The British Library

30 April 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, London, Museums, Exhibitions, Opera Houses, Theaters, Libraries Reading Time:  7 minutes

Model of the British Library © Mike Peel - www.mikepeel.net/cc-by-sa-2.5

Model of the British Library © Mike Peel – www.mikepeel.net/cc-by-sa-2.5

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from many countries, in many languages and in many formats, both print and digital: books, manuscripts, journals, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, videos, play-scripts, patents, databases, maps, stamps, prints, drawings. The Library’s collections include around 14 million books, along with substantial holdings of manuscripts and historical items dating back as far as 2000 BC. The British Library is the largest library in the world, with the second largest being the Library of Congress of the United States in Washington, D.C..   read more…

Le Castellet in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region

29 April 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, French Riviera Reading Time:  5 minutes

Town Hall © Pierre Bona/cc-by-sa-3.0

Town Hall © Pierre Bona/cc-by-sa-3.0

Le Castellet is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region in southeastern France. It is mostly a small feudal village perched on a cliff edge.   read more…

Theme Week Castile-La Mancha – Talavera de la Reina

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

Crest of Talavera de la Reina in typical tiles pottery © Javiergil73/cc-by-sa-3.0

Crest of Talavera de la Reina in typical tiles pottery © Javiergil73/cc-by-sa-3.0

Talavera de la Reina is a city and municipality in the western part of the province of Toledo. It is the second-largest nucleus of population in Castile–La Mancha and the largest in the province: its population of 89,000 makes it larger than the city of Toledo, although the latter remains the provincial capital.   read more…

Theme Week Madrid – The Palacio Real

26 April 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  6 minutes

Palacio Real de Madrid © flickr.com - bepo2/cc-by-2.0

Palacio Real de Madrid © flickr.com – bepo2/cc-by-2.0


The Palacio Real de Madrid (literally: Royal Palace of Madrid) is the official residence of the Spanish Royal Family at the city of Madrid, but is only used for state ceremonies. King Juan Carlos and the Royal Family do not reside in the palace, choosing instead the more modest Palacio de la Zarzuela on the outskirts of Madrid. The palace is owned by the Spanish State and administered by the Patrimonio Nacional, a public agency of the Ministry of the Presidency. The palace is located on Calle de Bailén (Bailén Street), in the Western part of downtown Madrid, East of the Manzanares River, and is accessible from the Ópera metro station. Several rooms in the palace are regularly open to the public except during state functions. An admission fee of 11€ is required except for residents of the Iberian Peninsula.   read more…

Theme Week Castile-La Mancha – Cuenca

25 April 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

Plaza Mayor © flickr.com - M.Peinado/cc-by-2.0

Plaza Mayor © flickr.com – M.Peinado/cc-by-2.0

Cuenca is the capital of the province of Cuenca. Cuenca is located across a steep spur, whose slopes descend into deep gorges of the Júcar and Huécar rivers. It is divided into two separate settlements: the “new” city is situated south-west of the old one, which is divided by the Huécar course.   read more…

Theme Week Castile-La Mancha – Guadalajara

24 April 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Calle Mayor © Pavlemadrid/cc-by-sa-2.5

Calle Mayor © Pavlemadrid/cc-by-sa-2.5

Guadalajara is a city and municipality in the natural region of La Alcarria. It is the capital of the province of Guadalajara. It is located roughly 60 kilometres (37 miles) northeast of Madrid on the Henares River, and has a population of 85,000.   read more…

Theme Week Castile-La Mancha – Albacete

23 April 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Deputation of the Province of Albacete © Siempremolinicos

Deputation of the Province of Albacete © Siempremolinicos

Albacete, the capital of the province of Albacete, is a city in southeastern Spain, 258 kilometres (160 miles) southeast of Madrid and 127 kilometres (79 miles) northwest of Murcia. The city has 173,000 inhabitants and 218,000 in the metropolitan area, being the city with the highest number of inhabitants in all Castilla-La Mancha, and one of the main urban areas of the country. Albacete, together with Ciudad Real, has one of the main campuses of the University of Castilla la Mancha. It is estimated that between 9,000 and 10,000 students study at both of the campuses. The city has been known as a center for the manufacture of fine daggers, scissors, and knives. An assembly plant of Eurocopter, a subsidiary of EADS, began operation in 2007. The aviation industry is one of the main economic drivers of the city, as well as the Albacete Air and Logistics Park, home to major companies. The city hosts a Training Center for NATO pilots.   read more…

One World Trade Center

23 April 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Intelligent Buildings, New York City Reading Time:  9 minutes

One World Trade Center © flickr.com - Joe Mabel/cc-by-sa-2.0

One World Trade Center © flickr.com – Joe Mabel/cc-by-sa-2.0

One World Trade Center is the primary building of the new World Trade Center complex in New York City‘s Lower Manhattan and is the tallest building in the United States. The 104-story supertall skyscraper stands on the northwest corner of the 16-acre (6.5 ha) World Trade Center site, on the site of the original 6 World Trade Center. The building is bordered to the west by West Street, to the north by Vesey Street, to the south by Fulton Street, and to the east by Washington Street. Construction on below-ground utility relocations, footings, and foundations for the building began on April 27, 2006. On March 30, 2009, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed that the building would be known by its legal name, One World Trade Center, rather than the colloquial name, Freedom Tower.   read more…

Theme Week Castile-La Mancha – Ciudad Real

22 April 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

El Quijote Museum © Javier martin

El Quijote Museum © Javier martin

Ciudad Real (English: Royal Town), with a population of c. 75,000, is the capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It has a stop on the AVE high-speed rail line and has begun to grow as a long-distance commuter suburb of Madrid, located 115 miles (185 km) to the north. A high capacity airport (Ciudad Real Central Airport) had been built to serve the city, but closed in 2012. The privately funded airport cost an estimated €1Bn to build. It is now for sale for €100M plus payment of the developers debt.   read more…

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