Londra Heathrow: Inaugurarea Terminalului 2

Regina Elisabeta a II-a a Marii Britanii, însoţită de Ducele de Edinburgh, a participat pe 24 iunie la deschiderea oficială a noului Terminal 2 al aeroportului londonez Heathrow, la aproape 60 de ani de la deschiderea primului T2. Regina a inaugurat şi primul Terminal Central, în decembrie 1955, iar acum a participat la rebotezarea T2 ca Terminalul Reginei!

Akbar Al Baker, CEO al Qatar Airways, salutând-o pe regină.
© Qatar Airways

Fostul Terminal 2 era construit să deservească un flux anual maxim de 1,2 milioane de pasageri, dar noua construcţie va asigura servicii pentru 20 de milioane! 24 de porţi de plecare, 24 de platforme echipate complet pentru avioane – la un cost total de 2,5 miliarde Lire Sterline.
Primele companii care folosesc deja terminalul sunt United Airlines, ANA, Air Canada şi Air China. Curând alte 22 vor urma până în octombrie, incluzând Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, Little Red şi Aer Lingus. Ocupat complet, Terminalul 2 va asigura 332 de zboruri pe zi către 54 de destinaţii ale lumii. Deschiderea Terminalului 2 este punctul culminant al unui program de investiţii în valoare de 11 miliarde Lire Sterline (!) care a reconfigurat aeroportul Heathrow.

Printre numeroşi CEO şi executivi ai marilor companii prezenţi la evenimentul londonez, Akbar Al Baker, CEO al Qatar Airways, aflat la deschidere şi în calitate de director neexecutiv al boardului Heathrow Airport Ltd, a reafimat că Heathrow este unul dintre cele mai importante centre de operare ale Qatar Airways, o „poartă” importantă a Europei şi a lumii. Qatar Airways foloseşte Terminalul 4 al Heathrow, cu o frecvenţă crescută în ultima vreme, după ce a lansat primul zbor zilnic all-business class între Doha şi Londra Heathrow, ajungând astfel la 6 zboruri zilnice între cele două destinaţii!

Culture and History in the Hanseatic Cities (II)

Two harbor cities to the North Sea, two gateways to the world, Hamburg and Bremen are linked with Constanta, the main Romanian harbor, by the world’s seas and by modern airways, and the same from Bucharest… A couple of hours flight and you find yourself in a German world, maybe in an area which value the most freedom (Free and Hanseatic Town) and their cosmopolitan lifestyle. Together with their history and the culture, local and international.

Must-see Attractions in Bremen

Bremen Town Musicians

You cannot miss the Bremen Town Musicians, the UNESCO World Heritage town hall, Universum Bremen, the Kunsthalle art gallery, the Bürgerpark and many more...
Exciting interactive exhibitions and science centres, insights into the technologies of tomorrow – Bremen’s is home to numerous projects that prove that science is anything but dry and boring.
Bremen Town Musicians - west of the town hall stands the most famous representation of the Bremen Town Musicians, the bronze sculpture created in 1951 by the artist Gerhard Marcks, after a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.
Roland - Bremen statue of liberty. Bremen's "statue of liberty" - a symbol of trading rights and freedom since 1404. It’s the Germany's largest Roland statue. Together with Bremen's town hall, the statue received World Heritage status on June 2, 2004. Measuring five and a half metres, the stone giant was erected in 1404, after its wooden predecessor was destroyed by the archbishop's soldiers in 1366. The statue symbolized the freedom and independence of the city.
 

Bremen town hall

Bremen town hall - Built between 1405 and 1410, with a Weser Renaissance facade added in the 17th century, it is regarded as the jewel in the crown of the historical market square. The Upper Hall, where the city council used to convene, is the most magnificent ceremonial venue in Bremen. The model ships that hang from the ceiling bear witness to the importance of commerce and maritime trade for the city. Their miniature cannons can even be fired if the occasion demands.
St. Peter’s Cathedral - Protestant/Lutheran church with a history spanning more than 1,200 years. Early-Gothic style from the first half of the 13th century. Set between the town hall and the State Parliament, the cathedral completes the ensemble of historical buildings on Bremen's market square. Its two towers, one of which is open to be visited, are visible from afar and dominate the city skyline.
 

St. Peter’s Cathedral

Bremen Ratskeller - Historical restaurant beneath the town hall: 600 years of tradition, 650 German wines, grand hall with ornate wine barrels & columns, vaulted cellar, speciality... The German poet Heinrich Heine was inspired to put his experience here into verse.
Böttcherstrasse carillon - The carillon consists of 30 Meissen porcelain bells, which play a mixture of sea shanties and traditional folk songs. The revolving tower features ten carved wooden panels depicting various Atlantic crossings. Every hour on the hour, from April to December, the carillon delights visitors of all ages. Built in the 1920s, Böttcherstrasse is a fascinating 110 metre-long lane houses shops and restaurants, museums, workshops and a carillon.
Windmill in Wallanlagen park (Mühle am Wall) - Mill dating back over a century in Wallanlagen Park, open to visitors, but also houses a restaurant.
 

In Schnoor...

Schnoor quarter - Bremen's oldest district, the Schnoor quarter, is a maze of lanes lined with little 15th and 16th century houses. Pretty little half-timbered houses, with narrow lanes between the rows of buildings. The name of the quarter may allude to the fact that the houses are lined up like pearls on a string, Schnoor being Low German for Schnur (string). Another interpretation of the name is that this part of the old fishermen's quarter, right by the river Weser, was where the rope makers used to live. You can look here for arts and crafts and handmade gold, rest your legs in one of the many cafés and restaurants or buy a souvenir to take home. In Schnoor, shops are open also on Sundays until 4 pm.
Bremen has its sister city of Bremerhaven, the actual sea harbour. Bremerhaven, the biggest city on Germany's North Sea coast, is situated where the Weser river empties into the North Sea.

In Schnoor...

In Schnoor...

Böttcherstrasse carillon

Roland - Bremen statue of liberty

Bremen central square

River Weser

Bremen town hall

Windmill in Wallanlagen park (Mühle am Wall)

Culture and History in the Hanseatic Cities (I)

Two harbor cities to the North Sea, two gateways to the world, Hamburg and Bremen are linked with Constanta, the main Romanian harbor, by the world’s seas and by modern airways, and the same from Bucharest… A couple of hours flight and you find yourself in a German world, maybe in an area which value the most freedom (Free and Hanseatic Town) and their cosmopolitan lifestyle. Together with their history and the culture, local and international.

Best of Hamburg

On Alster lake

The green city on the water is not just one of the most beautiful cities in Germany. Germany's second metropolis is admired as a cosmopolitan, stylish city-state, even the normally reticent citizens of the Hanseatic city have difficulty hiding their pride about their city, but many of its tourists, simply see it as a sin city – a place of prostitutes and strip shows. The cause is that one of the greatest ports in Europe, it has gained wealth ever since in 1189 Emperor Friederich I (Barbarossa) granted tax-free imports down the Elbe. The good times began in the early Middle Ages and Hamburg was declared a Free Imperial City by Emperor Maximilian I in 1510.
Today a city in a permanent expansion, reinventing itself, Hamburg continues to exploit its link to the maritime trade in the container port, while expressing its freedom as Germany's media capital. The port adds a special flavour to Hamburg enriching its cosmopolitan lifestyle, in a city renowned for its arts and theatre.
With a population that goes towards 1.8 million, Hamburg has the lowest population density of any European city. Canals provide breathing space among the offices as they thread from the Elbe's banks to the Alster lakes. The city's over 2,300 bridges are more than in Venice, Amsterdam and London combined.
Most of the main sights are located in the city centre, a seamless semicircular spread of architecture north of the Elbe, but for local character you must see the outlying residential districts: St Georg east of the Hauptbahnhof; or exclusive quarters that fringe the Aussenalster lake. West of the centre are St Pauli, the former port district of Reeperbahn fame, and to its north, the scruffy but rapidly gentrifying Schanzenviertel. Together, these three form the heartland of Hamburg nightlife.
The Fish Market - A legend and a must-see for all visitors since 1703 Almost everything has been traded here at Hamburg's most traditional market, in the shadow of the 100-year old fish auction hall.
Speicherstadt - The century-old Speicherstadt, the world's largest contiguous warehouse complex, is located in the Freihafen (free-port) between Deichtorhallen and Baumwall. An idyll that one would hardly imagine finding in a world port waits there for visitors. Wilhelmine brick Gothic from the late nineteenth century, bizarre gables and turrets which reflect the barges in the canals. A Hamburg landmark, this is one of the main attractions in the great harbor tour. The world's largest integrated complex of warehouses was built in 1883. Since 1991, the unique district has been given historic monument protection. The warehouses are built on oak piles and the district is crossed by what are known as fleets - canals that are flooded depending on the tides and can then also be travelled by ship. Most tours depart from the landing stages in St. Pauli.
Port of Hamburg - About 13,000 ships from all over the world call at Europe's second largest port. At the very site from where about 5 million European emigrants began their journey to the New World between 1850 and 1939 people can now investigate their own family’s history today.
Elbphilharmonie - Hamburg will gain a new cultural and urban landmark with the Elbphilharmonie in HafenCity. Classical music culture, music of the 21st century and sophisticated light music will have a spectacular venue here. The city has a wide variety of attractions that can be explored. These include the Town Hall, the St. Michaelis Church, the historic Speicherstadt, HafenCity and the extensive cultural programme. Another landmark of the Hanseatic city is currently being built and tours to theElbphilharmonie are already available.
Designed by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron, the Elbphilharmonie is being built in a historic location in Hamburg, on the warehouse designed by Werner Kallmorgen and used for storage of cocoa, tea and tobacco until the 1990s. The Elbphilharmonie has been in planning since 2003. At its highest point it reaches a height of 110 meters and spans an area of 27 football pitches.  

The Elbphilharmonie in construction

On Alster lake

The lower part of the building will house a car park, restaurants, a wellness and conference area for the hotel and the Kaistudio, a concert hall for 170 visitors. In the upper part of the building there will be two concert halls in addition to the hotel rooms and 45 private residences: The Great Hall with its 2,150 seats is the heart of the Elbphilharmonie. It straightens from the 12th to the 17th floor and is acoustically decoupled from the rest of the building. The small hall with 550 seats will be used for chamber music and jazz concerts, banquets and receptions.
The Elbphilharmonie will be, after 3 more years, a distinct icon, enhancing the international reputation of the HafenCity and strengthens Hamburg as a cultural metropolis in its competition with other European cities.
St. Pauli and the Reeperbahn - Scene, strip and the FC. "On the Reeperbahn at half past midnight...". Almost everyone in Germany knows the song by Hans Albers and can draw a conclusion about the variety of pleasures on Hamburg's "sexy mile." For evening adventures, St. Pauli is still the number one choice. There is nothing that does not exist here! When residents of Hamburg says 'I'm on the Kiez' they don't mean 'their Kiez' or district, like they do in Berlin. They mean Hamburg's legendary red-light and party district.
Urban sparkle and natural beauty are the hallmarks of Hamburg, which boasts a wide range of hotels, restaurants, theatres and shops, chic beaches along the Elbe river, the verdant banks of the Alster, a buzzing port district and landmarks reflecting more than 1,200 years of history.

Four Seasons Hotel

Chile House