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Monday, December 12, 2011

The most beautiful opera houses in the world

Opera de Monte Carlo
Located in the principality of Monaco, the Opera de Monte Carlo was opened in 1879. Designed the magnificent and extravagantly, the opera house was recently renovated. Over 80,000 gold leaves were applied to paintings and moldings, a five-ton chandelier has been entirely rebuilt. As it seats only 524, it is often difficult to get tickets. This the only opera house in the world to feature exterior views (thanks to the windows overlooking the Mediterranean) from within the concert space.

Teatro di San Carlo
Located in Naples, this is the oldest opera in Europe that has never closed the door. Opened on 4 November 1737 and then it was the largest in the world with its 3300 seats. Teatro di San Carlo is included in World Heritage by UNESCO.

The Mariinsky Theatre
Opened in 1860, this is pre-eminent theater is located in St. Petersburg, Russia. Named after Empress Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Tsar Alexander II and there is a bust of the Empress in the main entrance foyer. The building was severely damaged during the 900-day Siege of Leningrad, but later restored in 1944. With its marvelous 1,625-seat auditorium it is one of the greatest world class music theatres.

Bavarian State Opera
Built in 1818, Bavarian State Opera is located in Munich and features an impressive exterior and a magnificent interior. Destroyed in World War II it was moved to another place and built in its original form. Re-opened in 1963, the State Opera seats 2,100 people. Today the opera is among the most famous in the world.

Teatro Amazonas
This opera is in the heart of Manaus, deep in the Amazon rain forest of Brazil. Opera House was constructed during the Belle Epoque – the era of rubber that makes Manaus one of the most prosperous cities on the continent. The dome of the opera is covered with 60,000 ceramic tiles imported from France and currently has 701 seats

Romanian Athenaeum
This concert hall is one of the most beautiful buildings in Bucharest. It was built in 1888 in neoclassical style by architect Albert Galeron and considered as one of the architectonical jewellery of Romania. The auditorium (28, 50 m in diameter and 16 m high) having a special acoustics, seats 600 in the stalls and another 52 in loge seating.

Verana Hotel

Verana Hotel is an intimate boutique hotel on Mexico‘s Pacific coast, tucked in a remote hillside jungle just thirty miles south of Puerto Vallarta and accessible only by boat. Verana boasts indulgently private accommodations, a blend of old-world and modern designs and a philosophy of simple luxuries—all set against a backdrop of stunning water and mountain views. The whole experience begin when you disembark onto the hotel’s small, private pier. A few stone steps lead to the full-service jungle spa, which offers aqua-therapy, scrubs, massages and the like, many of which incorporate locally grown plants.

Just next to the spa center, is the one of the two hotel’s restaurant, provding lunchtime service overlooking the bay, a perfect spot to enjoy the sights, while enjoying a stellar chef’s menu, updated daily. A weekday menu might include fresh-baked bread with roasted smoked eggplant puree, guajillo chile-encrusted octopus, and caramelized pineapple with fresh strawberries and yogurt citrus sorbet.

To get to the hotel’s rooms, guests will be guided through a 15-minute jungle route up, winding stone steps to the hotel proper. Along the way, guests pass by a dramatic, eight-foot-tall urn, as well as rustic busts made in the likeness of Verana’s owners. To be more specific there are no rooms, just beautifully simple, individually-designed villas dotting the hillside combine the traditional architecture with modern design.

The hotel’s lush natural surroundings inspired the overall color palette, and its decor (all of which had to be brought uphill by man or mule) mixes streamlined, contemporary pieces with artisan-made furniture and Mexican handicrafts, carefully selected by owners, former movie set builder Heinz Legler and set decorator Veronique Lievre. Visitors can choose from open villas with traditional thatched roofs, few to zero walls and rock floors, or more modern, enclosed villas with dramatic walls of steel-framed windows overlooking the bay. The hotel’s second restaurant and spa location blend in up here as well, where guests meet nightly for a casual cocktail hour at the outdoor bar, enjoying contemporary designs and stellar service, followed by impeccable dinners—yes, once again, overlooking the bay.

If you get tired of laying down on the pool or observing the sky and ocean downhilll, or have had enough of all those pesky, relaxing spa treatments, Verana also offers private and group yoga classes, kayaking, whale and bird watching excursions, an outdoor couples starlit bath. The nearby town of Yelapa is just a twenty minute hike away, with a long, lovely beach and a local celebrity of sorts—”the cake lady” who walks up and down the beach carrying delicious cakes and pies on her head for sale. Plan accordingly though, the trail between Yelapa and Verana is impassible when the tide is in. Verana is open to the public 1 November-31 July each year, rack rates start at $380 a night.

Wanderlust Hotel, Singapore

Wanderlust is a left-field and totally experimental boutique hotel set to draw madcap voyagers and curious travellers to its doorstep. Located in Little India district in Singapore, where a bustling cultural enclave where Indian immigrants once settled, and the building was originally an old school built it 1920s. With four thematic levels of 29 rooms by award winning Singapore design agencies, each group was given full creative freedom.

The first level is the Lobby Level – Industrial Glam by Asylum A juxtaposition of the surrounding’s setting and contemporary design. Level 2 is Eccentricity by :phunk Studio. Colours everything from the walls to the neon lights and the rainbow corridor leads to a outdoor deck with a customised mosaic-tiled jacuzzi. Level 3 – Is it just Black and White by DP Architects. Walk across the black corridor and enter into the contrasting white rooms to discover Origami and Pop-Art works. Level 4 – Creature Comforts by fFurious. Get cosy with friendly monsters in each room that presents a different vibe and be assured of a fantasy-filled experience.

The lobby and restaurant Cocotte were done up in a distinctive industrial flair, which provide the perfect setting for the mismatch of furniture from Tom Dixon to Frank Gehry. Cocotte serves up a French menu and has large tables for communal dining, a small detail that very much meshes with the interactive element of traveling. Encouraging social interaction and communal dining, dishes at Cocotte come in sharing portions so guests can enjoy a unique dining experience and sample a variety of scrumptious creations by the chefs. Rooms, which also come with Kiehl’s toiletries and iPod docks, run from $300 to $650 Singaporean dollars.

Haji Lane, Singapore

Haji Lane is a small-scale shopping in Singapore‘s hidden retail destination. Singapore has enormous, glittering shopping malls in and around Orchard Street which are wall-to-wall major-brand retailers, the stuff of a shopaholic’s dream. Anyway for those seeking something more intimate, the indie boutiques on Haji Lane are far from the roaming mall rats. Beautiful boutiques showcase rising Singaporean designers, as well as other designers from Asia and beyond, lining a narrow, backstreet of the tranquil Kampong Glam area – also known as the Arab district.

Don’t miss stores on the second floors of the charming shophouses; look out for mysterious flights of stairs through doorways at street level because you might just find find a new little world at the top of them. United Label is a wonderful shop, a womenswear brand by a Thai designer living in Singapore, as well as a selection of adorable stationery culled from around Asia. Near the entryway a staircase leads to a floor stocked with clothes from different labels. There are a few racks of items that have been majorly discounted, while others are dedicated to items like delicate, screen-printed tees.

At one end of Haji Lane is Soon Lee (no. 73), which stocks a mix of chic womenswear, accessories and lifestyle items from Hong Kong, Korea and even the Philippines. The boutique’s size (basically two shophouses combined into one) gives way to a large selection for browsing. Balancing out the shopping element, a few cafes and rest stops provide a place for breaks. A Thousand Tales (no. 55) is an all-in-one art gallery, cafe, bar, restaurant and furniture complex. While the menu next door at Bar Stories (no. 57A) sells drinks like mojitos and caipirinhas, visitors are invited to ask the bartender to make something special for them. The Scandinavian-inspired furniture is used as seating for patrons, who can buy it right there if they like it enough.

Pluck (no. 31/33) focuses more on housewares, but the cafe inside offers a revolving selection of homemade ice cream in a variety of flavors. The standouts are the Asian-inspired flavors, such as green tea with red beans or cashew-infused yogurt. There are also flavors made with alcohol, like the refreshing lychee martini.

The Valley of Flowers – magic land of peace of mind

Valley of Flowers is extremely beautiful valley located high in the Western Himalayas, India. Described by climbers and botanists for over a century, this extremely diverse terrain is home to over 500 many rare and endangered species, including Himalayan brown bear, snow leopard, baralat (Himalayan blue ram) and more.

The national park stretches over an expanse of 87 km² the reserve and it is situated at an altitude of 3500 – 4000 m. Almost inaccessible to tourists due to the high altitude, the park is still considered one of the most beautiful places in the world. Getting to the Valley of Flowers requires a trek of about 17 km (Grade : Moderate) – a dream for all explorers. The park is in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves since 1988.

The park is home to huge variety of fauna and flora including musk deer, red fox, Himalayan Golden Eagle, Snow Pigeon etc. and a huge variety of butterflies. The flowers include mostly orchids, marigold, daisies and anemones but 31 species are recognized as endangered species, while 45 others are medicinal plants, applied daily by local residents, including Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Picrorhiza kurrooa, Aconitum violaceum, Polygonatum multiflorum, Fritillaria roylei and Podophyllum hexandrum.

Museum aan de Stroom

The MAS is an impressive building with a museum, among other things. Because it is also the visible storage, the museum square with Luc Tuymans’ mosaic, the boulevard, the rooftop panorama, etc. The MAS is a total experience. Nowdays, Antwerp has its own iconic piece of museum architecture and it’s poised to make the medieval Flemish town a global destination. The Museum aan de Stroom opened last weekend to an estimated 100,000 visitors, including the Belgian royal family.

The MAS brings together the collections from the former Etnografisch Museum, the Nationaal Scheepvaartmuseum and the Volkskundemuseum. They are given a new home in the MAS along with part of the Vleeshuis Museum collection and the Paul and Dora Janssen-Arts collection. The collections are spread over four floors and are not displayed side by side. The pieces are connected through a dynamic scenography on the different floors. They don’t just impart information. They tell stories, they endure, they are actors in an ever-changing play.

Once Antwerp was a harbor village with a massive port more than seven times the size of its commercial center. In the 1600s, the city was the seat of the Dutch superpower, establishing the nation’s merchant status for centuries to come. Today, Antwerp belongs to Belgium and it’s still a city defined by its watery borders. And it’s there, just off the River Scheldt between the historic city center and the up-and-coming industrial neighborhood het Eilandje, that the MAS Museum steps into its starring role.

With this museum, Antwerp got a a striking ten-story monolith of stacked boxes in alternating red Indian limestone and undulating glass. The architects, Neutelings Riedijk from Rotterdam, rotated each level 90 degrees, allowing the escalators to ascend around the perimeter of the museum. The effect is a moving viewing platform affording wraparound views of the city, from the Gothic Cathedral of Our Lady to the domed Centraal Station to the grittier docklands and warehouses in the immediate vicinity of MAS.

The best preserved Roman city in the world

The most interesting thing in Libya is not a conflicting image of Muammar Gaddafi. In the center of the cradle of civilization will find ancient history and outstanding nature. The ancient city of Leptis Magna was one of the most prominent and cities of the Roman Empire. Its ruins are located in Al Kums, Lebanon – 130 km. east of Tripoli.

The city probably was founded in the 6th century BC by Phoenician colonists under the aegis of Carthage and became a major force in the Mediterranean. Lebanon is not an easy country to visit, but the magnificent Roman site of Leptis Magna makes it well worth the effort. The city remained under the dominion of Carthage to the end of the Third Punic War and then passed to the Roman Republic. At the time of Julius Caesar in the city live 100 000 people. Leptis contains some of the world’s finest and well-preserved remains of Roman architecture in the Mediterranean. In 1982 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Londa Hotel – Limassol City

This elegance hotel is situated in limassol, on the Sea island of Cyprus. The hotel is placed in the port’s holidaymaker territory. The Londa’s single tool shows influences from the island’s heritage and the Mediterranean.

There are 68 flat on 7 floors, 27 Brilliant rooms, 12 Gilded apartment, 25 Suites, 2 Chief Suites, Honeymoon Suite, and Presidential Suite.
Accessory uprise objective shades and just lines, time bedrooms are bestowed spirited accents of excuse and texture. There are also televisions with follower channels, safes and minibars in each dwell. Balconies are basic.

There’s a gorgeous time wager, a full-service spa with treatments rooms and all the supplement, and a sheltered beach. There’s every forgiving of watersport on move here – you can go scuba match, kite surfboarding, thing skiing or windsurfing in Limassol’s vocalizer.

Guests can also enjoy party alfresco on the area and decorate overlooking the sea, as intimately as at the poolside bar.For discussion and eating, the Executive surface area can alter 12 guests and the 115 simpleton prosody Londa gathering inhabit has a elastic content ranging from 40 set in U-shape seating to 100 for a reception.

Villa Carlotta – Sicily and Aeolian Islands

Villa Carlotta is perfect for loosening and romance and compliments girl hotel, Hotel Villa Ducale perfectly – two of Lulu’s favourite Smart Retreats. The surround is hearty and the environment voluptuous, sleek and gracious reflecting the civilized perception of the proprietors.

13 rooms. Two flat jazz four-posters, and quadruplet someone their own spreading provide with stunning sea views.Bedrooms are finished out in quiet spectacles with intrepid splashes of terracotta and emotional realistic flag set against chill tiled floors, cream-coloured Papistical blinds and immaculate sofas.

Facilities: garden with swimmig pool, complimentary WiFi and 24h concierge.

Villa Carlotta’s edifice serves Sicilian dishes, fresh pasta and salads alongside Sicilian wines. Walls are wainscoted with sunny, citrus production prints and there are render bowls everywhere with Italian lemons and oranges.

Melenos Lindos – Rhodes

Nestling on a gradual hillside low an ancient protected acropolis, Melenos Lindos Hotel is shapely in the communication of a tiered hamlet, inspired by the architectural tool of 17th-century Lindos. The restaurants, bars and shops are neighboring by.

The 12 en-suite flat of this romanticist hotel apiece eff lifted wooden unerect platforms that score been beautifully hand-carved from conifer. There are 2 balcony apartments for 4 persons each and 7 studios for 2 persons apiece. In-room treats permit Frette bedlinen, DVD players and wi-fi.

The restaurant is very pretty and it has an surface tableland which looks crosswise the sea and which is lit up by lanterns at dark, providing the perfect impractical scene.
Lindos Spa is vindicatory two minutes calling forth and offers every kindly of confronting and body management.

The birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus

One of the oldest cities in Poland, the medieval town is the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus. In 1997 the history center of the city was designated a UNESCO’s World Heritage Site and the Old Town was added to the list of Seven Wonders of Poland.

Archaeologists have discovered that the first settlers in the area were over 1100 BC. In 1230 Teutonic Knights built a castle on the site. In 1263, Franciscan monks settled in the city, and after them, and Dominicans. As you can see, the town is very attractive. Torun has the largest number of preserved Gothic houses in Poland. The most interesting monuments are: The Cathedral of SS. John the Evangelist and John the Baptist, The Old Town Hall, begun in 1274, City fortifications, begun in the 13th century, Ruins of 13th-century Teutonic Knights’ castle, and many more.

World’s longest road tunnel

With its 24.5 km, Laerdal Tunnel in Norway is the longest road tunnel in the world. It was built on modern standards and, unlike other tunnels, where drivers make just a few minutes or hours in darkness, Laerdal is divided into four parts, among them are open and vast expanses.

Lights do not just enough to see where you drive, and mimics the sun at sunset. The best thing about tunnels is that to go on it should not pay any fees. Work begun in 1995 and the tunnel was officially opened in 2000. The construction cost cost 1,082 million Norwegian krone (€ 240, 000).

Mas Des Retrouvailles

Mas des Retrouvailles is a lovely six bedroom villa located in the French village of Cereste.

The village of Céreste is situated high in the Luberon mountains at the heart of the Great Luberon National Park. The village is crossed by the Via Domitia, which was built by the Romans to link Rome to Spain.

The area offers much in the way of historical interest as well as activities including hiking, horse riding, cycling and rock climbing. The St. Michel Observatory is 15 kilometres away, from which there are magnificent views over Provence to Haute Provence, Mont Ventoux and the Verdon and Oppedette gorges.