I will lead on a journey through slow food and rapid development, just right in Phoenix, Arizona. Phoenix is a city of uniqueness of the horizon and desert light. This optimistic attitude, accompanied with the arid climate and low cost of living has brought many people to the Valley of the Sun.

The Phoenix metropolitan area is one of the fastest- growing areas in the United States. It’s a pity because the car is king there – driving is only way to move around in 9, 200 square miles region. In this world it’s hard to state the foot and the bicycle as much as the car.

Phoenix is a lesson in freeway nomenclature. The endless pavement and strip malls remind of a distant Los Angles. But there’s a beautiful iridescent horizon and a new light – rail system will soon take place and run.

But behind all these statements comes the good. There’s a quality cuisine, a thriving art scene and unique modern architecture. The creative landscape has three museum institutions. They have the Phoenix Art Museum, a wonderful new second edition, and the other museum SMoCA, which was transformed from a five-plex AMC theater to 20,000 square feet of gallery space. And you have the Nelson Fine Art Center that combines the hispanic character with rich collections of Arizona State University.

The city is a totally electric mix. There is Temple’s musical heritage with the Gin Blossoms. The arts are there. There’s also a place called Red Modern Furniture, which is a little tapas. The city also got Passage, a wonderful boutique that is just blowing everybody away. It’s the coolest fashion spot with a spectacular environment and stylish items. It’s amazing and it’s affordable, accessible and cool.

If you happen to be there on the summer hiking the loop trail around Piestawa Peak or the trail up Camelback Mountain. It’s a great way to see the prespective of the city. As well as biking on the canal system is another perfect way to glimpse a diversity of neighborhoods and history of the city. And at the end for gourmets audience – whenever you’re going to eat in Phoenix or just have a snack, a cocktail, it’s a fantastic experience.

Loreto Bay is a resort community with total of 6, 000 residences in desert of Baja California. The resort has 240 pretty colorful houses with cupolas; some of them are painted bright blue or yellow, others are pink, beige or green.

If you are guest there you’ll understand much better Loreto on foot. No matter where you are standing, you can see either the sea or the Sierra de la Giganta; nature always feels close by.

But for some houses shops accessibility is a problem — Loreto is 700 miles south of San Diego via mainly two-lane roads. But air including flights on Alaska Airlines through Los Angeles, on Continental from Houston, and on Aero California and Aeroméxico from Los Angeles, San Diego and Phoenix.

The guests at Loreto Bay will have three golf courses, beach and eco-tourism just a boat ride away. As well as the residents will travel about their villages on foot, by bicycle or in electric-powered golf carts, because the streets are too narrow for automobiles.

People who have a rest in Loreto spend their days golfing, kayaking, deep-sea fishing and hiking.

The Zoo suffered during the Easter Rising of 1916 as the shortage of meat forced some of the animals to be killed to keep the lions and tigers alive. Fuel shortages during the Second World War also meant cutbacks in heating the tropical houses. Rodrigues fruit bats are one of Dublin Zoo’s endangered species. Fruit bats, as their name suggests, feed on fruit and because of that are very important to the rain forest. Bats cannot digest the seeds and pips of the fruit that they eat and so the seeds leave the bat’s digestive system “wrapped” in fertilizer. Without bats many rain forest trees would not be able to sow their own seeds. Dublin Zoo also has a more formal education programme. This uses the zoo as a resource for young people and adults to learn. Sessions for schools are linked to the syllabus at primary and secondary level. The topics include genetics, art, rain forests and conservation.

Visitors can also explore the zoo’s gift stops, which offer “quality merchandise raising money” for the continued well-being of Dublin Ireland Zoo. The main gift stop is over 2,000 square feet, and offers the largest range of soft toy animals in Ireland, as well as clothing, arts and crafts supplies, stationery, souvenirs, and photography equipment. Visitors can buy photos and paintings of international animals, as well as many animals of Ireland. The Zoo also has an arts, crafts, and hobbies shop called “Creative Instincts”. In the African Plains section of the zoo (where visitors can gander at beautiful, but certainly non-Ireland animals), Out of Africa stocks a variety of African crafts, souvenirs, and clothing items. Budding zoologists can dine at the newly constructed Meerkat Restaurant, which actually features a Meerkat exhibit within the restaurant. The Stripes Restaurant, among other zoo restaurants, also offers a variety of dining options.

Phoenix Park, one of the biggest enclosed parks in the world, provides a breath of fresh air amid the urban sprawl of modern Dublin. Phoenix Park, with its 700 hectares, is one of the largest urban enclosed park in Europe. Formal gardens, grass , lakes and mature deciduous trees. It is used by the the Irish people for a wide range of recreational pursuits and sporting activities e.g. motor racing, biking, roller blading. The flower garden is 9 22 acres. Deer are found in the park, a zoo and a visitor centre all in a castle. It’s circumference is 11km and it covers a total area pf 712 hectares / 1,760 acres.

Also known as Dublin’s playground, the Phoenix Park opened in 1747, and it is home to the Irish President and the U.S. ambassador to Ireland, not to mention the many assorted wildlife such as deer and horses. Located 3km west of Dublin city centre, the Phoenix Park is beauatifully landscaped, with quiet pedestrian walkways, ornamental gardens, grassland, nature trails, and avenues of trees, including oak, beech, pine, chestnut, and lime. Brendan Nolan’s comprehensive guide to Phoenix Park covers its origins and history, buildings and monuments, wildlife, literary associations, local lore, military use, sports, self-guided walks, and its future in an urban environment.
A lively and entertaining exhibition on the history and the wildlife of the Phoenix Park is on display in the Visitor Center. Here the visitor can enjoy a historical interpretation of the park from 3500 B.C. to the present day and can also view an audio-visual presentation on the Phoenix Park through the ages. Adjoining the Visitor Centre is the fully restored Ashtown Castle, a medieval tower house that probably dates from the 17th century.

The 60-meter obelisk is the Wellington Testimonial, erected by Sir Robert Smirke in 1817 to honour the Dubliner Sir Arthur Wellesley (1769-1852), better known as the Duke of Wellington, who defeated Napoleon in Waterloo. The Phoenix Park is under the care and management of the Office of Public Works. They have in the last 10 years taken on a program of tree replanting with over 10000 trees having been planted since the program was started.

The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Hockey League (NHL). The team started play in 1972 as the Quebec Nordiques of the World Hockey Association. During the seven WHA seasons, the Nordiques won the Avco Cup Championship once, in 1977. Two years later, they entered the NHL, along with the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers (now the Carolina Hurricanes) and the Winnipeg Jets (now the Phoenix Coyotes). When they’ve found themselves experiencing on-ice success but off-ice financial failure during the lockout shortened 1994-95 NHL season team owner Marcel Aubut asked for a bailout from Quebec’s provincial government. The bailout fell through and Aubut subsequently sold the team to a group of investors in Denver.

In your room: Luxurious, soft-textured Frette linens and robes, Exclusive Erno Laszlo signature in-room amenities, Slippers, In-room coffee service, Designer furnishings customized for comfort, Roomy desk with comfortable chair, Oversized chairs and sofas, Hair dryers, AM/FM radio, Alarm clock, Dual-line phone, Voice-mail, Dataport, CD player, 32″ remote control, elevision, DVD rental, Iron and ironing board, In-room private bar, Newspaper delivered daily, Nightly candlelight turn-down service, In-room massage available.

Elements has changed the view on dining in the Valley. Nestled exclusively on the North slope of Camelback Mountain, elements offers a breathtaking view of Paradise Valley, a premiere enclave of Scottsdale, Arizona. Executive Chef Charles Wiley presents his signature cuisine with an emphasis on fresh, local and seasonal ingredients. Selected as one of “The Ten Best New Chefs in America“ by Food & Wine Magazine, Wiley has earned international acclaim for his innovative cuisine.

ACTIVITIES

On-site: A vast infinity-edge resort pool (the largest in Arizona), 25-yard outdoor lap pool, 2 heated mountainside swimming pools, 5 championship tennis courts, Spa/Fitness.

Nearby: Golf courses, Hiking trails & nature walks, Bicycling, Desert horseback riding, Desert jeep rides, Hot air ballooning, Visit prehistoric Indian ruins, World-class shopping, Art galleries / museums.

SPA & FITNESS

Sanctuary Spa – 12,000 square foot indoor and outdoor Spa. State-of-the-art fitness center, weight room and movement studio.

An intimate retreat, Sanctuary Spa offers a menu of Asian-inspired treatments in 14 indoor & outdoor treatment rooms. Enhanced by modern architecture and the breathtaking setting, the Spa’s relaxing meditation garden, reflecting pond and Watsu pool provide a tranquil experience. Spa services and classes in the state-of-the-art fitness center and movement studio include Pilates, meditation, Yoga, fitness & nutrition consultations, and more.

AREA ATTRACTIONS

Camelback Mountain hiking – adjacent
Scottsdale Fashion Square – 3 miles
Old Town Scottsdale – 4.5 miles
Biltmore Fashion Park – 5 miles
Phoenix Zoo – 8 miles
Heard Museum – 10 miles
Phoenix Art Museum – 10.5 miles
Taliesin West – 14 miles

History of Thassos:

The island was colonized at an early date by Phoenicians, attracted probably by its gold mines; they founded a temple to the god Melqart, whom the Greeks identified as “Tyrian Heracles”, and whose cult was merged with Heracles in the course of the island’s Hellenization; the temple still existed in the time of Herodotus. An eponymous Thasos, son of Phoenix— or of Agenor, as Pausanias reported— is said to have been the leader of the Phoenicians, and to have given his name to the island.

In 720 708 BC, Thasos received a Greek colony from Paros. It was in a war which the Parian colonists waged with the Saians, a Thracian tribe, that the poet Archilochus threw away his shield. The Greeks extended their power to the mainland, where they owned gold mines which were even more valuable than those on the island. From these sources the Thasians drew great wealth, their annual revenues amounting to 200 or even 300 talents. Herodotus, who visited Thasos, says that the best mines on the island were those which had been opened by the Phoenicians on the east side of the island facing Samothrace.

The place was important during the Ionian Revolt against Persia. After the capture of Miletus (494 BC) Histiaeus, the Ionian leader, laid siege to Thasos. The attack failed, but, warned by the danger, the Thasians employed their revenues to build war ships and strengthen their fortifications. This excited the suspicions of the Persians, and Darius compelled them to surrender their ships and pull down their walls. After the defeat of Xerxes the Thasians joined the Delian confederacy; but afterwards, on account of a difference about the mines and marts on the mainland, they revolted.

The Athenians defeated them by sea, and, after a siege that lasted more than two years, took the capital, Thasos, probably in 463 BC, and compelled the Thasians to destroy their walls, surrender their ships, pay an indemnity and an annual contribution (in 449 BC this was 21 talents, from 445 BC about 30 talents), and resign their possessions on the mainland. In 411 BC, at the time of the oligarchical revolution at Athens, Thasos again revolted from Athens and received a Lacedaemonian governor; but in 407 BC the partisans of Lacedaemon were expelled, and the Athenians under Thrasybulus were admitted.

After the Battle of Aegospotami (405 BC), Thasos again fell into the hands of the Lacedaemonians under Lysander who formed a decarchy there; but the Athenians must have recovered it, for it formed one of the subjects of dispute between them and Philip II of Macedonia. In the embroilment between Philip III of Macedonia and the Romans, Thasos submitted to Philip, but received its freedom at the hands of the Romans after the battle of Cynoscephalae (197 BC), and it was still a “free” state in the time of Pliny.

After a period of Latin occupation, it was captured by the Turks in 1462; it was given by the Sultan Mahmud II to Mehemet Ali of Egypt. In 1914 during the Balkan Wars, Thasos became part of Greece. Thasos, the capital, stood on the north side of the island, and had two harbours, one of which was closed. Archilochus described Thasos as “an ass’s backbone crowned with wild wood,” and the description still suits the mountainous island with its forests of fir. The highest mountain, Ipsario or Ypsario, is 1045 m (3428 ft) high. Besides its gold mines, the wine, nuts and marble of Thasos were well known in antiquity. Thasian wine (a light bodied wine with a characteristic apple scent) was, in particular, quite famous; to the point where all Thasian coins carried the head of the wine god on one side and bunches of grape of the other.

Today, Thasos is a part of the Kavala prefecture and is the southernmost and the easternmost points in the prefecture. Thasos serves ferry routes to and from Kavala and a port at the eastern portion of the prefecture.

Thassos is very nice place if you like quiet and private beaches among the big rocks. There are maybe dozen of this kind of beaches along the island ( you can view some pictures taken by me below ).