The Turks and Caicos Islands

29 May 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Grand Turk southwestern beach © Jersyko

Grand Turk southwestern beach © Jersyko

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the Caribbean, the larger Caicos Islands and the smaller Turks Islands, known for tourism and as an offshore financial centre.   read more…

The Berlin Victory Column

28 May 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Berlin Reading Time:  3 minutes

© Manfred Brückels

© Manfred Brückels

The Victory Column is a monument in Berlin. Designed by Heinrich Strack, after 1864 to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Danish-Prussian War, by the time it was inaugurated on 2 September 1873, Prussia had also defeated Austria in the Austro-Prussian War (1866) and France in the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71), giving the statue a new purpose.   read more…

The Fabergé Museum in Baden-Baden

24 May 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Museums, Exhibitions Reading Time:  5 minutes

Fabergé Museum © Sergejf95/cc-by-sa-3.0

Fabergé Museum © Sergejf95/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Fabergé Museum is a museum located in the German spa city of Baden-Baden, dedicated to items made by the Russian jewellery firm Fabergé. It was opened in 9 May 2009 by Russian art collector Alexander Ivanov.   read more…

Theme Week Sicily – Messina

24 May 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Duomo Messina © Pinodario

Duomo Messina © Pinodario

Messina is the capital of the province of Messina. It is the 3rd largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 252,000 inhabitants in the city proper and about 650,000 in the province. It is located near the northeast corner of Sicily, at the Strait of Messina, opposite Villa San Giovanni on the mainland, has close ties with Reggio Calabria.   read more…

Theme Week Turkey – İzmir on the Aegean Sea

23 May 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  9 minutes

İzmir Coastline © flickr.com - Yılmaz Uğurlu/cc-by-sa-2.0

İzmir Coastline © flickr.com – Yılmaz Uğurlu/cc-by-sa-2.0

İzmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia and the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. İzmir’s metropolitan area extends along the outlying waters of the Gulf of İzmir and inland to the north across Gediz River‘s delta, to the east along an alluvial plain created by several small streams and to a slightly more rugged terrain in the south. The ancient city was known as Smyrna, and the city was generally referred to as Smyrna in English, until the Turkish Postal Service Law of 28 March 1930 made “İzmir” the internationally recognized name. İzmir has almost 3,500 years of recorded urban history and possibly even longer as an advanced human settlement. Lying on an advantageous location at the head of a gulf running down in a deep indentation midway on the western Anatolian coast, the city has been one of the principal mercantile cities of the Mediterranean Sea for much of its history. Its port is Turkey’s primary port for exports in terms of the freight handled and its free zone, a Turkish-U.S. joint-venture established in 1990, is the leader among the twenty in Turkey.   read more…

Theme Week Sicily – Corleone

22 May 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Palazzina Ficuzza © Azotoliquido/cc-by-sa-3.0

Palazzina Ficuzza © Azotoliquido/cc-by-sa-3.0

Corleone is a small town and comune of approximately 11,000 inhabitants in the Province of Palermo. It is located in the valley between the “Rocca ri Maschi”, the “Castello Soprano” and the “Castello Sottano”. Corleone is the “city of the 100 churches”. Within the territory of Corleone, a short walk from the historic center of the city is the ” Natural Park of the cascade of two fortresses .” After going through a series of narrow streets in the district San Giuliano you come in front of a small church dedicated to Our Lady of precisely two fortresses. To the left of this church ‘ winds a path that leads between the poplars, willows and elms to the falls. Comfortably seated on the ancient square blocks in the shade of mulberry trees, nuts and frassinisi one can have the enchanting view of the waterfall.   read more…

Brooklyn Heights in New York City

21 May 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, New York City Reading Time:  6 minutes

© GK tramrunner229/cc-by-sa-3.0

© GK tramrunner229/cc-by-sa-3.0

Brooklyn Heights is an upper middle class residential neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Originally referred to as “Brooklyn Village”, it has been a prominent area of Brooklyn since 1834. As of 2000, Brooklyn Heights sustained a population of 22,594 people. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 2.   read more…

Theme Week Sicily – Prizzi

21 May 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

© dreamsicilyvillas.com

© dreamsicilyvillas.com

Prizzi is a town and comune of 5,100 inhabitants in the province of Palermo. It is located 84 km (52 mi) south of the city of Palermo at an altitude of 1045 m (3,428 ft) above sea level on a hill in the upper valley of the River Sosio. Prizzi is surrounded by the comuni of Campofelice di Fitalia, Castronovo di Sicilia, Corleone, Lercara Friddi, Palazzo Adriano, and Vicari.   read more…

Theme Week Sicily

19 May 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  11 minutes

Lipari Panorama © flickr.com - Leandro Neumann Ciuffo/cc-by-2.0

Lipari Panorama © flickr.com – Leandro Neumann Ciuffo/cc-by-2.0

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea; along with surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, and it is officially referred to as Regione Siciliana (Sicilian Region). Sicily is located in the central Mediterranean. It extends from the tip of the Apennine peninsula, from which it is separated only by the narrow Strait of Messina, towards the North African coast. Its most prominent landmark is Mount Etna, which, at 3,350 m (10,990 ft), is the tallest active volcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world. The island has a typical Mediterranean climate. Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature, cuisine and architecture. It also holds importance for archeological and ancient sites such as the Necropolis of Pantalica, the Valley of the Temples and Selinunte.   read more…

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