Vienna, Prague and Budapest - my first tour in 2011

Skyline

This year started with a fascinating, eight days tour in three wonderful cities of Europe – Vienna, Prague and Budapest. I departed from Athens on 02/01/2011. The flight to Vienna was pretty good and the view from the airplane was unique. I was lucky to sit close to the window and take a photo of the blue/white skyline.

Thinking of the two days that I stayed in Vienna, two things come into my mind the panoramic view of the city from the Danube Tower and the concert of classical music that I had the chance to watch. Although I will keep my impression of that city for a later post, I would like to admit that I could easily leave Greece and stay in Vienna for a couple of years.

I forgot to mention that this was my first time I traveled with a group. Generally I had a great time, but there were times that I was annoyed by the behavior of some people and especially in Prague, where the hotel’s service wasn’t very good and there was a lot of whining from the group. Nevertheless, Prague is a fairytale city and with a good company you can have wonderful moments. You will find out why I am saying that in another post.

The last city of the tour was Budapest. I have never been in such a romantic place before in my life. The cruise at Danube was marvelous and the feast with the Hungarian gypsy dancers was unforgettable. I wish I had stayed longer in that city, because two nights is a very short time.

Vienna, Prague and Budapest, a trip that I will always remember!

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Attica Park – A place that I visit every year

I have visited the Attica Park in Spata, Greece at least 3 times.  For me, it is the perfect place to spend a sunny day in Attica.  It is a huge area containing hundreds of animal species coming from all over the world. Each time I go there, I not only have a lot of fun, but I also learn new things about these species.  

Most of the animals live in fenced areas, suitable formed to be like their nature environment. Birds live in cages, which contain rich vegetation varying from specie to specie. Normally the visitor isn’t allowed to enter into these cages, but there are four enormous cages, where he/she can. Each of these cages contains birds coming from Europe, Asia, Africa and America respectively and it is an excellent place for taking photos without being disturbed from the cage-wires. Also, there is a “cage” with trees where lemurs sleep/play. If you visit that place, I suggest you not to touch any of these animals, because they aren’t domesticated and they might bite you. What’s more, there are a lot of mammals, like lions, tigers, wolves, camels, hippos and giraffes. But the most amazing spectacle in Attica Park is the attraction with the dolphins and the sea lions. It is surely something that worth seeing it.

Attica Park isn’t just a simple zoo, it is a place where you can relax while sitting on a bench, go for a picnic, enjoy the nature or play with your children/nephews.  Each time I visit it, I bring food from my home and I go for a picnic, but I never try to feed any of the park animals and I always pick up my garbage.  For those that don’t like to carry food with them, don’t worry there is a canteen inside the park, which also organizes children birthday parties.

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