cultural travel (77)

What to do in Spain, Lanzarote


by Nellie Huang

Dry, fiery and dramatic: the landscapes of the Spanish island of Lanzarote are like no other. Born through volcanic eruptions millennia ago, the northernmost of the Canary Islands off the west coast of Africa has since been sculpted by the hands of Mother Nature. Today, the island is home to beautiful beaches as well as stunning volcanic caves and formations.

But amidst the grey volcanic ash and lime-green lagoons of Lanzarote, I’m surprised to find the presence of art. Not just an

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With summer in full swing, this year's series of Dragon Boat Festivals is underway today throughout coastal China; called Duan Wu Jie in Mandarin, they're normally held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Historically, this festival marked the beginning of summer and was celebrated to honor the gods in hopes of a good season. While Hong Kong is said to be the best place to go to take part in the festivities, each major coastal city on the mainland holds its own colorful and exciting races

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For art lovers, there is a museum in
downtown San José that you won't want to miss. Unique in its history, it used to be the terminal of Costa Rica’s old international airport, at the east end of where
Sabana Park
is today.


Costa Rican Art Museum in downtown San Jose

The
Costa Rican Art Museum (Museo de Arte Costarricense)is housed in a beautiful Neoclassical-style building built in the late 1930s. The gorgeous building, a work of art in itself, stages a permanent display of 3,200 national treasures in all media by Costa Rica’s most celeb

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by Nellie Huang

So what has Malaga got to do with world-renowned artist Pablo Picasso? Malaga is, after all, a place on Spain's Costa del Sol more famous for beaches, historical buildings and bullfighting than say, art. Picasso, on the other hand, is a painter and sculptor who gave the modern art world Cubism and a wide variety of other avant-garde art styles.

9008703061?profile=originalIt comes as a surprise to many that not only is Malaga the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, it is also home to a plethora of Picasso-relat

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Good as Gold at San José Museum

A fun outing in the center of San Jose is to go to the Gold Museum, now called the Central Bank Museum, below the Plaza de la Cultura.

It had been years since I had visited the museum, but it remains still one of the highlights of touring Costa Rica’s capitol city. Located conveniently under the Plaza de la Cultura’s east end, just behind the National Theatre and the Grand Hotel, the museum is a cool refuge of culture in a concrete jungle.This year celebrates the 30th anniversary of the museum. I

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Art Attack! Madrid’s Golden Triangle

We all love to travel; it’s an innate part of being human, getting out there and exploring the world around us. We hold within us the desire to explore our surroundings from a very young age, perhaps even starting from the first time we learn to comprehend what is around us as a baby, wandering into places we shouldn’t purely because we want to see what’s there. It is a desire that never quite leaves us, even when we grow and mature over the years, it’s just always there: that yearning, the wand

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World’s Weirdest Museums

20120509_museum.jpgLet's face it: there's an audience for anything. What some tourists find unpleasant, others may say it's their cup of tea. That same formula also applies to cultural activities and touristic attractions such as museums, even the more unconventional ones.

The Dog Collar Museum, Leeds (UK): The name says it all and attracts nearly half a million pet lovers every year! Located in Leeds Castle, the museums displays more than 100 items dating back centuries and celebrates the last owner of the estate,

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On our way to Central America, we arrived today in Mexico City, specifically the southern neighborhood of Coyoacán, which was once its own town. We’d been hoping to visit this very picturesque area of the city, as it’s the place where artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954), known far and wide for her close-set eyebrows and loud, colorful dresses, lived and died.

9008698059?profile=originalThe Mexican poet, photographer and above all painter was also known for her realistic works. Though many would call her a surrealist, her can

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Inspiring. Religious. Beautiful. Every August (in 2015, Aug. 20-23), the enchanting village of Vézelay in Burgundy, some 90 minutes' drive west of DijonFrance brings the rich sounds of classical, spiritual, gospel and liturgical music together in one room during its annual "Rencontres Musicales de Vézelay."

Vézelay, dubbed "One of the Most Beautiful Villages in France" and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a charming town perched high on a hilltop in Burgundy.

Home to stone Romanesque hous
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Sometimes the best vacation is one where you don't go anywhere at all. For the last three years Ray and I have been spending a week in Palm Springs just like the other tourists going to the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Sonny Bono started the film festival 23 years ago and it keeps getting better every year.

The weather was warm and sunny, the relatives flew in from Florida to join us, and we got to do my two favorite things, go to the movies and eat out. As if that wasn't enough we g

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San Diego is best known for beautiful beaches and its world-famous Zoo, but we also enjoy a rich cultural life – including great theatre.

Since mid-November, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR has been wowing audiences at La Jolla Playhouse. I saw the show about a week ago and was positively stunned by the music and the drama.

The show reminded me why I loved all of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s earlier works, but the credit for this production of Superstar goes

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When in Hong Kong, learn about something very Chinese. The Hong Kong Tourism Board offers a kaleidoscope of free cultural programs to help tourist learn about local culture, and one of them is a Cantonese opera appreciation class. This is an old and highly respected art form that blends Chinese legend, music and drama into an exciting performance style, rich in symbolic meaning. The class guides people through the Hong Kong Heritage Museum’s Cantonese opera Heritage Hall and its numerous displ

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Authentic travelers are adventurous. Unlike tourists, we’re open to the unexpected and crave out-of-the ordinary experiences. It’s not that we never go on tours; it’s that we don’t go on “normal” tours that race from one “top attraction” to another.I want you to introduce you to a delightful friend of mine who has been taking small groups to follow in the footsteps of Franz Kafka.

Yes, that Franz Kafka – the mysterious genius – and Dora Diamant the remarkable woman who kept his literary flame a

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A Short Ode to Mexico's Modest Mérida

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More than a few vacationers staying at coastal resorts on the Riviera Maya or Cancun do venture into the interior of the Yucatan peninsula, but for the most part it’s on day trips or overnighters to world-famous Maya ruins such as Chichen Itza and Uxmal. As well they should – but sometimes overlooked amid all the ancient wonder is Yucatan’s capital, Mérida, a four-hour drive inland from the coast (add maybe a couple more hours if you take local roads). With a population of some 800,000, it’s t

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9296557262?profile=originalEthiopian Christmas Festival Celebration at St. Lalibela

Ethiopian Christmas Festival Tour- A cultural tour to the Historic Route of Ethiopia

Step back in time and explore thousands of years of history, legend, and lore as you take this trip to the Historic Route of Ethiopia to witness one of the most colorful and ancient festivals celebrated around the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela.

This is one of the greatest and  most colorful festival  on the Ethiopian calendar. At St. Lalibela, it is celebr

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The Teatro Colón, The Essence Of Buenos Aires

Argentina's largest city, Buenos Aires, possesses several magnificent  tourist attractions. The Teatro Colon is the largest opera house, which is one among all the other majestic attractions. Fly to Buenos Aires and admire this beautiful masterpiece.
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The ‘Paris of South America’, Buenos Aires is known to the world as a complex, energetic, and seductive port city. The capital city of Argentina possesses a rich cultural identity and embraces European heritage. The city is home to one of the world

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A Dublin, Ireland Gem: The Hugh Lane Gallery

There is a modern art gallery in Dublin, Ireland that's not so grand as the Louvre in Paris or the Prado in Madrid

It's the Hugh Lane Gallery and it  could fit several times in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

but none of that matters.

The pocket size gem of a museum houses some of Ireland's most exciting modern and contemporary art, and is home to the actual studio of the wildly eccentric but brilliant Irish artist, Francis Bacon.


Some of the
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hotel-do-sado-alexandra-silva-300x198.gif?width=150Hotel do Sado Business & Nature **** in Setúbal is making several events with a strong relation with Setúbal Region. In the past an event concerning to photography, special occasions (Father´s Day or Mother´s Day) and now is organizing a painting Exposition.

 

The artist will be Alexandra Silva and the exposition will be called of "Mais me Visto, mais the dispo". During several days will be at the Hotel and the release of this event will have a Moscatel of Setubal Tasty Wine to celebrate the suces

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Setúbal Music Festival

9008620265?profile=originalIan Ritchie (Artistic Director of the Festival) and also Director of the famous City of London Festival wants to perpetuate what will be an amazing event in Setúbal at Portugal Dream Coast, called Setúbal Music Festival. 

 

The 1st Annual Setúbal Music Festival will be on May 27th, 28th and 29th of May 2011 and during this three days the Festival will cover 750 years of Portuguese Music, from medieval era up to the editions of this year. The Setúbal Music Festival is the result of synergies betwee

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