Eurovision Song Contest 2016

The Eurovision 2016 was held in Stockholm, Sweden at the Ericsson Globe Arena. From watching the 1st Semi-Final (May 10), the 2nd Semi-Final (May 12) and the Grand Final (May 14), the show seemed to be a roaring success. With an arena that

holds 12,000 packed to capacity on each night and the show garnering a magnificent 200 Million viewers worldwide, the show had a lot riding on it. On the first two semi-finals, the idea was to whittle the 18 acts of each semi-final down to 10 so that they would proceed to the final. In the end, 26 acts made it to the final, with the big 5 and Sweden already in the final without qualifying in a semi-final, but that's not my business. The show was hosted by Swede favorite comedian Perta Mede and last years winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in Austria, Måns Zermerlöw. Night after night, the two made the show extremely entertaining with comedic skits, musical intervals and witty back and forths between each other.

This was the 6th time that Sweden had hosted the Eurovision Song Contest (still not beating Ireland's record though!). This year, Australia became a fixture of the show and had to participate themselves in a semi final to qualify for final and didn't get the

guest pass. This year also marked the first time China and the United States of America were able to watch the Eurovision on their screens. With a lot of problems being earmarked across Europe (Brexit, Crimea and the migrant crisis) but this was just what Europe needed. Under the slogan of "Come Together", it became a new lease of life for Europe and the EBU. The Eurovision should be seen as the proper platform on integration between countries and that it's possible to get along. 

In this years Eurovision, there were some notable absences that have been poignant in previous years, for example: Turkey, Portugal, Slovakia and Romania. But although there were some absences in this years show, there were also some

returning acts. Czech Republic, Croatia and Ukraine being big participants to return. The show had 42 participating countries. This meant a lot of songs, a lot of performances and a lot of effort. Russia brought their own set to the Eurovision, many performers had visual effects. Not only was there a lot of effort and music but there was a lot of inter-country comradeship as before, during and after the contest, performers and fans showed their support for each other. Countries who had been eliminated in the semi final, their fans stayed for the final to participate in the celebrations of crowning the winner of this years contest. And watching it from home, it was very heartwarming to see the friendships being made and the whole idea of "come together" being made a reality.

The list of finalists are as follows:

• Belgium
• Czech Republic 
• The Netherlands
• Azerbaijan
• Hungary
• Italy 
• Israel
• Bulgaria
• Sweden
• Germany
• France
• Poland
• Australia
• Cyprus
• Serbia
• Lithuania
• Croatia
• Russia 
• Spain
• Latvia
• Ukraine
• Malta
• Georgia
• Austria
• UK
• Armenia

The final show was 3 and a half hours long. Each country performed and then the interval act came out. None other than Justin Timberlake himself. Playing on a stage

in front of 200 Million people internationallu. Petra and Måns then took the time to sing a song about the "Formula" to Eurovision success. Then the new voting system was introduced which saw the national jury and the televoting be taken into consideration. I voted 13 times. Hardcore fan right here. 2 out of the 5 I voted for came in the top 5, Russia and Bulgaria. Once the jury's votes had been read out, Australia was in the lead. The came the televotes. The suspense was killing me as Petra and Måns Zermerlöw read out the scores. It came down to the last 4 votes and everyone was on the edge of their seat. Finally, the country who won with a whopping

534 Points was Ukraine. Represented by Jamala, Ukraine won by televotes with their song "1944" a song about Crimean Tatar troubles.

Next years Eurovision will be held in Ukraine and it's safe to say that Ukraine will have a tough time trying to match the success of Eurovision Song Contest 2016, Stockholm, Sweden.

Congratulations to Jamala and Ukraine!

*Pic Credit: foxbet.gr, expressen.se, cromosomax.com, nanonews.com*

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Did you watch the Eurovision? What was your favourite song and what did you think of the outcome?

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Sun Holidays-Europe's Upcoming Destinations

Considering how sunny it is (In Ireland. I'm confused too), it seems appropriate to address those big ol' sun holidays.
Going about your business on a day to day basis gets repetitive and people look forwards to time off and time away from all those adult responsibilities (Scary, I know). And nothing sounds nicer when you're stressed out than booking a

trip away to the coast of some tropic or Mediterranean country and relaxing with a cocktail in your hand.
In the last decade or two, sun holidays have increased in popularity. If you went to south east Spain for a trip away during the summer, you'd be lucky to find a spot on the beach to even place your towel, let alone rent a sun lounger. So when it comes to the summer seasons and you get time off, you don't want the added stress of walking along a beach in hopes of finding a place to sit down. Not saying there is anything wrong with highly crowded beaches, kids tend to make friends and there is generally a good atmosphere from the people.
When it comes to the idea of going on a sun holiday, however, the idea is generally to go for what's cheap and go for what's easy. A place that has sun, booze and a waterpark. The essentials! In the last 5-10 years, people are stepping away from the typical locations of sun holidays and finding alternative places that not only give a unique place for a nice, relaxing sun vacation but also a great experience. These destinations would not have been incredibly popular for the general tourist in the past but are now on an increase to becoming nice places to visit for sun holidays and of course, reaping the benefits of increased tourism.

Here are 3 of the upcoming destinations from my personal opinion and feedback I've gotten from tourists as to where are growing places for sun holidays, where to stay and how to get there:

• Croatia: In the last couple of years, I have heard from many people that
  
  they went or are going to Croatia for sun holidays, "lads" holidays or even just weekends away. Croatia offers good value and is one of the least spoiled countries in Euripe, if not the world. But where to go in Croatia?
• Dubrovnik. This is the capital of Croatia and is a coastal city. Dubrovnik is accessible by many airlines including Ryanair, Easyjet, Iberia, Croatia Airlines, Aer Lingus and British Airways
• It has many beaches and places to relax including:
• Buza Beach
• Copacabana
• Banje Beach
• Just off the coast of Dubrovnik is the Elaphit Islands which contain Lopud and Kolocep, two islands with sandy beaches.
• Where to stay in Dubrovnik?
• Hotel Kompas- Hotel which overlooks the Lapad Bay
• Tirena Hotel- http://www.valamar.com/en/hotels-dubrovnik/tirena-hotel
• Valamar Club Dubrovnik- Free Airport Transfer
• Hostel Villa Angelina (Old Town)
• Split: Croatia's second largest city. It lies on the coast of the
  
  Adriatic Sea. The city acts as a link to the Apennine Region and Adriatic Islands. Split's Airport is served by airlines such as: Eurowings, Easyjet, British Airways, Scandinavian Airlines and Thomas Cook Airlines.
• Being on the coast, Split has many beaches.
• Kasuni Beach
• Kastelet Beach
• Ovcice Beach
• Where to stay in Split?
• Divota Apartment Hotel- http://divota.hr/
• Cornaro Hotel- http://cornarohotel.com/
• Split Guesthouse and Hostel- http://www.splitguesthouse.hostel.com/
• Sicily: The Island off the Italian Coast and situated in the Mediterranean sea. It is the largest island in the Mediterranean. It has 2 main airports. Catania International and Palermo International. These airports are
  
  served by: Ryanair, Easyjet, Volotea, Germanwings etc. Where to go for a sun holiday in Italy?
• Palermo: A city in the north-east of Italy and the Capital of the Island. Palermo is in a region famed for its art, history, culture and gastronomy. Palermo is served by Palermo International and has many beautiful beaches, for examples:
• Mondello Beach
• Aspra Beach- With Beautiful Boats in the town.
• Cefalu Beach.
• Where to Stay in Palermo?
• Hotel Porta Felice- http://hotelportafelice.it/en/#slide-2
• Hotel Bel 3
• Mondello Home Hostel
• Catania: Situated between Messina and Syracuse, this city rests
  
  near Mount Etna and has very unique landscape as a result. It has a beautiful location on the Ionian Sea. It is served by Catania Airport. Being on the east coast of the Island, it has many cool beaches:
• Playa
• Scogliera- Famed for it's seafood gastronomy
• Ognina
• Where to stay in Catania?
• UNA Palace Hotel- http://www.unahotels.it/en/una_hotel_palace/catania_hotels.htm
• Hotel Biscari- http://hotelbiscaricatania.com/
• City-in Hostel B&B- http://www.cityinhostel.it/en/
• South of France: The South of France is somewhat seen as a destination for those who are endowed with money and seen as an exclusive place, or at least it used to be. In recent years, it is a recently increasing destination
  
  to travel to. Here are some places in the South of France to travel to:
• Marseille: The second largest city in France after Paris. Marseille is situated in the Provence-Alpes-Cotes d'Azur region. It is a popular city along the South of France for visitors and is served by the Marseille Provence Airport which hosts airlines such as: British Airways, Lufthansa, Pegasus, Twin jet, Easyjet and Ryanair. It also has some beautiful beaches:
• Plage du Prado
• Plage des Catalans
• Calanques at Cassis (In the nearby town of Cassis)
• Where to stay in Marseille?
• Residence de Vieux Port- http://www.hotel-residence-marseille.com/en/
• Hotel Bellevue- http://hotelbellevuemarseille.com/en/
• Vertigo Centre Hostel- http://hotelvertigo.fr/
• Toulon: Toulon is situated in the same region as Marseille but however, does not have it's own big airport. It's airport does
  
  regional flights to Bordeaux, Paris and Brest. As well as domestic, there are international flights to Amsterdam, Southampton and Tunis with airlines like; Air France, Jetairfly and Flybe. Toulon is a port city with it's famed function being a military base for the French Navy. Toulon has some nice beaches also:
• Mourillon
• Plage de Pipady
• Plage de la Mitre
• Where to stay in Toulon?
• Les Voiles Hotel- http://www.hotel-voiles.com/en/
• Grand Hotel Dauphine- http://www.grandhoteldauphine.com/
• Hotel Bonaparte

These are some of the destinations that are on the rise as new places to go as sun holiday locations and are not to be overlooked when you want some downtime. On one hand, sure, it's nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of life. But on the other hand, different countries offer different experiences with so much culture, history, art, heritage and cuisine to offer. Set yourself outside the box!

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Leave a comment if you have suggestions or places you've been on sun holidays!

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Bucket List: Andorra

Andorra is a principality located in the midst of the Pyrenees Mountain range stretching across the border of France and Spain. 
Quick History Lesson: The history of Andorra stretches a long way back, with it's first triumph of independence was from Aragon in 1278 and it's second triumph of independence from the French

Empire in 1814. However, the modern day Principality that exists in Andorra came about in 1278 and is known as a principality with a monarchy headed by Co-Princes, the Bishop of Urgell (Spain) and Francois Hollande (President of France). Andorra is also ranked as Europe's sixth smallest nation with an 85,000 people population but also contains Andorra La Vella, the capital of Andorra but also Europe's highest capital.

*PHOTO CREDIT: Investwithandorra.com*

Reasons I/Anyone should go to Andorra:

• Although Tourism is the biggest industry in Andorra, it didn't recognize foreign visitors inside it's borders until the mid/late 20th Century which means that it is a relatively new country to explore and scenery that may not be published on your generic postcards!
• Weather: It is said that Andorra gets around 300 days of sunshine annually, which means for anyone as fair skinned as I am, would be burned in 1 day! But it gives good premise to not be
  
  indoors and to be outside exploring the area and finding unique places.
• Scenery: Being in the midst of the Pyrenees mountain range, amazing views of the mountains, France, Spain and maybe even the Mediterranean coast would provide the perfect backdrop for exploration, hiking, days out and eating outdoors.
• Skiing: I've never skied before, and from what I hear, it sounds like a painful but enjoyable experience to start learning. Andorra, being up high in the mountain range, would get plenty of snowfall to have enough grounds for skiing and snowboarding, so before tackling the Alps or anything like that, it'd be cool to check out the slopes of Andorra.
• Duty Free: Products sold in Andorra are tax free, so take note shoppers!
• Proximity to Spain and France: I've never been to France (Just yet) but it is certainly a must-go travel destination for anyone! Spain is an amazing country to travel to and is so unique in it's own right. So being within proximity to both would be good enough reason to travel!
• Hiking:With the great backgrounds and the many historic buildings and trails to go on i.e Tristaina Lake Trail that seems to have beautiful views and are enriching trails to walk.
• Museu del Tabac: I'm not a smoker but I've never heard of a museum dedicated to tobacco which really seems like an interesting place to visit!

What do you guys think of Andorra? Have you been to Andorra? Have you considered travelling here?

 Leave a comment!