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Netherlands is a country in Europe and is bounded by the North Sea, Germany and Belgium. The coastline is 280 miles long. The size of the Netherlands is around 16.200 miles², including 3000 miles² of water. It consists mostly of low-lying, flat coastal land and the sea polders, but in the south east there are hills. Netherlands located in deltas of three large rivers, the Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt. The Waal and the Ijssel are also long rivers. The capital is Amsterdam and the seat of government is The Hague. The Netherlands is often called Holland. The Netherlands is divided into twelve administrative regions, called provinces.

Queen Beatrix is at present the monarch and the head of state. The head of government is the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, who often is the leader of the largest party of the coalition. The Netherlands is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy.

Dutch cuisine is characterized by its somewhat limited diversity. Dutch food is traditionally characterized by the high consumption of vegetables when compared to the consumption of meat. Dutch cheeses are world renowned, with famous cheeses such as Gouda, Edam and Leiden. Dutch pastry is extremely rich and is eaten in great quantities. When it comes to alcoholic, traditionally there are many brands of beer and strong alcoholic spirits such as jenever and brandewijn. The Dutch have all sorts of pastry and cookies, many of them filled with marzipan, almond and chocolate. A truly huge amount of different pies and cakes can be found, most notably in the southern provinces, especially the so called Limburgse vlaai.

One traditional festivity in the Netherlands is the feast of Sinterklaas. It is celebrated on the evening before Sinterklaas’ birthday on December 5, especially in families with little children. In the United States the original figure of Dutch Sinterklaas has merged with Father Christmas into Santa Claus. Another traditional feast of the Netherlands is Queen’s day or “Koninginnedag”. This is celebrated in honors of the Queen’s birthday. However, this day (the 30th of April) is not the birthday of Queen Beatrix. It was the birthday of her mother, Queen Juliana. The Queen decided to keep this date, because her own birthday is in the winter. People sell their belongings which they don’t use anymore on the street and wear orange clothing.

Windmills, tulips, wooden shoes, cheese and Delftware pottery are among the items associated with the Netherlands by tourists. Keukenhof also known as the Garden of Europe, is situated near Lisse, and is the world’s largest flower garden. In the coastal provinces you can relax on a beach, in Amsterdam you stroll along the centuries-old canals, or visit some of the many museums and places of interest. The North Holland city of Alkmaar is famous worldwide for its cheese market.

For family fun visit the Efteling in North Brabant, you find A fairy-tale wood, super fast roller coasters and rapids. Or go to the world-famous miniature city Madurodam, presents everything Holland is famous for, replicated to the smallest detail on a scale of 1:25.

Many countries in Europe have no visa requirement for visiting the Netherlands ,for a stay less than 3 months. Visitors from other countries can request a visa at the Netherlands Embassy or Consulate For a stay in the Netherlands, longer than 90 days, you should have an authorization for temporary stay (MVV) applications.

Switzerland is situated in Western Europe, where it is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. It is a landlocked country whose territory is geographically divided between the Alps, the Central Plateau and the Jura that yields a total area of 15,940 square miles. The Swiss Confederation consists of 26 cantons, the capital and largest city of Switzerland is Bern.

Switzerland is a federal republic, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The Federal Council constitutes the federal government, The President of the Confederation and a body of six members The Swiss Parliament consists of two houses: the Council of States and the National Council. The Swiss Confederation has a long history of neutrality.

Strong regionalism in Switzerland makes it difficult to speak of a homogeneous Swiss culture. There is an great influence of German, French and Italian culture. There is a strong architectural tradition in Switzerland. The style of the 12th century is rich in expression and can be found in the cathedrals of Basel, Sion, Chur, Geneva and Lausanne and in many castles and fortresses around the country, many of which preserved in a good condition. There are also many cathedrals in Gothic style and churches in Baroque style.

Folk art is kept alive in organizations all over the country. it is mostly expressed in music, dance, poetry, wood carving and embroidery. The alphorn is a trumpet- like musical instrument made of wood. It is thought to have the perfect form for a musical wind instrument. The use of the alphorn is seen mainly in mountainous regions, can be very popular in some areas, and like yodeling or the accordion, which is sometimes called Schwiizerörgeli, it has become an epitome of traditional Swiss music.

The cuisine of Switzerland has dishes such as fondue, raclette or rösti are present all through the country, supplemented with specialties of each region. There are unique products like cheeses such as Gruyère or Emmental. In Switzerland many mountain areas have a strong highly energetic ski resort culture in winter, and a hiking (wandering) culture in summer

The medieval town of Bern is since 1983 on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Long arcades are characteristic of the street scape, and the many fountains in the city that are often decorated with colorful figures. The international city of Geneva is located on beautiful Lake Geneva, In the lake is a fountain, the water sprays 460 feet into the air and at night, the Jet d’Eau is nicely lit. Basel is the cultural center of Switzerland, it has a nice medieval center, but also innovative architecture. Basel has around 40 museums.

People with the nationality of an EU country can visit Switzerland without visas. If you need a visa, you can request a visa at the Swiss Embassy or Consulate in your own country. visas are never issued in Switzerland.

Sweden is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the Öresund Bridge in the south. In the east the Gulf of Bothnia, the Baltic Sea in the southeast and south and the Skagerrak and Kattegat in the southwest. In the Baltic the islands Oland and Gotland, which also include Sweden. At 17.561,05 square miles, Sweden is the third largest country in the European Union in terms of area. Sweden’s capital is Stockholm, which is also the largest city in the country.

Sweden is a constitutional monarchy, in which King Carl XVI Gustaf is head of state, but royal power has long been limited to official and ceremonial functions. Sweden has a parliamentary system of government and a highly developed economy.

The culture center of Sweden is Stockholm , with nearby the Drottningholm castle, the home of the Royal family. At the castle a 18th-century theater. The Court Theater , which was founded by King Gustav III in 1766. It is still used today in the summertime, with ballet and opera performances.
The most prestigious Swedish theater is the Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm with its four separate scenes. Sweden has a large amount and a rich variety of museums. Every county has its own County Museum where regional history, culture, nature etc. is presented to the public.

A famous Swedish architect is Gunnar Asplund, he created very simple but still sophisticated architecture. One of his creations is the District Court House in Sölvesborg, which became a source of inspiration to European and American architects. The ideas if the Functionalist movement, can still be found in the profile of the IKEA company. It produces cheap furniture and household goods of a simple design, which still has a lot of charm and personal touch about it.

Sweden also has many famous writers, like Astrid Lindgren with a book about Pippi Longstocking Quite a few of her works have been filmed and have been translated into 76 languages. Also world famous is the book, Nils HolgerSons wonderful journey, of Selma Lagerlöf. The book was made for children to learn the geography of Sweden in a fun way. The Swedish pop group ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 and there music is still popular.

Sweden is a most richly historical area, but also has a hip party vibe. Travelers come to Sweden for the flash clubs and ground-breaking new restaurants and others for wilderness hikes and visits to wooden-horse factories. A large number of wild animals, like Brown bears, wolves and the lynx, live in the forests and wildernesses that cover two thirds of Sweden. There are a lot of mountains and caves that can be explored by tourists. Along the coast of Sweden there are many water sports to enjoy, including yachting, canoeing, kayaking, windsurfing, kite boarding and water skiing. For nature lovers the seals, sea birds and sea life are a treat. In the constitution of Sweden grants the right of public access, which gives everyone the right to freely roam the countryside in Sweden.

You can drive from Copenhagen to Malmö across the Öresund bridge on the E20 motorway. Tolls are paid at Lernacken, on the Swedish side, in either Danish Ferry connections between Sweden and its neighbors are frequent and straightforward Citizens of EU countries, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US can enter Sweden with a passport and stay up to three months, they don ‘t need a visa. Citizens of other countries require tourist visas for entry, these are only available in advance from Swedish embassies.

Spain is a country in southwest Europe, it also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean and a number of uninhabited islands on the Mediterranean side of the strait of Gibraltar. To the north the mainland of Spain is separated of France by the Pyrenees, in the west it borders Portugal. Furthermore, the country surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea in the east and south, in the Cantabrian Sea in the north and the Atlantic Ocean in the west and south. It has a total area of 195,364 square miles and Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. Spain is located only 8.7 miles from the African continent separated by the Strait of Gibraltar. In the north of Africa are still two Spanish autonomous cities: Ceuta and Melilla. Spain has 17 autonomous regions.

Spain is a constitutional monarchy with a king as head of state, King Juan Carlos I. Spain is a federation in which power is very decentralized, also the degree of autonomy varies by region. Such as Catalonia, Basque Country and Galicia, have each a strong identity and own language and have many personal rights.

Because of their artistic relevance, many architectural sites in Spain, and even portions of cities, have been designated World Heritage sites by UNESCO. Such as: The Way of St. James , it is the pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried. The Alcázar is a royal palace in Seville, originally a Moorish fort. The Altamira is a cave in Spain, famous for its Upper Paleolithic cave paintings, featuring drawings and polychrome rock paintings of wild mammals and human hands.

Of Spanish music is the flamenco the best known abroad, an Andalusian musical genre. In Spain there are over forty professional orchestras, such as the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona, Orquesta Nacional de España and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Madrid.

Spanish cuisine consists of a great variety of dishes, like several cold soups such as: gazpacho a cold bread and tomato soup. Also many rice-based dishes like paella and arroz negro. Famous is the Chorizo a spicy sausage. Food is traditionally conserved by salting, like Spanish ham, or immersed in olive oil.

A lot of tourists come to Spain for sun, water and fun, the Spanish coast is the perfect place to enjoy water sports. A special experience is Scuba diving in Melilla. This part of the Mediterranean has clear waters and its seabed is teaming with life. Diving here takes you into a magical world of colors, shapes and mysterious beings. In Spain there are many golf courses, where you can practice your swing all year round and in winter you can glide over the snow in the sunshine.

In Barcelona you can get a tour in the stadium of world’s most important football club. They have also a museum, the Barcelona Football Club Museum. The F.C. Barcelona football club is a team with a history going back for over a century. In this museum, supporters can follow the blue-and-red club’s progress from its creation in 1899 to the present.

The Güell park in Barcelona is a very unusual work by the architectural genius Antoni Gaudí, working as a landscape gardener. In its 15 acres, nature and art including the imposing hypostyle room, with its 86 columns, the dragon on the main staircase, the undulating banks of broken pottery in the lovely square pavilions at the entrance and the stone viaducts device in perfect harmony with the surrounding nature.

Citizens of the European Union and Andorra, Australia, Brunei, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Gibraltar, Grenada, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia and Switzerland are not required to get a visa for Spain They can enter Spain without a visa and stay for up to 90 days in any 6-month period. Visitors from other countries can request a visa at the Spanish Consulate in your own country, some weeks before you leave.

South Africa occupies the southern tip of Africa, its long coastline stretching more than 1550 miles. The country is bordered in the north with Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe and in the east by Mozambique and Swaziland. The independent state of Lesotho is entirely surrounded by South Africa. South Africa has an area: 475765 miles ². South Africa has three capitals, Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town. Since the establishment of the democratic South Africa in 1994, the country is divided into nine provinces.

In South Africa there is a diversity of cultures, because there are people of diverse origins, cultures, languages and beliefs. Today, the diversity in foods from many cultures is enjoyed by all and especially marketed to tourists, who wish to sample the large variety of South African cuisine.
South African cuisine is heavily meat-based and has spawned the distinctively South African social gathering known as a braai, or barbecue.

South Africa has also developed into a major wine producer, with some of the best vineyards lying in valleys around Stellenbosch, Franschoek, Paarl and Barrydale.

South Africa’s most popular sports are soccer, rugby union and cricket. Other sports with significant support are swimming, athletics, golf, boxing, tennis and netball. Although soccer commands the greatest following among the youth, other sports like basketball, surfing and skateboarding are increasingly popular.

In South Africa there is still architecture from the time of the Dutch and British occupation. The original population lives mainly in huts. Bushmen huts where built of leaves and branches. Bantoe cabins are in the form of hives, mostly plastered with mud and a grass roof. They are still very popular and are called rondawels.

South Africa is an attractive holiday destination, Favorite destinations are the National and provincial parks for game drives, nature photography and bird watching. But also the panoramic route, Table Mountain, Robben Island, the wine route, Pretoria and so many more are tourist attractions.
Citizens from the European Union do not need a visa to enter South Africa. You can be up to three months without a visa in the country. On departure from South African passport you must have at least one month (thirty days) are valid. The country has a Western banking system, in most places, the credit card are accepted and in many places there are automatic teller machines.

Serbia is a landlocked country located at Central- and Southeastern Europe. Serbia has borders with Hungary in the north, Romania in the northeast, Bulgaria in the southeast, Macedonia and Albania in the south, Bosnia-Herzegovina in the west, Montenegro in the southwest, and Croatia in the northwest . The country has access to the Black Sea through the Danube river. Its total area is 34.116 square miles. Serbia consists of three regions which are divided into 31 districts and the capital city of Belgrade.

The Republic of Serbia is a parliamentary democracy, headed by a president. In 2008, the Government of Kosovo declared its independence, a move recognized by a minority of countries, but not recognized by Serbia or the United nations. The autonomous provinces have their own assembly and executive council, Central Serbia is not an administrative division, and it has no regional government of its own.

The Serbian part of the Danube is characterized by a varied landscape with numerous nature reserves, two national parks, picturesque rural villages and a wealth of cultural history. One of the most spectacular part is the “Iron Gate”, the largest river gorge of the Danube in Europe. In this area, prehistoric and Roman sites and monuments are found, including Lepenski Vir, the oldest known settlement, dating from 7000 years BC. In northern Serbia lies the hilly forested landscape of Fruška Gora National Park, it has 17 hidden medieval monasteries and the region is known for its wine production. In the Serbian province of Kosovo lies the Gracanica Monastery, this is one of the most beautiful monuments and examples of Serbian medieval art in the first half of the 14th century. It is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage and has well preserved and good representatives of Serbian and Byzantine narrative art fresco’s.

A typical Serbian dish is sarma, made of minced meat rolling up in sauerkraut and then boiled. Also commonly eaten is Pita: dough rolls stuffed with cheese, minced meat, spinach and potatoes, baked in the oven. Šljivovica is a really typical Serbian alcoholic beverage made from plums.

Kopaonik National Park in southern Serbia is the largest mountain massif of the country, this park is also famous ski resort of Serbia. On the rivers Drina, Uvac, Lim and Ibar is opportunity for rafting.
Along a stretch of the Sava River near Belgrade. lies the Obedska Bara Nature Reserve, one of the oldest protected natural resources in the world, established in 1874. It is on the UNESCO world list of significant wetland habitats as well as on the being recognized by the IBA for its significance as a bird sanctuary. It is a perfect place for horseback riding, bird watching and outdoor recreation.
Other popular activities that one in Serbia can take is, fishing, biking, mountain climbing and paragliding.

Citizens of Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belarus, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Holy See (Vatican), Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Tunisia, United States of America do not need a visa, just a valid passport. Travelers of other countries can request a visa at the diplomatic or consular mission of Serbia.

San Marino is a country situated in the Apennine Mountains. San Marino is a landlocked enclave , completely surrounded by Italy. It borders to the Italian region Emilia Romagna to the north-east and Marche Montefeltro to the south-west. It is one of the smallest countries in the world, its total area is just 24 square miles. The capital is City of San Marino but the largest city is Dogana. San Marino is divided into nine municipalities, known locally as castelli.

San Marino is a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Captains Regent is the heads of state. Executive power is exercised by the government, Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Grand and General Council. The Grand and General Council is the parliament of San Marino, it has 60 elected members. Social and political trends of the Republic are into line with those of Italy.

San Marino is just a little country, but it has a lot of beautiful buildings. Palazzo Pubblico is a Romanesque building in the Gothic Revival style. It is built on the foundations of the original “Parva Domus comunis”, architect Francesco Azzurri designed it in 1894. The building was recently reopened after being restored by the architect Game Aulenti.

Another beautiful building is the Guaita fortress, the first fort built in the XI century and restored several times. Some of the rooms were used as a prison. On the left side of the entrance is the Chapel of the Rocca, dedicated to Saint Barbara. And then there is Cesta fortress, the second fort, it dates back to the XIII century. It is found on the high peak of Mount Titano. The inside houses the Museum of Arms containing arms from the XIII to the XIX centuries. The third fort, Montale fortress, is a watchtower. It can only be viewed from the outside, it provides a highly suggestive panorama.

San Marino cuisine combines traditions with quality, to keep alive the huge rural heritage of the country. It contains for example tagliatelle, ravioli, cappelletti, passatelli, roast meats and extra-virgin olive oil. Famous are their red wines, Brugneto and Tessano aged in large cherry wood barrels or in oak barriques, or still white wines, Biancale and Roncale.

San Marino has many traditions and culture festivals, which are wonderful to experience, such as:

The Nucleo Uniformato della Guardia di Rocca, Uniformed Guards of the Fortress, perform honors service at the Palazzo Pubblico in Piazza della Libertà, and the ‘changing of the guard’ ceremony is performed every hour on the half hour from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. during the summer months. The Guardia di Rocca guard, was originally founded in 1754, and currently has two departments, the uniformed guards they guard the borders and public order and the Compagnia d’Artiglieria, on the other hand, for national holidays and ceremonies. The uniform worn by the Guards of the Fortress when on duty and during the changing of the guard is quite suggestive with a dark green double-breasted jacket decorated with red and white braiding, red trousers with a green stripe and a cap with red pom-pom and white spats. The ceremonial uniform also has golden epaulets and a leather helmet with red and white ostrich feathers.

The San Marino Crossbowmen’s Federation ,called The Federazione Balestrieri Sammarinese, was founded in 1956 thanks to its Chairman and Founder, Prof. Giuseppe Rossi. In times long past, it was the crossbowmen who defended the city walls-and the freedom-of the Republic of San Marino. To ensure that the Crossbowmen were quite adept in use of their arms, the Statues, Ledger XXXVIII, established that once a year, on the 3rd of September, a festival dedicated to the Founding Saint Marino would be celebrated with the ‘Palio delle balestre grandi’. This tradition is still continuing today, the ‘Palio’ is even bigger with costumed figures, musicians and flag-wavers to complete the pageantry of the crossbow competition.

There are no frontier formalities, anyone visiting Italy with a visa can enter San Marino. In Tourist Information Office, you can get your passport stamped.