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Posts Tagged ‘history’

Not too many people take the time to travel. Or get the chance to see places they only dreamed of. Too many people spend their lifetime working and making a living. Things have changed now, and you would like to travel to somewhere nice. You have two destinations you want to see, and for your first travel vacation, it will be Anchorage, Alaska

Why Alaska? Because it is the Last Frontier, and still a wilderness. It is called the Land of the Midnight Sun. Anchorage is the city that is in the heart of wilderness country, and close to the shores of Cook Inlet. This is the perfect place to get the battery juices flowing, and forget work for a little bit. Besides your automated Forex trading is bringing in profits, and your business is thriving now.

I know that Europe was your first choice, and you would have liked to have gone there. You did not want to miss the NLP Singapore training, and they were gracious enough to re-schedule you at a later date. But you had to make a choice for now. It will be there when you travel the next time.

Alaska is the fisherman, and hunter’s dream. There is still plenty of game, caribou, moose, elk, bear, deer, and many more. The rivers, and streams are filled with trout, and salmon. In the winter, if you are a winter sportsman, you can ski, sled, ice fish, dogsled, and much more. Now you know where you will be retiring when you get a little bit older, because it is so beautiful!

So far you have touched only the tip of the iceberg! There is Glacier Park that you have to see, with it’s beautiful deep blue hue in the ice. You have to step into the wilderness, smell the fir trees, watch the squirrels play, and enjoy the clean crisp air. You will want to walk on the tundra that feels like a sort carpet underfoot, with thousands of streams that cross each other.

You have to experience Anchorage to it’s fullest. You have to visit the Museum, and discover what Alaska is all about. The culture is diverse, and interesting.

If you like to eat, it is a promise that you will gain some weight! The coast is right there, and you will enjoy every seafood you can think of. You will want to explore the shops that line up the main street of Anchorage. You will find so many things that will amaze you. Yes, Anchorage, Alaska is a traveler’s paradise!

2012 is of course going to be the 100th Anniversary of the Titanic sinking. A trans-Atlantic cruise is being set up in rememberance of the sinking.

8th April 2012 is the date that the ship is departing as it is exaclty 100 years since the Titanic set sail. Just like the Titanic the port in which the vessal will be departing from is Southampton. Because the company wishes to make the trip realsitc they are going to be stopping in Ireland like the orginal.

The trip will make a stop at 11.40 in the location where the Titanic first hit the iceburg. 2am is around the time the ship will carry on with its journey to New York.20am which was when the ship was fully under water.

During these hours the ship will actually have a memorial service to remember the awful accident that occured here. There is going to be food from the time as well as historic lectures on board.

The ship is going to have a lot of cabins to contain 1,350 passengers as well as 150 crew members. Although this is the best gift for a history lover this isnt going to come cheap. This is truly going to be the luxury cruises of a life time.

Of course most of the cheaper cabins for the price above have already sold out so perhaps if you are interested in taking a cruise you should think about taking another cruise like one of those Rhine River Cruises or perhaps Silversea cruises would be a better move to make.

The Fan District is actually quite a large area of the city of Richmond Virginia and is enclosed by Boulevard to Belvedere Street and then Main Street to Broad Street – take a look on the map and you’ll see for yourself.  It is so large that several other districts of the city are actually swallowed up or encroached on by the Fan, which incidentally derives its moniker from the fan-shape created by Monroe Park which sits at the southern end of the area and from which the roads “fan” west creating the district.

When you are on the ground, the buildings and architecture initially give a uniform appearance with many properties built prior to 1880 and after 1920 – the end of the American Civil War and of Richmond’s seat as capitol of the Confederacy has led to a divergent set of themes in building styles which can be seen when you pay close attention to the delicately designed facades, wrap around porches and genteel rooflines.

Navigating the Fan District takes a bit of advance planning in order to see all the various points of interest i.  Remember some of the properties we are providing here are in fact private residences, but this does not stop you from admiring them while some do allow visitors.

The Warsaw
Harvie & Main Street

The Warsaw used to be known as St Sophia of the Little Sisters of the Poor and was originally built in the Second Empire style in 1830 by William Anderson and was originally known as the Warsaw.  Post –Civil War, the building was bought in the 1820’s and a much larger building was erected which took in the original structure we see today.In the 1970’s this property was part of a real estate speculation and was converted into condos.

Stonewall Jackson School
1520 West Main Street Richmond Virginia

This is constructed in the Italinate style and was originally a schoolhouse to cater for a growing Richmond and increased population.  Today you can gain access to the building as it is now a combination of office space with a restaurant.

The Mosque – Renamed to Richmond’s Landmark Theater
6 North Laurel Street

Today the theater is the venue of choice for Broadway shows and concerts as well as used as lecture hall using a variety of function rooms as well as a huge 18,000 square foot ballroom.  The 3,500 capacity theater was purchased by the Acca Temple of the Mystic Shrine in 1940 and this belies the Exotic Elements applied with an exquisitely apportioned interior decorated with tile mosaics from home and overseas while the stunning centerpiece is the simply breathtaking 75,000 square foot dome which is covered in gold leaf.

Fox Farm
2221 Grove Avenue Richmond Va

Built in Federal Revival style, the property was originally run as a dairy when it was purchased in 1868 by John Fox – the locals quickly referred to it as Fox farm though it is not a farm in truth.  Charles Gillette, a well known landscaper bought the property in 1923 and embarked on a remodeling of the home producing the current building and also enclosed a garden.Currently the residence is not open to public visitors and is a private residence.

The properties we have highlighted take in the true variety that lies beneath what at first sight is a homogenous, urban landscape.  Richmond has been variously a capitol, since it’s inception a major trading and mercantile hub as well as being home to immigrants and cosmopolitan influences which have resulted in a truly interesting style of period properties which are individual and all have their own story to tell.

Japanese Binocular Soccer

Binoculars were developed from the telescope. There are written references to telescopic optical instruments in documents originating before Galileo but the exact origin of the telescope is not really known.

One thing that is known with certainty is that the first patent application took place in 1608. A Dutch eyeglass maker by the name of Jan Lippershey applied for a 30 year patent. He was then asked to make an instrument that could be used by two eyes and on December 9th 1608 he announced the completion of the world’s first binocular instrument.

These early optical devices used quartz rather than glass due to the poor quality of the glass that was available at that time. These early devices were known as Galilean binoculars. In fact some historians claim that Galileo is actually the true inventor of binoculars. In 1618 he is reported to have produced a helmet with a twin telescope attachment intended to be used on board ships.

Although binoculars were available in the 17th and 18th centuries it wasn’t until the early 19th that the quality of these instruments became any good. It was in the 1820s that Vienna based Johann Voigtlander designed and produced the first binoculars that featured extended eye tubes for focussing.

By the mid 19th century Galilean opera glasses or theatre glasses had become very popular. These ornate binoculars were very much the fashion accessory of the day. Some were extremely elaborate using gold, silver, mother of pearl and enamel. Today these binoculars are highly sought after by collectors.

It was in the 1890s when the first modern prismatic binoculars were produced. Today’s prismatic binoculars use the same optical design as these early models.

Today binoculars are an essential instrument used in countless situations. From ships at sea to bird watching, exploring and orienteering. A pair of binoculars should be on everyone’s list of essential hiking or camping equipment.