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It is located on a hill facing the Pacific Ocean between Los Angeles and San
Francisco near San Simeon in California. This palatial estate is a Historical
Monument that is open for public tours. It is a place which you must have seen
only in the movies but is open for the public now. Adorned with rich European
architectural style, Hearst Castle houses priceless art, antiques and a entire
ceiling that was shipped from Egypt. This 90,080-foot ornate estate is one of
the most popular tourist attractions of California.

Hearst Castle was initially a extravagant home of newspaper magnate William
Randolph Hearst which was later donated to the State of California in 1957.
It is a magnificent estate of 56 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms, 19 sitting rooms and
127 acres of gardens, terraces, tennis court, indoor and outdoor pools, a
movie theater and a zoo with exotic animals. Since Hearst Castle sits on a hill
1,600 feet above see level facing the Pacific Ocean, it commands of mesmerizing
views of the Ocean and the hills and valleys of the Santa Lucias.
 

Hearst
Castle Tours:

Hearst castle offers five different guided tours to its guests, including
daytime and evening tours. Day tours last for 1 hour and 45 minutes whereas
evening tours are for 2 hours and 10 minutes. It is recommended to get the
reservations done in advance. The Experience Tour is recommended for first-time
visitors. All tours include the Neptune Pool, a Greco-Roman outdoor pool, and
the Roman Pool, an indoor pool lined with Venetian glass and gold.

Hearst Castle Visitor Center:
The Hearst Castle Visitor Center is located at the foot of the hill, right off
Highway 1 and has sufficient parking space. It has a Gift Shop, Museum Gift Shop
and a National Geographic Hearst Castle Theater along with food services. Also
tours to the Hearst Castle depart from the visitor center. 

Location
/ Driving Directions:
Hearst Castle is located approximately halfway between Los Angeles and San
Francisco and the driving time from either city is four to six hours, depending
on the traffic.

Hours of Operation:
Its open daily except on Thanksgiving, December 25th and January 1st.  

Aalborg Carnival (or Karnival) is a very big celebration in Denmark and the
biggest carnival in Northern Europe. It is estimated that about 100,000
people from all over the world come to enjoy this event. This carnival is all
about fun, vibrating colors, hot samba rhythms, impressive costumes, drums,
music, happiness, fantasy and dance. Aalborg Carnival takes place every year in
the weekend of week 21 or the last week of May. Alcohol consumption is
heavy on most days. When compared to other cities of Denmark, Aalborg has one of
the highest number of bars, nightclubs and pubs per person.

By looking at the magnitude of celebrations, it is difficult to imagine that
this event/celebration is not really that old. It was started first time in 1982
by just a few people, and even then it was still able to draw a crowd of few
thousand people. This carnival has grown bigger and more interesting every year
since then. Each year the participants create their costumes based on a theme
suggested by the organizers. There is usually an entrance fee for all events.

Aalborg Carnival is broadly divided into three stages.
The year 2008 carnival will be held from 17th to 24th of May and the theme for
2008 is “Magic in the Air“.

STAGE 1 (Children/Teenager?s Carnival): This is the first event and is
designed for the entertainment of youngsters. It takes place in the Aalborg’s
amusement park Karolinelund (or Kildeparken), during which they perform parades,
play games and a lot of other entertainment. This is a relatively new event and
keeping in mind the age of most participants, this even is celebrated
alcohol-free.

STAGE 2 (The Parade and Battle of Carnival Bands): The parade initially
starts from several locations in Aalborg (free participation) and eventually
enters the Kildeparken (not free). This whole event takes place on a Friday with
more than a dozen carnival teams from all over the world participate to win the
title of “Best Carnival Group”, each band plays for about 10 minutes. There are
several shows and great performances. About 5 bands are selected by a panel of
judges for the finals the next day.

STAGE 3 (Kildeparken party): This usually happens on the following
Saturday and a gigantic party takes place at Kildeparken. The winner of the
“Battle of Carnival Bands” is declared. There is live music, dance performances,
fireworks and several competitions. The streets are filled with colorfully
dressed people who are in the festive mood. People drink and celebrate on the
street, you will find many “sparsely” dressed men and women on the streets.

For people who come for Aalborg Carnival can also enjoy other popular tourist
attractions of the city which are:

1. Aalborghus Castle in the center of the town. This castle was built in 1550 by
King Christian III.

2. Jens Bang’s House, a five story building built in 1624 attracts tourists for
its beautiful architecture.

3. Budolfi Church.

4. Aalborg Historical Museum

5. Aalborgtarnet - A tripod tower erected in 1933 which rises 105 meters over
the sea level and gives a great view of the city.

Oslo is the capital of Norway and also the biggest
city of the country with a population of about 600,000
people. Between the year 1624 to 1924 it was called
Christiania (or Kristiania). It is one of the fastest
growing cities in Europe and possibly the world’s most
expensive city to live. The history of the city can be
traced back over 1000 years. Norway celebrates its
national day on the 17th of May every year when people
wear beautiful clothes and wave Norwegian flags.

Oslo is surrounded by green hills and mountains. There
are 40 islands and 343 lakes within the city limits
and occupies a large land area (453 square
kilometers), most of which is protected regions like
the forests, hills and lakes. The winters are cold,
chilly and wet making it a great winter sports venue.

Late May to early September are the best time to go
when temperatures are around 20°C (or 70°F) and the
days are long. Oslo has some of the world’s largest
shipping companies and insurance brokers. Most
international tourists arrive here via air - Oslo
Airport (IATA: OSL) or by train. Almost everyone in
Norway can speak English. Oslo is home to plenty of
museums. Each museum has something special to offer to
tourists. A major fire destroyed most parts of this
city in early 17th century and this place was
relocated to the Akershus Fortress. 

Places to see / Popular tourist attractions of Oslo are:

1. The Royal Palace: Tours can be arranged during summers and it is the city’s
main avenue.
2. Opera house: Shaped as a glacier (or a ship), it was opened recently and is a
great piece of architecture.
3. University of Oslo.
4. Oslo Cathedral.
5. Kirkeristen, the old market around the church.
6. Oslo’s City Hall - This is the place where the Nobel Peace Prize is presented
to it’s winner every year and also has a display of some historical 
artifacts.
7. Holmenkollen: the ski jump located on the west side of Oslo.
8. Stortinget: The parliament of Norway and offers free tours.
9. Henrik Ibsen Museum.
10. Munch Museum, Folk museum, The Viking ship museum and The Holocaust Center.
11. Frogner park.
12. The Botanical garden.
13. Var Frelsers Cemetery.
14. Akershus Castle and Fortress.
15. The islands of the Oslofjord.
16. Oslomarka: Large forest surrounding the city.
17. Children’s Art Museum.
18. Huk ( the beach).
19. Vigeland Sculpture Park - a number of intricately carved sculptures.
20. Norsk Folkemuseum, which has a beautiful open air museum and also houses one
of the oldest buildings on Norway. 

Oslo also has great nightlife with a large selection of restaurants, nightclubs
and bars (all are smoke-free). There are a lot of both expensive and cheap
places to eat in Oslo. Hotel rooms in Oslo can go out fast so it is advisable to
reserve a room in advance.

Driving Side: Right Side
Languages: Norwegian Bokmal, Norwegian