Monthly Archives for November 2013

Best Things to Do in Rome

Best Destinations - Amanda - November 19, 2013

If you had a week it probably will not be enough time to soak in all that Rome has to offer. This is a city that was the centre of the European World two thousand years ago and still has as much of that allure as it did then today. They say “See Rome and Die” and with the number of spectacles the city has to offer there is some real truth to that. With so many things to do in the city some guidance most certainly can be helpful to direct you in the right direction. Some of the best things to do in Rome include.

trevi_fountain

Trevi Fountain
Piazza di Trevi | Rome
Built in the mid 18th century the Trevi Fountain is a great example of baroque design mixed with ancient Roman Mythology. The scene portrayed involves Neptune emerging from his pool flanked by his trusty Tritons. Roman folk lore says that if you toss one, two, or three coins with your right hand over your left shoulder different good lucks will be bestowed upon you. One coin means you will return to Rome, while two coins means you will fall in love with an attractive Roman, while three coins means you will marry that same Roman. Many feel Trevi Fountain is best seen at night when it lights illuminate the fountain and give it a luminous appearance. Trevi fountain is located near a high concentration of shopping, nightlife, and hotels so is quite easy to find.

Church of San Luigi dei Francesi
Via Santa Giovanna d’Arco 5
A great free attraction to visit in Rome is the San Luigi dei Francesi which features some great works by the Baroque artists Caravaggio. The three works Matthew and the Angel, Matthew’s Martyrdom, theCalling of St. Matthew attraction legions of art lovers each year to enjoy their great opulence. The church closes each day at lunch time and can be found in the Navona neighborhood near the Barberini metro stop.

Trastevere
Trastevere | Rome
If you want to get a sense of what Rome is like, beyond all the attractions and tourists, then head to the Trastevere section of town located just to the south of Vatican City. Trastevere has dozens of restaurants visited by real Romans and affordable shops as well as a great café culture. Walking over the Ponte Sisto leads to a truly stunning view over St Peter’s Basilica to the north and the Gianicolo Hills to the west.

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Touring Around Detroit

Stories and Travel Info, World Travel - Amanda - November 12, 2013

Some say that Detroit has gone on to hard times after recently declaring civil bankruptcy. Though this cannot rightfully be denied, it cannot be denied either that the home of Motown and the heart of automotive industry in the US still has things to offer to visitors. Becoming more and more a haven for artists there is a great art scene developing in the lower rent studios and art spaces around the city. A few different things to do in Detroit include.

Detroit-Institute-of-Arts

Detroit Institute of the Arts
5200 Woodward Avenue
Dating back to 1885 the Detroit Institute of Arts is a massive complex that includes 100 galleries, an 1,150 seat auditorium and a 380 seat lecture hall. With an extensive and well praised permanent collection that includes works such as Vincent Van Gogh’s “Self Portrait” and Diego Rivera’s “Detroit Industry.” The institute also regularly uses its auditorium to host different Friday night concerts as well as once a month brunches with Bach! Visitors to the institute compare it favorably with art galleries around Europe and the US in far larger cities. What is highly lauded is ipads being given to patrons so they can use them to learn more about the art they are viewing. The museum is closed on Monday and Tuesdays and is open from 10 am to 5 pm the remaining days. Admission costs $8 dollars for adults.

Motown Historical Museum
2648 West Grand Boulevard
From 1959 to 1972 Detroit’s Motown record label was a virtual hit making machine. With recording artists under their label such as the Supremes, the Temptations and the Jackson Five Motown helped create an entire genre of music that permanently changed the American music landscape. Now the Motown studios have been altered into a museum to commemorate this trend setting label. The original interior has been kept the same and tour guides can now walk people through Motown delivering tales of the studio in its hay day and the different stars that walked its halls. Perhaps, though the greatest moment to be enjoyed is actually walking into the recording studios where so much hit music was created. The Motown museum can be found on West Grand Boulevard in the Boston Edison Historic District, it is open from 10 am to 6 pm and admission costs around $10 dollars. The museum is closed on Mondays.

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More Reasons to Visit London

Getting Lost, Stories and Travel Info - Amanda - November 5, 2013

Home of the Summer Olympics of 2012, a thousand and one pubs, the Queen’s residence… this is London, England one of the world’s preeminent destinations. Reasons to come here are vast and personal to each person, but in a celebration of this city’s never ending energy and cosmopolitan vibe we will celebrate a few of them here. Still more reasons to visit London include.

West-End-London-England

Speaker’s Corner
Every Sunday Hyde Park in London hosts a weekly event called Speaker’s Corner. As the title alludes to Speaker’s corner is a chance for each and every person to speak their mind. A vastly entertaining event varied people – some well educated, some not – stand on milk crates speaking on topics dear to them which often connect to religion and politics. The joy of this event is learning about varied topics and doing some people watching while listening to the crack pots rant. What gives the event additional colour is that the talks are two sided as people from the crowd also involve themselves shouting things out. A trip to London will not glimmer quite as much as it can without a trip to speaker’s corner.

Camden Town
Bohemian London starts and ends in Camden Town. Filled with various markets and shops people descend to this part of the city to purchase funky clothes: goth, mod, eletroinca, rocker, jewelry, crafts, music, books and anything else the mind can think of. Camden has long been a location where many of London’s most up and coming bands play. There is also a great theatre and art scene here too.

West End Theatres
A trip to London needs time spent in the city’s second to none theatre district. From the classics – like Shakespeare and Dickens, to the avant garde – like Samuel Beckett – any variety of theatre is performed here. People often look to the cheaper ticket wholesalers around Leister Square to secure themselves cheaper tickets to the show.  Seeing performances in, the world famous, west end theatre district is definitely one of the main reasons for visiting London.

Pub Life
People come to London to sit in a pub and watch the evening go by. There is no place that celebrates the pub to the same extent and enjoys so feverishly a good old drink after work on the week day than the pubs across England and in London. People come to the pubs to watch sports and spend their leisure time. More so than anywhere else the pub is a respected place to gather and not seen as a den of vice. When you come to London you have to get down to the good old pub too, and have a pint of the famous – if not tasty – English bitters.

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