South-central Paris consists of three dynamic arrondissements, the thirteenth to the fifteenth. We start in the thirteenth and work our way east. Les Olympiades is a residential high-rise district built well over thirty years ago on a huge, elevated pedestrian esplanade complete with a shopping mall. The National Library of France is another resident of the new thirteenth district, transplanted from central Paris about ten years ago.
The Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital was once a dumping ground for the Parisian poor, and the site of Princess Diana’s demise. The Butte-aux-Cailles (literally quails hill) is located in the west end of the district, not far from the very busy Place d’Italie. Its co-op restaurants, trendy bars, and nightclubs haven’t erased the village atmosphere. The Manufacture des Gobelins (Gobelins Factory) has made exceptional tapestries for centuries. Part of the complex is a museum that offers guided tours.
Some people start their tour of the fourteenth district at the famous Catacombs, Roman limestone quarries converted to burial grounds over two hundred years ago. Montparnasse was named for the home of the Greek muses to the arts and sciences. It hosts the world-famous Pasteur Institute, a leader in the fight against the AIDS virus and numerous other viruses. This neighborhood has been a major art center for centuries. It boasts numerous cafes, bars, restaurants, and nightclubs that once served the art colony.
The famous music hall Bobino is a neighborhood fixture on the Rue de la Gaité, just west of the Montparnasse Cemetery. Immerse yourself in the spirit of the times at the Montparnasse Museum. The International University City of Paris complex includes several dozen student residences. Many of its buildings were designed by famous architects including Le Corbusier who designed the Swiss and Brazilian pavilions.
The Montparnasse Tower, once Europe’s tallest building, replaced the Gare Montparnasse, one of six large Parisian railway stations where the German military governor of Paris, General von Choltitz, surrendered there to the French General Philippe Leclerc in 1944. This historic event was dramatized in the 1966 Franco-American movie Is Paris Burning? .
The fifteenth district is home to the Beehive, a weird-looking three-story circular designed by Gustave Eiffel as a temporary wine rotunda for a 1900 exposition. Former residents includes many of the greatest painters and artists of the early Twentieth Century. Aquaboulevard is Europe’s largest aquatic indoor recreational park and contains seven restaurants and a fourteen-screen movie theater on site. The giant Palais des Sports (Sports Palace) hosts hockey and basketball games as well as large-scale musicals and rock concerts. The village of Vaugirard was known for its wines, exported way back in 1453. In 1985 the Clos des Morillons vineyard in the Parc Georges Brassens was replanted with seven hundred Pinot Noir vines harvested in the late fall. The following summer you can enjoy the wine, said to be fairly good.
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The Cascading White Misty Veils of the Niagara Falls
Posted by admin in January 18th 2012
Niagara Falls consists of two regions: The Horseshoe falls and the American Falls. The Horseshoe Falls are located on the Canadian side whereas the American Falls face the United States. These two are separated by the Goat Island. The Horseshoe Falls are 177 feet high. Actually the real falls are only 70 feet high, but the presence of rocks underneath heightens the effect.
The width of the Horseshoe Falls is about 2600 feet. Its counterpart, the American Falls is only 1060 feet wide. A small section of these Falls known as the Bridal Veil Falls is situated on the American side and the Luna Island fall divides these from the main Falls. The name Bridal Veil has been given due to its appearance. Actual amount of water varies due to the presence of two hydroelectric plants that pull the waters of the Niagara River into their reservoirs. Their siphoning, greatly affects the flow of water over the cliff.
The Niagara River is a bequest of the Ice age. The formation of the Falls started some 18,000 years ago, when the ice sheets of the Niagara River started flowing southwards towards the basins of the Great Lake. Through the span of next 10,000 years, the Niagara Falls took their present shape. The Falls are around 177 feet high and are spread over a large area. The intensity of water falling from here amounts to about six million cubic feet per minute over the crest line when the flow of the river is at its maximum; but on an average 4 million cubic feet per minute of water falls. This intensity makes it the most powerful waterfall in the entire North America.
The Niagara Falls are not only breathtaking, they serve a variety of purposes to the progress of America. Do you know that these Falls serve as a major source of electricity for Ontario? Yes, the Niagara Falls has been an important hydroelectric power source. Moreover they have a major role in the tourism of America and its industrial and commercial purposes cannot be underestimated.
You can easily travel to the falls from the state of New York and if you are spending the nights at one of the Buffalo hotels, you can get your transportation to the falls arranged by hotel.
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I Love Touring Italy – Friuli-Venezia Giuli
Posted by admin in January 16th 2012
If you are looking for a European tourist destination, consider the Friuli-Venezia Giuli region of northeastern Italy, bordering on Austria and Slovenia. For simplicity’s sake we abbreviate the region’s full name to Friuli. Depending on your interests, Friuli may be an ideal vacation spot. You can get classic Italian food and other specialties, and wash it down with fine local wine. While Friuli is not exactly undiscovered by tourists you usually won’t be fighting crowds to see what you want. Like most regions of Italy it has belonged to many nations over the years. Unlike most regions of Italy, it remains multicultural, an exceptional mixture of Italian, Austrian, and Slavic influences. This article explores Friuli except for its capital and largest city, Trieste, which is examined in a companion article.
We’ll start our tour of Friuli at Redipuglia about twenty five miles (thirty five kilometers northwest of Trieste. Next we head northeast to the city of Gorizia almost hugging the Slovenian border. Then we proceed north to Cividale del Friuli. There we turn left (west) and finish our tour in Udine.
Italy’s largest war memorial, the Redipuglia Military Memorial built during Mussolini’s rule, lies inland from the Gulf of Trieste. Here repose the remains of almost forty thousand known and over sixty thousand unknown Italian soldiers of World War I. A bit further west are the remains of more than fourteen thousand Austro-Hungarian soldiers of World War I.
Gorizia, population about twenty five thousand, is quite close to the Slovenian border. In fact one of its suburbs, Nova Gorica, is in Slovenia. The Transalpina Railway Square that fed the port of Trieste actually lies in both countries. The nearby Sacrario Militare (Military Shrine) of Oslavia, is the burial place of over fifty seven thousand soldiers of World War I.
Gorizia’s old city is known as Borgo Castello in honor of the medieval castle surrounded by Sixth Century walls. It has quite a collection of Venetian art. You’ll also want to see the Gothic Fourteenth Century Church of San Spirito, the Baroque Seventeenth-Eighteenth Century church of San Ignazio, the Sixteenth Century Duomo (Cathedral) and its frescoes, and the Baroque Eighteenth Century Palazzo Attems.
This town is home to several palaces including the Sixteenth Century Coronini Cronberg filled with Eighteenth Century Venetian lacquered furniture, oriental carpets,
porcelain, Japanese prints and sketches, Russian silver, and Sixteenth to Twentieth Century paintings. There is a fine library with over ten thousand volumes of manuscripts and ancient books.
Cividale del Friuli, population about eleven thousand, was founded by Julius Caesar somewhat more than two thousand years ago. Its historic town center is dominated by the Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square) home of the National Archeological Museum. Nearby you will find the Sixteenth Century Palazzo dei Provveditori Veneti. Be sure to see the Celtic Hypogeum, an ancient subterranean series of halls carved in the rock; historians don’t know if is was a Celtic funerary monument or a Roman (Lombard) jail.
The Venetian Gothic Fifteenth Century Duomo (Cathedral) was built on the remains of an Eighth Century construction. The Christian Museum next door houses some Eighth Century art relics and outstanding examples of Lombard sculpture. The Fifteenth Century Ponte del Diavolo (Bridge of the Devil) leads to the church of S. Martino that contains an Eighth Century altar. The small church of Oratorio di Santa Maria (Saint Mary’s Oratorio) in the old Lombard quarter of nearby Valle, next to the Natisone river, is a notable example of Eighth Century High Middle Ages art. Saturday is market day in downtown Gorzia as it was in the days of Julius Caesar.
Udine, population just under one hundred thousand, is a relatively recent city founded only about one thousand years ago. Unlike Trieste, the biggest city in the region, Udine belonged to the United Republic of Italy almost since its inception. The Fifteenth Century Piazza della Libertà (Freedom Square) definitely seems Venetian in style with its Palazzo del Commune (now the Town Hall) opposite the Torre dell’Orologio (Clock Tower). The square also has a lovely Sixteenth Century fountain, Seventeenth Century columns illustrating the Statue of Justice and the Venetian Lion, and statues of Hercules and of Peace.
Udine is home to several churches worth visiting. The Gothic Fourteen Century Cathedral includes a Fifteenth Century bell tower that remains unfinished. Both the Cathedral and the adjacent Oratorio della Purità (Purity Oratorio) contain lovely art works. The Lombard Saint Mary of the Castle is probably Udine’s oldest church and was extensively rebuilt after an earthquake almost five hundred years ago. Make sure to see its period frescoes.
Udine’s major attraction is its castle, situated high on a hill. According to local legend Attila the Hun built it there to watch the neighboring Roman city of Aquileia as it burnt. Twice the castle was destroyed by earthquakes. The Venetians rebuilt it without the fortress, but with a Renaissance palace that now houses the Civic Museum, the Archaeological Museum, and the Historical and Art Galleries. Enjoy the view of the Italian mountains and Slovenian plains from the walls leading to the castle entrance.
What about food? Prosciutto di San Daniele ham is the pride of Fruili. It ranks just after Prosciutto di Parme as Italy’s best ham. Production is centered in the town of San Daniele that once paid its taxes in hams. In fact this area has been known for ham prior to the Romans. But full-scale production only started about a century ago. San Daniele now sells more than two million hams a year. These hams are softer and sweeter than the competition. They are low in cholesterol, high in protein, and rich in minerals, in particular Iron, Zinc, and Vitamin B. Suggested wines to accompany them include Tocai Friulano and Ramandolo.
Let’s suggest a sample menu, one of many. Start with Gulasch di Pesce (Fish Goulash). Then try Arrosto di Capriolo al Pino (Roast Venison with Pine Needles). For dessert indulge yourself with Presniz (Pastry with Rum, Fruits, and Nuts.) Be sure to increase your dining pleasure by including local wines with your meal.
We’ll conclude with a quick look at Friuli wine. Friuli ranks 14th among the 20 Italian regions for acres planted in wine grapes and 13th for total wine production. Approximately 48% of its wine production is red or rosé (only a little rosé), leaving 52% for white. The region produces 9 DOC wines. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine and 1 DOCG white dessert wine, Ramandolo. The G in DOCG stands for Garantita, but there is in fact no guarantee that such wines are truly superior. Over 60% of Friuli wine carries the DOC or DOCG designation, this is the second highest percentage in all Italy.
Ramandolo DOCG is a sweet white wine produced in the area north of Udine from at least 90% of the local Verduzzo grape. The vineyards are high in the sky and the slopes are so steep that the grapes must be processed and harvested by hand. Collio DOC, also called Collio Goriziano DOC, is an appellation from eastern Fruili near the Slovenian border that includes many high-quality wines. The appellation includes a variety of styles and grapes.
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Toronto’s Family Rafting – Grand River Day Trips to Fit the Family Budget in Southern Ontario
Posted by admin in January 3rd 2012
Self-guided rafting trips near Toronto offer a unique way for families to experience a river paddle with significant cost savings. On the Grand River there is a section called the Cayuga Rafting Route where families can raft by themselves. By choosing to raft without a guide and using a map instead, groups can save over $100 per raft.
The self-guided trips include the raft, paddles, life-jackets and map. Families meet at the starting point where the raft/equipment is delivered and steering lessons are taught. From there the family paddles 10 kilometers (6miles) to an exit point where the equipment is picked up and the group heads for home.
Cell phones are required to be brought by the customer. Because at an assigned marker, the self-guided group calls for a raft pickup, normally 15 minutes before arriving at the exit point. Water-proof bags that float are supplied for phones, cameras, wallets and keys.
Upon getting off the river, customers can set up their own arrangement by having a vehicle there or have the local rafting companies shuttle everyone back to their upstream vehicles. Customers arriving in two vehicles can take advantage of a cost savings in shuttling by having one vehicle at each end of the trip.
The self-guided rafts hold 8 adults comfortably, plus 3 small children can be added in the middle. These rafts don’t tip over, great for non-swimmers. People can also stand up and move around in them. The rafting trips lasts 3-5 hours depending on how the group paddles, swims and picnics.
A favorite self-guided trip on the Grand River is the Cayuga Rafting Route. It offers a beautiful wilderness setting, has a gentle current and only one splashing shelf to shoot over. On the river the day is spent drifting by islands and forests, through pools and gentle swifts. People can pull over to swim in the 2 meter deep pools or float beside the raft. Unlike a city which leaves one exhausted… this wilderness setting breathes life back into the spirit.
People are advised not to wear “blue-jeans” because they don’t dry out. If swimming, people are told to wear shoes in the water because of the sharp rock bottom. Other things to bring are hats, sunscreen (30 spf or higher), lip chap, drinking water and swimsuits. Because of the double reflection factor off the water… fair skinned people are advised to wear long sleeves/pants for protection.
For those unfamiliar with the Grand River, it is located half ways between Toronto and London. The self-guided rafting section is just off the 403 Highway near Paris-Brantford.
The costs for a days rafting is around $125 per raft plus tax. Reservations with most companies are required. The trips are good for infants to grand parents. These self-guided rafting trips are a great way for families to “Experience Everything Together” at a reasonable cost.
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MBA Courses At Top Business Schools
Posted by admin in January 2nd 2012
Masters in Business Administration or MBAs are in real demand these days. And if someone is holding his or her MBA degree from a reputed business school, it’s an icing on the cake. The students of top business schools bag lucrative offers from the corporate world. An alumnus of Harvard Business School or IMD gets a rousing welcome in the enterprises.
Almost all the universities conduct the MBAs program today. With the phenomenon of globalization taking the practical shape, whole world has emerged in to a big market. This has led to the great increase in the business activities all over. Products and services are being sent and received across continents. This situation has posed a huge demand for the skilled professionals in the industries. In an MBA program, syllabus is prepared in such a manner that it covers all essential elements of business.
MBA Specializations:
There are various streams of MBA course which can be studied as specializations. Some examples are: MBA in Human Resources (HR), MBA in Hospitality & Tourism, MBA in Entrepreneurship, MBA in Communication, MBA in Marketing, MBA in Health Care Management, MBA in Finance, MBA in Operations.
Some prestigious Management Institutes in the US and elsewhere are enumerated below:
Top Business Schools USA
Harvard Business School Stanford University of Pennsylvania Northwestern (Kellogg) Columbia Duke (Fuqua) Virginia (Darden) MIT (Sloan) University of Chicago University of Michigan
Top MBA programs outside USA
INSEAD, France IMD, Switzerland London Business School, UK Toronto (Rotman) Canada Western Ontario (Ivey) Rotterdam School of Management (Erasmus) IESE University of Oxford (Said) Instituto de Empresas ,Spain SDA Bocconi, Italy
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Summer Road Trip Songs
Posted by admin in January 1st 2012
There’s nothing like a great soundtrack for your road trip to really make the miles fly by. Rather than just bringing a collection of your favorite CDs, why not look into making your own mixed disc with all the favorite songs of everyone who will be going along on the trip.
With the right tunes, you can really enjoy even the longest of road trips. Just think back to all the movies you’ve seen where they play upbeat music as the characters speed across the countryside. We all want to be like that, so, while you can’t montage your trip into a two minute scene, you can certainly spice it up with some good music.
Choosing Summer Road Trip Songs
Your songs don’t have to actually involve road trips, but it sure lends a fun air if they talk about traveling and cars, which is why most of the tunes on the majority of song lists are all about being on the move.
This just seems appropriate for a car full of people whizzing down the highway and they are also usually songs that you already know and can sing along to.
Look for songs that are upbeat and will keep you bobbing your head and tapping the steering wheel . . . the last thing you want is to fall asleep to some slow ballad that doesn’t inspire anyone in the car to sing. Songs that are easy to sing along to are an excellent way to draw fellow passengers out of their stupor and get them bouncing around and air-strumming to the music.
When you do find those songs for a road trip, it’s a good idea to put a lot onto your disk or MP3 player. This is because a long trip will quickly exhaust your options. You don’t want to be listening to the same ten songs over and over again every hour! So consider putting at least 50-100 songs together for your road trip compilation. This will give you a good 4-8 hours of music and you won’t have to get bored of any particular song, unless, of course, you want to and hit repeat over and over.
If you are having troubles finding enough songs for the compilation, recruit your passengers. Get them to each chip in 10 or 20 songs that they enjoy and you can all be introduced to some new tunes while also enjoying your own favorites. Mix the song order up a bit so you won’t have each person’s favorites all in a row . . . this way it will be more interesting for everyone and if there is something you don’t really like, it’s only one song long.
While you will most certainly have your own favorite music, there are a few timeless pieces that simply must be included on every summer road trip song list. Here they are:
Top Road Trip Songs
• Hotel California – The Eagles
• Ramblin’ Man – The Allman Brothers
• Highway Star – Deep Purple
• California Dreaming – Beach Boys
• Life is a Highway – Tom Cochrane
• Truckin’ – Grateful Dead
• Light My Fire – The Doors
• Roadhouse Blues – The Doors
• American Woman – Guess Who
• One Headlight – The Wallflowers
This list could go on for days, as you can well imagine, but these are some of the best songs out there for listening on the road. They are great to sing along to, they boost morale and get everyone bopping in the car . . . all ingredients for a great summer road trip song list.
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Ontario’s Beaches – Canada’s Salt-Free Sand
Posted by admin in December 21st 2011
Considering how cold the winters can be, talking of Ontario beaches may seem counter-intuitive but Ontario has great beaches and most of them aren’t crowded, even in the hottest summers.
The biggest is Wasaga Beach, the world’s largest freshwater beach, on Georgian Bay – about 2 hours drive north from Toronto. Wasaga’s almost seven miles of golden sand are generally full once school is out and, because of its popularity, it has all the amenities beachgoers want. Wasaga is the place teenagers come to party. It’s so big and busy it’s been divided into alphabetical zones, each with its own parking and refreshments plazas.
Another great beach, this time more family-oriented, is Sauble Beach on Lake Huron, voted the best in Ontario only a few years ago. Its paler, finer, sand is a great for younger kids, while the famous sunsets over Lake Huron provide the romance their parents still desire. Sauble Beach is about 3 hours drive north-west from Toronto, on a regular day. Also on Lake Huron, but farther south, is Grand Bend, another popular resort town and a great beach.
Another popular beach area with the teen crowd is the Sandbanks Provincial Park near Brighton in the Quinte region. Sandbanks is on Lake Ontario and is easily reached from Highway 401, Ontario’s principal motorway/freeway, heading east from Toronto. It’s generally a two hour drive but in the summer, with everyone heading to their cottages, allow more time. Sandbanks and Cobourg beaches (where they hold an annual Sandcastle Festival in August) are also probably the easiest beaches to reach from the 401, though some of the Lake Erie beaches are pretty good that way too.
Speaking of Lake Erie beaches, another popular beach with Ontarians, and Americans from the Buffalo area, is Crystal Beach near Fort Erie. This has been a busy vacation destination for a century or more. Today, it’s quieter. Cottages and homes line the beach and the big attractions of yester-year are gone.
Crystal Beach is only one of many fine beaches on the north shore of Lake Erie. Others are at Port Stanley and Port Dover. These two holiday towns are connected by the Talbot Trail, which runs along the old pioneer route from the Niagara region out to Windsor in the west. The Talbot Trail is still a pleasant drive and there are many more beaches along the way. One of the most famous of the stop off points is Point Pelee National Park and off the point is Pelee Island, which has its own fine beach – East Beach. Note: The ferry to Pelee Island leaves from Leamington and Kingsville not Pelee Point.
With thousands of lakes and bordering four of the Great Lakes, Ontario has too many beaches to list them all. It’s safe to say most Ontario lake holiday locations have good beaches and most are open to the public. Even places that used to be but are no longer vacation destinations, Oshawa and Pickering for example, still have popular beaches and parks at the waterfront.
