The Semperoper is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper ballet. The building is located on the Theatre Square in central Dresden on the bank of the Elbe River in the historic centre of Dresden. The opera house was originally built by the architect Gottfried Semper in 1841. After a devastating fire in 1869, the opera house was rebuilt, partly again by Semper, and completed in 1878. The opera house has a long history of premieres, including major works by Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. read more…
Hoyerswerda is a town in the district of Bautzen in the state of Saxony. It is located in the Sorbian settlement area of the Upper Lusatia, a region where some people speak the Sorbian language in addition to German. Cities in proximity are Cottbus 35 km in the north-west, Dresden 55 km in the south-west and Berlin 150 km in the north. read more…
MS Astor is a cruise ship owned by the Germany-based Premicon, under charter to the Germany-based Transocean Tours. She was built in 1987 under the name Astor by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW), Kiel, for the Mauritius-based Marlan Corporation, although originally ordered by the South African Safmarine as a combined ocean liner/cruise ship for the Southampton–Cape Town service. read more…
Viva con Agua de Sankt Pauli is a charity founded in 2005 in the Hamburg quarter of St. Pauli. The aim of the organization is to improve drinking water supply in developing countries in conjunction with the Welthungerhilfe. read more…
Limassol is the second-largest city in Cyprus. Limassol municipality has a population of 101,000, while the metropolitan area has a population of 184,000. It is the largest city in geographical size, and Limassol municipality is the largest and most populous on the island. The city is located on Akrotiri Bay on the island’s southern coast, and it is the capital of Limassol District, which has a population of 235,000. Limassol is one of the busiest ports of the Mediterranean transit trade and the largest port in Cyprus. It has also become one of the most important tourism, trade, and service-providing centres in the area. Limassol is renowned for its extensive cultural traditions, and is home to the Cyprus University of Technology. A wide spectrum of activities and a number of museums and archaeological sites are available to the interested visitor. Consequently, Limassol attracts a wide range of tourists mostly during an extended summer season to be accommodated in a wide range of hotels and apartments. A large marina is currently being constructed near the old town. read more…
The Maltese Falcon built by Perini Navi in Tuzla, Turkey is a ship-rigged sailing luxury yacht, commissioned and formerly owned by American venture capitalist Tom Perkins. It is one of the largest privately owned sailing yachts in the world at 88 m (289 ft), similar to Royal Huisman’s Athena and Lürssen’s Eos. The home port is Valletta on Malta. read more…
The École nationale d’administration, one of the French graduate schools (Grandes écoles), was created in 1945 by Charles de Gaulle to democratise access to the senior civil service. It is now entrusted with the selection and initial training of senior French officials. The ENA is one of the symbols of the Republican meritocracy, along with École normale supérieure and Ecole polytechnique (“X”), offering its alumni access to high positions within the state. It has now been almost completely relocated to Strasbourg to emphasise its European character. The ENA produces around 100 graduates every year, known as énarques. ENA is seen as the method of choice to reach the administrative Grand Corps of the State. read more…
Laon is the capital city of the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France with about 26.000 inhabitants. The town has the only fully automated municipal cable car system in the world. It links the upper town (the historical centre, located on a plateau) with the lower town, has three stations and runs on rubber tyres. read more…
