2010 September travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises spa and resorts

Built in 1852, the Orangery of the Tuileries soon lost its fruit trees to become a storehouse, and a room for examinations and dog competitions. Its destuny became clearer when Monet choise it to house the complete cycle of the Nympheas (Water Lilies) on which he worked from 1914. Since its renovation was completed in 2006, the panels of a landscape of water lilies, weeping willows, reflection of trees and clouds – 2 meters high, almost 100 long – have regained their beauty and meaning in daylight.This exceptional venue also does justice to the collection of art dealer Paul Guillaume of whom it was said “the painting and statues whispered in his ear”. And “his” Renoir, Cezanne, Rousseau, Modigliani, Marie Laurencin, Matisse, Picasso, Derain, Soutine and Utrillo paintings definitely reveal a certain flair. Official site: www.musee-orangerie.fr
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From place d’Anvers to place de Clichy, night revellers, neon lights and illuminated signs ensure that, almost far as long as Paris has existed, this area never sleeps. In the Paris of yesteryear, wine, taxed at the entry to the city was more expensive. So, Montmartre was the lively out-of-town place to go with its mix of lower classes, artists, young women and free thinkers. Later, the village was absorbed into the capital but the rowdiness coutinued. Piano-bars, night clubs, private clubs, concert halls, cafe-theatres, music halls, dinner shows, pubs, cabarets lasted for three seasons or over one hundred years.

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Casa Margot offers you a five star boutique accommodation created by the famous local sculptress Eliana Molinelli. The house is situated in the heart of the most important wine regions in Argentina. It’s an excellent location to visit wineries and vineyards. Casa Margot Hotel aims to spread the culture of Champagne, the Argentine sparkling wine produced with the antique French technique for wine-making.
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Meiji Jingu Shrine is located in Tokyo , Japan near Harajuku Station ( Harajuku ) and Yoyogi Park. Located on approximately 175 acres, the Meiji Jingu Shrine is in great contrast to the unending action of Tokyo, with huge evergreen trees blocking out the noise of the city. The entrance is free. Meiji Shrine is a shrine dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shoken. They passed away in 1912 and 1914, respectively, and were enshrined November 1, 1920.
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The city of Linz is found in Austria and is its third largest city. It is idyllically located on the banks of the Danube River. The most unusual hotel in Linz is The Pixel Hotel. It was founded in 2009 when Linz was the European Capital of Culture. The project is one of city’s attempts to lure tourists to Linz by using creative architecture.
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Located  far out in an otherworldly terrain of the salt flats, some 220 miles south of La Paz, Palacio de Sal Hotel & Spa is completely made of…..salt.  Walls, floors and most of the furniture too – chairs, tables and beds are all made of salt.  Built in 1995 out of 14×14-inch salt blocks, the property features twenty four beds, a pool table, a dining room, a central courtyard, and even flush toilets. This hotel is a completely different way to view the amazing landscape of the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia.
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Putna Monastery (Romanian: Manastirea Putna) is a Romanian Orthodox monastery, one of the most important cultural, religious and artistic centers established in medieval Moldavia. The imposing Putna Monastery is situated about 30 km northwest from the town of Radauti , near the Putna River. Putna Monastery dates from the 15th century. The story goes that it was built in a general area picked out by Stephen’s advisor, Daniel the Hermit. A section of tree trunk containing the arrow hole is still kept in the monastery museum and a cross marks the spot from which the arrow was shot.
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Opened July 2009, the Rocco Forte Verdura Golf and Spa Resort is situated on the south coast of Sicily, around 45 minutes drive from Palermo airport. Set amidst 230 hectares of olive groves, Verdura Resort is the ultimate place to relax offering style, elegance and refined simplicity to those seeking a luxurious holiday experience. The architect is Flavio Albanese and the interiors have been designed by Olga Polizzi together with Flavio Albanese.
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There is no draught in this train station, just art and light! Inaugurated during the exposition Universelle of 1990, the Orsay train station resembled “a fine art palace” to the painter Edouard Detaille … which was what it was to become 86 years later. Unsuitable for modern trains, its deserted platforms finally closed in 1979. Plans to demolish it in 1970 were overturned just in time and it became a listed building. Its immense volumes were transformed into a museum whose canopy, nave, cupolas, pillars, iron girders and stucco decors draw unanimous praise.
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Gastronomy is king in Paris. Restaurants provide varied and refined menus to tempt the palate. And there are numerous delicatessens, caterers, bakers, wine merchants, butchers, confectioners, pasty cooks and grocers in every area of the city with delicious produce to take away.
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