The Scotland of the imagination is a land of rolling green hills, kilt-wearing bagpipers, and crumbling castles. Scotland is one of the most beautiful place on earth.

The Falkirk wheel, Falkirk, Scotland, United Kingdom

Dunnottar castle from the beach, Stonehaven, Scotland, United Kingdom

Bow fiddle, Portknockie, Scotland, United Kingdom

Eilean Donan castle, Dornie, Scotland, United Kingdom

Sligachan bridge, Isle of Skye, Scotland, United Kingdom

Kilchurn castle, Lochawe, Scotland, United Kingdom

Loch Lomond, Scotland, United Kingdom

Tantallon castle, North Berwick, Scotland, United Kingdom

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The Baily Lighthouse is a fine lighthouse on the northernmost point of Dublin Bay. The first lighthouse on this site dates from 1667. It was a cottage and square tower with a coal-fired beacon. The lighthouse we see today was built in 1814 and was equipped with fixed white catoptric light comprising 24 Argand oil lamps and reflectors. The granite tower is 13 m high and rises 41 m (134 feet) above sea level. Some of the best views in the whole Dublin area await from the parking lot above the lighthouse, looking out over the entire bay as far south as Dun Laoghaire, Bray, and the north Wicklow coast.

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Praia da Marinha is a small cove beach. It is one of the most emblematic and beautiful beaches of Portugal, located on the Atlantic coast in Caramujeira, Lagoa Municipality, Algarve, and considered by the Michelin Guide as one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in Europe. A lick of sand nestled below orange limestone cliffs and calm, aquamarine waters interspersed by rocky outcrops. There is a snack bar on the beach, open during the summer months.

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The Island of Burano, in the Venetian lagoon, is made of picturesque canals lined with brightly colored houses, about an hour away from Venice. It is also famous for its artisan lace makers. Visitors can enjoy lunch or a drink and buy some lace from a local artist. Families used to paint their homes in bright colors to designate where their family’s quarters ended and a neighbor’s began, as well as to make their homes more visible from the sea. The typical Burano’s houses are mainly squared-shaped and are divided into two or three floors. At the low ground there is the kitchen, the breakfast nook and the toilet. At the next floors there are the bedrooms.

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Europe’s tallest building stands at 310 metres (1,016ft) and is fully clad in glass. Facilities will include a hotel, restaurant, viewing platform, flats and offices. The Shard will be open to the public with a viewing gallery and observation deck on the 72nd floor. Work on the Shard began in February 2009 and an estimated £450million has been spent on its construction so far. The tower has two main tenants lined up – Shangri-La Hotels, who will be occupying floors 34-52 – and Transport for London who will take some of the office space.

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Mini Europe is a park located at the Heizel in Brussels near the Atomium. Roughly 80 cities and 350 the most attractive monuments in the European Union are represented. It is covering the whole Europe, many of the miniatures are very well done. All the macquettes of buildings are made at a scale of 1:25. Here a few images of this park.

Individual prices 2012:

Adults : € 13,80
Children : € 10,30
Seniors +60 : € 13,80

Opening hours in season 2012

17.03.2012 – 30.06.2012 from 9:30 to 18:00
01.07.2012 – 31.08.2012 from 9:30 to 20:00
01.09.2012 – 30.09.2012 from 9:30 to 18:00
01.10.2012 – 06.01.2013 from 10:00 to 18:00

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The Palace of Culture was a typical structure of the Eastern bloc. A building was dedicated to sports, education and culture. The huge buildings were central point for people to enjoy all kinds of recreational activities in Pripyat. Pripyat (1km from the reactor) was designed as an exemplar of Soviet planning for the 50,000 people who worked at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant till 1986. But the result of soviet planning was the worst nuclear accident in history. Now Pripyat is in a radioactive exclusion zone unfit for human habitation. It must have been a beautiful place before the accident.

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The Wiener Prater is a large public park in Viennas second district. Simply called Prater stands in one corner of the Wiener Prater and includes the Wiener Riesenrad. It is one of the oldest amusement parks in the world, the Wiener Prater was open in 1766. It offers a variety of amusement rides and roller coasters owned and operated by different owners. Prater is a good place for having fun with the entire family, but if you plan to try lot of attractions, it is quite expensive. The cost for most rides is in the 2-5 euro range. There is no a pay-one-price option, so you have to pay per ride.

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