Visting Rome

Rome became interestingly popular due to cultural heritage and practice of Catholicism. As these places bear the cultural heritage of Italy and Catholic faith, it gradually captures interest of many to visit Rome for vacation purposes or those who plan for pilgrimage. The following are recommended places to go for travelers or pilgrims worldwide.

• Vatican
• Patheon
• Piazza Navona
• The Vatican City
• The Sistine Chapel
• St. Peter’s Cathedral – Take some time to visit this cathedral as to enjoy various statues, fountains, and the beautiful church dome.
• The Colosseum – Having a few plan along with plenty of so called gelato, this consider as Eternal City describe as quite sweet adventure to forego.
• Forum
• Trevi Fountain – Young couples usually like to throw out three coins and say their wish.
• Spanish Steps – It’s a good venue for people who are mountain climbers or love to climb on high places.
• Rome Guide – In the internet, there are various helpful informative resources that can be found for travelers to refer especially those who are still on the state of planning their travel in Rome. With that, take into consideration of scanning the maps as to know the routes in Rome, the photos, or have a virtual tour using this well known Borghese Gallery.
• Vatican Museum – Officially, it contains guiding photos and text of extraordinary holding artworks. The Vatican Museum solely emphasizes the inclusion of Vatican Library, liturgical services, archives, and State government city information.
• Rome City Guide – Online edition of print guide along with plenty of information on popular sights, restaurants, day travel, freeing Rome, touring around, financial tricks and tips, phones, mail, and more.
• The Café Life Rome – Having an excellent coverage in the archive featuring EasyJet of flight magazine entails of finding a best espresso, gelato (Italian ice cream), cappuccino in Rome.
• The Airport of Leonardo da Vinci and Ciampino Airport. Have the opportunity to conveniently avail their quality service, discounted airline fares, and some other promotional packages.

Scaling (like in dentistry) the Acropolis

Last night I have watched Joanna Lumley’s Greek Odyssey and I have to tell you some things. First I have to say that I’m a big fan of her because of her Patsy Stone role from the British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, one of the best sitcoms ever, produced by the genius of Jennifer Saunders. Second thing about Joanna is that she was a Bond Girl in the movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service, so she was a very beautiful woman. Her first stop in the Greek Odyssey was the Acropolis of Athens and most fascinating thing for me as a dentist was that they use the scaling method to clean the marble. Now, the Acropolis is in restoration and the project is very big. The marble they use now to replace the old peaces is white so we can see the parts that are missing. Of course it is on the lists of UNESCO and you have to see such an iconic building that lasted more than 2000 years. As in case of the Colloseum of Rome, Acropolis suffered a lot in time: it was used as the garrison headquarters of the Turkish army, it was damage during the 1687 siege by the Venetians and it still suffers from the great polluted air of today Athens. I have to thank Irina Russu for some of the postcards.

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Wikipedia For more information, links, pictures and many more Wikipedia is the perfect site to be informed.

Official Site For visiting information (like fees and open days and times) use the official site.
Greece For travel information, the official site of the National Tourist Board, is the perfect location.

 

 

O adevărată raritate este o vedere din Insulele Falkland. Chiar azi am primit una şi o să vă povestesc despre acele locuri. Arhipelagul este format din 2 insule mari şi câteva sute de insuliţe localizate în Atlanticul de Sud. Englezii le numesc Falkland Islands, argentinienii/spaniolii Islas Malvinas. Insulele au fost subiect de dispută între Spania, care prin Argentina, numită în trecut Provincias Unidas del Río de la Plata, guverna arhipelagul, şi Anglia. Navigatorul francez Louis Antoine de Bougainville a fondat actualul Port Louis, pe insula de Est în 1764. În 1765, căpitanul englez John Byron a explorat zona de Vest şi a înfiinţat port Egmont fără să ştie de expediţia franceză. În 1774 are loc războiul de independenţă al Statelor Unite şi situaţia economică determină retragerea britanicilor din Insule, lăsând totuşi în urmă o placă prin care să ateste că insulele aparţin Coroanei Britanice. Spania a mai rămas până în 1806, iar la retragerea lor în Argentina au lăsat şi ei o placă ce atestă că insulele le aparţin. Conflictele au continuat, dar mai serios a fost în 1982 când între Argentina şi Marea Britanie a fost un război în zonă. Astăzi, guvernatorul britanic al Insulelor Falkland, este şi guvernator al insulelor nepopulate South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. De ce să vizitaţi un loc aşa de îndepărtat? Pentru peisajele unice şi biodiversitatea zonei. Se pot observa cinci specii de pinguini, foci, albatroşi, delfini, balene şi câteva specii foarte rare şi endemice. Cum se ajunge acolo: Din Argentina nu se poate ajunge, evident de ce, aşa că singura posibilitate este să ajungeţi în Chile sau din Marea Britanie, din RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire să zburaţi cu un avion RAF destinat zborurilor comerciale (zborul durează 18 ore şi este cu oprire în Insula Ascension).

Une multitude de sites et paysages en la Vallée de la Dordogne

I just have watched the documentary Little England made by ITV in UK and I’m in love with that gorgeous part of France called Dordogne. I’m not the only one in love because there live around 20.000. Brits because they wanted to escape the overcrowded and so expensive Britain.

Château de Castelnaud-la-Chapelle is a medieval castle which dates to the 13th century. It was an important point in the Hundred Years' War but after that was abandoned bit by bit and only in modern times it is a beautiful medieval war warfare museum.

Château de Beynac was built in the 12th century by the barons of Beynac and in the times of the Hundred Years' War it belonged to France. On the other side of the river Dordogne was England and Château de Castelnaud-la-Chapelle was theirs. This castle was used in movie Jeanne d'Arc by Luc Besson and the picturesque town of Beynac was the setting for Chocolat directed by Lasse Hallström.

In the lower left corner of the postcard is the beautiful city of La Roque-Gageac which is included in the list Les Plus Beaux Villages de France.

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Wikipedia For more information, links, pictures and many more Wikipedia is the perfect site to be informed.

Official Site For visiting information (like fees and open days and times) use the official site.
France For travel information, the official site of the National Tourist Board, is the perfect location.

Tocmai ce am urmărit documentarul Little England, realizat de ITV, şi m-am îndrăgostit de o superbă zonă din Franţa. De fapt nu sunt singurul îndrăgostit de Dordogne, pentru că acolo s-au mutat aproximativ 20.000. de englezi care şi-au vândut proprietăţile din Regat şi au căutat ceva mai mult. Ceva mai multă libertate, teren, natură – pentru că Marea Britanie este supraaglomerată şi extrem de scumpă. Franţa şi Marea Britanie au aproximativ aceeaşi populaţie dar Marea Britanie este de trei ori mai mică.

Château de Castelnaud-la-Chapelle este un castel medieval, atestat documentar din secolul al XIII-lea, a avut un rol important în războiul de o sută de ani, a rămas uitat şi s-a distrus în timp, dar a înflorit în vremurile noastre fiind un frumos muzeu de obiecte de război medievale.

Château de Beynac a fost construit în secolul al XII-lea de baronii de Beynac şi în timpul războiului de o sută de ani aparţinea francezilor, în timp ce Dordogne era la graniţa cu Anglia şi Château de Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, situat pe celălalt mal al râului, aparţinea englezilor. Castelul a fost locaţie în filmul Jeanne d'Arc al lui Luc Besson, iar pitorescul orăşel Beynac a fost locul acţiunii filmului Chocolat, regizat de Lasse Hallström.

În colţul din stânga-jos al vederii se află idilicul orăşel La Roque-Gageac, inclus în lista Les Plus Beaux Villages de France.

My first trip in 2012

In a couple of days I will be on the train again. This time , to my native state, city and village. The first and statutory port of halt will be to Chennai aka Madras and then am off on a heritage trail called the Naanjil Naadu tour, to some of the temples and towns in down South in Tamil Nadu bordering Kerala. thereafter I am heading to Thirunelveli and to my dad's village, Kalladaikurichi . It has been more than 20 years since I went to my village and am hoping to make the most of it. The area is rich in eco and wildlife tourism, heritage and culture and am not sure how much time I will have to explore around. However, I am sure to make more trips down South this year.

The Great Pilgrimage to Mecca

I have written about Jerusalem and we all know that it is a holly city for Jews, Christians and Muslims. Today I want to tell you about the holiest city of Muslims, Mecca. It is the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad; he was born in 570. There, in Mecca, angel Jibrīl (Gabriel as we know him) verbally revealed the Quran to the Prophet. The city is located nearby Red Sea, on the territory of Saudi Arabia from 1924, the year Saudi Family conquer the town. Hajj, the great pilgrimage, is performed there annually by millions of Muslims. The postcard that I have shows images of Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām (المسجد الحرام‎) - The Sacred Mosque - the largest mosque in the world. The Muslims gathered around the Black Stone, called Kaaba (Qaaba) (الكعبة‎) (literally means the Cube) which was built by Ibrahim (Abrahaam) and Ismaeel (Ishmael) when they arrived in Arabia. The Golden Door is on the eastern wall of Kaaba and it was made from 300 kg of gold in 1979 by the artist Ahmad bin Ibrahim Badr. The Golden Door replaced the silver one from 1942 created by the father of the artist. A very sacred thing is the Black Stone which is said to come from paradise, from angels to Ibrahim. Muhammad said that it was white as milk but it turn black because of the sins of the sons of Adam. As you have seen, Saud Family did a lot of modifications there and just now the mosque is expanded to 400.000. mp and a new gate named after King Abdullah will be built together with two new minarets, bringing their total to 11.

You have to read this beautiful story (from Wikipedia):

The Hajj is based on a pilgrimage that was ancient even in the time of Muhammad in the 7th Century. According to Hadith, elements of the Hajj trace back to the time of Abraham (Ibrahim), around 2000 BCE. Abraham's wife, Sarah, was unable to conceive, and upon her request, Abraham had taken their female servant, Hagar, as a second wife. Hagar bore Abraham a son, Ishmael. It is believed that Abraham was ordered by God to leave Hagar (Hājar) and Ishmael (ʼIsmāʻīl) alone in the desert. Looking for shelter, food and water, Hagar ran back and forth between the hills of Safa and Marwa seven times with her son. In desperation, she laid the baby on the sand and begged for God's assistance. The baby cried and hit the ground with his heel (some versions of the story say that the angel Gabriel (Jibral) scraped his foot or the tip of his wing along the ground), and the Zamzam Well miraculously sprang forth.

The postcard is from ASDF. Thank you!

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Wikipedia For more information, links, pictures and many more Wikipedia is the perfect site to be informed.

Official Site For visiting information (like fees and open days and times) use the official site.
Saudi Arabia For travel information, the official site of the National Tourist Board, is the perfect location.

Am scris ceva despre Ierusalim şi ştim cu toţii că este oraş sfânt pentru evrei, creştini şi musulmani. Azi vă povestesc despre un alt oraş sfânt, de data asta doar pentru musulmani. Mecca este oraşul în care profetul Mohamed s-a născut în anul 570. Tot acolo Jibrīl (Gabriel pentru creştini) îi transmitea Coranul profetului. De aceea Mecca este cel mai sfânt loc pentru musulmani şi un loc obligatoriu de pelerinaj, numit Hajj. De asemenea, atunci când se roagă, musulmanii se îndreaptă tot spre Mecca. Ca localizare, oraşul este foarte aproape de Marea Roşie, pe teritoriul Arabiei Saudite din 1924 când familia Saud a cucerit oraşul. Hajj, marele pelerinaj la Mecca, este realizat anual de milioane de musulmani din întreaga lume. Vederea pe care o am prezintă imagini cu Moscheea Sacră (Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām (المسجد الحرام‎)). Pelerinii s-au strâns în jurul pietrei negre, numită Kaaba (Qaaba) (الكعبة‎) (în traducere Cubul); Kaaba a fost construită de Ibrahim (Avraam) şi fiul lui Ismaeel (Ismael) atunci când s-au stabilit în Arabia. Uşa de aur este plasată pe peretele dinspre est al Kaabei şi a fost realizată în 1979 di 300 kg de aur. Uşa de aur a fost realizată de artistul Ahmad bin Ibrahim Badr şi a înlocuit uşa de argint realizată în 1942 de tatăl lui. Un element foarte important este Piatra Neagră ce se spune că este din Paradis şi a fost trimisă de îngeri lui Ibrahim. Mohamed a spus că piatra a fost albă ca laptele dar păcatele copiilor lui Adam au făcut ca ea să devină neagră. Familia Saud a avut un rol important în dezvoltarea moschei. Au început lucrări care o să mărească suprafaţa ei la 400.000 mp, se construieşte o nouă poartă şi încă două minarete (astfel se ajunge la un total de 11). Din păcate, cei care nu sunt musulmani nu pot să viziteze acest loc.

Journeys 2012 - Less is more

Exactly a year ago, I had written this post on Travel Plans for 2011. Knowing very well that travel + planning isnt really my forte I safely put forth a vague idea of where I would like to be in 2011.I have no intentions of analysing the post, but I would guess 2012 would be fairly similar. I am cutting down random trips and would like to focus more on people and their stories. Culture and heritage will continue to be my focus and the trips are also likely to be short and simple rather than elaborate itineraries.

1.Destinations International .I would like to go somewhere in Asia or Australia this year. Or even Europe and Middle East...let me see where the roads take me . One trip is planned already in January and I will update you on this in a couple of weeks.

2. Cultural and touristy festivals ..I have often stayed away from these as I am not really a crowd person, but I would like to visit them just for the festivity this time

3. Cities and metros - This is something new - I have always shunned big cities , but I am craving to go to Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, especially the latter.

4. My roots  - This was planned last year, but I am finally going this year. And hopefully I will make a couple of more trips to my village

5. Destinations India - I had travelled extensively in the South last year, but this year, I would like to head west and north. I would like to go to Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and North East this year. 

And then of course, I am waiting for those weekend getaways and day trips which I thoroughly cherish ..So join me on my travels and follow me on Facebook as I update on the move.

Vienna New Year's Concert

In 1939 was born a tradition that still fascinates the entire world, Vienna New Year's Concert. The concert takes place at first of January at noon in the Großer Saal, Musikverein. The beauty of the hall, ornate with gold leafs, is accentuated by the beautiful floral ornaments that are donated each year by the Italian city of Sanremo. The songs performed are chosen by the director. In 2012 the concert was directed by Mariss Jansons from Latvia and he has chosen some songs dedicated to his town Sankt Petersburg, including two pieces of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, famous Russian composer. The majority of the songs is composed by the family Strauss and includes waltzes, polkas, mazurkas, and marches. One of the most famous is Johann Strauss II's waltz The Blue Danube and the concerts ends with Johann Strauss I's Radetzky March, during which the audience claps along under the conductor's wry direction. The demand for tickets is so high that people have to preregister one year in advance in order to participate in the drawing of tickets for the following year. Some seats are preregistered by some Austrian families and passed down from generation to generation. Happy New Year!

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Wikipedia For more information, links, pictures and many more Wikipedia is the perfect site to be informed.

Official Site For visiting information (like fees and open days and times) use the official site.
Austria For travel information, the official site of the National Tourist Board, is the perfect location.

În 1939 s-a născut o tradiţie care a ajuns să fascineze întreaga lume, este vorba de concertul de anul nou de la Viena. Concertul are loc în 1 ianuarie la orele prânzului în Großer Saal, Musikverein. Frumuseţea sălii, numită şi de aur, este accentuată de aranjamentele florale donate în fiecare an de oraşul italian Sanremo. Dirijorul ales face selecţia muzicală, majoritatea pieselor fiind compuse de familia Strauss. În 2012 concertul a fost dirijat de letonul Mariss Jansons şi selecţia muzicală a cuprins inclusiv piese ce au legătură cu oraşul în care a devenit celebru, Sankt Petersburg, fiind şi două piese ale compozitorului rus Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Printre valsuri, polci, mazurci şi marşuri, sunt cântate cel mai adesea Dunărea Albastră (Johann Strauss II) şi Neue Pizzicato Polka (astfel numită pentru că instrumentele sunt ciupite). Totul se încheie cu celebrul Marş Radetzky compus de Johann Strauss tatăl; totul este interactiv prin participarea publicului care bate din palme la îndemnul dirijorului. Biletele la concert se atât de cerute încât se trage la sorţi cine are dreptul să le cumpere şi nici nu costă puţin, ajungând la câteva sute de euro. La mulţi ani!