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Will you be Wearing Team GB?
The Olympic flame was lit in ancient Olympia, Greece last night and it feels so long ago since the announcement of the...
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for #treetueday on G+
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Have you heard about Parkour? This is a sport discipline, which was born and practiced in the street. It was created by Sebastian Foucar and David Belle from Lisses, France, 15 years ago and it means ‘the art of movement’
It requires a good combination of technique, speed and strength. The objective is to overcome all the obstacles that traceurs or traceuses, people who practise this sport, find on the street (trees, walls, buildings, street lights, fences, etc.). But it’s not as easy as that - you have to try to connect all your movements with fluency and ease.
Although they prevent the risk that they are unable to achieve, each traceu will always try to take some new challenges necessary to surpass oneself.
If you have the opportunity to see one practitioner of this sport, enjoy them and do not be scared because one of their highest priorities is to not disturb the other pedestrians. They say that they do not compete; they just join a meeting and share its knowledge and new challenges.
I leave this video in order to see if it gets impressed and wakes up your interest to practise this exciting sport.
Rio is a huge city and has a large number of beaches. Each of the beaches offers something slightly different, from the vibrant Copacabana and Ipanema beaches to the secluded Praia Vermelha beach. This guide highlights some of the best beaches in Rio.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/exfordy/250742333
Best for couples
Praia Vermelha is one of Rio’s best kept secrets. It’s a short journey from Copacabana and Ipanema and sits in a picturesque sheltered cove. The beach is the ideal spot to spend a quiet afternoon with your loved one. You can also catch the cable car from here up to the 1300ft Sugar Loaf Mountain.
Another beach very popular with couples on holiday is the small Leme Beach. It’s a quiet beach but you’ll still find some restaurants to enjoy lunch in. The surroundings are very picturesque too, as it lies below the Moro de Leme Mountain.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/klebtahi/2521517019/
Best for posing
Copacabana is Rio’s most famous beach, where you can sunbathe, play sports and hang out. The beach is really lively and you’ll see plenty of beautiful people lying out all day. It’s divided into Postos (life guard posts) with most of the tourist activity going on between Postos 2 and 5. Down at Posto number 6 is where you’ll find the real affluent beach goers – the stylish ones who usually stay at the most expensive hotels.
Barra da Tijuca is a long stretch of sandy beach, to the south west of central Rio. Here you can kick back, top up your tan and show off your body. Barra do Pepe is the place to be seen on Barra da Tijuca. Here you will find the Cariocas (locals) chilling out with drinks and waiting to be noticed.
Best for families
Ipanema beach is one of Rio’s most well-known beaches, second only to Copacabana. It is a little more sedate and is better suited for families. Ipanema is a huge beach with something for everyone, so make sure you head for the spots where you see families congregating.
Leblon beach has a relaxed atmosphere and is also popular with families. You’ll see mums and kids enjoying the water and strolling on this sandy stretch. There’s an area of Leblon called Baxi Baby, an ideal spot for parents and children.
Best for water sports
Botafogo Beach is the ideal place to enjoy some fantastic water sports. The beach is perfect for sailing, sail boat racing and ski boating. After you’ve had fun you can enjoy a relaxing stroll on this unique beach and enjoy stunning views of Sugarloaf Mountain and Corcovado Mountain.
Rio is a great spot for surfing enthusiasts and you’ll find plenty of beaches to ride the waves. Head for Arpoador Beach, which is the next beach down from Copacabana, and watch the ‘surfistas’ glide on the water. If you want to have a go yourself get some lessons – Rio has some really big waves, so it’s a great place to learn!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/didiervidal/2322521720
If a trip to Rio sounds good and you would like to find a Rio apartment for you and your friends, you can try sites like Wimdu.co.uk.
Resource Box
Brazil’s official tourism board.
The Guardian’s articles about travel.
The Telegraph’s family holiday guide.
Estate agents have bad press. Nobody really knows why, but the general consensus that estate agents are hard to deal with has been around for decades. We’ve seen many chains of high street estate agencies come and go over the decades too, living through 2 recessions and a boom and bust housing market has taken its toll on some property companies.
It is believed the title “Estate Agent” became commonly used in the 20th century. The title was derived from “House agent” and “Land agent” and “Real estate broker” titles used previously to describe the separate parts of the service provided in the past. However, there are records of Estate Agents dating back to the 18th Century – such professionals were charged with taking care of a large home and the land surrounding it, known as the “estate”.
The estate agent has always been looked upon as an expert in all matters concerning their local community and how this reflects on the house prices at any time. Estate agents know which areas are most desirable, which landmarks or amenities put people off homes and which main roads and motorways are easiest to get to from certain areas. These are all selling points or tipping points in a house purchase decision that without the advice of an expert, a home owner may not realise or be aware of.
Like most industries in the UK, Estate Agents are able to join a professional body, which in the property industry is the NAEA (National Association of Estate Agents) Joining a professional body is a mark of quality of service, awareness of training and professional development and adherence to strict guidelines. The existence of such a governing body has help to relieve the estate agency industry a little of its bad reputation.
One Estate Agent in the UK has taken advantage of the negative reputation his industry has and turned it into a positive selling point with his witty property descriptions.
“Mr Green” cleverly write the most honest descriptions he can.
“The hallway on its own is bigger than most of those horrendous lounge/diner/kitchen combos in new-build flats. This place has a proper balcony too, not a token balcony that you can’t fit a chair on. When do you ever hear “I’m just popping out for a stand-up on the balcony”?! What is the point in putting a balcony on a property that you can’t sit out on?”
Since the millennium, the estate agency industry has changed dramatically with the introduction of massive online property portals covering the entire UK. Estate agents have to work a lot less harder now they have tools to sell your home online, yet they prices are still high. Entrepreneurs spotting the potential of online home sales as a way to cut down high street office overheads have developed a market for online estate agents to co-exist with the traditional high street branches. But with the way shop rent prices are increasing on the high street thanks to the recession, could the traditional estate agent be a dying breed?
First lines from the song ‘To go home’ by M. Ward. Too much listening to folk music makes me feel im a grown-up man.
Taal lake Batangas, Philippines.
The best of London transport history
Loved and loathed in equal measure, London’s public transportation system often seems to have a life of its own. Whether it’s the Tube carrying thousands of people to work, or the late night taxi carrying them home again, Londoners and tourists alike follow routes that have been established for centuries.
London Underground
The city’s partly subterranean network of interconnecting trains is essential for its inhabitants’ daily lives. The average Tube train travels 114,500 miles per year, and carries more than a million passengers to and from work.
The first deep-level electric railway line, referred to as the ‘Tube’, was opened in 1890, although the Metropolitan line had been in operation since 1863. The ‘Underground’ name and its iconic logo didn’t appear on stations until 1908.
The original Tube carriages featured buttoned upholstery but lacked windows, giving rise to their being known as ‘padded cells’.
The ingenious map of the Tube, which sacrifices real distance for usability, was designed by Harry Beck in 1933. Beck was only paid five guineas for his work.
Births and deaths
Three people have been born in a Tube carriage – the first was Thelma Ursula Beatrice Eleanor, who arrived in 1924 on the Bakerloo line.
The ghost of Anne Naylor, who was murdered in 1758, is said to haunt Farringdon Station. Covent Garden station is reputedly haunted by a man dressed in evening wear. Aldgatestation is built on a huge plague pit, which contains more than 1000 bodies buried in 1665.
London’s black cabs
The ubiquitous London taxi, with its rounded design and reputation for being driven by those with an encyclopaedic knowledge of London’s streets, always come in handy for visitors who study English in London.
The capital’s first taxi was the hackney coach of the 17th Century. The name was derived from the French term for a general-purpose horse – ‘hacquenée’.
In 1625, there were no more than 20 available for hire from the yards of a few inns. When an enterprising owner of four carriages brought them into the Strand in 1636, the first taxi rank was created. These taxis had set fares and the drivers wore easily recognisable livery.
Conditions of fitness
Modern taxis, still known as ‘Hackney carriages’, must meet certain requirements in order to operate. They must have a 7.6m turning circle and the passenger compartment must be high enough for someone wearing a bowler hat to sit comfortably.
London buses
Some of the first hackney carriages travelled in stages along a certain route, picking up passengers at fixed meeting points and or a fixed fair. These ‘stage coaches’ eventually developed into the city’s modern bus transport system.
Motorised omnibuses appear in 1902, but it wasn’t until 1933 that the many different operators were brought together under the control of the London Passenger Transport Board. By 1962, buses had replaced both tram and trolleybus systems. For those studying on an English course London buses are one of the cheapest ways to get around.
Resource Box:
Transport in London
Comprehensive Government-run site for information about the London Underground
London Vintage Taxi Association
A site for London’s taxi enthusiasts
London Bus Routes
Site dedicated to London buses and their routes
There are many beautiful and natural parts of our world and the same goes for some man-made landmarks too.
The ‘Burj Khalifa’ in Dubai is currently the tallest building in the World, standing at over 2,000ft. It seems to me that the competition for the tallest building will go on for a long, long time.
Most skyscrapers across the globe are simply astonishing. In these times, the architecture of new buildings has developed in many ways; opening the doors for a lot more creativity in structure and design.
The image below shows some of the tallest buildings in the World, which are mainly in USA and the Middle East.
This excludes buildings that are still under construction, such as the Freedom Tower in New York:
The building is next to the site where the World Trade Centre used to stand. The new building represents freedom & liberty, and has been designed with 9/11 in mind, stating that this building is ‘terrorist proof’. The Freedom tower will not be taller than the Burj Khalifa, but will dominate the New York skyline like the World Trade Centre once did.
So as more skyscrapers are built, I can’t help but wonder where the next tallest building in the World will be. All I know is that I’m sure there will be a lovely view!
The Hoshi Ryokan hotel, located in Japan is the oldest hotel in the world with more of 1,000 years of history. More than 40 generations have been caring for this beautiful hotel. It was built at the source of a river that is rumoured to have healthy properties.
It’s not just a supposition that is the oldest hotel in the world; this fact is registerd by the “Guiness Book of World Records”. The hotel is regarded as special mainly due to the location and properties of the surrounding environment.
Each building of this hotel is dedicated to the year’s seasons and are decorated accordingly. It has 100 guests rooms, lots of spas, indoor and outdoor hot spring baths and much more offers.
Another special thing to point out is the gastronomy and the tea ceremony. The last one is served with centenary old practices; it’s a very relaxing tradition and is considered a real art.
If you want to spend a special night or a few special days in this hotel you will probably need to have your wallet ready, with an average of 300 euros per night and only including breakfast. It will depend as well on the services you require.
Here’s the Ryokan’s website if you are interested on getting more information. You will find all the information in English.
Practise Japanese traditions and feel like as if you are living in this beautiful country, enjoy!
Introducing art performances with Tools, read about it in the article below
Arts and crafts aren’t traditionally associated with power tools, but modern artists are giving their tools a second lease of life. In the right hands, common DIY tools can produce large and dramatic art forms.
Having a standard set of DIY tools is essential for any household that wants to avoid unnecessary repair costs. Power tools save time and money, but their value extends way beyond humdrum uses. Artists of all varieties are using DIY tools to make their masterpieces; from sculpture and exhibitions to music and performing arts.
Chainsaw Sculpting
Scottish sculptor Iain Chalmers sculpts wooden creations with a chainsaw. He spends his summers travelling about Britain carving commissions and performing his craft at shows and exhibitions. ‘As long as you can fit it into a log’, he claims, ‘there is no end to what can be created’.
And Iain is not alone. There are growing numbers of chainsaw sculptors within the UK, creating surprisingly intricate pieces with the unusual sculpting tool. Noisy, perhaps, but creating these sculptures is a performance in itself. Ornate carving is achieved with what is often considered a large, clumsy instrument. Imposing sculptures, as well as chairs, benches and garden furniture, can be cleverly crafted.
Air Compressor Painting
Street art has seen a drastic rise in mainstream popularity over the past decade. Artists such as Banksy have taken graffiti, in the eyes of many, from vandalism to poignant social commentary. The spray painting medium now features in high brow exhibitions and in large scale projects.
Artist Craig Costello began his work on the streets of San Francisco. After growing success, Costello featured at New York exhibition spaces where elements of street art were prominent. A large white space was converted using an air compressor and high pressure hose; spraying vibrant paint colours on the canvas-like walls. Running and dripping in colourful tracks, the paint created organic patterns with an urban edge.
Recycled Percussion
Technological advances have led to new, more efficient power tools on the market. Customers who once needed a dozen tools for a DIY project can now purchase combined tools such as the MultiMaster from Tool-NET. With the popular trend of creative recycling, artists are finding innovative ways of reusing unwanted tools.
But power tools are not limited to painting and sculpture. Recycled Percussion, with a successful Las Vegas nightly show, prove that power tools are a feature of the performing arts. The band, which has been performing since 1995, provides energetic and interactive shows. Power tools light up the stage with sparks and audience members play on recycled percussion instruments.
Resource Box:
The website of chainsaw sculptor Iain Chalmers.
New York based art supply line, affiliated with contemporary artist Craig Costello.
The official website of experimental performance band Recycled Percussion.
Enjoy your Christmas Holidays practising some winter sports. It’s really typical and… is there something better than being enjoying the environment and practising sports at the same time?
Winter sports used to be related and connected with rich people at 70’s and 80’s but in the last 20 years; these sports have been more and more common between middle-class people.
Some of the most famous are skiing, snowboarding and skating… there are no problems with these type of sports due to you can be guided by your own instructor, and in a few hours you will be an expert!!
Others like alpine skiing and climbing can be dangerous and really risky!! So, in this case you will need more time to turn into an expert, but why not? Try to do it, taking suitable clothes and equipment!
So, if you have chosen this option to spend your Christmas holidays, try and find the best mountains in the world, which in this case is in Europe. They can also provide you accommodation at rural houses with chimneys and the typical decoration of the period that is coming, Christmas.
Image source
Escape from the crowds!
