dimanche 13 mars 2011

San Francisco USA

San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the fourth most populous city in California and the 12th most populous city in the United States, with a 2011 estimated population of 815,358. The only consolidated city-county in California, it encompasses a land area of 46.7 square miles (121 km2) on the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula, giving it a density of 17,323 people/mi² (6,688.4 people/km²). It is the most densely settled large city (population greater than 200,000) in the state of California and the second-most densely populated large city in the United States. San Francisco is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of more than 7.4 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland.

In 1776, the Spanish established a fort at the Golden Gate and a mission named for Francis of Assisi on the site. The California Gold Rush in 1848 propelled the city into a period of rapid growth, increasing the population in one year from 1,000 to 25,000, and thus transforming it into the largest city on the West Coast at the time. After three-quarters of the city was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and fire, San Francisco was quickly rebuilt, hosting the Panama-Pacific International Exposition nine years later. During World War II, San Francisco was the port of embarkation for service members shipping out to the Pacific Theater. After the war, the confluence of returning servicemen, massive immigration, liberalizing attitudes, and other factors led to the Summer of Love and the gay rights movement, cementing San Francisco as a center of liberal activism in the United States.

Today, San Francisco is a popular international tourist destination, renowned for its chilly summer fog, steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture and its famous landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, and Chinatown. The city is also a principal banking and finance center, and the home to more than 30 international financial institutions, helping to make San Francisco eighteenth place in the world's top producing cities, ninth in the United States, and fifteenth place in the top twenty Global Financial Centers.

san francisco

san francisco video
san francisco image
san francisco city
san francisco wallpaper
san francisco city train
san francisco

Grand Canyon in Arizona USA

The Grand Canyon is the largest known rift in the world. The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided gorge that were made by the Colorado River in north Arizona, USA. It is because of heavy mineral deposits that one can see the canyon as bright red, brown and orange in color.

This canyon is a part of the large Grand Canyon national park designated by Theodore Roosevelt. The park is almost 277 miles long and 4 to 18 miles wide. The canyons are the main point of attraction in the nation park.
The president of The United States, Theodore Roosevelt, used to quite often come to the national park for enjoyment and hunting. Statistics show that the canyons were made by the Colorado River some six million years ago and have the deepest depth, of over a mile. It is said that the river started cutting layers of rocks from the west initially and gradually moved to the east. The place was inhabited by the Native Americans who lived within the caves. The site during this time was a holy place for the pilgrims and the first person to explore this part of the world was a European guy who arrived from Spain to this site in 1540. During the year 1869, Major John Wesley Powell made the first recorded journey to this place.

Some of the best adventures that a tourist can indulge into are Colorado River rafting, helicopter tours and other guided tours via land. One can stay in the best Grand Canyon hotels and lodges to make the journey memorable.

Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon Bird View
Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon Skyline
Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon Video

mardi 8 mars 2011

Uffizi Gallery in Florence Italy

The Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy is a popular famous museum, known for its incredible arts, most commons include the Birth of Venus and the Primavera by Botticelli. The Uffizi Gallery was designed in 1560 by Vasari of the Medico family. The shape of the gallery is rectangular and starts from the Signoria Palace and ends at the Arno River. It has yet a very interesting history attached to it. The son of Cosimo I called Francesco I started collecting pieces of art on the second floor of the Uffizi. As time passed by, the entire Medic family contributed in adding more and more precious arts to the gallery along with the palace.

Since the site is a very popular tourists attraction, large number of groups are broken into smaller sections and only specific numbers of visitors are allowed to go in a specify section at one time. Visitors are more than happy to wait in long lines. There is a special phone number that visitors can call to book their spot and thus avoid standing in huge lines. Most travelers who do not plan ahead do not know this number. The number for booking a spot is 39-055-294-883 and with just $1, visitors can book a spot in advance to view the gallery.
The cost of the ticket is 8 Euros. Some of the rooms that you should covered during the visit are the Botticelli Rooms, the Leonardo Room and one should check out Michelangelo’s The Holy Family.

The official website for Uffizi Gallery is http://www.uffizi.com/

Uffizi Gallery
Uffizi Gallery
Uffizi Gallery
Uffizi Gallery

Florence, Italy: Uffizi Gallery
Uffizi Gallery
Uffizi Gallery
Uffizi Gallery

vendredi 4 mars 2011

Dubrovnik Old City Croatia

Dubrovnik is called “The Pearl of the Adriatic” and is situated in the south end of Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most famous and well known places for tourists to visit due to its historic Old Town. Dubrovnik Old City became part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1979.
Dubrovnik has always been big in trade due to its location near the sea, which contributed to most of its wealth. During the middle ages, the city of Dubrovnik became a competitor and a rival for Venice. The city had good numbers of skilled labor and money and as a result of which, saw enormous growth during the 15th and the 16th century. The city was also a home for notable poem, painters, politicians, play writers and scholars.Croatia is very proud to have a city like Dubrovnik. An interesting fact to know is that out of the best 15 luxurious hotels, 9 are located in Dubrovnik. Very high rank people like Pope John Paul II are citizens to this place. Dubrovnik is a very lively place and that is the reason it attracts visitors from all over the world. One of the best ways to plan a holiday destination is to spend more that 2 to 3 days in the city. The best way to reach Dubrovnik is by air, road or water. The airport is 20 km away from the main city. Dubrovnik is famous for roaming destinations like Roland’s Column, the Bell Tower, the Sponza Place, War Photo Limited, Pile Gate, and some famous churches and museums.

Dubrovnik Old City
Dubrovnik Old City
Dubrovnik Old City
Dubrovnik Old City
Dubrovnik Old City
Dubrovnik Old City
Dubrovnik Old City

Dubrovnik Old Town