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The Hermitage Museum is Russia’s best gallery of world art, one of the most prominent art museums in the world and definitely the main tourist attraction of St. Petersburg. The museum was founded in 1764 when Catherine the Great purchased a collection of 255 paintings from the German city of Berlin. Today, the Hermitage boasts over 2.7 million exhibits and displays a diverse range of art and artifacts from all over the world and from throughout history (from Ancient Egypt to the early 20th century Europe).

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Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, having a total area of 1,128 km². It is an overseas department of France. Like the other islands, Martinique is also one of the 26 regions of France, and an integral part of the Republic. As part of France, Martinique is part of the European Union, the currency used is the euro. Its official language is French, although almost all of its inhabitants also speak Antillean Creole. Martinique is pictured on all euro banknotes. Fort de France is the capital of Martinique and the largest city in the French Antilles, and it has a population of 94,049 inhabitants. It is also one of the major cities in the Caribbean. The city centre is resplendent with architecture dating back to the start of the 19th Century and monuments that speak of the island’s history. The full range of shops, restaurants and services are available in a distinctly Caribbean style. Larger shopping and cinema complexes and meeting centers are located on the periphery of the city.

Continue reading The incredible Cathedral in whole island of Martinique

Anguilla is a British overseas territory in the Caribbean, the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles. It consists of the main island of Anguilla itself, approximately 16 miles long by 3 miles wide at its widest point, together with a number of much smaller islands and cays with no permanent population. The island’s capital is The Valley.
Anguilla, a small island, quiet place full of white sand beaches with crystal clear waters, great dining and friendly people. There are many options for getting there and lots to see when you arrive. The sland is a retreat for couples, families and singles, offering accommodations for the most discerning traveler. You could also visit art galleries, touring historic sites and museums. Sporting in Anguilla like horseback riding, dancing to island beats, make excursions to the undersea world, sailing and snorkeling, or quiet days basking in the sun and enjoying the simple pleasure of sunset strolls.

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The “105 Building” is one of the boldest buildings in Pyongyang. From a distance, it is a dreadful, if awe-inspiring piece of architecture. It reminds one of the following passage from George Orwell’s book, 1984:The Ministry of Trutha Minitrue, in Newspeakwas startlingly different from any other object in sight. It was an enormous pyramidal structure of glittering white concrete, soaring up, terrace after terrace, three hundred meters into the air…The Ministry of Truth contained, it was said, three thousand rooms above ground level, and corresponding ramifications below.

This Pyongyang building is not actually a government ministry or a place of terror, but the Yu-kyung hotel. In a strange coincidence, it is the same height as the building in 1984 and contains the same number of rooms. Construction of the building began in 1987 and was abandoned four years later. Some people say that faulty engineering has left it structurally unsound, and visitors are not allowed to approach it up close.

The Meenakshi temple complex in India is one of the largest and certainly one of the most ancient. According to legend Madurai is the actual site where the wedding between Shiva and Meenakshi took place. The gigantic temple complex,the statues exploring the entire range of human emotions,everything here is larger than life. The soaring and exquisitely carved towers enclose the temple dedicated to Meenakashi. The south gateway contains the twin temples of Shiva and Meenakshi and is about nine storeys high.

Continue reading The Sri Meenakshi Sundareswara temple

At the crossroads of the great civilizations of Asia, seven groups of Hindu and Buddhist monuments, as well as the three residential and palace areas of the royal cities of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, illustrate Nepalese art at its height. Among the 130 monuments are pilgrimage centres, temples, shrines, bathing sites and gardens – all sites of veneration for both religious groups.

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The Kremlin is Russia’s mythic refuge, a self contained city with a multitude of palaces, armories, and churches, a medieval fortress that links the modern nation to its legendary past in the ancient state of Kievan Rus’. As the dominance of Kiev faded and its empire fragmented under the weight of foreign invasion and internecine strife in the 11th and 12th centuries, regional princes gained power. In 1147, as Kievan Rus was experiencing its final death throes, a chronicler recorded that a feast was held at the hunting lodge of Prince Yuri Dolgorukiy, ruling prince of Rostov and Suzdal. The lodge was perfectly situated atop a hill overlooking the Moskva and Neglina rivers, prompting its development (in such troubled times) as a fortified town, or Kremlin.

Within a century, the town had risen to become an independent principality within the Mongol empire. By the middle of the 14th century, its princes had gained such pre-eminence that Moscow was made the seat of the Russian Orthodox Church. With Ivan the Great (1462-1505) at its helm, Muscovite rule extended over all of Russia, and the Kremlin became more magnificent, befitting its role as the seat of Russian power. By 1480 the once modest hunting lodge had become an imposing fortress city. Its stone walls were graced by the magnificent Cathedral of the Assumption, where Ivan defiantly tore up the charter binding Moscow to Mongol rule. Over the next two centuries, until Peter the Great transferred the capital of Russia to St. Petersburg, the Kremlin served as the central stage for the magnificent and occasionally horrific history of the Tsars.

Continue reading Kremlin in Moscow is maybe the Most Impressive Royal Complex

Hram-pametnik Aleksander Nevski (St Alexander Nevski Memorial Church)
Said to be Sofia’s most photographed monument, Alexander Nevski is a magnificent neo-Byzantine cathedral-sized church, topped by copper and golden domes. Considered the heart of the city, it was built between 1882 and 1912, in honor of the Russian soldiers, who fell when the Russian army helped liberate Bulgaria from Ottoman rule in 1878. The church takes its name from Alexander Nevski, credited with saving Russia from Swedish troops in 1240 and the patron saint of the family of the tsar at that time, Alexander II – also known as Tsar Osvoboditel, the ‘Tsar Liberator’ – who led the army that drove out the Turks.

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The Cote D`Azur, south of France, French Riviera – call it (or say it) whatever you want to but all these names provoke the stunning beauty and splendour of that magnificient piece of land that starts in the easternmost corner of France with Menton, the grand lady of the Belle Epoch are, running through Monte Carlo, Nice, Cannes, Grasse, all the way to St. Tropez.
We explored this region of balmy weather, stony beaches, sheer cliffs, grand hotels, cosy cafes,stuning views and beautiful people.

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Everyone knows Canals of Venice. Gondolas bobbing on the Grand Canal, and a picturesquely decaying city sinking slowly into the waters of the Lagoon. And yet Venice is a city of many surprises and delights for the visitor. The first one is that you will spend most of your time walking – the pavements play as major a role in the city as do the canals. The one thing you won’t see is cars, drivers have to leave their vehicles at the city gate, and that makes exploring this romantic, art-filled and utterly unique city very enjoyable. And though tourists crowd the city, most of them head straight for the Basilica di San Marco and the Doge’s Palace; a little trip off the beaten track yields huge rewards, as you nip down narrow alleys and find beautiful little churches, street markets and yet another canal before you.

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