BY JANET STEINBERG
Some popular destinations are teeming
with tourists, their public squares are congested with pedestrians, and the
streets are clogged with taxis and tour buses. Yes, they are
overcrowded…but yes, they are worth visiting! With the advent of
the mega-humongous cruise ships, too many tourists can become an environmental
problem. In some places around the world that once sought tourist’s
dollars, they are now figuring out ways to limit the number of visitors per
day. For starters, here are four to put at the top of your Bucket
List. Go there while you still can.
with tourists, their public squares are congested with pedestrians, and the
streets are clogged with taxis and tour buses. Yes, they are
overcrowded…but yes, they are worth visiting! With the advent of
the mega-humongous cruise ships, too many tourists can become an environmental
problem. In some places around the world that once sought tourist’s
dollars, they are now figuring out ways to limit the number of visitors per
day. For starters, here are four to put at the top of your Bucket
List. Go there while you still can.
VENICE, ITALY: One
of the most beautiful cities in the world, Venice is also one of the world’s
premiere travel destinations drawing some 18-million visitors annually to this
unique city. Napoleon
called the Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square) the largest drawing room
in Europe. I call it the most unique living room in one of the most
beautiful cities in the world. It may be the most crowded, (with people
and pigeons); the wettest (when the tide rises); or the most expensive ($15 for
a cappuccino) living room in the world, but it is by far the most unique.
of the most beautiful cities in the world, Venice is also one of the world’s
premiere travel destinations drawing some 18-million visitors annually to this
unique city. Napoleon
called the Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square) the largest drawing room
in Europe. I call it the most unique living room in one of the most
beautiful cities in the world. It may be the most crowded, (with people
and pigeons); the wettest (when the tide rises); or the most expensive ($15 for
a cappuccino) living room in the world, but it is by far the most unique.
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| PEOPLE AND PIGEONS IN ST. MARK’S SQUARE |
The picture-postcard city of Venice,
floating on an equally photogenic canal, has been dubbed La Serenissima,
(The Most Serene). She has also been called the faded beauty in the
family of Italian cities…“her blondness now from a bottle and her perfume
slightly stale”. No matter what you call her, Venice is a city in which
you will want to get lost. Finding your way back, amid the maze of
streets and “highways” paved in water, is part of the Venetian
experience. Whether you choose to walk your legs off, hire a private water
taxi, ride the public water bus known as the vaporetto, or glide along
in a private (but pricey) gondola, you will find something amazing in every
nook and cranny of Venice.
floating on an equally photogenic canal, has been dubbed La Serenissima,
(The Most Serene). She has also been called the faded beauty in the
family of Italian cities…“her blondness now from a bottle and her perfume
slightly stale”. No matter what you call her, Venice is a city in which
you will want to get lost. Finding your way back, amid the maze of
streets and “highways” paved in water, is part of the Venetian
experience. Whether you choose to walk your legs off, hire a private water
taxi, ride the public water bus known as the vaporetto, or glide along
in a private (but pricey) gondola, you will find something amazing in every
nook and cranny of Venice.
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| GONDOLAS PLY THE CANALS OF VENICE |
BARCELONA, SPAIN: When Ada Colau, took
the office of Mayor in June 2015 she vowed to limit the number of
visitors to Barcelona. She told the newspaper El Pais. “If we
don’t want to end up like Venice, we will have to put some kind of limit in
Barcelona. We can grow more, but I don’t know how much more.” Barcelona itself is a veritable museum
of art and architecture, much of which can be seen and appreciated without ever
entering a museum.
the office of Mayor in June 2015 she vowed to limit the number of
visitors to Barcelona. She told the newspaper El Pais. “If we
don’t want to end up like Venice, we will have to put some kind of limit in
Barcelona. We can grow more, but I don’t know how much more.” Barcelona itself is a veritable museum
of art and architecture, much of which can be seen and appreciated without ever
entering a museum.
Visitors from around the world come to
Barcelona to follow the ‘Route Gaudi”, an architectural tour of the works of
this pioneer in the Modernist Movement of Architecture. The sinuous lines
and curlicues of Sagrada Familia Cathedral (Church of the Sacred
Family), with surreal spires said to resemble a melting wedding cake, were
initiated by Gaudi in 1882 and has not as yet been completed.
Barcelona to follow the ‘Route Gaudi”, an architectural tour of the works of
this pioneer in the Modernist Movement of Architecture. The sinuous lines
and curlicues of Sagrada Familia Cathedral (Church of the Sacred
Family), with surreal spires said to resemble a melting wedding cake, were
initiated by Gaudi in 1882 and has not as yet been completed.
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| GAUDI’S SAGRADA FAMILIA CATHEDRAL |
Gaudi’s La Pedrera exemplifies
the inseparability of art and technique. Nearby, the Casa Batllo´ is
another Gaudi example of Modernism, the architectural trend of the late 19th
and early 20th centuries. Parc Guell, Gaudi’s architectural
extravaganza is a surrealistic park that has been compared to Dorothy’s “Oz”
and Alice’s “Wonderland”. The creative magic of this eccentric architect
is exemplified in this park where visitors are greeted by the architect’s curvy
pink house (Casa-Museu Gaudi), a grinning mosaic frog, and a pavilion
that is supported by mushroom-like columns.
the inseparability of art and technique. Nearby, the Casa Batllo´ is
another Gaudi example of Modernism, the architectural trend of the late 19th
and early 20th centuries. Parc Guell, Gaudi’s architectural
extravaganza is a surrealistic park that has been compared to Dorothy’s “Oz”
and Alice’s “Wonderland”. The creative magic of this eccentric architect
is exemplified in this park where visitors are greeted by the architect’s curvy
pink house (Casa-Museu Gaudi), a grinning mosaic frog, and a pavilion
that is supported by mushroom-like columns.
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|
GINGERBREAD HOUSE IN GAUDI’S PARC GUELL
|
REYKJAVIK, ICELAND: The boom in tourism in Iceland is
posing a threat to the fragile infrastructure of this small North Atlantic
Island. Some restrictions are already being put in place to limit the
number visitors to Reykjavik and the island’s other small towns.
posing a threat to the fragile infrastructure of this small North Atlantic
Island. Some restrictions are already being put in place to limit the
number visitors to Reykjavik and the island’s other small towns.
Reykjavik, the most northern capital in
the world, contains approximately one-half the population of the entire
country. Picturesque homes, in a riot of gay colors, surround the Arctic
Tern-inhabited lake in the center of the city. The bustling harbor, the
historic old town huddling nearby, and the modern new town, are all encircled
by mountains for which the people feel an intimate affection. Iceland’s
capital of Reykjavik (meaning Smoky Bay) is often called “The Smokeless
City” because it is heated by geothermal energy in the form of boiling
water piped directly from natural hot springs. Perlan (The Pearl), a
geothermal water storage tank, is a domed architectural wonder.
the world, contains approximately one-half the population of the entire
country. Picturesque homes, in a riot of gay colors, surround the Arctic
Tern-inhabited lake in the center of the city. The bustling harbor, the
historic old town huddling nearby, and the modern new town, are all encircled
by mountains for which the people feel an intimate affection. Iceland’s
capital of Reykjavik (meaning Smoky Bay) is often called “The Smokeless
City” because it is heated by geothermal energy in the form of boiling
water piped directly from natural hot springs. Perlan (The Pearl), a
geothermal water storage tank, is a domed architectural wonder.
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| PERLAN (THE PEARL), A GEOTHERMAL WATER STORAGE TANK |
Just 625-miles west of Norway, Iceland
is a craggy land of fire and ice…where steam and snow are side by
side…where waterfalls, erupting volcanoes, boiling geysers and bubbling hot
springs lie next to glistening glaciers and ice fields. This land of
Europe’s largest waterfalls is etched with craters of slumbering volcanoes that
pockmark an eerie landscape so lunar-like that America’s moon-mission
astronauts trained there.
is a craggy land of fire and ice…where steam and snow are side by
side…where waterfalls, erupting volcanoes, boiling geysers and bubbling hot
springs lie next to glistening glaciers and ice fields. This land of
Europe’s largest waterfalls is etched with craters of slumbering volcanoes that
pockmark an eerie landscape so lunar-like that America’s moon-mission
astronauts trained there.
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|
GULLFOSS
WATERFALL |
Once thought to be a cold barren place
sans people, this Arctic land has no snow and ice in the summer. Berries,
vegetables and flowers grow in many places and the sun shines on the entire
region for at least part of the day from March to September. That is,
unless it rains. At the onset of summer, the sun never sets and white
nights illuminate the annual June 23rd golf tournament which begins at
midnight. They shouldn’t call Iceland, Iceland.
sans people, this Arctic land has no snow and ice in the summer. Berries,
vegetables and flowers grow in many places and the sun shines on the entire
region for at least part of the day from March to September. That is,
unless it rains. At the onset of summer, the sun never sets and white
nights illuminate the annual June 23rd golf tournament which begins at
midnight. They shouldn’t call Iceland, Iceland.
ANTARCTICA: The number of tourists landing on
the world’s frozen last frontier is at an all time high. While the
numbers are still being controlled, the possible danger to the environment
could result in a reduced number of people allowed to land there at some date
in the near future. The curious travelers who come to Antarctica come because
they have long been
obsessed by the white continent that lies entrenched behind grinding pack ice
at the bottom of the earth. They have a genuine love of nature, a sincere
interest in conservation, a scientific curiosity, and a passion for exploring
exotic destinations.
the world’s frozen last frontier is at an all time high. While the
numbers are still being controlled, the possible danger to the environment
could result in a reduced number of people allowed to land there at some date
in the near future. The curious travelers who come to Antarctica come because
they have long been
obsessed by the white continent that lies entrenched behind grinding pack ice
at the bottom of the earth. They have a genuine love of nature, a sincere
interest in conservation, a scientific curiosity, and a passion for exploring
exotic destinations.
 |
|
CRUISE
SHIPS BRING TOO MANY TOURISTS TO ANTARCTICA |
While Antarctica is the most forbidding,
most inaccessible land on earth, it is also the most majestic and most
pristine. This harshest, most inhospitable land is also the coldest, the
windiest, the highest and the driest. Yet, this unknown southern land,
that contains 90% of the world’s fresh water and approximately 95% of the
world’s glacial ice, is the most eerily beautiful continent on earth. In
short, Antarctica is the greatest show on ice.
most inaccessible land on earth, it is also the most majestic and most
pristine. This harshest, most inhospitable land is also the coldest, the
windiest, the highest and the driest. Yet, this unknown southern land,
that contains 90% of the world’s fresh water and approximately 95% of the
world’s glacial ice, is the most eerily beautiful continent on earth. In
short, Antarctica is the greatest show on ice.
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| BABY IT’S COLD OUT THERE! |
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|
WHEN
IN ANTARCTICA, DRESS LIKE THE LOCALS. |
TEXT AND PHOTOS by JANET STEINBERG
STEINBERG is the winner of 43 national
Travel Writer Awards. She is also a Travel Consultant with The Travel Authority
in Cincinnati, Ohio
Travel Writer Awards. She is also a Travel Consultant with The Travel Authority
in Cincinnati, Ohio