Telluride is a Colorado town that is the county seat and the most populated town of the county of San Miguel. This town covers an area of seven tenths of a square mile and has a population of just over two thousand residents. The town is located in a box canyon and is surrounded by cliffs and mountains on all sides. At the mouth of the canyon sits Bridal Veil Falls. Stretching between Telluride and Mountain Village is a gondola that is free for all to use. There is only one main road into the town, but there are several off road routes. One of these routes is Imogene Pass, but one must use a 4×4 truck on this route and exercise extreme caution. Another route into town is Black Bear Pass. This pass is the most dangerous pass in the entire state and sits at an elevation of almost nine thousand feet.

In 1858, gold was discovered in the area that would become Telluride. In 1875, John Fallon made the first claim in the area and the settlement of the town soon followed. Three years later it was incorporated. Originally, the town was known as Columbia, but due to the mail becoming frequently mixed up with the mail of Columbia, California the post office renamed it in 1887. It was named after the element tellurium, which is consequently not found in this area. The mines of the area had abundant deposits of silver, gold, lead, zinc and copper. Retrieving the goods out of the mines was an arduous process and not many mines opened in the area. Then in 1890, the railroad came to the town and more mines began to appear in the town. The most famous mines in the area are Sheridan, Tomboy, Smuggler Union, Nellie and Pandora. In 1978, the last major mine in the town closed and Telluride repositioned itself as a ski resort.

The transition from mining town to skiing resort was a hard one for the residents of Telluride. Many of the older mining families fled the town to head to other mining operations elsewhere. During this time, there was an influx of younger people who came to the area to enjoy the slopes. Telluride was initially against the growth of the town and the influx of strangers into it. Luckily, the town started several festivals which eased the transition and made it possible for the town to attract fresh blood. By the mid-1990s, the town had established itself as a resort town. Today, the town is considered a year round resort. During the winter, visitors can enjoy snow boarding and skiing, and during the summer visitors can enjoy hiking, sightseeing, rafting and mountain biking. The town has also been the home to some very interesting personalities. People who currently live in the town or have resided in the town at some point in time include Lawrence Kasdan, Patricia Aburdene, Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., Vincent Saint John, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Peter Yarrow, Susan Saint James, Richard Holbrooke, Christie Brinkley, Barry Sonnenfeld, Antonya Nelson, Clifford J. Laube, Ben Clark, Pamela Zoline, Rob Schultheis and L. L. Nunn.

A popular attraction in the area is Telluride Ski Resort. This ski resort lies between Telluride and Mountain Village. It was started by Joe Zoline as he searched for a way to make the best alpine resort in the world from scratch. This resort features three bowls; Prospect Bowl, Black Iron Bowl and Revelation Bowl. Telluride Ski Resort has one hundred and twenty runs. Of these runs twenty-three percent of them are beginner, thirty-six percent are intermediate and forty-one percent of them are expert level. The longest run here is the “Galloping Goose” which runs for over four and a half miles. This ski resort also has eighteen lifts. Of these lifts eight are express lifts, four are miscellaneous lifts, two are double chair lifts, two are triple chair lifts and two are gondolas. Telluride Ski Resort receives over three hundred inches of snow per year, so there is always plenty of powder to ski on.

Skiing is not the only attraction in the town. Other winter activities in the town include ice skating, snowmobiling, dog sledding, helicopter skiing and even winter fly fishing. Ice skating can be done at the professional grade hockey rink at Capella Hotel in Mountain Village and the new ice rink in Telluride Town Park. The area also has many back woods places to enjoy everything from hut skiing to ice climbing. But, the town has more than just winter activities. It also has a whole host of summer activities. These include 4×4 Off Roading, ATV Riding, Camping, Mountain Biking, Disc Golf and Court Sports (such as volleyball, tennis, basketball and racquetball). There is also golfing, fly fishing, hiking, picnicking, river sports, hang gliding, rock climbing, skate parks and swimming.

Other attractions in the town of Telluride include Telluride Historical Museum, Bridal Veil Falls, Telluride Film Festival, San Juan Hut System, Telluride Helitrax, San Miguel River, San Miguel County Courthouse, Deep Creek Trail, Telluride Ski School, Bunzy Bunworth’s Historic Tours of Telluride, Opera House, Ah Haa School for the Talking Gourd, Bear Creek Falls, Sneffels Highline Trail, New Sheridan Hotel, Telluride Repertory Theatre Company and Alpine Chapel. Prominent shopping venues in the area include Alpen Schatz Boutique, Alternative Edge, Appaloosa Trading Company, Black Bear Trading Company, China Rose Florist & Greenhouse, Telluride Paper Chase, Pip’s Fine & Funky Consignment, Stained Glass Art Company, The Sweet Life and Whiskers & Tails Pet Wash & Supplies.
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Varadero is a resort town located in the province of Matanzas, Cuba. It is located between the Straits of Florida and the Bay of Cárdenas on the Hicacos Peninsula. It is the biggest resort town in Cuba, as well as being the biggest one in the Caribbean. Its situated eight miles east of Havana and is located at the end of the Via Blanca highway. The first recorded accounts of Varadero is in the middle of the sixteenth century. At that point in time it was used as a dry dock and also used because of its extensive system of salt mines which supplied the Spanish Fleet of the Americas with the much needed mineral. But, the town wasn’t officially founded as a city until December 5, 1887. This is when a group of ten families obtained official permission from the city of Cárdenas to build vacation homes in the area.

Today, the primary economic activity of the city comes from its thriving tourist trade. As early as the nineteenth century, Varadero attracts tourist from all over the world and was considered the playground of the rich. Later, in 1910 the first annual regatta was started. Then in 1915, the first hotel, the Club Nautico was built. But, the area didn’t go through its most extensive tourist boom until an American millionaire named Irénée du Pont Nemours built his vast estate here. From then on, many notable famous and infamous celebrities stayed in the city including famous Chicago gangster Al Capone.

In 1959, many mansions were seized from their private owners according to eminent domain laws enacted during the Cuban Revolution. In 1960 the Parque de las 8000 Taquillas (or Park of Eight Thousand Cubicles) was built as the centerpiece of the new Cuban tourist policy, one that portrayed Varadero as a resort town suitable for every social and economic stratification. Having created itself as the cultural center of Cuba, Varadero went on to begin an ambitious hotel building project during the mid-nineties. These projects included many four and five star hotels that were operated by various foreign business. This opened up the city to international tourism and caused the local population to surge. Many people attribute this exponential rise in the population and the diversity of the new residents to the erosion of cultural life in Varadero. This left many of the cities notable cultural centers like the cinema and the central park in a state of neglect as the city concentrated its efforts on the newer hotels and resorts.

Varadero is known for its sparkling waters, and its twelve miles of white sandy beaches. But, it also has unspoiled and easily accessible cays and a network of natural caves. There are also facilities for deep sea fishing, yachting and scuba diving. Beyond its natural beauty, Varadero also has numerous cultural and historical attractions. One of the most prominent of these is the Castillo san Severino. The Castillo san Severino is the oldest building in the city and is typical of the eighteenth century Spanish fortification method of architecture. Its construction began in 1693 and was completed in the middle of the nineteenth century. Its main features include a drawbridge, moat and four barbette; Our Lady of Rosario, Santa Ana, San Agustin and San Ignacio. It was declared a National Monument of Cuba in 1978.

Other attractions in Varadero include a whole host of hotels, clubs, discos and resorts such as the Iberostar Varadero, Blau Varadero Hotel Cuba, Iberostar Tainos, Sandals Royal Hicacos, Paradisus Princesa del Mar Resort & Spa, Iberostar Laguna Azul, Melia Las Antillas, Paradisus Varadero, Melia Las Americas and the Hotel Oasis Las Morlas. Restaurants in the city include the Bodegon Criollo, Antiguedades, the Dante, Kiki’s, Meson del Quijote, El Melaito
Palma Real, La Campana, La Casa del Chef and the Pizza Nova Restaurant.

Antalya is the capital of the Antalya Province in Turkey and is situated on the Mediterranean coast. The city covers an area of five hundred and forty-seven square miles and has a population of seven hundred and seventy-five thousand residents. Antalya is located on coastal cliffs, and as a result is surrounded by mountains. The city lies one hundred and fifty-eight miles from Adana, one hundred and fifty-two miles from Ankara and one hundred and eighty-six miles from Istanbul. The mountain range of Taurus runs on an east to west trajectory that is parallel to the Mediterranean Ocean and results in narrow coastal plains that are surrounded by mountains. Antalya lies on one such plain. The mountains retreat from the shore and form two flat areas of travertine rock that rise over one hundred feet. Anatalya’s town center is situated on the rocky plains that is closest to the coast. The Taurus Mountain range forms a natural shield agains the cold northern winds. As a result, the area has a Mediterranean climate characterized by hot summers and rainy winters. The city receives over three hundred days of sun a year and sea temperatures are between sixty and eighty-two degrees Fahrenheit. Air temperatures can rise above one hundred degrees in the summer

Antalya is believed to have been founded by Pergamon King Attalos II around 150 BC. During this time he named it Attalia and chose it as a base of operations for his naval fleet. Recent archeaological finds in the city contradict this belief. Artifacts have been found that date all the way back to the third century BC., suggesting that the city was formed at a much earlier date. Upon the death of King Attalos III, the city was given to the Roman Empire. During this time, the city experienced an extended period of prosperity. In the second century, Antalya was swept by Christianity. Eventually, the city would become a part of the Byzantine Empire. During the thirteenth century, Antalya was invaded by the Seljuk Turks and became the capital of the Turkish Beylik of Teke for almost a hundred years, until it was conquered by the Ottamans. During the twentieth century, the population of the city increased drastically as Turks from the Balkans and the Caucasus flooded Antalya. Today, the city has a robust economy that depends on light industry, commerce, agriculture and tourism. Agricultural production includes bananas, olives, olive oil, citrus fruits and cotton. The wholesale food market of the city meets over sixty-five percent of the fresh vegetable and fruit demands of the country. Tourism in the city attracts over thirty percent of the foreign visitors to Turkey and the city has over seventy-two five star hotels.

A popular attraction in the Antalya is the Hierapolis. Hierapolis is the ruins of an ancient Greek city that is situated on top of hot springs in the western portion of the country. It is listed as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The city was founded in the second century BCE as a thermal spa. In 190 BCE, it was given to the king of Pergamon Eumenes II. The spa would go on to become a center of healing where the hot springs were used as a treatment by doctors of the time. During the second century BCE, the city began issuing bronze coins. This practice earned it the name Hierapolis which means ”Town of the Heiron Temple”. Eventually, the name evolved to become Hierapolis or ”Holy City”. in 17 CE, Hierapolis was destroyed by an earthquake. Then it was struck by a second earthquake in 60 CE. It was rebuilt in the Roman architectural style, which is the city’s present form. Hierapolis is built with a main street that runs north to south, with smaller streets running perpendicular to this main street. Its main street is almost five thousand feet long and forty-four feet wide. At either end of main street, there were gates that are flanked by stone towers. Main features of Hierapolis is the theater, Temple of Apollo, Plutonium, Nymphaeum, Necropolis, Martyrium and a museum.

Another prominent attraction in the city is the Antalya Museum. This museum is one of the biggest museums in all of Turkey. It has thirteen exhibition halls and an open air gallery. It covers an area of twenty-one thousand feet and has over five thousand art works. It also contains approximately thirty thousand artifacts located in storage. The museum was founded after World War I, while the city was under Italian military occupation. Italian archeologist started to remove the city’s works of art and historical artifacts. To keep the Italians from removing the city’s treasures, Suleyman Fikri Bey appointed himself as officer of antiquities. He started the museum in Alaeddin Mosque and them moved it to Yivli Minare Mosque fifteen years later. In 1972, it was moved to its present location. The main sections of the museum include the Natural History Hall, Pre-History Hall, Classic Period Hall, Proto-History Hall, Statuary Hall, Hall of Imperial Statues, Hall of Small Objects, The Mosaic Hall, Sarcophagus Hall, Hall of Coins, Turkish – Islamic Period Works, Ethnographic Hall and the Children’s section. In 1988, Antalya Museum won the “European Council Special Prize”.

Other prominent and popular attractions in the city of Antalya include Pamukkale, Antalya Archaeological Museum, Perge, Anatolian Balloons Antalya, Duden Waterfalls, Kaleici, Koprulu Canyon, Karaalioglu Park, Termessos, Mamure Kalesi, Mini City Antalya, Yivli Minaret Mosque, Konyaalti Beach, Hadrian’s Gate, Ataturk Monument, Kaleici Marina, Kursunlu Waterfalls, Harbour District, Tekeli Mehmet Pasa Mosque, Alexander Waterfall, Antalya Bazaar, Murat Pasa Mosque, Kesik Minaret Mosque, Iskele Mosque and the Clock Tower. Antalya also has a fair number of restaurants which include Atan Park Otel, Melissa’s Secret Garden, Konyalilar Restaurant, Alara Lara, China Garden and Moonlight. Hotels in the city include Alp Pasa Hotel, Hillside Su Hotel, Sheraton Voyager Antalya Hotel Resort and Spa, Porto Bello Hotel Resort & Spa, Aspen Hotel, Argos Hotel and Kaleici Hotel & Pension.

Brussels is the largest city in Belgium and is considered to be the de factor capital of the European Union. The city covers an area of over sixty-two square miles and has a population that exceeds one million residents. This city serves as the administrative center of Europe and its economy is service oriented. The city contains a large number of European institutions and multinational corporations. The educational needs of the city are serviced by several universities. These include the Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Katholieke Universiteit Brussel, the Royal Military Academy, Koninklijk Conservatorium and the Facultes Universitaires Saint-Louis.

Brussels can trace its history to the construction of a chapel by St. Gaugericus in the sixth century. After the construction of the chapel, a small community began to sprout up around it. But, the official founding of the city wouldn’t begin until the late tenth century, when Duke Charles moved the relics of Saint Gudula from Moorsel to the chapel in what would become Brussels. This duke would also construct a fortification in the same area. When Lambert I of Leuven married Duke Charles’ daughter, the possession of the city was transfered to him in the early eleventh century. The city would then move on to become an important trade route and had a very prosperous trade with cities such as Cologne, Bruges and Ghent. This spurred signicant economic activity in the city, and as a result the city went through a period of fast expansion. When the population of the city topped thirty thousand residents, the marshes surrounding the city were drained to accommodate the new residents. Walls were then constructed around the city and it continued on its rapid rate of expansion. In order to facilitate the further expansion of the city, a second set of walls were built further out in the fourteenth century.

During the seventeenth century, King Louis XIV sent French troops to bombard Brussels. This bombardment was the single most damaging event to happen to the city and destroyed over four thousand buildings, which was over a third of the city at the time. The reconstruction of the city over the next few years, dramatically altered its appearance. This can still be seen to this day. The next major event to grip the city was the Belgian Revolution in 1830. This was followed by the ascension of Leopold I to the throne. His first major undertaking as king was to tear down the city walls and start the construction of many public buildings. During World War II, the city suffered damage, but it was light compared to other cities in Europe.

Today, the city of Brussels is a bustling urban center that is known for its many restaurants and gastronomic pleasures. The city is also well known for its local type of waffles, French Fries, chocolate and its many different types of beers. Located throughout the city are also many chocolatiers that produce some of the finest chocolates in all of Europe. Brussels has over eighteen hundred different restaurants, bars, cafes and bistros. Restaurants in the city include the Atomium Restaurant, Maison du Cygne, Vincents, In ‘t Spinnekopke and Leopold. Brussels is also a city that is known for its many historic and tourists attractions. A popular attraction in the city is Grand Place. Grand Place is the central square of the city and is surrounded by buildings such as Brussels City Hall, the Bread House and various guildhalls. It attracts many tourists each and every year and is the most known landmark in all the city. It is also listed as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The square measures two hundred and twenty feet by three hundred and sixty feet. Grand Place has a rich history that can be traced back to the eleventh century, when an open air market was established in the area of the modern square. During the fourteenth century, several improvements were made to the square to define its footprint. These improvements included the removal of several buildings which were seen to distract from the flow of the square. Brussels City Hall was erected on the south side of the square between 1401 and 1455. This transformed the square into the municipal seat of the city. It rises over three hundred feet and is topped by a twelve foot statue of St. Michael slaying a demon.

Another popular attraction in Brussels is St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral. St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral is situated in the city at Treurenberg Hill and features a forty-nine bell carillion in its southern tower. This cathedral was erected in the eleventh century in honor of the patron saints St. Michael and St. Gudula, which are also the patron saints of the city. During the thirteenth century, the cathedral went through a massive renovation and was redesigned in the Gothic style. Other major improvements to the church included the addition of a choir in the thirteenth century and completion of the facade during the fifteenth century. Today, the cathedral is still very much in use and often hosts many national renowned Catholic ceremonies which include state funerals and royal marriages.

Other popular attractions in the city of Brussels include the Royal Museum of Central Africa, Poechenellekelder, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Musee royal de l’Armee et d’Histoire Militaire, Museum of Ancient Art, Place Poelaert, Laeken Palace, Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Palais de Justice, La Maison des Maitres Chocolatiers Belges, Notre Dame du Sablon, Fondation internationale Jacques Brel, Manneken Pis, Place du Jeu de Balle, Flea Market at Jeu de Balle, La Fleur en Papier Dore, Royal Palace, Notre Dame de la Chapelle, Rue Antoine Dansaert, Les Galeries Saint Hubert, Musee des Beaux-Arts d’Ixelles, Brasserie de Brunehaut Brewery and Le Chocolatier Manon. Prominent hotels in the city of Brussels include the Bedford Hotel, Hotel Metropole, Royal Windsor Hotel, Hotel Sofitel and the Radisson SAS EU Hotel.