It is party time! The New Year Eve is getting close and people around the world are almost ready to celebrate the start of 2010. Here are the New Year’s celebrations and festivities on the biggest capitals of the world.

• Sydney (Happy New Year!) – The fun starts with the firing of the Harbour canon on Fort Dennison at 1 PM, and then fired every hour until midnight . Other events include live music, theatre , street performers, special cruises and fireworks from the Harbour Bridge and the Harbour of Light Parade.
• Rio de Janeiro (Feliz Ano Novo!) – The big party is held at Copacabana Beach with fireworks and around 2 million people, most of them dressed up in white in celebration of peace.
• Tokyo (Kinga Shinnen!) – In Japan it is a tradition that before the New Year’s, balloons are released to pray for happiness and peace. People write their wishes on paper and wait for the countdown. Before midnight on New Year’s Eve, temples around the country begin to ring bells 108 times called joya-no-kane. It is believed that the tolling of the bells purify ourselves of our 108 worldly desires. People say to each other “yoi otoshiwo” which means “Have a nice year passing” on New Year’s Eve.
• Moscow (S Novim Godom!) – The meeting point is Read Square in the heart of Moscow with large crowds gathering to hear the bells of the Kremlin’s clock countdown to year 2010 amidst fireworks and live performances.
• Berlin (Prosit Neujahr!) – On New Year’s Eve, Berlin has the biggest open air party at the Bradenburg Gate with several stages, dance floors and tents with live music, performances, and international Djs. Traditionally, there are also international food stands and bars open all night.
• New York (Happy New Year!) – As every year the meeting point on New Year’s Eve will be at the symbolic center is the iconic Times Square. The ball drop tradition starts at 11:59 pm to arrive exactly at midnight. The celebrations feature musical performances balloons, pom-poms, confetti, a colorful pyrotechnic display and about a million of people.
• London (Happy New Year!) – This year’s fireworks display in Central London will be at the London Eye celebrating its 10th anniversary with the Big Ben countdown, complete with New Year’s Day parade that finishes up in Piccadilly.

Where will you be celebrating New Year’s Eve? Will you be following any rituals or traditions?

Happy New Year!

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No one got the answer last week! The answer to last week’s, Every year, a new President of the Confederation is elected in Switzerland. There has only ever been two women presidents in Switzerland so far, can you tell me the name of the first one and what year she was elected? Was Ruth Dreifuss in 1999

Let’s see if we can do better this week everyone!

Switzerland has a beautiful culture for everyone to enjoy, our final question this week is, Switzerland has four official languages. Can you name them all?

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Santa Claus has to see the world to deliver presents to all the good children. And now you can follow him as he makes the journey in his sleigh and reindeers. The Norad (North American Aerospace Defense) in the US has a satellite and radar technology to track Santa’s fantastic flight around the world and children worldwide can get updates on Google Maps and Google Earth.

The tradition started back in 1955 when a misprinted advert in a Colorado newspaper called Santa on a special hotline but mistakenly put them in touch with Continental Air Defence Command, which later became Norad. As more mistaken calls came in, staff answered the queries and the tradition has grown.

On the 24th of December Santa’s location will be tracked for the whole day and users from around the world will be able to follow his progress. Children can view computer generated images of him flying through world landmarks including Big Ben.

Follow Santa’s progress at Norad and tell us your story!

Merry Christmas from Auto Europe!

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Oh Tobi that’s not the right answer, the right answer was in fact Lake Geneva better luck next time! Let’s see if you can get this week’s question…

Every year, a new President of the Confederation is elected in Switzerland. There has only ever been two women presidents in Switzerland so far, can you tell me the name of the first one and what year she was elected?

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I hope everyone has all their presents under the tree and just can’t wait to open them! I thought I would save this Friday Drivetime will this time because Christmas is only around the corner! With only 1 week to go until the big day of ripping open presents, too much food and useless TV programmes which have been aired since 2000, but hey, it’s a great holiday, let’s just hope for a White Christmas! Traditional Christmas songs have been around since 4th century Rome and these days there are all kinds of Christmas songs around, mostly now covers. I know just how annoying Christmas songs can be, some shops have been playing them since November! I am going to see what one’s I can dish out, some may be bad, some may be good, but, it’s Christmas and it’s a time for happiness.

The Best Of…Christmas:

1. Cliff Richard – Saviour’s Day
2. Slade – Merry Xmas Everybody
3. John Lennon – So This is Christmas
4. Chris Rea – Driving Home for Christmas
5. Michael Jackson – Rockin’ Robin (Not about Christmas but it’s about a Robin!)
6. Brenda Lee – Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
7. Paul McCartney & The Wings – Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time
8. Kylie Minogue – Santa Baby
9. Wizzard – I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday
10. Bing Crosby – Winter Wonderland

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Well Done Sven, the answer to last week’s question was indeed Freddy Mercury, and it was taken in Montreux in Switzerland, well done!

Now for this week’s question…

Switzerland has many beautiful lakes which offer tranquil surroundings as well as chalets for rent which you can enjoy travelling to via a car hire. You can find lakes of all kinds, shapes and sizes for example, Lake Constance borders Germany and Austria which is a freshwater lake that supplies water for south west Germany, or Lake Zurich which is controlled by the Rapperswil Dam.

What we want to know is what is the name of the lake in Switzerland which has the largest body of freshwater in continental Europe?

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2 weeks until Christmas! I hope no is frantically shopping! This week on Friday Drivetime we are going to go back and look at one of the classic singers, none other than Frank Sinatra. He was born in New Jersey and left school without graduating. He began singing in public in the 1930s and he got his first break when he join The Three Flashes and won a prize to sing on the radio. His career has escalated to film as well as music and he has won many awards in his lifetime. Frank Sinatra died in 1998 of a heart attack, but his music still lives on today.

The Best Of…Frank Sinatra:

1. Fly Me to the Moon
2. Let’s Fall in Love
3. Come Fly With Me
4. Theme from New York New York
5. Somethin’ Stupid
6. Love and Marriage
7. The Girl From Ipanema
8. I’ve Got You Under My Skin
9. My Way
10. Summer Wind

Fly me to the moon, Let me play among the stars, Let me see what spring is like, On Jupiter and Mars
In other words, hold my hand, In other words, baby, kiss me… Have a nice weekend!

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Oh Steph! The answer is actually True! Zurich was founded by the Romans in 58 BC as a customs post; and today has the world’s largest gold market! Better luck next time! Let’s see if you can get todays question!

We are going to be a bit different this week, can you tell me… What is this a photo of? Bonus points if you can tell me where!

Hint: It’s somewhere in Switzerland!

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Sometimes we need to dissipate stress and a Spa Holiday is the perfect way to relax, refresh and revitalise yourself.

The Romans found the healing benefits of natural spa waters thousands of years ago, and we are very fortunate to have many mineral-rich springs in Britain to enjoy ourselves today. So why not go with the flow and appreciate the therapeutic waters of Britain ‘s best spas.

• Bath Spa (Avon) – The city designated as UNESCO World Heritage site is home to the best preserved Roman Baths in the world. You can even take a therapeutic dip yourself at the new Bath Spa, the only natural thermal public Spa in Britain.
• Royal Tunbridge Wells (Kent) – The city owes its presence to the discovery of the Chalybeate Spring in 1606 by the young Lord North. It is said that he was riding through the woods and drank from the spring waters and his health improved declaring the water health healing attributes, and so Tunbridge Wells became a popular town. You can still visit Chalybeate Spring and see for yourself if it really cures hangovers!
• Harrogate Spa (Yorkshire) – An ideal place to experience hot chambers, plunge baths and decadent treatments. You can enjoy some anecdotes of Harrogate’s past and taste the smelly sulphur waters at the Royal Pump Room Museum. Or enjoy yourself at the newly redesigned Victorian Turkish Baths with arched roofs and original Arabic mosaics.
• Cheltenham Spa (Gloucestershire) – It became a spa town in 1716 and is one of the most accomplished Regency towns in Britain. The jewel of Cheltenham’s Regency architecture, the Pump Room is the best surviving of the town’s spa buildings. Overlooking the extensive grounds and ornamental lakes of Pittville Park, it’s an ideal place to step back in time and taste the mineral-rich spring waters which are supposed to have the power to cure all illnesses!
• Malvern (Worcerstershine) – The pure spring waters of the Malvern Hills became famous and exported around the world by international beverage Schweppes. Queen Victoria rejected to travel without it and today, it’s the only bottled water used by Queen Elizabeth II – so it must be great! You can take it direct from the source from one of the many free-flowing historical fountains and springs throughout the Malvern area.

Have you been to any of these towns listed? If you know of any other Historic Spa towns in the UK let us know.

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3 weeks until Christmas everyone! Have you started your shopping yet? Shopping centres are packed these days! It’s that time of the week again! Friday Drivetime! Who are we going to look at this week? None other than Led Zeppelin. The band formed in 1968 with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham. There sound consisted of heavy guitars and so they were regarded as one of the first heavy metal bands which gave birth to the genre. Sadly John Bonham died in 1980, which caused the band to split, but today are regarded as “unquestionably one of the most enduring bands in rock history” by Rolling Stone magazine, their legend lives on today with an estimated 200 million albums sold worldwide. So let’s take a look at some of their amazing songs!

The Best Of…Led Zeppelin:

1. Immigrant Song
2. Whole Lotta Love
3. Kashmir
4. Stairway to Heaven
5. Hey Hey What Can I Do
6. Black Dog
7. Fool in the Rain
8. Over the Hills and Far Away
9. Moby Dick
10. The Ocean

I love Led Zeppelin. I love the way their music is kind of experimental with all kinds of sounds. What are your favourite songs? Have a nice weekend!

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