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Black Sea Discoveries II: Sights along the Black Sea Coast

Most visitors to Bulgaria come during the summer peak as part of a hotel & flight package, flying into Burgas and staying at a nearby resort, such as Sunny Beach or Nessebar. While such visits are hardly inspiring beyond the hotel, beach & pool routine, there are several alternative attractions for visitors to discover in the area, which may break the package-deal monotony and introduce guests to more local sites and experiences. For such alternative activities, best to rent a car for a day or two, or to make use of local bus connections. The undeniable gem of the Bulgarian Black Sea is NESSEBAR, originally a Thracian and later a Greek settlement (Messambria) on a peninsula declared a WORLD HERITAGE SITE by the UNESCO in 1983. Here the key is timing, as Nessebar reveals its true magic only when tour groups are absent, which is in early May or late September. Otherwise the small town turns into a Bulgarian kitch Disneyland with hundreds of kitch souvenir stands catering to tho...
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Savoring History and Nightlife in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin

No doubt Berlin has come of age and become en vogue...promoted by the local tourist authority as party capital of Europe, thousands of visitors young and old descend onto the city in search of recent history in the making and long wild nights out partying until dawn. Berlin caters to both, but most visitors will stick to the "highlights" around the Brandenburg Gate, Under den Linden or Checkpoint Charlie along with what is left of the Berlin Wall (1961-1989). Few if any will venture beyond those main attractions, and rarely do visitors embark on explorations of "local Berlin", which is unfortunate, as the German capital has existed as a "big city" - a large incorporated Berlin Metropolitan Area - only since 1920 - and the numerous communities and villages that are part of Berlin today, all have their own history, color, dialect and trajectory. One of the most avantgarde, talked about and interesting districts of Berlin is the neighborhood of PRENZLAUER B...
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The "Porrat de San Antón" in Alicante

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ALICANTE - Guapa, Guapa y Guapa - is the new catch phrase chosen by Alicante Tourist Authorities for their new 2011 campaign, along with the subheading "Quiereme como yo te quiero a ti" (Love me as much as I love you). In deed, Alicante has come a long ways over the past decade or two in revamping its image from an ugly portside duckling to a shining Mediterranean jewel. Much remains to be done, but overall, the city is certainly on the right track. Despite hords of Northern European vacationers taking the city by storm in the summer, Alicante remains quintessentially Spanish with its own infrastructure, traditions and celebrations. No better way to pay tribute to the spirit and beauty of Alicante than to introduce one of its major local festivals, the "Porrat de San Anton". Spain is known for its many festivities year-round from the bull run of San Fermines in Pamplona to the Fallas fireworks in Valencia. Yet many holidays and festivals are of a more loca...
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