Vacations Blog

Europe, being very touchy over leadership issues in the EU, has rotating presidencies for just about everything. Turns out they also have rotating ‘Capitals of Culture.’ And Istanbul is one of the 2010 European Capital of Culture (ECOC) cities. So what does that mean and why should you care?

Bosphorus Bridge linking Asia and Europe

A city that gets itself designated as the ECOC gets to showcase its cultural life and cultural development for the entire year with events, shows and programs, which transform the city into an exciting destination for visitors.

Istanbul already has a lot of culture, to say the least. It has been the capital of three empires, starting with the Romans in 330 AD. 

For added significance, Istanbul literally connects Asia and Europe, with bridges over the Bosphorus Strait linking the two continents.

With the pileup of thousands of years of heritage, a dash of European modernity mixed in with Asian muslim customs and Ottoman cuisine, what you have in Istanbul is what Europe will look like 50 to 100 years from now.

These two faces of Istanbul are plainly visible in the contrast between attractions like the traditional structure of the Blue Mosque and the Art Nouveau buildings in nearby Nisantasi.

As for the immediate future, the 2010 ECOC program has plenty of highlights and events lined up all through 2010 to make your visit memorable. More details here – www.en.istanbul2010.org/

Photo courtesy Istanbul 2010 ECOC.

There’s about to be more magic in Orlando.

Universal Orlando Resort and Warner Bros. have finally revealed the “first-ever details about the incredible scope of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.”  Not the least of which is that the land will open in spring 2010.  That’s soon!
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will be an addition to Universal’s Islands of Adventure park, which is already AWESOME (it’s all Marvel characters though, which leads me to wonder what talks are underway between Universal and Marvel’s new owner Disney).  The Spider-Man ride alone is worth the price of admission.

And the Dr. Suess stuff.

Harry Potter’s new land is obviously based upon the stories and characters of J.K. Rowling and promises to remain “faithful to the visual landscapes of the films.” Read More »