The Landscape and Garden Blog
Dec
28
There are many beautiful hotels Alicante Spain has ready for visitors to stay in. This beautiful area is blended with modern swell and traditional roots as it runs along sandy beaches and buts up against some mountain ranges. The town has boomed recently with the influx of tourist activity especially along the beaches where one can find such a relaxing environment. There are many little traditional villages hiding in the mountains to explore. There are also many places to eat, drink and be merry. There is a blend of British, German and Nordic resident who more than likely came for a vacation and decided to stay.
There is some rich history to the area. Like most coastal towns in Spain, this port city was had been conquered a few times in a few hundred years. Some of the early inhabitants were more than likely Iberians who lived on the hilltop of Benacantil. Today there is the Castle of Santa Barbara that was built to protect the land below. It was a perfect place to built it because it was close enough to the sea to watch over but was to high to destroy from the water. There is an area called Benalua, where the Romans built a city called Lucentum. It was the predecessor of what we know of as Alicante in current times. There have been other villages found in the Albufereta and the Serra Grossa that date back to the same Roman times.
Next came the Moors who left behind the beginnings of the city we know today. You can see it in the old architecture of some buildings. Alfonso X conquered the city in 1246 for the Castillian Crown. Jamie II took Alicante for the Kingdom of Valencia. Ferdinand the Catholic made Alicante the city charter in 1490 where it went on to become the natural port of Castile a hundred years later. This is when the trade business started to really go. This made the population grow considerably. There were many wars for the land that came and went. Now leaving some great monuments of history and the stories to be rediscovered.
Dec
22
One of the things that some people consider to be an unsurpassable way to spend a weekend is by spending it at one of the best hotels they can find and afford. This is made easier when cost is not a concern, but for those of us for whom it is, there are great options as well. In fact, some people even make plans for a weekend get away without actually getting away. In cities and areas that have luxury or five star resorts, spending a weekend right there in your own city can feel like you are miles away in paradise and revive you even more than if you had left town. This is because you can enjoy all of the benefits of these luxury accommodations without having to spend any time traveling by plane or vehicle.
And the swiftrank high-end resorts have great dining and entertainment options that make it easy to never even leave the premises. This has actually been the reason for some vacation-oriented conflict of interests. Tourists are so enthralled by the accommodations of the resort in which they are staying that they often have to force themselves to go and explore the city they are visiting. This dilemma is completely eliminated when you don’t leave your own city for your resort stay.
Many of these resorts have more than once restaurant and offer a variety of dining options. There will typically be a house café or restaurant where the complimentary breakfast or brunch is served and in addition to that there will be a fine dining option as well as a more relaxed place with a wider variety of food options. A coffee and pastry shop is also a likely feature. They also will have at least one lounge or bar and frequently there will be more. These will have live music and sometimes comedy and other events. It is even possible to bar hop within the property of the resort itself. And considering that most of them will also have a fitness center and spa, it begins to make more and more sense why some people are choosing to stay in town and spend their weekend in a luxury resort.
Dec
21
With all the varied influences in Singapore wedding fashion and designs currently, a bride’s vision concerning her own wedding could be lead astray. What bride doesn’t want the romance of roses and gold, or the fresh allure of a luxurious wedding venue. Perhaps finding herself admiring the chance to include a Vera Wang wedding dress in the wedding budget. But, all these options, though fabulous and appropriate choices, she might find herself a victim of all the high-tech sales pitches and peer pressure. It will be better to find the beauty in herself and in letting that beauty shine forth on her big day, and there are wedding fashion Singapore businesses that are experts in bringing forth the brides natural beauty.
To hold a wedding in Singapore will not only be meaningful and lovely, but will also become lovely and meaningful for those living outside Singapore, or any outsider, as they witness a wedding ceremony Singapore style, which will leave an impression of elegance and whimsy, depending on the wedding fashion you choose. For brides from another ethnicity, the wedding tradition and fashion might be completely different than what she’s used to, so the emphasis on fashion detail will be magnified. The bride may have uprooted herself form her native land to where she might not have an option except to merge her practices and beliefs with the place they both choose to live as a newly married couple. So, embracing her authentic self will be a symbolic gesture as she celebrates the merging of two lives, especially if she’s marrying into a different race.
Her family and friends, will be reminded, through fashion and traditions that this is also a part of her with which she is accepting into her life, and the best way to do this, is by letting her true self shine through by upholding her tradition, or new tradition on her wedding day.
Dec
20
It is the perfect winter night. You are sitting with your loved ones in from of an indoor fireplace crackling and popping. You are reading that last few pages of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” and the kids are finally getting sleepy. Your wife had prepared a wonderful meal and everyone is full and happy. Now it’s time for the little ones to hop off to bed. This is your moment. Your time to sit and enjoy the fire for an hour or two. You make your way over to the bar for your favorite toasty beverage. Aha! Scotch Scotch Scotch. Such a perfect sipper for the fire side relaxation.
As you sit with your Scotch watching the fire dance you may be wondering about the history of you beverage. How it was made or where it originated from. The name give a great clue as to where it came from. Whiskey made in Scotland. Which adds to the whole romance of it. You may have your favorite type of Scotch. What could it be? Single malt whiskey, blended malt whiskey, Blended Scotch whisky, blended grain Scotch whiskey or single grain Scotch whiskey?
Single malt whiskey is made from 100% malted barley, from one distillery, distilled in batches. Single grain whiskey is also from a single distillery but may have barley and some other grains mixed in. Then there is Vatted malt whiskey which is a blend of single malt whiskys that come from multiple distilleries. Blended grain whiskey is a blend of grain whiskeys that come from two or more distilleries. Blended Scotch whiskey is a blend of single grain and malt whiskey that comes from more than one distillery. They all have just a little different flavor. Each maker also has their own styles. Which ever style you choose, is goes best with a nice warm fire.
Dec
17
Fireplace inserts are made to fit into your pre-existing fireplace and will assist in creating the most efficient heat, they will reduce the amount of pollutants that are heading up your chimney, and they will create a new and more modern design, giving your entire house a bit of a face-lift. The way in which the inserts work, is that a fire box is built, surrounded by steel or heavy cast iron. This is kind of like a giant pot or kettle.
The sides of the kettle heat up and retain the heat in the heavy iron, the air circulates around the kettle and back out into your home. Blowers can be installed that help to force this air through, creating a much more efficient burn, heating up your house fully and evenly. This also prevents the heat from escaping through the masonry and the bricks of your classic style fireplace. This will change the appearance of your fireplace, some in more drastic ways than other. The space between the firebox and your existing fireplace will be covered with a face plate. Some of these face plates are simple, and others are more elaborate in design. There are many in which to choose from, and you will find one that suits your taste and the style of your home.
There are different types of inserts depending on whether you have a traditional wood burning fireplace, or a gas fueled fireplace, so make certain to do a little bit of research. Gas inserts can be installed in wood burning fireplaces. Some people make this choose as the gas will burn a bit cleaner. But this again is up to your own personal taste and what it is you want from your fireplace. For some people the convenience of gas is something that they prefer, while for others it is the crackle and the pop of a real wood fire. Which ever way you decide to go, the choice to put in an insert will give you more heat for your fire, and more warmth throughout your home.
Dec
14
Jenny had visited Singapore with some close college friends one year during their summer break. They had such an excellent time that they made a pact to return to Singapore each year together after they graduated. As soon as the initial pact was suggested they realized that this might become extremely difficult so they amended their plans and agreed to meet each other at the Singapore Marina every five years, no matter what. Well the first of their reunion trips was schedule for last June and as the date approached Jenny was both excited and nervous. She wasn’t sure what to expect and hadn’t talked to two of her friends for over a year. She had heard though that everyone was coming and she made her plans and reservations and headed to Singapore by herself.
She arrived in the city and felt a strange sense of welcoming. She wasn’t sure if she made it up and it was just her way of trying to recapture some of way she felt during her college days. She wondered how her friends had all fared out in the real world. She was enjoying a hectic and fast paced career as nurse, which is what she had always wanted to do.
As Jenny stood looking out over the bay memories of her first trip there came flooding back. She and her friends had such a great time. Anna, the most athletic in the group was an avid golfer and talked the rest of them into playing a few rounds at one of the public golf courses. They also saw a music performance at one of the venues in the Esplanade, which was the idea of Jody, the guitar player in the group. Then she thought about the Cantonese Opera production they saw and with which all of them were completely amazed by the skill and technique of the performers as well as with the beauty of the costumes. That was definitely something Jenny wanted to do on this trip she decided as she looked out across the numerous faces along the boardwalk and waited for a sign of her friends.
Dec
14
The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum was once just a dream. In 1980, Joanne Martin and her husband Doctor Elmer Martin had saved enough money to put a down payment on a house. Instead, they used the money to buy four sculptural figures set in wax. For a time, they would transport these figures around, to schools and and various businesses in Baltimore. Restaurant owners allowed them to exhibit as well as various festivals and public functions.
At that time, carting around the pieces, trying to protect them from damage, setting up and delivering their presentations, they were not aware of the fact that soon, they would be running the largest wax museum in the country that focused on the historical and cultural significance of African-Americans in the country. By 1983, the married couple had secured a location in downtown Baltimore. At that time their wax figure population totaled twenty-one figures. Many people wished them well and they had the support of many friends and other people throughout the community.
Then, just five short years later, the grand opening was celebrated for a facility that measured in at ten thousand square feet. This was not something that couple had envisioned nor imagined, but they have said that they always knew that they were guided by something outside of the themselves, the universe or a higher power, they do not know. This venture was just the culmination of the natural course their life set out on when they first purchased those four statues many years ago.
They had a dream, just as Martin Luther King Junior had a dream. And their dream fulfilled has inspired more people to do so as well, to not only have a dream but to follow that dream, no matter what may happen that may stand in one’s way. Now the museum serves to educate through not only the exhibits but the on-going seminars on history, and the preservation of that history. Little known historical facts are revealed, young people are motivated, race relations are improved just by simply walking through the doors. This is not only an important venue in Baltimore, but an important one for the entire country.
Dec
3
Why is it that some businesses retain loyal customers, while other seem to just barely make it? What is it that creates the attachment to one specific place, even though it may not be the nicest or the fanciest, as in a small local pub as opposed to a trendy and fancy club. The one is filled every night with people who have been going there for years, while the other seems to just wilt away until the next trendy club takes its place. Check any business training manual and one of the first topics to be discussed, are those frequently used words, customer service. This is one of the many lessons I learned years ago working in a small, sixteen seat Italian restaurant. We were packed with a two hour wait every night of the week, while the bigger and more fancy restaurant across the street sat empty. The food there was Italian as well, and to be honest it was just as good. What our tiny restaurant they just couldn’t compete with, and that was honest and open customer service.
A management training program will give managers the tools to use themselves, as well as to pass on to their staff, regarding the importance of customer service. But the thing is, it must be genuine. When regulars would come in, even the chef’s would come to sing happy birthday, and many of the times, the regulars would head back to the kitchen just to say “Hi” to the dishwasher. Customers and the staff celebrated the holidays together, and we knew the names of everyone’s children. A few years later I worked in a larger corporate restaurant in Arizona that was not so successful. We were told exactly what to say and how to say it, and when to smile. But if we did happen to strike up a real conversation with one of our tables, we were scolded later for not using that time to sweep the steps or polish the furniture. The customer service was forced, and not genuine. In Chicago, the customers felt like part of the Via Carducci family, because they really were. The customer service was really just us taking care of our friends, and it was a great way to work.
Dec
1
London is a global city with an incredible history. It has played a major role not only in the history and society of Great Britton but also in world politics. It has seen periods of greatness and also major challenges and difficulties. Throughout history monarchy has gained the attention of the world and has been loved, feared and even despised by the locals. The English royal family has had a turbulent history as what the rest of the country and the city of London have experienced. There have been wars based on the right to the throne and plots against the king or queen were extremely common through the middle ages and Renaissance. These historic circumstances are often the subject of blockbuster films and epic novels.
One of the more famous periods in English history was the Renaissance, which is also commonly referred to as the Elizabethan era. It describes the period of time in which Queen Elizabeth the First ruled England. The English Renaissance came after that of the Italian, which is typically the common artistic association to the Renaissance time period. Elizabeth the first ruled for a long time and reign lasted from 1558 to her death in 1603, which was 45 years. Tourists who visit London and stay in a London hotel are certain to be familiar with the Elizabethan era and its relevance to contemporary London.
Part of her reign is frequently considered to be the golden age of England. This included the period of time where the British defeated the Spanish Armada and writers like William Shakespeare, Ben Johnson, Thomas Kyd and Christopher Marlowe, among others flourished. However, as was true for many rulers from of the time, there were arguments regarding the Queen’s right to the throne and there were many plots to assassinate her. It was also a religiously turbulent period and followed the establishment of the Church of England. However, there were great conflicts between the Catholics and the Protestants, which also figured into the conflicts of the throne.
Dec
1
Miles was getting ready to move to Portland, Oregon from Longview, Washington. It wasn’t that far of a move, as it was just down the Columbia River, though he wouldn’t be taking that to get there. He decided to move across the state line and to this much larger city after having grown up in Longview because he felt he would have better chances of making a living by playing his guitar and singing. He had been to Portland quite a few times and throughout high school he and his friend would drive down for a concert or to hangout.
So when he planned his move he felt extremely familiar with the city and also already felt a strong connection to it. However, his parents insisted, well, primarily his mother did that the three of them spend an entire weekend in the city and stay in one of the best Portland hotels in order to find the best possible apartment for their son. Miles’ mother was huge fan of roses and she also wanted to include a trip to the International Rose Test Garden. Miles had no idea what she was talking about and in finding out he also discovered that his new hometown was also called the city of roses. Great he thought, he would always be thinking about his mother. This of course did not bother his mother any.
Interestingly, it was in part due to his mother’s love for roses and their trip to Washington Park to visit the renowned garden that Miles landed is first job in Portland. While his mother investigated and smelled the roses, Miles sat outside the garden and played a new song he had written. As he was singing a couple walked up and approached him. Miles stopped singing because he thought they were going to ask him for information and he needed to let them know he had none. However, the couple wanted to know his name and his availability to play on Saturday nights at their new club. Miles was almost dumbfounded and said he could start the following week. Right after that, Miles and his parents celebrated with a quick fish and chips lunch at the North 45 Pub. Yes, Miles was definitely going to love it in Portland.
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