Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg

Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany (after Berlin) and the sixth-largest city in the European Union. The city is home to approximately 1.8 million people, while the Hamburg Metropolitan Region (including parts of the neighboring Federal States of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein) has more than 4.3 million inhabitants. The port of Hamburg is the second-largest port in Europe (after that of Rotterdam), and the ninth-largest in the world.

Hamburg's official name is the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. It makes reference to Hamburg's history as a member of the medieval Hanseatic League, as a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire, and also to the fact that Hamburg is a city-state and one of the sixteen Federal States of Germany.

Hamburg is a major transportation hub in northern Germany and became a media and industrial center with factories such as Blohm + Voss and Norddeutsche Affinerie. The radio and television broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk and publishers such as Gruner + Jahr and Spiegel-Verlag represent the important media industry in Hamburg. In total there are more than 120,000 enterprises. The city is a major tourist destination both for domestic and overseas visitors, receiving about 7.4 million overnight stays in 2007.

Hamburg is located on the southern point of the Jutland Peninsula, directly between Continental Europe to its south, Scandinavia to its north, the North Sea to its west, and the Baltic Sea to its east. Hamburg is located in the position where the River Elbe meets with the rivers Alster and Bille. The central city area is situated around the Binnenalster ("Inner Alster") and the Außenalster ("Outer Alster") both of which are originally the river Alster but retained as lakes. The island of Neuwerk and two other islands in the North Sea are also part of Hamburg, located in the Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park.

The Altes Land region (old land) is the biggest contiguous fruit orchard in Central Europe. It extends over 143 km2 (55 sq mi). 76.8% of the trees are apples, 12.7% are cherries.

The warmest months in Hamburg are June, July, and August, with mean temperatures of 19.9 to 22.2 °C. The coldest are December, January, and February, with mean temperatures of -1.4 to 0.0 °C.

Tourists play a significant role in the city's economy. A typical Hamburg visit includes a tour of the city hall and the grand church St. Michaelis (called the Michel), and visiting the old warehouse district (Speicherstadt) and the harbour promenade (Landungsbrücken). Sightseeing buses connect these points of interest. As Hamburg is one of the world's largest harbours many visitors take one of the harbour and/or canal boat tours (Große Hafenrundfahrt, Fleetfahrt) which start from the Landungsbrücken. Major destinations also include museums. Many visitors take a walk in the evening around the area of Reeperbahn in the quarter St. Pauli, considered Europe's largest red light district and home of strip clubs, brothels, bars and nightclubs. The singer and actor Hans Albers is strongly associated with St. Pauli, providing in the 1940s the neighborhood's unofficial anthem, "Auf der Reeperbahn Nachts um Halb Eins." The song explains in a polite way how a sailor enjoys his last day with a trollop before going aboard. It was in the Reeperbahn that The Beatles began their career with a 48-night residency at the Indra Club, and then another 58 nights at the Kaiserkeller, in 1960, the Top Ten Club (1961), and the Star-Club (1962). Others prefer the laidback neighborhood Schanze with its street cafés or a barbecue on one of the beaches along the river Elbe. Hamburg's famous zoo, the Tierpark Hagenbeck, was founded in 1907 by Carl Hagenbeck as the first zoo with moated, barless enclosures. People may visit Hamburg because of a specific interest, notably one of the musicals, a sports event, a congress or fair.

Magtens Korridorer

Magtens Korridorer is a band from Denmark started in 1995 in Copenhagen. The band is described as a mixture of rock and poetic post-punk. The band consists of Johan Olsen (vocals), Rasmus Kern (guitar), Niklas Schneidermann (guitar), Terkel Møhl (bass) and Anders Ramhede (drums).

The band made a demo tape in 1996, which included the song Hestevisen, which was featured on the hugely popular DR P3 radio show Tæskeholdet. This instantly propelled the band to national stardom, despite not having recorded an album yet.

The band went to the studio and recorded their debut album Bagsiden Af Medaljen in 1998, but the album failed to make a commercial breakthrough. For the following seven years, not much was heard from the band. In 2005, Magtens Korridorer caught the attention of Karrierekanonen, a program for discovering new musical talents in Denmark. Same year, the band released the album Friværdi, which was a commercial and critical success. Several singles were released such as Lorteparforhold, Picnic (på Kastellet), Nordhavn Station and Sara har...

Frontman Olsen is also a Ph.D. in molecular biology, and he teaches at the University of Copenhagen.

Beyoncé - 2009 I Am... Tour

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and model. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools, and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the girl group Destiny's Child. Beyoncé has sold more than 50 million records worldwide with the group and over 75 million records in her total career.

In June 2003, during the hiatus of Destiny's Child, Beyoncé released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, which became one of the most successful albums of that year.

The album was a commercial and critical success, spawning the hits "Crazy in Love", "Baby Boy", and earning Knowles five Grammy Awards in 2004. The disbandment of Destiny's Child in 2005 facilitated her continued success: her sophomore solo album, B'Day, released in 2006, debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, and produced the hits "Deja Vu", "Irreplaceable", and "Beautiful Liar". Her third solo album, I Am… Sasha Fierce, was released in November 2008, and inlcuded the hits "If I Were a Boy", "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", and "Halo". Knowles has attained five Hot 100 number one singles, becoming one of the two female artists with the most number ones attained within the 2000-2009 decade.

The success of her solo albums has established Beyoncé as one of the most marketable artists in the music industry, and she has expanded her career to acting and product endorsement. She began her acting career in 2001, appearing in the musical film Carmen: A Hip Hopera. In 2006, she starred in the lead role in the film adaptation of the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls, for which she earned two Golden Globe nominations. Knowles launched her family's fashion line, House of Deréon, in 2004, and has been engaged to endorse such brands as Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, Armani and L'Oréal. In 2009, Forbes listed Knowles fourth on its list of the 100 Most Powerful and Influential Celebrities in the world, and third on its list of the top-grossing musicians, with over $87 million dollars in earnings between 2008 and 2009.

Beyoncé released her third studio album, I Am… Sasha Fierce, on November 18, 2008. Knowles says that the name Sasha Fierce is the name of the person she adopts when she performs onstage. "I have someone else that takes over when it's time for me to work and when I'm on stage, this alter ego that I've created that kind of protects me and who I really am." "If I Were a Boy" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", the first and second singles off I Am… Sasha Fierce, were released to radio on October 8, 2008, preceding the album's release on November 18, 2008. While "If I Were a Boy" topped numerous charts worldwide, mostly in European countries, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart, for four non-consecutive weeks, giving Beyoncé her fifth number one single in the United States. "Halo", the fourth single off I Am... Sasha Fierce, went on to peak at number five, becoming Knowles' 12th Top 10 single on the Hot 100 as a solo artist. Knowles embarked on her third world tour, I Am… Tour, starting in the Spring of 2009, visiting venues all over the world from the America's, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania.

Beyoncé Knowles won the Outstanding Female Artist at the 2009 NAACP Image Awards.

Beyoncé performed on January 18, 2009 at the Lincoln Memorial festivities in honor of the inauguration of Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States. Knowles also sang her cover of the R&B classic most famously sang by Etta James, "At Last", as President Obama and his wife Michelle had their first dance as President and First lady of America, on January 20, 2009 at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball.

Beyoncé has become a sex symbol, known in media for her curvaceous body that is complemented with her choice of clothing. According to her, "I like to dress sexy and I carry myself like a lady," but she has said that the way she dresses on stage is "absolutely for the stage".As someone who is fond of fashion, Knowles combines its artistic elements with her music videos and performances. According to Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, she uses different styles and tries to harmonize it with the music while performing. The B'Day Anthology showed many instances of fashion-oriented footage, depicting classic to contemporary wardrobe styles. People magazine recognized Knowles as the best-dressed celebrity in 2007. Knowles' mother wrote a 2002-published book, titled Destiny's Style: Bootylicious Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle Secrets From Destiny's Child, an account of how fashion had an impact on Destiny's Child's success.

Since 2002, Beyoncé has been in a relationship with rapper Jay-Z, with whom she has collaborated several times. In 2005, rumors began to spread about the marriage of the couple. Knowles closed the speculation stating that she and Jay-Z were not even engaged. When asked again about the subject in September 2007, Jay-Z replied, "One day soon—let's leave it at that." On April 4, 2008, Knowles and Jay-Z were married in New York City. It became a matter of public record on April 22, 2008, but Knowles did not publicly debut her wedding ring until the Fashion Rocks concert on September 5, 2008 in New York City.

Early into her career, Knowles developed an alter ego Sasha Fierce that represents the more aggressive, sexual and confident side of the singer. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly magazine, Knowles noted that her alter-ego is "strictly for the stage." The magazine has described it as "the singer's sensual, aggressive alter ego." Knowles wears a "roboglove" in public to compliment Sasha Fierce. In 2006, Knowles introduced her all-female tour band Suga Mama. In the months prior to the release of B'Day, she held an audition among female musicians across the United States, which concluded in June. The performing ensemble includes bassists, drummers, guitarists, horn players, keyboardists and percussionists. They debuted in public at the 2006 BET Awards and they re-appeared in the music video for "Irreplaceable" and "Green Light". The band backed up Knowles during her 2007 The Beyoncé Experience world concert tour, and her 2009 I Am... Tour. In addition, they have appeared in small shows wherever Knowles has performed.

Herning - The Capital of the Heat

Herning is a Danish city of 45,470 inhabitants of Region Midtjylland. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Herning Municipality.

Herning has been called "The Capital of the Heath" and with good reason— it was established at the beginning of the 1800s during the period of heath reclamation. This period of time resulted in a growing population, and a demand for products and services to the new farmers in the area. Herning came into existence as a center of commerce for the area. Later on the town became known for the textile weaving industry that developed in and around the town. This industry was once Herning's principal economic activity, though today the town enjoys a diversified industrial base.

Herning has twice been awarded the title of Danish City of the Year: in 1965 and 2003.

Herning is home to Messecenter Herning, the largest exhibition centre in Scandinavia, which gives the town a reputation for its many trade fairs.

Carl-Henning Pedersen and Else Alfelt's museum of art aka Herning Art Museum is one of the major attractions.

The town is also home to sculptor Ingvar Cronhammar's unique monumental work Elia. It is a black-painted, 60 m dome with four 10 m wide stairways inset into its surface at the earth's cardinal points. These lead to an observation platform overlooking the surrounding heath, as well as to the sculpture's 30.000 cubic meter resonance chamber. Four steel columns rise to a height of 30m over the landscape; they are capped by red domes, lit from below and equipped to attract lightning. In the center of the sculpture, equidistant to the four columns, is a fifth column— a gas burner— about two meters below the viewing platform. The gas burner shoots a pillar of flame about one meter wide and 8.4m high up between the pillars at random intervals controlled by a computer. The sculpture is located in the town near the Herning Art Museum.

The old Herningsholm Estate in Herning is open to the public for touring. Classensborg Estate, now called Skarrildhus, is located 25 km south of the town, but is closed to the public because it is a private hotel and educational facility. The grounds, however, can be toured and are known for their beautiful rhododendron displays during the spring.

Silkeborg - The city of paper

Silkeborg is a city in central Denmark, located in Silkeborg municipality in mid-eastern Jutland, with a population of 41 674. Silkeborg municipality has 87.371. The municipality is also a part of the East Jutland metropolitan area with 1.2 million inhabitants. The landscape is dominated by big lakes, forests and some of the highest points in Denmark, including Himmelbjerget. It is also one of the most expensive areas to live in, and the neighbouring towns Sejs is known for its mansions and villas at the lakeside.

The development of Silkeborg as a modern city may be traced to the foundation of the paper mill by Michael Drewsen on the Gudenaa in 1844. The city is divided north and south by the lake, the Silkeborg Langsø, which at the eastern side of the city, resolves into the Guden River (Gudenaa).

The city is notable for the large number of car dealerships located there, and the economically significant presence of the headquarters of Jyske Bank A/S, Denmark's third largest bank.

At the end of June each year, the city is home to the Riverboat Jazz festival.

The city is home of the Tollund man which resides in the Silkeborg Museum.

In 1944, the priest and playwright Kaj Munk was shot by the Gestapo nearby. The Germans had their headquarters in Jutland during World War II at Silkeborg Bad, the city's former sanatorium known for its curative spring waters. It is now a municipal art centre, where it is possible to visit the wartime bunkers in the grounds.

Silkeborg was the home city of COBRA painter Asger Jorn, and has in addition to the above mentioned Silkeborg Bad art centre another art museum, the Silkeborg Kunst Museum with its large Asger Jorn collection. Inspired by an Asger Jorn print in a band member's home in Dublin, Ireland, Silkeborg is now also the name of an Irish band.

Silkeborg has a ski resort, with a nylon track so that one can enjoy going down the slopes all year round, and there is natural snow in winter.

Copenhagen - Capital Of Denmark

Copenhagen (Danish: København) is the capital and largest city of Denmark. It is situated on the Islands of Zealand and Amager.Copenhagen is usually ranked as one of the two largest cities of the Nordic Countries. With the completion of the transnational Oresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen and the Swedish city of Malmö are connected by a car/rail link and are in the process of integrating their labour markets, resulting in the number of commuters from both sides growing annually. These two cities together form the center of the Øresund Region, which is home to almost 3.7 million inhabitants covering an area of 20,869 km².

Copenhagen is described as ‘The Paris of the North' because of its design, fashion and beauty, and is among the 20 most popular tourist destinations in Europe. In 2006 Copenhagen Municipality received the European Environmental Management Award. The award was given for long-term holistic environmental planning.Just off the coast of Copenhagen is the world's largest offshore windmill farm opened in 2001, financed by the sale of shares to ordinary consumers from the Copenhagen area. With a capacity of 40 MW of electricity, it produces about 4 % of the city's energy.A municipal policy is that 40% of all citizens should bicycle to and from work by 2012 and a number of initiatives are being taken to implement this policy.Copenhagen is a green city with many big and small parks. King's Garden, the garden of Rosenborg Castle, is the oldest and most visited park in Copenhagen. Its landscaping was commenced by Christian IV in 1606. 

Every year it sees more than 2,5 million visitors and in the summer months it is packed with sunbathers, picknickers and ballplayers. 

It also serves as a sculpture garden with a permanent display of sculptures as well as temporary exhibits during summer. Also located in the city centre are the Botanical Gardens particularly noted for their large complex of 19'th century greenhouses donated by Carlsberg founder J. C. Jacobsen.

 Fælledparken is with its 58 hectars the largest park in Copenhagen, and it hosts a long array of yearly events like a free opera concert, carnival, Labour Day celebrations and Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix which is a race for antique cars. Another popular park is the Frederiksberg Garden which is a 32 hectars romantic landscape park.

 It houses a large colony of very tame grey herons along with other waterfowls. The park also offers views of the elephants and the elephant house designed by world-famous British architect Norman Foster of the adjacent Copenhagen Zoo.It is official Copenhagen municipal policy that all citizens by 2015 must be able to reach a park or beach on foot in less than 15 minutes.

Amalienborg Palace (Danish: Amalienborg) is the winter home of the Danish royal family, and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It consists of four identical classicizing palace façades with rococo interiors around an octagonal courtyard (Amalienborg Slotsplads); in the center of the square is a monumental equestrian statue of Amalienborg's founder, King Frederik V. Amalienborg was originally built for four noble families; however, when Christiansborg Castle burnt down on 26 February 1794, the royal family bought the palaces and moved in. Over the years various kings and their families have resided in the four different palaces. The Danish Royal Life Guard (Den Kongelige Livgarde) march from Rosenborg Castle at 11.30 am daily through the streets of Copenhagen, and execute the changing of the guard in front of Amalienborg Palace at noon.

Since the late 1990s, 

Copenhagen has undergone a transformation from a cosy Scandinavian capital to a cool metropolitan city of international scope in the league of cities like Barcelona and Amsterdam. This is due to massive investments in infrastructure as well as culture nad a wave of new successful Danish architects, designers and

 chefs. Between 1998 and 2008, lifestyle journalists wordwide (from Wallpaper to the NewYorkTimes) have praised Copenhagen as a cool, well-functioning creative city. Copenhagen has the two oldest amusement parks in the World. World-famous Tivoli Gardens is an amusement park and pleasure garden located right in the middle of Copenhagen between the the City Hall Square and the the Central Station. Among its rides are the oldest still operating roller coaster and the oldest ferris wheel in the World. It also function as an open-air concert venue. It opened on August 15 1843 making it the second oldest amusement park in the world. Dyrehavsbakken (in English "the Deer Garden Hill") is located in Klampenborg a little north of Copenhagen in a forested area of great natural beauty. Having been made into an amusement park complete with rides, games and restaurants by Christian IV, it is the oldest surviving amusement park in the World.

The Danish National Bank. Designed by Arne Jacobsen. Copenhagen is the economical and financial centre of Denmark and also a strong business and economic centre in the entire Scandinavian-Baltic region. In 2008 Copenhagen was ranked 4th by Financial Times-owned FDi magazine on their list of Top50 European Cities of the Future after London, Paris and Berlin. In 2006/07 FDi Magazine named Copenhagen Scandinavian City of the Future and in 2004/05

 Copenhagen was named Northern European City of the Future ahead of other cities from Scandinavia, UK, Ireland and Benelux. In the 2008 Worldwide Centers of Commerce Index, published by MasterCard, Copenhagen was ranked 14th in the world and 1st in Scandinavia. Copenhagen is one of the cities in Western Europe attracting most regional headquarters and distribution centers. Among the international companies that have chosen to locate their regional headquarters in Copenhagen is Microsoft. There are 2,100 foreign companies located in the Copenhagen area, of which approx. 500 are Scandinavian head offices, representing a wide range of industries.

Aarhus, Denmark

Aarhus also commonly known by its contemporary Danish spelling Århus, is the second largest city and the principal port of Denmark, situated on the peninsula of Jutland. Aarhus is the seat of the council of Aarhus municipality and claims the unofficial title "Capital of Jutland".

The city lies roughly at the geographical centre of Denmark on the peninsula of Jutland. Forests reach from the south into the city to within a kilometre of the city centre, because the city has grown around the forest, and some areas are completely surrounded by the city, such as Risskov. The city is built mostly around the harbour, which is predominantly industrial, although a large recreational marina is situated south of it as an extension.While some of the highest points in Denmark are close to the city, the general landscape is typically hilly, interspersed with forests and meadows; the city itself is very hilly north of the centre.

The coastline consists mainly of sandy beaches, but stony areas are not uncommon. The immediate coastal regions are not heavily populated due to a national policy of keeping residences inland rather than crowding the coast.

The city lies at the junction of railway lines from all parts of the country. To the south west lies a picturesque region that contains the Gudenå. Several larger lakes extend West from the Skanderborg railway junction and rise to heights exceeding 152 metres in the Himmelbjerget. The railway traverses this pleasant district of moorland and woodland to Silkeborg.

Skæring, a part of Aarhus

Skæring is a suburb of Aarhus in Denmark. It has a population of 4977. It is a zone with summer houses therefore is a very quite and very nice to live in.

Randers, Denmark

Randers is a city in Randers municipality (Aarhus County, Region Midtjylland) on the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark. It is Denmark's 6th largest city with a population of 55,739. It is the main town of the municipality and the site of its municipal council.

Randers is Denmark's only natural river harbour, and it is situated on the banks of the River Guden (Gudenå), about 6 miles (10 km) above its mouth in Randers Fjord, and 111 miles (179 km) west-northwest of Copenhagen. This location has had great significance for the town as a sea merchant area. Barges on the Guden River and the Northern River (Nørreå) transported goods in to Randers from Silkeborg and Viborg for export, and in return came imported items.

Randers is referred to as Crown Jutland (Kronjylland) and the people as Crown Jutlanders (Kronjyde), probably due to the big Crown estates, i.e. the estates owned by the Crown, the King. The term Kronjyde was first used by Danish poets around 1750. Both Nicolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig (1783-1872) and Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), and especially Nobel Prize laureate Henrik Pontoppidan (1857-1943), who was born in Randers, used the term.

Billund Airport

Billund Airport in Denmark is a facility which serves as one of Denmarks busiest air cargo centers, as well as a charter airline destination, although some regular airlines also offer flights there. The proximity of the airport to the Legoland theme park in Billund arguably makes it easier for the airport to attract passengers, and to lure more airlines into operating to the airport.

Billund is a municipality in Region Syddanmark in the center of the Jutland Peninsula of Denmark. Formerly the municipality belonged to Ribe County. The new, merged municipality covers an area of 536,51 km², and has a total population of 26,181. Its mayor is Ib Kristensen, a member of the Venstre (Liberal Party) political party. The site of its municipal council is the town of Grindsted.

Billund is a company town, the home of the Lego Group headquarters. There is a Lego factory on the outskirts of town which as of 2005 manufactures 90% of the company's products, though the effects of globalization and competition from companies such as Mega Bloks is likely to lead to more off-shore manufacturing. Across the road from the company's headquarters is the first of the Legoland theme parks, first opened in 1968.

Milano-Bergamo airport

Orio al Serio International Airport is an airport located in Orio al Serio, near Bergamo, Italy and it serves the low-cost traffic of Milan. Orio al Serio is operated by SACBO (Società Aeroporto Civile Bergamo Orio al Serio). The airport served over 5.2 million passengers in 2006. The airport, with Linate Airport and Malpensa International Airport, forms Milan's airport system.

Milan is one of the largest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. The municipality (Comune di Milano) has a population of 1.3 million. The Milan metropolitan area, depending on the specific definition, has a population ranging from 2.9 to 7.4 million. The municipal border covers a relatively small area (about one-eighth of that of Rome) because of the historical development of high density centres in agriculturally rich Lombardy.

Milan is renowned as one of the world capitals of design and fashion. The English word milliner is derived from the name of the city. The Lombard metropolis is famous for its fashion houses and shops (such as along via Montenapoleone) and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in the Piazza Duomo (reputed to be the world's oldest shopping mall). The city hosted the World Exposition in 1906 and will host the Universal Expo in 2015.

The Olona river, the Lambro river and the Seveso creek run through Milan. Olona and Seveso run mostly underground.