Cannes is a French city that is one of the most well known cities of the Riviera. The city covers an area of seven and a half square miles and has a population of over seventy thousand residents. The city of Cannes is home to a large number of gated communities and is known for its array of fine restaurants, luxury shopping and fine hotels. The city is also a popular tourist destination and every year hosts the Cannes Film Festival. Other festivals that are held in the city include Midem, The Pan-African Film Festival, The International Actors’ Performance Festival, Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, Mipim, Mipcom and MIPTV, The International Festival of Games, Carnival on the Riviera, The International Luxury Travel Market, Festival de la Plaisance and Le Festival d’Art Pyrotechnique.

The city can trace its historical roots back to the tenth century, when the town was known as Canua. Many historians believe that this name is derived from the word “canna”, which means reed in English. It started out as a Ligurian port, and would later become a Roman outpost. Multiple attacks by the Saracens prompted the building of a castle in the eleventh century, which was now known as Cannes. During the nineteenth century, several railways were finished which linked the city with the rest of France. As a result, the city began a period of massive development. By the time the twentieth century arrived, Cannes was beginning to build luxury hotels such as the Martinez and the Miramar. Tourism in the area began to rise and the city transformed itself from a rural town to a modern city compleat with schools, street cars, a sports arena and a post office. After World War I, European visitors to the city began to decline and American tourists started arriving in the city in droves. Pretty soon, winter tourism gave way to summer tourism and a casino called the Palm Beach was built.

A popular attraction of the city of Cannes is not located in the city proper. Its two islands, Île Sainte-Marguerite and Ile Saint-Honorat, collectively known as the Iles de Lerins. Ile Sainte-Marguerite is the largest of the islands and is located about a half mile from the city. The island is a little over a mile in length and about twenty-eight hundred feet wide. The island has a very low profile and is populated with eucalyptus trees and umbrella pines. On the island is the village of Sainte-Marguerite, which contains around twenty buildings or so. Most of these are the residences of the local fishermen, but there are a couple of buildings which sell refreshments to tourists. At one time there was a hotel on the island, but that has been closed for the past few years. Sainte-Marguerite is most well known as being the location of Fort Royal, a fort where the ‘Man in the Iron Mask’ was imprisoned during the seventh century. Fort Royal is now being used as youth hostel. Not far from the fort is a small French cemetery that contains the remains of soldiers who died during the Crimean War. Next to this cemetery, is another cemetery that contains Allied African soldiers who were killed during World War II. Ile Saint-Honorat is a mile from the city of Cannes and is approximately a mile in length and twelve hundred feet wide. The island contains a monastery that houses about thirty Cistercian monks. Also located on the island are historic chapels, a Napoleonic cannon ball oven and a artillery piece from World War II. Iles de Lerins are a popular location for visitors looking for a retreat into nature or for those who love to enjoy the ocean by swimming or wave riding.

Another popular attraction in the city of Cannes is the Palais des Festivals et des Congres. This attraction was originally built during the 1940s as a building to house the Cannes Film Festival. Its original placement was on Promenade de la Croisette (which is now the location of Hotel Palais). When the festival became an international success, Cannes decided to build a new Palais at the end of 1979. In 1982, the new building was finished and over the years it has expanded dramatically. Today, it has over seventy-five thousand square feet available for exhibitions and contains eighteen auditoriums.

A popular museum to visit during your stay in Cannes is the Musée national de l’automobile. This museum is located in nearby Mulhouse and is home to the Schlumpf Collection of classic cars. The museum is listed as a National Heritage Site by France and contains over five hundred and twenty automobiles. Cars that are in its collection include eight Alfa Romeos, four Bentleys, eleven Gordinis, seven Maybach, fourteen Rolls Royces, seven Velos, twenty-nine Peugeots, three Georges Richards, four Lotus’, twenty-two Mercedes-Benz, two Delaunay-Belleville, ten Citroen, seven Hispano Suiza, two Farman, one hundred and twenty four Bugatti, twenty-nine De Dion-Bouton and nineteen Panhard & Levassor.

Other attractions in the city of Cannes include La Croisette, Forville Market, Musee de la Mer, Morrisons Lounge, Musee de la Castre, Rue Meynadier, Parfumerie Bouteille, Carlton Casino Club, Plage du Martinez, Jimmy’z, Le Cat-Corner, InterContinental Carlton Beach, Le Croisette Casino Barriere de Cannes, Jane’s Club, Disco Le Sept, Bar des Stars, Petit Majestic, Galerie Alexandre Leadouze, Intersport la Hutte, Hall des Sports, Office du tourisme de la Gare, Galerie de Cannes, Eglise Reformee de France, Cannes English Books, Caviar House, Agatha, Aquarella, Bang et Olufsen, Azur Press and Le Bar a Vin. The city is also home to numerous restaurants, cafes and hotels. Popular restaurants in the city include Restaurant Le Voilier, Restaurant Le Caveau 30, Novotel Cannes Montfleury 4, Palais Stéphanie by Sofitel and Hotel Chateau de La Tour. Prominent hotels in the city of Cannes include Hotel Novotel Cannes Montfleury, Hotel Grand Mercure Croisette Beach, Hotel Amarante, Hotel Carlton Inter Continental Cannes, Hotel l’Esterel Cannes and Hotel de l’Olivier.

Leeds is a city that is located in West Yorkshire, England. It covers an area of two hundred and thirteen square miles and is home to more than seven hundred and seventy people. This city has a business and financial center that is second only to London and is the fastest growing city in the United Kingdom. The educational needs of the city are serviced by over two hundred primary schools, forty secondary schools and six learning centers. This city is also serviced by two universities, the University of Leeds and the Leeds Metropolitan University. Other secondary educational facilities in the city include Leeds College of Music, Leeds Trinity University College, Northern School of Contemporary Dance and the Leeds College of Art. This extensive collection of colleges give the city a rather large student population. As a result, Leeds has a lot of pubs, bars and nightclubs. It also has a number of live music venues. The city also has a nightlife scene that is customized for the gay community.

Leeds began its historical journey as a small wooded area within the Celtic Kingdom. After the Norman conquest in the eleventh century, the city gained its charter from Maurice de Gant. Eventually it would become a part of the Lancaster Duchy. The city went through an expansive period of growth throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Though it suffered a slight decline during the beginning of the twentieth century, it has since recovered and is once again experiencing a period of prosperity. Today, Leeds enjoys an economy that is fairly diverse, covering areas such as manufacturing, retail sales, financial services and the service sector. Evidence of its strength in the retail market can be witnessed by the large number of shops and department stores that are located in the city proper. Prominent shopping attractions in the city include Harvey Nichols, Leeds Kirkgate Market, Headrow Shopping Center, The Merrion Centre, Granary Wharf, White Rose Centre, Birstall Retail Park, St.John’s Centre and Leeds Shopping Plaza. There are also many unique mom and pop stores located throughout the city.

Leeds is a popular tourist city and has received several accolades over the past few years from magazines such as the Good Britain Guide and Conde Nast Traveler magazine. The tourism trade in the city is believed to support over twenty thousand workers and the city of Leeds attracts over a million tourist a year. One of the more popular attractions in the city is the Leeds City Museum. The Leeds City Museum was founded in 1819, but was closed in 1965. As of 2008, it has now been opened once again to the public after a period of restoration. This museum contains many exhibits. Some of the key ones include the The Leeds Tiger, the Isurium Brigantum, Hellenistic Greek tomb doors and the Leeds Mummy. Other popular museums in the city include Armley Mills Industrial Museum, Thwaite Mills Watermill Museum, Royal Armouries Museum, Otley Museum, Horsforth Village Museum, the University of Leeds Textile Archive and Fulneck Moravian Settlement Museum. The city is also home to the Leeds Art Gallery. This art gallery was founded in 1888 and includes works by notable artists such as William Holman Hunt, Anthony Gormley, Elizabeth Thompson, Henry Moore, James Tissot, Barbara Hepworth, J.W. Waterhouse and Graham Sutherland.

The most popular attraction in the city of Leeds is Roundhay Park. Roundhay Park covers an area of over four hundred acres and is one of the largest city parks in all of Europe. This park contains large areas of grass, woodland, gardens and lakes. Originally, this park got its start as a hunting ground for the De Lacy family during the thirteenth century. It was passed through a number of hands, until it was granted to the Leeds City Council. Besides the beautiful scenery, the park also has a number of key features. These include Tropical World, Canal Gardens, Soldiers’ Field and Mansion House. Tropical World is a set of greenhouses that represent the different climates of the world. It contains the largest collection of tropical plants in the United Kingdom. It also includes aquariums and a butterfly house. Canal Gardens contains an area of trees which are decorated around Christmas, flower gardens placed around a three hundred foot lake and a walled garden that contains many roses. Mansion House is a stone three story house that was constructed in the Greek Revival Style during the early nineteenth century. This house is often leased out for banquets and wedding parties, and there are current plans for part of this house to be converted into a catering business.

Another popular attraction in the city of Leeds is the Middleton Railway. Middleton Railway is the oldest working railway in the world that was founded in 1758 and has been in operation ever since. It offers passenger service between Moor Road and the outskirts of Middleton Park. This railway is also a heritage site and features historical representations of various locomotives. Locomotives located here include Peckett and Sons, Hudswell Clarke, Brush/Beyer Peacock, Hunslet and Manning Wardle locomotives. Other attractions located in this city include Harewood House, Temple Newsham, Bramham Park, Golden Acre Park, The Hollies Arboretum, Kirkstall Abbey, City Varieties, Civic Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Grand Theatre, Hyde Park, Headingley, Wetherby Racecourse, Horsforth, Otley and Chapel Allerton.

Prominent landmarks in the city of Leeds include Fairburn Ings RSPB Reserve, Millenium Square, Morley Town Hall, Tower Works, Bardsey Parish Church, Bridgewater Place, Headingley Stadium, White Rose Centre, Elland Road and Sky Plaza.The city is also home to a number of restaurants and hotels. Popular restaurants in the city include Bibis Italianissimo, Las Iguanas, Malmaison Leeds, The Living Room, The Queens Hotel, Chaophraya Thai Restaurant and the Room Restaurant. Popular hotels in the city include Radisson SAS Hotel, Quebecs Hotel Leeds, Merrion Hotel, Hilton Leeds City Hotel, City Inn Hotel Leeds, The Queen’s Hotel, Novotel, Hotel Metropole and Premier Inn. There are also many low budget hotels and hostels available throughout the city, as well as just outside the city limits.

Kunming is a city located in the People’s Republic of China. It is the political and cultural capital of the province of Yunnan. This city covers and area of one hundred and twenty-seven miles and has a population of over three million people. The epicenter of Kunming is composed of five major roads and three squares. The city squares are Dongfeng Square, Jinma Biji Square and Nanping Square. And the major streets are Nanping Jie, Renmin Lu, Jingxin Jie, Jinbi Lu and Zhengyi Lu. The educational needs of the city are serviced by several universities which include Kunming University of Science and Technology, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Yunnan University and Yunnan University of Finance and Economics.

Kunming is a prefecture level city that can trace its roots all the way back to the Neolithic era. But, it didn’t gain prominence until the Han Dynasty. It was during this time that it became the transportation hub of Southern China. Goods heading to and from India and Tibet had to pass through this town on their way to the capital of China. Originally, the name of the city was Yunnan. It retained this name until 581 when it was renamed Kunzhou. During the nineteen century, during the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the area was renamed once again to Kunming. It was also during this time that the city began to become the trade capital of the entire region. In 1858, Kunming would suffer immensely when the Sultan of Dali attacked the city over and over again during the next decade. It was during these attacks that much of the city’s wealth were lost. In 1937, Kunming would once again begin its growth into a major metropolitan area during the Second Sino-Japanase War. The city experience a sharp rise in immigration when the Japanese army caused a lot of Chinese to be uprooted from their homes in the east. Many of these refugees were prominent businessmen who dismantled their industrial plants and reconstructed them in Kunming, which was out of range of Japanese aircraft. There were also a few universities who relocated their operations to the city. These two factors allowed Kunming to develop into a major industrial center.

The economy of Kunming is ranked twelfth in terms of production and Gross Domestic Product when ranked among other Chinese cities. This city has an abundant supply of natural resources and very mild weather which contributes to its success. The primary industries of the city include copper mining, as well as the mining of lead and zinc. Other key industries of this city include machine tools, automobiles and chemical production. Because of its beautiful natural landscape and historical landmarks, Kunming is also beginning to become a prime tourist destination. As a result, tourism is beginning to become and ever increasing portion of the Kunming economy. This city is visited by over eight hundred thousand foreign tourist, and twenty-four million Chinese tourist each and every year.

Oddly, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Kunming is not actually in the city. Its called Shilin or Stone Forest and its about eight-five kilometers outside the city and can be reached in a period of about three hours. This beautiful location contains many natural stone formations that look like animals, plants and even people. This location has been a popular attraction in Kunming since the Ming Dynasty. Back in those days it was referred to as the first wonder of the world. There are also many other stone forest and caves around this area. These include Stone Forest in Zhiyun Cave, Naigu Stone Forest, Strange Wind Cave, Penfeng Cave, Long Lake and Dadie Waterfall.

The next attraction of Kunming is located within the city and is called Dianchi Lake Scenic Area. This area is located in the southwestern portion of the city. The key features of this area include Dianchi Lake, Yunnan Ethnic Villages, Daguan Park, Haigeng Bank, Baiyukou Park, Xishan Forest Park and several temples. Dianchi Lake covers an area of seventy-four thousand acres and is a large freshwater fault lake. It has been called the ‘pearl on the plateau and is shaped like a crescent moon. Yunnan Ethnic Villages give tourist a unique opportunity to witness the various ethnic groups of the area. Visitors can also experience handmade crafts of the locals and taste their unique cuisine. Daguan Park was built in 1828 and features pavilions, bridges and rock gardens. Baiyukou Park is a beautiful park with many cherry blossoms and gardens all around. Also located here is Kwan-yin Hill, which was a popular Buddhist temple from the Ming Dynasty.

Another prominent attraction in Kunming is situated on top of Mingfeng Hill. This is a Taoist temple which is composed of copper and named Tongwa Temple. This temple was erected during the Ming Dynasty under order by Emperor Wanli. The entrance to this temple has a long, winding staircase that passes through a series of gates called the “Heavenly Gates”. Another temple in the city is the Heilongtan or Black Dragon Pool. The temple got its name from a story involving this great hero named Lu Dongbin. When Lu Dongbin was young, ten terrible dragons wreaked havoc on the city. Lu Dongbin slayed nine of them, but jailed the last one in the temple, where it suppossedly still lives today. In the front of the temple are three ancient trees from the Tang, Song and Ming Dynasties.

Other popular attractions and landmarks in the city include Bamei Village, Flowers and Birds Market, Qiongzhu Temple, Yuantong Temple and the Canals. Kunming is also home to Kunming International Convention and Exhibition Center and Yunnan Provincial Science and Technology Hall. There are also plenty of tea bars, cafes, restaurants and hotels located in the city proper. The city also has an extensive shopping district and host many fairs throughout the year including the China International Travel Mart and International Folk Arts and Craft Union, among others.