Venice canals.

Venice is ready for Christmas.



 

 

 

Venice at Christmas time, as many European cities decorates its streets, houses, doors and gardens, with special lights (at night), Christmas trees, and

nativity scenes.
They also decorate their gondolas.

 

Venice in winter : Piazza San Marco, one of the most beautiful squares in Southern Europe.

Venice in winter, the snow is coming, it's time to listen to concerts and operas.

Venice is also well known for its important role in the history of symphonic and operating music.

Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice.

In the winter season is time to listen to the best operas (La Traviata, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rigoletto, Duetti D'Amore...) in wonderful places such as Opera House, Palazzo Barbarigo Minotto, and Scuola Grande Dei Carmini. In this last place musicians and singers from the best Italian orchestras and opera houses perform the finest Opera arias enriched by Eighteenth Century costumes and intriguing handcrafted masks. The extraordinary participation of a ballet dancer performing to orchestral pieces turns the show into an unforgettable dream.

There are many ideal locations with refined junction between Music, History and Art to enjoy concerts.

Venice in winter also gives you beauty and happiness.

"If you walk around Venice probably you will hear the gondoliers sing..."

THE BLONDE IN THE GONDOLA

TIZIANO SCARPA

This is a prose version of the most famous Venetian song:

The other evening I took the blonde girl out in a gondola. But

the pleasure made the poor thing drop off to asleep. She slept

on my arm, every now and then I woke her; but the boat's

rocking put her back to sleep. In the sky the moon was half hidden

among the clouds. The lagoon was calm, the wind had

dropped. Only a light breeze ruffled her hair and bared her

breast. Carefully contemplating the features of my treasure,

that little face so smooth, that mouth and that beautiful breast,

I felt a longing in my heart, a stirring, a kind of euphoria that

I can't explain. For a while I respected her sleep, and put up

with it, despite Love in person arousing me. And I very slowly

tried to lie down there with her; but how can you lie relaxed

with a burning fire beside you ? Luckily in the end I got tired

of letting her sleep, and I behaved like a shameless person, but I

had nothing to regret. Because, my God, what beautiful things

I said to her did to her! Seriously, I have never in my life
been so happy.

Nature also gives us peace and beauty.

Como creo en la teoría del renacimiento, vivo con la esperanza de que, si no en esta vida, en alguna otra podré abrazar con amor a toda la humanidad.

MOHANDAS K. GANDHI

 



London, Kew Gardens : Amazing autumn experiences.

A very  beautiful  place to visit in autumn is The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London. If you are in the city during this season, try to reserve some time to visit the gardens and enjoy the fall colors.

Kew covers an area of over 132 hectares on the banks of the River Thames, between Richmond and Kew in south-west London. This area once belonged to the Royal family a few centuries ago, and these gardens have a long history and preserve many nice memories.

 

 

 

Today Kew ‘s living plant collection is the largest and most comprehensive in the world, containing representatives of more than 1 in 8 of all flowering plants species. This romantic and wonderful garden also has different and important scientific missions.

Many  species within the living collection are endangered in their natural habitats,  and Kew is increasingly involved in their conservation as threats to the world’s vegetation escalate. Specimens of such plants are cultivated and propagated for distribution to other botanic gardens, or, whenever possible, returned to their natural habitats.

The knowledge and expertise of Kew’s scientific and horticultural staff is shared with other botanists and the public by means of publications, scientific conferences and educational programmes.

Kew also has one of the world's foremost botanical libraries, containing over 120.000 books as well as journals, papers, illustrations, and an extensive archive.

These large gardens are an ideal area to come with children,  they not only learn about nature but at the same time have special and extensive areas to play, and also Kew organize  many activities for them, such as children’s egg trails at easter, Christmas activities in December and into the New Year and so.

 

 

 

The art is also present in the Kew Gardens throughout the year. One of the permanent exhibitions that I like so much is the Marianne North Gallery. This painter who was born in Hastings in 1830, travelled widely around the world, often enduring considerable discomfort, in order to paint flowers in their natural habitats.
She also generously offered to provide a suitable building in which to display her paints, and asked her friend, the architectural historian, James Fergusson, to design the Gallery, which was opened to the public in June 1882. This is another beautiful way to enjoy the flowers in Kew Gardens.

 

  

 For further information, you may visit : www.kew.org