Category Archives: Travel

Road Trips: The Vancouver To Whistler “Sea-To-Sky Corridor” Is 75 Miles Of Spectacular Scenery

August 3, 2019 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

From a Canada.com online article:

If there’s only one drive that makes your list on your BC getaway, the Sea to Sky Highway has got to be it. No need to go stir crazy from a long drive, as the route offers plenty of worth-while stops along the way. Start your drive in BC’s urban centre of Vancouver and head north to Whistler and Pemberton via the Sea to Sky Highway. Snake your way through the small community of Horseshoe Bay and into Squamish where the Sea to Sky Gondola makes the perfect pit stop to gain another perspective of the vistas that surround you. Continue north along Highway 99 Sea-to-Sky corridor to Whistler, where you’ll find a variety of four-season activities in, and surrounding, the village.

Travel

European Travels: Monastery Of San Nicolò l’Arena In Sicily Is A “Baroque Splendor”

August 2, 2019 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

From an Italy Magazine article by Silvia Donati:

If the nuns of Catania’s Benedictine Convent devoted all their time to praying, the monks of the adjacent Benedictine Monastery were said to be a bit more lax about their spiritual duties. In southern Italian author Federico De Roberto’s most famous novel, I Viceré, which is very accurate in describing the social and political background of Catania in the years that followed Italy’s unification, the monks are described as carrying out the “art of Michelasso,” an Italian saying used to describe someone who, well, is idle, avoids hard work and responsibilities.

Their monastery, known as Monastero di San Nicolò l’Arena, resembled a sumptuous noble residence rather than a place where to retreat and pray to God. It was also very big, almost a city within a city, located in a panoramic position with views of the sea and the Etna volcano on what was once the acropolis of the Greek colony of Katane.

The Benedictine Monastery’s wealth was an indicator of the power the religious order had acquired, in Catania and beyond. This is still clear when you visit the complex, a maze of rooms, basements, stairs, courtyards, colonnades and very long hallways, where architectural styles from different eras superimpose on one another.

Travel

New Aerial Travel Film “Budapest” Is A Gorgeous Collaboration Between Musician Havasi And Filmmaker Andrew Efimov

July 30, 2019 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

Filmed, Edited and Directed by: Andrew Efimov

Music by: Havasi
Produced by: Timelab
Drone Pilot: Andrey Rodin
Color Correction & Grading: Yaroslav Kuryanovich
Sound Design : Anton Semenov
Design: Alexandra Geletey

“This new image-based video clip about Budapest is the result of an international collaboration between the Russian TimeLab video studio and the world-famous Hungarian musician, Havasi. In the video we see sleepy Budapest trams crossing the Széchenyi chain bridge.. dawn over the Danube River.. the majestic layout of the city from a bird’s eye view… the glittering lights of Budapest by night… and the sunset over St Stephen’s Basilica… and all this juxtaposed with the astounding music of Havasi.

The music in the clip is Havasi’s track ‘Golden Eagle’. It catches the special atmosphere, the amazing feeling of flight – and the underlying nobility of the city.

The project isn’t their first collaboration with the Russian team. Last year, the Hungarians viewed a film Timelab had made about winter in St Petersburg – and suggested using the footage in one of their clips. This is how their Houdini’s Dream project came about.

Our video team were extremely impressed with Budapest – it’s a phenomenal city. It’s soaked up the best of many of Europe’s greatest cities. Look closely at the architecture, and you find something of everything – a little bit of Paris, a bit of St Petersburg, snippets of London… What really blew us away was the Chain Bridge over the Danube – it’s an iconic symbol of the city. There are no restrictions on filming with drones in Budapest, The Hungarian state authorities and city administration are very laid-back about all that, and want to share what they have with tourists. It meant we had complete creative freedom.”

Website: https://timelab.pro/budapest

Leisure, Travel

Top RV Campsites: Chisos Basin Campground In Big Bend National Park, TX

July 30, 2019 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

From a Fodor’s online article:

Surrounded by rugged cliffs high in the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park’s Chisos Basin Campground is a picturesque slice of montane shrubland, featuring Arizona Cypress and desert-hearty mesquite trees. Chisos Campground is positioned close to the park’s most popular trails, including the Lost Mine Trail and Pinnacles Trail, and its highest point, Emory Peak. Almost half of the campground’s 60 sites can be reserved in advance (November to May) and 18 of them (non-reservable) allow the use of a generator. All sites have grills instead of fire pits, and the campground is replete with flush toilets and drinking water.

Travel

Top Exhibits: Empire State Building Mini Museum Opens To The Public

July 29, 2019 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

From a Curbed NY online article:

The Empire State Building, New York City’s most iconic skyscraper, has been reimagining its observatory experience for some time now. As part of a two-phase project, a new observatory entrance at 20 West 34th Street debuted last August, and now, a new set of immersive exhibits are open to the public.

The 10,000-square-foot galleries, part of a $165 million project which began more than four years ago, include several displays that tell the history of the building from its construction to its prominent place in the city’s culture.

Travel

Newly Renovated Resorts: Desert Hot Springs’ “Two Bunch Palms” – Carbon Neutral Rejuvenation

July 28, 2019 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

From a Design Milk online article:

Two Bunch Palms mineral springs flow up from Miracle Hill, a 600 year old source bubbling from under the surface and flowing hot directly into the resort’s pool. Ecological considerations also extend to the hotel using its very own solar field array, earning Two Bunch Palms the status of being the first carbon-neutral resort in America.

Studio MAI, the firm responsible for designing the popular Venice restaurant mainstay, Gjelina, remained cognizant and careful to retain the resort’s storied “quirkiness and authenticity” while adding enough colors, textures, and modern motifs in acknowledgement of the new generation descending into the region drawn by the desert’s charms. The resulting makeover feels fresh without cloyingly contemporary, retaining a textural charm that has mostly abandoned nearby Palm Springs.

To read more click the following link: https://design-milk.com/mineral-springs-modernity-bubbles-anew-at-the-two-bunch-palms/

Travel

Top RV Campsites: North Rim Campground In Grand Canyon National Park

July 28, 2019 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

From a Fodor’s online article:

One of America’s most iconic national parks, it’s no surprise to learn that the Grand Canyon is often crowded. Most visitors, though, stick to the park’s South Rim, leaving the less populated North Rim open to campers in search of wildlife and a little tranquility. The North Rim Campground is a whopping 8,200 feet in elevation bordering the Transept Canyon, an offshoot of the main canyon, of which some sites have fantastic views. The 90-site campground, open May through October (reservations only), is located a mile south of the Grand Canyon Lodge and visitor center.