Inspirational Places of Artists, France

 

Montmartre village in Paris (above) is located on a hill top overlooking the city. Montmartre is filled with narrow winding streets, galleries, boutiques and the world famous Artists Square, once home to Salvador Dali, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent van Gogh.

 

The banks of the Siene River in Paris were inspiration for Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

The Louvre is the biggest and the best known museum in the world. Once the palace of kings and an inspiration for Edouard Manet.

 Claude Monet's house in Giverny

Giverny village, outside Paris, is home to one of the most famous gardens of Claude Monet. Some of Monet's most famous paintings were inspired by his gardens surrounding the house in Giverny.

 

Arles is most famous for influencing Vincent van Gogh, which he showed by using brighter colors.

 Leonardo da Vinci's statue is located across the river from a charming town of Amboise.

 

Leonardo da Vinci's house in Amboise. Amboise with the imposing castle is a place, where Leonardo da Vinci died and is buried.

 

Famous staircase designed by Leonardo da Vinci at the splendid Chateau de Chambord in the Loire Valley.

 

Do not miss savouring in the delicious local Touraine cuisine at Leonardo da Vinci's restaurant in the charming town of Tours.

 

The picturesque harbor of Honfleur was a summer haunt of the Impressionist painters including Gustave Courbet, Eugene Boudin, and Claude Monte.

Elegant French Displays

Medieval town of Beaune, the wine capital of Burgundy, with a beautiful flower display.

Elegant display at Fragonard perfumery in the French Riviera.

Original display in the French Riviera.

Original window display in the medieval town of St. Paul in the French Riviera.

Elegant fruit display in Rouen. The town, where Joan of Arc was burned at the stakes.

Beautiful display of chocolates in Rouen.

Display at brandy distillery in the town of Cognac.

Elegant vegetable display in the kitchen of Chenonceau Chateau in the famous Loire Valley.

Original pan display in the kitchen of Chenonceau Chateau.

The Cobbled Streets of France

Medieval hilltop town of St. Paul in the French Riviera is known for modern museums and galleries.

Famous medieval walled town of Carcassonne.

St. Emilion in the Bordeaux region has fascinating Romanesque churches and ruins stretching all along steep and narrow streets.
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Amboise with imposing castle is famous for the Clos Lucé manor house where Leonardo da Vinci lived (and ultimately died) at the invitation of King Francis I.

Mont St. Michel, strategically built surrounded by water, is one of France's most recognisable landmarks.

The picturesque harbor town of Honfleur on the Normandy coast was a summer haunt of the Impressionsit painters.

The town of Rouen is where Joan of Arc was burned at the stakes.

Historic City of Boston

 

Boston is one of the oldest cities in the US.

The best way to start and to get an overview of the city is to hop on a trolley. The Upper Deck Trolley Tours give you a chance to hop on and off all day and take you to 21 historical stops.

If you like to walk, then take the Freedom Trail, which is a 2.5 mile, brick-lined route that leads you to 16 historical sites.

When you get hungry, head to the Quincy Market (below), which offers variety of foods including desserts.

 

For more information visit:

http://bostonsupertours.com/

http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/

http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/

Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, NJ

The Hudson River Waterfront Walkway goes from Bayonne, past Liberty State Park and the Statue of Liberty all the way north into Hoboken and is over 18.5 miles long. Hop on a bicycle to enjoy it all.

My favorite part of the boardwalk is in Newport (below), which offers not only panoramic views of Manhattan, but also gives a feeling of a small community.

 

For more information visit:

http://www.hudsonriverwaterfront.org/

http://www.destinationjerseycity.com/vendors/hudson-river-waterfront-walkway/

http://www.newportnj.com/amenities/parks-walkway

The Liberty State Park, NJ

The Liberty State Park is a waterfront park of approximately 300 acres developed for public recreation.  

The Liberty Walk promenade stretches for 1.3 miles offering magnificent views of the NYC skyline, the Statue of Liberty and the Ellis Island. You can walk or bike as well as fish at the promenade. Off the promenade, picnic areas with tables are provided. Ferry services are available to both islands.

Within the park The Liberty Science Center offers interactive exhibits that focus on invention, health, and the environment.

 

For more information visit http://www.libertystatepark.org/

Mystic, CT

 

Mystic, CT, is known for two things: pizza and the seaport with the historic museum.

‘Mystic Pizza’ starring Julia Roberts made Mystic a very popular destination. You can still grab a slice of pizza and watch the famous movie at the famous pizzeria (below).

Mystic Seaport – The Museum of America and the Sea is the nation’s leading maritime museum. You can aboard historic ships and stroll through a re-created 19^th century village (below).

At the Olde Mystic Village you can step back into the 1700s. Experience early American charm with over 60 quaint shoppes in a colonial New England style setting.

For more information, visit http://mystic.org/

The CliffWalk in Newport, RI

 

The CliffWalk stretches for 3.5 miles along the eastern shore of Newport, RI. The walk combines the natural beauty of the rocky shoreline with the architectural marvels of Newport’s gilded age. The trail was designed in 1975 as a National Recreation Trail. The trail starts at Easton’s Beach (Memorial Blvd) and ends at Bailey’s Beach (Bellevue Ave) with many exits along the trail.

The CliffWalk is one of the main attractions in Newport with historic mansions and busy downtown full of quaint shops.

 

For more information, visit http://cliffwalk.com/

The Newport Mansions, RI

The Newport Mansions of Rhode Island consist of nine mansions, plus The Breakers Stable and Carriage House, Green Animals Topiary Garden, and the Newport Mansions Museum Store.

“Each house you visit is an authentic icon of one of the great eras of American history. Hunter House was here when the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought; Chateau-sur-Mer saw the age of global commerce by American clipper ships like Flying Cloud; and The Beakers opened as the Vanderbilt’s latest achievement in the era in which railroads revolutionized the nation much the way jet-liners and the internet would a century later.”

Hunter House offers exquisite colonial furniture

Chateau-Sur-Mer offers hand-carved Italian woodwork, Chinese porcelain and collections of rare trees

The Breakers – the 70-room summer estate of Cornelius Vanderbilt’s interiors feature rare marble, alabaster and gilded woods throughout

The Elms houses monumental art works, including wall-sized Venetian paintings, Chinese Lacquer panels and tapestries

Rosecliff offers audio tour bringing you closer to the lives of Rosecliff’s families. The house also includes the Victorian Wardrobe exhibit featuring historic costume collections designed by the great Parisian couturier Charles Frederick Worth

Marble House also offers audio tour, the house contains 500,000 cubic feet of marble, an ultimate statement of Gilded Age privilege

Kingscote still possesses original rooms from each era featuring Tiffany glass, rare furniture, silver collections, and Chinese decorative arts

Chepstow is a charming Italianate-style cottage containing original family furnishings, a collection of the 19^th century American paintings including Hudson River landscape

Isaac Bell House is a masterpiece of the American Shingle-Style featuring open floor plan

The Isaac Bell House with Kingscote “illustrate Newport’s evolution as a premier place for great design, fine living, and the creation of a distinctly American style of architecture.”

Green Animals Topiary Garden includes dozens of fanciful animals, a sailing ship, teacups, spirals and other geometric shapes.

 

For more information including special events, visit www.NewportMansions.org

Elephant Festival of Jaipur, India

Elephant Festival is celebrated in the city of Jaipur, where it is the most popular festival in India on the day of Holi in March. Holi means spring religious festival of colors, which engages people in throwing colored powder or water at each other. Jaipur dedicated this spring festival of colors to elephants, celebrating the royal past of the city when royals entered ceremonies on beautifully dressed elephants. In the Indian culture, elephants are symbol of royalty. The festival starts with parade of elephants painted with bright colors, decorated trunks and saddle cloths, and adorned with beautiful jewelry. The most magnificently decorated elephant receives an award. The festival comes alive with elephants accompanied by dancers and musicians. This spectacular event combined with spring festival is the most colorful and exciting festival in India, which kids keenly await. This event attracts people from around the world.

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/elephant-festival-jaipur-india/

http://www.festivalsofindia.in/elephant/

Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, China

Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in China starts in early January and lasts till February, usually Jan 5 – Feb 15. Harbin is located in northern China and receives cold winter winds from Siberia. Therefore the festival is a celebration of ice and snow in the region. Ice is taken from the Songhua River cut into blocks and then carved into ice sculptures. The sculptures include buildings, animals, people, ice slides, and lanterns. They are decorated with lights making spectacular scenery.

Sapporo Snow Festival, Japan

Sapporo Snow Festival is one of the largest festivals in Japan that lasts for seven days in February. During the festival hundreds of small and massive snow statues and ice sculptures are displayed featuring famous building or person. Most of the statues are illuminated during the night. The festival offers snow and ice slides, snow maze, sports events, play ground for children, and regional foods. It also includes the Opening and Closing Ceremony of Snow Transportation and the International Snow Statue Contest. It is an international event that promotes international relations and turns the city of Sapporo into a winter dreamland for a week.

Chinese New Year and the Lantern Festival

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival starts on the first day of the Chinese calendar, which changes every year, and ends with the Lantern Festival on the 15^th day of the first month of the Chinese calendar (January or February). It is the longest and most important festival within Chinese population (not only China). Traditionally, people clean their houses thoroughly to sweep away the bad luck from the last year and to make space for good luck in the coming year. Some people paint their door and window frames in red to keep the evil spirits or bad fortunes away. Some buy new clothes symbolizing a fresh start or having enough to wear throughout a year. Families have dinner together, traditionally fish, dumplings, and a cake. Dragon and lion dances are common, which eliminate evil spirits. Lantern Festival ends the celebration with people lighting candles outside their houses and families walking the streets with lighted lanterns. Children take lanterns to temples and solve riddles on them. Today lanterns are in varied designs and different shapes of animals. Traditional lanterns are made of paper or wood. Modern more sophisticated lanterns are electric or neon. The most popular is Dragon Pole 27 meter-high spewing fireworks from its mouth. This is popular in such cities as Hangzhou and Shanghai. One of the beliefs of the origin of the Lantern Festival is that it is a celebration of positive relationships between people, families, and nature.

International Hot-Air Balloon Festival in Chateau-d'Oex

The International Balloon Festival in the picturesque alpine village of Chateau d’Oex in Switzerland happens every January since 1979. The festival attracts tourists from around the world with the amazing display of about 80 hot air balloons of different sizes, colors, and patterns.  

http://www.lake-geneva-region.ch/en/news/loisirs/FestivalsFestivities/TopEvents/FestivalInternationalBallons