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Innsbruck, located in the centre of the Tirol region in Austria, is a mountain lover’s paradise. The Tirol region is surrounded by huge mountain ranges in three directions, and whether you love winter sports or summer hiking, you’re sure to be satisfied with the choices available.

Although Innsbruck makes a wonderful starting point for an extended exploration of the Tirol region, it would be a mistake not to spend some time enjoying the city’s own attractions. In recent times it has become an important centre for winter sports, and has staged the Winter Olympics twice in the last fifty years.

Innsbruck is tucked into the valley of the Inn River, with mountain ranges to the north and south. It seems that in every direction there are stunning mountain views. The city itself, however, has some beautiful buildings to look at, when you can take your eyes off the mountains.

The Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof) is certainly a good place to begin. Covered with over 2,500 gilded copper tiles, the roof shimmers and shines and provides lots of beautiful reflections above a Gothic oriel window. There is also a small museum inside, mostly devoted to Emperor Maximilian.

The Hofburg (Imperial Palace) is fascinating to explore, with both baroque and rococo styles in evidence. Close by is Dom St Jakob (St James’ Cathedral) which has a completely amazing baroque interior. No expense spared, and it’s hard to find an inch of space not covered by art and stuccowork.

Another interesting church is the Hofkirche (Imperial Church), which contains the sarcophagus of Maximilian I. The tomb itself is magnificent, but it is the sight of the twin rows of giant bronze statues on either side that remains in the memory.

There are many more baroque facades to be seen along Herzog Friedrich Strasse and around the centre of town, so taking a stroll is the best way to take it all in.

If you like to see wildlife up close, then it’s worth travelling the couple of kilometres to the Alpenzoo (Alpine Zoo), where you can explore a substantial collection of alpine animals, including elk and wolves.

In the end, though, it’s impossible to ignore the call of the mountains, which is what makes Innsbruck so special. It also makes Innsbruck a great place to stay while you explore the surrounding region. There is good transport to nearby skifields, or if you feel adventurous, you can even ski on a glacier!

If you have plans to visit Austria, then make sure you include Innsbruck and the Tirol Region in your itinerary. There is so much to enjoy and admire, and something to suit everybody’s taste. Except of course if you don’t like to either look at or visit mountains!

Copyright Felicity Walker 2005

Travelling in Austria is a much loved past time for the author. To find out more, check out http://www.travelaustriainfozone.com or http://www.travelaustriainfozone.com/innsbruck/ for more information.

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There is no place like Las Vegas in the entire world, therefore
people from all over the world come here on a daily basis. Vegas has changed over the years, but most of the changes have occurred in the past 6 to 7 years.

1. HOUSING

The housing market here is over-inflated. A typical 3 bedroom
1.5 to 2 bath home with 1500-1700 square feet that should sell for $140,000. to
$160,000. now sells for $230,000. to $250,000. The people that are buying these homes
and the high rise Condo units are the wealthy who use them for their second or third
homes or investors who rent them out.

2. WATER

The majority of the water used in Las Vegas comes from Lake Mead.
The lake is currently 50 to 55 feet BELOW the level it was at 6 to 7 years ago. The
population of Las Vegas is up around 2 million people. There are swimming pools in
a large amount of the homes. You see an awful lot of people tearing out their grass and
putting in Desert Landscaping which consists of colored rocks and a few plants. What is
going to happen in the next several years as the population grows even more?

3. TRAFFIC

Sure, every city has it’s traffic problems. In Las Vegas it is magnified
even more because of the poor freeway systems and the fact that the majority of the
population lives in a valley surrounded by mountain ranges. Vegas has some of the most
aggressive drivers in the United States. Some of the problem is a shortage of police out
on the streets patroling. Most cities have their normal RUSH HOUR traffic in the mornings
and the late afternoons. Vegas has RUSH HOUR all day long because of the 24 hour work
environment due to shifts stopping and starting all 24 hours. Also, because of the boom in
construction, massive amounts of construction workers help clog the streets. Gasoline
prices are among the highest in the nation.

4. SUMMER HEAT

It is dry heat! In the summer when it stays over 100 degrees every
single day it is really HOT! It drains you if you are out in it for very long. No thunderstorms
popping up for a little relief. No rivers or creeks nearby, just one big lake 25 miles away!

5. SCHOOLS

The school system is having big problems. They are building new schools
to catch up the the rising population which is good. The problem is finding teachers to
fill the vacancies. The starting salary of a school teacher is around $27,000. per year. Along
with the teachers being underpaid is the fact that there is no affordable housing for them
to relocate here. If you were a teacher, why would you want to move to Las Vegas and lower
your standard of living?

6. EMPLOYMENT

There are plenty of jobs, mainly in the casinos, and the main reason
there are plenty of jobs is because the casinos don’t treat you very well at all. When you
apply for any job at all, you must account for the past ten years of employment and you must
have good credit. Their attitude is that you can be replaced at a minutes notice by someone
else. On 9-11 the massive layoffs that occurred were unnecessary. The casinos were
worried about their BOTTOM LINE. Many management people were laid off and their job
title eliminated so that even though they had worked there for several years, they reapplied
and had to go through everything that a brand new person did and held no senority.

7. GAMBLING

No matter where you live in the world right now, the lure of gambling
will never be as great as it is here in Las Vegas. Casinos, grocery stores, gas stations, and
most bars have gambling. When you live in Las Vegas gambling becomes an addiction. Sure,
there are shows and fine dining but where are they mostly located? In the casinos! Normal
activities that you might think of such as cooking out with family and friends and going out
with friends to dinner are very hard to do because everyone works all kinds of shifts and
have different days off. It is very difficult to get together with other people even once a month.
You can only stay home and watch television or movies so much, especially when you see and
feel the presence of gambling all around you. Another problem that goes hand in hand with
gambling is ALCOHOL. When you are in a casino for any length of time at all, you usually
have a few drinks. Why, because they are free! The dollar or two that you tip the coctail
waitress still makes it very inexpensive. Alcohol clouds your judgement and you end up
making gambling decisions that you regret later. Gambling starts to take over your life.
Your money is spent on gambling instead of other things like vacations, nice clothes etc.
Like many others who live here, you tend to feel trapped. WORK, SLEEP, GAMBLE,
DRINK! What a viscious cycle that is very hard to escape!

8. MULTI-CULTURAL

If you are a caucasion natural born american citizen, you are a
minority among the population here in Vegas. There are people here from Korea, China, Israel,
Bulgaria, Mexico,The Felipines, Romania, Pakastan, Iran and Eithopia. Is this a negative aspect
to a city? It is an awful lot like living in New York city and San Francisco. You find it hard to
trust people when they don’t speak english because you don’t know what they are talking about.
Some of the cultures of people are naturally agressive. You are constantly watching your
place in any type of line you’re in wether you’re at the grocery store, gas station or a fast food
establishment for fear you’ll lose your place. If you like the big city atmosphere such as in
New York or San Francisco then Vegas is for you! If you are used to friendly people who say
Hi and speak english and are not overly aggressive, then Vegas is NOT for you!

Please think twice about moving to Las Vegas!

Jeff Cardenell has been a limousine driver in Las Vegas for the past 6 years. Every day he is out on the streets talking to people and observing how the city is changing daily. More info
about Vegas can be found on his web site.
http://www.lasvegaslimousinestories.com

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Marvic Tours and Tales believe that modern travellers seek authentic adventures where they can choose the specific experiences to partake in. This is especially pertinent when it comes to long-haul destinations like South Africa. As with other cities, Cape Town offers so much that it could be difficult for the traveller to make the best choices. Victoria Koning from Marvic offers some helpful advice:

“Firstly, travellers should consider their own needs. Do they have special requirements like preferring absolute privacy, or perhaps follow a special diet or have physical limitations such as needing wheelchair access? Travellers should also consider the things that they’re accustomed to, which might not be available where they’re going. Naturally, reliable travel providers can assist you in these matters.”

“Secondly, travellers should assess their abilities and interests e.g. if someone has a fear of falling, opting for a bungee jump off Africa’s largest bridge may not be a good idea (or maybe it would!) or if their fitness level isn’t great, signing up for extreme adventures might just be too risky. Also, if a traveller is an active, on-the-go-all-the-time kind of person, he/she may not enjoy a leisurely stroll through the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. We therefore recommend that travellers keep these things in mind when looking at the various choices.”

“Thirdly, travellers should be aware of the impact that their perceptions of a destination have on their holiday. Discover these perceptions by asking questions like, “what appeals to me?” and “why am I considering this specific destination?” Koning asks travellers what they have heard about the destination. Would they like to investigate the rumours, or exactly the opposite? What does the traveller NOT want to see? For example, if a traveller is very sensitive, he/she may not enjoy visiting a poor local community that doesn’t have running water, or it could inspire them to see how these folk cope with their dire lifestyle.”

“Lastly, the planning needs to be done and the experiences that travellers choose depend largely on how much time is available. It’s also good to know how long the adventure will take e.g. it would be a pity to get to Cape Point Nature Reserve and then have to turn back for another appointment without even seeing where the two currents meet!”

Koning continues, “That’s where local knowledge is invaluable e.g. a day tour out of season won’t be subjected to the same traffic congestion as one in season. Who better to have available for your planning, than a local expert? Another tip: if you enjoy a relaxed pace while on holiday, it might be better to spend every second or third day on an authentic adventure.”

Koning is proud of Cape Town, which is also known as “The Mother City” and coincidentally where she was born. She encourages travellers to select the most appropriate experiences to suit their own needs, and offers more information on day tours in Cape Town and about South Africa, “The Rainbow Nation” on their website, http://www.marvic.biz.

Marvic Tours and Tales proudly promotes authentic eco-cultural safari adventures in South Africa and offers free online infotainment. They also encourage and promote budding authors to become word warriors on their travel and writing website, http://www.marvic.biz

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