cultural travel (77)

Why Philadelphia Is For Art Lovers


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The 72 steps leading up to the Philadelphia Art Museum are called the “Rocky Steps” after Rocky’s run up the flight in the movie of the same name. It became symbolic of the ability of an underdog to triumph. Today some tourists run up the steps in Rocky fashion.  Others walk.  The view at the top is great. A 10-foot tall bronze Rocky statue was originally at the top of the steps and then moved to the bottom of the steps where it became a popular attraction.  However, it was considered a movie p

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The Magnificent Museums of Madrid

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In 2014, Spain's capital marked another cultural high point when the National Archaeological Museum reopened after a six-year, €65-million renovation. It’s still housed in the same handsome 19th-century neoclassical building on Calle Serrano in downtown Madrid, and still displays a wealth of world treasures including some unique to Spain such as a replica of the spectacular Altamira Caves prehistoric art and the iconic Celto-Iberian bust known as theLady of Elche (top). What’s different is a

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Navigating London’s 'Theatreland'

Even though many people who come to London take in a show, many more forget "Theatreland" is there. Don't believe me?

Those on a business trip to London don’t consider it, yet a night at the theatre is a great way to spend a spare evening on your own or entertaining a business customer that you may not know too well.

Newlyweds don't think about it, but what can be more romantic than seeing a top West End show with your beautiful new wife or handsome husband?

And budget travellers don't but surprisi

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According to theatrebreaks.co.uk's recent poll studying UK Theatregoers theatre-going preferences, family-friendly shows such as Wicked, Disney's The Lion King and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are what we most want to see in London's West End.

9008913497?profile=originalCharlie and the Chocolate Factory

You can see our colourful infographic at http://www.theatrebreaks.co.uk/top-uk-shows-seen-see/

TheatreBreaks.co.uk asked over 3200 UK theatregoers what shows they have enjoyed and what shows they think they would like to

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Hi all,

travelers to major cities want to take in excellent theater at bargain prices. If you're in NYC this weekend, you have got to check out this off-off Broadway piece at Astoria Performing Arts Center in Queens. Here's my review from The Queens Gazette newspaper:

 

A Hard Wall At High Speed: Powerful Play Hits Home 

BY GEORGINA YOUNG-ELLIS

A scene from A Hard Wall at High Speed at the Astoria Performing Arts Center. A scene from A Hard Wall at High Speed at the Astoria Performing Arts Center.

 

I don’t recall ever watching a play that had the audience glued to their seats

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9008819498?profile=originalIn the heart of San Jose, Costa Rica, the National Theatre (Teatro Nacional) remains one of the capital city’s most popular tourist attractions

The ornate Neo-Classical theatre is considered the finest historic building in San Jose, and is known for its exquisite interior decorated with lavish furnishings and beautiful murals.

9296583872?profile=originalOne of the theatre’s main ceiling murals, in fact, was just named one of “10 great ceilings around the world,” according to an article in USA Today. The famous painting is

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Have you ever been to Barcelona at Christmastime? Sure, sun and sandy beaches come to mind, when mentioning this name, but Christmas is very special for the Catalans.

If you haven’t visited the city at this time of the year, do so – the temperature are high enough for pleasant stroll down the streets, full of lights. And there are loads of things to do in Barcelona. You can best feel the spirit of the festivities at Fira de Santa Llucia, the most traditional Christmas market in the city. Here you

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CAMEROON CULTURAL TOURS

DAY 1
Thu – CDG - DOUALA
Arrival in the afternoon at the Douala International airport
Overnight to Le Meridien hotel (4*)

DAY 2: 
DOUALA - BUEA – LIMBE
Breakfast and continue to Buea going through the colonial rubber and banana plantations. Arrival in
Buea, we visit the old German colonial governor‘s residence standing majestically at the foot of mount
Cameroon, from this same port we would have a very clear view of the mountain. Then a stop at the
tole tea factory, continuation to Limbe,departu

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Free Museum Hopping in New York City

There are about 80 museums in New York City. Most of them are in Manhattan,
and nine of those museums are located along what's called New York City Museum
Mile, along Fifth Avenue.

 

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The American Museum of Natual History

 

Museum Mile begins with the New York City
Metropolitan Museum of Art at Fifth Avenue and 82 St. (1000 Fifth Ave,
New York City, NY, 10028) and ends with the Museum of El Barrio on Fifth
Avenue and 104 Street (1230 Fifth Ave. New York, NY 10029). In between, there
are the Guggenhei

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by Inka Piegsa-Quischotte

9008633055?profile=originalThree images are especially iconic when it comes to Turkey: the Blue Mosque of Istanbul, the library at Ephesus, and the whirling dervishes of Konya. But despite all the time I’ve spent in this country, until I visited the dervishes’ annual festival last December, I didn’t truly know what they were all about. “Konya offers a unique opportunity to learn about the Sufi philosophy and the significance of the dance in the place where it all originated,” my Turkish friend

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The exact origins of capoeira are uncertain, although most people recognize that it was created by the 16th-century African slaves who were shipped across the Atlantic. The movements contain unmistakable native Brazilian influences. What noone can deny is that capoeira has been around for almost 500 years and is now as powerful a cultural symbol of Brazil as it ever has been.

Capoeira – The Early Years

Practicing a form that's part dance, part martial art, a capoeira fighter is distinguished

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Vienna Travel: ‘I am trying to convince a group of friends to visit Vienna Austria. We are planning our annual city trip. My friends love the good things in life and like culture. Which tips would win them over for a Vienna city break?’, my ex boss recently asked an unusually simple question.

I can actually write a book about the answer. Here are my key winning arguments that will provide the final kick to any culture traveler for visiting my hometown.

 

Two UNESCO World Heritage sites

 

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If you love

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Many of those who visit the Dominican Republic for its golden sandy beaches, tropical forests, and adventure in Jurassic Park-esque settings discover that it's also home to a world of rich culture, intriguing history and especially some world-class contemporary art.

One of the DR modern art scene's most famous figures was the late Cándido Bidó, whose work earned him international fame in Europe, the United States and the Middle East. His works were highly sought after by foreigner collectors s

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Visitors to Costa Rica’s northwest Guanacaste region probably don’t realize the area was once a thriving community for the indigenous Chorotega tribe. Indigenous history and traditions maintain a low profile in the Central American country, yet if you look closely they are all around you.

Spreading across Costa Rica’s entire northern Pacific zone, Guanacaste, for instance, is called the “Chorotega region” after its original inhabitants. The Nicoya Peninsula is named for a Chorotega chief who rule

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I'm something of a language geek, and I'm particularly fascinated by the linguistic patchwork of Europe. I mean, many of us know about Spain's regional languages like Catalan, Basque, and Galician. But when it comes to, say, Germany, Italy, or France, I've found many people tend to assume everybody speaks only German, Italian, and French.

They forget , though (or maybe never knew), that such countries were formed from a, yes, patchwork of regions with sometimes quite distinct cultures and lan

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Peru's a Perfect Place to Ring in the New Year

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Why is that? Well, Peru offers a New Year’s experience to appeal to virtually any and every type of traveler. It’s famously filled with the mystical and the historic. It also offers high culture, unsurpassed ecotourism, and adrenaline-pumping adventure. Add in a plethora of superb hotels, restaurants and spas, and it all adds up to a special occasion you’ll never, ever forget. Another year? Bring it on.

Top Peruvian New Year’s Traditions

To ensure a new year full of good luck and prosperity,

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Associated traditional stage arts with tourism

Mr. Le Tien Tho-Chairman of the Vietnam theater artist-says: To promote and preserve traditional stage arts need to build and determine which is the national target, it is the heritage chemical. In particular, must be associated traditional stage arts to tourism, there are exchange programs, introducing traditional art with international friends …

To do this, first of all, the performing arts have to innovate by improving infrastructure, building and program content appropriate time to perform wi

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Most tourists to Costa Rica never see San José. They are whisked off from the Juan Santamaria International Airport outside the city to the “pretty” sights of the country; or they fly into the northern Guanacaste international airport at Liberia and don’t go anywhere near the Central Valley. That’s too bad. San José has a lot to offer … from museums to art galleries, plazas, walking boulevards, shady green parks, hidden architectural gems and great restaurants … you just have to know where to lo

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Q: What has Shakespeare got to do with Gdansk?

A: The fact that the first Shakespeare theatre built in Gdansk, was during the dramatist's lifetime! . Professional English actors have been coming here each summer from 1600 to 1650, bringing with them his masterful plays. As the result in about 1611, a theatre was built along the lines of those in London. It was equipped with three gallery tiers for the audience (similar to the London's Globe), had an open stage and an open-air courtyard. The thea

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If you enjoy visiting art museums, Paris really is the place to go. In the last 20 years or so, Paris museums 
re-organised their collections and the musée d'Orsay became the  receptacle for art dated between 1848 and 1914.

The Gare d'Orsay

The building that houses the collection used to be a train station and hotel, which due to its proximity to the Louvre needed to be built sympathetically. Its inauguration in 1900 revealed a very fine building where the stone façade hid the metal structure

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