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Posts Tagged ‘Garden’

Turn Any Outdoor Experience into a Cozy One

September 6th, 2009 No comments

The great outdoors: they are there, simply begging us to get up off the sofa and take full advantage of them. And, in a country as blessed in natural endowments as our grand nation of Australia, it is simply inconceivable that anybody have anything but the deepest of loves for the great outdoors. Hence, it is fundamental to have the knowledge of how to turn any outdoors adventure into the most enjoyable experience possible, no matter if it’s a mere stone’s throw from home or way, way out back in the Outback.

As a matter of course, it doesn’t make a difference if you’ll be out seizing the beauty of your local neighborhood plaza or heading way out into the impenetrable reaches of wilderness: certain preparations are in order either way. That’s because you want to make sure that you keep the elements in check, and not vice versa, which doesn’t occur without a bit of deliberation. At the most basic level, it’s important to be adequately dressed for the trip at hand, to include some sort of protective elements in your pack, and to have a shelter of one sort or another so that you can, along with all those accompanying you, stay nice and cozy even in the most adverse conditions.

With regards to clothing, whereas a trifling hours-long outdoor adventure somewhere close to home doesn’t require you to put much preparation into it, this is not the case when it comes to journeys farther afield. That’s because going for a picnic on the shores of the lake a few miles from your home is one thing, while blazing a trail into the dead middle of the Outback is quite another thing. For cases like this, it is extremely important to have the right gear on you: a wide-brim hat, a pair of hiking boots, good sunglasses, some rain gear, a windbreaker and things of the sort.

Furthermore, it’s a basic necessity to include a bottle or two of sunscreen in your sack, given the fact that our southern skies filter fewer UV rays as a result of the gaping ozone holes that pock our ozone layer. In consideration of this reality, it’s simply not enough to pack a bottle of SPF-5!

To guarantee a truly enjoyable outdoor experience, there is nothing like bringing along a quality, resistant outdoor shelter. Many times this can be accomplished by including a tent in your provisions, which will keep water and bugs out almost completely if built properly; other, more adventuresome folks may craft a makeshift shelter with minimal materials like an extension of rope and a plastic sheet.

But in order to live up your outdoor experience with panache and style, nothing does the trick quite as well as a reliable instant outdoor shelter. Built in order to offer users total ease of use for set up and assembly and constructed with nothing short of the strongest of materials, these sorts of shelters are the perfect way to turn any outdoors adventure into a luxury vacation.

Known generally as Marquees, these kinds of shelters can be had in a wide variety of sizes, with as little as one wall or as many as four completely surrounding walls. Their most significant feature is the complete facility with which they are erected, assuming that they’re built by a known manufacturer with a reputation of quality products. In all, no more than a minute is needed to take them out of the bag and fully set them up.

The comfortability is offered by their complete blocking of UV rays and total water-resistance and wind-resistance. Cozily tucked away in one of these outdoor shelters, even the brawniest and toughest of wayward voyagers will be grateful for the chance to escape from the brutal and unyielding punishment of the elements.

Byron Jonas employs outdoor marquees whenever he hosts an outdoor function. Instant shelters just remove the weather out of his organization equation

Spring Break Travelers Flock to Ft. Lauderdale

April 9th, 2009 No comments

It’s that time again and college students are enjoying their annual Spring Break. Away from exams and writing long papers about Shakespeare and Edgar Allen Poe. Smart college students really get an “A” and move to the head of the class when they choose parksleepfly.com for their Spring Break trip to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Because they know they will save money on a package deal that just can’t be beat – and that they’ll stay in a great hotel that’s near everything they’ll want to enjoy while they are in Ft. Lauderdale.

Choosing parksleepfly.com means that your car is safely parked at an off airport parking facility during your Spring Break vacation. You don’t have to worry about asking a fraternity or sorority member to take you to the airport – only to have them not be able to do it at the last minute. Cabs are expensive and sometimes they simply don’t arrive on time – if they arrive at all. Having the control of driving you and your friends to the airport makes your trip a real breeze. You can leave when you arrive when you want and leave when you want.

College students staying in Ft. Lauderdale have several hotels to choose from in the parksleepfly.com family. Not every hotel is accepted in the parksleepfly.com hotel. When a hotel is a member of the parksleepfly.com family you know you’ll be staying in a quality hotel with excellent customer service – and great amenities like a complimentary continental breakfast and free wireless high-speed Internet in each room.

Customers staying at the Hilton Garden Inn Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood Airport enjoyed their stay. Many have given them a five-star rating. It’s easy to see why:

This hotel is minutes from the Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, Port Everglades Cruise Port, Las Olas Boulevard boutique shopping, Sawgrass Mills, Dolphin Stadium and the lovely South Florida beaches Spring Break students love so much!

The Hilton Garden Inn exceeded my expectations in customer service, cleanliness, and started our cruise off on a very good note. I will parksleepfly.com and this hotel again. Sincerely, Mark Gilley.

- Mark G.

Hotel was above expectations and the staff very attentive and helpful.

- Joan L.

Also in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida are the Hampton Inn & Suites Fort Lauderdale – Airport South FLL and Residence Inn Ft. Lauderdale Plantation. Each of these hotels has been popular with parksleepfly.com guests.

Villa Doria Pamphili: Rome’s Largest Park

February 9th, 2009 No comments

Rome’s largest public landscaped park, the Villa Doria Pamphili, takes up an area of around 2 square kilometers. It was originally owned by the family that gave the park it’s name, then bought by the City of Rome at the end of the twentieth century.

This amazing are is one of the best places in all of Rome for bird watching, and it’s also a wonderful choice for a jog or a pleasant stroll.

It’s been around for a long time as a villa – before the 1630s, it was known as the Villa Veccia. Then it was purchased by Panfilo Panfili, who also purchased the neighboring vineyards.

This created an enormous holding that stood on high ground above the rest of Rome. It was known for its amazing views, and acted as a suburban resort for its owner and his family.

A new villa was begun later, in the 1640s, by the nephew of the then-Pope, Giovanni Battista Pamphili. It took until 1652 to be finished, with the villa itself designed to complement its ancient and contemporary artworks.

You’ll find most of the artifacts in the Capitoline Museum today, though there are still some at the site. Visitors to the Villa Doria Pamphili will see an exterior in the busy Baroque style, with alternating niches and windows, as well as Mannerist-type bas relief panels.

Inside, there are even more bas reliefs, as well as frescoes of Roman history. Around 1650, gardens were laid out in a sequence of connected areas around the villa, and extending to lower levels. At one point there were statues placed here, but much of the area is now grassy instead.

In the other garden areas, later fountains and gateways make this a beautiful but complex park. You can still hear sixteenth and seventeenth century music at the concerts that are still held in the Villa Doria Pamphili’s Giardino del Teatro.

Currently, the majority of the gardens of the Villa Doria Pamphili are planted in a sixteenth century style, with close cut greenery and wide gravel walks. At one point there were a number of Roman tombs on the site, but they have all been excavated through the centuries.

This lush, beautiful park was once surprisingly the site of a lot of violence. Hand to hand fighting during the short Roman Republic period of the 19th century reached up to the outskirts of the city and the fortified villas located there. The Villa Doria Pamphili was close to some of the worst combat, but it survived, where neighboring properties did not.

The then-owner of the villa took advantage of his neighbors’ misfortune, buying up neighboring lands and making the Villa Doria Pamphili’s size even bigger. In these neighboring structures, art exhibitions are held. The villa itself remains open to the public housing antiquities and sculptures from its long history.

Anyone on a trip to Rome needs to take the time to check out the Villa Doria Pamphili. This amazing Roman park is something anyone in the area should see.

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