World's best theme parks

There's always a reason for theme parks, not just for the young, but the young at heart, too.

Gravity defying roller coasters; fluorescent-coloured candy and smiles aplenty -theme parks are a world unto themselves. Here's our guide to the 5 best in the world.

1. Cedar Point, Ohio, US. 
Voted the World's Best Theme Park for an unbelievable 13th year in a row at the Golden Ticket Awards, Cedar Point has the most number of roller coasters of any theme park in the world. Some of the park's tallest, fastest and most terrifying rides such as Millennium Force and Top Thrill Dragster are legendary.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Cedar Point.

2. Universal's Islands of Adventure, Orlando, US.
Famed for its cutting edge rides and shows, this theme park brings to life your favourite children's tales. Harry Potter fans will be charmed by The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and its latest attraction, Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey that combine a dark, twisty ride with a startling cinematic experience.

Hogwarts Castle

Photo credit:  Photo © 2010 Universal Orlando Resort. All Rights Reserved.

3. Europa-Park, Rust, Germany.
The largest theme park in Germany, it highlights 13 European-themed countries within the park. A perfect place to discover Europe; step into Iceland's Blue Fire Megacoaster, one of Europe's best roller coasters, or head over to "France" for an adrenaline rush on the Silver Star with speeds of up to an astonishing 130km/h!

The stunning view of Europa-Park at night.

Photo credit:  Courtesy of Europa-Park

4. Pleasure Beach Blackpool, England, UK.
A British icon in its own right, this park is home to some of the biggest, fastest and scariest in the country. The highlight is Valhalla - the world's most expensive dark ride, constructed at a cost of £15 million, featuring 85ft plunges. The Pepsi Max Big, UK's tallest roller coaster is also here , along with or the Irn Bru Revolution looping coaster that features a whopping 360-degree vertical loop.

Night view of Infusion.

Photo credit:  Courtesy of Pleasure Beach Blackpool.

5. Tokyo DisneySea, Japan.
Inspired by myths and legends of the sea, a trip to Tokyo DisneySea would not be complete without a stopover at the Mermaid Lagoon and the stunning display of King Triton's underwater palace. Take the terrifying 194ft free fall from the Tower of Terror or dive into the 20,000 Leagues under the Sea submarine to explore the breathtaking depths of the ocean in the Mysterious Island.

Mount Prometheus, Tokyo DisneySea's iconic volcano located in the Mysterious Island.

Photo credit: Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company.

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Amazing Christmas Trees Made from Recycled Junk

 Chances are that you are setting up your Christmas tree right now. You imagine yourself sitting by the yuletide logs burning sweetly in the background as you curl up to your lover sipping hot chocolate

 However, if you are a "green enthusiast", this traditional holiday fantasy is far from your mind. Enter really cool Christmas trees made from recycled junk. The above and below images feature a Christmas tree in Sydney's The Rocks shopping plaza. It's made of 100 bicycles, "borrowed" from a junk yard until Christmas is over.

 Standing 23 feet tall, every part of this Christmas tree you see here is made of bicycles. The majority of each bicycle is painted green. The tires are all painted brilliant colors of the rainbow to simulate tree branches and Christmas lights.

 It took eight weeks to make this magnificent work of art. However,it will be on display for only a month, until December 28th. The Tree-Cycle is part of an annual display of recycled material trees at Syndey's The Rocks. This is their third year doing this project. In the previous two years, the Christmas tree was made of bottles and chairs. This is by far the prettiest and most realistic looking Christmas tree thus far.

 

While many children across the world fantasize about having a bicycle under the tree, these bicycles are the tree itself. Even the "star" at the top of the tree is made of bicycle parts. It features the forks of the bicycle, near the handle bars, in a lifelike star arrangement.

 After December 28th, these beautiful, artful pieces of junk will be returned to the junk yard. The salvageable parts will be made into usable bicycles for underprivileged children. So, expect a lot of kids in the Sydney area to be riding on green bicycles!

 Australia isn't the only place you will find unusual Christmas trees; there are some a bit closer to home too.

California features at least two "trees" made of shopping carts: One in Santa Monica and one in Emeryville, in the Bay Area.

In a state built on materialism and abundant wealth, it is fitting that California would sport Christmas trees built out of shopping carts. The same artist, Anthony Schmitt, was the mastermind behind both the trees.

In total there are 84 shopping carts in each tree and it goes as high as 33 feet. The lighting ceremony was on Dec. 2.

This just proves that Charlie Brown was up to something grand when he brought out his unconventional Christmas tree.

I would like to thank the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority who permitted me to use these images. If you would like to see more of the bicycle Christmas tree in Sydney.

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Unusual Christmas Tree

The wonderful decorated and lighted Christmas tree has become an iconic symbol of the Christmas spirit all over the world. There are so many legends concerning the origins of decorating the evergreen tree. One of these legends recounts how Martin Luther was struck by the beauty of some small evergreens while walking through a snow-covered forest. Dusted with snow, the entire landscape was sparkling in the moonlight like an endless ocean twinkling. Martin Luther was so impressed and inspired by the breathtaking scene, that he cut down a fir-tree, brought it home and decorated its branches with lighted candles. That’s why it is believed that the founder of the Lutheran Church was the first to light a Christmas tree.

A traditional Christmas tree is ideal if you have small children, but if traditional Christmas trees are not really your thing, check out these Top 10 most unusual and creative Christmas ‘trees’:

 Underwater Christmas Tree

The divers of Manila’s Ocean Park installed a beautiful decorated underwater Christmas tree. They surprised their visitors by posing as Santa Claus and mermaids in front of the underwater evergreen, as part of the park’s Christmas show.

Mountain Dew Christmas Tree

Seen from distance, it looks like a wonderful, traditional Christmas tree, but look closely and you will notice that it is actually made out of 400 empty Mountain Dew cans. If you are planning to construct your own Mountain Dew Christmas ‘tree’, take in consideration David Barshow’s instructions: you will need 400 Mountain Dew cans, a PVC pipe for the trunk, construction markers for its branches and a drill to get the constructions flags into the PVC pipe. David Barshow, the creator, and his three friends needed four days to construct the bizarre ‘tree’.

Upside-Down Christmas Tree

Upside-down Christmas trees are gaining popularity among people who enjoy fun and creative alternatives. The origins of hanging fir trees go as far back as the Middle Ages. Eastern European people hang their trees upside down to symbolize the Holy Trinity. Nowadays, these trees are either attached to the ceiling like a chandelier or placed upside-down in a special tree stand. Are we living in an upside-down world?

Potato Christmas Tree

A very special and unusual Christmas tree made of potatoes was shown during the 2007 Christmas holidays at a local institute in Lima. The Peruvian students used almost 100 kg of potatoes to create it. What’s really fascinating is the fact that the Aymara people of the Andes cultivate more than 2000 varieties of potatoes which grow at 13,000 feet above sea level. “Best black woman,” “makes the daughter-in-law cry,” “best red woman,” “like a deer’s white tongue,” “like an old bone” and “red shadow” are some of the potato types found in this unusual Christmas ‘tree’. And yes, these are the true names of Peru’s multi-colored and shaped potatoes.

LED Christmas Tree

A 60ft LED Christmas ‘tree’ lighted Dublin’s skyline during the 2008 winter season. It weighted five tons and was made of 100,000 bulbs of different sizes. The elegant and energy-efficient installation was designed by Blachere Illumination. Blachere, a leading supplier in outdoor Christmas and decorative lighting, was responsible along the years for creating the famous light shows at the Eiffel Tower, the illumination on Champs Elysées, the Christmas lights of Monaco, St. Petersbourg and Toulouse. Their portfolio includes many other remarkable projects.

Swarovski Christmas Tree

Swarovski, one of the world’s leading crystal manufacturer, unveiled also this year some really elegant Christmas tree designs. One of the most glamorous Christmas trees of this year is decorated with over 2000 Swarovski crystal beads. The Christmas ‘tree’ is located at the Siam Paragon Shopping Mall in Thailand. You can admire the 2010 majestic Christmas ‘trees’ by visiting one of these locations. Another favorite of mine is the natural evergreen that lights up Zurich’s central station every Christmas since 13 years. It is decorated with over 7,000 Swarovski crystals. The goal of these campaigns and stunning displays is to promote the company’s products and initiatives.

Murano Glass Christmas Tree

Italy’s Murano Island  is a glassmaker’s paradise. Treasured for more than 1000 years and distinguished by its intense colors, exquisite designs, and centuries-old blowing techniques, the Murano glass remains one of Italy’s most appreciated contributions to the art world.

The tallest glass tree in the world was exhibited in Murano on December 2006 and one year later in front of St. Mark’s Square, Venice. Architects Gianmarco Ferro, Paolo Dedemo and Alessio De Lazzari greatly contributed to the success of the project, but the monumental Christmas ‘tree’ was sculpted by Simone Giovanni Cenedese, master glassmaker and main designer. The ‘tree’ was “a modern interpretation of the traditional colors and symbols of the festive season”, said Cenedese.

Environmentally Friendly Christmas Tree

One of the most crazy Christmas ‘trees’ of the list is the environmentally friendly ‘tree’ created with 5 gallon recycled water bottles and PVC pipes. The goal of the eye-catching display was to raise people’s awareness on recycling. Another interesting Christmas ‘tree’ is Paprika’s Ice Tree made from more than 280 recycled water bottles suspended in the air. The quote one person’s trash is another person’s treasure turns out to be true.

Diamond Christmas Tree

Soo Kee Jewellery came first with the idea of creating a Diamond Christmas ‘tree’. This magnificent creation is literally worth a million bucks, since it’s one of the world’s most expensive Christmas trees.  Encrusted with thousands of dazzling diamonds totaling 913 carats, 3,762 delicate crystal beads and decorated with almost 500 lights,  the ‘tree’ weighted more than 3000 kg. Its value has been estimated at US $1,550,000 in 2007.

The most expensive Christmas tree is actually a sixteen inches tall miniature tree worth $1,800,000. It is composed of preserved roses festooned with precious diamonds. The Christmas ‘tree’ was available to buy at Takashimaya, one of the largest department stores in Singapore.

Chocolate Christmas Tree

Isn’t this Christmas ‘tree’ looking…delicious? The French chocolatiers never cease to amaze us with their artistry, passion and colossal chocolate creations.

Patrick Roger, meilleur ouvrier de France, created this year a ten-meter-high chocolate Christmas ‘tree’ to raise money for France’s annual Telethon. The artist and his team worked for one month on this awesome project that weighted four tons. The impressive ‘tree’ was accompanied by legendary Christmas figures such as Santa Claus and his reindeer, all made of delicious dark chocolate. Roger’s idea was to create a winter wonderland, which should please and intrigue both adults and children.

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Stop Moment

Photographer Martin Klimas (Martin Klimas), most likely as a child had the habit to break glass objects, and then he grew up, but the habit remained.Fortunately, he mastered the art of high-speed photography, and turned his bad habits in the main occupation of his life.

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Break-dancing Santa

The Asheville Convention &Visitors Bureau in North Carolina created this viral video featuring a break-dancing Santa to boost winter tourism. It took more than 22 hours to film the video in late November.
<br/><a href="http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/break-dancing-santa/20rr1lg6?q=Santa+Claus&rel=msn&from=en-us_msnhp&form=msn&gt1=42007&fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="Break-dancing Santa">Video: Break-dancing Santa</a>

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Famous Royal Weddings

In honor of Prince William's upcoming event, we look at the best regal nuptials ever.

Prince William and Kate Middleton created a media frenzy with their recent engagement announcement. The couple's upcoming nuptials are the latest in a long line of notable royal weddings.

Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer

The future Princess Di wore a dress with a 25-foot train (here's how it was made) for her 1981 wedding at this famous church.

Crown Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby

Although their engagement caused a bit of a scandal, the Norwegian couple went on to marry in a lavish ceremony (here's a look) in 2001.

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson

The couple married at an iconic London church and shared a public kiss on the balcony of a famous royal residence

Princess Anne and Mark Phillips

The Army lieutenant reportedly refused a title when he married the queen of England's daughter in 1973 (he wore his uniform). They divorced nearly 20 years later.

Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip

Millions listened to the future queen of England and the Greek-Danish prince's Westminster Abbey ceremony in 1947.

Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling

Their wedding took place at a famous Swedish church, and a concert was held in the couple's honor at a Stockholm landmark.

Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly

Kelly was a Hollywood superstar when she gave it all up to marry the prince of Monaco in a lavish wedding.

Princess Caroline and Philippe Junot

The princess and her much-older groom married in 1978 (what they wore) despite the royal family's concerns over his reputation.

Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako

The Japanese prince and the former diplomat married at a Shinto hall in Tokyo and have struggled with fertility issues ever since.

Prince Albert and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon

The bride began a Westminster Abbey tradition at their 1923 wedding, and the couple held their post-wedding breakfast at this palace.

Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones

Their 1960 ceremony was the first royal wedding ever televised (see it) and the groom (a well-known photographer) was given this royal title.

Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles

The longtime couple finally wed at this historic building and held their reception at a nearby royal castle in 2005.

Princess Anne and Tim Laurence

The princess and her second husband, a Navy commander, were married in Scotland because of Church of England rules in place at the time.

Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones

The youngest son of the queen and the public relations agent were married in a (relatively) low-key ceremony at a historic British chapel.

Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly

The queen's oldest grandchild and his Canadian bride tied the knot (here's a look) at St. George's Chapel in 2008.

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