Varinia's VirtualTourist Home Page

If you visit California, you can still catch a 5 hours flight to Hawaii.
On the right a picture of a beautiful Maui on my way around the island!
It rains sometimes, but usually for a short time.
It is less turistic than the main island. Although I heard that it is becoming more developed....unfortunately.
Dining in Maui is expensive due to the fact that most of the restaurants are gourmet.

Hello,
Welcome to my page. My name is Varinia, it means Versatile in Latin, it's an old roman name (featured in the film Spartacus). I live in California which is heaven on earth as far as weather and geography. California enjoys a mediterranean weather. But if you go north in the winter there are mountains full of snow , go south and you will find desert and beaches. The lowest temperature in winter is 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
California is big enough to have Hollywood (another story by itself) + good Universities (Caltech, UCLA,USC), Modern Architecture (The Walt Disney Hall by F.Gehry) and a beautiful Geography (Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Mammoth). And the most international group of people which means Eclectic Fashion and Cuisine.
This is a great site for people who share their travel experiences and value friendship around the world. Welcome newcomers!

A medieval masterpiece of Engineering. In Florence, I felt the urge to climb up the Dome at the Duomo Complex in Florence. 463 twisting, turning stairs to the top! It is a true engineering marvel designed by Brunelleschi, the first dome of its sort since the Pantheon in Rome.

We had a great time this Chritsmas in Vienna!
It was freezing for us, we are used to our heavenly California temperature.
It is a custom to visit the schonbrunn to have a hot applecedar with a liquor of your choice, buy Austrian christmas ornaments in a freezing day.
Love Vienna!
The leaders of the Austria-Hungary empire summered here.

Paris is simply beautiful! The Parisians are so blessed to have their city intact after WW II. A modern master piece of engineering.

Who wouldn't believe that the Eiffel tower was once a controversy.... in spite of big protests and harsh criticisim of Parisians and French intellectuals, its construction began in 1887 and finished 26 months later in 1889.

This controversy sounds familiar? the glass Louvre pyramid by I.M. Pei which is hated and loved by parisians; but no doubt it was the most practical solution for the site, brings light into the underground museum.
The tower was built for the Universal Exhibition in celebration of the French Revolution centenary, the Eiffel Tower hoisting the flag to the top was inaugurated on March 31st 1889.

The metal tower was planned to be demolished only after the Universal Exhibition of 1900. I'm so glad that radio transmission carried out by the French military right before the deadline of the destruction plan finally saved the tower.
Without the Eiffel tower, we wouldn't be able to enjoy all the great views of Paris...

A view of Notre Dame from the distance...

...from the Eiffel tower, it was freezing!
We decided to go to the top next time during the Summer.

A rebuilt city...
Frankfurt has the highest skycrapers in Europe, some designed by the most prestigious architects.
I visited the city just to see Commerzbank Headquarters designed by Sir Norman Foster, is said to be the world's first "ecological high-rise."

This picture was taken coming out from the train station, I was advised not to walk around this area.