Last week’s travel trivia question was a tough one, but Kat and Ryan somehow managed to get it right! The location was Wellington, New Zealand.

Here is the image for this weeks trivia.

In what city is this statue located?
Best of luck to everyone!
-Hans

PS. If you have an image of somewhere in Europe you think would be good to use for Travel Trivia Thursday, send it to hans@autoeurope.com

There were some interesting guesses for last weeks Travel Trivia, but the person with the correct answer was Kat.  The Image in the photo is in fact, the Arc de Triomf in Barcelona, Spain. There are hundreds of triumphal arch’s located all over the world, even a handful here in United States.

This weeks question relates to the photo below.


Q. In what city was the above photo taken?
Hint: Government officials are often seen buzzing around these buildings.

Good luck!
-Hans Ericsson

This month while researching world class travel destinations, I was fortunate enough to get turned on to Australia. The eastern coast seems most appealing,  with cities like Brisbane and Sydney offering diverse landscape and interesting attractions for visitors of all ages.

Brisbane, Australia is a popular travel destination for all kinds of travelers, as it is very close to the Great Barrier Reef. There is ample fishing, diving and sunbathing on the coast, while a trip inland will bring you to beautiful nature preserves with lakes and trails just waiting to be explored. The city also offers a plethora of fantastic modern restaurants and boutiques, and is an international hot spot for all kinds of music. Nearly 2 million call Brisbane home, and judging by the cities many offerings, it’s easy to understand why.

If you would like to see Sydney, it is about a 12 hour drive from Brisbane.  With a rental car in Australia, you can make the trip in style and comfort, and really take it at your own pace.  The coastline has many great destinations to see, and it makes for a scenic drive.  But once you arrive in Sydney, you will discover even more.

Most of us have seen Sydney in films such as The Matrix, Finding Nemo, and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, but the city is more than just a backdrop for high quality cinema. Art culture is alive and well in Sydney, as visitors from all over the world flock to see the operas and symphonies held at the Sydney Opera House, marvel at beautiful paintings and sculptures at The Art Gallery of New South Wales, and visit the science and technology based Powerhouse Museum. Thrill seekers can test their nerves on the Bridge Climb, which means strapping yourself on and walking across the Sydney Harbor Bridge! You can also take a rental car in Sydney over to the majestic Blue Mountains, for hiking. There is even a cable car set up to take you across miles of gorgeous forest for those just looking for a view.

There’s lots happening in Australia, espically in the next 6 months! Our events calendar only can show you a small portion of what’s going on, but with a little research, you will find there’s lots more to do and see!

Have questions?  A good story? Some priceless first hand travel advice? Then please leave us a comment and let us know!

-Hans Ericsson

As you may know, I love to travel. As my job consists of mainly learning and writing about new and exciting destinations, I always get great ideas for new places to visit. One place I am interested in visiting as soon as I can is New Zealand. It’s not even that far, with the average flight time from California being a mere 12 hours. Okay, maybe it is kind of a long flight, but it’s so worth it.

New Zealand has a lot to offer. It’s about as large as Great Britain but has a population of around 4 million, which means it’s a great place relax and see the country at your own pace. Getting around is easy with a car rental in New Zealand, as the roads are efficient and fun to navigate, whether its on the coast, or in the mountains. If you want to travel from the North Island to the South Island (or vice versa) it’s easy, and many people do this daily.

Fans of delicious food won’t be disappointed. The country’s cuisine style is influenced from Europe, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Polynesia, Japan and Vietnam. More traditional New Zealand food consists of lamb, pork, venison, salmon, crayfish, bluff oysters, mussels and scallops just to name a few. There are also more than 900 Asian restaurants throughout New Zealand. This food of course goes great with the wine of New Zealand, which has recently enjoyed success on a global level.

If you like outdoor adventure, you will be overwhelmed with the massive amount of activity available! Some activities that are popular here include hiking, climbing, biking, swimming (dolphins optional), sky diving, and hang gliding, just to name a few. You don’t have to be into extreme sports to take advantage of the landscape however. The country boasts miles of coastline and inland lakes for world class fishing, as well as some very impressive challenging golf courses.

As far as activities and events in New Zealand, you won’t have trouble finding nightlife with the amount of clubs in larger cities like Wellington, Christchurch, and Auckland. In December alone the White Water Rafting Festival, The Festival of Lights, and several mountain bike races are already scheduled. Whatever your interests, you are sure to find people with similar tastes here. If you’re lucky you may be able to catch a Flight of the Conchords performance.

Ever been to New Zealand? If so, leave a comment with some travel tips!

If there is anyone out there who still wonders if the posted answers on last weeks Travel Trivia from Ryan and Kat are correct, today is your answer: yes they are. They deserve our praise, and we are indebted to their service to this blog. Now we must change our focus and shift our attention to this weeks challenge.

Here is the image:

What is the name of this famous landmark and where is it located?

Good luck to everyone!
-Hans

The city of Florence has a dangerous amount of art. Really, there is so much art that the city has been known to cause Stendhal syndrome in some of the people who visit there. It happens so much that the nickname for Stendhal’s syndrome is Florence syndrome. It is said to cause rapid heartbeat, dizziness, confusion and even hallucinations amongst other things when a person is exposed to a large amount of beautiful art. Seriously, the city is so beautiful, that while your body may be walking around, your mind will expand into a colorful wonderland you never knew existed, kind of like being at a Grateful Dead show.

Florence has long been referred to as the “cradle of Renaissance” due to the number of its amazingly beautiful monuments, statues, and architecture. The most popular destination and most well known site in Florence is by far the Santa Maria del Fiore, also known as The Duomo. To be quite fair, the Duomo is far too beautiful for me to even begin to describe. Feel free to look it up, and try to imagine being there. It’s overwhelming, and that is only one of the many beautiful buildings in the city.

The Palazzo Vecchio is the town hall of the city of Florence, and is another building that will impress. There is a perfect replica of Michelangelo’s David in the front of the building. After checking out that, you can head on over the Academia Gallery and see the real thing! Also don’t forget to walk across the Ponte Vecchio which is an old bridge. The most incredible thing about the Ponte Vecchio is the stores that are built on its edges. They are held up over the river Arno by some very well designed stilts. It’s quite a sight.

Florence is a centrally located city. This is great, because once you’ve had your fill of the city, you can take advantage of the area with a rental car in Florence. In just an hour and a half drive, you may find yourself relaxing on a beach on the Adriatic Sea, near the city of Livorno. Maybe you will head south and find yourself cruising in a sailboat on Lake Trasimeno. Whatever you decide to do while on vacation, you can always see more with a car rental in Italy!

I could tell you more about Florence, but I’m beginning to get dizzy, so I must digress.

It’s that time of the week again, and congratulations are in order not only to the Phillies, but more importantly to Damien, Robert, Kat and Ryan for knowing the answer to last weeks travel trivia.  The correct answer was the Neues Rathaus (or Glockenspiel tower) in Munich, with the Fraunkirche in the background.  Extra credit to Robert for knowing that the photo was taken from the Marienplatz!

This week’s question relates to the photo below:

What is the name of this famous Bavarian castle, and where is it located?

Best of luck to everyone and lets keep those guesses coming. Again, I won’t post any answers till Friday afternoon. Good Luck
-Hans Ericsson

One of my favorite German cities is Stuttgart. Less than an hour from the Black Forest, vineyards once lined the entire lush valley where the city now lays, and some still function today. Fantastic castles and palaces still fill the area, and many are open to tour for your enjoyment and educational purposes. While in the Stuttgart region the sheer Gothic beauty of the city will entice you to take walks, cycle tours and boat trips up and down the Neckar River.

Fans of driving, history, automobiles, and engineering will love the Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums. At both of these places visitors are treated on a chronological journey through time, all the way up to the cars of tomorrow. This pair of German car museums is a must see for car buffs.

Stuttgart is also home to the very unique Wilhelma Zoological and Botanical Garden. It is without a doubt, one of the finest gardens in the world, and you will want to make a day of it. Built from 1842 – 1853, the Wilhelma Gardens feature around 9,000 animals of almost 1,000 species, an aquarium with crocodile hall as well as a beautiful coral fish collection. There is also a monkey house, some wacky fun bears, and a petting zoo! Around 2 million people visit each year, making it a must see for any tourist. It’s so big; you will want to bring your GPS rental with you to navigate around!

Take your rental car in Stuttgart over to the Fernsehenturm, a giant television antenna. It has a delightful observation deck where viewers can snap photos of the entire city. It is open to the public and runs nearly all day. The Fernsehenturm is a pretty fun destination for those who are unafraid of heights. The reception should be pretty good too!

Right now however, the number one best reason to be in Stuttgart is the Christmas Fair. The Christmas Fair begins the second week of November, and runs through Christmas. Each year, the event attracts around 3.5 million visitors, who come to gaze at the cities beautiful decorations, peruse the 200 vendor stands selling various trinkets and homemade crafts, as well fill up on as delicious Christmas culinary delights. The Christmas Fair has been a world class festive celebration, since at least 1692, and the city keeps tradition alive and well during the season each and every year.

A car rental in Stuttgart is a great way to get around, and see all that this marvelous city has to offer. Don’t forget to check out the Opera House!

For more about what’s happening in Germany, check out our events calendar. If you have a suggestion on something I missed, please leave a comment!

Congratulations Patty!  You had the correct answer to last weeks Travel Trivia.  Robert the Bruce allegedly brought the Blarney Stone over to Ireland from Scotland.  And yes Patty, my pumpkin gabs with the best of them over pints of ale!  Now, on to this weeks photo.

The building with the large tower in this photo has over 400 rooms.

Q. What city was this photo taken in, and what is the name of the building?
Bonus: What are the towers in the background with the green tops?

Good luck to everyone!
-Hans

Wembley Stadium is an English institution. It ranks as one of the largest stadiums in the world, and is home to the England national soccer team. Recently rebuilt, Wembley has 90,000 covered seats, and can hold over 130,000 for concerts. Wembley has showcased many major events and concerts throughout its prestigious history. This tradition continues this Sunday, when the San Diego Chargers meet the New Orleans Saints in front of English fans at Wembley Stadium.

There has only been one regular season NFL game in the UK, which was held last year and featured the New York Giants versus the Miami Dolphins. There were many concerns going into the first NFL game on English soil. Would English fans be able to warm up to American football? Would the pace be to slow for a crowd used to watching soccer? Would anyone show up? Well, as anyone who was there will tell you, it was a great success. The first block of 40,000 tickets for the game sold-out in just 90 minutes. The second and third blocks of tickets went just as fast, and it was clear getting people into the stadium would not be a problem.

Truckloads of merchandise were brought in and jerseys from every team were purchased by fans. Images of the crowd showed all NFL teams represented. “God Save the Queen”, the British national anthem was played before the game, as that is the tradition in England. English fans don’t just sing along, they belt it out at the top of their lungs, something you don’t normally see in the US. It is quite intense, and the roar of the crowd must get every player ready. By kick off, it was clear that these fans were ready for some (American) football. Even though the weather was a cold wet drizzle, they stuck in there, cheering whenever possible. Granted, not all the cheering was at the proper moments (all punts got huge ovations, regardless of circumstance), but the spirit of the NFL was alive and well in these English fans. Overall, it was a complete success, despite the fact that the rain had turned the field into a slippery mud bowl.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodel has publicly discussed the idea of possibly holding the Super Bowl at Wembley Stadium. There is also talk of extending the NFL season by one game, specifically for international play. This would be a treat for fans in Europe, as well as the die hards; who would make the trip across the pond, body paint and all. Given the state of things now, the travel industry would be more than willing to accommodate a few extra passengers.

Major cities that could potentially host games include: Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Edinburgh Barcelona, Berlin, Frankfurt, London, Paris and Dublin just to name a few. Where in Europe would you like to see your favorite NFL team play?