Venice and It’s Lagoon

Taken from the Rialto Bridge

Location: Venice, Italy

Visited: August 13-17, 2012

Background and Opinion:
If you have the dream of a quiet, romantic getaway taking a gondola with a native Venetian singing Solemio, about 200 million tourists thought of it first. Is that to say that Venice is not worth going to, not in the least! Everyone should go at least once! However, Venice gets 20 million visitors a year, which adds up to around 70,000 a day during high season in a city that is not very big to begin with. The crowds are something to consider since during peak season, some streets are bursting at the seems with people, especially those traveling in huge groups by cruise ship.

Venice is one of the most unique places I have ever visited. It is composed of over 100 islands linked together by bridges. Even with a map, it is quite the labyrinth. Probably the most refreshing thing about Venice is not seeing a single car (if you stay away from the bus station that connects to the rest of Italy) in the entire city. The whole transportation system is water based, with boat cops, firefighters, trash collectors, taxis,  buses, etc. To truly appreciate Venice, try walking around in the middle of the night when it is finally quiet. Of course, very few places will be open, but the canals will finally settle, and you can even see the tide go up if you look at the steps that lead to the boats (you’ll know what I’m talking about when you get there).

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Since the Tomb of King Sejong the Great (A UNESCO World Heritage Site) requires a bus ride from Southern Seoul’s Express Bus Terminal, why waste the rest of the day? When I travel, I find myself trying to maximize my time with things to do. While I enjoy lounging around and just relaxing as much as the next guy, traveling for me is mostly a time to explore, explore, explore! With that in mind, here are three things to do when you return from your trip to Yeoju to visit King Sejong the Great or when you find yourself in the southern side of Seoul.

1) See the Musical Fountain on the Banpo Bridge

A more realistic view
A more realistic view than what you would otherwise find online.

One of the reasons I started this blog was to promote places I find incredible, as well as cry foul when I think something is overrated. The Banpo Bridge Musical Fountain touts itself as the longest musical fountain in the world, and Listverse (one of my favorite websites) even ranks it as #10 in a list of best fountains in the world. It isn’t and it is not even close to as beautiful as the Bellagio Fountain in Las Vegas, the Wynn Casino Fountain in Macao, or the Wild Goose Fountain I wrote about on a previous article. It is however worth a visit, especially if you are already in the area. Although I have never seen it at night, I have seen pictures that it lights up. While I normally don’t offer directions, this is a bit confusing to get to:

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The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor


Terracotta ArmyLocation:
 Xi’an,Shaanxi Province, China
Visited: December 28, 2009

Opinion and Background:

This is more spectacular than the Great Wall of China. I thought I’d start this blog on a good note. Seeing thousands of clay soldiers with different expressions, clothes, hair styles and even different shoes leaves a person speechless. Some of the more amazing ones are in individual exhibits in the same complex. The terracotta army is as good as advertised, and definitely worth a look. The First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, thought that by building this army, he could be protected in the afterlife. The army was never meant to be displayed and was buried along with his body. It wasn’t discovered until 1974, even though they were buried in the 3rd century BC. Despite their dull color now, the Terracotta Warriors were originally painted by hand, evident in some of the more preserved soldiers. This particular emperor is the first to unify China as a whole, as well as the first to attempt to build parts of what is now known as The Great Wall of China.

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