Aalborg

Aalborg is a city in Denmark having 122,461 inhabitants and being the fourth largest city in the country after Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense. It is located by the Limfjord and was an important harbour during the Middle Ages, and an industrial centre later. Today the city is in a transition from a working-class, industrial city to a knowledge-based one.

Aalborg is located 120 kilometres north of Aarhus and 414 kilometres (by Great Belt Fixed Link) to Copenhagen.

The old Aalborghus Castle (Aalborghus Slot) and some picturesque houses of the 17th century can be seen in the center of the town. The half-timbered (bindingsværk) castle was built in 1550 by King Christian III, and was converted to government administration offices in the 1950. Jens Bang's House, a five story building built in 1624 by the merchant Jens Bang is an example of Renaissance architecture. It is located on Nytorv next to the old Town Hall. The present Budolfi Church was built at the end of the 14th century, although at least two earlier churches stood on the same spot. Budolfi Church was just a parish church until it became the seat of the Lutheran bishop of Aalborg in 1554.

Vor Frue Kirke ("Church of Our Lady") is a relatively modern church. The original Church of Our Lady from the early 1100s was pulled down after the Reformation because it was so old and unstable. The newer building in a different location was partially burned in 1894. Underneath the main pedestrian shopping street is a newly opened museum of the excavation of a monastery from the 11th century. Nørresundby is the site of the Lindholm Høje settlement and burial ground from the Germanic Iron Age and Viking times. There is also a museum on the site.

Aalborgtårnet is a tripod tower erected in 1933. The tower still gives an exquisite view over the fjord and the city from its 105 m rise over the sea level. Near the Aalbor Tower you find KUNSTEN Museum of Modern Art Aalborg an art museum built in 1972 designed by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. In 2008 the Utzon Center, dedicated to the work of the noted architect Jørn Utzon, was built next to the Limfjord at the central harbour front in Aalborg.

Nordkraft is a cultural centre in a former power plant near the harbour. It has theatres (opening in 2010), a cinema, concert facilities. In its neighbourhood a classical concert hall, Musikkens Hus and so one.

One of the most popular and famous streets in Aalborg, possibly even in Denmark, is Jomfru Ane Gade, or simply just Gaden ("The Street"). The name translates to "Mistress' Anne's Street" in English. The pubs and restaurants on this street offer beer and other spirits for some of the most competitive prices in Denmark. Jomfru Ane Gade is a café and restaurant street during day which, at night, turn into clubs, discos and bars. During the 1990s the street was infamous for being a 'hang out' of two biker gangs who were at war for some years all over Scandinavia, but as the bikers disappeared from the street it became even more popular among people of all ages. During the day, tourists and employees in the city come to Jomfru Ane Gade, especially for its restaurants. In the afternoons some of the cafés open. Around 11 pm the mood of the street changes into more of a party street when younger people arrive.

The annual Aalborg Carnival takes place in the weekend of week 21 (usually the last week in May). The Carnival is actually three events, the children's carnival (Børnekarneval), the battle of carnival bands, and the carnival itself. During the carnival, Aalborg receives about 100,000 people. The Carnival ends with a grand firework display.

Millennium - Trilogy

The Millennium Trilogy is a series of three bestselling novels written by Stieg Larsson. The novels in the series, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, were first published in 2005, 2006 and 2007 respectively.

The trilogy has been made into three films, the first "Män som hatar kvinnor" (Men Who Hate Women) is available on DVD, but in Swedish with Scandinavian languages subtitles only, the second "Flickan som lekte med elden" (The Girl Who Played with Fire) had a cinema release on September 18, 2009, the third "Luftslottet som sprängdes" (The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest) is supposed to have its cinematic release on November 27, 2009.

"Män som hatar kvinnor" (Swedish for "Men who hate women," renamed in the English translation as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) is an award-winning novel by the late Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson, the first in his "Millennium Trilogy". At his death in November 2004 he left three unpublished novels that made up the trilogy. It became a posthumous best-seller in Europe.

Filming began in early 2008, and "Men Who Hate Women" (the film title of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), opened in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland in February-March 2009. So far, it has been seen by more than 2.5 million people in those countries. In Norway and Denmark it is the most viewed Swedish film ever, and in Sweden total admissions are above one million.

The films have been sold to Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Luxemburg and Poland.

The Girl Who Played with Fire (original title in Swedish: "Flickan som lekte med elden") is the second novel in the million-selling Millennium Trilogy by Swedish writer Stieg Larsson. The book features many of the characters that appeared in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, among them Lisbeth Salander, the "Girl" of the title and a social misfit hacker, and Mikael Blomkvist, a investigative journalist and publisher of Millennium magazine. Widely seen as a critical success, The Girl Who Played with Fire was also (according to The Bookseller magazine) the first and only translated novel to be number one in the UK hardback chart.

For non-Swedish readers of the book, it might be interesting to know that the character of Paolo Roberto is not a fictional character. He is an ex-boxer and TV-chef who also dabbled in politics. He is featured in some very important chapters and will play himself in the film based on the book.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest (original title in Swedish: "Luftslottet som sprängdes") is the third and final novel in the million-selling Millennium Trilogy by Swedish writer Stieg Larsson. It was published posthumously in Swedish in 2007 and was published in English in the UK in October 2009. The Swedish title literally means "The Air Castle that was blown up". Luftslott ("Air castle") is used in Swedish to designate a pipe dream.

Tina Dickow - Tina Dico

Tina Dico (born Tina Dickow on October 14, 1977) is a singer and songwriter inspired by artists such as Tracy Chapman, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen.

In her home country of Denmark, she worked with the lead singer of the band TV-2, Steffen Brandt. She won a Steppeulv and a Danish Music Award in 2004 for her album, Notes, and the award for best female vocalist at the Danish Music Awards 2006. Internationally, she may be best known for her collaboration with the English duo Zero 7 on their second album, When It Falls, with the song "Home" and "The Space Between". In Denmark she performs under her real name, Tina Dickow.

Dickow was born in Åbyhøj near Århus, Denmark. At a very young age, she was introduced to music by her father who owned a big hi-fi stereo system in their basement. After public school, she attended a music boarding school, and after that she went to high school. Music still was her passion, and during her first years she performed with the cover band, Fester Kester.

In 1997 while attending her third year at high school, she was cast in the erotic TV-series, Karrusel (Carrousel), where she starred with Peter Steen and Michael Falch (produced 1997, broadcast 1998 on Danish TV2). After her performance she was offered several parts but did not like to be type cast as the "naive girl from Jutland," which was why she refused every offer. While Dickow performs under her real name in Denmark, abroad she is known as Tina Dico in order to avoid mispronunciation by American English speakers.

In 1998, Dickow introduced the other members of the band Fester Kester to a song of her own, and their enthusiasm led them to enter, and win, two talent contests the same year: "Talentspot" on Danish TV2, and "Vi har scenen, har I musikken?" (We have the stage, do you have the music?) in Aarhus. The band "Tina Dickow and Sheriff" was formed in 1998, and later that year the single "Your Waste of Time" was released. It was picked as "Song of the Week" on Danish National Radio, P3, and led to some degree of fame.

Several conversations with established record labels followed, but Dickow was unhappy with the way they intended to market her. Instead she got a loan from a bank, and started her own record label, Finest Gramophone, in 2000. The company’s first release was Dickow’s Fuel in 2001. The critic's response was modest, but most recognized her potential as an artist. Also in 2001, Dickow teamed up with her current manager, Jonathan Morley, on the SPOT-festival in Aarhus. She signed a four-year contract with Morley, and during the 2002 MIDEM-festival in Cannes, France she signed with English publisher Kojam Music.

Finest Gramophone went on to sign another Danish act, Love Julie, which released two albums. Dickow has said that she has no intention of signing future acts, due mostly to time constraints.

In the beginning of 2002, Dickow moved to England in an attempt to escape from the cozy atmosphere in Denmark. Thanks to her contract with Morley, she had the opportunity to step into the English music community, which led to a collaboration with Australian singer Holly Valance on the song "Send My Best." Dickow wrote the album Notes during her stay in England, capturing the loneliness and fear of being alone in London. Notes was recorded in two days and was released later that year. The critics were very positive this time. Notes won a Steppeulv (the Danish music critics award) in the category "Composer of the Year" and a Danish Music Award for "Songwriter of the Year".

During her work with Valance, Dickow met Sam Hardaker, one of the members of the English trip-hop-lounge duo, Zero 7. She was asked to collaborate with them, and they recorded "Home" and "The Space Between" which are featured on the album When It Falls. A tour with more than 100 shows in Europe, U.S., and Asia followed. While Dickow does not appear on Zero 7's The Garden, she has stated her desire to someday work with Zero 7 again.

The EP Far, with new versions of some of the tracks from Notes, one track from Fuel and a brand new song, was released in 2004. The purpose of the EP was to follow up on the success from the Zero 7 tour. In 2004, Dickow signed a multinational record deal with Sony UK, and the recordings to her international debut begun in late 2004. In early 2005, Sony and BMG merged, and the deal was canceled. The legal rights to the songs were handed over to Dickow, and the album was released in cooperation with the Danish company, A:Larm in June 2005. The album went straight to No. 1 on the Danish album chart in front of prominent names such as U2 and Coldplay.

In January 2006, Dickow won the P3 Award and DKK 100,000 which is granted by Danish National Radio P3. The jury said this of Dickow's effort: “Courage, self-esteem and talent is required if you want to be yourself and perform your own songs – without overstyled fuss. The winner of the P3 Award certainly possesses these qualities.” In March 2006, Dickow won the Danish Music Award for "Singer of the Year".

Dickow has released her fourth studio album entitled Count to Ten on September 3rd, 2007.

In September 2008, Dickow won the Kronprinsparrets Kulturpris and DKK 500,000 which was granted by Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark for “having the courage to look the contradictory and difficult parts of existence in the eye, and for the ability to express it in a very special, life-affirming fashion that many can identify themselves with.”

Discography

Fuel (2001)

Notes (2003)

Far (EP, 2004)

In the Red (2006)

Count To Ten (2007)

Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur" (2007) Tina Dico (listed as Tina Dickow) cover of Working Class Hero (John Lennon)

Side By Side - duets Vol. 1" Award-winning American artist AM (musician) and Tina Dico perform the duet "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (2008) a cover of a George Harrison song

A Beginning, A Detour, An Open Ending (2008)

Vienna - Capital of Austria

Vienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million (2.3 million within the metropolitan area), and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 10th largest city by population in the European Union. 

Vienna lies in the east of Austria and is close to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

The English name of Vienna, the German name Wien, and the names of the city in most languages, are thought to be derived from the Celtic name of a settlement, but opinions vary on the precise origin. Some claim that the name comes from Vedunia, meaning "forest stream", which subsequently became Venia, Wienne and Wien. Others claim that the name comes from the name of the Roman settlement Vindobona, probably meaning "white base/bottom", which became Vindovina, Viden and Wien. The name of the city in Hungarian (Bécs), Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian (Bec) and Ottoman Turkish (Beç) appears to have a different, Slavonic, origin.

Founded around 500 BC, Vienna was originally a Celtic settlement. In 15 BC, Vienna became a Roman frontier city (Vindobona) guarding the Roman Empire against Germanic tribes to the north. In the 13th century, Vienna came under threat from the Mongolian Empire, which stretched over much of present-day Russia and China. However, due to the death of its leader, Ogedei Khan, the Mongolian armies receded from the European frontier and did not return.

During the Middle Ages, Vienna was home to the Babenberg Dynasty, and in 1440 AD, it became the resident city of the Habsburg Dynasties, then it eventually grew to become the capital of the Holy Roman Empire and a cultural centre for arts and science, music and fine cuisine. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ottoman armies were stopped twice outside Vienna (see Siege of Vienna, 1529 and Battle of Vienna, 1683).

In 1804, Vienna became the capital of the Austrian Empire and continued to play a major role in European and world politics, including hosting the 1814 Congress of Vienna. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, Vienna remained the capital of what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During the latter half of the 19th century, the city developed what had previously been the bastions and glacis into the Ringstraße, a major prestige project. Former suburbs were incorporated, and the city of Vienna grew dramatically.

In 1918, after World War I, Vienna became capital of the First Austrian Republic. During the 1920s and 1930s, it was a bastion of socialism in Austria, and was known as the "Red Vienna." The city was a stage to the Austrian Civil War of 1934, when Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss sent the Austrian Army to shell civilian housing occupied by the socialist militia. In 1938, after a triumphant entry into Austria, Adolf Hitler famously spoke to the Austrian people from the balcony of the Neue Burg, a part of the Hofburg at the Heldenplatz. Between 1938 (Anschluß) and the end of the Second World War, Vienna lost its status as a capital to Berlin.

In 1945, the Soviets successfully launched the Vienna Offensive against Germans who were holding Vienna. The city was besieged for about two weeks before it fell to the Soviets. After 1945, Vienna again became the capital of Austria, was initially divided into zones by the four powers (or the four prevailing nations), and was governed by the Allied Commission for Austria. The four-power occupation of Vienna differed in some respects from the four-power occupation of Berlin: the central area of Vienna had an international zone in which the four powers alternated on a monthly basis. When the Berlin blockade occurred in 1948, Vienna was even more vulnerable because there was no airport in the western sectors. However, despite fears, the Soviets did not blockade Vienna. Some have argued that this was because the Potsdam Agreement gave written rights of land access to the western sectors, whereas no such written guarantees had been given regarding Berlin. The true reason will, however, always remain a matter of speculation. During the 10 years of foreign occupation, Vienna became a hot-bed for international espionage between the Western and Eastern blocs. The atmosphere of four-power Vienna is captured in the Graham Greene novel The Third Man and by the movie which followed.

In the 1970s, Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky inaugurated the Vienna International Centre, a new area of the city created to host international institutions. Vienna has regained a part of its former international relevance by hosting international organizations, such as the United Nations (UNIDO, UNOV, CTBTO and UNODC), the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Due to the industrialization and immigration from other parts of the Empire, the population of Vienna increased sharply during its time as the capital of Austria-Hungary (1867–1918). In 1910, Vienna had more than 2 million inhabitants, and was one of the six largest cities in the world. At the turn of the century, Vienna was the city with the second largest Czech population in the world (after Prague). However, after World War I, many Czechs and Hungarians returned to their ancestral countries, resulting in a decline in the Viennese population. At the height of the migration, about one-third of the Viennese population were of Slavic or Hungarian origin. By 2001, 16% of people under the census living in Vienna had nationalities other than Austrian, nearly half of whom were from former Yugoslavia, primarily Serbs; the next most numerous nationalities in Vienna were Turkish (39,000 or 2.5%), Polish (13,600 or 0.9%) and German (12,700 or 0.8%). However, the real numbers of people of different nationalities living today in Vienna is much higher due to high numbers of individuals not being counted in the census who either do not possess Austrian citizenship or who live illegally in Austria.

Vienna is located in north-eastern Austria, at the easternmost extension of the Alps in the Vienna Basin. The earliest settlement, at the location of today's inner city, was south of the meandering Danube while the city now spans both sides of the river. Elevation ranges from 151 to 524 m (495 to 1,719 ft). Vienna has a humid continental climate according to the Köppen classification. The city has warm summers with average high temperatures of 22 - 26°C (72 - 79°F), with maxima exceeding 30°C (86°F) and lows of around 15°C (59°F). Winters are relatively cold with average temperatures at about freezing point, and snowfall occurring mainly from December through March. Spring and autumn are cool to mild. Precipitation is generally moderate throughout the year, averaging 620 mm (24.4 inches) annually.

Major tourist attractions include the imperial palaces of the Hofburg and Schönbrunn (also home to the world's oldest zoo, Tiergarten Schönbrunn) and the Riesenrad in the Prater. Cultural highlights include the Burgtheater, the Wiener Staatsoper, the Lipizzaner horses at the spanische Hofreitschule and the Vienna Boys' Choir, as well as excursions to Vienna's Heuriger districts.

There are also more than 100 art museums, which together attract over eight million visitors per year. The most popular ones are Albertina, Belvedere, Leopold Museum in the Museumsquartier, KunstHausWien, BA-CA Kunstforum, the twin Kunsthistorisches Museum and Naturhistorisches Museum, and the Technisches Museum Wien, each of which receives over a quarter of a million visitors per year.

There are many popular sites associated with composers who lived in Vienna including Beethoven's various residences and grave at Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery) which is the largest cemetery in Vienna and the burial site of many famous people. Mozart has a memorial grave at the Habsburg gardens and at St. Marx cemetery (where his grave was lost). Vienna's many churches also draw large crowds, the most famous of which are St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Deutschordenskirche, the Jesuitenkirche, the Karlskirche, the Peterskirche, Maria am Gestade, the Minoritenkirche, the Ruprechtskirche, the Schottenkirche and the Votivkirche.

Modern attractions include the Hundertwasserhaus, the United Nations headquarters and the view from the Donauturm.

Outlandish

Outlandish are a multi-award winning hip-hop group based in Denmark. Formed in 1997, they consist of Isam Bachiri (born in Denmark and of Moroccan background), Waqas Ali Qadri (born in Denmark and of Pakistani background), and Lenny Martinez (born in Honduras and is of Cuban and Honduran descent). All three members are devoutly religious, Isam and Waqas being Muslims, and Lenny being Catholic. The band members live in Brøndby Strand.

Outlandish's hip-hop/R&B/soul music sound takes influences from their various backgrounds (Moroccan/Arab/Amazigh, Pakistani/Punjabi and Latin American), and although their songs are primarily in English, they usually feature lyrics in Spanish, Urdu/Punjabi, Danish, and Arabic. All these influences make the music of Outlandish somewhat unique and this is easy to notice from the variety of genres covered in their albums. Outlandish often include themes about Islam and contemporary issues facing young Muslims in the west in their music, and sometimes their songs define a unique nasheed-like urban genre.

Their first single "Pacific To Pacific" was used in connection with an Amnesty International charity event. Next came the single "Saturday Night", a song that was later to be included on the soundtrack for the Danish movie Pizza King. These singles were the prelude to their first album, Outland's Official (2000), which was only released in Denmark. The hit song "Walou" was later included on their second album Bread & Barrels of Water.

Singles from their second album made the most impact on the international music charts. Hit singles included "Aicha" (first made famous by Khaled) which made it to number one in Germany, and received a lot of airplay across many Asian countries, especially in South Korea. The video to "Aicha" also won a best music video award. "Guantanamo" also made a strong impression on the European charts. An old Hindi chorus running through "Peelo" made it a smash hit amongst Indians living in the West.

Closer Than Veins (2005) is Outlandish's third album. The first single was "Look Into My Eyes". The song's lyrics are based on a poem by Gihad Ali, a Palestinian who wrote the piece when she was a teenager; the poem expresses the plight of those suffering from America’s foreign policy with regards to Israel and Palestine. The video is based around the fairy-tale Little Red Riding Hood. It portrays an Israeli soldier as the Wolf and the Palestinian girl, wearing a Kaffiyeh, as Little Red Riding Hood.

This album showcased the group's more mature outlook compared to their previous works. Tracks such as "Just Me" and "Una Palabra" give a rare insight into the life in Europe today as seen through the eyes of ethnic minorities, whereas "Nothing Left To Do" perhaps the most daring and compelling track on the album boldly tackles the still taboo ridden issue of a young Muslim man catching HIV.

Outlandish performed a live percussion version of "Look Into My Eyes" at the "Islamophobia" conference held in Copenhagen, Denmark in May 2006 which was hosted by the Islam Channel and included many theological and political speakers and community leaders. Their club thumping single "Kom Igen" is featured on EA's FIFA 07.

Outlandish included two new (bonus) tracks "In Good Hands" and "Angels Lower Their Wings" on the deluxe version of Closer Than Veins. They were the only Danish act performing at the European MTV Awards 2006, where they also won the prize for Best Danish Act. Closer Than Veins was released in UK by Sony BMG in March 2007, with "Look Into My Eyes" being released as the first single on 5 March. The UK version of Closer Than Veins included a rendition of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song."

The band supported Sami Yusuf along with other acclaimed nasheed artists at the "Concert for peace in Darfur" held at Wembley Arena in order to raise money for the families of genocide victims in the region. The trio has participated in the Evening Of Inspiration concerts (in aid of Islamic Relief charity) since 2006 and most recently participated in the 2008 concert which also featured Seven8Six, Raihan and Kareem Salama amongst fellow performers." On 13 July 2008 Outlandish also performed at a concert for IslamExpo in London’s Olympia, Europe’s largest Muslim cultural event. Isam Bachiri features on the single "Still Strong" on Native Deen's recent album "Not Afraid To Stand Alone." The trio play at the Hard rock cafe on 11th July 2009.

Sound of a Rebel, Outlandish's fourth major production, was released on May 11 2009. The 1st single released from Sound of a Rebel was Rock All Day. Two of the three band members have also released their own solo albums (in Danish). The album is a departure from earlier work in many respects. The religious and social content has been all but toned down, and the album features two collaborations with female vocalists, a first for the group.

Outlandish did their first U.S. tour in Summer 2008 with the "Voices for Change" tour hosted by the Muslim American Society - Youth. Venues included New York, Tampa, Chicago, Detroit, Dallas, and Los Angeles. The message that the tour promoted is the following: "We need to stake OUR claim on entertainment, as people striving for MORALITY: We are demanding entertainment with a message like Outlandish who bring it — a moral message! Outlandish will be headlining MAS Youth's Voices For Change in their first United States tour.

The band have recently helped form the umbrella organization, Music With Meaning, that aims to bring together like-minded artists in order to promote and produce inspirational and meaningful music. Its motto is "If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything."

The albums:

2000: Outland's Official

2002: Bread & Barrels Of Water

2005: Closer Than Veins

2009: Sound Of A Rebel

Outlandish official web page.

Budapest - Capital of Hungary

Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it serves as the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation center and is considered an important hub in Central Europe. In 2008, Budapest had 1,702,297 inhabitants, down from a mid-1980s peak of 2.1 million. The Budapest Commuter Area (or Greater Budapest) is home to 3,271,110 people. The city covers an area of 525 square kilometres (202.7 sq mi) within the city limits. Budapest became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube with a unification on 17 November 1873 of right-bank Buda and Óbuda with left-bank Pest.

Aquincum, originally a Celtic settlement, was the direct ancestor of Budapest, becoming the Roman capital of Lower Pannonia. Magyars arrived in the territory in the 9th century. Their first settlement was pillaged by the Mongols in 1241-42. The re-established town became one of the centers of Renaissance humanist culture in the 15th century. Following the Battle of Mohács and nearly 150 years of Ottoman rule, development of the region entered a new age of prosperity in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Budapest became an alpha world city after the 1873 unification. It also became the second capital of Austria-Hungary, a great power that dissolved in 1918. Budapest was the focal point of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, the Hungarian Soviet Republic of 1919, Operation Panzerfaust in 1944, the Battle of Budapest of 1945, and the Revolution of 1956.

Widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, its extensive World Heritage Site includes the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter, Andrássy Avenue, Heroes' Square and the Millennium Underground Railway, the second oldest in Europe. Other highlights include a total of 80 geothermal springs, the world's largest thermal water cave system, second largest synagogue, and third largest Parliament building. The collections of the Natural History Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts are also significant.

Some popular sights include:

The neo-Gothic Parliament, containing amongst other things the Hungarian Crown Jewels.

Saint Stephen's Basilica, where the Holy Right Hand of the founder of Hungary, King Saint Stephen is on display.

The Hungarian cuisine and café culture: for example, Gerbeaud Café, and the Százéves, Biarritz, Fortuna, Alabárdos, Arany Szarvas, Kárpátia and the world famous Mátyás Pince Restaurants.

There are Roman remains at the Aquincum Museum, and historic furniture at the Nagytétény Castle Museum.

Castle Hill and the Castle District; there are three churches here, six museums, and a host of interesting buildings, streets and squares.

The former Royal Palace is one of the symbols of Hungary – and has been the scene of battles and wars ever since the thirteenth century. Nowadays it houses two impressive museums and the National Széchenyi Library.

The nearby Sándor Palace contains the offices and official residence of the President of Hungary.

The seven-hundred year-old Matthias Church is one of the jewels of Budapest. Next to it is an equestrian statue of the first king of Hungary, King Saint Stephen, and behind that is the Fisherman's Bastion, from where opens out a panoramic view of the whole city. Statues of the Turul, the mythical guardian bird of Hungary, can be found in both the Castle District and the Twelfth District.

In Pest, arguably the most important sight is Andrássy út. As far as Kodály Körönd and Oktogon both sides are lined with large shops and flats built close together. Between there and Heroes’ Square the houses are detached and altogether grander. Under the whole runs continental Europe’s oldest Underground railway, most of whose stations retain their original appearance.

Heroes’ Square is dominated by the Millenary Monument, with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front. To the sides are the Museum of Fine Arts and the Palace of Arts, and behind City Park opens out, with Vajdahunyad Castle.

One of the jewels of Andrássy út is the Hungarian State Opera House.

Statue Park, a theme park with striking statues of the Communist era, is located just outside the main city and is accessible by public transport.

The city is home to the largest synagogue in Europe (Dohány Street Synagogue), the largest medicinal bath in Europe (Széchenyi Medicinal Bath) and the third largest Parliament building in the world, once the largest in the world.

The third largest church in Europe (Esztergom Basilica) and the second largest Baroque castle in the world (Gödöllő) are in the vicinity.

Hush

Hush is a Danish popduo consisting of singer Dorthe Gerlach and guitarist Michael Hartmann, who has been in existence since 1997.

Michael Hartmann had contact with Dorthe Gerlach, and they formed the first group with three other musicians who played more crowded tempo and rock music than they later became known for. The group was based in Randers, but after three years, the two agreed to move in Copenhagen. Here they searched for a long time to get a record deal, but although they got the song "If I Was" as a soundtrack for the movie "Monas Verden" in 2001 but they had no luck in getting a contract.

They decided to go in London in 2002 where they played for a number of English professionals. One effect of this was that they got an English manager. In 2003 they went to Nashville to exchange ideas with American songwriters, and this confirmed them in that they had a special musical expression.

In 2004, Hush released their first album, "A Lifetime", which gave Golden a sale of over 20,000 copies in Denmark. Since then the group has toured much of Ireland and various other countries, including Canada. The group has also played as a warming of Turin Brakes and Stephen Fretwell in 2005 and Jamie Cullum in 2006.

Hush's music is characterized by simple instrumentation which accompanist Dorthe Gerlach voice. The songs differ somewhat from other Danish name songs mid-2000s with melancholy without being a sob. The group also differs from other names by using instruments that are unusual in pop music, such as mandolin, banjo and mellotron.

Danser Med Drenge

Danser Med Drenge is band formed in Copenhagen in August 16th 1992. This bad became very popular in Denmark today. They have a great audience everywhere and that's because they are very good in concerts singing a good quality live music.

Danser med Drenge is also known as DmD. They had another frontsinger in the 90's. Her name was Philippa Therese Holme Bulgin. She tragically died in 1993 at 26 years old because of a cancer disease. Anyhow she left for the band this hit called Hvor længe vil du ydmyge dig?" (in English:"How long will you humiliate yourself?")

These are the lyrics of this song (English translated in italics):

Nogen kommer til verden med tårer
og nogen tar' hele livet så let
Nogen stræber mod det de vil nå
mens du, du står bag i køen og kigger på
og går i stå.

Some come into this world in tears
and others take life very casually
Some strive towards what they want to achieve
while you stand back in the line watching
and come to a standstill.

Hvor længe vil du ydmyge dig?
Hvor længe vil du trædes på endnu?
Hvor længe kan du blive ved.
før de slår dit hjerte helt itu?
Sig mig hvor længe vil du finde dig i det?
Hvor længe vil la' dem trampe på dig?

How long will you humiliate yourself?
How long yet do you want to be stepped upon?
How long can you go on
before they break your heart entirely?
Tell me, how long will you accept that?
How long will you let them stomp upon you?

Åh det piner mig og se på dig
så sig mig hvor længe vil du la' det ske?
Hvor længe før du lær' sig nej

Oh, it pains me to look at you
so tell me, how long will you let this take place?
How long before you learn to say no.

Hvor, hvor er din stolthed og vilje?
sig mig hvorfor la' du dem udnytte dig?
Jeg ved du ikke har været sådan altid... nejeeh
og jeg gir' alt hva jeg har for at få min ven tilbage igen

Where, where is your pride and willpower?
Tell me, why do you let them use you?
I know you haven't been like that always... oh no
and I am giving everything I've got to have my friend back again

Hvor længe vil du ydmyge dig?
Hvor længe vil du trædes på endnu?
Hvor længe kan du blive ved.
før de slår dit hjerte helt itu?
Sig mig hvor længe vil du finde dig i det?
Hvor længe vil la' dem trampe på dig?

Åh det piner mig og se på dig
så sig mig hvor længe vil du la' det ske?
Hvor længe før du lær' sig nej"

The band members are: Rie Rasmussen - voice, Klaus Kjellerup - bass, Henrik Stanley Møller (aka Onkel Stanley)- keyboard and second voice, Steffen Qwist - guitar, Morten Bolvig - keyboard, Kasper Langkjær - drums

DmD have also their own channel on youtube here and they have also a website at this address.

Baile Felix

Băile Felix is a thermal spa resort near the commune of Sânmartin in Bihor County, Transylvania, Romania. They are the best known and most quality thermal spas in the country. Băile Felix is also at a close distance to Oradea, a major city in western Romania.

Băile Felix and 1 Mai are two thermal spa resorts located in a hilly area with beach and oak tree woods, 8 km south of the municipality of Oradea (seat of Bihor County) and 22 km south-east of Borş (border checkpoint to Hungary).

Summers are not excessively hot and winters are mild, with moderate precipitation .

In the thermal waters of the Peţa river and lake, having a constant temperature of 30-31°C, live the snail Melanopsis parreyssi (tertiary relict) and the fish Scardinus racovitzae as well as a rare species of subtropical water lily - Nymphaea lotus thermalis - tertiary relict, a natural monument.

The resorts host many mineral springs with thermal (20-48°C), sulphuric, calcic, sodic, rich in bicarbonate waters known since the beginning of the millennium. The soothing effect of the waters on articular and muscular pain and on various rheumatic neuralgias accounts for the fame of cures in the resort for the treatment of inflammatory rheumatic diseases (rheumatic polyarthritis, rheumatoid spondylitis, conditions after acute articular rheumatism), degenerative and articular rheumatic diseases, central and peripheral neurological disorders, gynecological diseases, post-traumatic conditions, endocrine disorders.

The facilities of the two resorts offer treatment of rheumatism and neurological and gynecological diseases. The modern medical base has at its disposal various facilities for procedures involving electrotherapy, hydrotherapy, aerosols, massage, paraffin packing and other water treatments.

The Felix and 1 Mai spa are also ideal for relaxation and visitors can take advantage of the following:

- the pool with artificial waves in 1 Mai (the oldest in the country)

- the thermal water swimming resorts : "Apolo" (since 1900) in Felix and "Venus" in 1 Mai