Holidays in Egypt on the rise, and the amount you can learn is phenomenal!

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Posted by Lisa | Posted in General Travel | Posted on 18-08-2009

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Egypt is a massive country in the north east of Africa. Egypt certainly is a big country, but the country itself has even more to offer any tourist. The history of Africa is greater and longer back than that of any other.

So why go on Egypt holidays, well I will explain what advantages there are in this post. If you are the kind of person that enjoys learning about the ancient world, or wanting to discover something new, then this is the place for you. Egypt has an incredible history, also containing the most ancient writing on the planet. The Egyptians were the first of the real civilizations, they had pharaohs and slaves who built the massive pyramids. Considering its size, there are not that many people that live here, only 76 million. Egypt has a large culture base, but almost ninety percent of the population are Islamic.

This is a great location for relaxing holidays, adventure holidays and also for some brilliant diving experiences. Not to mention the Great Pyramids and the sphinx. Cairo has been world renowned as the place or learning, culture and commerce. The best place to learn about all of Egypt’s history is Cairo, it contains so much information about Africa and the beginnings of the Civilizations of the world.

With tombs and pyramids, statues and sculptures, Egypt isn’t exactly short of some amazing art. Considering their age, they have lasted well throughout the years, this is a great experience for any art or culture student wanting to learn something extraConsidering their age, they have lasted well throughout the years, this is a great experience for any art or culture student wanting to learn something extra.

Egypt has now become adept at many different sports, but like many other countries their national sport is now Football. Egypt has been a member of the Football history for over 100 years and so has just as much enthusiasm in the sport as other countries do. Egypt has also been popular in Squash and Tennis, although not quite as big as Football.

 

This Land contained some of the most amazing history the world has ever seen, great holidays!

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Posted by Lisa | Posted in General Travel | Posted on 15-08-2009

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In Africa you can be sure to find all kinds of diverse and different cultures, creatures and a very deep past. If you want to be enthralled by some truly amazing history then visit Africa, the oldest country in the world.

 

The first recorded detailed writings in Africa were those written by the Egyptians in 4000 BC. It was really striking how much acumen they had acquired over the years, the managed to demonstrate their abilities by constructing structures of massive proportion that have lasted for thousands of years. If you take the first detailed writings of the world to be the sign of the first civilization, then the Egyptians were at the top of the list. Even before this, over 100,000 years ago, the plains of Africa were very different. Fossils showed that they supported Homo sapiens, which are the same genus as us.

 

The African Countryside was as said, very different to the desolate plains it is now. After the ice age had happened at around ten millennia in the past, the land of what we call the Sahara Desert was all grassland. Thanks to land like this, the options for farming would have been easy. Because of the positioning of Africa on our Globe, the area begun to dry up and Desertification took place. These people would then have had to migrate to plains with more grassland. By 3000 BC some civilizations across the world but specifically in Africa had started domesticating animals like horses and donkeys to do farming work.

 

Africa has been celebrated for its completely unique art. It would be impossible for you to find the amount of assorted arts and cultures in any other country compared to that of Africa. Regardless of where you travel through Africa, a person will be able to locate a different piece of culture from different sectors. It is very clear however, that all across North and South Africa the sculpture of people was spread. They have created this in the image of those that have passed away, people that were or are still loved ones, or gods and chiefs. The African speciality was Abstract art, they created much of it, but recently they have become quite skilled at creating pieces of Contemporary art~The African speciality was Abstract art, they created much of it, but recently they have become quite skilled at creating pieces of Contemporary art.

 

The best way to find out about Africa yourself; is to go on Safari. Kenya safari has become a popular holiday to find out more about the Land of Africa.

 

Art Deco Festival in NZ

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Posted by Lisa | Posted in General Travel | Posted on 21-06-2009

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The period recognised and defined as the Art Deco period was 1925 through to 1939 . Art Deco not only influenced the design of buildings and interiors but also was prevalent in fashion, paintings, mirrors and film throughout this time period.

Art Deco is primarily based on mathematical geometric shapes. Two of the most popular patterns created were the “chevron” and “sunburst motif”. These have been used to great effect in stunning Art Deco Mirrors.

But why is it called “Art Deco”? It was not called Art Deco in the 1920’s and 1930’s. The term actually came from the title of an exposition in Paris called “Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes”. The actual term Art Deco however did not become the prevalent term to describe this style until 1968 when art historian Bevis Hillier released the book Art Deco of the 20s and 30s”

The Art Deco style lost its popularity during the tough times of the 1940’s as it became to be linked with extragavent luxury. Art Deco has however had a resurrection since the 1980’s and has become increasingly popular due in part to the mathematical and intricate shapes that could be created using computers and their increasingly shophisticated graphic design capabilities.

Napier, which is found in the Hawke’s Bay of New Zealand, has a stunning collection of Art Deco buildings. Every year thousands of people go to Napier in February to celebrate its Art Deco heritage and history.

Napier is a port city with a population of about 58,000. It is often linked to Hastings City and thus called Napier-Hastings. Napier was named after Sir Charles Napier who was a Commander-in-Chief in India was thought of as a hero after the Battle of Meeanee in the Indian province of Sindh. There is even a suburb of Napier named Meeanee after this battle.

On 3 February 1931 Napier was hit by an earthquake that flattened the town. There were 258 people killed either by buildings collapsing by fires that broke out because of the earthquake. The town centre was then rebuilt using the Art Deco style which was popular during this period of time. Interestingly Napier became larger because of the earthquake. The earthquake raised 40km squared of land.

Although some of the buildings have now been replaced, most of the buildings remain and have become recognized as unique. From the 1990’s the buildings have been protected and restored to their former glory.

Napier is now regarded as one of the best preserved Art Deco towns, along with Miami Beach. The Art Deco in Napier is so unique and stunning that is was the first cultural site in New Zealand to be nominated for UNESCO World Heritage Status.

Other cities with stunning Art Deco buildings are Valencia, Havana and Rio De Janerio.

An Artistic Look At The Scottish City Of Glasgow

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Posted by Lisa | Posted in General Travel | Posted on 18-06-2009

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Glasgow is Scotland’s largest, and most lively, city with excellent shopping and an incredible nightlife. For the more artistic visitor there are numerous places to visit in Glasgow’s West End which features boutiques, cafés, tea rooms, bars, restaurants and clubs as well as some superb Glasgow bed and breakfast accommodation. In the following article I will describe three tourist attractions in Glasgow which will be of special interest to those people who have an interest in the world of art; the Burrell Collection, the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and the House For An Art Lover:

Burrell Collection

In 1944 The Brurrel Collection was gifted, by Sir william and Lady Burrell, to the city of Glasgow and the collection can be seen at Pollok Country Park in the south of the city of Glasgow This magnificent collection of works of art is made up of over 9,000 items. The collection is incredibly diverse containing some modern art sculptures and a superb collection of Islamic art. There are paintings by artists such as Cezanne and Degas. Besides paintings and sculptures visitors is able to enjoy the beautiful collections of tapestries, alabasters, stained glass and English furniture. On top of all this, the Burrell Collection also has an incredibly important selection of medieval art plus collections from ancient Egypt & China.

House For An Art Lover

The House For An Art Lover is one of the most popular visitor attractions in Glasgow. The house is of an Art Nouveau design originally designed by Glasgow’s most famous architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh plus input from Margaret Macdonald, his incredibly talented wife.

In actual fact the design was made for a competition of 1901 to make plans for a ‘House for an Art Lover’, but, the entry by Charles and his wife was disqualified because it was submitted after the closing date. Luckily, more than one hundred years later the house stands completed in Bellahouston Park because of the efforts of the architect Professor Andy Macmillan and the engineer Graham Roxburgh. Building commenced in the year nineteen eighty nine, ceased for a short time but started again in nineteen ninety four thanks to the collaboration between the Glasgow City Council and Glasgow School of Art.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

The Kelvingrove Art Gallery is home to one of Europe’s great civic art collections and one of Glasgow’s, and Scotland’s premier museums and art galleries, but also it is one of the most popular free to enter tourist attractions to be found in Scotland.

You will discover Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum on the banks of the River Kelvin, on Argyle Street, in the West End of Glasgow. The gallery was built in a Spanish Baroque styleusing the traditional Glaswegian material of red sandstone. The gallery was designed by Sir John W. Simpson and E.J. Milner Allen and opened for the first time in 1901. The collections in the museum were originally from the old Kelvingrove House Museum in Kelvingrove Park and the McLellan Galleries.

If you are considering having a weekend break in the city of Glasgoiw you will find plenty of online hotels and guest houses providing Glasgow bed and breakfast. You will find a huge range of Glasgow guest houses and hotels at http://www.glasgowhotelscotland.com/