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Things to Know About Ireland |
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Thursday, 19 August 2010 11:51 |
An island located close to Britain, Ireland has been in nearly constant conflict with its neighbor. Alas, things have changed dramatically in the last ten years as have Ireland’s fortunes. Religious violence seems to have tapered off and economic growth is some of the strongest in Europe.
Here are ten things to know about the amazing country of Ireland.
1. The island is split between two countries, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
2. Prior to 1921, the entire island was part of and controlled by Britain.
3. In 1921, 26 counties in the south were given independence and became the Republic of Ireland.
4. Northern Ireland is approximately 55 percent Protestant and 44 percent Catholic. This division has led to decades of strife in all aspects of life.
5. Ireland has remained neutral during the two World Wars despite the fact Great Britain played a key role in each.
6. In 1990, Mary Robinson was elected the first female President of the Republic of Ireland.
7. You will find “rag trees” in Ireland. As the name suggests, trees are covered with rags tied to their branches. The rags represent wishes for a variety of things.
8. In some parts of the country, you can go bowling on Sundays. On the public roads! The idea is to roll a heavy ball from the starting point to a finishing point as much as a couple of miles away. The team that does it in the fewest number of throws wins.
9. The ancestors of U.S. Presidents Kennedy and Reagan were Irish.
10. The Patron Saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick, was Scottish!
Ireland has a long and storied history as well as a unique cultural all its own. As you can tell from the above, this is a place you should visit if you get a chance.
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5 Reasons Why Turkey Remains Top Hotspot despite Avian Flu Fears |
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Thursday, 19 August 2010 11:46 |
According to the latest reports from the tourism industry Turkey remains the number one emerging holiday hotspot despite recent cases of the human form of avian flu having been discovered in remote areas of the country.
The appeal of the country for those in search of a dream vacation destination stems from the following five key reasons: -
1) Turkey is a vast country with a rich historical and cultural background that offers the summer holidaymaker some of the most stunningly beautiful and unspoilt beaches on the Mediterranean Sea and some of the most exciting resorts which are becoming increasingly popular with European sports stars and celebrities.
2) The summer sunshine shines in southern Turkey from March until October giving tourists the chance to sample the delights of this inimitably interesting nation throughout the spring, summer and autumn.
3) In the winter Turkey plays host to winter sports fans and those in need of some après ski fun in a wide range of sophisticated ski resorts where prices are far lower than in Austria, Italy or Switzerland but where the quality of facilities and amenities are on a par with those of the best European winter sport resorts.
4) Prices for holiday accommodation to rent or even buy in Turkey are the lowest in the entire Mediterranean region and it’s possible for a family of four to rent a villa with sea views and a private pool for a tenth of the price of a similar property in Spain, Cyprus, Italy or France. Furthermore anyone wishing to buy a holiday home in the sun will save hundreds of thousands of dollars, euros or pounds by buying property in Turkey rather than buying property on the Greek Islands or on the Spanish Costas for example.
5) The accessibility of Turkey is improving all the time as more airlines open up more routes to and from Turkey from across Europe. One of the most recent developments in this area is a new regular British Airways flights from the UK to Dalaman and in terms of domestic flights within Turkey they are incredibly affordable which gives the holiday maker a chance to enjoy a dual or multi location holiday in the vast nation of Turkey. |
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"The Peace Crib" - A Modern Neapolitan Crib In Florence |
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Thursday, 19 August 2010 11:43 |
The first time I came to Italy, in Naples, I was struck by the cribs of 1700. They opened new horizons to me. I was used to the one of the Metropolitan Museum of New York, small and simple at the base of an imposing Christmas Tree.
The cribs of Naples were a real discovery to me!” Together with the crib Yvonne DiPalma – born in Philadelphia – met also the sculptor Michele Attanasio. She fell in love with him, got married and with him opened the “Paul Whistler Art Gallery”, near Sorrento.
For Christmas, in a place where everybody prepares a crib, they started to make one in the Gallery: scenarios by Michele and characters by Yvonne.
This is how it has begun, by chance, the most charming and passionate adventure of the life of this artist. In the first “Installation” there are 20 characters: sculptures representing the people of the town and famous figures.
This was the start of a thirty-year experience. Every year after that debut in 1976-77 it has had more and more success; it was an opening up of a new life.
The crib emigrated to Florence where it found in Monsignor Setti a supporter and in the Basilica of San Lorenzo a home. In the town of iris the two artists found the same enthusiasm of the first time: that miracle of a sincere participation.
After San Lorenzo, it went to Loggia Rucellai (1981), then to Rome, in the Oratory of Santa Maria in Via, then back to Florence, in the church next to the Gallery of San Jacopo Sopr’Arno (1991). In 1992 the crib by Yvonne was the set in the Theatre Parioli of the programme Maurizio Costanzo Show.
Since then, the work increased “at home” until the interlude of Christmas 1999, when it was lent to the 7th International Festival “Costruimo il Natale”, in the crypt of Santa Croce of Florence.
And now let’s know better this very special crib made of characters of about 50-centimetre height. Yvonne creates the body with iron wire, fabric and stuffing.
To be noticed that all clothes are sews one by one and represent the Neapolitan models of the 18th century. The heads and hair are in terracotta; each sculpted head is a masterpiece of refinement. All characters have the features either of people the artist has met in her life or of famous figures, among them many international politicians: the presidents of United States Nixon, Reagan, Carter, then the Russian, Italian, French, Chinese ones etc. Thirty years of history of 1900 in a crib…
Beside the human characters, there is the world of international animals: in addition to the traditional ox and donkey, there are also horses, sheep, cats, elephants, cocks, baboons, rams, kangaroos, etc… all in terracotta reproduced in the minutest details.
How many are the Crib characters now? Yvonne has stopped counting when they have been more than 200!
They have got out of control and have become alive! Indefatigable, Yvonne creates different groups and expressions, always reflecting upon life and world around us.
Do not miss it in Florence, Via San Zanobi 58 - http://www.yvonnedipalma.com
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3 Little Known Tips To Saving Money On Beach Vacation Travel |
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Thursday, 19 August 2010 11:34 |
Here’s a really simple way to save on beach vacation travel. We are going to show you 3 ways to save you some bucks when booking your next beach vacation. The beach is an incredible experience. No matter whether you’ve traveled to far western Australia or taken a quick weekend trip to the Jersey Shore, barring rain, the beach is usually a really enjoyable experience. We’ve taken trips all over the world we’ve missed giant opportunities of money savings that were seemingly all around us if we had just taken the time to do a little extra research. Well, you are in luck. The travel research has been done for you, all you have to do is be willing to keep reading. Before you know it, you’ll be taking the beach vacation of your life, for a steeply discounted price. Here we go:
1) Buy it used. Well, not really used: more like discounted (or unused actually). Sometimes, people can put their vacation opportunities up at real discounts. Did you know that there are all sorts of people out there who own time shares but can’t use them for various reasons? Maybe the season isn’t right, or they can’t seem to get the flight that they need. Ebay has a thriving market for timeshare opportunities. A lot of the listings are permanent (e.g. people looking for others to buy their times shares out completely), but sometimes people are just looking to monetize a weeks worth of timeshare that they can’t seem to use themselves. Their loss can be your opportunity. Ebay is an auction, and the highest price wins usually.
2) Compare everything. Guess what? Expedia and Orbitz seem like they are juggernauts of internet travel and they control a lot of the market. BUT, they don’t have every vendor available. A lot of the discount airlines like SouthWest and JetBlue don’t use either of these massive companies and you can only get their deals by going directly to their website. Don’t’ tell anyone, but from what we’ve heard JetBlue is supposed to have really nice seats and monitors on new planes with really good prices. We haven’t used JetBlue ourselves yet, but it’s supposed be really good (especially at delivering good value on Northeast to Florida routes). That tip alone could save you some bucks while getting you a really nice flight.
3) The first 2 points are perfectly valid in any trip planning but almost worthless when you consider that you might have to shell out a lot more bucks for destinations abroad. There is a beautiful beach state located not too far from anyone East of the Mississippi. That’s right. Florida. Florida is back and it’s beaches are still fantastic. Florida is still beautiful. There has been a lot of development of Florida during the last 50 years, but Florida is still a massive state with plenty of undiscovered beaches. The state of Florida can be great if you know where to look. It’s pretty nice. Trust us….the undiscovered spots of Florida can really be something else. However, they are becoming more and more difficult to find as thousands of people move to Florida every month.
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Alaska, Home of the Eskimos |
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Tuesday, 21 April 2009 13:47 |
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Alaska is one of the original places to find Eskimos, even in the modern Alaska it is usual to still see some Eskimos. Alaska is one of the United States greatest vacation destination, you do not want to miss out. Alaska is the 59th state in America and used to be owned by the Russian Empire. It was only in 1867 when the US Senate approved the purchase of Alaska. They paid around $7.2 million for the state, which would work out at around $111 million today. Places to Stay in Alaska There are loads of places to stay in Alaska from wilderness lodges to modern hotels. The wilderness lodges are the greatest way to get in touch with nature and be able to take in the greatness of the states famous beautiful scenery, the lodges themselves are secluded, luxury and all inclusive, they are great for fishing and outdoor activities such as hiking and climbing. The hotels range from very basic to the prestige and offer everything you need for the night or weekend. Everything in between, like bed and breakfast and camping spots can be enjoyed all around Alaska as well. Getting Around Alaska Getting around Alaska can be fun. As Alaska is the biggest state according to land mass, you have plenty of choice when it comes to traveling. Options include air, water, rail and road. We would recommend that you find something like a base city to stay at and take day trips out by plane and boat, so that you are able to see the most of Alaska. What to Do There are plenty of things to do in Alaska, here are a few options that you have: - Adventure Trips – Alaska has loads of activity centres based all around the state, you can spend a whole day doing something adventurous from hiking on an ice age glacier to dog sledging, climbing rock faces to kayaking rivers. There is plenty to do to suit every ones ability.
- Day Cruises – All day cruises give you the option to see Alaska from a different perspective. With its dramatic mountain scenery, tidewater glaciers and amazing wildlife, you will see whales, seals, sea lions, orcas, sea otters, mountain goats, brown and black bears, puffins and much more.
- Sight Seeing – Sight seeing in Alaska has no bounds, everywhere you go there are sight seeing opportunities, such as whale watching, wildlife and glacier tours to historic towns and gold mines. You will find that there too much to see then you can do.
- Winter Activities – Alaska’s winter activities are amazingly great fun. Alaska runs all year round, but it is during the winter when the real fun begins. There are loads to do from snowboarding and skiing to playing hockey and ice fishing, and when your day is over outside then it only starts inside with amazing food and world class entertainment. Be sure not to miss the Northern Lights.
Alaska is truly an amazing place to go, be it summer or winter, this large state has everything to offer, with all the ingredients to make a unforgettable vacation, which we can say will last in the memories for a life time. The land is beautiful, the atmosphere is electric and the people are fantastic, where else would you really want to be? Nowhere! |
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