Places
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Written by SuperHypersonic
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Saturday, 15 May 2010 16:25 |
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Many visitors to Bali come to the island for its waters,beaches , stunning sunrises & sunsets but besides all of that, Bali is also a land where the old and new has merged so beautifully.In the face of constant exposure to modernization & foreign influences, the Balinese still faithfully cling to their culture & traditions, some more so. There is also a preservation of the Hindu-Balinese faith and the temples and the daily rituals present a unique picture of this island more instantly recognised for its spas, beaches and resorts.In this article, DGH aims to share with the readers the cultural aspects of Bali that are far beyond the beaches and those that act as bridge between the modern and the ancient.
Ancient traditions live on: The pre-Hindu Bali-Aga tribe still maintain their ancient pre-Hindu customs. In East Bali, the village of Tenganan has retained its own traditions of architechture,kinship,government,religion, dance & music, such as the unique rituals of dances and gladiator-like battles between youths. Tenganan is famous for its double ikat woven material called "gringsing" , which is supposed to have magical powers and protects its wearers! Living on an island on Lake Batur under the tower Mount Batur volcano, the Trunyans who consider themselves Bali Aga or original Balinese , still maintain many od their old ways. The dead are laid in the open to decompose yet due to many Banyan trees growing in the village, the smell of decomposition is non-existent. |
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Written by SuperHypersonic
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Monday, 07 December 2009 05:33 |
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Milan was made for slow Saturdays and Sundays. Despite its reputation as an aesthetically banal backwater to showy sister Roma, it can be transcendentally beautiful. Behind groaning wooden doors, up worn stairs, your eyes are drawn to the dark stone beauty of the Duomo (cathedral), to Baroque palazzos and to Da Vinci frescoes.
And for all its lightning-speed lunches and northern European work ethic, Milan is a red-blooded Italian at heart. Treat the city like a tiramisu (another Milanese invention). Spoon through the layers and you’ll find it’s all there , verdant corners of Parco Sempione crackling with smooching duos; 80-something latte lovers twinkling as if auditioning for one of those healthy-margarine TV ads. In humble backstreet trattoria, as well as the smart canalside haunts of the Tortona district, everyone subscribes to la dolce far niente (the sweetness of doing nothing) come the weekend. Regain your Milanese poise in the city of thousands of chefs with the simple pleasure that beats them all,a saffron-spiked risotto alla Milanese, or baked polenta with veal and mushrooms,dished up in generous helpings to share with friends over a glass of blood-red Pinot Nero. Now settle back – Monday is light years away.
WEEKEND BEGINS:SATURDAY
- Hop in the elevator to the roof of Milan’s brooding Duomo as the morning light illuminates one of Europe’s best city views, bordered by a fairytale froth of pinnacles and flying buttresses. The interior is equally fabulous, 40 terrific columns reaching to a faraway roof,stained-glass rippling and refracting like spent sweet wrappers,everywhere the organic scent of incense and human ambition. The macabre bits are best, especially the moody Scurolo di San Carlo, housing the bones of the saint who waged a one-man war against bubonic plague.
- Pick a tram, ideally the number one route, featuring the iconic orange Carelli coaches with their brass fittings and seen-a-thing-or-two teak seats. You can spend a long morning winding through the Centro Historico. Stamp your ticket and sit back for a bird’s-eye ride along Via Settembrini and Manzoni, through Piazza Cordusio, and back up towards the moody mass of Sforzesco Castle.
- Refreshed by lunch, tick off the obligatory Milanese fashion-shopping haunts. The boutiques of Milan’s Quadrilatero d’Oro shopping district – Via Montenapoleone[all the hugely expensive brands], Via Sant’Andrea, Via Della Spiga will turn you into Holly Golightly.If you tire of struggling into frocks, head to the surprisingly easygoing Casa Armani,a mirror-and-steel-clad hymn to the super-brand, with a home store,cafe and fine chocolatier. Or try 10 Corso Como,a bohemian department store that overflows with designer one-offs and objets d’art handpicked by fashionista and founder Carla Sozzani.
- Like most 18th-century gardens, Milan’s Giardini Pubblici (Via Palestro) subject nature to all sorts of ornamental nonsense, including waterfalls, but are much loved by sketchers, snoozers and wan students penning their journals. Join them in the idle afternoon hours, lounging on benches. You’ll pass through grass thick with clover,pack a bottle of Prosecco and a frittata for two.
- Once a neighbourhood of dim repute, these days Tortona district IS GAINING POPULARITY. It’s southwest of the city, on the green subway line, direction Abbiategrasso, disembarking at Porto Genova. It’s a top spot for dinner and drinks, so amble along the Naviglio Grande, littered with pop-up art spaces, second-hand bookshops, bohemian bars and movie-star Latin lookers. You’ll find some excellent people-watching from the plant-festooned terrace of Café Homemade Delicate at Via Tortona 12.
WEEKEND CONTINUES:SUNDAY
- Here’s proof that prodigious dottiness wasn’t the preserve of Victorian Brits. Museo Bagatti Valsecchi showcases the lifestyle of brothers Fausto and Giuseppe Bagatti Valsecchi, Milanese gentlemen whose whimsies ranged from tandem-cycling to hot-air ballooning. This,their 19th-century palazzo, is an ab-fab replica of a 16th-century Milanese nobleman’s abode, complete with ivory sundials and a plenitude of marble.
- Anchoring Parco Sempione, Sforzesco Castle (free entrance!) is a former ducal crib turned cultural centre that’s lost little of its sky-darkening punch, despite a post-war rebuild. Exhibits sprawl, so cherry-pick your favourites. The Pinacoteca museum is a highlight,along with Michelangelo’s last sculpture and the Trivulzio Madonna by Renaissance painter Andrea Mantegna.
- If you make it into the nave of Santa Maria delle Grazie , one of the art world’s greatest showstoppers awaits: Il Cenacolo, or Da Vinci’s The Last Supper. It’s all here :a nine-metre tableau of covert glances, snickering asides and shimmering divinity.[tIP: Book at least four days ahead]
- In the honeyed afternoon sunshine, make for Como – ‘the Lake’ – Milan’s celebrated weekend getaway, an easy hour or so on the Ferrovia Nord Milano trainline from Cadoma station . Verdant Lombardy smudges by, and you’re soon staring into Como’s fathomless green-glass waters. Towns hemming the lake compete over their gelato ,you’ll find the creamiest in Tremezzo.
- In a city of air kisses, business is conducted, alliances are forged and well-clad derrieres sashay over an evening aperitif – taken, as is the Milano way, with a hillock of free bar snacks. Current hotspot is the D&G Martini bar, and the cocktail of choice is a sinful Negroni,Campari, gin and Martini Rosso. Add a pile of ice to leaven its bitter taste.
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Written by SuperHypersonic
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Monday, 12 October 2009 21:09 |
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Among several brilliant museums in the vibrant city of Madrid, Reina Sofia is by far my favorite.
Picasso's followers will recognise it as the home of 20th century's most famous painting, Picasso's "Guernica".
This building, originally an 18th century hospital was beautifully remodelled and converted into a museum in 1992, with two panoramic glass lifts standing out in the façade. In 2005 it added an extension designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. Its official name is the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, named after the Queen Sofia of Spain. Located conveniently across Atocha train station,the museum is mainly dedicated to Spanish art.
Spread across four floors,highlights of the museum include excellent collections of Spain's two greatest 20th century masters, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. The Reina Sofía also has fine collections of the works of Juan Gris, Joan Miró, Julio González, Eduardo Chillida, Antoni Tàpies, Pablo Gargallo, Lucio Muñoz, Luis Gordillo, Jorge Oteiza, José Gutiérrez Solana and many other significant artists.
As you reach floor II,you find the famous Picasso's "Guernica".No pictures are allowed ofcourse. It was commissioned by the Spanish government for a Paris exhibition as a Civil War protest and hung in a New York gallery until 1981, fulfilling Picasso's wish that it should not be shown in Spain until democracy was established. It was then exhibited at the Prado, and moved to this permanent home in 1992.
Besides "Guernica", another highlight is "Woman in Blue" also by Picasso.Miró's enigmatic "Portrait II" is another standout in the museum for its Surrealist elements. Salvador Dali's "Landscapes at Cadaqués" is the artists' showpiece here, painted in the summer of 1923 during his visit to the town of Cadaqués.
A library specializing in 20th century art and archives is a part of the museum, with over 10,000 volumes and approximately 1,000 periodicals. The museum shop sells design goods, pottery, and writing materials, and is open during museum hours, while the adjoining restaurant is open late into the night and serves dinners.
The museum remains closed on Tuesdays and on working days, visitors are expected to leave 15 minutes prior to closing time.
Reina Sofia should be a must-visit place in your itinerary on a trip to Madrid. Need further incentive?
The entrance has become free on all days now! Directions :
Metro: Atocha
Calle Santa Isabel, 52
Madrid
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Adventure Travel
WHITE WATER RAFTING
River rafting in the dazzling white waters of the Himalayan Rivers is the best in the world, with great rapids that challenge the body, invigorate the mind and the spirit. There are many river-rafting regions here which suit both professionals as well as amateur rafters.
The magic behind white water rafting is the extreme and never-ending thrills in the untamed rivers.
It’s that inexplicable feeling of incredible peace found in the act of flowing with the astounding current of the river.
One of the most magnificent white water rafting experiences one can have
would be on River Beas.
The Beas River, one of the four major Himachal Rivers, rises from Rohtang Pass and flows through the Kully valley. Beas has, right from Manali till Jhiri, close to Bajaura in Kullu district, become a favorite among the river rafting lovers. On this 20 kms stretch, there... Adventure Travel Read More... |
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More in: Adventure Travel
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Faces
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAfZb5-s8LwPhil Soltanoff is the director of 'Mad Dog' theatre company. He is also executive director and co-founder (along with performing artist Hanne Tierney) of Five Myles, the OBIE-award winning alternative performance/exhibition space in Brooklyn, NY. In 1996 Phil Soltanoff premiered "TO Whom it may concern" which was featured in The Belgrade International Theatre Festival 1997.He was nominated for a 2007 Moliere Award for his creation and direction of "More or less infinity".His other directing credits include "Hybrid #17", "Suite for... Read More... |
{smoothgallery folder=images/chhau}"To the beat of Mridang and Drums,With magnificient masks,they twist,they turn.Through graceful moves and elegant prance,They invoke the Lord's cosmic dance."Duniya Gol Hai is very happy to present the "India For Duniya"(India for the World) series.Through these articles,we'll introduce you to various art forms, places, traditions and cultures of India that aren't widely known but deserve to be known.There is so much in the vast diversity of India that one can talk about and since I love this beautiful... Read More... |
She is a fantastic actor. She has a degree in mathematics and she is an ex-Miss India. She is tech-savvy and an avid reader. But there is so much more to Gul Panag then that .Like did you know Gul is just two flights away from acquiring a Solo License for Paragliding? Read on to discover more about this well-informed, avid traveller. Aditi (SuperHypersonic) met Gul Panag in Mumbai and the two talked about travelling and more in this hour... Read More... |
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More in: Faces
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Mind travel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE7-6fQ9_48 Years ago I heard the song "Drops of Jupiter" by Train, and it instantly stood out as a unique song. The song went on to win Grammy awards. But it is the song's lyrics that made it so outstanding in my memory.It remains one of my favorites.And the reason is not any award but the unusual lyrics.They paint such a... Mind Travel Read More...
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More in: Mind Travel
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Places
 Many visitors to Bali come to the island for its waters,beaches , stunning sunrises & sunsets but besides all of that, Bali is also a land where the old and new has merged so beautifully.In the face of constant exposure to modernization & foreign influences, the Balinese still faithfully cling to their culture & traditions, some more so. There is also a preservation of... Places Read More... |
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More in: Places
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Soul Travel
{smoothgallery folder=images/marine} The cool sea breeze,spectacular Marine Drive(Mumbai,India) and a display of pictures underlining a deep concern for our planet earth.... doesn't that sound perfect?
An exhibition titled "Earth from Above" has been put up on Marine Drive that has fantastic aerial photographs of Yann Arthus-Bertrand's travels had been put up in that perfect scenario.The photo exhibit is a part of the Bonjour India Festival.Born 1946 in France,Yann has become globally famous as a nature photographer.During his career he... Soul Travel Read More... |
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More in: Soul Travel
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