Prague after the spring

Prague, the once up on a time seat of mighty communist rulers has been changed a lot after the successful Prague Spring brought an end to communist rule in the country. Once came out of the iron curtain, the city has developed fast in tune with the rest of the Europe. Adoption of the globalization policy and a change from the communism to capitalism brought in tremendous changes in the economy of the city. Now it has regarded as an important business center and hence many major airlines like Air France, British Airways etc are operating flights to Prague.

Just like other major business organizations, our company also planned to extend our activities to this grooming city and I have entrusted with the duty to initialize the proceedings. My recent trip to Prague was in connection with that. We have designated staff in our company to make arrangements for the traveling of executives while they are going on official tours. They will do all the works to get best airline discount and to get plane tickets for cheaper prices. With their effort I could fly in one of the cheap flights to Prague as per the plans.

As it was the initial stage, the work was very easy and tension free. Thus I got enough time to see the city in a relaxed mood. My first trip was to the busy Wenceslas Square. This busy area hosts a lot of shopping malls and small shops. There are many offices of corporate companies also located in this area. My trip to this busy square was purely an official one. Still I enjoyed the rush there. I did some shopping also at that time.

The very next day I visited the Spanish Synagogue. The typical architecture of the structure seems to be attractive and the architecture attracts most of the visitors here than being a religious place. I went to the Franz Kafka monument to on that day. I prayed in silent for a minute there. The Czech crown jewels which are been kept at the Prague Castle is another tourist attraction.

Prague has changed a lot after coming out of the iron curtain. The people here are feeling more freedom and the happiness is really reflecting on their faces. Various venues for performing arts situated in various places of the city add joy with various cultural events and art performances. There will be some events almost every day. The bras and restaurants here are also well known for their hospitality. The traditional foods and the continental and Chinese dishes provided by them are delicious and certainly add enjoyment to your trip.

As I was here for a few days, I could not enjoy the trip fully. Hence I have planned to visit this city once again on a personal tour. As cheap tickets to Prague are available, it will not cost more.

Punta Cana, the new Destination of Tourists

Punta Cana, the eastern province of Dominican Republic is attracting many tourists with its wonderful beaches. It has several beaches facing both the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Once it has attained a status of one of the most favored tourist spot all major airlines in the region such as Air Canada, Air Jamaica started operating flights to Punta Cana. Several other minor airlines are operating cheap flights to Punta Cana. Thus this place is well connected with rest of the world and easily accessible also. Hence, when we decided to go to this place for our holiday trip there was no difficulty in getting plane tickets. After purchasing the airline ticket, we started our packing.

We reached there without much trouble and started our holiday in a good mood. As mentioned earlier, the beaches are the main attraction here and we have decided to spend much of our time in beaches. The beaches here are very active with many facilities for recreation. When the shallow waters favor a safe sea bath the sandy beaches will give you the thrill of playing beach volley. The sunset in the beach is worth seeing. When the sun reaches the western hemisphere and the rays become red, the people starts welcoming the night with music and drum beats. I have seen many foreigners also dancing to the tune of this music. As my wife was a bit shy, she did not join in the welcoming of night. However I participated in it with a few steps.

The beach of Cabeza De Toro and the Bavaro and El Cortecito beaches are the most beautiful beaches and most of the foreigners too prefer either of these beaches to spend his or her time.

Bavaro is the main shopping area here. We spent whole evening in shopping here. You will get anything here from designer wears to handicrafts. The traditional Handicrafts are being sold like hot cakes to the visitors. There are many way side open restaurants too here. It is quite a thrilling experience to have dinner in such open restaurants. There will not be any artificial lights lighted here on full moon day. We too enjoyed one such moon light dinner in one of the open restaurants.

It has recently acquired a prominent place in the tourism map and presently it is one of the most visited places of the region. After the introduction of cheap tickets to Punta Cana by many airlines the number of visitors has increased considerably. With a good number of modern hotels and resort along the beaches, Punta Cana is capable of accommodating this increased number of visitors. Even after six months, the city and the life over there are still live in our memories.

By the River of Amstel

“The River Amstel is flowing through centuries. In 12th century a dam has been constructed across the river and a small settlement for the fishermen as been formed. It got the name Amsterdam from the dam constructed across the River Amstel”. Professor has no intention to stop his words. We just pretended to be listening to him. We all were on a study tour and it has been conducted by our institute. The intention was to be familiar with various cultures and literature. According to our teachers, that will certainly help us in future to understand the world well. We all have started our journey a month back. After visiting many places of historic and cultural importance we reached Amsterdam. We were coming to the end of our tour.

This destination was not originally in our plan. The idea came in between and we had to collect the details of air flights and make the cheap air flight deals in hurry. This old village of fishermen has developed into a business center now and that is why a number of visitors are coming to this city daily. Almost all airlines including British Airways and Jamaican Air are operating flights to Amsterdam. Hence there was no difficulty in getting cheap tickets to Amsterdam. After reaching here, our first program was to see the different places. The city houses many structures that showcase the architectural heritage. Qude Kerk or the Old Church is the oldest building in the city which has been constructed in 1306. In the past there were many buildings in this city that have been constructed using only wood. Presently only two of them are surviving and the Het Houten Huys, the oldest wooden building in the city has been constructed in 1425. During the 16th century most of the wooden buildings have been demolished to construct brick ones and the architecture of these 16th century building is totally different from the old ones.

The city has a bright past of cultural activities which have been started since the 16th century when the then government has organized competition of Drama and poetry writings in between different areas of the city. The tradition is still continuing and apart from that several theaters have come up in the city. Influence of German music is clearly visible here. We had an opportunity to see some such performances during our stay here.

Other attraction of the city is the well planned canals for transportation inside the city. The journey through these canals is really unforgettable experience. As it was not a pre-planned tour, we did not get enough time to spend there. Hence we decided to return to the city in the near future. As many airlines are operating cheap flights to Amsterdam, we hope that the availability of tickets at that time will not be a problem.

Enjoy a splendid vacation in Key West

When I heard that we finally had the chance to visit the beautiful island, Key West, my happiness knew no bounds. We were going for a period of two weeks and I wanted to make sure that I enjoy to my fullest and visit all the best places. The low fares available made our vacation possible.

After our flights to Key West were confirmed, I started inquiring about the place. Since, I have a great interest in art and history I asked our guide to tell us about significant places. He told me about the Audubon House and Tropical Gardens. After looking it up on line, I found out that it is a great museum, which was founded by the Wolfson Family. The museum has works of John James. He is the great artist who has credit for painting many birds of Key West in this garden.

I also heard about the studios of Key West. It is the contemporary model for the artists. The place has residences and beautiful cottages. It has several art studios, exhibition halls and it even has a sculpture garden. People interested in arts get free lectures and are introduced to new ideas.

We were lucky enough to have searched well and found cheap flights to Key West. Some leading carriers like US Airways also ply their services to this destination. The place is filled with amazing tourist spots and places, worth being seen. I found out that there is a museum in the city, which gold and silver recovered from wrecked ships. It fascinated me and I couldn’t stop myself from reading about the place before I went there. The museum’s name is Mel Fisher Maritime Museum and I finally got the chance to be there personally, it was more exciting than I had expected.

Another fascinating thing that we had the chance of enjoying was the huge butterfly habitat. The reason behind it being so exciting is its size and make. It is a 5000 square foot glass-domed tropical butterfly habitat.

We were able to get cheap tickets to Key West for all the members of our family. Our guide told us about the most popular and frequently visited place .We could not wait to get there and make memories to take back home. The place is located at the corner of the South Street and white head street. It has a monument which marks the southernmost point in the continental United States accessible to Civilians. Our trip was a great experience and, this great place certainly does have a lot to offer.

Once we were there and we had, so much fun in the amazing place, we couldn’t resist the temptation of extending our trip and seeing the surrounding places. Our plans were matured as soon as we found out that several cheap domestic flights were available.

Celebrating Vinayaka, the God with Elephant Head

India has become the largest consumer market in the world with its large population and the steady growth in its economy. Almost all global brands have a strong presence in India. Hence we also decided to start our operations in India. When anybody thinks about doing business in India the first city comes to their mind will be Mumbai. It is the financial capital on India and almost all companies operating in India will be based at this city. We were also not different from them and decided to start an office there. When the responsibility fell on me, I was quite surprised. I have read many books on Indian Mythology during my school and college days and the different Gods and Goddesses have really taken me to some other world. Now I am going to be there with them for a few days.

I started my search for best airline tickets as soon as I got the intimation from my head office regarding my Mumbai trip. Being an important city in the region almost all international airlines including British Airways and Air France are operating flights to Mumbai. Hence the flight tickets are easily available. Many airlines are also operating cheap flights to Mumbai and I have booked my ticket in one such cheap airline.

India is a wonderful country with lot of different languages and different cultures. Mumbai is a miniature of India with this diversity in culture and arts. There are many bars and pubs where you can see a lot of youngsters enjoying the music and dances. At the same time you can see another lot of youngsters enjoying the traditional art at some venue.

The city also houses the largest film industry in the world which produces more than hundred films in a year. Thus it has become the hometown for many film personalities. I could enjoy different cultures of Mumbai in a few days of my arrival. As in the case of culture the food and beverages of the denizens also differ from person to person. From the South Indian Foods, even the continental and Chinese dishes are available in the city.

The most astonishing experience of my Mumbai trip was that I could participate in the Vinayaka Festival. Vinayaka, is a God with an elephant face according to Hindu Mythology, during this festival people will keep huge idols of this God at many public places. Along with the religious rituals there will be many cultural programs also at these venues. It is a ten day festival and at the end of the festival, on the 11the day these idols will take to the seashore in a huge procession. Thousands of people will participate in this procession. They will spray colors on everybody’s face and the people in the procession will be dancing all the way to the tune of the drums and music played in saxophone. The procession ends with the immersion of these idols in the sea.

After participating in the festival, now I have a feeling to go there every year to participate in the festival.

Perfect vacationing in Philadelphia!

As soon as I heard that we are leaving for Philadelphia for a study tour, my happiness new no bounds. I have heard a lot about this magnificent city and its rich culture. Our guide gave us lot of information about this city. We had studied about the American history in our class and now we got an opportunity to know more about it. Though one can witness vestiges of American history in this city, it does not mean that foreign cultures do not exist here. Several ethnicity find a home here. We were anticipating cross cultural experiences once we reached this city. The preparations started in full earnest once the program was decided. Since several cheap international flights ply their services to this city, we decided to book our airline tickets on any one of them.

This global city not only offers a chance to see many tourist attractions here but also a chance to come closer to the American culture. Visitors from faraway places come to this city and to help them reach this destination, many leading airlines are offering flights to Philadelphia. One can also find cheap flights to Philadelphia.

Though our guide had offered us lot of information regarding this city, I decided to search for more on the Internet. I came to know about Germantown, one of the oldest settlements in the city. This section is just two miles long but reflects the culture of the place. This section was settled by William Penn followers who spoke a lot about religious tolerance. As the name suggests, one can see an eclectic mix of American as well as German culture. Traditional German architecture can be seen in the many buildings and monuments in this area like Mennonite Meeting House and Maxwell Mansion and many churches.

Just like Germantown, the city also boasts of Chinatown. The place originated from Chinese laundry establishment. Spanning across a several mile radius, the area is inhabited by about thousand people. One can find Chinese artifacts and products in the markets and the restaurants located here offers Asian cuisines. In this area, a friendship gate is also located that is well appreciated by the visitors coming here. Decorated with Chinese style archways, this ornate gate mesmerizes visitors coming here. To commemorate 125th anniversary of Chinatown, recently a mural was also painted. One can enjoy Chinese as well as Thai cuisines.

Several museums, art galleries, historical attractions and artistic venues also offer a glimpse into American culture. Jazz venues, installation of art works and historical attractions also offer a chance to understand the history of the place. 

Presently on hiatus, the Lights of Liberty offer an outdoor show that offers a peek into the history of the place. The cultural sector of the city is now recovering from the negative impacts of the Great Recession and in the near future, it is going to rise with leaps and bounds. All this information increased my excitement a notch higher and booking cheap flights to Philadelphia, my dream of visiting this city enhanced considerably. Prominent airlines US Airways and British airways offer their services to this city.

Herald the history of Costa Rica

Sipping a cup of hot coffee, I reminisced my recent visit to the coffee country-Costa Rica with my family. Alighting from our cheap flights to Costa Rica, I decided to make the most of my visit by touring the historic landmarks here.

Costa Rica’s historical landmarks
Listed as one of 22 of the world’s democracies, Costa Rica or rich coast is truly rich in history and heritage. Its rich traditions are woven in the tapestry off its vibrant culture. From native Indian tribes to coffee plantation growers to Colonial masters, Costa Rica has seen many ethnicity in its heyday.

The travel agent who booked our cheap tickets to Costa Rica informed me to look for history in the architecture of San Jose and the neighboring suburbs of San Carlos, Guanacaste and Perez Zeledon.

Cartago Ruins
First we headed straight to the Cartago Ruins situated near the capital San Jose. Cartago city, once the former capital of Costa Rica, is near the foothills of Irazu volcano. My visit demanded a glimpse of the famous 16th century Basilica of La Virgen de Los Angeles –the church of the returning virgin. I also visited Las Ruins – an 18 century church destroyed several times by earthquakes. The nearby Orosi Valley and Cachi Dam offer beautiful landscapes.

Guayabo
Located on the forested slopes of Turrialba Volcano, Guayabo is an archeological site with remnants of a bygone era. Covering 540 acres, this historical site has paved streets, aqueducts, round platforms, ponds, carved stones and other relics.

An emblem of the Pre-Columbian era, Guayabo has petroglyphs dating 3000 years old. Open from 8 to 4 pm, this archeological park has unique stone carvings of insects, reptiles and jaguars along with shards of pottery, jade and more. Hiking, bathing and camping are allowed here.

Isla San Lucas
Isla San Lucas is a desolate prison which attained fame through the memoirs of an ex-convict called the Island of Lonely Men. Known as the toughest jail in Costa Rica with a 117 year history of crime and violence, I was taken around on a tour by the caretaker. I visited the adjoining Puntanera Wetlands

Costa Rica Spheres
Known locally as Las Bolas, the Costa Rica Sheres are also called Diquis Spheres. A relic of the Isthmo-Colombian era, they were found on the Nicoya Island with some pottery. Mythology claims that these stones were from Atlantis, the sunken Greek island. I remember seeing stones like these in the opening scenes of “raider of the Lost Ark”.

National Museum or Museo National de Costa Rica
This bullet-ridden building which was once an army barracks now houses the artifacts of Costa Rican Colonial history along with period dresses, religious artworks and photographs. The imposing bella vista building with its wide courtyard formed a good backdrop where I took a few snaps.

Museo Del Oro Pre Columbino or Gold Museum
The Gold Museum in Costa Rica is worth visiting with its sizable collection of gold idols and jewelry. The shaman figurines attracted me the most. We also had a look at the Numismatic Museum here. The trip proved to be well worth my flights to Costa Rica.