Things to Do in Noosa & Sunshine Coast

Where Dijon is a center for Burgundy's red wine production (and that of mustard), Epernay is the main entrepot for the wines of the Champagne region. Visitors from all over the world come to this small town to buy champagne and see how it is bottled. As it is the center for champagne production, its economy and tourism largely revolve around sparkling wines.

Like most other metropolitan areas in France, Epernay can trace its history to the last days of Rome. Indeed, the town is replete with the obligatory 16th-century church and Old Quarter; however, these quaint relics of long-gone eras have been somewhat overshadowed by a cheerily modern streak. This doesn't mean that the town's charm has disappeared under a bunch of apartments and malls; rather, Epernay's appeal spreads outside its limits to the surrounding countryside, where the wealthy wine merchants and champagne producers keep impressive maisons.

Also spread throughout the countryside are the region's many wineries, most of which offer tours and tastings. Driving around centuries-old vineyards is awe-inspiring in itself, and many producers offer tours of the champagne caves. Mined for chalk during Roman times, these caves were later found to be perfect for storing the effervescent wines that made the region famous.

One of the largest public parks in Istanbul, Emirgan Park covers 117 acres on a hillside along the shores of the Bosphorus Strait. In Byzantine times, the area was covered with cypress trees and by the mid-16th century became known as Feridun Bey Park. By the 1860s, the park was owned by Khediva Ismail Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Egypt and Sudan, who built three wooden pavilions that remain standing today.

The Yellow, Pink and White Pavilions within the park were restored in the late 1970s and then opened to the public.  The Yellow Pavilion stands in the center of the park, overlooking the Bosphorus, and features traditional Ottoman architecture and rich interior decorations.  The Pink Pavilion is also a typical Ottoman house and is often used for weddings or other events. Not far from the Yellow Pavilion, the White Pavilion was built in a neo-classical style and is now a cafeteria and restaurant. Together with the jogging trails and picnic areas, the pavilions make the park a popular weekend destination for Istanbul residents.

Home to a special tulip garden since the 1960s, Emirgan Park is a great place to visit in April, when it hosts an annual international tulip festival.

Celebrate your visit to the world’s southernmost city by exploring the Museo del Fin del Mundo.

The museum focuses on Ushuaia’s natural and indigenous history, including a menagerie of stuffed animals and the tools used to hunt them.

The collection is displayed in a series of interconnecting rooms, starting off with travelers and ethnography, including mementos of past visitors such as the shipwrecked figurehead of the HMS Duchess of Albany, which came to grief off the coast of Tierra del Fuego in 1893.

The grocery store exhibit is a hit with kids of all ages, displaying the essential shopping items of Ushuaia’s far-flung citizens in times gone by.

Seabirds like albatrosses and petrels are featured in the Birds of Fire room, along with penguins, shorebirds, ducks, swans, flamingos and waterfowl.

The final exhibit displays the safes, security doors, sturdy furniture and log books of Argentina’s National Bank.