TheBuzz
10
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WIZZ MAGAZINE
Ah, Dubai – home to some
of themost mind-boggling
man-made structures ever made.
Consider themighty Burj Khalifa
–at 829.9m, it’s currently the
tallest building in theworld. Then
there are the famous artificial
Palm Islands, whichwhen finished
will addan additional 520km of
beaches to the city. NowDubai
promises another colossal first:
a five-acre underwater theme
park inspiredby the legend of
Atlantis, andwith sustainable
aims to boot. LA-basedReef
Worlds are finalisinga funding
deal, but it’s hoped the project
will be completedbyDubai Expo
2020. Expect sunken ships, ruins
and statues, as well as countless
fish.
reefworlds.com
WaterWorld
Nothing says goodbye
towinter quite like Venice’s
colourful, maskedCarnevale
.
Most of Venice’s locals cheerfully
leavewhen theworld-famous
celebration rolls into town, but
that doesn’t dampen the fun.
Don’t miss the Volo dell’Angelo
(Flight of theAngel), abeauty
pageant where thewinner gets
to glide through the air on a zip
wire through StMark’s Square.
31 January – 17 February.
carnevale.venezia.it
Ever wanted to visit theGameof Thrones
world?Now you can–by touring locations
aroundNorthern Irelandused in the show
Unless you’vebeen living under a rock the
past five years, youwon’t havemissed the
Game of Thrones
phenomenon. Perhaps the
most popular fantasy TV series of all time, it
centres round thepower strugglebetween
the various tribes ofWesteros.Now fans of
the show can step into the realm of theSeven
Kingdoms by visitingBelfast – one of our
newest destinations –where the fifth season is
currently being filmedat Titanic Studios.
From theNorthern Irish capital you can
visit a host of places that appear in the show,
suchas dramaticMurloughBay, thegorgeous
AntrimplateauwhereNedStark slewaNight
Watchdeserter, and theCastleWard estate
Fireand Ice inBelfast
whose 16th-century ruins stand in forWinterfell;
here you can even takearchery lessons in the
spot where JonSnow taught Bran.
Tour companies have started to take
advantageof the
Game of Thrones
craze.
BritMovie Tours (
britmovietours.com
)
comes
particularly recommendedwith stops at seven
different locations. You can creeparound
CountyAntrim’sCushendunCaveswhere Lady
Melisandregavebirth to the shadowbaby.
Or skulkbeneath theeerieporticoof trees,Dark
Hedges, nearArmoy, known in the showas the
King’sRoad. The tourweaves local legendwith
Games of Thrones
lore to theextent that, by the
end, youwon’t be surewhat’s fact or fiction.
Whether a fanof the showor not, you should
visit theUNESCO-listedGiant’sCauseway
and rugged coasts ofNorthern Irelandwithout
delay. After all, winter is coming.
BELFAST
DUBAI
CarnivalCapers
VENICE
WORDS BY DARREN LOUCAIDES / PHOTO BY BELFAST TOURISM, REEFWORLDS
