Hong Kong Island in the southern part of Hong Kong

20 April 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Hong Kong Island Skyline © flickr.com - momo/cc-by-2.0

Hong Kong Island Skyline © flickr.com – momo/cc-by-2.0

Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,300,000 and its population density is 16,390/km². The island had a population of 3,000 inhabitants scattered in a dozen fishing villages when it was occupied by the United Kingdom in the First Opium War in 1842, and the City of Victoria was then established on the island by the British Force in honour of Queen Victoria. The Central area on the island is the historical, political and economic centre of Hong Kong. The northern coast of the island forms the southern shore of the Victoria Harbour, which is largely responsible for the development of Hong Kong due to its deep waters favoured by large trade ships.   read more…

Ocean City in New Jersey

19 April 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Rising sun over Ocean City © Connor Kurtz

Rising sun over Ocean City © Connor Kurtz

Ocean City is a city in Cape May County in New Jersey. It is the county’s largest city by area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city’s population was 11,701. In summer months, with an influx of tourists and second homeowners, there are estimated to be 115,000 to 130,000 within the city’s borders.   read more…

The Tegernsee in the Bavarian Alps

18 April 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

Former Tegernsee Abbey © Rufus46

Former Tegernsee Abbey © Rufus46

The Tegernsee is a lake in the Bavarian Alps in southern Germany. The lake is the centre of a popular recreation area 50 kilometres (31 mi) south-east of Munich. Resorts on the lake include the eponymous Tegernsee, as well as Bad Wiessee, Kreuth, Gmund, and Rottach-Egern.   read more…

The Burlington Arcade in London

17 April 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, London, Shopping Reading Time:  6 minutes

Burlington Arcade - North Entrance © Andrew Dunn - www.andrewdunnphoto.com/cc-by-sa-3.0

Burlington Arcade – North Entrance © Andrew Dunn – www.andrewdunnphoto.com/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Burlington Arcade is a covered shopping arcade in London that runs behind Bond Street from Piccadilly through to Burlington Gardens. It is one of the precursors of the mid-19th century European shopping gallery and the modern shopping centre. The Burlington Arcade was built “for the sale of jewellery and fancy articles of fashionable demand, for the gratification of the public”.   read more…

Cesenatico, port town on the Adriatic Sea

16 April 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

Grand Hotel © Nerijp

Grand Hotel © Nerijp

Cesenatico is a port town with about 20,000 inhabitants on the Adriatic coast of Italy. It is located in the province of Forlì-Cesena in the region of Emilia-Romagna, about 30 km south of Ravenna. Cesenatico’s port canal was surveyed and drawn by Leonardo da Vinci at the request of Cesare Borgia, as part of his plans to fortify the nearby town of Cesena.   read more…

Cancún on the Mayan Riviera in Mexico

15 April 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Cancún sign © World Wide Wilson - Britainneedsyou/cc-by-sa-4.0

Cancún sign © World Wide Wilson – Britainneedsyou/cc-by-sa-4.0

Cancún is a city in southeastern Mexico, located on the northeast coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. It is a major world-renowned tourist destination, as well as being the seat of the municipality of Benito Juárez. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, and is one of the easternmost points in Mexico. There are two possible translations of Cancún, based on the Mayan pronunciation. The first translation is “nest of snakes or pot.” The second version and less accepted is “place of the gold snake”.   read more…

Huis Doorn in Utrechtse Heuvelrug

13 April 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Museums, Exhibitions, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  7 minutes

The bust of Wilhelm II, sculpted by Max Bezner © Hanseichbaum

The bust of Wilhelm II, sculpted by Max Bezner © Hanseichbaum

Huis Doorn (Doorn Manor) is a small manor house that lies outside of Doorn, a small town near Utrecht, in the Netherlands. The 15th-century house was rebuilt in the late 18th century in a conservative manner and, in the mid-19th century, a surrounding park was laid out as an English landscape garden. Baroness Ella van Heemstra (1900–1984), the mother of actress Audrey Hepburn, spent much of her childhood living in the house. The property was purchased in 1919 by Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor, as his residence-in-exile (1920–1941), following his abdication after World War I. During his years in exile, he was allowed to travel freely within a 15 mile radius of his house, but journeys farther than that meant that advance notice had to be given to a local government official. As he disliked having to kowtow to a minor official, he rarely journeyed beyond the ‘free’ limit. The former Emperor regularly exercised by chopping down many of the estate’s trees, splitting the logs into stacks of firewood, thereby denuding the matured landscape as the years progressed. Hence he was called by his enemies ‘The Woodchopper of Doorn’. The Dutch government seized the manor house and its household effects in 1945 and, since then, many new trees have been re-planted and the wooded parkland is returning to its earlier glory.   read more…

Theme Week Corsica – Bonifacio

11 April 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Gabridelca

© Gabridelca

Bonifacio is a commune at the southern tip of the island of Corsica, in the Corse-du-Sud department of France. Its inhabitants are called Bonifaciens, feminine Bonifaciennes. The commune in this case is identical to the canton and is the largest commune of Corsica.   read more…

Coney Island in Brooklyn

10 April 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, New York City Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Bran

© Bran

Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn. The site was formerly an outer barrier island of Long Island, but became partially connected to the mainland by land fill. Coney Island is possibly best known as the site of amusement parks and a major resort. The attractions reached their peak during the first half of the 20th century, declining in popularity after World War II and years of neglect. In recent years, the area has seen the opening of MCU Park and has become home to the minor league baseball team the Brooklyn Cyclones.   read more…

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