Category Archives: Travel

Travel, Videos

New Travel Guide Videos: ‘Sequoia And Kings Canyon National Parks’

Video Leave a comment

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks – From cloud-skimming sequoia trees to below-ground marble caves, this parkland is a treasure trove of natural splendor.

Sequoia National Park is adjacent to Kings Canyon National Park in California’s southern Sierra Nevada mountains. It’s known for its huge sequoia trees, notably the General Sherman Tree dominating the Giant Forest. The underground Crystal Cave features streams and striking rock formations. Moro Rock is a granite dome offering sweeping park views. Nearby is the Tunnel Tree, a toppled tree cut to accommodate the road.

Kings Canyon National Park is adjacent to Sequoia National Park in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. It’s known for its huge sequoia trees, notably the gigantic General Grant Tree in Grant Grove. To the east, Cedar Grove is surrounded by towering granite canyon walls. From here, trails lead to Zumwalt Meadow along the Kings River, and to Roaring River Falls. The park is home to rattlesnakes, bears and cougars. 

Architecture, Books, Home Design, Homes, Photography, Travel

New Architecture Books: ‘Contemporary Houses’ – 100 Homes Over 2 Decades

Leave a comment

This publication rounds up 100 of the world’s most interesting and pioneering homes designed in the past two decades, featuring a host of talents both new and established, including John Pawson,Shigeru Ban, Tadao Ando, Zaha Hadid, Herzog & de Meuron, Daniel Libeskind, Alvaro Siza, and Peter Zumthor.

Accommodating daily routines of eating, sleeping, and shelter, as well as offering the space for personal experience and relationships, this is architecture at its most elementary and its most intimate.

Designing private residences has its own very special challenges and nuances for the architect. The scale may be more modest than public projects, the technical fittings less complex than an industrial site, but the preferences, requirements, and vision of particular personalities becomes priority. The delicate task is to translate all the emotive associations and practical requirements of “home” into a workable, constructed reality.

The author

Philip Jodidio studied art history and economics at Harvard, and edited Connaissance des Arts for over 20 years. His TASCHEN books include the Architecture Now! series and monographs on Tadao Ando, Santiago Calatrava, Renzo Piano, Jean Nouvel, Shigeru Ban, Richard Meier, and Zaha Hadid.

Read more

Travel, Videos

New Aerial Travel Videos: ‘Republic Of Columbia’

Video Leave a comment

Filmed and Edited by: Andres Cortes

Colombia, officially Republic of Colombia, Spanish República de Colombia, country of northwestern South America. Its 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of coast to the north are bathed by the waters of the Caribbean Sea, and its 800 miles (1,300 km) of coast to the west are washed by the Pacific Ocean. The country is bordered by Panama, which divides the two bodies of water, on the northwest,  Venezuela and Brazil on the east, and Peru and Ecuador on the south. It is more than twice the size of France and includes the San Andrés y Providencia archipelago, located off the Nicaraguan coast in the Caribbean, some 400 miles (650 km) northwest of the Colombian mainland. The population is largely concentrated in the mountainous interior, where Bogotá, the national capital, is situated on a high plateau in the northern Andes Mountains.

Home Design, Homes, Travel

English Country Home Tours: Equestrian Estate Of Jockey Frankie Dettori

Leave a comment

How do you define the term ‘household name’? It’s a tricky one. There are probably plenty of people out there, from all walks of life, that most people have heard of; but would you ever describe a politician or an artist as such? Probably not. To reach this level, you need almost to become synonymous with your craft — and the people who scale those heights are few and far between. One such, however, is Frankie Dettori.

The Italian jockey is unarguably the greatest flat racing jockey of his generation, with thousands of winners — including dozens of Classics — to his name. He was only 14 when he moved to Britain to work as a stable lad for Luca Cumani in Newmarket, and before long had earned his chance to race.

His story since then is the stuff of sporting legend: from winning 100 races in a season while still a teenager (an achievement only Lester Piggott had garnered before he did) to going through the card at Ascot in 1996 to his later years of continued success, he’s survived everything from plane crashes and drug scandals to a stint on Celebrity Big Brother. 

Lanfranco “Frankie” Dettori, MBE is an Italian horse racing jockey based in the United Kingdom. Dettori has been Champion Jockey on three occasions and has ridden the winners of more than 500 Group races. His most celebrated achievement was riding all seven winners on British Champions’ Day at Ascot in 1996.

Read and see more

Homes, Travel, Videos

Italian Estate Video Tour: ‘Villa Fatti’ In Tuscany

Video Leave a comment

Villa Fatti, one of the symbols of Sansepolcro’s recent history. On the hills overlooking the beautiful historic center of the town, in a very panoramic position with a spectacular view over the underlying Tiber Valley, we find a magnificent 2,610-sqm manorial villa with park and Italian garden. Laid over five floors, this impressive building currently houses 10 beautiful bedrooms (with the possibility of creating many more), offices and a huge professional kitchen ideal to start a prestigious restaurant, maybe coupled with a luxury boutique hotel.

Adventure, Landscape, Leisure, Travel

World’s Top Hiking Trips: ‘Alps Tour Du Mont Blanc’ France/Italy/Switzerland

Leave a comment

Mont Blanc. Europe’s highest and most iconic peak. Spectacular. Immense. Dazzling. And undisputedly on every serious hiker’s must-do list. Hiking for 10-days through the heart of the Alps won’t just get your pulse rate up, it will open your eyes to some of the most breathtaking vistas on Earth.

  • Trek the classic 10-day circuit Tour du Mont Blanc massif – a must for every serious hiker
  • Encounter nature at its most spectacular as you pass glaciers, forests, meadows, and endless peaks
  • Taste the flavors and experience the cultures of France, Italy, and Switzerland

Wander past giant glaciers and secret mountain lakes, ancient trails and grassy meadows. Experience three countries, cultures, and cuisines. Stay in hamlets that belong in a fairy tale. And discover why Forbes called our Tour du Mont Blanc “the world’s most luxurious hiking trip.”

Website

Boats, Sports, Travel, Videos

Sailing: ‘Volvo Ocean Race 2022’ – Inside Look At 11th Hour Racing Team (Video)

Video Leave a comment

After the start of The Ocean Race was delayed until 2021, due to Covid-19, the 11th Hour Racing Team decided to relocate their new IMOCA 60 sailing vessel from France back to the team’s home base in Newport, RI. Outside TV rides along on their transatlantic voyage.

The Ocean Race, the world’s toughest, fully-crewed around the world sailing race, has enthralled and inspired a global audience since 1973.

At the same time it has provided new perspectives on the ocean that covers more than 70% of our blue planet, bringing some of the most remote corners of the Earth up close and personal for viewers around the world.

Recent years have seen a growing awareness of the challenges facing the ocean and an increasing appreciation of the fundamental role it plays in maintaining the health of the planet.

Travel, Videos

Top New Timelapse Videos: ‘Monsoon 6’ (4K) – Storm Chasing By Mike Oblinski

Video Leave a comment

Filmed and Edited by: Mike Oblinski

Music by Péter Nánási: peternanasi.bandcamp.com/

I’ve never spent two years making a Monsoon film before, so this was a first. Part of it was wanting to put out the best possible film I could, but a good chunk of it was the fact our recent summer storm seasons have been subpar at best, with 2020 the worst I can remember. 2019 wasn’t horrible, but there was about zero dust storms, with only a single haboob clip to salvage from that summer, so I wanted to wait until I had something more to add to it.

Luckily for me, August 16th, 2020 happened and we scored a fantastic haboob chase from Casa Grande to Gila Bend along Interstate 8. It was what I had been hoping and praying for to complete this film. That was the only legit haboob day of the past two years and I’m glad I was there for it! Not only for this film, but for the BBC and one of their upcoming projects I’m proud to be a part of!

A lot was left on the cutting room floor, in fact, it might be an entire other film, but it was important to me to include only the best, most unique stuff I saw the last two years, plus keep it under 9 minutes long! Finding music was a struggle, so I decided to work once again with Péter Nánási and have a custom score created for Monsoon 6. And boy, he knows me well and hit it out of the park! Thank you sir!

I hope you enjoy this film! It’s the result of 30,000+ miles, hundreds of thousands of time-lapse frames captured and 60+ days chasing. Some highlights include epic downbursts, gorgeous light, mountains, desert, a stunning supercell and yes, rainbows. Photographed all across the great state of Arizona, where I’ve lived my entire life.

Website