Theme Week Abu Dhabi – Capital Gate, the Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi

12 February 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

Capital Gate, July 2012 © FritzDaCat/cc-by-sa-3.0

Capital Gate, July 2012 © FritzDaCat/cc-by-sa-3.0

Capital Gate is a skyscraper in Abu Dhabi adjacent to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre designed with a striking lean. At 160 m (520 ft) and 35 stories, it is one of the tallest buildings in the city and features an 18° incline to the west. The owner and developer of Capital Gate is Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company. The tower (also known as the Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi) is the focal point of the Capital Center/Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre master development.   read more…

Theme Week Cyclades – Milos

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

Klima village © Kosant38

Klima village © Kosant38

Milos is a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, just north of the Sea of Crete. Milos is the southwesternmost island in the Cyclades group.   read more…

Theme Week Cyclades – Sifnos

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

Artemonas © Margaritaprounia/cc-by-sa-3.0

Artemonas © Margaritaprounia/cc-by-sa-3.0

Sifnos is an island municipality. The main town, near the center, known as Apollonia, is home of the island’s folklore museum and library. The town’s name is thought to come from an ancient temple of Apollo on the site of the church of Panayia Yeraniofora. The second-largest town is Artemonas (800), thought to be named after an ancient temple of Apollo’s sister-goddess Artemis, located at the site of the church of Panayia Kokhi. The village of Kastro (118), built on top of a high cliff on the island’s northwestern shore on the site of the ancient city of Siphnos, today has extensive medieval remains and is the location of the island’s archeological museum. The port settlement, on the west coast of the island is known as Kamares.   read more…

Theme Week Cyclades – Folegandros

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

© Oliwan/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Oliwan/cc-by-sa-3.0

Folegandros is a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea which, together with Sikinos, Ios, Anafi and Santorini, forms the southern part of the Cyclades. Its surface area is about 32 square kilometres (12 sq mi) and it has 765 inhabitants. It has three small villages, Chora, Karavostasis, and Ano Meria, which are connected by a paved road. Folegandros is part of the Thira regional unit.   read more…

Theme Week Cyclades – Paros

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

Paros Collage © Dimorsitanos/cc-by-sa-3.0

Paros Collage © Dimorsitanos/cc-by-sa-3.0

Paros is a Greek island in the central Aegean Sea. One of the Cyclades island group, it lies to the west of Naxos, from which it is separated by a channel about 8 kilometres (5 miles) wide. It lies approximately 100 mi (161 kilometres) south-east of Piraeus. The Municipality of Paros includes numerous uninhabited offshore islets totaling 196.308 square kilometres (75.795 sq mi) of land. Its nearest neighbor is the municipality of Antiparos, which lies to its southwest. Historically, Paros was known for its fine white marble, which gave rise to the term “Parian” to describe marble or china of similar qualities. Today, abandoned marble quarries and mines can be found on the island, but Paros is primarily known as a popular tourist spot.   read more…

Theme Week Cyclades – Tinos

21 January 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Town of Tinos © Eu.stefan/cc-by-3.0

Town of Tinos © Eu.stefan/cc-by-3.0

Tinos is a Greek island situated in the Aegean Sea. It is located in the Cyclades archipelago. In antiquity, Tinos was also known as Ophiussa (from ophis, Greek for snake) and Hydroessa (from hydor, Greek for water). The closest islands are Andros, Delos, and Mykonos. It has a land area of approximately 194 square kilometres (75 sq mi) and a 2011 census population of 8,636 inhabitants.   read more…

Theme Week Singapore – Gardens by the Bay

1 January 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  5 minutes

Supertree Grove © flickr.com - Shiny Things/cc-by-2.0

Supertree Grove © flickr.com – Shiny Things/cc-by-2.0

Gardens by the Bay is a park spanning 101 hectares (1,010,000 m2) of reclaimed land in central Singapore, adjacent to the Marina Reservoir. The park consists of three waterfront gardens: Bay South Garden, Bay East Garden and Bay Central Garden. Gardens by the Bay is an integral part of a strategy by the Singapore government to transform Singapore from a “Garden City” to a “City in a Garden”. The stated aim is to raise the quality of life by enhancing greenery and flora in the city.   read more…

Theme Week Cornwall – St Ives

21 December 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

St Ives harbour front © flickr.com - Char/cc-by-sa-2.0

St Ives harbour front © flickr.com – Char/cc-by-sa-2.0

St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial emphasis and the town is now primarily a popular holiday resort, notably achieving the award ‘Best UK Seaside Town’ from the British Travel Awards in both 2010 and 2011. St Ives was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1639. St Ives has become renowned for its number of artists. It was named best seaside town of 2007 by the Guardian newspaper. For local information for visitors, holiday makers and local residents, St Ives Town Council opened the St Ives Visitor & Information Centre in June 2011.   read more…

Theme Week Cornwall – Port Isaac

19 December 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Sbeech

© Sbeech

Port Isaac is a small and picturesque fishing village on the Atlantic Coast of north Cornwall. The nearest towns are Wadebridge and Camelford, both ten miles away. Port Gaverne, commonly mistaken to be part of Port Isaac, is a nearby hamlet that has its own history. The meaning of the Cornish name is “corn port”, indicating a trade in corn from the arable inland district. Since the 1980s the village has served as backdrop to various television productions, including the ITV series Doc Martin.   read more…

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