Spectacular Sunsets from Around the World

2014/09/152014/09/15 Michaela Lola Abrera

Welcome to Hostelfy.me’s Sunset Sessions. This series will showcase the best spots to see and experience the most spectacular sunsets from all around the world. After all, is there anything more satisfying than watching the sun dip down the horizon and the sky explode into a palette of blue, red, yellow, orange, and purple? Better yet: the opportunity to catch a stunning sunset from a place other than home.

1st Manila Bay Manila, Philippines Watch as the sky breaks out into a virtual tangerine dream.

Photograph by Aaron Paggabao via Flickr Creative Commons

2 Village of Oia

Santorini, Greece

Oia’s white washed houses glow as dusk descends.

Photograph by Pedro Szekely via Flickr Creative Commons

3 Bayon

Ankor, Cambodia

Watching the sun set behind the temple is truly a spiritual experience.

Photograph by Ethan Crowley via Flickr Creative Commons

4 View from the Montparnasse tower

Paris, France

Watch as the ‘city of lights’ literally lights up as night falls.

Photograph by kluzniak mariusz via Flickr Creative Commons

5th Entrance of Charles Bridge

Prague, Czech Republic

Statues transform into silhouettes as dusk descends.

6 Rooftop view of Manhattan

New York City, USA

See the Entire city in silhouetted against the sun’s golden-orange hue …

Photograph by Shelly via Flickr Creative Commons

6 Maasai Mara

Kenya, Africa

Feel at one with the earth as you watch the sun set over this national game reserve.

Photograph by The.Rohit via Flickr Creative Commons

7 Hawaii beach sunset

Pretty much from any vantage point in Hawaii

Whether you’re watching the sun dip below the horizon on a Waikiki beach or catching the day end from Mount Haleakala, Hawaii’s sunsets will surely take your breath away.

Photograph by Louish Pixel via Flickr Creative Commons

8 Kruger National Park

South Africa

Africa’s wild animals come alive at sunset. Plus, the pink and turquoise sky is a breathtaking sight.

Photograph by jomilo75 via Flickr Creative Commons

9 Grundarfjordur

Iceland

Situated between a lava field and majestic mountains, this small town is one of the best places to catch Iceland’s spectacular sunsets.

Photograph by David Whelan via Flickr Creative Commons

10 City pier

Barcelona, Spain

Grave a bottle of Spanish wine, a few snacks, and join your fellow city dwellers and sunset revelers and watch the dusk descend on this lively city.

Photograph by MorBCN via Flickr Creative Commons

11 Djeme el Faad

Marrakech, Morocco

The Djemaa el Faad night market Virtually cracks open and comes alive as the sun sets over the Atlas mountains.

Photograph by juanjolostium via Flickr Creative Commons

12 Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco, California, USA

Watching hey sky change from bright blue to light pink to lilac behind the Golden Gate bridge is truly a sight to behold.

Photographer via Pixabay

13 City skyline

Berlin, Germany

Berlin’s famed TV Tower (Fernsehturm) Seems to light up like a disco ball as the rays from the setting sun bounces off its mirror-like surface.

Photograph by Nico drinking house via Flickr Creative Commons

14 Port Melbourne Poles, Princess Pier

Melbourne, Australia

The pole’s artfully reconstructed site – Which is at its most stunning at sunset – is a testament to the skill of engineering and architecture.

Photograph by Pixabay

1 5 Nagao Shrine,

Katsarugi, Japan

Sunset at Shinto shrine this will make you feel at peace with the world.

Photograph by Pixabay

City Profile: Barcelona, Spain

2014/08/142014/09/15 Michaela Lola Abrera

Want to experience the BEST of Barcelona? Check out this guide of must-see sights travel!

La Sagrada Familia – Gaudi

Admission: Prices start at 19.90 Euros (with audio guide)

ADDRESS: Calle Mallorca 401

8034 Barcelona

OPEN: 9 am to 6 pm

TRANSPORTATION: Metro Line No. 5 station

http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/

If You Could only see one thing in Barcelona, make it the La Sagrada Familia. The sight of this jaw-dropping (unfinished) cathedral will have you in a state of wonderment and awe. As Gaudi Had died in 1926, his master piece Which left unfinished and the continuation End of month Has the been the subject of many heated debates. HOWEVER, de four new towers of the Passion facade (south western wing) is nearly finished and the final date of completion Has yet to be deterministic mined.

Park Guell – Gaudi

Photograph by fstifter via Flickr Creative Commons

Carrer D’Olot

Barcelona

OPEN: opening: 10am, closing time DEPENDING on the season, mostly around 7pm

TRANSPORT: Green Line: Lesseps, Vallcarca

Commissioned by the rich industrialist Eusebi Güell as a recreation area for the Barcelonian aristocracy. The park’s twisting rock pillars, jaw-dropping view of the city, and sheer size will keep you occupied for most of the day.

Palau de la Música Catalana

Photograph by John Picken Photography via Flickr Creative Commons

www.palaumusica.org

ADDRESS: Carrer Sant Francesc de Paula 2

08003 Barcelona

OPEN: box office 10 am-9pm Mon-Sat. guided tours daily 9.30am-3pm

TRANSPORT: metro: line 1 and 4 to “Urquinaona” bus no.17, no.19, no.40, no.45

The façade of Domènech i Montaner’s concert hall, with its bare brick, busts and mosaic friezes Representing the regions musical traditions and composers is one of the best examples of the Catalan Modernista movement ever built. The interior of this sight is equally, if not more impressive with its multicolored stained glass ceiling and half-relief figures of the musical Muses.

Parc de la Ciutadella

Photograph “Ciutadella Park fountain” by Bernard Gagnon via Wikimedia Commons

ADDRESS: Passeig Picasso

Barcelona

OPEN: 10am – sunset daily

TRANSPORT: metro: “Arc the Triomf” or “Barceloneta”

The Parc de la Ciutadella leaves no room for boredom as its attractions include the Natural History Museum, a gorgeous lake, and more than 30 pieces statuary. The park contains artwork by Antoni Tapies, Josep Llimona, Carles Fontseré and many others.

Casa Amatller

Photograph by Ulf Liljankoski via Flickr Creative Commons

ADDRESS: Passeig de Gràcia 41

08007 Barcelona

TRANSPORT: Buses: 7, 16, 17, 22, 24, 28; Metro: L2, L3, L4 (Passeig de Gràcia)

The Casa Amatller, Which is Adjacent to Gaudi’s Casa Batlló, Which designed by the artist Josep Puig i Cadafalch. A tile located at the floor of the entrance of the sights entrance marks the 0 km. of the European Route of Modernism. The goal behind creating this route to what extend the model of the Barcelona Route of Modernism to other cities on the continent thathave Comparable architectural styles in order to promote the artists and Their Work. Though closed to tourists, the main entrance is always open and there is an interesting chocolate shop offers a look into the history behind the building’s did construction.

Font Magica de Montjuïc

Photograph by Amy Goodman via Flickr Creative Commons

ADDRESS: Plaça d’Espanya

Barcelona

OPEN: MAY-SEPT 8-11.30pm Thur-Sun; music every 30mins 9.30pm-midnight. OCT-APR 7-9pm Fri, Sat; music every 30mins 7-9pm

TRANSPORTATION: Metro Espanya

The Font Magica de Montjuic is a spectacular display of color, light, motion, music and water acrobatics. It’s first performance Which falling on the Great Universal Exchibition on May 19, 1929 The designer Carles Buigas submitted his plans one year before the exhibition commissioning over 3000 workers for the project Which was completed in less than one year.

City Profile: Istanbul, Turkey – Part II

2014/08/142014/09/15 Michaela Lola Abrera

THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Kapalı Çarşı (Grand Bazaar)

The bazaar is walking distance to Beyazit and Sultanahmet square. Take the tram to Beyazit square and find “Carsikapi,” one of the main entrances of the Grand Bazaar.

Photograph by Georges Jansoone JoJan via Wikimedia Commons

Get lost in the Kapalı Çarşı (Grand Bazaar), the world’s oldest and largest shopping centre. A shopper’s paradise since the mid-15th century, this vibrant bazaar has everything you could ever hope for and more. With over 58 streets and 4,000 shops, there is a lot to explore. Make your way through the labyrinth of of spices, carpets, bangles, and gold-plated ‘eyes’ which are believed to ward of evil. Walking through the maze is a physical and mental feat, as one must resist the hundreds of carpet sellers eager to lure you in their store, where you may end up leaving with a life-savings worth of rugs.Trade funny banter with the shopkeepers offering bargain deals and children eager to be your guide as you navigate yourself through the web of precious gems, fur, hadicrafts, leather, antique coins, and jewelry.

Bosphorus Night Cruise

Eminönü waterfront-Ferryboat docks or Golden Horn (West Side of Galata Bridge) for the TurYol boats

Photograph by EyupPors38 via Pixabay.com Commons

To truly experience Istanbul’s romantic splendor, take the Bosphorus night cruise with the Ferry or the TurYol Boat. Experience the Old City, as you watch the fishing boats gently rock to and fro on the waves. Let the twinkling city lights, and the curtain of stars above your head be your guide as you sail through this 32-km strait, joinng the Sea of Mamara and the Black Sea. From any direction you set out towards, the Southern or Northern Bosphorus, Rumeli Kavagi, or North of the Fatih Bridge, you are bound to pass through some breathtaking sites, samles of such are: the six Ottoman palaces, the Rumeli Hisari (Fortress of Europe on the Northern Bosphorus), Sariyer (Fish market on the North side of the Fatih Bridge), the Topkapi Palace (on the Southern Bosphorus). Revel in the myth and mystique of Istanbul as you listen to stories about the sunken cities under the Turkish coast, how the Bosphorus is believed to be the source of Noah’s flood, and how Hera made Zeus’ mistress into a cow.

Topkapı Palace

Photograph by Mircea Ostoia from Focsani, Romania (Topkapi Palace Istanbul) via Wikimedia Commons

Hours: Wed-Mon 9:00am-5:00pm

Tel: 0212 512 0480 (info)

One of Istanbul’s many highlights is that its history is a dramatic one. The Topkapi Palace is evidence of this, as it was the former home of Selim the Sot, who drowned in the bath after too much champagne, as well as Ibrahim the Mad who was inprisoned in the palace kafes (cages). The tragedies do not end here, as the Topkapi has enough historic tales to fill a national library.

The Topkapi Palace, when translated, means “Cannongate Palace” and was primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans, as well as the administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire. Built by Mehmet the Conquerer after his conquest of Turkey in 1453, the palace underwent numerous renovations all based upon Mehmet’s original four-courtyard pattern. Enjoy the splendors of the past as you walk through the Harem, the Fountain of Sultan Ahmet III, the Audience chamber, and Conquerer’s Pavillion. The harmony of its austere layout and intricate details have made this “Palace of Felicity” a paradise on earth.

Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnıçı)

Photograph by Pnc net via Wikimedia Commons

Yerebatan Cad 13

Tel: 0212 522 1259 (info)

Hours: Oct-Mar 9:00am-5:30pm, Apr-Sep 9:00am-6:30pm

Web: http://www.yerebatansarnici.com

The Basilica Cistern, also known as the Yerebatan Sarnıçı, is an architects dream. As the largest of the hundreds of ancient cisterns beneath Istanbul, the Basilica Cistern has 336 columns, a grand ceiling, and a dramatic carvings, such as the upside down Medusa heads and teardrop designs. It was built in AD 532 by Emperor Justinian I with material from ruined buildings, as a place to store water for the Great Palace and surrounding buildings. In its sheer grandeur and composition, the Basilica Cistern is a breathtaking example of Byzantine sophistication.

GALATA TOWER

Photograph by Penguin Cakes via Flickr Creative Commons

The Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi in Turkish) or better known as the Tower of Christ, is a sight as powerful as its name. As a former stronghold of the Genoese defense system of 1348 in Pera, this intimidating sight dominates the Istanbul skyline. Standing at 66.90 meters, the Galata Kulesi was once used as an observation tower for spotting fires during the Ottoman period. The view from the top is not to be missed, especially at sunset when the colors of the city come alive.