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Soak up history during a stop in Boston on North America cruises

October 8th, 2011 No comments

Soak up history during a stop in Boston on North America cruises

Article by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines









If you’re planning to go on a North America cruise for your next holiday, you may want to make sure your ship stops in Boston.

The city is one of the oldest in the US and is home to some fascinating attractions that mustn’t be missed by those with a keen interest in the history of the country.

Many important events have taken place here, including the Boston Massacre, which occurred in 1770 when colonists and British soldiers clashed in a deadly riot.

The Boston Tea Party also played a vital part in American history – and you can see the building where Samuel Adams first plotted it in the form of the Old South Meeting House.

This structure is one of 16 historical sites you can see on the Freedom Trail, which takes around two to three hours to complete on foot.

Other points of interest on the route include Boston Common, the US’s oldest park, as well as the USS Constitution.

The vessel is the oldest commissioned warship still afloat in the world and is a spectacular sight to behold.

There are plenty of other attractions away from the Freedom Trail – why not take in the Romanesque-style Trinity Church and John Hancock Tower while in Copley Square, for example?

The latter is the tallest building in New England and certainly worth a visit while in Boston on a cruise excursion.

You may also want to head to the Public Garden and the nearby Cheers bar, which was where the exterior shots for the sitcom of the same name were filmed.

If you love museums, the Gibson House Museum and the Old State House Museum offer a fascinating insight into Boston’s history.

For art lovers, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Institute of Contemporary Art are just two of the many galleries scattered across the city.

Food aficionados will be able to sample some great cuisine at venues like the Faneuil Hall Marketplace, which houses 14 restaurants and pubs and is located close to the New England Aquarium, the Old State House, the Children’s Museum and Paul Revere’s House.



About the Author

If you want to explore historic Boston on a cultural cruise, see what Fred. Olsen can do for you today. We offer a wide range of North America and Canada cruises, including packages that allow for excursions to Boston.










Frank Lloyd Wright – Doheny Ranch Development, Beverly Hills, California, 1923

September 4th, 2010 No comments

Frank Lloyd Wright – Doheny Ranch, Beverly Hills

Attempting to reestablish practice in Los Angeles in 1922, Wright found himself challenged to propose new, more positive approaches than those being adopted by developers. He focused on one of the most enticing sectors of the large, undeveloped plots that skirted the city: the 411-acre Doheny Ranch, located in what is now Beverly Hills and later developed as the Trousdale Estates. The land was owned by Edward Laurence Doheny (1856-1935), then one of America’s wealthiest citizens.

How understandable for Wright to have sought Doheny as a client, and to have proposed a residential development of unparalleled scale. No records have been discovered to document any contact between Wright and Doheny, who quite possibly never met. It therefore seems that Wright prepared his design in the hope of interesting Doheny rather than in response to any actual commission.

Frank Lloyd Wright – Doheny Ranch Development, California

Few drawings survive, and they are largely pictorial; evidence suggests that all were completed during the early months of 1923. The proposal, unencumbered by the realities of an actual programme, suggests a prototype for a new type of Southern California suburb.

Ample precedents for Doheny exist in Wright’s own work-for instance his design for the Sherman M. Booth house (unbuilt; Glencoe, Illinois, 1911). The new elements of massiveness, textured masonry, and walled gardens seem partly inspired by Italian vernacular buildings, which Wright came to admire following a prolonged visit to Italy in 1910. During his stays in Japan, he discovered landscapes that joined buildings and plantings into one composition.

Doheny Ranch Development, California

From his fascination with pre-Columbian architecture-arguably a natural source for the indigenous expression he sought in California-came a renewed awareness of large-scale composition. Yet ultimately the conception of the Doheny Ranch was his. Fixity and mobility were to be joined in a single composition that anticipated, in both scale and function, more recent, adventurous approaches to the problems of the suburb.

Want to find out more on Mark A Cella historic art selections, visit the Mark A Cella site for more on performing arts.

Lavish Accommodations In The Tropical North Queensland Region

July 6th, 2010 No comments

There are an abundance of virtues that fill up the Tropical North Queensland region of Australia. Moreover, while you might want to spend your days hiking the Daintree Rainforest or swimming with the sharks in the Great Barrier Reef you will certainly want to spend your evenings in the most comfortable atmosphere, which incorporates some of the best restaurants, and most comfortable beds in the Queensland area.

Just because there is rugged landscape, right outside your door doesn’t mean that the only way to observe the Tropical North Queensland is in a tent. Actually, there are several beautiful resorts located right in Port Douglas granting you the access you need to the area with the coziness and splendor that you look forward to from the best five star accommodations.

In Port Douglas you’ll come across the most beautiful hotels and resorts. spread around the area you are going to also discover some of the best dining experiences with superb restaurants all around you, you can expect to be hard pressed do choose where to dine every night. Spas are also quite popular in the Tropical North Queensland area too and you will notice that the majority of the very best hotels and resorts in this region have their very own on site spa services offering every service imaginable from facials and body scrubs to full body massages and saunas; the ideal way to relax after a day of investigating the rainforest.

Trinity Bay offers several wonders as well. This full service port includes a park at the end where you can visit and have a look at their Sunday Market or head to the top of Flagstaff Lookout and get yourself a birds eye glimpse of the port and the surrounding areas.

Four Mile Beach is one of the main attractions of the area and serves as the coastline for Port Douglas and an area that contains a couple of the finest hotels if you are looking to stay right on the beach. Many other lovely resorts lie nestled amongst the trees in a rainforest environment to create peace. No matter what you want, you’ll certainly be able to find it in Port Douglas.

port douglas hotels may be complicated to figure out with minimal information of the region. Visit www.tropicalnorthqueensland.com.au to get assistance with queensland hotels as well as information on the region.

Discover the Sights and Sounds of Cambodia

March 11th, 2010 No comments

As a tourist you have several places to visit in Cambodia, starting from the country’s second biggest city, Battambang, located in the north-western province of Battambang. The city’s architecture, especially the Buddhist temples have a unique French touch, while you will also find some rare and worthwhile items in some nearby French stores. The city gives an overall feeling of peace and tranquility as the soothing lush green countryside gives you a much deserved break from your routine urban life.

Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia houses a gem of a tourist attraction in the Royal Palace. The capital city has a remarkable characteristic that its location is the same where three rivers meet up. The Royal Palace attracts many visitors as it has many wonderful works of art and precious statues, moreover, it stands along the river which adds to its beauty and glory. Inside the Palace, ‘The Throne Room’ marks the place where rituals and ceremonies where held in old days, while ‘The Napoleon Room’ shows the lasting mark the French have made on the Cambodian traditions. ‘Silver Pagoda’ is a special place to visit in the Palace as it the home of a life-size statuette of Buddha. The features of this statue are truly mind-blowing as it is wholly made of gold and is also ornamented with diamonds. Life-size Buddha statue made of solid gold acts a major tourist attraction and many people head towards the ‘Silver Pagoda’ to set eyes on this true piece of art. With the ‘Silver Pagoda’ statue set aside, you will also find several smaller Buddha statues in the Royal Place.

If you have a passion for precious jewelry, the capital city’s markets are the right place for you to buy the best jewelry made of gold and silver. Apart from the appetizing food, tourists like to collect artifacts and items of apparel from shops in Cambodia.

Spectacular frescoes decorating the Palace’s walls very accurately depict the epic Ramayana, while you can also set your eyes on works of art both pre-Angkor and post-Angkor in the beautiful National Museum made of red brick.

In your trip to Cambodia you should also visit ‘Angkor’ which was the capital city of the Khmer Empire and is regarded as a center of Hinduism in the region because of its magnificent temples. Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom are two of the most famous tourist attractions in the city; meanwhile, the highly decorated gates of two temples in Bayon and Prohm are also worth visiting. Despite the fact that the city hasn’t retained its old glory and grandeur, it still has a touch of mystery and you will be fascinated by its sights and places.

Sihanoukville is rapidly getting popular as a beach resort among tourists especially in summer. You can have some real fun at the beach as apart from swimming and scuba diving you can always choose to relax under the sun and get a tan. You can even rent a boat and give your family a closer peak into the aqua life living in the shores of Cambodia, while you can also sail to neighboring picturesque islands.

Find out more about Cambodian entertainment like Khmer movies and Khmer dubbed at www.KhmerAccess.com

Scotland And The Clans Of The Highlands

February 19th, 2010 No comments

The Highlands of Scotland were well written about for their wars and betrayals and it is certainly accurate that from the reign of James IV in the 1490′s existence in the Highlands was somewhat tumultuous. In 1493, James went against the strong chiefs of the MacDonald Clan and forfeited the MacDonald Lord of the Isles in favour of himself and the Campbell Clan. Therefore the Campbell’s took over as powerhouse in that time at the expense of the MacDonalds.

Issues came about not merely with the MacDonalds but also with several other Scottish clans because of this unhealthy power divide that the Campbells held over everyone else. The Campbell were in such a position that they could buy up readily available land and charge a kind of rent upon anybody who wanted to utilize the area for cows or sheep. The MacLeans were especially aggrieved Clan. As a sidenote here, the word Clan originates from the Gaelic word “clann” which actually signifies “children”.

It would seem this can signify any person inside a clan were strongly related however this was not the case. Only the higher echelons of the specific clan were associated with the chiefs. All others simply saw the chief as the leader rather than as a relative as such.

The particular system of clans came from a mixture of early Celtic idealism and feudal ways, the main point being the ownership of lands. The clan chief was the owner of the lands of the clan and he had the capability to grant the land out to his fellow clans men. The status of a clan nonetheless wasn’t necessarily about the amount of land that the family owned or operated but more concerning the number of males the clan could possibly muster to be able to fight in war. Because of the Highlands being extremely militaristic they would be looked to for fighting men during the time of conflict between the King and his opponents. For the highland clans this became problematic because they often became embroiled in lowland politics.

When James VI came to be King however, civil war broke out. When he called on the clans to assist the Campbells decided otherwise. It was not just the Campbells who were to cause issues for James – he extirped (sent away) the clan MacGregor in 1603, and in 1609 he introduced new laws in to force which limited all clan chiefs from utilizing and abusing their earlier powers.

More can be learned about the colourful history of Scotland at visit Scotland.