Category: Africa Travel

LAAX in Switzerland

LAAX in Switzerland stands over 30 000 feet high, with skiing and snowboarding facilities that suit everyones needs from beginners to world champions. LAAX has hosted all the big events in snowboarding and skiing, welcoming thousands of tourists from around the globe each week. LAAX was one of the first major skiing locations to get on the map, when in the 70s skiing holidays started to rise in popularity for western travelers – LAAX was right their, waiting to ride the wave. Millions of visitors later, LAAX are renowned for their 3rd slalom known only as Death Mountain by some. With glaring views down the steep, tangling mountain-side it is no wonder Death Mountain scares even the most resilient of skier.

With excellent facilities for everyone LAAX recently hosted the snowboarding world open, in which over 10,000 people took part from 60 countries around the world. An interesting element of this was that over 100 entries came from south Asia and Africa showing the rise of the sport, and the exposure of the location on a global scale. LAAX was voted number 1 skiing location around the world, by Ski Press Magazine that also notes LAAX as having the third best Snowboarding facilities and, as being the best new comer to Freestyle snowboarding. The popularity of LAAX, has also lead to continued investment from the company operating the slope, building an amazing ski lift that can handle weights of over 80 tonnes as it climbs 30 000 feet up the mountain face. The ski lifts unique attribute is its balancing technology that allows the ski lift to carry massive amounts of weight disproportionately whilst keeping a balanced angle and speed.

The popularity of LAAX is not just shared by avid skiers and snowboarders. Top music names and DJs also come to LAAX to experience the amazing events first hand. With the rise of snowboarding many of these musicians feel they can appeal to a certain audience out on the slopes, especially under the cover of darkness, with only flood lights keeping the mountains alive. The DJs provide entertainment as the crowd snowboard and ski into the morning sunlight. The views and the experience are utterly amazing, and are a sure way to ensure top class entertainment for the young travelers who visit LAAX.

However it is not only the night-time DJ sets and fireworks that sparkle for the young skiers; there are also plenty of locations tailored to their needs off the slopes as well. With local pubs, clubs and even swimming pools the young ones are sure to enjoy themselves off the snowy mountains of LAAX. Despite being an amazing location for younger skiers the location also appeals to those who have never been skiing before. They have multi-lingual training facilities and indoor centres where they train first-time skiers up before taking them to the slopes. They also have amazing training facilities for advanced skiers, facilities that would undoubtedly be used by the worlds top skiers and snowboarders at the world events that are held at the slope almost every year.

The local hotels and accommodation are amazing because unlike most skiing locations, they dont limit the skiers and snowboarders to a single choice. There are youth hostels that are perfect for those looking to ski on the cheap; there are 5 star hotels for those looking to live the lap-of-luxury and there are many options in between. LAAX is home to more than just pubs, clubs and swimming pools, with banks and supermarkets also at realistic walking distance. LAAX is said to be at its peak during August, however this is said to be true for most of Europes top, skiing locations. That is why it is advisable to find a quieter time to visit, preferably a short time following the busy spell. The great thing about coming after the peak is that you are able to come for around half the price of another time of the year.

Top

Democracy and Tasty Treats at Faneuil Hall

Bostons Faneuil Hall, which has been nicknamed The Cradle of Liberty, hosted
Americas first political town meeting. Since its construction by French Huguenot
merchant Peter Faneuil in 1742, the hall has served as a shelter for sheep, a lively
marketplace, and a center for free speech.

From the start, the halls activities have been divided by floor. The first floor briefly held
African sheep herded from New Hampshire; a sheep shortage soon brought that program
to a halt. Since 1748, the first floor has served as a public marketplace; Peter Faneuil
encouraged pushcart vendors to permanently set up shop. The second floor has long
featured the meeting hall, though it was briefly converted a theater during the British
occupation of 1774.
The first public meeting held at Faneuil was actually on the occasion of Peter Faneuils
death; his eulogy was read at the hall. Revolutionaries later used the site to protest King
Georges taxes and to pen the famous doctrine concerning no taxation without
representation. Following the Boston Massacre, the public filled the hall to capacity to
discuss the event. The patriot orator Samuel Adams gave an impassioned speech, and two
years later, he would there initiate the first Committee of Correspondence. That meeting
of colonial representatives is commonly considered the beginning of the American
Revolution. Today, a statue of Sam Adams stands outside the Hall.
As time went on, Faneuil Hall continued to be a popular political forum. Suffragist Lucy
Stone and abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison drew
crowds in the 1800s. In the past century, Ted Kennedy and Bill Clinton have helped it
maintain the Cradle of Liberty nickname.
Architecturally, Faneuil Hall has undergone several expansions and restorations. First,
the entire building was razed in a 1761 fire. It was quickly rebuilt in time to hear early
revolutionaries speeches in 1762. Next, the building was significantly expanded in 1806.
Americas first native-born architect, Charles Bulfinch, doubled the halls height and
width. He added galleries around the second floor assembly room and added a third floor.
Twenty years later, additional construction expanded the Quincy Market. This meat and
produce market had been drawing more and more vendors and customers. By the mid-
1900s, however, the building had fallen into disrepair and was losing public interest.
Major restoration saved Faneuil Hall in the 1970s. This urban renewal was among the
first in American cities and inspired other projects nationwide.

One architectural element that has remained constant is a 38-pound gilded copper
grasshopper! Its the centerpiece of the buildings weathervane. Peter Faneuil
commissioned an artist to create this grasshopper; he was inspired by one that sat atop the
Royal Exchanges pinnacle in London. Thus, for colonial merchants the Faneuil Hall
weathervane was a symbol of Old World commerce. The grasshopper became so well-
known to northerners that when someone suspected a spy during the Revolution, theyd
ask, What sits atop Faneuil Hall? Those who didnt know were deemed likely British
agents.

Todays Faneuil Hall Marketplace refers to a group of four buildings: Faneuil Hall,
Quincy Market, North Market and South Market. The marketplace has pubs, restaurants,
and more than 125 vendors offering a wide variety of food and crafts. Each year more
than 15 million people visit the market. The popular landmark is listed on the National
Register of Historic Places and is now part of Boston National Historical Park.

PPPPP

(word count 568)

Top

The Lincoln Memorial

Inside a Greek-style temple, a 19-foot statue of Abraham Lincoln looks out over
Washington, D.C. Above him are the words, In this temple, as in the hearts of the people
for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.

Some say that the grandeur of Abraham Lincolns memorial does not suit his style; he
was a modest man why immortalize him in a 99-foot tall Greek temple? But supporters
celebrate his grand achievements. Shortly after Abraham Lincoln became US President,
several states seceded from the Union. Before his presidency ended, Lincoln saw his
country through civil war, preserved its union, and passed the 13th Amendment
abolishing slavery.

The President was assassinated in 1865 just six days after the Confederate General Lee
surrendered. Congress formed the Lincoln Monument Association two years later.
However, they did not choose the site in West Potomac Park until 1901. It was 1911
before they appropriated funds; President Taft approved a bill for $2 million. (The
memorials final cost was $1 million more.) In February of 1914, on Lincolns birthday,
the first stones were set. The white marble memorial was completed in 1922. It was
dedicated on Memorial Day that year, 57 years after the presidents death. Tens of
thousands of people were in attendance, including many veterans from the Civil War.

The work was the collective effort of an architect and several artists. The New York
architect named Henry Bacon designed the building. He chose a Doric Greek style, much
like the Temple of Zeus in Olympia, Greece, complete with the traditional 36 columns.
After constructing the columns, he realized that there had also been 36 states in the nation
at the time of Lincolns death. He then had each column engraved with a state name, and
added above them the names of all 48 states that existed by 1922. (Alaska and Hawaii
were later mentioned on an inscription leading to the memorial.) The building is massive,
with each column measuring more than 23 feet around its base.

From inside the stone building, Lincoln gazes out over the Reflecting Pool and toward
the Washington Monument. His larger-than-life figure appears to be a continuous piece
of marble, but its actually made of 28 interlocking blocks carved by the artist Daniel
French. Several types of marble are used throughout the monument, perhaps to symbolize
Lincolns force for unity; stone is used from Indiana, Colorado, Georgia and Tennessee.
One marble wall features an inscription of the Presidents famous Gettysburg Address.
Another displays his second inaugural speech. The memorial also has murals entitled
Emancipation and Union by Jules Guerin. Ernest Bairstow and Evelyn Longman also
contributed to the memorials carvings.

The building has been used as a backdrop for events related to civil rights. In 1939, the
African American singer Marian Anderson was told by the Daughters of the American
Revolution that she would not sing to an integrated crowd at Washington, D.C.s
Confederate Hall. Eleanor Roosevelt, who immediately resigned her own DAR
membership, suggested the Lincoln Memorial as a stage. Anderson opened her act with
My Country Tis of Thee. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his I Have a Dream
speech at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. This was also the scene of Vietnam protests and
the Million Man March.

The memorial is staffed from 8 a.m. to midnight every day but Christmas. The lower
level of the monument houses a bookstore, restrooms, and the Lincoln Museum, which
was funded with pennies from schoolchildren. At night, spotlights illuminate the outside
of the Lincoln Memorial. The lights seep inside and cast shadows across Lincolns face
for a spectacular view.

PPPPP

(word count 608)

Top