Christmas market in Alsace © by blieusong

Europe’s famous festive markets are a great way to infuse a little tradition, magic and authenticity into your Christmas (shopping). Here’s our pick of the best.

Orthodox Cathedral - highest in Ukraine

Cherkasy is the city in the “heart” of Ukraine that has more than 700 years of its history. All the nature elements are combined here: endless beaches, pine trees greenery, fresh breeze and a great amount of other natural presents will give you the possibility to feel the relax and life energy. The city is located on the bank of Cherkasy Sea, the biggest artificial water basin in Ukraine, and is surrounded by the hugest in the country pine forest. The road to the city contains 17 km dam, the record long engineer construction of Ukraine. You can see a wonderful view on Cherkasy Sea from the dam.

One of my favorite recommendations is for a hotel made out of salt. We stayed at the Hotel Luna Salada when we visited Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat, in Bolivia. There's a good entry over on this blog where mikehowie recounts the experience of walking on the salt flat. He says that "standing on the crisp salt crust, formed millions of years ago, and looking across miles upon miles of brilliant white emptiness, feels like being on another planet." I don't doubt it.