Bushy Park near to Hampton Court Palace. For visitors to England’s capital city, these historically fascinating places provide space to escape, reflect and learn.

Kate Smedley looks for senior class trips that offer learning for everyone.

Monte Carlo

The Monaco Grand Prix is not only about the cars and roar of the engines, but it is also an occasion for visiting characteristic villages of the French Rivera. Do not miss the opportunity to visit the typical small towns of the Rivera like Antibes, Menton, Saint Tropez, Cannes, Nice and Montecarlo.

Monte Carlo is the central part of the Principality of Monaco and is well-known for its casino, the beaches and place where many celebrities live.

The Musee Oceanographie (Oceanographic Museum) it has a wonderful aquarium with both tropical and Mediterranean species of marine life, it is must visit if you have time.

The Monaco Cathedral, this Roman-Byzantine-style building, built in the late 19th century is the place where Princess Grace and Prince Ranier married. It is also where Grace is buried.

The Palais du Prince (Prince’s Palace) is located in old Monaco-Ville, the place that you shouldn’t be bypassed. The flying flag over the palace indicates that the Prince is in residence. The splendors of the Palace can be admired by all.

The famous Casino De Paris (Grand Casino) was designed by Charles Garnier, the architect of the Paris Opera House. Anyone who wants to visit the Grand Casino needs its passport to enter. There are very strict dress codes in the Grand Casino.

The Port Hercules is the attractive panorama where the Gran Prix of Monaco takes place.

How to reach Montecarlo: If you are arriving by plane, the closest airport is Nice Airport which is perfectly connected with the most important cities throughout Europe and the World. You can hire a care directly at the airport http://www.carhire-niceairport.com/