Innsbruck is a city embraced by the Alps, painted with the most pastel tones by an artist, like a canvas kissed by the enthusiasm of the Inn River

As we approach winter, I will talk about a city that I discovered in autumn, but it’s truly a winter destination. But before delving into the city, perhaps I should talk a bit about the region where this city is located.

Last week, during our 10-day family autumn vacation, we turned our direction to South and North Tyrol. This region, known as the Tyrol Region, is spread across two countries. The reason for this division is that after World War I, in 1919, Tyrol was split into northern and southern parts. After World War I, the northern part of the Tyrol Region, namely North Tyrol, was given to Austria in 1937, and the southern part of the Tyrol Region, namely South Tyrol, was given to Italy. North Tyrol is reasonably well-known today, but few may know that a portion of Tyrol is in Italian territory. Especially in terms of geography, South Tyrol, which has an entirely different appearance from the classic Italian view, is one of Italy’s autonomous regions. I will describe this region and its capital in more detail in my next article.

On this trip, where we had the opportunity to visit the capitals of these regions located in different countries and a few natural formations around them, I must say I was fascinated by Innsbruck, the capital of North Tyrol, one of Austria’s nine states.

Whenever I was asked which color I liked the most, I thought choosing one color from pastel colors would be unfair to the others. Well, Innsbruck is exactly like that. It seems as if the whole city has been painted with every color without being unjust to any pastel shade.

Its colorful houses, historical texture, Alpine views I encountered when I looked up, the enthusiasm of the flowing Inn River and the sunset I experienced on the Innbrücke Bridge have already become part of my unforgettable travel experiences.

Integrating with the surrounding Alpine Mountains and the Inn River flowing enthusiastically through the city center, Innsbruck offers a magnificent tableau with its natural beauties, historical texture and colorful streets. Innsbruck is like an award-winning masterpiece of a painter with its natural beauty, historical texture and colorful streets.

Known as the capital of the Alps, Innsbruck has ranked fifth among Austria’s largest cities. Located on the road connecting Germany, Austria and Italy, close to Munich in Germany and Verona in Italy, Innsbruck is situated on the Inn Valley. Especially during the winter sports season, the city hosts ski enthusiasts and has an airport located about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the city center. Since the airport is so close to the city center, while strolling through Innsbruck’s historic streets filled with short buildings, it feels as if you can almost touch the planes passing overhead by raising your hand.

Our baby, who is particularly fond of planes, couldn’t take his eyes off the sky in Innsbruck. Every detail in Innsbruck urged us to stay here for two or three days. However, I must say for travelers coming here, you won’t need too much time to visit its important places. Of course, apart from seeing the city center, there might be activities you want to do in this region. If you want to go up to the Nordkette Mountains near the city center, go skiing, visit the famous hiking routes in Karwendel Nature Park or go to the Alpine Zoo, you might need more time.

Maria Theresien Street

As soon as we arrived in the city, our first stop was the Saint Anna Column, located on Maria Theresien Street, the busiest street in the town. This column was built in the early 1700s to remember those who died in the war between the Bavarian Duchy and the Tyrol province. Rising to the sky, the Saint Anna Column, surrounded by magnificent baroque-style buildings and the Triumphal Arch at the end of the street, creates a splendid atmosphere. You can capture beautiful photos here.

Goldenes Dachl

While exploring the city, you might find yourself in the Old Town, or as the Austrians call it, Altstadt, many times. The colorful lined houses, restaurants sparkling with tables set on the streets and the structures from the Middle Ages make the heart of the city beat here.

After a long photo break on the street, our next stop was the Goldenes Dachl, located in the Old Town. We could have saved the column for later and headed to the Triumphal Arch at the end of the street after seeing the Goldenes Dachl. However, the Goldenes Dachl, dazzling me with its golden glimmers, was calling me. It was the place I was most curious about before coming here.

This building, called Goldenes Dachl, has a balcony with a golden roof and is one of the symbols of the city. It is located right in the center of the Old Town.

Built in the 15th century, it to be used as a residence by Archduke Friedrich IV. The roof of the building, completed in 1500, was made using 2,738 copper nails covered with gold leaf. Even on a cloudy day, the roof is incredibly shiny.

On the building with this golden roof balcony built for Emperor Maximilian and his wife Burgundy Maria in memory of their wedding, there is also an inscription that catches the eye. Although it is not yet known exactly what it says, it is thought to mean, “Use every moment, dance every dance; you can’t take anything with you.”

I don’t know how many different angles I took photos of it. This building, which adds a different atmosphere to the Old Town and the square, seemed to have sprung from a fairy tale.

Triumphal Arch

At the end of Maria Theresien Street, there is a magnificent structure that has become the symbol of the city. We saved the Golden Roof to see it last, but actually, we could have visited the Triumphal Arch first. This structure is similar to the colossal arches you see in many cities such as Paris, Berlin and Munich, but it’s a miniature version. This Triumphal Arch was built in 1765 in honor of the marriage of Leopold II and Maria Ludovika have one face representing joy and another representing sorrow. It is said that the reason for this is the death of Leopold II’s father, Franz I, during the wedding celebrations.

Stadttrum

One of the striking structures in the square in the Old Town is the Stadttrum, which stands at a height of 30 meters. The “City Tower,” as it is called, is considerably taller than the surrounding buildings and is located right next to the golden roof.

This tower provides an opportunity for those who want to climb to high places without going far, where you can watch Innsbruck’s colorful medieval streets and the Nordkette mountain range.

Bergisel Ski Jump Tower

On a high hill in the south of the city stands a tower erected in 1892 in honor of the commander Andreas Hofer, who served during the Bergisel Battles. The area where the tower, which has been used for ski jumping competitions in the city since 1852, is located was also used in the Winter Olympics of 1964 and 1976.

Regarding skiing and winter tourism in Europe, Innsbruck is one of the first cities that come to mind. Innsbruck hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1964 and 1976, the Winter Paralympic Games in 1984 and 1988, and the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012. By the way, if I tell you that the world-renowned ski jumper is a sportsman from Innsbruck named Gregor Schlierenzauer, you probably won’t be surprised, right?

You can reach the tower, where you can enjoy the panoramic view of the city, by funicular or after a long walk.

Swarovski Museum

I left the most glittering detail of this colorful city to the end. The production and operational facilities of the world-famous Austrian brand Swarovski are located in this beautiful city.

In the museum inside the facilities, you can visit an exhibition about precious stones. You can explore this magical Swarovski world adorned with crystals. Undoubtedly, the most enjoyable part of the facility will be the room where you can experience how you can see your surroundings from inside a crystal.

Alpenzoo

A place I can recommend, especially for those traveling with children in Innsbruck, is Alpenzoo, known as Austria’s, even Europe’s, highest-altitude zoo. With its breathtaking view, Alpenzoo captures the hearts of adults and it attracts the attention of children with approximately 2,000 animals of about 150 species. Alpenzoo, which houses a large aquarium, also hosts Europe’s largest golden eagle. Here, you can see many native animal species living in the Alps.

Apart from all I have mentioned, other significant places you can see in Innsbruck include the Hofburg Palace and its garden, Hofgarten, Helblinghaus, St. Jakob’s Cathedral, Ambras Castle and Europe’s highest bridge, Europabrücke.

Also, if you want to enjoy the view of Innsbruck from above, you can take the funicular to Nordkette.

Of course, while you are in Austria, don’t forget to try the famous schnitzel. Later, make sure to visit Valier and Munding pastry shops to taste local desserts. Then, sitting by the Inn River on the Old Town side, enjoy a cup of coffee and let your spirits be lifted by the colorful houses on the other side of the bridge, enchanted by the magnificent view of the Alpine Mountains surrounding the city like a wall and reaching up to the sky.

Source: Daily Sabah

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The Greek island of Chios will be promoted through a far-reaching program to be carried out by the municipality and the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO), announced Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi.

The Greek minister recently met with GNTO Secretary General Dimitris Fragakis and Chios Mayor Stamatis Karmantzis to discuss ways to promote the island and increase tourist flows.

In addition to a series of ongoing upgrade works expected to contribute to the increase in arrivals, Mitarachi said the ministry would be allocating 500,000 euros to the Chios Municipality to jointly formulate a targeted marketing strategy for the island in collaboration with the GNTO.

(L-R) Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi; GNTO Secretary General Dimitris Fragakis. Photo source: Migration Ministry.

The agreement, to be finalized in the coming weeks, foresees the international promotion of Chios for a 12-month period to be implemented in three phases.

“Tourism is a key pillar of development for Chios in the coming years… but promotion is necessary,” said Mitarachi referring to additional funds channeled for the promotion of the island in the past in efforts to restore its reputation after the refugee crisis.

“The refugee issue is no longer a topic of discussion for future visitors to the island. It is no longer putting a disproportionate burden on the island,” he said.

Mitarachi went on to express his optimism, adding that there was still more room for improvement. In this direction, he said the creation of a private tourism promotion agency, support from the Chamber and from local stakeholders is crucial to the island’s tourism development.

“Chios is one of the 10 Greek islands which are on a development path and in the coming years will play a very important role as part of a new type of tourist product,” said Fragakis.

Source: GTP

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The ever-growing “Greek Breakfast” initiative, which introduces Greek food products to travelers staying at hotels in Greece, will be promoted abroad through a series of actions.

More specifically, the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (HCH), which launched the project a decade ago, has teamed up with Marketing Greece for the creation of related content to be featured in discovergreece.com as well as for the launch of a special campaign and promotion through Marketing Greece’s social media, newsletter and posts.

The aim is to promote Greek breakfast habits and culture through recipes and products and to bring together the primary sector with the tourism industry and integrate local food products into the traveler experience.

“The ‘Greek Breakfast’ initiative is moving into the new era, upgraded and improved on all levels, with planned actions so that it remains relevant and dynamic, while meeting the needs of its members,” said Aris Soulounias, HCH vice president and head of the initiative.

“The value of gastronomy and its contribution to the identity of the Greek tourist product is a given,” said Marketing Greece CEO Ioanna Dretta, adding that through Greek gastronomy, travelers can gain immediate insight into the authentic way of life.

Earlier this year, hoteliers on Chios, Karpathos and Kasos  joined the “Greek Breakfast” program showcasing local Greek products through breakfast menus.

Source: GTP

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British tourists continue to cut short their holidays as fires burn on the Greek island of Rhodes.

More flights left Greece on Tuesday to bring holidaymakers back to the UK.

The Foreign Office updated its guidance, telling people travelling to areas that might be affected to make sure they had “appropriate insurance”.

The Liberal Democrats have urged ministers to advise against going to Rhodes unless essential, to help with travel insurance claims.

Jet2 had nine flights scheduled to depart Rhodes on Tuesday, some of which had spare seats to accommodate extra passengers trying to leave the island.

EasyJet said extra seats were available on Wednesday’s flights.

Earlier, one of the airline’s pilots flying British tourists to Rhodes urged passengers at Gatwick to get off the plane before take-off.

“I don’t know in what capacity you are travelling, but if you are travelling for leisure, my sincere recommendation is that it’s a bad idea,” the pilot told passengers on board.

BBC Wales correspondent Gwyn Loader, who was travelling to Rhodes to report on the wildfires, said eight passengers took the pilot up on the offer, including one young boy in tears.

On Monday morning, Foreign Office Minister Andrew Mitchell said up to 10,000 Brits were on Rhodes in total – this number includes tourists in unaffected parts of the island.

Jet2 – which ran repatriation flights to Manchester, Leeds-Bradford, Glasgow and Stansted overnight – said “approximately 1,000 customers” had either been flown back to the UK or moved to hotels in unaffected areas.

EasyJet has cancelled outbound package holidays to Rhodes until Saturday, while Tui has cancelled its packages going to the south of the island until 11 August.

According to the Tui website, packages to the north of Rhodes will recommence from 29 July.

• Wildfires are ‘like a biblical catastrophe’
• Satellite images and maps show extent of damage
• The view from Rhodes airport

Instead of formally advising holidaymakers not to travel to the affected Greek islands, the Foreign Office said people should check with their hotel and travel operator before travelling, and explained how to sign up for emergency alerts.

Updated advice said the fires were taking place “in populated areas on the mainland and a number of islands” and were “highly dangerous and unpredictable”.

The Foreign Office advised those visiting the affected areas to make sure they had “appropriate insurance”, and directed travellers towards a number of resources they could use if they were near the wildfires.

Earlier, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said he was still planning on going holiday to Greece next week. He told Sky News he was going to Evia, one of the islands that has issued an evacuation order.

He told BBC Breakfast that Greece was “safe” and a “wonderful place for those fortunate enough to go abroad to spend some time this summer”.

But the government’s advice was criticised in the House of Lords by Labour’s Baroness Angela Smith, who urged the government to “rethink” its guidance.

Liberal Democrats foreign affairs spokeswoman Layla Moran called for a change in travel advice to “enable the thousands of British tourists due to fly to Rhodes to safely cancel their holidays without being left out of pocket”.

Watch: BBC reporter sees wildfire spreading in Rhodes

Rory Boland, editor of Which? magazine, said many travellers would not be able to claim a refund using travel insurance without a formal government travel warning.

“There will be some cover, but it won’t be great,” Mr Boland warned. “Insurance won’t, as a rule, make allowances for ‘disinclination to travel’.”

Train operator London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is offering free travel to holidaymakers returning from Rhodes and Corfu.

The company said standard travel along its east coast route would come at no cost for anyone who landed at a different airport from their home location or had to travel on a different day.

Customers should present their stamped passport and airline boarding card confirming travel from the islands within the previous 24 hours to use the service between 25 July and 7 August.

Coach company National Express is offering free travel too for those who arrive at a different UK airport than they flew out from.

In an update, fire brigade deputy chief Ioannis Artophios said the most serious fires were developing in Rhodes and in Corfu. Crete – the largest of the Greek Islands – has been put on high alert because of an extreme risk of fire.

On Tuesday afternoon, two Greek air force pilots died after a water-bombing plane crashed on the island of Evia while fighting wildfires.

They were named as 34-year-old Cdr Christos Moulas and his co-pilot, 27-year-old Pericles Stefanidis.

In the last week, more than 35,000 hectares (86,500 acres) of forest and other land has been scorched by fire in Greece, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature said.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told his cabinet the next three days “will be difficult” but he hoped conditions will ease from Friday.

“Let me state the obvious,” he said. “That in the face of what the entire planet is facing, especially the Mediterranean, which is a hotspot for climate change, there is no magic defence.

“If there was, obviously we would have implemented it.”

Additional reporting by Katy Austin, Transport Correspondent

Source: BBC

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A flight to Turkey from Ben Gurion Airport was delayed on Friday and 10 passengers were removed after travelers received photos of plane crashes and threatening messages on their Apple devices.

One of the photos sent to passengers on the Pegasus Airlines flight was an image of the 2009 Hudson River plane crash in New York, and was captioned, “I wish all of us will die,” in Arabic, according to images provided by the Israel Airports Authority (IAA).

“The suspect and another nine travelers were removed from the flight per the request of the airline company and the police,” the IAA spokesperson said in a statement.

“The passengers were taken in for questioning at Ben Gurion Airport,” the IAA added.

“People were in a panic when they saw the photos of the crashed plane and were very frightened. We turned to the flight attendants and they took care of it,” Channel 12 quoted a passenger telling police.

The flight departed only after passengers’ luggage was checked, the Ynet news site reported.

In a similar incident in November, a Pegasus Air flight to Turkey from Ben Gurion Airport was delayed after passengers received threatening videos on their cell phones. One passenger was detained in connection to the affair.

In May, a flight was delayed after several passengers found photos of plane crashes had been sent to their cell phones. A number of passengers were later arrested.

Flights to Venice and Dubai from Tel Aviv also saw similar incidents.

Source : Times Of Israel

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As of December 4, 2022, Ibrahim Erdemoglu was the wealthiest man in Turkey, with an estimated net worth of 5.8 billion U.S. dollars, followed by Ali Erdemoglu  (No. 2, $5.1 billion),  Murat Ulker (No. 3, $5.0 billion); and Nihat Ozdemir  (No. 4, $2.6 billion).

Sezai Bacaksiz is the fifth-richest person in Turkey, with a whopping $2.6 billion. Ferit Faik sahenk ranked 6th with a personal wealth of $2.5 billion, followed by Filiz Sahenk with $2.3 billion. Erman Ilicak is placed 8th with a net worth of $2.3 billion. Semahat Sevim Arsel ($2.2 billion) occupied the 9th position among the top 10 wealthiest people in Turkey.

   TURKEY  BILLIONAIRES LIST  2022

1. Ibrahim Erdemoglu: $5.8 billion
2. Ali Erdemoglu: $5.1 billion
3. Murat Ulker: $5.0 billion
4. Nihat Ozdemir: $2.6 billion
5. Sezai Bacaksiz: $2.6 billion
6. Ferit Faik sahenk: $2.5 billion
7. Filiz Sahenk: $2.3 billion
8. Erman Ilicak: $2.3 billion
9. Semahat Sevim Arsel: $2.2 billion
10. Hamidi Ulukaya: $2.1 billion
11. Mustafa Rahmi Koc: $2.0 billion
12. Bulent Eczacibasi: $2.0 billion
13. Faruk Eczacibasi: $1.9 billion
14. Ipek Kirac: $1.7 billion
15. Hamdi Akin & family: $1.6 billion
16. Mehmet Sinan Tara: $1.5 billion
17. Ahmet calik: $1.5 billion
18. Deniz Sahenk: $1.4 billion
19. Mehmet Aydinlar: $1.2 billion
20. Aydin Dogan: $1.2 billion

Source : CeoworldMagazine

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