Archive for March, 2010
Why To Take Your Holidays In Serbia
The official name of Serbia is the Republic of Serbia. It is a landlocked country situated in Central and South Eastern Europe. It also covers the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and the central part of the Balkan. Serbia shares its borders with countries like Hungry Bulgaria Romania Croatia Herzegovina Bosnia Macedonia and Albania.
The population of this country is 10160000 and the currency of Serbia is Serbian Dinar. The official language of the country is Serbian but you can find people who speak French and English as well. Serbia is popular for several things like Belgrade night life the mountain strongholds great food and the soothing vineyards and monasteries on the green plains.
Like any other European country Serbia has rich culture and great places that attract tourists from all over the world. Palic is one of the most popular tourist destinations of Serbia. It is an ideal place for tourists to spend their summers. Here you can visit several of Palic’s decorative parks where you can enjoy romantic walks with your partner. You can also see the beautiful lake. Palic is also famous for its monuments where you can get a feel for the rich culture of the country. There is a Film Festival and World Etno Music Festival organized every year in this part of Serbia.
Another favourite tourist place in Serbia is Staro Selo. It has a famous traditional church made up of wood. This church was built by Vujica Vulicevic in the 19th century. It is one of the best examples of European architecture. Now the Serbian government has declared this church as one of Serbia’s national treasures.
For all those who love traditional music Guca Village is an ideal place for them. Every year this village hosts a brass music festival popularly known as the Trubaci Festival. This place is also suitable for those people who love their food. It offers some local dishes of Serbia with a lively atmosphere. The combination of fabulous music great food and lively atmosphere make Guca Village one of the best tourist spots in Serbia.
To familiarize yourself with the history of Serbia you can visit its famous Skull Tower. Here you can witness the symbol of bravery of the Serbian rebel armies. This tower contains 952 skulls of the soldiers who were killed during the early 1800 revolution against the Ottoman Empire. Additionally to get some more information about the history of this country you can visit Mediana. This place is the birthplace of Constantine the Great. Here you can see some luxury villas with mosaic floors and the creative Roman bathrooms. This is truly a place well worth visiting.
If you are holidaying in Serbia your trip will be incomplete without visiting Kapoanik National Park. It is a place where several accommodations are available for rent if you are eager to stay for a longer time to explore the park. This park has majestic scenery that is full of river gorges as well as this you can also see a numerous variety of trees. It is also home to some beautiful ski resorts.
About the writer: Andrew Gibson is MD of Direct Holiday Bookings. It is one of the fastest growing on line holiday home rental websites.To see an example of why Direct Holiday Bookings is growing so rapidly have a look at Property for holidays in Serbia
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When The Gates Of Hell Are Left Open
The Hungry Ghost Festival is an important Buddhist and Taoist festival in Hong Kong according to Chinese Buddhist tradition the Hungry Ghosts are described as restless sprits mostly those who were not afforded a proper burial. To stop these restless spirits from causing trouble to the living community the Chinese conduct an elaborate festival that offers gifts to appease the spirits.
Every year during the seventh lunar month which corresponds to July or August on the western calendar locals believe that the gates of hell are open which allows these ghosts to travel to realm of the living. During this period the Hungry Ghost Festival or Yue Lan is held for a period of three days all over Hong Kong. The festival is similar to the South American tradition of holding a parade for dead souls and is sometimes referred to as the Chinese Halloween.
Paper models of television sets and radios are made with a lot of attention to detail paper money is printed and sometimes even large papiermch cars and bikes are built. The people of Hong Kong later burn these creations as offerings and believe that the fumes reach the realm of the dead. They believe that this will help the spirits live comfortably sometimes presents are sent to the spirits through fire thus items of clothing and food are burnt.
The Chinese also believe in a particularly powerful spirit known as Taai Si Wong they believe that he looks over the festival to determine whether it is conducted properly. A special effigy of Taai Si Wong is built using perfumed paper and burned at the end of the festival to send back to through the gates of hell to the afterworld. Most of the festival activities are centered on King George V Memorial Park in Kowloon where large altars of bamboo are erected. Taoist priests recite sacred hymns from their holy books while sitting on these alters to help the passage of the ghosts back to the afterworld. They also pray for peace and ask the ghosts not to disturb the tranquility of the living realm.
A hotel in Hong Kong that is located close to where the festival takes place is Hotel Jen. This is a contemporary hotel in Hong Kong that offers great access to the citys attractions as well as proving comfortable accommodation.
About the writer: Naveen Marasinghe is an Online Marketing Executive at eMarketingEye which is a search engine marketing company that offers PPC Management and SEO services and specializes in serving the online travel and hospitality industry.
What To See And What To Do In Sonoma County
Are you among the many others who hear of Sonoma County and immediately conjure up elegant images of clinking wine glasses? Do your nostrils begin to twitch in anticipation of intoxicating aromas? Does your mouth start salivating with eagerness to receive scrumptious beverages when Sonoma County is mentioned merely in passing? Is Sonoma County synonymous with California’s wine country in your mind’s eye? Well you are not wrong by any stretch of the imagination but you are not exactly correct either. If you allow me some time I will be happy to widen your perspective about Sonoma County and I promise to be as brief as I possibly can.
Yes you are absolutely right; Sonoma County is all about wine all kinds of wine. As a matter of fact Sonoma County is more about wine than it is about anything else. However one must not overlook its many other aspects which are so readily available to all its residents as well as to those visiting the area on their vacations on business or are simply passing through on their way to elsewhere.
Without further ado here is the multifaceted Sonoma County which can also serve as your travel guide if you ever decide to visit and want to know what to see and what to do there:
1. Sonoma Coast State Beach is a seventeen mile stretch of scenic land along the Pacific Ocean owned by the State of California. It consists of several named beaches such as Arched Rock Beach Gleason Beach and Goat Rock Beach. Sonoma Coast State Beach features fine sand and dramatic vertical rock formations.
2. Lake Sonoma is a manmade lake that was formed by the construction of the Warm Springs Dam and is located in northern Sonoma County. With fifty miles of shoreline and 2700 acres of surface area this tranquil lake provides water for agricultural irrigation for industrial uses and for yearround recreation.
3. Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve is an 805acre California state park densely populated with majestic Sequoias and offers visitors selfguided nature trails an outdoor amphitheater and well maintained picnic facilities.
4. Jack London National State Park is also known as the Jack London Home and Ranch and is a National Historic Landmark to be found on the east side of Sonoma Mountain surrounding the property which belonged to Jack London a well known American author between 1876 to 1916. The burnt remains of his home the Wolf House are still visible in the park.
5. Gold Ridge Experiment Farm is what remained of the farm purchased by Luther Burbank in 1885 to perform his astounding feats as an American botanist horticulturist and an agricultural scientist who developed eight hundred varieties of fruits flowers grains grasses and vegetables.
6. Fort Ross was as a Russian settlement in the early 1800s and has since been designated as a National Historic Landmark. The Rotchev House which served as the official residence of the settlement’s Commander still stands unharmed but the rest of the structures on the site have been reconstructed with the help of Russian architects.
7. Sonoma County is also abundant with elegant hotels modern shopping malls lush golf courses wide range of restaurants and eateries theaters night clubs spas and of course wineries.
About the writer: Learn more about Sonoma County Real Estate and homes for sale in Sonoma County by visiting us today.