Eight new sights added to Heritage List

Eight new sites deemed "of outstanding value to humanity" were added to the world Heritage List. The World Heritage List names 878 vistas; 679 cultural, 174 natural and 25 mixed in 145 countries.
The new listings include:

• Joggins Fossil Cliffs (Canada)
• Mount Sanqingshan National Park (China)
• Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems (France)
• Surtsey (Iceland)
• Saryarka - Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan)
• Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (Mexico)
• Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona (Switzerland)
• Socotra Archipelago (Yemen)

No Eiffel Tower flower power

It seems that Eiffel Tower will not get its makeover.

After reports about Serero Architects winning the bid to temporarily redesign the Eiffel Tower’s viewing platform, The Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel said that it had never solicited a redesign and that it envisaged no changes to the tower’s appearance.

David Serero, principal of Serero Architects, now says that his firm’s proposal was merely a spontaneous design. I was neither in response to a design competition nor a project contracted by the tower's management; the architectural firm had merely put pictures of the proposed project on its website and the media jumped all over it, assuming it was a fixed deal.

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Atlantic Alliance to promote west coast of Europe

Fifteen ports from seven countries on Europe’s West Coast have joint their forces in Atlantic Alliance to launch a campaign to promote themselves as the new cruise destinations.

“Europe’s West Coast is a treasure trove for travellers seeking exclusive experiences beyond what has become conventional luxury,” said Dirk Moldenhauer Managing Director, Hamburg Cruise Center and Managing Director of the Atlantic Alliance, at Seatrade 2008.

The Atlantic Alliance expects more ports and tourism boars to join existing members; Hamburg and Bremerhaven - Germany; Ijmuiden, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam - The Netherlands, Antwerp – Belgium, Cherbourg, St. Malo, Brest, Nantes, La Rochelle, and Bordeaux - France, Santander and Vigo - Spain and Lisbon – Portugal.

Eiffel flower – Eiffel Tower decoration for its 120th anniversary

Next year Eiffel Tower will celebrate its 120th anniversary. To commemorate the occasion Eiffel Tower will have a bit of a makeover.

Serero Architects of Paris have won the open competition to redesign the structure's public viewing platform and reception areas. The winning design will double the capacity of the public viewing area and does not require any modification of the existing structure.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Société d'exploitation de la Tour Eiffel explained that the plan to restructure the top of the tower aims to increase the quality of access. Average waiting times for the tower's elevators currently run at more than an hour at peak times.

Source:TrendHunter

The ugliest hotel 6 - Museumotel, France

Thanks to my mate Kirka, I have another contender for the ugliest hotel in the world. Thanks!

Museumotel in the region of Vosges, France is a group of bubble like shaped houses, which were lately renovated and now reopened to public.
Built in late 1960, the Museumotel was designed by Pascal Hausermann, whose ambition was to create practical, cheap residences, very different from the big grey concrete city districts.

Complex offers 6 small and 3 large bubble houses, all with shower rooms and internet access for an average price of €60.

While I can applaud the enthusiasts who restored the hotel to its former glory, I still cannot believe how the Museumotel managed to get into “The 1000 most beautiful hotels in Europe”… maybe it is some hobbit conspiracy (?!)