Posts tagged: museums

Belo Horizonte, the City of Music and Parks

Belo Horizonte is a city in Brazil, and is one of the cities where matches will take place World Cup 2014. The city, sometimes known as Beag, is one of the largest cities in the country.

Belo Horizonte is the capital of Minas Gerais. The city dates from the eighteenth century and still retains some of the buildings in classical style. The city has a contemporary style with modern buildings, like the Pampulha Complex, one of the icons of the city.

There are city views to the hills and mountains nearby. The city has numerous parks, such as the downtown City Park. The Parque das Mangabeiras, near the Praca do Papa, is one of the highest points of the city.

There are larger parks, among which is the Parque das Mangabeiras, which is six miles from downtown. Since this park is stunning open views towards the Serra do Curral and the city. Another park highlight is the natural reserve of Parque das Mangabeiras, where several species of birds and mammals.

The region is famous for its music. Some bands, like Uakti using traditional materials like wood, metal or glass to create music with an edge, yet traditional. The dance is also important in the life of this city. There are many groups devoted to contemporary dance. Each year, some dance schools are responsible for organizing projects to promote dance in the most troubled regions of the city.

There are several museums in the city. There are some museums, like the Museum of Mineiro or Abílio Barker Historical Museum. The city has several museums dedicated to art, as the Pampulha Museum of Art. Other museums are devoted to natural history, such as the Natural History Museum, Botanical Gardens and the Museum of Mineralogy. There are some curious museums, like the Telephone Museum or the Museum of Puppetry, which belongs to the comedy troupe Giramundo.

The theater is an important part of the city’s cultural life. Theatre companies strive to create plays of various streams. Notable groups, next to City Hall of Belo Horizonte, are responsible for preparing the biennial festival, filling the streets with artists, courses on theater and theater.

Belo Horizonte is famous for his drink Cachaca. La Comida di Buteco is a food festival every year chooses the best snacks and tapas bars in the region.

Some of the most interesting of the city are the historic and Pampulha. Other interesting neighborhoods is the neighborhood of Lourdes, famous for the Basilica of Lourdes, and the district of Santo Agostinho, where is located the Church of Nossa Senhora de Fátima.

The neighborhood of Pampulha is the most contemporary of the city, and here is the Mineirao stadium, one of the largest in the world. The Church of Sao Francisco de Assis is one of the most visited, with a modernist architecture.

The impressive historical center of the city stands the Cathedral Boa Viagem and the Church of Sao Jose. For here too there are several museums, one located in the old station Estacao da Praca. In Sete de Setembro Square is the Obelisk, 1922 an obelisk that celebrates a century of independence of Brazil from Portugal.

The liveliest area of the city is Savassi, full of restaurants, bars and galleries. Here also is the Praca de Liberdade and the Palácio de Liberdade, which, curiously, was the first building in the city. The most unique is undoubtedly the Rua do Amendoim, known for creating an optical illusion or a magnetic done when the cars parked on the hill seems to climb uphill.

Singapore, the City of Lions

Singapore is an island in the Pacific, the city-state of the world’s largest, 710 square kilometers. This city, which has many features in common with the neighboring state of Malaysia, is a charming Asian country. The island is now a big city, traditional in the suburbs, urban and modern interior.

Singapore known for its culture and urban Malay have come together in this city during the past ten years. Chinese cultures, Arabic, Indian and Malay have been mixed in this one place, making the city a true multicultural and metropolitan core. Here you can view a statue of British generals during colonization, traditional pagodas of various religions, including Hindu and Buddhist and Christian basilicas, museums with exhibitions of all cultural trends in Singapore and thousands of unique aspects of this island city state. In addition, this city still has the features of settlers, and over one hundred years belonged to the British Empire. As an example, one can visit the white statue of Thomas Stamford Raffles, in the same spot where he landed and became widely considered as the founder of modern Singapore.

The concrete jungle of Singapore continues to have a lung in the city, as the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is the only piece of rainforest remaining on the island. In addition, it is recommended to visit the Singapore Botanic Gardens, an ideal place to relax and hang out between natures in the city.

It is worth walking through the main streets of the city, full of traditional jobs and impressive skyscrapers. The city’s main street, Orchard Road or Jalan Kebun, is the most beautiful city with many shops and cafes, casinos and clubs, hotels and business centers.

In this city there are many theaters and museums. Every year there is held the Festival of the Arts, a festival that attracts many tourists with its fusion of Eastern and Western cultures. There you can see all kinds of art, from theater and dance to modern art and contemporary art mixed with the new visual arts.

In the city one can visit the villages known as kampong, small traditional villages in the countryside, or if you can arrange an unforgettable and exciting journey by train across the country. One can make a luxurious train ride will take you through a Singapore to Bangkok and the Malay Peninsula. The train stops, one can enjoy a traditional tea in the traditional coffee shops, or see the religious pagodas are located in the hills. Moreover, one can observe the traditional landscapes of this part of Asia, with its tea plantations and rice fields, crossing small streams and observing their local populations. On the train, one can learn all you want about the endless culture of Singapore, from the same train where everything is decorated with opulence and luxury, and even the cars are lacquered with many Chinese decorations, Malaysian and Thai silk items.

Recently, the city has become an attractive tourist city, with nightlife that will soon rival that of Tokyo or Hong Kong. Its cuisine has also developed and adapted to the modern world, with thousands of traditional food stalls in the main streets. One can stroll through the traditional markets, enjoy the best Asian food or visit the Esplanade and Bay Theatres.

Prague, Trip to the Ancient Heart of Europe

The capital of the Czech Republic has been in recent years one of the most popular tourist destinations and more affordable.

In 1992 the historical core of Prague became part of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage of UNESCO. The statement is just one more reason to visit the city, being one of the oldest cities in Europe that is noted only tread its soil. The city has an aura of mystery and melancholy that stops time, full of different architectural styles is logical that it is the cradle of dark legends and home to writers such as Kafka, the stroll through its streets is one of the best exercises inspiring may exist.

Among the buildings we mixtures Renaissance, Baroque, Art Nouveau, Gothic … it all feels like a place almost of enchantment that has been used as the setting for many movies and be there to understand why …

The city was born as a result of the construction of the Prague Castle (now the Presidential headquarters Castle) on the banks of the Vltava river, the foundations of the city dating from the Middle Ages, but was inhabited in the Paleolithic era and was the settlement of a Celtic tribe in the sixth century BC.
It is advisable to visit the city in autumn, and winters are quite hard and very hot summers, as well as best you can enjoy Prague is loitering, which is not nice if the weather is not accompanied by at least a little.

For lovers of literature this is a place of worship, because Prague is where Kafka stayed and where they came his best works. Some of the places where he lived as a tenant in a room are now small museums in particular is one that is in the old street of the alchemists to the king Rodolfo accommodate those who sought the philosopher’s stone, the place is easily recognizable because house is a small gray facade lined the cobblestone street is in the same spot as the astrological clock and the central square where the executions took place. It is one of the most crowded areas so that there will be no trouble finding it.

Among the attractions of the city we have the Charles Bridge, with thirty statues of saints and that is a place of pilgrimage for believers Czechs.

It is also well known Jewish Quarter: Josejov, one of the oldest in Europe and transmitting the last anguish during the war and is interspersed with the boom that has today. They are also well-known ancient Jewish cemeteries and synagogues, one of them the Klausen Synagogue where they are exposed many children’s drawings made during the Holocaust.

One feature of Prague is the beautiful and dramatic mix, effect that filters its people, as they are very reserved, a result that this area was always the center of many wars and conflicts, but no longer a magical travel to perform.

Take Vacation to Amsterdam

Take Vacation to AmsterdamTake Vacation to AmsterdamAmsterdam is one of Europe’s most charming cities, attracting millions of visitors every year. The architecture appears to challenge gravity as higgledy-piggledy canal houses lean against one another like dominoes.

The winding lanes of the Jordaan district, the city centre cafes and lush expanse of the Vondelpark all form part of the overall appeal, not to mention the world class museums and bustling nightlife.

Amsterdam is simply magical to visit during winter and New Year in the city is busy and bustling. Queen’s Day, held on 30 April each year, is one of the liveliest days on the annual calendar when visitors and residents alike gather together for one the world’s biggest street parties merged together with markets.

Summer heralds a seemingly never-ending myriad of festivals, concerts and parades to keep you occupied.

Whatever time of year you decide to visit the capital city of Holland, getting there is easy and getting around the city itself is even easier.

Situated at one of Europe’s busiest crossroads, Amsterdam has excellent air and rail links, as well as busy ferry ports.

Amsterdam is served by Schipol International Airport which lies within easy reach of the city centre at just 18km. Schipol is the Netherlands’ main international airport and the fourth busiest passenger terminal in Europe.

Schiphol is connected to Amsterdam Central Station with a direct rail link. Trains run every ten minutes or so, departing from platforms one and two in the main arrival plaza and usually returning from Central Station at platform 14. Single journey tickets cost a few Euros and catching the train is the quickest and most convenient way to get from the airport to the city centre with the journey taking around 20 minutes.

From the airport, tickets are sold at the ticket office but if you have some change you can skip the queues and surcharge and use the self service ticket machines instead. Airport shuttles, taxis and limousines also run between the airport and the city centre.

Once you get into the city centre you will probably notice that the locals preferred method of getting around is by bike. Dedicated cycle lanes make it safe, quick and easy to navigate your way around and there are several bicycle companies situated at locations throughout the city.

Amsterdam is also a walking friendly city. You can cover most of the old town within 30 minutes and the outer city limits can be reached within an hour or so. Taking a walk around the streets is one of the best ways to soak up the atmosphere that makes Amsterdam so popular and means you can pop into any shops that tickle your fancy.

Most public transport within the city is by tram whereas buses and the subway serve the outer destinations.

Whatever time of year you book your flights to Amsterdam, a canal cruise is a great way to take in the city’s sights from a different viewpoint and offers an alternative way of getting around.