Saint-Omer in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region

30 September 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Angel Aroca Escámez/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Angel Aroca Escámez/cc-by-sa-3.0

Saint-Omer is a commune in France. It is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department 68 km (42 mi) west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais. The town is named after Saint Audomar, who brought Christianity to the area. The canalised portion of the river Aa begins at Saint-Omer, reaching the North Sea at Gravelines in northern France. Below its walls, the Aa connects with the Neufossé Canal, which ends at the Lys River.   read more…

Theme Week Abruzzo – Pescara

27 September 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Piazza Garibaldi © Freegiampi/cc-by-sa-2.5

Piazza Garibaldi © Freegiampi/cc-by-sa-2.5

Pescara is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. As of 1 January 2007 it was the most populated city within Abruzzo at 123,000 residents, approximately 450,000 including the surrounding metropolitan area. Located on the Adriatic coast at the mouth of the Aterno-Pescara River, the present-day municipality was formed in 1927 joining the municipalities of Pescara, the part of the city to the south of the river, and Castellamare Adriatico, the part of the city to the north of the river. The surrounding area was formed into the province of Pescara. The poet Gabriele D’Annunzio, a native of Pescara, was a major sponsor for the creation of the new city.   read more…

Ciudad Bolívar in Venezuela

27 September 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Ciudad Bolívar historical zone © Hiddendaemian/cc-by-sa-3.0

Ciudad Bolívar historical zone © Hiddendaemian/cc-by-sa-3.0

Ciudad Bolívar is the capital of Venezuela‘s southeastern Bolívar State. It was founded as Angostura in 1764 and renamed in 1846. The town’s original name of Angostura was a contraction of its full descriptive name, Santo Tomé de Guayana de Angostura del Orinoco (Saint Thomas of Guiana of the narrows of the Orinoco). The town also gave its name to the Angostura tree which grows in the area. Angostura bitters were invented there in 1824, though the company which produced them later moved to Trinidad and Tobago.   read more…

Theme Week Abruzzo – Teramo

26 September 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Piazza Martiri della Libertà © S4mb0r4

Piazza Martiri della Libertà © S4mb0r4

Teramo is a city and comune in the central Italian region of Abruzzo, the capital of the province of Teramo. The economy of the town is mostly based on activities connected with agriculture and commerce, as well as a sound industrial sector: textiles, foods, engineering, building materials and ceramics. Teramo can be reached from the A14 the A24 motorways.   read more…

Theme Week Crimea – Feodosia

26 September 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Feodosia Bay © Victor Korniyenko/cc-by-sa-3.0

Feodosia Bay © Victor Korniyenko/cc-by-sa-3.0

Feodosia is a port and resort, a town of regional significance in Crimea on the Black Sea coast. Feodosia serves as the administrative center of Feodosia municipality, one of the regions Crimea is divided into.   read more…

Theme Week Abruzzo – Lanciano

25 September 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Piazza Plebiscito © Olivier Jules/cc-by-sa-3.0

Piazza Plebiscito © Olivier Jules/cc-by-sa-3.0

Lanciano is a town and comune in the province of Chieti, part of the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It has 36,000 inhabitants. The city is also known for the first recorded alleged Catholic Eucharistic Miracle. The city is located on hills and its town territory covers 66 square kilometres (25 sq mi) from Val di Sangro to Castelfrentano, and its elevation is about 265 metres (869 ft) above sea level.   read more…

Theme Week Abruzzo – L’Aquila

24 September 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

City center © flickr.com - elparainbow/cc-by-2.0

City center © flickr.com – elparainbow/cc-by-2.0

L’Aquila (meaning “The Eagle”) is a city and comune in central Italy, both the capital city of the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L’Aquila. It has a population of 70,500 inhabitants. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valley of the Aterno river, it is surrounded by the Apennine Mountains, with the Gran Sasso d’Italia to the north-east. L’Aquila is approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) east-northeast of Rome, with which it is connected by an autostrada through the mountains. The mountains block the city off from warm humid air currents from the Mediterranean, and give rise to a climate that is cool in comparison to most of central Italy, and dry. It has been said that the city enjoys each year 11 cold months and one cool one.   read more…

Theme Week Lebanon – Baalbeck

24 September 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks, UNESCO World Heritage, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  9 minutes

© Baalbek Museum/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Baalbek Museum/cc-by-sa-3.0

Baalbeck is a town in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon situated east of the Litani River. Known as Heliopolis during the period of Roman rule, it was one of the largest sanctuaries in the empire and contains some of the best preserved Roman ruins in Lebanon. The gods worshiped at the temple, the triad of Jupiter, Venus and Bacchus, were grafted onto the indigenous deities of Hadad, Atargatis and a young male god of fertility. Local influences are seen in the planning and layout of the temples, which vary from the classic Roman design.   read more…

Theme Week Abruzzo – Guardiagrele

23 September 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

View of Guardiagrele © Zitumassin

View of Guardiagrele © Zitumassin

Guardiagrele is a town and comune in the province of Chieti, part of the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is in the foothills of the Maiella mountain at an elevation of around 576 metres (1,890 ft). Its population numbers about 10,000. Known throughout Abruzzo for its wrought-iron craft, copper craft and gold-work, Guardiagrele was the home of the great goldsmith and sculptor Nicola da Guardiagrele, who was born there in the late 14th century.   read more…

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