Burning Man Festival is a huge annual event that takes place in the Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. For eight days participants are removed from their ordinary lives and challenged to express themselves and create art. Host to a music, dance and human extravaganza, Burning Man began in 1986. In 2008, more than 48,000 people showed up for the festival. This year the festival begins August 30th and finishes September 6th and the theme is Metropolis. Event tickets go on sale 13th January 2010 and can be purchased online.

 For more information visit the official site here

The Cavern Club is a rock and roll club in Liverpool, England. Cavern Club is an old wine cellar with tree tunnels connected by archways. The Cavern Club first opened as a jazz club in 1957 and became world famous when The Beatles performed here almost 300 times in the early 1960’s.

The Club is located in the catacombs of this historic one time brewery and mill of 26,000 square feet, is host to the best live bands in Metro Detroit. The bands played songs by Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, and Eddie Cochran.

Paul McCartney’s Live at the Cavern is essentially the video counterpart to his album “Run Devil Run”. The music, however, isn’t obvious at all. Rather than go down the tried and tested route of rehashing all the rock  and roll classics everyone knows, McCartney decided instead to create a show focusing on his own personal favourites from his formative years.

Grandma Martha is one of the most revered Bulgarian rites, which has been preserved from ancient times to the present day. This is a centuries-long Bulgarian tradition symbolizing the end of the winter and the coming spring. On the 1st March, everyone gives his or her relatives and friends a martenitsa – twisted red and whire threads – and makes a wish for health and happiness with the words: ” Many happy returns of Grandma Martha”.

The white woolen thread signifies long life, and the red one – health and strength. Later on a coin was also added to the token to protect people from illness and ailments. Martenitsas are worn until the first storks, swallows or cuckoos appear with the warmth of spring. People then untie their martenitsas and tie them on to a blooming fruit tree. A martenitsa tied to an object at home brings prosperity to the family and its farm.

Martenitsa horseshoe with clover - It brings luck and happyness to the house. Protect from evil eyes. It is placed next to or above the door and hampers luck from running away. As the saying goes, the devil keeps away from places, where a horseshoe can be found. Should a horseshoe be tied to the mast of the ship, above the door of its cabin, or placed under the deck, luck will inevitably accompany such a boat at sea.

It is silent out there, except for the rhythmic patter of husky paws on snow and the gentle creaking of the sled. Occasionally the dogs heads pivot in unison to left or right. You may be able to spot a line of tiny wells in the powder, indicating that a wolf has walked this way before you. You are traveling through one of the last remaining great wildernesses in the world. Photo by: Mike Barish

It is a territory larger than the state of California, yet one that only 31,000 humans call home. There are, however, 70,000 moose for company, along with considerable numbers of grizzly and black bears, caribou, wolverines and Dall sheep. Photo by: Bill and Esther

You leave the forest trail and mush along the surface of a river. Evening is falling and a full moon rises high in the sky, casting a silvery light across this remote bitterly beautiful land. Later, perhaps, the northern lights will dance across the starry night sky for you. Visitors at Yukon Territory can try their hand at dogsledding for anything from half a day to a week or more. They can base themselves in comfortable accommodation at a kennel or can opt to camp with dogs along the extensive trails of the north. If you wish you can watch how the experts do it and follow the course of Yukon Quest, known as the toughest dogsledding race in the world. It runs each February with conditions often the harshest, for 1,000 miles (1,600 km) between Fairbanks, Alaska, and Whitehorse. Photo by: Mike Barish

Photo by: Mike Barish

The Ravello Festival is an annual summer music and arts festival that takes place primarily on the beautiful grounds of the Villa Rufolo in Ravello every summer. Ravello Festival organises classical music performances in the town’s churches, gardens and piazzas.

The main venue includes a suspended stage, built around the gardens of the villa and hanging above a cliff 350m (1,150ft) above the sea. A full musical teaching programme runs in parallel with a series of concerts.

 Every year the Ravello Festival features what they term a Wagnerian Leitmotiv , which serves as the overall theme for the summer. The aim of the Ravello Festival is to generate a special atmosphere which caresses the spirit. The Festival’s cultural offering accompanies the summer without impinging on guests privacy.

The luxurious Banyan Tree Sanya is located at Luhuitou Bay, Hainan island, China. The hotel has 49 lavish pool villas set in the tropical lagoon of the Sanya vacation resort, this 5 star hotel in Sanya features a spa and hydrotherapy development, signature dining outlets, and extensive conference facilities.

Planning for an event? The ideal setting for a wedding, meeting or family reunion, Banyan Tree Sanya creates an atmosphere of congenial warmth amid tranquil surrounds, making for wonderful memories of your stay to bring home.

Like the tropical and sacred tree from which it got its name, the Banyan Tree Spa offers guests a sanctuary for the senses – a place for physical, mental and spiritual renewal. To achieve this, the Spa focuses on a non-clinical and holistic approach based on traditional Eastern healing therapies. It emphasises on a ‘high-touch, low-tech’ approach that celebrates the human touch and the use of natural herbs and spices.

Let your resort hosts enlighten you on the birthplaces and stories behind traditional folklore, as you savour epicurean cuisines or enjoy a revitalizing spa treatment amidst the tropical beauty of Sanya, and see first-hand why many bill this land as the Hawaii of the Orient.

Canada counts out the days until the beginning of the Winter Olympics with the last details of preparation. The 2010 Winter Olympics run from Feb. 12 to 28 in the Canadian city of Vancouver and the winter sports resort of Whistler. The biggest sports forum for this year starts on Friday and Vancouver gets ready. The most serious problem is the high temperatures and lack of snow.

Founded in 1886, the city is inhabited by 2.2 million people and is very ecologically oriented. The competitions will be held from sea level to 935 m in Richmond in Whistler. From 12 until 28 February 2010 around 5500 athletes from more than 80 countries will participate in the 21’s Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. Games are expected to be watched by about 3 billion people. And around 55 000 spectators will be able to watch the opening ceremony.

The traditional Carnival of Venice was discovered on Saturday evening with a horse parade and play “Servant of two masters” performed by the street artists to San Marco Square. The Venetian Carnival held for centuries and will continue for ten days – from the 6th to the February 16th.  The period of the carnival is one of the most important events of the year. The program includes masked balls and theatrical productions. However, tourists will be tempted by competing carnivals in Rome and Viareggio.

Click here for the calendar of events

The Bonnefantenmuseum is the focal point of an early 1990s redevelopment in a former industrial quarter of Maastricht. Jo Coenen drew up a masterplan of a new city quarter, which had formerly been the site of the nineteenth-century Sfinx-Ceramique, an earthenware pottery factory. Photo by: koenpanis

Aldo Rossi was invited to design the Bonnefantenmuseum, which houses an impressive collection of Flemish painting from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as well as a fine contemporary art collection. Rosi engaged the city by locating his project on the Mass River. Photo by: Keees

Reminiscent of Italian Renaissance architecture, his E-shaped floor plan has its open side to the river and is crowned by a zinc dome, flanked by two steel circular staircases and a panoramic terrace. The entrance on the opposite site features double-height glass wedged between the towers. In addition, an old factory hall is incorporated into the museum. Photo by: RoelJewel

Aldo Rossi became one of the world’s leading architects. A sober floor plan and regularity of form make the museum representative of Rossi’s ‘anti-Modernist’ stance. Photo by: bonbon77f

Location: Masstricht, Netherlands. Photo by: JeroenH ‘64

Visitors leaving Groningen train station are greeted with late twentieth-century Postmodernism’s most astonishing buildings. The Groninger Museum, designed by Alessandro Mendini may seem willfully random, but the plan is based on museum collections and functions. Photo by: KAPturer

The dominating, gleaming gold tower, clad in laminate panels, houses collections storage, offices, and the main entrance. It is based on former gasometer. Beside the tower, Mendini placed two lower pavilions, green and pink, containing education rooms and cafe. To the west of the tower, connected by a semi-submerged passage, is a red brick pavilion designed by Michele de Lucchi; red brick was the traditional building material of Groningen’s historic quarter. Photo by: Jan Luursema

Inside the museum, designer Philippe Starck’s aluminum cylindrical pavilion cylindrical pavilion is a collection of 8,000 pieces of Oriental ceramics. At the eastern end of the complex is Coop Himmelblau’s exploded ‘open architecture’ Modern Art Pavilion, clad in patterned laminates. The site is bisected by a blue bridge. When is open for canal traffic, its underside is covered with fifty-six panels resembling Delft tiles. Photo by: Wim Dikkens

Outside the main entrance is a jokey, colorful sculpture by Mendini. Inside, the central spiral staircase covered in Italian mosaic is striking. The main entrance to the museum is in the side of the golden storage tower, below a triangular canopy. Location: Groningen, Netherlands. Photo by: Akbar Simonse

Jeju (Jeju-si) is the capital of Jeju province in South Korea and the largest city on the island of Jeju. Because of its natural beauty the island feels like a backdrop for many artists and designers. The Jeju Provincial Art Museum is one of the gathering point. Situated within the Halla Mountains, the museum plan is designed as a circulation loop, creating exterior and interior exhibition space. The program of the museum is planned for research, conservation, exhibition, education, and exhibition.

A pool at the entrance of the building reflects day light into the building and makes the atmosphere very relaxed. The entry plaza opens to a cultural plaza which serves as a year round outdoor exhibition and performance space. Inspired by the volcanic Halla mountains, the rear walkway of the museum culminates in a circular amphitheater serving as a community performance space.

Located in a southern island where the weather is mild even in winter, the city is a famous resort and welcomes over 4 million visitors form China, Japan, and Korea each year.

Over 400 red umbrellas gathered in the city of Talca, Chile next to the new pedestrian mall structure. The event is simple – a visual impression of the inhabitants of a city, which it is uncommon to see daring displays in public spaces. The project was based on the autonomy of the form, space, schedule, construction and structure.

The whole notion and design were done by students Jaime Latorre and Pablo Retamal of the 5th Year Architecture Workshop under the guidance of Professor Juan Roman at the University of Talca’s School of Architecture.

The project, didn’t have any functional idea. It is just done to make people think differently about landscapes by adding a new layer of experience to it. The total budget is 26 million dollars and the visual effect of the Red Umbrella Project is huge, inspiring and remarkable as well.

The event was part of the urban landscape 62 hours. Information was diffused through flyers and radio. Four spheres, constructed from grey umbrellas, were assembled and hung along Talca’s main street within sight of each other to point towards the “Plaza de Armas.”

Bug Dome is a small covered dome for underground bands, poetry reading, and discussions, inspired by insects. The building is constructed in wasteland of a ruined building site in-between the Shenzhen City Hall and an illegal workers camp, intended to reveal the human connection with nature. The architectural control has been given up in order to let the nature step in. The materials of which the cocoon is made of are bamboo, wood, gravel, recycled concrete.

The shelter is a retreat for the modern man to escape from the strength of the exploding urbanism in the city. The architects of the building share their thoughts  ‘To design is not enough. Design should not replace reality. The building must grow from the site; it must react for its surroundings, it must reflect life and it must let to be itself, like any other living creature‘. They also share the vision of their construction workers, which were sensitive, creative and responsible. They knew how to construct nature as insects do.

It will be great if we might be able to make the our cities to be part of nature. Location: Shenzhen, China. Photos by: Marco Casagrande. For a complete photo set click here

The 2010 Dakar is on the territories of Argentina and Chile and promises to each kind of driver a sequence adapted to their qualities. The long stay in the Atacama Desert will be the exciting point of a 9000 kilometres loop through the continent. But the global balance of the course with varied difficulties force all to be consistent and careful to the end. The days will be long and not only in road section. The most skillful competitors will find an opportunity to build on a position from which they will be able to capitalize. 

The road is as one of the most beautiful in the world will serve as a break before jumping on a detailed exploration of the Atacama Desert. The driest part of the world that the competitors will this time discover all the way to the city of Iquique, is the kingdom of dune crossings. During five stages, cut by a rest day at Antofagasta, the riders and crews will head to the north of Chile where off-road mileage will be considerable. It will be without doubt the toughest part of the rally, with reduced road sections: the stop watch will never stop. 

The riders and drivers of the Dakar will experienced a rich diversity of landscapes. From Argentina where the competitors got a first taste of their passion, to Cordoba, where the aficionados of the traditional round of the WRC turned out in force, the rally’s popularity remained constant. Argentinian flag is carried by Orlando Terranova, at the wheel of a BMW X3. Long and thin, Chile is the next with its Pacific Ocean coast and the Andes chain of mountains. Over such a huge length all types of climate are present, as well as many different types of relief. 

From the first to the last, staying focused is the key. There are always withdrawals just a few lengths away from the finish. The last 206 kilometres  covered on very fast tracks  have to be taken extremely carefully. At the finish, the heroes of this 32nd edition will at first be celebrated in the village of San Carlos de Bolivar. The aficionados, aware that the most intense moments of joy occur on the line, will certainly have come in numbers. After the finish, the competitors will drive to Buenos Aires where a huge crowd will be expecting them for more glorious moments. Photos by: Natacha Pisarenko.

For more information and extremely awesome pics click here

Surrounded by vineyards and the spectacular background of snow-covered Alps, Montreux is the most frequented resort in French speaking Switzerland. Located on the edge of Lake Geneva, Montreux has a mild climate that gives it a Mediterranean feel. The city offers luxury hotels, high gastronomy and wines, a natural beauty and a wide choice of sporting and cultural activities.

The main attraction in Montreux is the Chateau de Chillon. This historical monument is surrounded by the spectacular panorama of the Alps and Lake Geneva. Strategically built on a rocky island along the antique road to Italy, the castle consists of 25 building units.

Besides the historic architecture, Montreux’s attracts with its numerous international festivals. The most well-known of which are the Montreux Jazz Festival (July), the International Choral Festival (the week following Easter), the September Musical Concert and the Christmas market.