Lyon, France ***

With two rivers running through its heart -- la Saône and la Rhône -- Lyon is blessed with a rich 2,000-year-old history. Lyon is the third largest city in France and a long established business center, yet it possesses plenty of Old World attractions, including place Bellecour and the Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls. Lyon is also said to have "more restaurants per square metre than any place on earth." Old Lyon stretches out along the Saône and invites tourists with its Florentine architecture. Quartier Merciere and the surrounding area form the central commercial district, offering a number of cafés and shops. Visitors will want to view the collection of Egyptian fabrics at the Historique des Tissus; the masterworks of Rubens and El Greco at Musee des Beaux-Arts; and the history of cinematography at the Lumiere brothers' house.

Source: 10best.com

      

Leberkase (Leberkäse) ***

Leberkäse is a traditional German food made from mixed ground meats baked into a loaf. Essentially, Leberkäse is the German version of meatloaf, featuring traditionally German ingredients, including liver and pork. Some German restaurants offer this delicacy on their menus, as do German butchers, and it can also be made at home and ordered from specialty companies that supply various European food treats.

In German, “Leberkäse” literally means “liver cheese.” One could suppose that the name is a reference to the fact that Leberkäse contains liver and that it can be used sort of like a cheese, but more likely, the term comes from a Middle High German word meaning “loaf.” You can also see Leberkäse spelled as Leberkase or Leberkass.

Austria and Switzerland also serve Leberkäse, reflecting the cultural exchange in this region of Europe, and some regions have their own special Leberkäse recipe, turning it into a local delicacy. In Bavaria, for example, Leberkäse contains no liver at all, only corned beef and bacon, while other producers include veal liver, other pork products, veal itself, and a variety of other meats. Onions are typically included in Leberkäse as well.

To make Leberkäse, cooks grind the meats they are using together with the onions to create a uniform blend, and then pack the ingredients into a loaf pan for baking. The Leberkäse is baked until it develops a crispy crust, with the outside remaining tender and pink. Leberkäse can be served hot, or eaten cold in a variety of ways. Leberkäse sandwiches with mustard, for example, are very popular in Berlin, and some people also like to pan-fry this food as a snack.

Culinary historians believe that Leberkäse dates to the mid-1700s, although it is hard to pin down precise information about its origins. Like other meatloaves, Leberkäse was undoubtedly developed as a way to use up scrap meats efficiently. Making Leberkäse would also be less expensive than using high-quality cuts of meat for roasts, making meat accessible to people in the lower classes who could not afford it otherwise. The dish may also be related to sausages, dishes made from ground meats packed into casings.

In regions where Leberkäse includes liver, the dish may not be to everyone's taste. Liver has a very distinctive flavor which some people find too intense. For people who want to explore Leberkäse without encountering liver, Bavarian-style Leberkäse is highly recommended, as it usually does not contain liver.

Source:wiseGeek

The Atomium, Belgium ***

At first glance, the Atomium looks like a candidate for the World's Largest Roadside Attractions. And why not? It puts the World's Largest Baseball Bat and the World's Largest Bicycles to shame. Yet the city fathers of Brussels would hasten to tell you that, far from being an example of kitsch, the Atomium is a lasting symbol of the 1958 Brussels World's Fair and Belgium's answer to the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty. 

Tastes obviously differ regarding the aesthetic appeal of a giant molecule. Still, the Atomium is an impressive structure when viewed from close up. It stands 332 feet (102 meters) high and consists of nine spheres of 59 feet (18 m) diameter connected by tubes measuring 94 feet (29 m) in length and 10 feet (3 m) thick.  Escalators connect the spheres, most of which contain science exhibits. An elevator (said to be Europe's fastest) leads to an observation gallery and restaurant in the topmost atom.

Source: europeforvisitors

Antipasti ***

Antipasto (plural antipasti), means "before the meal" and is the traditional first course of a formal Italian meal. Traditional antipasto includes cured meats, olives, roasted garlic, pepperoncini, mushrooms, anchovies, artichoke hearts, various cheeses (such as provolone or mozzarella) and peperone (marinated small green bell peppers, not to be confused with pepperoni). The antipasto is usually topped off with olive oil.

Many compare antipasto to hors d'oeuvre, but antipasto is served at the table and signifies the official beginning of the Italian meal. It may be referred to as a starter, or an entrée outside the United States and English Canada.

Source: Wikipedia
 

Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany ***

 PhotoCredit©DirkHartung

Düsseldorf (German pronunciation: [ˈdʏsəldɔɐf]) is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and center of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.  It is an important international business and financial centre and also renowned for its fashion and trade fairs^[2][3].

Even though only among the ten most populous cities in Germany by population within city limits, Düsseldorf ranks as one of the country's five global cities.  As a city by the River Rhine, Düsseldorf is a stronghold for Rhenish carnival celebrations. Every year in July more than 4.5 million people visit the city's Größte Kirmes am Rhein funfair.

Source:Wikipedia

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Madrid, Spain ***

Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain.^[3] It is the third-most populous municipality in the European Union after Greater London and Berlin, and its metropolitan area is the third-most populous in the European Union after Paris and London.^[4][5][6][7]

The city is located on the river Manzanares in the centre of both the country and the Community of Madrid (which comprises the city of Madrid, its conurbation and extended suburbs and villages); this community is bordered by the autonomous communities of Castile and León and Castile-La Mancha. As the capital city of Spain, seat of government, and residence of the Spanish monarch, Madrid is also the political centre of Spain.^[8] The current mayor is Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón from the People's Party (PP). He has been in office since 2003, when he left the Presidency of the Autonomous Community of Madrid and stood as the candidate to replace outgoing mayor José María Álvarez del Manzano, also from the PP. In the last local elections of 2007, Ruiz-Gallardón increased the PP majority in the City Council to 34 seats out of 57, taking 55.5% of the popular vote and winning in all but two districts.

Due to its economic output, standard of living, and market size, Madrid is considered the major financial centre of the Iberian Peninsula; it hosts the head offices of the vast majority of the major Spanish companies, as well as the headquarters of three of the world's 100 largest companies (Telefónica, Repsol-YPF, Banco Santander).^[9] Furthermore, Madrid was ranked in drawn 10th place with Hong Kong for the world's most powerful cities, featuring in the top 20 cities for 5 out of the 6 categories considered.

While Madrid possesses a modern infrastructure, it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighbourhoods and streets. Its landmarks include the huge Royal Palace of Madrid; the Teatro Real (Royal theatre) with its restored 1850 Opera House; the Buen Retiro park, founded in 1631; the imposing 19th-century National Library building (founded in 1712) containing some of Spain's historical archives; an archaeological museum; and three superb art museums: Prado Museum, which hosts one of the finest art collections in the world, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, a museum of modern art, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, housed in the renovated Villahermosa Palace.^[10]

The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million (as of December 2009). The entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area (urban area and suburbs) is calculated to be 6.386.932. The city spans a total of 698 km² (234 sq mi).^[11]

Source: Wikipedia

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