The reserved and resistant find it hard not to be swept up by the beat. Even the rhythmically inept, are unable to resist clapping along. And, just as the dancer and singer lock into a stare so intense you think one of them might explode, you yourself become helpless to take your eyes off of the stage. Flamenco dance, born in Spain, is at its best in Andalusia's capitol – Sevilla. The earliest records of flamenco dance are from as recent as the 1800s, but there is evidence that suggests this tradition goes back quite a bit further. Flamenco traditionally consists of three parts, toque – playing the guitar, cante – singing, and baile – the dancing. The percussion in the flamenco music comes from ...
For art lovers, there is something magical about the Louvre Museum in Paris. Though it is not the largest museum in the world (that distinction belongs to the Hermitage), it is the most visited. Part of the fascination stems from the unique architecture of the Louvre. Not many museums in the world were once palaces, and even fewer have the long history of the Louvre. Beginning as a fortress in 1190, the French monarchs continued to expand the Louvre, even serving as the royal headquarters until Louis XIV moved his household to the Palace of Versailles. Visitors today can still see the foundations of the original fortress, and the magnificence of the medieval French court can easily be imagined while strolling through its marbled hallways. ...
Bordeaux, France is a land of greatness. It is a place where wine makers go to become distinguished, and where visitors go to quench their thirst at charming countryside chateaux. Sheltered by forests and warmed by the gulf stream, Bordeaux city has a great deal of architecture and history to discover beyond its vineyards. A visit to Bordeaux would not be complete without sampling some of its amazing wines, whether it be a heavy, red Médoc or a sweet, golden Sauternes. Great wine is readily available at every turn in Bordeaux. Restaurants have amazing, local-only wine lists and at the grocery store there are entire aisles dedicated to Rosé, whites and reds. For a little more of an education, however, wineries or vignobles are not ...
Aside from being the birthplace of paella, there is only one thing that the Spanish city of Valencia is famous for – the delightful papier-mâché models, pageantry and fireworks that take over the town for the Las Fallas festival. Staged annually on March 19th, this centuries-old festival has become a four-day extravaganza that attracts thousands of domestic and international tourists to the city every year. The event traces its origins back to a custom of the city’s carpenters, who burned their scrap wood and utensils worn out from the winter in time for the feast of Saint Joseph – their patron saint – on March 19th. The “Fallas” were the piles of combustible materials gathered for the occasion. The modern festival took shape in the ...
The Musee Rodin in Paris is the home of thousands of works of art by Auguste Rodin, a man considered by many to be one of the greatest and most revered artists in history. Undoubtedly his most famous work is a sculpture known as The Thinker. Copies of the work, large and small, are on display elsewhere, but there’s no better place to see the grand work of art than in Rodin’s own hometown of Paris, where he was born in 1840 to a working-class family. It is in Paris where he learned to become an artist, largely self-taught, and it is here, in what was once called the Hotel Biron, that he wished his work to be displayed. The largest collection of Rodin’s drawings ...
If there's one thing that we know and understand about France, above all else, it's that not only do they love their food and wine, but they're great at making it. The soft touch of freshly baked bread for an evening meal, the mouth-watering taste of Crème Brûlée and the smell of freshly cooked chocolate Crêpes, all awaken the senses to what's becoming a universal love for French food. As French chefs have taken their cooking beyond French borders to extend to countries around the world, the taste of French cuisine now comes closer to home for many people. You no longer have to travel to the back country roads and small towns of France to enjoy authentic French dishes. In fact, with the rise ...
Over the last couple years, volunteer travel has become extremely popular among college grads and young travelers. Much of this has stemmed from the dissemination of information the Internet provides, making people aware of the volunteer needs and opportunities in other cultures. Such as the case, many people have quickly jumped at the opportunity to travel the world, while also volunteering. One of the most well-known organizations is the World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF); also known as Willing Workers on Organic Farms. Although volunteerism has only gained significant momentum in the last few years, WWOOF has actually been around for almost 40 years, being established in England in 1971. It began on a small tract of land with just one woman who wanted to ...
France’s Loire Valley is a beautiful landscape of historic towns, wineries, and stunning chateaux that recall the days of the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment. The area is known as “the Garden of France,” and considered to be the cradle of the French language. The valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that they say is “an exceptional cultural landscape, of great beauty, comprised of historic cities and villages, great architectural monuments - the Châteaux - and lands that have been cultivated and shaped by centuries of interaction between local populations and their physical environment, in particular the Loire itself." And it is all best seen from the seat of a bicycle. The Loire Valley came to life in the 16th Century as several ...
The Eisriesenwelt Werfen Ice Caves are an extraordinary spectacle mother nature has created and hidden high up in the Austrian Alps. Located just outside of Salzburg, it is often overshadowed by the famous Oscar winning film, 'The Sound of Music', which was produced nearby. It was in 1879 that Austria's claim to fame was discovered. To this day the Eisriesenwelt Werfen Ice Caves are still the largest caves of their kind in the world. This discovery was made by Anton Posselt, a scientist from Salzburg. Although his discovery was published in 1880 the caves remained widely unknown until Alexander von Mörk, a speleologist or cave scientist, read about the caves and along with others increased it's popularity. In 1920, the Forscherhütte or discoverer’s refuge was ...
The white cliffs of Dover have been as important in literature as they have been in history. Significant in the Napoleonic wars and World War II, they have represented England's last line of defence in poetry and literature. In Matthew Arnold's poem, Dover Beach, it's the tide ebbing away from the cliffs that have the significance in terms of a loss of faith. The cliffs of Dover also symbolize England itself, for which Rudyard Kipling is so homesick in his poem “the Broken Men.” Regardless of the symbolic value of the white cliffs of Dover, it happens to be a great place to while away an afternoon. With the Dover castle as a backdrop, you can feel nature take over as you explore the interesting ...
