St. Augustine - the oldest US city

 Lightner Museum

St. Augustine, located in Florida, was founded by a Spanish explorer Pedro Menendez de Aviles in 1565. It is the oldest city in the US and for that reason is nicknamed an Ancient City or Old City. It is home to the oldest stone fort in the country, Castillo de San Marcos, and the first Spanish mission, Nombre de Dios. As the Spanish settlement, the city has a lot of Spanish Colonial buildings and is a popular tourist destination. Colonial Spanish Quarter is a living museum, which offers an experience of everyday life in 1740’s with the costumed interpreters. The historical building that once was the Alcazar Hotel, today is home to the Lightner Museum. This building of the Spanish Renaissance style is an attraction in itself. The Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse is considered to be the oldest wooden school in the country, but the oldest school is the Voorlezer’s House in Staten Island, NY.

The Festival of the Sun (Inti Raymi) - Peru

The Festival of the Sun (Inti Raymi) Cusco, Peru, June 24. It is the most important Andean festival and the second biggest festival in South America. The festival re-creates a religious celebration of the ancient Incan, who honored Inti - the Sun God. The Inca religion focused on the essential aspect of life, which is sun. It provided light and warmth, which was needed for the growth of crop. Therefore, they prayed to the Sun God for good crops and fertile lands. Today the festival is celebrated not only by locals, but also tourist. It starts a week before June 24 and ends with a big celebration on June 24, which marks the beginning of the Sun’s New Year (in Inca calendar). During the week, the festival offers expositions, day time activities, street fairs, music and evening live concerts. The festival ends with a reenactment of the winter solstice ceremony. The ceremony is full of colorful costumes, traditional dances and parade.

Savannah - the first US planned city

Forsyth Park
Savannah, Georgia – was the first planned city in the US established in 1733. Originally, the city was designed with 24 square spaces for military training, but today the 22 surviving squares are being enjoyed as small parks. Johnson Square is the first and the largest square in the city. The squares commemorate historical events or a person by displaying monuments, statues or plaques. Savannah’s rich soil and favorable climate allowed cultivation of cotton and rice. The city flourished and residents built lavish houses and churches, which today are part of the Historic District. This Historic District of Savannah is one of the largest historical landmarks in the nation. The architecture of the city and the green spaces make it the most picturesque and serene city in the country. The Victorian Historic District with typical verandahs and balconies dripping with Spanish moss is the epitome of the southern US.

Tulip Festivals

Keukenhof Park also known as the Garden of Europe

Srinagar Tulip Festival, India, in early April for 7 days. It is the largest tulip garden in Asia. The valley of Kashmir is very picturesque during the spring time, when over 2 million tulips bloom overlooking world famous Dal Lake. The festival features cultural events with Kashmiri folk songs and traditional cuisine, and sale of local crafts. It is one of the most popular flower festivals in India.

Tulip has its origins in Persia (Iran) and was introduced in Europe in the 17^th century. Keukenhof Park near Lisse, Netherlands, is the world’s largest flower park known for tulips, with about 7 million flowers, opened from late March to mid May.

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Northwest Washington State throughout the April. The annual festival started in 1984 from 3 days and grew to 30 days to insure blooming tulips over 300 acres during the festival since the shorter festival sometimes missed the blooming. The festival features art shows, gala celebrations, concerts, tours of local shellfish and cheese operations.

Canadian Tulip Festival is the largest tulip festival in the world during the three weekends in May (in Ottawa and Gatineau). After WWII, Canada received thousands of tulip bulbs from Netherlands. Ottawa, the capital of Canada, became famous for its tulips and organized the first Canadian Tulip Festival in 1953. The festival is full of large displays of tulips throughout the city, music performances and international cuisine. The largest concentration of tulips is at the Commissioners Park on the shores of Dow’s Lake. This seasonal festival celebrates the tulip as the symbol of beauty and friendship.

Tulip Festival or Tulip Fest is held in Albany, NY, every spring at Washington Park on May 6-8, 2011 Mother's Day weekend. On July 1, 1948, tulip became Albany's official flower. The first Tulip Fest was celebrated on May 14, 1949. The festival features over 140 different kinds of tulips, fine arts exhibits, live music and entertainment and also celebrating Albany's Dutch heritage.

Cherry Blossom Festivals

Hanami is a cherry blossom viewing in Japan, March-May. Families, friends, and co-workers enjoy picnic celebrations, eating variety of foods, with music, dancing and karaoke under flowering trees. The blooming it temporary, so viewing trees bloom, reminds people of a temporary view of life, which is very popular in Japanese culture. The blossom forecast is announced each year, because it lasts only for about two weeks.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC is a celebration of friendship between US and Japan. In 1912 US received a gift of the cherry trees from Japan and in 1935 the first Cherry Blossom Festival was held. The festival lasts for two weeks to accommodate many activities, starting the last Saturday in March and ending in April. The event includes The Blossom Kite Festival, rakugo – storytelling, kimono (Japanese traditional garment) fashion show, dance, singing, martial arts, and rugby union tournament. The festival starts with a Family Day on the first Saturday, followed by fireworks next Saturday, and ends with a parade on the last Saturday. The festival is a great way to welcome the arrival of spring.

International Cherry Blossom Festival is held in Macon, Georgia, at the end of March. Macon is known as the Cherry Blossom Capital of the World with 300,000 cherry trees.

Museum and its beginnings

Museum started as a private collection of wealthy individuals to display the arts they acquired. Later objects of artistic, historical and scientific importance were displayed and made available for public viewing.

The Louvre Museum (above) in Paris, France, is one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. It was opened to the public in 1793 after the French Revolution and granted access to all people. It is a home to Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, John the Baptist and Virgin of the Rocks.

The Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, is one of the most important museums in the world. Originally, it was built as a palace with offices for Florentine magistrates. Later it became a collection place of the Medici family for displaying paintings and sculptures. They commissioned a lot of artists. In 1765, The Uffizi Gallery was officially opened to the public. It is home to Botticelli’s two most famous painting of Primavera and The Birth of Venus.

The British Museum in London opened to the public in 1759 and is known as a ‘universal museum’ for its variety of collections. It is also one of the largest museums in the world. Home to some Roman and Greek sculptures, and Michelangelo’s Epifania – black chalk drawing.

The Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland, was established in 1796 by Princess Izabela Czartoryski. She believed that the art collections should be displayed for public view, not only the rich aristocrats. It was to educate all people in culture. It is home to da Vinci’s painting of Lady with an Ermine. Once home to Raphael’s painting of Portrait of a Young Man, which has been missing since 1945.

My Trips to some of the European Capitals

Warsaw the capital and the largest city in Poland is located on the Vistula River. The mixture of the architectural styles reflects the turbulent history of the city. Warsaw’s Old Town displays richness of color and architectural details. The Royal Castle, example of mannerist architecture, has a great collection of paintings, among them Rembrandt’s ‘The Scholar at the Lectern’ and ‘The Girl in a picture frame.’ Krasinski Palace and Wilanow Palace are great examples of Baroque architecture. Wilanow Palace is a place of cultural events and concerts, including Summer Royal Concerts in the Rose Garden and the International Summer Old Music Academy. Czapski Palace, Palace of the Four Winds, and Visitationist Church are impressive examples of rococo architecture. Palace on the Water is a neoclassical palace with rich interior and beautiful garden. The Solomon Room is one of the largest interiors with a series of six paintings depicting the “History of Solomon.”  Palace of Culture and Science is an example of contemporary architecture and the tallest building in Poland. Botanic Garden and the University Library Garden have extensive botanical collections of rare domestic and foreign plants.

Warsaw's Old Town

Vienna the capital and the largest city of Austria is home to many major international organizations, such as UN and OPEC. The city is ranked worldwide at the top of the list for quality of life and culture of innovation. It is often used as a case study by urban planners. Vienna is the cultural capital of Europe. It is home to many opera houses. Hofburg Palace holds the imperial jewels of the Habsburg dynasty.  At the Sisi Museum the imperial apartments and the silver cabinet can be visited. Kunsthistorisches Museum displays many painting by old masters. Museumsquartier is a quarter with many museums. The Liechtenstein Palace is home to one of the largest private art collections of Baroque art in the world. Vienna is also a city of many architectural styles, but many of those building are low-rise. The city is about preserving green spaces to preserve world cultural heritage.

Vienna's park

London the capital and the largest city of England and UK is a leading global city. It is the largest financial centre with NYC in the world and has the largest city GDP in Europe. Home to number of headquarters of Europe’s 500 companies. It is the world’s most visited city by international tourists, due to a fact that it has a lot to offer. Among most visited sites are the Tower of London, Kew Gardens with Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, and St. Margaret’s Church, Greenwich with Royal Observatory, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circle, 30 St Mary Axe, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge, and Trafalgar Square. It is home to many museums, including British Museum – one of the largest museums in the world with one of the most diverse collections. 

 

London's Palace of Westminster with Big Ben Tower

Budapest the capital and the largest city of Hungary is situated on the river Danube. The city is one of the most beautiful in Europe. The Millennium Underground Railway is the second oldest in the world. The highlights of the city include the 80 geothermal springs, the world’s largest thermal water cave system, the second largest synagogue, Dohany Street Synagogue. A breathtaking neo-Gothic Parliament building contains Hungarian Crown Jewels and is the third largest Parliament building in the world (once the largest). Vajdahunyad Castle, partially is a copy of Transylvania Castle (Romania), is a beautiful mix of different architectural styles: Roman, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque. The Hungarian State Opera House is a neo-Renaissance masterpiece with richly decorated elements of Baroque. Esztergom Basilica is the third largest church in Europe, and the second largest Baroque castle in the world.

Parliament building

Madrid the capital and the largest city of Spain is one of the world’s major global cities. The Royal Palace is partially opened to public and worth visiting. Prado Museum is home to the world’s finest art collections, mostly paintings including Velazquez. Other highlights of the city include Teatro Real (major opera house), Buen Retiro park, National Library (archaeological museum), Canalejas Square, Plaza de Cibeles and Plaza Mayor.

Madrid's Royal Palace

Lisbon the capital and the largest city of Portugal is one of the oldest cities in the world. It is beautifully situated on the hills with white houses and red roofs overlooking blue waters. Belem Tower is a fortified tower located by the Tagus River. During the Age of Discovery, the tower played major role as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. Nearby stands magnificent Hieronymites Monastery. Navigator Vasco da Gama prayed here with his men before departing for India in 1497. Today it’s a home to his tomb.

Lisbon's Hieronymites Monastery

Rome is the capital and the largest and most populated city in Italy. Rome is one of the richest cities in history spanning over 2,500 years. For a period of time, once home to Michelangelo, Bramante, Bernini and Raphael who contributed to the architecture of Renaissance and Baroque. Most visited sites are Vatican Museum, Colosseum , Pantheon with Catacombs, and Trevi Fountain with Spanish Steps. Other remarkable buildings include Castel Sant’Angelo, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, Basilica of St. John Lateran and many other basilicas.

Rome's Castel Sant' Angelo

Vatican City is a walled enclave governed by a pope (about 110 acres) composed of St. Peter’s Basilica, Apostolic Palace, Sistine Chapel, museums and gardens with fountains and sculptures. St. Peter’s Basilica is a renowned work of Renaissance architecture by Bramante, Michelangelo, and Bernini among others. The Sistine Chapel is famous for its frescos done among others by Botticelli, Raphael, and Michelangelo’s Last Judgment. The Vatican Library and Museum are of the highest historical, scientific and cultural importance.

Vatican City

Berlin the capital and the largest city of Germany is recognized for its festivals and diverse architecture. The Fernsehturm (TV tower) is the tallest structure in the city that offers the view of the city.  The Red City hall is a beautiful brick building displaying Renaissance style that was modeled on the Old Town Hall in Torun, Poland, and the tower on the Notre-Dame de Laon, France. Reichstag is a parliament building with a dome offering panoramic view of the city. The Gendarmenmarkt neoclassical square is a site of French and German Cathedrals and also Konzerthaous (concert hall). A breath-taking Berlin Cathedral is a mixture of different architectural styles: Renaissance, Gothic, Baroque, and Neoclassical, located on Spree Island. Also on the Spree Island or Museum Island there is a museum with gardens, Lustgarten. Schloss Charlottenburg is the largest surviving historical palace in Berlin.

Brandenburg Gate an iconic landmark of Berlin and Germany