UK-Italy Relations: UK Deputy Prime Minister Speech

  Pontignano Conference, Siena, Italy.

Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered. Ladies and gentlemen, at the risk of derailing what The Economist has rightly called the ‘blossoming’ relationship between the United Kingdom and Italy, perhaps you’ll permit me to say: Vorrei ringraziare tutti voi di essere qui stasera, in questa bellissima citta, in questa antica e famosa universita. Grazie di cuore. Thank you to the Rector, for welcoming us to this fine seat of learning. Thank you Mayor, for your very warm welcome to your wonderful city, which is so beloved of my fellow Brits. Thank you to Lord Willetts and Carlo Calenda, for your leadership of Pontignano… and for all you do to nurture the close friendship between our nations. And thank you – above all – to all of you for being here. You all believe in the importance of this relationship between the United Kingdom and Italy. Important, not just because of our friendship, culture and our long shared history. But because you are strong believers in how much more we can achieve together as modern European nations facing the same challenges: from supporting Ukraine in its fight for freedom to confronting economic and energy security challenges to tackling illegal migration. And you know that to succeed, we must address them together. The number of my colleagues attending this conference demonstrates that this is certainly the view of the British Government. (Although it would perhaps be an exaggeration to say that they took a lot of persuading to come to Siena!). Their presence is a testament to the United Kingdom’s determination to drive forward a new strategic partnership between London and Rome. Now our topic for this year’s Pontignano is ‘Adapting to technological change’. But before I say a few words on that, let me take a step back and look at our relationship with Italy – to take stock, as diplomats like to say. A turning point. My counterpart, Antonio Tajani, said at the start of the year that relations between the UK and Italy were ‘at a turning point.’ And he was right. Look at the situation that confronts us: war in Europe threats to our energy and our food supplies climate change irregular migration, across the Mediterranean and the Channel. And all of it underpinned by the onward march of technology. Set against that backdrop, it is surely no wonder that our two countries - sharing so many interests whose strengths complement each other in so many ways - should seize this moment to work more closely together. And that is exactly what we are doing. A longstanding friendship. We are, of course, building on a very strong foundation. The ties between our peoples go back centuries – indeed all the way back to ancient Rome and through the Renaissance. More recently - 80 years ago, British Forces landed at Salerno, as part of their central role in the liberation of this country. And next year we will mark the 80th anniversary of Anzio and Monte Cassino. Today, the bonds between us are thriving and vibrant. And there is also a mutual respect and affection between our peoples – epitomised in Italians’ moving reaction to the death of our late Queen a year ago. And your enthusiasm at the Coronation of King Charles III earlier this year. Indeed our new Monarch loves Italy, as he himself told an Italian television crew in the Mall the night before he was crowned. So there is a rich tapestry of ties between us. And that vibrant partnership is an invaluable source of strength, as we face together the most challenging set of circumstances in many decades. Until recently, perhaps the defining political moment of my generation was the 9th November 1989 – the date that the Berlin Wall came down and liberty rolled across our continent. Now a new date is inscribed in our memories. The 24th February 2022 – the date Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine and its missiles rained down on Ukrainian cities. The events of that day, and every day since, have reminded us of some old truths. The need for strong defence to deter war. The need to stand up to aggression today, or risk greater aggression tomorrow. The need for friends and allies to stick together and stand up for what we believe in. Every day since the invasion, that is exactly what the United Kingdom and Italy have done – as G7 partners and leading members of NATO. Let me pay tribute to Italy’s response. You have been at Kyiv’s side every step of the way. And I am proud of the role that Britain has played and will continue to play, for as long as it takes. If anyone doubted Britain’s enduring commitment to European security, you have your answer, not just in our words, but in our actions. And as we sit here tonight, in this cradle of European civilisation, let us spare a thought for the people of Ukraine, a fellow European country, who face another night in bomb shelters or on the front line. Forging a new relationship between the UK and Italy – real momentum… It is not just on Ukraine, however, that cooperation has been galvanised between our two countries. There is a real determination to make this relationship between Britain and Italy count for more, to be more than the sum of its parts. Take a look at the last nine months: In December our Prime Ministers signed – with their Japanese counterpart – the Global Combat Air Programme to build a new generation of combat aircraft together. In February, our Defence and Trade Secretaries signed agreements forging ever closer relations. And then in April, our Prime Minister was delighted to welcome PM Meloni to Downing Street where they signed an ambitious Memorandum of Understanding - covering issues from national security to cultural ties. The agreement also covered another subject on which our countries share the same challenge: illegal migration. This is a challenge that is political, societal, criminal. Our electorates demand that we deal with it, and we must. We both share the same sense of urgency – and albeit at different ends of Europe, we are facing the same phenomenon: Large numbers of arrivals by sea. Unscrupulous traffickers in human lives. The death traps into which they place innocent  women and children. The tragedies in the dark waters off the Channel,  off Lampedusa or the Calabrian coast. So we are significantly expanding our cooperation together. Working together in bodies such as the G7 and the Council of Europe. Adapting to technological change. In so doing, we will, of course, be taking advantage at every opportunity of new technologies – the theme of this Pontignano. I am delighted that British scientists will once again be able to collaborate with those in Italy and across Europe as part of the Horizon programme. And, as a Minister from the country that invented the steam engine, speaking in the land of Marconi, I know how well both our countries know the revolutionary power of technology. And the list of technologies that have fundamentally altered the course of human history is relatively short: fire, metals, the printing press, the combustion engine, electricity, fission, the internet. All of these tools have been bent to achieve a step-change in the pace of human progress. And now I believe that we are on the cusp of another such inflection point, one that has the potential to make the pace of progress supersonic: Artificial Intelligence, or more specifically, the advent of artificial general intelligence, represents, at once the most exciting and the most daunting challenge of our age. Exciting, because there is an opportunity, as our PM has put it, for human progress that could surpass the industrial revolution in both speed and depth. For game-changing innovations in all aspects of our lives: unthinkable advances in medicine cures for cancer and dementia growing crops to feed the world… or solving climate change. But also daunting. Not only will AI expedite and intensify the existing threat landscape, in Artificial General Intelligence, humans face the potential of a technology that surpasses both the capability of our collective endeavour, and the limits of our understanding. We have to accept that the answer to many of our questions about the AI frontier will be ‘we don’t yet know’. We do not yet know what these machines might be capable of. What we do know is that, to date, the limits of human progress have been capped by the sum of our collective intelligence. By adding to that sum with AI - at potentially dizzying scales - we will redraw the bounds of what we previously thought possible. But, as scary - and exciting - as that is, it should not be a barrier to our exploration. But it does mean that we need a new approach to regulation. One that iterates to build faith in the systems that will come to underpin so many aspects of our lives. This approach will involve active and ongoing collaboration between Governments, Al labs and academics, amongst others. Many organisations outside of national Governments, in particular private companies - including those in Italy - have been pivotal to the most recent advances in AI. I know that many such companies are taking part in Pontignano this year. And these collaborations will be crucial to ensure the safe and reliable development and deployment of frontier AI throughout the world. The United Kingdom is acutely aware of the importance of this moment – and of the need to act swiftly and with resolve. Domestically, the Prime Minister has asked me to chair a Resilience sub-committee of the National Security Council, which will be taking a methodical approach to assessing the risks of AI. And internationally, our forthcoming AI Summit at Bletchley Park in November will aim to agree how we can collaborate on frontier AI safety: to agree a shared assessment of the frontier risks as well as share some of the best examples from around the world of how AI is being used to improve lives. Already, the UK has been working with industry leaders such as Google DeepMind, OpenAI and Anthropic, who will give us unprecedented access to their products and models. So that we can mitigate against the risks, and take advantage of the opportunities. The importance of their cooperation cannot be overstated. We need them to ensure that our frontier systems are aligned with human objectives. And we need them to ensure that they are deployed safely, Because - ultimately - we need end users to have confidence in these transformative tools. The Summit is an important forum to begin to address these questions. But it is only one of the first steps in a very long journey. We look forward to working with our colleagues in the Italian Government and across the world. Together we have a huge stake – for our countries, as for the sake of humanity. So my message is a simple one: it is vital that we work together to make AI safe. I look forward to discussing this collaboration with you at this conference. And to our colleagues in the Italian Government. Let me say that the United Kingdom sees Italy as a crucial partner in helping us to achieve this goal. We look forward to working very closely with you on this, and on other shared priorities, from migration to economic security to climate, as you assume the Presidency of the G7 next year. So, there is plenty here for this year’s Pontignano to discuss. This medieval city is famed - not just for its beauty - but for its enduring identity, its spirit and its character through the centuries. Famous too for Lorenzetti’s 14th century frescos at the Palazzo Publicco - not far from here - depicting the tenets of good government, and the consequences of bad government. So this is an ideal and inspiring place for such discussions – a city which has long stood for humanity’s ability to solve apparently intractable problems. A city which centuries ago understood the importance of developing a legal and political framework by which society can be governed in the best interests of the wider community. I like to think that if Ambrogio Lorenzetti were here today, he might recognise some of the dilemmas modern democracies are wrestling with as we seek the right way forward. A few hundred metres from here, there is the famous pavement in the Duomo – the intricate work of artisans here in Siena many centuries ago. At the other end of Europe, in London, there is another pavement – the famous Cosmati pavement, laid by British and Italian craftsmen in Westminster Abbey in 1268. One of the earliest examples of what Britons and Italians can achieve together when they put their minds to it. It was on precisely that pavement, watched by the entire world, that our new Sovereign was crowned in May. Let that be the spirit in which we embark on this Pontignano, and usher in a new chapter of British-Italian endeavour for the good of both our nations, of Europe and for the good of the world.   Sources: THX News, Cabinet Office & The Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP. Read the full article

Back to the Future Wild Theories

After my breakdown post of how I viewed the timelines and events of Back to the Future in a previous post here, this is my post about the awful implications, though I do try to find a bright possibility at the end!

First, when Marty 1 arrives in Timeline 2 and witnesses Doc 2 get shot in his bulletproof vest and Marty 2 gets into the Delorean...when does Marty 2 go?  If everything was the same, he’d go back to Timeline 2 1955, because Timeline 2 is his point of origin so that’s the line he’s traveling back to. So he’d go back to when Young Marty 1 is first trying to get George and Lorraine together. If Marty 2 spots Marty 1 and figures out he shouldn’t change anything so he can go back to where he came from, Timeline 2 1985--then he should arrive to Marty 1 having taken over his life! Two Martys exist and always will, because they can only move along the timeline even as it changes course, one can’t go to one version and the other jump to another. That other timeline no longer exists.

Now the horribleness. You were warned. 

Doc 2 knew Marty 1 and went through his friendship with Marty 2 knowing he would succeed in building the Delorean. So he had forewarning not to set the Delorean time to 1955 or else younger Doc 2 would end up with Marty 1 and Marty 2 both in 1955 trying not to mess up their parents and much more in danger of wiping out their existences. Does Doc set the default time to 1255 Middle Ages, where there is little chance Marty 2 could have enough of an effect for it to last on the timeline? No one would believe him, he’d have no tools or even books to try to charge the Delorean, and he’d probably die young from the lacking medicine, sanitation, food if he can’t figure out how to hunt or any skills for work. Doc 2 condemned Marty 2 to a miserable death centuries from any of the people he loved, alone and unprepared, without even indoor plumbing, just to get him out of the way so there would be only one Marty around.

Alternatively, if Doc trusted Marty could keep his head down, he could be trusted around a society with flush toilets. So he sets the date far into the future instead of the past. Nothing Marty 2 does then would affect the timelines when Doc 2 and Marty 1 are living. But in a totally different time and society and life and its amenities unrecognizable and with everyone he loves long dead, Marty 2 might act rashly like try to tell other scientists about time travel to ask them to fix the Delorean, and with the secret of time travel out who knows who would do what and the final Timeline result. So what if Doc puts Marty 2 in a future time, but not so far his family is dead or he won’t be able to at least recognize things. If Doc impressed on him how important not revealing himself is to the space-time continuum and stability of the universe, and Doc 2 offered him fake IDs and background so he could grow up and live his life--starting from 2005. Maybe Doc 2 could even get something to make him look different and his ward/student/adopted son/visiting cousin could stop by the McFly house with him sometimes. Or maybe Marty 2 would want a clean start and live a life in another town, only occasionally checking in on his family, and aching as he watches Marty 1 and Jennifer 2 together, established adults with young children while he’s a teenager.

If Marty 2 does go to 2005 and start a new life, he would be there in 2015 when Old Biff 2 steals the time machine and changes the timeline. Would Marty 2 be wiped out when the 2015 Timeline 2 he’s in is ended? Like Jennifer 2 being left in Timeline 3 1985 and still being there when Marty 1 gets back to Timeline 2 1985 from the 1880s, I think the timeline would instead warp around Marty 2 so at least his existence wouldn’t end. But I wonder if he would retain all the memories, so he’d be aware of the changes? First when Biff 2 created Timeline 3 and then when Marty 1 at the end of Part III film is left to create a brighter future without the car accident.

With Timeline 1 inaccessible, it seemed only difficult endings were left when Marty 1 and Marty 2 had to both exist but only one family remained, so one was losing their normal life in 1985 no matter what. The only possibility I could think to avoid that is a little out there but my background is fantasy not science fiction so watch me:

Matter is not created or destroyed, only altered. In the first movie, Marty 1 fades away with his timeline when George McFly becomes a more assertive person who would make different choices. But Marty 1 pops back up again to play the guitar. Why? He was fading when any Marty McFly wasn’t going to be born, but even though George was creating Timeline 2 and Timeline 1 as fading, there was now going to be a Mart McFly. So what if Marty 1 and Marty 2 merged at that point. Marty 2 takes off from the Lone Pine Mall parking lot and arrives where Marty 1 is in 1955. And there’s crossover between them, two bodies of the same age and same moment and same genetics, and we saw Marty 1 pale and cramping and falling to the ground, his hand becoming transparent, his body was clearly going through something. Somehow a merge. Human brains are incredibly complicated and data contained in every engram, so lots of people talk about how much people know that they don’t know, it’s there in their heads but they can’t consciously recall it or have pathways developed to bring it forward easily. What is when the Martys merge, Marty 1 because he had to be working with George and was most active was the predominant memories, while Marty 2 was in shock from time travel and thinking he saw Doc die, but really the final Marty there at the dance had all of the memories encoded in his brain after the crossover? Marty (1) returns to Timeline 2 1985 and sees Marty 2 leaving in the Delorean, and he’s left there to live the life in Timeline 2. And slowly he comes to realize he’s more comfortable than expected, things are more familiar, until he recalls what he needs and remembers growing up in Timeline 2 too. So a happy Marty comfortable in his place and no displaced or lonely Marty stuck anywhere else.

:)

Taylor Swift’s folklore Dismantles Her Own Self-Mythologizing: Review

The singer-songwriter's eighth album cuts away the pop scaffolding for dark, dreamy contemplation

The Lowdown: Born of isolation, Taylor Swift’s eighth album, folklore, interrogates the pop star’s self-mythologizing and turns her gaze outward. Created during the ongoing pandemic, Swift collaborated remotely on 11 songs with Aaron Dessner of The National, who shared orchestrations composed inside his own quarantine. The results lean toward modern folk and glitchy experimentation, abandoning pop bombast but not the drama of swelling strings or anxious percussion. The accompanying visuals depict a gloomy summer, and listeners can imagine Swift watching storms barrel across the Atlantic horizon and wandering old-growth forests in half-done braids, alone or with a companion socially distanced beyond the frame. Dropped on 24 hours’ notice without her typically painstaking roll-out, the 16 moody songs delve into “fantasy, history, memory” and find Swift roaming her past loves with fresh, if tired, eyes — but also writing complex fictional scenes beyond her own experience. From a lyrical standpoint, it’s arguably Swift’s most contemplative, ambivalent, and expansive work yet.

The Good: While 2019’s Lover tried to please everyone with a wide range of half-baked genre parodies, folklore sounds like an entire album sprung from “The Archer”, the previous record’s most self-aware, unresolved, and memorable track. There are no pop-radio bangers here, but once I stopped howling “CRUEL SUMMER should’ve been a single!!,” folklore’s melodies and choruses ribboned into my ears and got tangled with my own memories.

Dessner’s influence is palpable, and his orchestration is consistently gorgeous — an unexpected tone to which Swift responds deftly. Jack Antonoff, Swift’s friend and longtime producer/co-writer, also worked on the record; though still distinctive, Antonoff clearly follows the cloud-covered path set by Swift and Dessner. Swift duets with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon on “exile” to elegant effect; the song acts as a contrapuntal of a dissolving romance, the two voices alternating while remaining separate, harmonizing only with themselves. Like most of these songs, “exile” marks maturity: The lyrics are clever but restrained, and the emotions are not only high-pitched but possess complex, shifting depths.

This album fits comfortably among what I’ve been spinning this summer: Jamila Woods’ LEGACY! LEGACY!, Waxahatchee’s Saint Cloud, and HAIM’s Women in Music Pt. III — albums full of momentum, contemplation, push-and-pull in equal measure. Swift signals growth both personal and creative throughout folklore. Superficially, perhaps, she drops the F-bomb twice — a transgression against “radio-” and “family-friendly” that she’s never dared before. The first line of album opener “the 1” is “I’m doin’ good, I’m on some new shit” — even as she explicitly passes her hand through an old flame. It’s that self-awareness and willingness to both hold herself responsible and forgive that set these songs apart. “mirrorball” sounds like lost Jimmy Eat World jangle-pop laced with melancholy pedal steel and builds to a stunning bridge where Swift admits: “I’ve never been a natural/ All I do is try, try, try … I’m still trying everything to keep you looking at me.” Swift has never sounded so honest, and the scrim between her interiority and position as global pop powerhouse has never been so transparent.

Though Swift dons rose-colored lenses for even the darkest heartaches, her perspective at 30 has made her lyricism even more piercing. “I hit my peak at seven,” she sings on a wistful track about a lifelong friendship. “I was too scared to jump in, but I was high … Are there still beautiful things?” On album standout “invisible string”, Swift sings, “Cold was the steel of my ax to grind/ For the boys who broke my heart/ Now I send their babies presents.” She’s so often dealt in retro tropes of riding in cars with and borrowing sweaters from crushes (and that’s still present here), but this banality is fresh and hits harder. In the same song, she credits destiny with uniting her and her true love, but subtly undercuts the cliché — “isn’t it just so pretty to think/ All along there was some/ Invisible string/ Tying you to me?” She understands the myth-making required of every romantic love — and the constant retelling if that love lasts.

Until now, Swift has been an excellent narrator of the dramas of young love, big friendship, and staying true to a certain narrow-minded integrity. She has been America’s favorite crazy white girl, setting fire to the love letters and reputations of those who wronged her or erecting pedestals to her current squad or lover. But the only notably pointed finger on folklore comes through “mad woman” (much improved over the pseudo-feminist gloss of “The Man”). Swift seems to have realized that the pain of growing up often comes down to how we navigate the tension between expectations and reality — of our relationships, achievements and setbacks, and our choices.

From that calm, Swift’s imagination expands, and she’s consciously trying to write from perspectives not her own, including eccentric heiress Rebekah Harkness in “the last great American dynasty” and a lightly vindictive corpse in “my tears ricochet” (singing, “I can go anywhere I want, just not home”).

The Bad: Sometimes Swift still seems caught in the mechanism of her own massive professional apparatus. The album’s promotional Instagram filter is a “glittery sepia-tone,” which feels a bit tone-deaf, and the self-styled portraits of Swift appear to reference a glamorous mid-century sad girl a la Sylvia Plath.

On occasion, Swift can’t resist the pop-culture tropes embedded in her psyche: “illicit affairs” seems cribbed directly from a Sex and the City episode, and the teenage love-triangle series (“cardigan”, “august”, “betty”) evokes any number of late-2000s CW soaps. Yet, the restraint exhibited here, and lines like “meet me behind the mall” and “you can’t believe a word she says/ Most times/ But this time it was true” effectively refresh the clichés yet again.

“epiphany” seems to try to connect periods of global and American crisis, from World War II to COVID-19. While there are a few standout lines — “hold your hand through plastic now” — the ideas are muddled. You can hear the impulse to speak more broadly about the world beyond her walls, but she hasn’t quite figured out what to say yet. Perhaps that’s next.

The Verdict: On folklore, Swift has come of age, emotionally and sonically, and proven herself — not that she needed to — as not only an exceptionally autonomous auteur but a nimble collaborator with an ever-broadening palate.

We live in an era when Americans are examining and dismantling national myths on a grand scale. Swift, too, is expanding her perspective yet starting at home, evaluating ongoing struggles, failures, and choices, weaving larger themes into her well-worn tapestries of bittersweet, young love. The songs of folklore show Swift piercing holes in her own narrative and persona and seem to ask: What’s the account we give to ourselves and to others? Can we look more closely? Can we change the story and survive?

Essential Tracks: “cardigan”, “mirrorball”, “invisible string”, and “peace”

Best Tourist Places to Visit in Himachal Pradesh

This article originally appeared on Indian Travel Store Blog-https://www.indiantravelstore.com/blog/best-tourist-places-to-visit-in-himachal-pradesh

If you are someone who loves cold climate, tranquility, a little adventure and a whole lot of fun, then a visit to the hill stations in North India is a must. Make a list of places to visit in Himachal Pradesh where overwhelming landscapes and peaceful views greet you. The place is surely a nature lover’s delight! There is no better way to explore the majestic mountains, evergreen forests, remote villages, and mesmerizing lakes at its best than taking a trip to “The Land of Snow” which is what Himachal means.

So Let’s Take You Through Some Of The Best Tourist Destinations Of Himachal.

• Manali

• Shimla

• Dalhousie

• Dharamshala

• Tirthan Valley

• Sangla

• Chitkul

1. Manali

Located in Kullu district, at an altitude of 2,050 meters, Manali captivates you with its snow-capped mountains and impressive views, on your Himachal Holiday package. Bring out your adventurous side by indulging in the sports activities as you give yourselves a visual treat. The visually pleasant atmosphere makes it one of the top tourist places in Himachal Pradesh.

There Are A Number Of Places To Visit On Your Sightseeing Trip In Manali, To Name Some:

• The ancient Hadimba Devi Temple

• The Solang Valley

• Rohtang Pass

• The great Himalayan Nature Park

• Manu Temple

• Old Manali

• Van Vihar Manali

• Nehru Kund

• The Gayatri Temple

• Siyali Mahadev Temple

• Manali Sanctuary and so on,

One doesn’t even realize how the time flies by while visiting all these awesome sites and takes back memories that last a lifetime.

When we talk of things to do in Manali, there is so much for everyone that to have a heart full of fun.

• Paragliding in the Solang Valley

• Treks, there are a number of designated trekking routes that you can choose from:

(i) The Chandratal Baralacha Trek

(ii) Hampta Pass Trek

(iii) Bara Bhangal Trek etc.

• River Rafting on the Beas

• Skiing

• Hot water Bathing at Vashisht or Manikaran

How To Reach

By Air

The nearest airport serving this beautiful hill station is situated at Bhuntar. Known as Kullu Manali Airport, it is at a distance of approximately 50 km and 10 km from Manali and Kullu, respectively. Once you reach the airport, you can hire prepaid taxis to reach Manali.

By Road

If you truly like to enjoy the views as you travel, opt for the road since there are some spellbinding picturesque views en route to be enjoyed. The destination has a good connectivity by road with cities like Delhi, Ambala, Chandigarh and Shimla serving as pivotal points. A number of bus services including private services like the very comfortable Volvo ply frequently from Delhi to Manali. Besides, Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) also offers services from New Delhi to Manali.

By Train

The closest railway station is Chandigarh (315 km) or Pathankot (290 km). You can make your travel bookings till either of these two cities and then take a prepaid bus or a cab till Manali. Both the railway stations are well connected with major Indian cities via extensive rail network.

Best Time To Visit

October to February

2. Shimla

Come for a holiday and get an opportunity to spend quality time close to Mother Nature and make your trip most relaxing, on your Himachal honeymoon tour package. What more you can expect from your holiday trip. Shimla is such a trip, especially for those who have a passion of exploring natural beauty and serene environment, nothing can be compared with such amazing places and environs. If you are also one of them, then truly a visit to Shimla would make your dream come true, when you are on your Himachal travel package. Talking about Shimla, the Queen of Hills is situated at an altitude of 2215 meter above the sesa level. Being one of the largest hill stations/cities in India, Shimla is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh, where honeymooners, couples, nature tour lovers and those who look for serenity and tranquility come to enjoy their holidays

Some Of The Most Popular And Famous Places To Visit On Your Shimla Trip

• The Jakhu Temple

• The Mall

• Indian Institute of Advanced Studies

• Viceregal Lodge

• The Ridge

• The Scandal Point

• Jakhoo Hill

• The Kali Bari Temple

• Tara Devi Temple

• Annandale Ground

• Green Valley

• Kufri

• Tattapani

• Mashobra

• Naldehra

• Bantony Castle

• Gaiety Heritage Cultural Hall

• Himalayan Bird Park, etc.

For the enthusiasts wanting to indulge in the activities that can be done in Shimla, here is a brief list

• Revisit the British era with Viceregal Lodge

• Horse Riding

• Enjoy a ride on the Shimla- Kalka Toy train

• Skiing in Kufri

• Explore the Annandale Museum

• Watch the Sun Set at the Scandal Point

• River Rafting at Tattapani

• Golfing in Naldehra

• A walk through the Pine Forest

• A trek up to the Jakhu Temple

• Bird Watching at Shimla Water catchment Sanctuary

• Ice-Skating in Asia’s only open-air ice-skating rink

• Trekking at Shailey Peak

• Bathe in Chadwick waterfall

• Camping at Camp Chrysalid

How To Reach

By Air

There is one airport Jubbor Hatti in Shimla which is around 23KM from Shimla city.

By Rail

The nearest broad gauge head is at Kalka — a four-hour journey from Delhi. After that, take the mountain train from Kalka to Shimla. This railway track has recently been granted the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The view is stunning, with the line passing through an amazing 103 tunnels.

By Road

You can drive up to Shimla in your own vehicle or take a private taxi after arrival at Chandigarh and from there you could further go by bus or take a private taxi. There is regular connectivity from Delhi to Shimla by bus, both by the HRTC as well as the Himachal Tourism buses, which run the luxury coaches. It is about 378 kms. from Delhi and 115 Km from Chandigarh. All types of private transportation are available between Delhi and Shimla.

Best Time To Visit

Depending on your preferred timing and choice, you can visit Shimla in any season as every season has its own importance and pleasure. However, during the winter season, you should go with woolen clothes. On the other hand, spring and summer time is the best time to explore Shimla.

Moreover, walking at Shimla Mall Road in autumn season is memorable experience. In Monsoon season, you should avoid visiting it because it rains heavily and sometimes for several days. Temperature also downs to extreme chill level.

In addition, humidity also increases to some great level. If you want to see the real picture of Shimla tourism, then exploring it during the months of March to June is the best time when weather conditions are extremely pleasant and keep one spellbound for more time.

3. Dalhousie

True to its name, Dalhousie exudes a colonial feeling and is renowned for its heritage buildings that go way back to the early 19th century. The colonial feel is good for a walk down memory lane and hence is one of the best tourist places, to visit on your Himachal trip package, in Himachal Pradesh. This hill station is spread across five hills and is a sanctuary for wildlife lovers and landscape photographers as it holds some of the most intriguing flora and fauna.

Some Of The Most Alluring Places To Visit In And Around Dalhousie

• Khajjiar — The Mini Switzerland Of India

• Dainkund Peak — The Tale Of Three Rivers

• Kalatop Wildlife Reserve — Home Of The Wild

• St. Francis Catholic Church — A Paradigm Of Art And Architecture

• Panchpula — The Lifeline Of Dalhousie

• Ganji Pahari — The Stunning Panoramas

• Satdhara Falls — The Water That Heals

• Rang Mahal — The Fusion Of Mughal & British Influences

• Chamera Lake — Scenic Beauty Plus Water Conservation

• Mall Road — Glorious Vistas Of The Pir Panjal

• Sach Pass — The Trekker’s Paradise

• Tibetan Market — Handicrafts And Souvenirs

• Bakrota Hills — Sightseeing

• Subhash Baoli — Picnic

• St.John’s Church — Religious place

• Chamunda Devi Temple — Idol of Chamunda Devi

• Rock Garden — Ideal place for nature lovers

• Garam Sadak — Take A Stroll

• Dalhousie Community Garden — Take A Walk

• Norwood Paramdham — Watch The Sunset

For the activity enthusiasts below are some of the activities that you can indulge in and have a lifetime experience

• Boating in the glistening Chamera Lake

• Go for a picnic to Khajjiar

• Trekking at the Dainkund Hill

• Paragliding

• Horse Riding in Dalhousie

• Upper Bakrota Loop Walk

• Site camping in Dalhousie

How To Reach:

By Air

The airport closest to Dalhousie is Gaggal Airport, which is around 130 km away. Carriers including Air India Regional, Jagson Airlines and SpiceJet provide regular flights rom Delhi and Chandigarh for Gaggal. From outside the airport, travellers can hire a private taxi or cab or take a bus to reach Dalhousie.

By Road

Roads leading to Dalhousie might be long but are worth travelling on. Several private and state buses of Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) and Haryana Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) provide their services from nearby cities. From New Delhi, it takes around 11 hours via NH 1 to reach Dalhousie, covering a distance of about 565 km. Besides, the destination is also well connected with other major places of the region like Chamba (45 km), Amritsar (200 km) and Shimla (365 km).

By Train

About 80 km away, Pathankot railway station is the nearest railhead to Dalhousie. It is directly connected to prime cities of the country, including Delhi, Jammu, Bhatinda, Jaipur, etc. via superfast express and mail trains. You can either hire a private taxi or take a shared cab from outside the railway station to reach Dalhousie, a journey of about 3 hours.

Best Time To Visit

March to May

4. Dharamshala

Not long after arriving in Mcleodganj, a suburb in Dharamsala, you realize that the comparisons drawn between it and Little Lhasa are hardly exaggerated. It is only to be expected though, as it is the abode of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

Dharamshala is blessed with the same beauty as other parts of the state, but what sets it apart is its strong Tibetan character. You see fluttering Tibetan prayer flags, monasteries at regular intervals and monks attired in bright saffron robes.

It is also characterized by having the highest cricket field in the world, the beauty of which is to be seen to be belived on your complete Himachal tour package. There are tourist spots in plenty, but mostly, Dharamsala is about unwinding and enjoying the serenity that is found here in abundance

Places To Visit In And Around Dharamshala

• MacleodGanj

• Bhagsunag waterfalls and Temple

• Namgyal Monastery

• Sherling Monastry

• Gyuto Monastery

• St. John’s Church in Wilderness

• Triund

• War Memorial

• Dharamkot

• Kunal Pathri Temple

• Jwalamukhi Temple

• Chamunda Devi Temple

• Maa Bajreshwari Temple, etc.

For the activity enthusiasts to Dharamshala has a lot they can dwell in

• Experience Peace at Namgyal Monastery

• Take a Memorable Trek to Kareri Lake

• Visit the Norbulingka Institute

• Admire the Beauty of Masrur

• Kangra Fort

• A Trip to Naddi Village

• Shop for Souvenirs

• Enjoy a Quiet Afternoon at Dharamkot village

• Stroll Through Tea Plantations

• Explore St. John’s Church

• Trek to Triund

• Paragliding

• Camping

• Tibetan Cuisine

• Gyuto Monastery

• Yoga Lessons

• Dal Lake

• Bhagsu Falls

How To Reach:

By Air

The nearest airport is at Gaggal, about 13 kilometers away from Dharamshala. Gaggal airport connects Dharamshala to Delhi via Air India and Spice Jet flights. Tourists from other parts of India would find it easier to take a flight till Chandigarh and book a taxi for their onward journey to Dharamshala, which is about 275 kilometers away.

By Bus

Dharamshala is well-connected to Delhi and other parts of North India via a network of state-operated buses as well as private tour operators. The journey is almost 520 kilometers from Delhi.

Most buses stop at the main bus terminal in Lower Dharamshala, but there are also some public Haryana Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) buses that go all the way to the main square of McLeod Ganj. An overnight journey from Delhi takes about 13 hours. You can book HRTC tickets online.

By Train

An overnight train journey is a good option to reach Dharamshala. The nearest major railway station is at Pathankot, 85 kilometers away. There are numerous trains that go to Jammu and Kashmir that stop by in Pathankot. You can take a taxi or bus from Pathankot to reach Dharamshala.

Best Time To Visit

March to June; December to February

5. Tirthan Valley

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

Ralph Emerson

Called ‘Himachal’s Best Kept Secret’, Tirthan Valley perched at an altitude of 1600 metres above sea level is the perfect getaway destination blessed with a wealth of nature’s treasure, to be cherished, and the only ease way out for you to do this is to go on a Himachal adventure tour package. It is the perfect placed to be if you are tired from the hustle & bustle of the everyday metro life full of noise and pollution. Named after the pristine Tirthan river, the valley opens the doors to the newly recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site — The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP), spread over an area of 1100 sq kilometers. It is a paradise for trekkers, offering one of the finest trekking opportunities in the world. Not to forget for bird lovers as well who spend days camping in the heart of this park. For not only an escape from the overcrowded city life, but also an escape from the more-crowded Himachali getaways, it doesn’t get much better than Tirthan.

As already made known that this is a very offbeat destination, least frequented ad ideal for the solitude seekers, hardcore adventurers, and those who just want to do nothing and just be around. Not a very talked-about destination so the only way to express the charms of the nature here is through images that will tempt you to just go for it.

Things To DoRiver Crossing

River crossing in the Tirthan Valley is an adventure sport for people who are looking for some adrenaline rush in the quiet valley. A person is tied to a safety harness and slides from one point to the other, with the turbulent River Tirthan gushing underneath. The icy cold spray of the river while taking on the sport, sure is a motivating factor for enthusiasts

Trekking In The Great Himalayan National Park

The Great Himalayan National Park is a blessing in disguise for nature lovers. From lush green forests to blooming flowers and meandering streams, this place also houses various well laid out trek paths.

Depending on the difficulty level, one has an option to choose from half day, full day, overnight or multiple day camping. Whatever you may opt for, this place does promise a wonderful experience and equally amazing trip.

Serloskar Lake

Serloskar Lake, another major attraction of the village is located about 5 km from Jalori Pass. The lake has clear water which remains so despite of several leaves falling in to it.

The place is better known for its temple devoted to Goddess Budhi Nagin. It is believed that the Goddess has hundred sons and acts as a guardian of the place. The walk to the lake is equally enchanting from Jalori pass, with thick cover of oak trees.

Jalori Pass

Nestled in the peaks of northern Himalayas lies the Jalori mountain pass, an undiscovered beauty located between the prominent towns of Kullu and Shimla. Perhaps one would recognise it better as the snow-covered summit in the Bollywood film “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani”, where actors Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone are seen trekking through the mountainside. With scenic views of the snow-capped Himalayan landscape and the fresh mountain air to surround you, the hike through Jalori Pass has much to offer with exquisite flowers, birds and the environment for a surreal experience.

At a height of 10,800 feet above sea level, the trail through this mountain pass is relatively untouched as a tourist attraction, possibly due to the hype surrounding the roads to reach this pass. And it is completely justified.

Great Himalayan National Park

Great Himalayan National Park is one of India’s national parks, located in the Kullu region of Himachal Pradesh. Surrounded on all the three sides by the Himalayan Mountains, the park is home to diverse wildlife species, is a must on your Himachal tour package itinerary.

The Great Himalayan National Park received the status of a national park in 1999. At present, it is home to more than 375 species of fauna, 31 species of mammals, and 181 species of birds. This beautiful location of the national park becomes all the more attractive due to the Deodar and Oak trees.

The secluded location of the park has made sure that the villages inside the park have a culture of their own. Every village inside has a deity of its own. There are also some fairs organized here during April, May, August, and September. The Great Himalayan National Park is an amazing place to relax and unwind away from the fast life of the city. It is a must-visit for all the nature lovers out there.

Trout Fishing

There couldn’t be a more ideal place for fishing than the crystal clear Tirthan River, a tributary of Beas. Filled with brown and rainbow trouts, this river has over the year become a favorite place among the tourists as an angler spot.

Rock Climbing

Rock climbing is another adventure sport that is undertaken by a lot of travelers while visiting the valley. Many operators have specialized staff who train and assist adventure enthusiasts who are interested in partaking of the sport.

How To Reach

By Air

The nearest airport to reach Tirthan Valley is the Kullu-Manali airport which is the hub for most Himachal destinations. From the airport, you can hire a private vehicle to reach Tirthan Valley. It will take close to 90 minutes.

By Road

Tirthan is located near Kullu. To reach Tirthan by road, you need to take the Chandigarh-Manali highway and turn off at Aut. Tirthan Valley is at a distance of 513 km from New Delhi.

6. Sangla

One of the most charming valleys in the whole Kinnaur District, Sangla Valley is a perfect getaway from the hustle-bustle of the swarming cities. It is named after a beautiful village by the same name.

Bounded by strapping mountain slopes, sprawling evergreen forests, and snow-covered peaks, the valley is set apart from others by its red apple orchard and luscious cherry trees, which you can experience firsthand when visiting on your Himachal adventure tour package. Baspa River also makes its way through the place, meandering and gurgling, famous for trout fishing. The place is dotted with several attractions from the temple and fort to nearby villages making it an amazing holiday destination.

Why Sangla

• Sangla is a riverside valley overlooking stunning Himalayan views.

• Sangla is best visited for a nature centric experience, walks, trekking, trout fishing etc.

• Guests to Sangla can stay riverside and explore the area on foot.

• Chitkul village is few kilometers away from Sangla is where the views get even bigger and better and is the last point before Tibetan border.

• Sangla area is full of apple orchards and April-Sept is best time to arrive here and explore.

• Overnight trekking options around the area are good and the hills around are much more unexplored and pristine as compared to other known and explored trekking routes.

• Sangla is also where you can pick up famous Kinnauri shawls, woolen socks, tweeds and silver jewelry studded with Tibetan pearls

• Sangla is recommended for Glacier trekking in March and April

Sangla Meadow

Lush green meadows spotted with mud patches and a magnificent backdrop of snow-covered Himalayan Mountains. What else could you ask for, to rejuvenate your mind, body, and soul.

Also referred to as Sangla Kanda, it is one of the most favored attractions in the area. This place should not be missed at any cost.

Bering Nag Temple

An architectural wonder, this place is a must-visit. It is considered as one of the most important temples for Hindus. This temple is devoted to Lord Jagas.

If you are traveling between the months of August and September, do not miss the famous Fulaich fair celebrated every year.

7. Chitkul

Chitkul is said to be the last inhabited village within the Indian boundaries on the old Indo-Tibetan Road. Situated at the height of 3450 meters, the village is located at a distance of 28 km from Sangla, about 600 kilometers from Delhi in the Kinnaur Valley. It is like a doorway that opens into an exquisite landscape of breathtaking beauty and a serene environment.

There are orchids, mountains, meadows, huge rocks, rivers, jungle, and grasslands in the village with the help of which it has made a unique identity for itself. A drive to the Chitkul village is pleasant. One can go for trekking in the forest as well and a wildlife sanctuary for all the wildlife as well as nature lovers out there.

The journey to Chitkul is an altogether different experience in itself. It is sparsely populated with as many as 600 locals who are warm, loving and extremely hospitable towards the tourists. While traveling to the valley, you will see River Baspa on your right and on the way you will also pass through the Rakcham village which is commonly known as the model village of the region. Numerous campsites are situated within the apple gardens by the side of the Baspa River.

This little village is a must-visit place, and one should stay for at least a day here as the landscape keeps you magnetized all the time. It is a perfect place to spend some time off from the busy lives and the monotonous routines in the realm of natural beauty.

Tibetan Wood Carving Center

A paradise for shopaholics, this place is famous for its Tibetan products made of wood carvings. Once again famous among tourists, the Tibetan Wood carving center has good both on display as well as sale.

How To Reach

By Air

Nearest airport to Sangla is Jubbarhatti Airport at Shimla at a distance of about 238 km. Taxis and cabs for Sangla are easily available outside the airport at reasonable price. Bhuntar Airport is the second nearest with a drive of nearly three and half hours to Sangla. This air base is widely connected to many major cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Dharamshala, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad and Shimla.

By Road

If you are planning to travel by road, the HRTC (Himachal Road Transport Corporation) runs regular buses from Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. Private as well as state buses from Chandigarh for Sangla are also easily available.

By Train

There is no railway station at Sangla. The closest railway station is Kalka Railway Station in Shimla. You can travel by train up to there and then shift to a bus or taxi to reach Sangla.

Best Time To Visit

March to June, September to December

The above are some of the getaways for an awesome holiday in Himachal which are essentially a must-visit on your Himachal tour packages no matter what category.

Wonderful!  Thank you😁❤️❤️❤️❤️

The interiors of Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the symbolic residence and administrative headquarters of the reigning British monarch, located at the end of The Mall in London. The Palace has become synonymous with state occasions and times of national celebration or mourning, and is often used for royal hospitality.

The palace has 775 rooms, including 19 state rooms, 52 principal bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, and 78 bathrooms. It also has its own post office, cinema, swimming pool, doctor’s surgery, and jeweller’s workshop. The palace garden is the largest private garden in London. The first house was erected on the site in around 1624.

The building that is at the core of the modern palace was originally known as Buckingham House. This was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703, replacing the original house. It was built to the design of William Winde, as a large, three-storey central block with two smaller flanking service wings.

In 1761, King George III acquired the house as a private residence for Queen Charlotte and began remodelling the structure.

In 1826, King George IV decided to enlarge the house into a palace, using the services of the architect John Nash. The plans involved constructing three wings around a central courtyard. The external façade was designed in the French neoclassical style that was favoured by the King. However, costs rose steeply and, in 1829, the King removed Nash as architect. In 1830, the new King William IV appointed Edward Blore to complete the works. The architect Blore added a wing with more rooms to accommodate Queen Victoria’s indecently fast-growing family, and happily, as we now discover, she fitted some of them out with salvage from her uncle George IV’s fanciful Brighton Pavilion, done in the height of chinoiserie taste. It was with the accession to the throne of Queen Victoria in 1837 that Buckingham Palace became the official London residence of the British monarch.

Electricity was first installed in the Ball Room of Buckingham Palace in 1883.

The last major structural additions were made in the late 19th and early-20th centuries. In 1911, the gates, railings and forecourt were created. In 1913, the east front that looks out on the Mall was redesigned by Sir Aston Webb. The refaced principal façade. of Portland stone was designed to be the backdrop to the Victoria Memorial statue, and includes the famous balcony on which the Royal Family greets crowds. In its complete state, the palace measures 108 m (354 ft) by 120 m (390 ft), reaches a height of 24 m (79 ft), and contains more than 77,000 sq. m (830,000 sq. ft) of floorspace.

The interior includes a range of baroque, rococo and 19th century finishes. There is widespread use of brightly-coloured scagliola and blue and pink lapis. King Edward VII redecorated many of the interiors in a Belle époque cream and gold colour scheme.

The palace was bombed nine times during World War II, the most serious of which destroyed the palace chapel in 1940. John Mowlem & Co. was responsible for the careful restoration of the palace when the war was over. The state rooms, used for official and state entertaining, are open to the public each year for most of August and September and on some days in winter and spring.

From the entrance door, the Royal Alcove framed by George IV’s cipher garlanded by Francis Bernasconi’s winged figures of Victory. By the window, Baron Carlo Marochetti’s marble of Prince Arthur, aged three, 1853.

The palace’s State Rooms — filled with dazzling collections of paintings, sculpture, objects and furniture — were first opened to the public (during the summer months, when the Queen is not in residence) in 1993 and have attracted more than 10 million visitors since then.

As the son of Lady Pamela Hicks (née Mountbatten) and the society designer David Hicks, and godson to Prince Philip (who is his mother’s cousin), designer Ashley Hicks is uniquely placed to shoot the interiors of Buckingham Palace. His new book ‘Buckingham Palace: The Interiors’ explores the well-known and little-known rooms of the Queen’s London residence, giving an overview of the history and influences of the decoration.

From the famed architect John Nash’s top-lit Grand Staircase, with its ornate bronze balustrade, to the red-silk-lined Throne Room, which contains Queen Elizabeth II’s Chair of Estate from her 1953 Coronation, to the Green Drawing Room, graced by a Sèvrespotpourri vase said to have belonged to Madame de Pompadour and Allan Ramsay’s famous coronation portrait of George III, one hardly knows where to look.

The White Drawing Room features a desk, likely made about 1775 by Jean-Henri Riesener, that George IV bought in 1825 and is described as having belonged to Louis XVI. The vases on the fireplace mantel are Sèvres, while the painting above it of Queen Alexandra is by Edward Hughes. The Axminster carpet is a reproduction of an 1834 original.

The Picture Gallery is filled with paintings by such artists as Johannes Vermeer, Thomas Lawrence and Thomas Gainsborough. Portraits of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert by Franz Xaver Winterhalter hang in the Marble Hall, which is also adorned with two marble statues by Antonio Canova that originally graced Carlton House, the now-demolished London home of King George IV— known for his sophisticated tastes and free-spending ways — before he ascended the throne, in 1820.

Blore’s 1838 Ministers’ Staircase, flanked by gilded torchères ordered by Walsh Porter in 1807 from Bogaerts & Storr for the Throne Room, Carlton House.

Queen Alexandra surveying the room, as she has since 1907, below the plaster friezes of putti, made by William Pitts in 1828 to symbolise poetry and music but described by Parliament as ‘The Sports of Boys, costing £800’.

Nash’s dome, tympana with plaster figures by Pitts, and endless reflections in the mirrored recesses.

‘Annunciation’ silk tapestry, Barberini factory, Rome, c.1650, above Sir Francis Chantrey’s group of William IV’s mistress Mrs Jordan with two of their illegitimate children, commissioned by him as King in 1831.

The cast of those who worked on the palace in, successively, Regency, Victorian and Edwardian styles, among others, is lengthy, including such names as Robert Adam, Edward Blore and Aston Webb. It’s clear, however,  that Hicks sees George IV and Nash, his architect, as the most important players in its design history. It was this King who turned what had been Buckingham House, completed in 1705 for John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, into Buckingham Palace, commissioning Nash to give it a major makeover. In spite of subsequent renovations, the architect’s handiwork is still visible today in the building’s basic outlines and many of its glorious details. (The Music Room, with its Nash-designed scagliola columns, painted with a lapis lazuli finish, and suite of 18th-century Jacob furniture.) 

It was also George IV who, as Prince of Wales and later Prince Regent, was responsible for the many artworks and furnishings that came to the palace from Carlton House, and for the fanciful chinoiserie decor that came from the Brighton Pavilion, which he, with Nash’s help, had turned into a fantasyland.  

The skylit corridor that leads to the State Dining Room; from Buckingham Palace: The Interiors, by Ashley Hicks; © 2018 Rizzoli.

The State Dining Room in Buckingham Palace.Photo: Ashley Hicks/Courtesy of Rizzoli

The ballroom, built by Queen Victoria in 1855, is used today for state banquets and investitures. The throne canopy was originally created to shield Queen Mary and King George V from the scorching Indian sun in 1911; it was refinished several times afterward, first by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1916, then again in 1967.Photo: Ashley Hicks/Courtesy of Rizzoli

Crafted of porcelain, the Table of the Great Commanders of Antiquity, illuminated by a window in the Blue Drawing Room, was originally designed for Napoléon by Charles Percier. Louis XVIII gifted it to George IV.Photo: Ashley Hicks/Courtesy of Rizzoli

Columns of vibrant scagliola and gilt bronze line the walls of the Music Room, which is crowned by an extravagant dome. The sofas, crafted by the Parisian master Georges Jacob, date back to 1780.Photo: Ashley Hicks/Courtesy of Rizzoli

These treasures were subsequently repurposed at Buckingham Palace — Prince Albert, for instance, insisted on using them in the East Wing, which was added by Queen Victoria — more as a matter of economy than aesthetics. Hicks says that it was Queen Mary (Victoria’s grand-daughter-in law) who eventually “rethought things” more significantly, in the 1910s and ’20s, and made some of the rooms — like the Centre Room and the Yellow Drawing Room — “much more Chinese.” This was not a complete break with what preceded, he notes, pointing out that the Chinese Dining Room, with its painted dragon on the ceiling and a marble one adorning the fireplace, has hardly changed since 1849, when it was designed as Queen Victoria’s Pavilion Breakfast Room.

@michelemakesphotos took this pic of me in a local mall, Century III, on a bit of a guerilla photo shoot with her sister. We wanted to get pics of the dead mall during the holiday season. She also helped me take pics for my MSA review that month. They turned out great. The mall is in further decline since then. The stores that were open are slowly closing and the carousel we took pics on that day are gone. It was bittersweet too since this is a mall we grew up with that is on it's very last leg. But I love that memory of us hauling in bags and ignoring all the signage saying photos weren't allowed. It was exhilerating and wild. We even got pics with Santa that I will forever cherish. This is a pic from that day that Michele posted in honor of my bday tomorrow. Love ya, girl. Let's do another shoot soon! #YinzBopo #bopo #fatshionblogger #fatshion #psootd #gwynniebee #effyourbeautystandards #effyourbodystandards https://www.instagram.com/p/BqX89WGFcFR/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=15rm2nty99zr

Touring the Culture and Heritage of Grand Cayman’s Historic George Town

There’s no better way to get under the skin of the Cayman Islands than a walking tour of its capital’s historic buildings, monuments and cultural artefacts.

As capital cities go, George Town is tiny. Barely 10 square miles in area and with a population of just 40,000, the city is the administrative, commercial and tourist hub of the Cayman Islands. It’s compact size and 500 years of colourful history make it ideal for a relaxed and entertaining walking tour.

A walk round George Town’s historical and cultural landmarks can be completed in just a couple of hours. The following sites are among the most popular places to visit. All are within easy walking distance of each other and make up one of the easiest Grand Cayman tours for cruise passengers:

Close by the cruise terminal is the 18th century Fort George, named after George III of England, who was king at the time of its construction. It was built to defend Grand Cayman against Spanish marauders and pirates. Not much remains of the original fort today, thanks to heavy-handed property development in the 1970s, although a 2014 restoration effort has revived parts of the site and murals painted by a local artist depict scenes from throughout Fort George’s history.

Just a short walk east is Heroes Square, which gives easy access to other landmarks such as the Legislative Assembly, Public Library, the Town Clock and Law Courts. Heroes Square, also known as Quincentennial Square, is a celebration of the 500th anniversary in 2003 of Christopher Columbus’s first arrival in the territory. There are a number of memorials here, including a Wall of Honour that recognizes 500 individual Caymanians for their contribution to the betterment of the islands.

Just down the street is Elmslie Memorial Church, constructed in 1920 by naval architect Capt. Rayal Bodden, who is said to have used the design of a ship’s hull to construct the roof of the building. A war memorial in the form of a large white Celtic cross stands just in front of the church.

The Cayman Islands National Museum in the former courthouse is the oldest surviving public building in the Cayman Islands and dates back to the 1830s. Before becoming a museum in 1990 the building had also seen service as a jail and as Grand Cayman’s first post office. For lovers of history, a visit here is a popular starting place for many Cayman Islands tours.

Another town centre monument is the Town Clock, erected as a monument in 1937 to King George V, grandfather of the current Queen. At the nearby Legislative Assembly, members of the public have the opportunity to watch government in action from the public gallery when Parliament is in session.

Walk along the waterfront with the sea to your right for a few minutes and you will come across Cayman Craft Market. This is a good place to pause, browse, and find locally produced crafts and collectors’ items which make great gifts. More stalls are open when cruise ships are visiting.

In nearby Bayshore Mall, opposite the Stingrays Fountain, there’s an opportunity to find what is believed to be the oldest surviving structure in the Cayman Islands, the Step Well, dug in the early 1700s and one of the only sources of fresh water on the island for ships for many decades. The well was rediscovered in 2003 and can now be seen under a glass viewing floor inside a shop that was built over the site. The well and the steps leading down to the waters below are a fascinating insight into the history and development of the islands.

These are just a few of the historical and cultural sites a walking tour of George Town, Grand Cayman, has to offer. Guided walking tours are conducted all year round by a number of tour operators and can usually be completed in two to three hours without much exertion, though some areas and sites are not easily accessible by wheelchair.

Original Source: https://medium.com/@CaymanGuide/touring-the-culture-and-heritage-of-grand-caymans-historic-george-town-76248f0ab56d

Filming of the Netflix series GONE to take place at CenturyIII Mall in West Mifflin/Pleasant Hills, PA.

via Century III Mall Memories on Facebook

Century III Mall Memories

Just heartbreaking. Santa earlier today on Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Behind him, many vacant storefronts are seen.

Remembering Operation Torch on its 75th anniversary

ON THE morning of November 8th a small crowd—one sprightly second world war veteran with a cane, a group of junior military attachés from allied countries and some curious tourists—gathered at the imposing World War II memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC for the 75th anniversary commemoration of Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa. Long underappreciated for its role in the war, this victory and the decisions that followed it also laid the foundations for America’s post-war policy in the Middle East. 

Torch was America’s first offensive operation in the European theatre and, until it was overtaken by the Normandy attack 19 months later, the largest and most complex amphibious invasion in history. More than 850 ships sailed from American and British ports up to 4,500 miles through treacherous Atlantic waters, teeming with U-boats. They put ashore about 110,000 American and British troops in three landing zones spread across more than 900 miles of African coastline, from south of Casablanca to east of Algiers.  

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A huge gamble, politically and military, Torch opened a pivotal second front to relieve the pressure of Adolf Hitler’s push into the Soviet Union and paved the way for the Allies to jump from Africa to Italy and push through “the soft underbelly of Europe” and on to Berlin. Closer to home, Torch gave Americans a small taste of what Britons knew bitterly well: war meant killing and death. 

 “Torch does not get the acclaim it deserves,” says Josiah Bartlett III, chairman of the Friends of the World War II Memorial. This week’s small, brief Torch memorial ceremony was Washington, DC’s first-ever remembrance to this critical turning point in the war.

Why? A clue came during the event itself. The master of ceremonies invited uniformed representatives of Allied nations, one by one, to join in laying a wreath in memory of the 1,100 killed at the ports and beaches of French-controlled Morocco and Algeria. No one seemed to note the oddity of having a French officer stand alongside officers of other allied nations, somewhere between the Canadian and the British. 

At a memorial to almost any other battle of the war, it would have made sense; before June 1940 and after November 1942, France was an allied country and Frenchmen gave their lives, with great heroism, on the same side of the line as Britons, Americans and others. But Torch was the one significant battle where the French—except for pro-Gaullist resistance fighters—were on the opposite side. Who killed those 1,100 if not sailors and soldiers whose officers pledged allegiance to Marshal Petain and the “French State” based at Vichy? 

In contrast to war’s usual black-and-white storyline, the complexity of America fighting its once-and-future French allies, whose troops served under the flag of what was technically a neutral country, leaves Torch painted in hues of gray. Over time, it seems, explaining this grayness just grew too complicated. The result was either to slide the French into the Allied column a bit prematurely or sidestep Torch altogether. 

The role of Operation Torch in shaping the contours of America’s Middle East policy has also not been recognised. Although America’s first armed deployment in Arab lands since the Barbary wars of the early 19th century left behind no long-term bases or other military infrastructure, it did leave political residue, in at least two respects. 

First, Franklin Roosevelt may have lent his name to a declaration calling the invasion of North Africa “a great jihad for freedom,” but Washington was ultimately more cold-blooded in prioritising stability over liberty. Its controversial post-Torch decision to do a deal in Algiers with Jean-Francois Darlan, a Vichy admiral, rather than replace the collaborators with alternative French officers, can be viewed as the opening salvo of an instrumentalist strategy toward the region that has largely held for decades. This has been an approach – perhaps wise, perhaps not -- that values the stability of strongmen over the region’s political, economic and social development.  

And second, Torch brought America face-to-face for the first time with the horrors of the Holocaust. The situation in Vichy-held North Africa was far from the horrors of Europe. But within hours of the allied troops coming ashore, American generals and diplomats had to work out what to do with hundreds of Jewish partisans who had risked their lives to aid the invasion; thousands of Jews in Vichy concentration camps; and tens of thousands of Jews rendered stateless by imposition of Vichy laws. Those leaders included men who would play key roles for decades to follow, including Dwight Eisenhower and Robert Murphy.

Borrowing a page from the Vichyites, America’s ignoble response was to do embarrassingly little on behalf of the Jews, allegedly for fear of offending local Arabs—a fear that, on closer inspection, had little basis in fact. This zero-sum attitude toward Arabs and Jews only magnified problems later faced by these countries, and by American policy-makers, when Zionism emerged as a political thorn in the post-war era. 

Yet despite these errors and oversights, the remembrance on November 8th—one of dozens the World War II Memorial is planning in the long run-up to the 75th anniversary of VJ Day in August 2020—was a moving moment. When the army bugler played the haunting notes of “Taps” from a balcony above the sparse crowd, it almost seemed to make up for the years when few remembered the soldiers, sailors and airmen who perished on North African shores to pave the way for the long march to victory. 

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Buckingham Palace: The Queen’s London residence

Take our tour of London’s grandest royal residences and you might even catch a glimpse of Her Majesty at home

WORDS MARTHA ALEXANDER

London is a city with such a glut of royal buildings, parks and monuments that knowing where to begin exploring can be a challenge for a newcomer. We recommend starting at St James’s Palace. This is, after all, the most senior royal palace in the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster it is currently the ceremonial meeting place of the Accession Council and the London residence of several minor members of the royal family.

King Henry VIII

Built by King Henry VIII between 1531 and 1536 on a rather unappealing site – a former leper hospital in the name of St James the Less – St James’s Palace was to be a place of retreat while court was at Whitehall Palace.

The structure has changed a great deal since the 16th century, but the redbrick Tudor gatehouse remains, as do two rooms in the State Apartments and the Chapel Royal, which still holds services to which the public are occasionally admitted. Built in honour of King Henry VIII’s fourth marriage to Anne of Cleves, the chapel was decorated by Hans Holbein. It was here Queen Elizabeth I took sanctuary during the Spanish Armada, praying for the successful defence of her country. King Charles I received his last holy communion in the Chapel Royal, spending his final night in the palace before his execution.

Clarence House

Just around the corner is Clarence House: four storeys of pale stucco designed by Regency architect John Nash between 1825 and 1827 for the Duke of Clarence, the future King William IV. It was home to HM the Queen following her marriage to the Duke of Edinburgh, when she was still Princess Elizabeth. It has since been home to the Queen Mother and is now the home of TRH the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.

Clarence House is usually open to the public in August. Visitors can explore the garden as well as five rooms on the ground floor, which include paintings from the Queen Mother’s collection of major 20th-century British artists, such as Augustus John and Graham Sutherland.

From here you can step onto The Mall and walk westwards towards Buckingham Palace to take in the full scale of this world-famous building. Pause on the way to consider that there is a network of tunnels running directly beneath you, connecting Buckingham Palace to both Clarence House and the Houses of Parliament, though there is no secret royal tube line running underneath as some people like to suggest.

Flags flying

If you want to know whether Her Majesty is home during your visit, look out for the Union Flag flying over the palace – a sign that the Queen is not in residence. Ideally, time your visit to coincide with Changing the Guard – a ceremony during which one regiment of soldiers who guard the palace take over from another. This iconic spectacle takes place every day (or every other day in winter months) at 11.30am. It is a reminder that this is a fully operational building, where numerous receptions are held year-round. It is at Buckingham Palace that the Queen and the current prime minister, Theresa May, have weekly meetings.

Every August and September the 19 State Rooms are open to the public. Unless you have visited yourself, it is hard to overstate the vastness of Buckingham Palace. It is home to 800 staff, including a clockmaker. At night the palace is lit by 40,000 light bulbs. The garden is the same size as four Wembley Stadiums. There’s even an on-site doctor’s surgery and an ATM for use by the royals only.

However, despite its scale, Buckingham Palace is a family home. It is from the balcony that newly married royals wave to crowds of noisy well wishers. The Queen gave birth to both Prince Charles and Prince Andrew here, and all royal births and deaths are announced in writing on notices fastened to the palace’s front railings.

Buckingham House

Buckingham Palace began its life as Buckingham House – bought in 1761 for Queen Charlotte by her husband King George III. His son and heir, George IV, began its transformation into a palace in 1820, spending a fortune to double the size of the building. Alas, he died before the work was completed. It wasn’t until Queen Victoria took up residence in 1837 a monarch actually lived in Buckingham Palace. However, more changes to the structure were soon afoot: despite its scale, it was deemed unsuitable for children or visitors, with no nurseries and too few guest rooms. And so, it was extended again, which is why the palace is an amalgamation of styles born of necessity and taste, rather than a classically coherent building. During your visit, don’t forget to pop into the Queen’s Gallery, which holds temporary exhibitions of paintings from the Royal Collection. 

Hyde Park

From the palace, head north through Green Park and into Hyde Park – being sure to take in the splendid Albert Memorial – and on to Kensington Palace. This is where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge set up home after their marriage and the Queen’s younger sister Princess Margaret and her husband, society photographer Lord Snowdon, hosted parties with fashionable guests such as The Beatles and Elizabeth Taylor. And it is also where Diana, Princess of Wales, lived before her death in 1997. The palace became a shrine to “the People’s Princess”, and a photographic portrait of her hangs inside the entrance. 

Sitting, as it does, in the heart of Hyde Park, it’s hard to imagine that this stately palace was merely a large Jacobean house in what was once the small village of Kensington. Much like Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace has been created in piecemeal fashion. In 1689 King William III and Queen Mary II – the only couple in history to reign jointly – hired Sir Christopher Wren to work his magic on the building and wings were added to reflect the couple’s royal status. Kensington Palace was a particularly significant place for Queen Victoria, who was born and raised here. It was here, in 1837, the 18-year-old princess was woken and told that she was now the Queen.

Queen Victoria

The palace is home to a permanent exhibition, Victoria Revealed, which showcases her clothes, toys, photographs and paintings. A highlight is Victoria’s wedding dress, as well as an intimate portrait of her by Franz Winterhalter. With her hair loose and shoulders bared, this was made exclusively for Prince Albert and was extraordinarily risqué by the standards of the day. Finish in true regal fashion by admiring Queen Anne’s gardens from the Orangery restaurant with a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

The post Buckingham Palace: The Queen’s London residence appeared first on Britain Magazine | The official magazine of Visit Britain | Best of British History, Royal Family,Travel and Culture.

Britain Magazine | The official magazine of Visit Britain | Best of British History, Royal Family,Travel and Culture https://www.britain-magazine.com/features/inspiration/buckingham-palace-london/

source https://coragemonik.wordpress.com/2020/03/31/buckingham-palace-the-queens-london-residence/

Holiday Season Quotes

Official Website: Holiday Season Quotes

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• Every piece of the universe, even the tiniest little snow crystal, matters somehow. I have a place in the pattern, and so do you. Thinking of you this holiday season! – T.A. Barron • For me, I think everybody with half a heart tries to do their best to do their part of good during the holiday season. – Darren Criss • I don’t believe in western morality, i.e. don’t kill civilians or children, don’t destroy holy sites, don’t fight during holiday seasons, don’t bomb cemeteries, don’t shoot until they shoot first because it is immoral. The only way to fight a moral war is the Jewish way: Destroy their holy sites. Kill men, women and children (and cattle). – Manis Friedman

jQuery(document).ready(function($) var data = action: 'polyxgo_products_search', type: 'Product', keywords: 'Holiday+Season', orderby: 'rand', order: 'DESC', template: '1', limit: '68', columns: '4', viewall:'Shop All', ; jQuery.post(spyr_params.ajaxurl,data, function(response) var obj = jQuery.parseJSON(response); jQuery('#thelovesof_holiday-season').html(obj); jQuery('#thelovesof_holiday-season img.swiper-lazy:not(.swiper-lazy-loaded)' ).each(function () var img = jQuery(this); img.attr("src",img.data('src')); img.addClass( 'swiper-lazy-loaded' ); img.removeAttr('data-src'); ); ); ); • I have to confess I can’t have the holiday season without “Hard Candy Christmas”. For some reason, it makes me think of the sticky ribbon candy bowl my mid-western grandma always had. – Hank Stuever • I keep exercising even when the days are much shorter. Not only is this a great stress reliever for me to get in a nice run, but it’s also my ‘me time’ when I can just get away from all the holiday season obligations. – David Niu • I like to compare the holiday season with the way a child listens to a favorite story. The pleasure is in the familiar way the story begins, the anticipation of familiar turns it takes, the familiar moments of suspense, and the familiar climax and ending. – Fred Rogers • I love the holiday season, almost as much as I love touching myself in – front of orphans. – Zach Braff • I remember being banned from other houses as a younger child during the winter holiday season; I was the only one who didn’t believe in Santa Claus, and I was ruining everyone’s Christmas. – Jami Attenberg • I think one of the finest gifts I can give my friends in the holiday season is to pause with a long enough quality to actually SEE them. My calm, unhurried presence communicates this gift of a message, “I see you. I recognize you. I remember our times of together and am contributing right now to another quality memory. I value you and honor and take the time, right this moment to pause long enough to truly notice you.” – Mary Anne Radmacher • In most instances, at all costs, do NOT check a bag. Especially during the holiday season. You have more flexibility to switch flights, switch airlines or even leave the airport and get a rental car to drive to your next destination. If the airline has your bag, they also have you. – Beth Mowins • In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it “Christmas” and went to church; the Jews called it “Hanukka” and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say “Merry Christmas!” or “Happy Hanukka!” or (to the atheists) “Look out for the wall!” – Dave Barry • Instead of waiting until the holiday season – when mail solicitations flood in from worthy organizations – and making a flurry of gifts because this is the time of year to give, sit down and take stock. Identify your passion, learn about it, and direct your time, mind, and dollars to aligned causes and organizations. – Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen • It is a miracle if you can find true friends, and it is a miracle if you have enough food to eat, and it is a miracle if you get to spend your days and evenings doing whatever it is you like to do, and the holiday season – like all the other seasons – is a good time not only to tell stories of miracles, but to think about the miracles in your own life, and to be grateful for them, and that’s the end of this particular story. – Daniel Handler • I’ve been working with Operation Smile for a number of years, and $240 changes and saves, in many cases, saves a child’s life. But one of the things I’m super excited about is my partnership with Boston Market this holiday season and we’ve partnered up not only to help everybody out during the holidays because we know how crazy it gets. – Kate Walsh • No matter where you go, no matter how many gifts you give and receive this holiday season, unless you are actually present, it all flies by as if in a dream. Satisfaction in anything–a meal, an interaction, a gift, a sunset–depends on your willingness to take it in. Breathe. Feel your arms and your legs. You are allowed to love every little thing about yourself and your life. You are allowed to take up space and be all that you are. Really you are. – Geneen Roth • Once again we find ourselves enmeshed in the Holiday Season, that very special time of year when we join with our loved ones in sharing centuries-old traditions such as trying to find a parking space at the mall. We traditionally do this in my family by driving around the parking lot until we see a shopper emerge from the mall, then we follow her, in very much the same spirit as the Three Wise Men, who 2,000 years ago followed a star, week after week, until it led them to a parking space. – Dave Barry • Once again we find ourselves enmeshed in the Holiday Season, that very special time of year when we join with our loved ones in sharing centuries-old traditions such as trying to find a parking space at the mall. – Dave Barry • Once again, we come to the Holiday Season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes, in his own way, by going to the mall of his choice. – Dave Barry • One of the best parts of the holiday season is spending time with the special people in your life. – Barack Obama • Overspending is as certain a part of the holiday season as overeating. But pushing away from both the table and the cash register at least a little bit sooner can make the post-holiday hangover hurt a little bit less. – Jeffrey Kluger • The ACLU spent this entire holiday season protesting public displays of the nativity scene. Yeah, that’s the problem with America right now: Public displays of Christ’s birth, that’s the problem. It’s unbelievable to me. The ACLU will no longer fight for your right to put up a nativity scene, but they’ll fight for the right of the local freak who wants to stumble onto the scene and have sex with one of the sheep. – Dennis Miller • The concerted effort to minimize Christmas has resulted in it being our national Happy Holiday holiday. The Christmas season is now the holiday season. Christmas parties are now holiday parties. Christmas is a time for giving and receiving presents and in many homes, nothing more. Who is this fellow, Jesus Christ, anyway? – Lyn Nofziger • The FDA is now warning people not to eat raw cookie dough this holiday season. Is that how fat we’re getting in this country? Our ovens are too slow now? – Jay Leno • The holiday season is a time for storytelling, and whether you are hearing the story of a candelabra staying lit for more than a week, or a baby born in a barn without proper medical supervision, these stories often feature miracles. Miracles are like pimples, because once you start looking for them you find more than you ever dreamed you’d see, and this holiday story features any number of miracles, depending on your point of view. – Daniel Handler • The holiday season promotes a heightened sense of community. It draws our chins up and helps us look above and over the limiting fence of our own events, activities and preoccupations. The opportunity for a heroic gesture can tap you quietly on the shoulder in the midst of a holiday bustle. If you are attentive, you will notice the gentle touch and will be able to respond. Remember… There are no small acts of kindness. Every compassionate act makes large the world. – Mary Anne Radmacher • The proper behavior all through the holiday season is to be drunk. This drunkenness culminates on New Year’s Eve, when you get so drunk you kiss the person you’re married to. – P. J. O’Rourke • There are a lot of Grinches out there that would like nothing better than to take any references to religion out of the holiday season. – Ernest Istook • Thoughts turn to other’s just a little more this time of year. Days grow shorter and memories grow longer. Families and friends gather in celebration or hope. Giving is a reflection of our love and caring for each other and those less fortunate. May your thoughts turn to gratitude this holiday season and carry on throughout the next year. – James A. Murphy III • Wal-Mart doesn’t really care about your faith. Wal-Mart cares if you have money to spend, and it is going to be as generic as possible in exploiting the holiday season for every buck it can make. – Richard Roeper • You folks feeling the economic pinch? Are you a little fed up with the economic news? It’s bad. The department stores, this holiday season, no Santa Claus. They’re laying off department-store Santa Clauses. So more bad news for John McCain. – David Letterman

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jQuery(document).ready(function($) var data = action: 'polyxgo_products_search', type: 'Product', keywords: 'y', orderby: 'rand', order: 'DESC', template: '1', limit: '4', columns: '4', viewall:'Shop All', ; jQuery.post(spyr_params.ajaxurl,data, function(response) var obj = jQuery.parseJSON(response); jQuery('#thelovesof_y').html(obj); jQuery('#thelovesof_y img.swiper-lazy:not(.swiper-lazy-loaded)' ).each(function () var img = jQuery(this); img.attr("src",img.data('src')); img.addClass( 'swiper-lazy-loaded' ); img.removeAttr('data-src'); ); ); );

Holiday Season Quotes

Official Website: Holiday Season Quotes

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• Every piece of the universe, even the tiniest little snow crystal, matters somehow. I have a place in the pattern, and so do you. Thinking of you this holiday season! – T.A. Barron • For me, I think everybody with half a heart tries to do their best to do their part of good during the holiday season. – Darren Criss • I don’t believe in western morality, i.e. don’t kill civilians or children, don’t destroy holy sites, don’t fight during holiday seasons, don’t bomb cemeteries, don’t shoot until they shoot first because it is immoral. The only way to fight a moral war is the Jewish way: Destroy their holy sites. Kill men, women and children (and cattle). – Manis Friedman

jQuery(document).ready(function($) var data = action: 'polyxgo_products_search', type: 'Product', keywords: 'Holiday+Season', orderby: 'rand', order: 'DESC', template: '1', limit: '68', columns: '4', viewall:'Shop All', ; jQuery.post(spyr_params.ajaxurl,data, function(response) var obj = jQuery.parseJSON(response); jQuery('#thelovesof_holiday-season').html(obj); jQuery('#thelovesof_holiday-season img.swiper-lazy:not(.swiper-lazy-loaded)' ).each(function () var img = jQuery(this); img.attr("src",img.data('src')); img.addClass( 'swiper-lazy-loaded' ); img.removeAttr('data-src'); ); ); ); • I have to confess I can’t have the holiday season without “Hard Candy Christmas”. For some reason, it makes me think of the sticky ribbon candy bowl my mid-western grandma always had. – Hank Stuever • I keep exercising even when the days are much shorter. Not only is this a great stress reliever for me to get in a nice run, but it’s also my ‘me time’ when I can just get away from all the holiday season obligations. – David Niu • I like to compare the holiday season with the way a child listens to a favorite story. The pleasure is in the familiar way the story begins, the anticipation of familiar turns it takes, the familiar moments of suspense, and the familiar climax and ending. – Fred Rogers • I love the holiday season, almost as much as I love touching myself in – front of orphans. – Zach Braff • I remember being banned from other houses as a younger child during the winter holiday season; I was the only one who didn’t believe in Santa Claus, and I was ruining everyone’s Christmas. – Jami Attenberg • I think one of the finest gifts I can give my friends in the holiday season is to pause with a long enough quality to actually SEE them. My calm, unhurried presence communicates this gift of a message, “I see you. I recognize you. I remember our times of together and am contributing right now to another quality memory. I value you and honor and take the time, right this moment to pause long enough to truly notice you.” – Mary Anne Radmacher • In most instances, at all costs, do NOT check a bag. Especially during the holiday season. You have more flexibility to switch flights, switch airlines or even leave the airport and get a rental car to drive to your next destination. If the airline has your bag, they also have you. – Beth Mowins • In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it “Christmas” and went to church; the Jews called it “Hanukka” and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say “Merry Christmas!” or “Happy Hanukka!” or (to the atheists) “Look out for the wall!” – Dave Barry • Instead of waiting until the holiday season – when mail solicitations flood in from worthy organizations – and making a flurry of gifts because this is the time of year to give, sit down and take stock. Identify your passion, learn about it, and direct your time, mind, and dollars to aligned causes and organizations. – Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen • It is a miracle if you can find true friends, and it is a miracle if you have enough food to eat, and it is a miracle if you get to spend your days and evenings doing whatever it is you like to do, and the holiday season – like all the other seasons – is a good time not only to tell stories of miracles, but to think about the miracles in your own life, and to be grateful for them, and that’s the end of this particular story. – Daniel Handler • I’ve been working with Operation Smile for a number of years, and $240 changes and saves, in many cases, saves a child’s life. But one of the things I’m super excited about is my partnership with Boston Market this holiday season and we’ve partnered up not only to help everybody out during the holidays because we know how crazy it gets. – Kate Walsh • No matter where you go, no matter how many gifts you give and receive this holiday season, unless you are actually present, it all flies by as if in a dream. Satisfaction in anything–a meal, an interaction, a gift, a sunset–depends on your willingness to take it in. Breathe. Feel your arms and your legs. You are allowed to love every little thing about yourself and your life. You are allowed to take up space and be all that you are. Really you are. – Geneen Roth • Once again we find ourselves enmeshed in the Holiday Season, that very special time of year when we join with our loved ones in sharing centuries-old traditions such as trying to find a parking space at the mall. We traditionally do this in my family by driving around the parking lot until we see a shopper emerge from the mall, then we follow her, in very much the same spirit as the Three Wise Men, who 2,000 years ago followed a star, week after week, until it led them to a parking space. – Dave Barry • Once again we find ourselves enmeshed in the Holiday Season, that very special time of year when we join with our loved ones in sharing centuries-old traditions such as trying to find a parking space at the mall. – Dave Barry • Once again, we come to the Holiday Season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes, in his own way, by going to the mall of his choice. – Dave Barry • One of the best parts of the holiday season is spending time with the special people in your life. – Barack Obama • Overspending is as certain a part of the holiday season as overeating. But pushing away from both the table and the cash register at least a little bit sooner can make the post-holiday hangover hurt a little bit less. – Jeffrey Kluger • The ACLU spent this entire holiday season protesting public displays of the nativity scene. Yeah, that’s the problem with America right now: Public displays of Christ’s birth, that’s the problem. It’s unbelievable to me. The ACLU will no longer fight for your right to put up a nativity scene, but they’ll fight for the right of the local freak who wants to stumble onto the scene and have sex with one of the sheep. – Dennis Miller • The concerted effort to minimize Christmas has resulted in it being our national Happy Holiday holiday. The Christmas season is now the holiday season. Christmas parties are now holiday parties. Christmas is a time for giving and receiving presents and in many homes, nothing more. Who is this fellow, Jesus Christ, anyway? – Lyn Nofziger • The FDA is now warning people not to eat raw cookie dough this holiday season. Is that how fat we’re getting in this country? Our ovens are too slow now? – Jay Leno • The holiday season is a time for storytelling, and whether you are hearing the story of a candelabra staying lit for more than a week, or a baby born in a barn without proper medical supervision, these stories often feature miracles. Miracles are like pimples, because once you start looking for them you find more than you ever dreamed you’d see, and this holiday story features any number of miracles, depending on your point of view. – Daniel Handler • The holiday season promotes a heightened sense of community. It draws our chins up and helps us look above and over the limiting fence of our own events, activities and preoccupations. The opportunity for a heroic gesture can tap you quietly on the shoulder in the midst of a holiday bustle. If you are attentive, you will notice the gentle touch and will be able to respond. Remember… There are no small acts of kindness. Every compassionate act makes large the world. – Mary Anne Radmacher • The proper behavior all through the holiday season is to be drunk. This drunkenness culminates on New Year’s Eve, when you get so drunk you kiss the person you’re married to. – P. J. O’Rourke • There are a lot of Grinches out there that would like nothing better than to take any references to religion out of the holiday season. – Ernest Istook • Thoughts turn to other’s just a little more this time of year. Days grow shorter and memories grow longer. Families and friends gather in celebration or hope. Giving is a reflection of our love and caring for each other and those less fortunate. May your thoughts turn to gratitude this holiday season and carry on throughout the next year. – James A. Murphy III • Wal-Mart doesn’t really care about your faith. Wal-Mart cares if you have money to spend, and it is going to be as generic as possible in exploiting the holiday season for every buck it can make. – Richard Roeper • You folks feeling the economic pinch? Are you a little fed up with the economic news? It’s bad. The department stores, this holiday season, no Santa Claus. They’re laying off department-store Santa Clauses. So more bad news for John McCain. – David Letterman

[clickbank-storefront-bestselling]

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A well-to-do western suburb of Paris, Courbevoie is in touch with the center of the city but has an easy, residential feel.

There are some understated museums to check out, housed in pavilions that were made for the Exposition Universelle in 1878. Courbevoie also contains some of La Défense, the city’s modern banking district, so you won’t have to go far for dynamic urban architecture and France’s number one shopping mall. And despite being in the suburbs, you’ll also have lightning-quick journey times to the center of Paris on the Métro Line 1. For the sake of convenience, we’ll deal with the things you can do in the west of Paris first. Discover the best things to do in Courbevoie.

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1. Musée Roybet Fould

A forgotten piece of Paris history, the site of this museum is a wooden pavilion built by Norway and Sweden for the University Exhibition in 1878. It’s a fusion of the old and new, because it’s in a traditional Scandinavian-style house, while also standing as an early piece of prefab architecture.

The permanent internal displays are mostly from the time that the stall was built. And as the museum’s name suggests these entail paintings by Ferdinand Roybet and Consuelo Fould.

On it, there are paintings and sculptures by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, and lots of small curiosities from the 19th century, such as toys, dolls, postcards, and posters.

2. Pavillon des Indes

Also from the University Exhibition in 1878 was Pavillon des Indes. This enchanting pavilion was actually commissioned by Edward VII, then Prince of Wales, to represent British India at the show.

As with the Musée Roybet Fould, it was originally placed on the Champ de Mars in front of the Military Academy.

Both were relocated to the Corbevoie Gian Parc de Bécon in the 1880s, where the Pavilion des Indes are still protected as a monumental monument. After falling into disrepair, the pavilion was restored in 2013 and reopened as a studio and gallery for emerging young artists, along with a small exhibition about Courbevoie in Tertiary. Republic.

3. Parc de Bécon

These pavilions decorate the peaceful Parc de Bécon, which slopes down to the left bank of the Seine.

And there are a few other things to keep in mind: You can see the front of the Charras Barracks, the site of the Swiss Guards, mercenaries protecting the King from the 17th century to the Revolution and the famous massacre at the Tuileries Palace.

You can also ponder the memorial to the National hero Maréchal Leclerc who died in a plane crash in 1947 and was posthumously awarded the title Marshal of France. There’s a dreamy view of the river from the monument’s terrace.

4. Folie Saint James

On the right bank of the Seine is an interesting small souvenir from Ancien Régime. He gave the architect permission to do whatever he wanted, provided it was expensive! And the outlandish result is a miniature mountain in the center of the garden with rocks that would have been transported here at a huge cost.

At the foot is a Doric temple and pond, and inside there used to be a network of tunnels covered with glimmering crystals.

5. La Défense

Many of the high-income residents of Courbevoie, making a short commute to the modern business district of Paris right next door. La Défense came to life in the 1960s and grew over the next 30 years, adding the sort of futuristic skyscrapers that wouldn’t get planning permission in the center of Paris.

New record-breaking structures are in the pipeline, but for now, it’s a district to wander and get some photos of the eccentric architecture and sculptures. If there’s an emblem for La Défense it’s the Grande Arche, a hollow cube-shaped building on an axis with the Arc de Triomphe several kilometers to the southeast.

6. Jardin d’Acclimatation

By car or subway, you've earned a few minutes to get to this attraction on the northern peak of Bois de Boulogne. This is music to children’s ears as they’ll be treated to rollercoasters, fairground rides, a miniature train, mini-golf, and animal attractions.

The Jardin d’Acclimatation was opened by Napoleon III in 1860 and still has a traditional air about it: There are landscaped gardens, many of the buildings go back to the 19th century and a lot of the entertainment is old-school and innocent, so think pony rides and puppet shows.

7. Fondation Louis Vuitton

Also on your doorstep is one of the newest cultural attractions in the city, and it’s pretty hard to miss. The museum was designed by Frank Gehry, and despite only being here since 2014 has recently been transformed.

The vaulting canopies suspended over the main structure of the building have been given a multicolored makeover by the French conceptual artist Daniel Buren. The collection inside is enriched by works from the big names in contemporary art, like Gilbert & George, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Jeff Coons.

There are also installations by the likes of Olafur Eliasson and Ellsworth Kelly, as well as a permanent show about the project to construct this striking building.

8. Château de Malmaison

Although you’ll be instinctively looking towards Paris for sightseeing, there’s also lots to see on the western outskirts. If the traffic is quiet, you can reach this prominent Royal palace in about ten minutes.

For a time at the start of the 19th century, the château even shared the seat of the French government with the Tuileries, while it was Napoleon’s final residence before he went into exile after the 100 Days.

The woman who will forever be linked with Malmaison is Joséphine de Beauharnais, the first wife of Napoleon. She lived at this property from 1799 up to her death in 1814 and invested huge amounts of cash on its grounds and interiors. There is an inside museum with intimate personal effects by Joséphine and Napoleon.

9. Église Saint-Pierre-Saint-Paul

And since you’re in the area you could also call in at this church close to the château. It’s fine if sober Renaissance building, but the attraction isn’t so much how it looks but the events that took place here and the memorials inside.

Joséphine died of pneumonia in 1814 and her funeral took place on June 2 of that year. Famous architects, Louis-Martin Berthault and sculptor Pierre Cartello collaborated on her tomb.

You can also see the stunning mausoleum of her daughter Hortense, who was the mother of Napoleon III who ruled France in the Second Empire and commissioned this monument.

10. Local Markets

There are four markets in the Courbevoie area, trading five days a week. Two of these, Marché Villebois Mareuil and Marché Charras are covered, while Marché Marceau and Marché du Faubourg de l KhanArche are open air.

All have butchers, bakers, confectioners, fishmongers, florists, the cheese stands and sell traditional artisan products. And they’re local institutions, preferred to supermarkets for a couple of reasons: First, what you buy comes straight from the farm, cutting out the middleman and making it fresher.

But also, the traders selling this product are experts and will give you tips on how to store and cook whatever you buy from them.

More ideals for you: Top 10 things to do in Cosenza

From : https://wikitopx.com/travel/top-10-things-to-do-in-courbevoie-708263.html

So, after Century III Mall, I got a new hobby. Taking pics and videos of things from my kid and teen years in #Pittsburgh that are closed, dying abandoned etc. Before the mega-theaters killed it, this was my theater. Cinemaworld Southland 9. My favorite memories were with my dad and brother. If it was a new movie we were here. The first time my brother was able to get me a birthday gift, it was going here and covering my ticket for “The Blair With Project.” This is the place where I truly became a nerd. #movies #nostalgia #memories #thanksforthememories #thnksfrthmmrs #childhoodmemories #childhood (at Southland 9) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm3XzYjhwIx/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=tivkakuz954h

entertainment and historic  journey to Georgia for 14-day

Our program includes the most famous and beautiful tourist places in Georgia , we have prepared the program very carefully with long experience in the field of tourism in Georgia , We will inform you of the most important tourist areas in Georgia, hoping that our programs will accept your satisfaction and your approbation

   Day 1 :  Arrival to Tbilisi AirPort , You will be met by the representatives of Orient Cities LLC: Tour Manager and Guide. Tour guide will meet you at the airport and transfer to the hotel for resting Then we go to the famous restaurant call  (Al-Khankali ) for hospitality ,Where the wonderful atmosphere of Georgian society, musical activities and Georgian folk dancing, and  then we will return to the hotel to resting and  prepare for the next day. overnight at a hotel in Tbilisi

Day 2: After breakfast at the hotel, start our trips by visiting the Botanical Garden in Tbilisi (Heydar Aliyev Park) then we take a tour and an enjoyable adventure where the beautiful scenery and beautiful nature down to waterfall of the forest where we can take beautiful memorial photos near to the waterfall. we continues the trip to the statue of Georgian mother, which is one of the most important tourist attractions in the capital Tbilisi and then we descend the Chairlifts, which passes over the Metkvari river to see the old Tbilisi from the top , Then we visit Nariqala, the oldest castle which is one of the most important historical monuments in the capital Tbilisi , its built in the 4th century to protect the city from enemy attacks. The castle walls remained intact in spite of an earthquake in 1827 that destroyed several parts of the castle which is built in the 6th century . We conclude our tour by going to an Arab or Turkish restaurant for lunch and then to the hotel for rest.

After the resting  we go to Pombora Park or (Pomboraz Parki) Located on the highest mountain of Metasminda. This place includes many restaurants , cafés, and games for adults and young people, Where we take the most beautiful souvenirs pictures from the top of the mountain, then we will back to the hotel for rest and overnight.

  Day 3: After breakfast at the hotel we will leave Tbilisi and trip to Borjomi .Trip to picturesque Borjomi valley rich of diverse nature and mineral watersBorjomi spa town, famous with its mineral water “Borjomi”. Visit the park and taste mineral water. overnight at a hotel in Borjomi.

Day 4 : We will have breakfast at the hotel and then we will leave borjomi and tirp to  Ahletsikha city Which it was the center of the Ottoman Empire and Russia At the present time it has been renovated Ahletsikha castle  – called band Castle, its includes family palace of Jakeli, where the historical museum was built in 1923 and its renovated today and opened to visitors in 2012 as part of  Georgian National Museum . It will be an interesting trip to this historic edifice !

We leave Ahletsikha city and continue our trip to Vardzia (the city of caves), built by George King III in  the 12th century. It is one of the important   places to visit to see the creativity digging caves through the rocks and then we will return to Borjomi for rest and overnight after the end of our interesting tour.

      Day 5 : Visit Kutaisi Driving to Second largest city of Georgia founded about 40 centuries ago, former capital of the west Georgian Kingdom Colkhics, to which is related the myth of Golden Fleece and Argonauts. Visiting Bagrati Temple (11th century A.D.) and Gelati Monastery (12th century). Sataplia Grotto, where the prints of dinosaurs are found. Overnight in Batumi.

    Day 6 : Visit Makhuntseti Waterfall The first destination from Batumi will be to Makhuntseti waterfall is located near the town of Keda, at 335 meters above sea level. Near the waterfall several picnic sites are available for visitors. While visiting the waterfall it is also possible to visit nearby tourist attractions, including the ancient arched stone Makhuntseti Bridge, Adjarian wine houses, and private wine cellars scattered throughout Keda Municipality. and then will Visit

Botanical garden which is located in Batumi, Georgia. It’s 10 km far from the city center Boasting one of the widest varieties of flora in the world. Overnight in Batumi

    Day 7: After breakfast in the hotel, we leave Batumi and go to Kutaisi city , to the Tsakaltopo area, where we visit the  fascinating Martvili area To rise the inflatable boats and a fantastic adventure descend to the slope below the cave, and then back the hotel for overnight

  Day 8: we will Leave Kutaisi city at 9:00 am and return to the capital Tbilisi to rest in the hotel , then visit the Cathedral of Samiba , the largest religious edifice at all and one of the largest cathedrals in the world , Which is located on the shore of Kora river in the capital Tbilisi and was built on the basis of traditional (classical) building , and is one of the most beautiful tourist places in the capital , then we will return to the hotel after the end of our tour

  Day 9: After breakfast we go to Ananori and visit Ananori Castle and the beautiful area which around . Then we continue to  Gudhauri  town and the endless mountain till  the Caucasus Mountains, which are about 5500 meters above sea . We take the jeeps cars to go to  top of the high mountain to take unforgettable pictures near the Gergetti church.  We can also visit the waterfall which called Gvelti. We  back down to eat in a Georgian restaurant and at the end of our wonderful tour we going to the hotel for overnight and resting .

  Day 10: we will Leave  Kazabighe city and back to the capital Tbilisi, we will stop in the road, especially in the Godawari city,  where we can have  a wonderful adventure to rise the balloon, and continue our way to the capital Tbilisi to rest and stay at the hotel

  Day 11: We go to Metzkheta city, the oldest capital of Georgia, to see Metkvari and Arajoy rivers and visit the Church of Sveti Tskhovili. This church dating back to the eleventh century and it was  religious center of the country for hundreds  years. It has houses , a gate, a bell tower, and religious residences.. This cathedral was included on UNESCO World Heritage List. And then go to the top of  mountain  where the spectacular vision  of Mtkvari and Arajoy rivers and then return to the capital Tbilisi for overnight .

  Day 12: After breakfast we visit Costaba Lake , its also called Turtle Lake, where we can take a boat  and then visit the Fake Park which is nearby the lake . then we will go to the hotel to rest after lunch at a restaurant.

After resting we go to famous Street called Rostaville, and we can see the old Parliament , freedom  Square, and to the Schardini Street, which is full of Oriental and European cafes and restaurants . Our tour ends with Europa Park (Riga Park) and one of the most famous tourist attractions in the capital Is the glass bridge which is called (Peace Bridge) .

    Day 13: Activities: After breakfast at the hotel We will go for shopping and buy gifts in the popular market Tbilisi Mall  . We also will  visit the East Point , which includes many recreational facilities for adults and children such as (bowling, billiards, movies, children’s games, etc.), and then will return to the hotel for resting and sleep and  preparation for leaving next day

Day 14: We go to Tbilisi airport for departure. by blessing of god .

For reservations and inquiries:

Whatsapp Available 

Mobile: 00995558113471

Tourism Department Mustafa Yassin

Package Includes:

Transfer from and to Tbilisi Airport

Inland transportation

Tour Guide Hotel

Accommodation (In the cities) Double room

Guest House Accommodation (in the villages)

Museums Entrance fees

Internet packages

Price Exclude:

Flights

Single room supplement

Meals except described

Alcoholic beverages

Travel insurance

entertainment and historic journey to Georgia for 14-day entertainment and historic  journey to Georgia for 14-day Our program includes the most famous and beautiful tourist places in Georgia , we have prepared the program very carefully with long experience in the field of tourism in Georgia , We will inform you of the most important tourist areas in Georgia, hoping that our programs will accept your satisfaction and your approbation…