Travelogue… with Bob Nicolaides

 

You may not be able to afford to live there. You may not even want to. But the world's most exclusive streets beckon nonetheless. But the world's 10 most exclusive streets beckon nonetheless, with gorgeous views, proximity to shopping and just plain enormous houses. Based on how much a square meter of real estate sells for — data provided by real estate consultancy Knight Frank — Billionaire.com compiled the following list of the world's Top 10 most expensive streets:

1) Pollock’s Path, the Peak, Hong Kong

According to Billionaire.com, it's the world's most expensive street, boasting glorious views of Victoria Harbor and an average price of $120,000 per square meter. The super-rich have lived on the mountain since back in the day, the only major difference being that they used to be carried up and down the steep slope in sedan chairs. Prominent residents include Stephen Chow, a local movie star.

2) Kensington Palace Gardens, London

This street in west central London has some of the most expensive property in the world — average price per square meter: $107,000. Known as "Billionaires' Row," the tree-lined street is home to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and many national embassies.

3) Avenue Princesse Grace, Monaco

Since the recession, houses on the palm-tree-lined seaside way in this principality have been going for a measly $86,000 per square meter, but at their height, according to Knight Frank, rates were as high as $135,000 per square meter. Famous neighbors include the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and Danish model Helena Christensen.

4) Boulevard du Général de Gaulle, Cap Ferrat, France

According to Billionaires.com, this boulevard holds the title for most expensive, non-urban street. Nestled along the Mediterranean Cote d'Azur, Cap Ferrat (or the “Cap," as it is affectionately called) is a little peninsula where the average square meter goes for $79,000. Brad and Angelina reside here, as did Charlie Chaplin, way back when.

5) Paterson Hill, Singapore

Paterson Hill is a cul-de-sac in Singapore, located very close to the well-known shopping district along Orchard Road. Real estate goes for $42,500 per square meter, and its most expensive condo, according to Billionaires.com, is "The Marq, which features one highlight condo with interiors designed by Hermès, and a private lap pool cantilevered outside each apartment." Famous residents include Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin and former Miss Singapore, Rachel Kum.

6) Chemin de Ruth, Geneva, Switzerland

Close to Lake Geneva, Chemin de Ruth is located in the heart of Switzerland’s Cologny. Many properties on the street, where an average square meter goes for $37,000, have views of the famous Jet d’Eau, the United Nations buildings and the headquarters of the World Economic Forum. Famous residents include France's Peugeot family.

7) Romazzino, Sardinia

Winding Romazzino's Hill is one of the most exclusive areas in Sardinia's Costa Smerelda. The average square meter goes for $32,900, and many wealthy Middle Easterners reside there, including Saudi Arabian politician Ahmed Zaki Yamani and Qatar royal family members.

8) Ostozhenka, Moscow

Ostozhenka in downtown Moscow is home to The Kremlin, the Pushkin Museum and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour — as well as Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov. An average square meter goes for $29,000. The most expensive streets in Russia, it's also one of the country's oldest.

9) Fifth Avenue, New York

Fifth Avenue has long been home to wealthy Americans, particularly the stretch between 59th and 96th, which fronts Central Park. The street is home to the Empire State Building, the Rockefeller Center and Saks. An average square meter goes for $28,000, a pretty penny that actor Bill Murray and newscaster Tom Brokaw, among others, are willing to pay.

10) Avenue Montaigne, Paris

Marlene Dietrich lived there before she died, so it's got to be pretty fancy. Avenue Montaigne in Paris is known for French high-fashion. Located in the 8th arrondissement in the Champs Élysées quarter, an average square meter on this street goes for $26,000. This 350-year-old avenue has also been the target of two high-profile heists.

Greece to invest in medical tourism

 

Tourism Minister Olga Kefaloyianni has spoken of Greece’s aspiration to tap into medical tourism, while also referring to wellness and cruise tourism, as well as cultural tourism, which

"Greece will extend its offer to the sector of medical tourism next year. Prime Minister Samaras predicts great growth prospects in this sector," Kefaloyianni told the newspaper "Der Tagesspiegel."

She mentioned as examples the areas of eye operations, dental care, kidney therapies and fertility treatment, which she explained are in great demand, mainly by Russians and Americans. Europeans, she said, can use the medical services of other EU member-states.

The minister further said that "all Greeks realise that tourism is the only sector that can help the country return to growth rates".

Kefaloyianni reiterated that a new record in tourism is expected to be recorded in 2014, while the newspaper refers to revenues amounting to 12 billion euros in 2013 and a target of 13 billion euros in 2014.

In 2013, Greere recorded a 45 percent increase in tourists from Russia and 40 percent from Turkey.

 

 

Discover the World with Swan Hellenic



Swan Hellenic's flagship

Looking ahead to 2015, Swan Hellenic Discovery Cruising says you can enjoy the winter sunshine as the Minerva seeks out the historical and cultural highlights of the East, cruising to India, Sri Lanka, Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Japan and Indonesia. In January, that ship will be breaking ground with an inaugural cruise to Japan, which also includes ports of call in China, Taiwan  and South Korea. Then she will continue her exciting adventures visiting fascinating ports in the Far East where you’ll be able to explore India, visit the Arabian peninsula, travel though Holy Lands in the Eastern Mediterranean or circumnavigate the Black Sea.

NYC : Citi Rides program reaches 5.1 M

 

The Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, announced that the Citi Bike, the city’s bike rental service, has reached 5.1 million rides since the system began working last May.

In the last five months after the launch of the new transport system in the Big Apple, more than 432,000 people have bought access passes to the service, with an average visit of 35,000 during the last three months.

It was estimated that on the first 166 days of operation 16 million kilometers had been ridden (equivalent to 404 trips around earth) surpassing other American cities that also have similar bike-sharing service. Washington, as a matter of fact, took three years to reach the level of 5 million rides.

The median number of daily trips on the 6,000 bikes of the service is 6, which suggests that the median number of trips on each of the bikes throughout these five months has been 862 trips.

The bike-renting service launched on May 27th includes daily or weekly passes. According to the rates plan, interested people can acquire a daily pass for USD 9.95 (EUR 7.6) and a weekly pass for USD 25 (EUR 19.2), which gives you a 30-minute free renting right, and an additional payment for each extra half hour fraction. There is also an annual pass for USD 95 dollars (EUR 73) that will give you a 45-minute free rental.

The service includes the City of Manhattan below 59th street and the Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill neighborhoods and Bedford Stuyvesant zones in Brooklyn.

The main objective is to extend the system to 10,000 bikes and 600 stations in the coming years. The company Citi Bike trusts to create 170 jobs and generate USD 36 million (EUR 27.6 million) annually in the local economic activity.

“City Bike is the largest bike rental program in the country and it’s now also the fastest growing one”, said Mayor Bloomberg who added that the system has resulted in a great success among New Yorkers and visitors, and that the amount of passengers has surpassed the most optimistic projections.

Antikythera Shipwreck exhibition Extended until June

 

The National Archaeological Museum's exhibition "The Antikythera Shipwreck, the ship-the treasures-the Mechanism" is to extended until June 29, lasting throughout the Greek EU presidency in the first half of 2014.

"There has been a great response to the exhibition in Greece and abroad and we believe that people who visit our country because of the presidency will admire the show," the museum's deputy director  Georgios Kakavas told the ANA-MPA. "The benefit is that, with this exhibition, the museum's revenues have grown from 45% to 81% each month."

The exhibition was launched in April 2012 and was initially scheduled to run for one year, while its duration has been repeatedly extended. It focuses on the famous shipwreck that yielded the mysterious AntiKythera mechanism - also dubbed the world's first analog computer wreck - that occurred at approximately 60-50 BC. The exhibits include other items of cargo on board the vessel, which may have been heading for Rome when it sank, which were mainly bronze and marble statues dating from the 4th to the 1st century BC.

The cargo was accidentally discovered in 1900 by divers from the island of Symi and was raised in two stages: in the year of 1900-1901 and in 1976 by the Greek Archaeological service and Jacques Yves Cousteau's oceanographic ship "Calypso". 

 

 

 

Most dangerous place for backpackers- Malaysia

 

A backpacker from the United Kingdom has visited countries like Africa and Yemen, but picks Kuala Lumpur as the most dangerous place he has ever been to.

Dave Ramsay had related his experience about being stabbed and mugged in the city on travel site Virtual Tourist.

The incident took place near Hard Rock Cafe in Jalan Sultan Ismail on Oct 5.

Dave was stabbed in the chest and then slashed across the arm with a knife, before the robber fled with his bag. Dave said there was no regard for his life since he was attacked before being robbed, instead of the other way round.

However, his ordeal did not end there.

Not only did it take 30 minutes to reach a hospital as most taxis did not stop for him after seeing blood, police were also ineffective and inefficient.

According to Dave, security at local venues did nothing. Tourist police also did not ask anything about the robber and only produced a report for an insurance claim, making the victim feel they had no interest in pursuing the criminal.

Dave even called the tourist police office a "conveyor belt of victims coming in".

"This place needs avoiding big time. I have travelled to Africa, Yemen, and SE Asia for nearly 30 years and I am not a squeamish person but I genuinely believe this to be the most dangerous place I have been to, due to the vast number of incidents and the frequency of them. It's epidemic," wrote Dave.

 

A blast from the Past: Why Not Spend Winter in 1922 Egypt?

This is an ad from long ago: In Cairo, the place to stay is the Heliopolis Palace Hotel, deemed the most luxurious hotel in the World. This is where you experience all the up-to-date comforts among a purely enchanting mid-eastern background. The hotel consists of 400 rooms with bath and 50 drawing rooms, features French Cuisine and an American bar.

You can play all sorts of sports at the Heliopolis Palace, such as Golf, Polo, Cricket, as well as horse-racing all kinds of diversified attractions among them Jazz music, orchestral concerts, dancing events, tea dances and ethnic festivals. The management offers special rates for family stays as well as long term occupancy.