Holidays in Benidorm – Exploring the Cultural Sp...

You can explore so much of Spain when on holiday in Benidorm. Benefitting from cheap accommodation in the popular resort town such as the Fiesta Park Hotel Benidorm, you can easily get out and about and explore the magnificent sites of Spain without having to worry about expensive costs.

Many places can be easily reached from Benidorm using Spain’s efficient public transport; there also are a number of tour operators in Benidorm who offer day excursions to many of the popular sites. The Costa Blanca’s most Vibrant City is Valencia and it’s a popular day trip for many.

Valencia

When you take a full day trip to Valencia, be prepared to be packed full of sights, sounds and tastes of Spain. Valencia is the Capital city of the province and it easily mixes it rich history with modern touches. The city dates back to 138BC and has been both a Muslim city and more recently a Christian City, both of which have shaped it.

A must visit on your day trip is the museum of “Marqués de dos Aguas” and the museum of “Fallas”, both celebrate the unique Fallas fiesta held in Valencia which is the largest in the Costas. For children and teenagers the City of the Arts and Sciences will keep them interested. The museum was designed by Santiago Calatrava, a native of Valencia and offers a wide range of activities. The building houses an Opera House, an IMAX theatre as well as a science building and aquarium.

A bus tour of the city is advisable if it’s your first trip to Valencia. Join the red hop on, hop off buses as they take you around this fascinating city with routes around the Historical areas of Valencia, or its Maritime route. Another popular route is the Albufera bus route, out of the city to the Albufera nature reserve. For those who like some history with their trips, must see sights include Valencia Cathedral, Chapel of the Holy Grail and the neighbourhood of Casco Antiguo.

A day trip to Valencia will no doubt inspire you to come back to this fantastic region again, holidays in Costa Blanca are affordable and there is so much to explore you can guarantee you won’t be bored on your holiday.

Picture: atlai

A Festival of life...

Exit the train at Edinburgh Waverley Street Station and gasp with wonder at Edinburgh in August.  Princes Street Gardens is in full bloom, and the city attracts thousands of foreign and UK visitors alike.
 
August in Edinburgh is synonymous with one of the finest arts and cultural festivals on the planet: The Edinburgh International and Fringe Festival.  Whether a visit to the opera is your idea of how to spend an idyllic evening, or some traditional Asian, African, South American or Indian music or dance takes your fancy, Edinburgh is the place to be.  The city gyrates to the rhythm of an eclectic mixture of the arts on a truly global scale, and to walk the streets of the city on any given day during the festival is to behold humankind at its most altruistic.

History

The Edinburgh International Festival differs from the Fringe Festival in that participation is by invitation only.  Whereas the International Festival promotes opera, classical music and dance, the Fringe is free to anyone who has an act to perform.  The International Festival has been proclaimed consistently as one of the most important cultural celebrations on earth, and this is immediately apparent by the numbers of tourists who attend.  The Fringe festival, too, attracts countless numbers of would-be or lesser known musicians, acrobats, comedy acts, and actors.  The first proper Edinburgh International Festival took place in 1947, and since then it has never looked back.  Figures for the 2012 Fringe include 42,096 performances of 2,695 shows, 279 fringe venues and over 800 free shows.

So jump on a train bound for Edinburgh and get caught up in the festival of life!

Picture courtesy of Colins Camera

Discover worldwide culture...

If you enjoy exploring and uncovering different cultures and traditions there are many places across the globe from Europe to Asia, with a wealth of treasures waiting to be discovered.  Cultural breaks have become more and more popular and there are plenty of places to visit and sights to see.

Just a short flight into Europe and you will find much more culture than you expected.  Alongside the traditional beach holidays that line the coastlines of Europe lies a fascinating heritage and ancient history.

Italian cities are a cultural backdrop of monuments, architecture, palaces and churches.  Take in Rome with the Vatican City and Colesseum, or marvel at Venice with gondolas floating across the canals, intricate architecture and beautiful palazzi’s, many of which are now chic hotels.

Spain has lots of hidden cultural gems amongst the more popular tourist trails.  Granada is home to the magnificent Alhambra palace and scented gardens and also hosts many festivals including the International Festival of Music and Dance.  Madrid also has a unique cultural scene with lots of museums and galleries.

Further afield in Asia travellers are spoilt for choice when it comes to cultural places to visit.  In India make sure you visit Agra and the world famous Taj Mahal.  Jaipur is also worthy of exploring with its pink sandstone built palaces and forts.  China is another Asian country packed with cultural sights. Top of the list has to be the Great Wall of China Beijing and the Terracotta Army in Xi’an.

The Sacred Lake of Reeds...

Over 12,000 feet above sea level, Lake Titicaca forms the border between Bolivia and Peru.  Fed by five rivers and connecting several Bolivian and Peruvian towns along the shoreline, the lake is held sacred by both nations and the native people continue to live peacefully by the tranquil waters of the lake.

Native Peoples

Lake Titicaca has several islands that are home to the regions indigenous tribes.  The important islands include the Uros Islands, home to reed gatherers Suriqui, the last bastion of boat makers, the Amantaní, home to shepherds and agriculturists, the Taquilea home to the artisans and finally the islands of the sun and the moon – Isla del Sol and Isla del Luna.  Most islands are inhabited, although there is a lack of modern conveniences so visitors who intend to stay overnight often carry their supplies with them.

Reed Boats

The Uru and Suriqui people are considered the last practitioners of the tradition of building reed boats from Totora reeds.  These reeds grow quickly and even form small islets that last about three decades before they sink to the bottom of the lake.  Today, visitors may see the gathering of reeds and the construction of boats that are used for fishing and travel across the lake. 

Three Cultures Co-Exist in Tbilisi, Georgia...

In Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia, an Eastern European nation that used to be a part of the Soviet Union, three different cultures co-exist in harmony.  Like in much of Eastern Europe, the dominant religion here is Orthodox Christian, but the city also features sizeable Jewish and Muslim communities.  Tbilisi is notable for being one of the very few locations in the works where a mosque and a synagogue are situated alongside one another.

Tourists visiting Eastern Europe will want to take several days in Tbilisi in order to take in the sights of this historic city.  The Parliament building, also known as the State Chancellery, as well as the building of the Supreme Court of Georgia are located in the capital and are important cultural landmarks.  Another attraction that draws crowds is the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi, also known as the Sameba Cathedral.  This beautiful cruciform church contains nine chapels and serves as the main cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Those who appreciate the performing arts will find a great deal of interest in this city.  The Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Shota Rustaveli State Academic Theatre and the Marjanishivili State Academic Theatre all operate out of Tbilisi.  Museums are another important feature in the city; when Georgia was a part of the Soviet Union, Tbilisi was one of the four cities in the nation with the most museums.

Amman – more than meets the eye!...

If it’s an authentic, historic Middle Eastern experience you’re looking for, you won’t find it in Amman.  More modern than antique, Amman doesn’t hold a candle to Cairo or Damascus in terms of impressive Islamic culture.  If you’re booking flights to Amman in an attempt to find a culturally significant Arabic city, you may be sorely disappointed by the Westernised atmosphere permeating the city.

There are two sides to Amman: the rigidly Islamic and conservative eastern end of the city is home to the urban poor and contains expansive Palestinian refugee camps on its suburban fringe, while the modern western side of town is the cultural and financial hub with pleasant residential neighbourhoods, trendy restaurants and pubs, and magnificent galleries.  It is essential to experience both sides of Amman if you want to get a true sense of the city, or even Jordan itself.

The influx of Palestinian – and, more recently, Iraqi – refugees has permanently altered the personality of the city.  Most of these displaced expats are highly educated and unfazed by the closely monitored social and cultural control exercised by Amman’s Islamic conservatives.  These immigrants have joined with young Jordanians to reshape Amman into a more tolerant, forward-thinking metropolis.

If it is diversity and an international flare you’re looking for, flights to Amman will not disappoint.  If you arrive in Amman seeking medieval bazaars and classic Islamic architecture, you won’t find it.  But if you want a warm welcome, a thriving downtown scene, and a city with a charisma all its own, you won’t want your flights from Amman to depart too soon.

European culture and sport...

There are 50 sovereign states that make up the continent of Europe, as well as six regions or territories that are partially recognised. These states and territories are home to over 700 million inhabitants, all known as “Europeans” but whose diversity is evident in the areas of language, religion, government, philosophy, culture, economy, etc. When speaking of a “European culture,” it is difficult to separate the overlapping, cross-cultural diversities that make up the “culture” of this vast continent. In the area of European sports, however, we can speak in terms of similarities and differences, all of which contribute to form a healthy blend of apolitical, cross-cultural cooperation and understanding.

In recent years, attitudes to sports as a means of fostering intercultural harmony have been a strong force behind the policies and treaties of the European nations. In 2008, against the backdrop of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, European Union (EU) sports ministers adopted a joint declaration on Social Significance and Dialogue in Sport. A declaration was also appended to the Amsterdam Treaty of 1997, emphasising the “social significance of sport, in particular, its role in forging identity and bringing people together.” In terms of the most popular sport in Europe, football is number one. Governed by a pan-European body called the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), there are over 50 national football associations, whose official languages are English, German, and French. Other popular European sports include basketball, volleyball, ice hockey, bicycle racing, and rugby.