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Famous
Valentine’s Day Quotations
Love is when the
desire to be desired takes you so badly
that you feel you could die of it.
– Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Today is Valentine's
Day – or, as men like to call it,
Extortion Day!
– Jay Leno
Now a soft kiss –
Aye, by that kiss, I vow an endless
bliss.
– John Keats
Doubt thou the stars
are fire, Doubt that the sun doth move.
Doubt truth to be a liar, But never
doubt I love.
– William Shakespeare
All you need is love.
But a little chocolate now and then
doesn't hurt.
– Charles M.
Schulz
Love will find a
way through paths where wolves fear
to prey.
– Lord Byron
For it was not into
my ear you whispered, but into my heart.
It was not my lips you kissed, but my
soul.
– Judy Garland
I know of only one
duty, and that is to love.
– Albert Camus
How did it happen
that their lips came together? How does
it happen that birds sing, that snow
melts, that the rose unfolds, that the
dawn whitens behind the stark shapes
of trees on the quivering summit of
the hill? A kiss, and all was said.
– Victor Hugo
The Eskimos had fifty-two
names for snow because it was important
to them: there ought to be as many for
love.
– Margaret Atwood
Head
to Oman's Stunning Coast for Fun and
Relaxation
Unlike their more land-bound
neighbours, the Omanis are traditionally
a seafaring people of fishermen, traders
and shipbuilders. The coast and the
sea is inherent to the Omani identity.
After all – according
to Middle Eastern mythology – Sinbad
the Sailor was born in Oman and it was
from Sohar, the ancient capital and
important maritime port in the north,
that he set sail on his seven fantastical
voyages.
Oman has some 3,000
kilometres of coastline, most of which
are pristine, stunning and secluded
beaches that face the Indian Ocean with
soaring sand dunes or rugged rocks,
flourishing coral reefs and unique wildlife.
Muscat’s beaches and crystal-clear
waters have long been a draw. Residents
and tourists alike come to swim, snorkel,
play waboba (balls that bounce on the
water) or doze in the sun.
Omanis are traditionally
a seafaring people. The coast and sea
is inherent to their identity.
You don’t have
to travel far from the capital to find
deserted beaches – magical by day
and by night lit by a flickering lantern.
On the wide sands of Khalouf Beach you
have eagles and flamingos for company.
At low tide on Tiwi you can paddle out
to the coral and snorkel above grouper,
rays, sea snakes and batfish. A sweeping
coast road leads to Bandar Jissah, notable
for its lagoon setting, incredible stillness
and intense blue waters.
Those who prefer adventure
and exploration will want to take a
day trip by dhow, Oman’s traditional
answer to the taxi or truck, depending
on its size. On the water you see the
coastline from a different perspective
as a paradise for wildlife, a breeding
ground for dolphins and a stopping-off
point for migrating whales. Oman’s
nutrient-rich waters offer some of the
world’s most rewarding scuba diving.
Some dhows offer live-aboard diving
cruises so you can enjoy close-up encounters
with a dazzling multi-coloured variety
of tropical fish on tap.
Oman is indisputably
green turtle heaven with five of the
world’s seven species arriving
each year to crawl up the beaches, dig
holes in the sand and lay their eggs.
There are few more poignant events to
witness in the natural world than the
hatchlings’ make-or-break dash
for the safety of the ocean between
September and November.
The first stop among
beachcombers who venture beyond Muscat
is the Musandam Peninsula in the north,
which juts into the Strait of Hormuz
like a rhino horn. The topography consists
of soaring saw-toothed, blackish-yellow
crags that tumble abruptly down onto
white sandy beaches. Musandam has become
fashionable thanks to its attractive
quiet shores, low-key vibe and warm,
dolphin-rich seas.
There are few more poignant
events to witness in the natural world
than the turtle hatchlings’ make-or-break
dash for the safety of the ocean.
The fjords of Khasab,
the peninsula’s port, offer the
best dolphin opportunities, three hours
and two border crossings away by car,
along a thrilling coastal road that
contours the plunging mountains. Khasab
boasts a small, handsome 17th-century
fort built by the Portuguese in order
to control the nearby Strait of Hormuz,
where the Persian Gulf meets the Indian
Ocean.
Coastal resorts offer
an amazing range of water sport activities
for all ages and abilities from the
classic snorkelling, diving, sailing,
parasailing, kayaking and paddle boarding
to higher-octane options such as jet
skiing, water skiing and wakeboarding.
Donut riding (bouncing across the waves
in a giant float, pulled by a powerboat)
is good for all-round family fun.
If you haven’t
tried kite surfing, Oman is the place
to learn this thrilling combination
of wakeboarding, surfing, windsurfing
and paragliding. Kitecamp on Masirah
Island is open year-round. Cooled by
breezes from the Arabian Sea, it is
reached via a 500km coastal drive from
Muscat and a 90-minute ferry crossing.
Like many of Oman’s beachfront
resorts, it encapsulates natural beauty
with watersport paradise, and a huge
number of nesting turtles
Visit
Yosemite Madera County
As
the cold winter is here, Visit Yosemite
Madera County is encouraging people
to get out and enjoy the winter activities
in Yosemite National Park, Bass Lake
and Madera County to keep your blood
pumping and to beat the winter blues.
Experiencing
Yosemite and Madera County in what some
call the most magical of seasons, winter.
This season offers breathtaking beauty,
loads of fun and few crowds.
The season
offers breathtaking beauty, loads of
fun and few crowds. Enjoy snow in the
high country with tubing, snowboarding,
sledding, and ice-skating. Relax at
beautiful snow-covered Bass Lake while
you snuggle up with a steamy beverage
next to a crackling fire.
Lisa
Cesaro, Marketing Manager from Yosemite
Hospitality and Aramark said “Winter
is a beautiful time to visit Yosemite
National Park. Mild temperatures, smaller
crowds and endless activities including
ice skating, skiing, snowshoeing, food
& wine events and hiking make it
a perfect winter destination for the
entire family.”
Yosemite Ski & Snowboard
Area has it all, and makes it easy—from
getting here to renting equipment to
taking lessons. You'll find groomed
trails perfect for cross-country skiers,
chairlifts that take Alpine skiers to
the top of the runs in minutes, a challenging
terrain park for snowboarders and skiers
to test their limits, and a tubing area
where the whole family can experience
the thrills together.
Therese
Williams, Director of Public Relations
and Sales said ‘Winter is here
and it is time to get out and enjoy
all the winter activities. According
to health reports, getting out in the
cold to exercise alleviates winter blues,
therefore, this is another reason to
get out and play for all levels and
ages.”
For a full
list of winter activities, check out
our website yosemitethisyear.com or
call 559-683-4636.
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Keukenhof
2017 – For a Late Valentine’s Day Vacation
Will you be visiting
Holland in spring? Then be sure to visit Keukenhof,
where you will experience the gorgeous views of
blooming Dutch tulips and other flowers for which
Holland is known for around the world. Keukenhof
is the most famous and largest flower park in the
world and lies not far from Amsterdam.
- Visit the most beautiful spring
park in the world.
- Admire more than 7 million flowers
in bloom at Keukenhof.
- Keukenhof can be reached within
half an hour from The Hague, Haarlem, Leiden and
Amsterdam.
Million
Flower Bulbs
Tulips from Holland
are world famous. If you want to see the Dutch tulip
fields in bloom, you should visit Holland in April
and May. This is the same period in which the biggest
flower park in the world, Keukenhof, opens its doors.
Keukenhof is a park
where more than 7 million flower bulbs are
planted every year. Gardens and four pavilions show
a fantastic collection of: tulips, hyacinths, daffodils,
orchids, roses, carnations, irises, lilies and many
other flowers. You will be overwhelmed by a spectacle
of colors and perfumes.
Address
and Opening Hours
Keukenhof lies in Lisse,
between Amsterdam and The Hague, in the heart of
the Bollenstreek (Bulb Region), and is easy to reach
via the A4 (exit Nieuw-Vennep) and the A44 (exit
3 Lisse). Follow the 'Keukenhof' signs.
Keukenhof is also well
accessible by public transport. Take a look at our
combi tickets that offer access to the park and
use of public transportation between Amsterdam,
Schiphol or Leiden and Keukenhof. From 23 March
to 21 May 2017 , the park is open every day from
08:00 to 19:30. The cash register closes at 18:00.
Tulips
Everywhere
At Keukenhof, you'd think
you were adrift on a sea of flowers. Divided across
various gardens and pavilions, the tulips and other
flowers number in the millions. Keukenhof has a
different theme each year, meaning that it is never
the same. Unique in the world, this park attracts
over a million visitors every year. Note that the
tulips bloom only from mid-March to mid-May, meaning
that the park is only open during this period.
The
5 Rules of Reclining Your Airplane Seat
Courtesy
SmarterTravel
Rule
#1: (The Golden Rule) Look Back
You have the right to recline. But why wouldn’t
you give the courteous half glance backward to let
your rear neighbor know that you’re about to
encroach on what little space they already have?
Sure, it’s only about two inches of vacant
air, but the principle of taking over that space
merits at least a body-language warning. Especially
so they can brace the contents of their tray table
if needed, and especially if they’re on the
tall side.
Rule
#2: Don’t Even Think About Reclining During
Meal Service
Airplane food isn’t exactly delicious, but
it’s the one small pleasure you’re allotted
while you’re stuffed into a sea of wall-to-wall
passengers like the well-mannered sardines the airline
wants you to be. Can’t the one thing I look
forward to on this flight stay off of my legs? Can’t
we all agree to spare our fellow passengers an hour
of freezing cold, wet clothing? Hold off for those
twenty minutes of your hours-long flight.
Rule
#3: Take Only What You Need
Some airplane seats recline more than others, and
some passengers need only an inch to be comfortable.
Do us all a favor – recline only as far back
as you need, and be aware that a seat in my lap
is more likely to get grabbed when I’m getting
up than the aisle armrest.
Rule
#4: Recline Slowly
The biggest issue I had with that scalded lap incident
is that I had zero time to even try to prevent it.
Coming in hot is pointless in your quest for five
degrees of reclining space. You’ll get there
just as effectively if you take your time. Let’s
all acknowledge that the few pleasures you get while
flying are for the most part located on a seat back.
Rule
#5: Use Your Words
We’re all human – we make mistakes and
we sometimes don’t see eye to eye. But we all
have been taught since childhood to use our words.
Your seatmates are your peers in travel, and the
intragroup dynamic should be, at the very least,
a civil one. What if you all end up stranded on
a deserted island together?
Passive-aggressiveness is likely
the root cause of so many of those flights diverted
thanks to brawling passengers. So speak up –
say thank you and apologize when it’s necessary.
Ask nicely and you shall receive. You’re sitting
too close to your fellow passengers for too long
to be that proud.
5 Reasons to (Re)Visit
Berlin in 2017
Photo courtesy:
visitBerlin – Pierre Adenis Klein
New concert halls, museum opening,
urban garden show and ease of travel with new nonstop
flights are just some more reasons put Berlin on
your 2017 travel list.
Berlin/Los Angeles
January 26, 2017
“Been there, done that” is no concept
for Berlin. This year, the city again offers new
attractions, highlights, and an ever-expanding cultural
scene that adds to the must-do experiences and warrants
another, deeper visit in 2017.
Berlin in Bloom: International
Garden Show (IGA)
April 13 – October 15, 2017
Three seasons of urban green, floral displays and
international landscape design will be presented
at Berlin’s Marzahn-Hellersdorf district during
the city’s first International Garden Show
(IGA). Designed by renowned landscape architects,
the IGA’s horticultural art will embrace a
host of styles ranging from garden classics to innovative
landscape design, including Gardens of the World,
tropical hot-house displays, acres of perennials
and annuals, a rose garden, and regional classics.
The natural landscape of the local Wuhle river valley
is incorporated in the design.
To complement the horticultural
experience, IGA will feature a cable car above the
exhibitions grounds, a new visitors’ center
as well as an arena seating 5000. The packed calendar
of some 2500+ special events includes nine park
festivals, sport- and music events as well as educational
programs. Accessible by public transportation. General
information at www.iga-berlin-2017.de.
Gehry/Toyota-designed Pierre
Boulez Hall to open at new Barenboim-Said Academy
March 4, 2017
The heart and public face of the recently opened
Barenboim-Said Academy, Berlin’s newest concert
hall is housed in the former storage building of
the Staatsoper. The Frank Gehry and acoustician
Yasuhisa Toyota-designed Pierre Boulez Saal provides
up to 682 spectators with extraordinary perspectives
and an intimate music experience.
The brainchild of the general Music
Director of the Berlin State Opera, Daniel Barenboim,
and the Palestinian-American academic Edward W.
Said, the fully accredited academy will serve as
an intercultural space, where young musicians from
Israel and Middle Eastern countries find common
ground for making music and communication. The philosophy
is a reflection of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra,
which consists of young Israeli and Arab musicians,
as well as the belief that musical education must
be enriched by a deep knowledge of the humanities.
Leading international soloists and
ensembles will regularly be guests at the Pierre
Boulez Hall. It is also the home of the new Boulez
Ensemble, recruited mostly from members of the Berlin
Staatskapelle.
Re-opening of the Staatsoper
unter den Linden
October 3, 2017
Completing a seven-year, Euro 296 million renovation,
Berlin’s famed Staatsoper unter den Linden
concert hall is scheduled to reopen on October 3,
2017. A dedicated historic monument, the concert
hall’s exterior appearance remains the same;
however, structural, safety, and acoustic improvements
throughout the building now elevate the venue to
the ranks of internationally renowned opera houses.
Built in 1743 in the Prussian classicist style,
the Staatsoper has a long history of hosting significant
musical premieres. General music director Daniel
Barenboim and the Berlin Staatskapelle orchestra,
renowned guest conductors and an ensemble of first-rate
singers, promise performances of the highest musical
quality.
The festive opening concert will
be broadcast live on the adjacent Bebelplatz square.
Photo courtesy:
visitBerlin – Lichtschwaermer
Art Museum Barberini now open
in Potsdam
January 23, 2017
Housed in a 1771 palace of Frederick the Great,
Potsdam’s new Museum Barberini opens with two
exhibitions that are distinguished by their connection
to each other: Impressionism: The Art of Landscape,
and Modern Art Classics: Liebermann, Munch, Nolde,
Kandinsky.
Destroyed during the Second World
War, the palace was reconstructed by the non-profit
Museum Barberini groups with the support of the
Hasso Plattner Foundation. In its 17 galleries,
the Museum Barberini will feature changing collections
ranging from Old Masters to works from the 21st
century. The permanent collection’s focus will
be on Impressionism, American modern art, art from
the former East Germany, and painting after 1989.
The building also houses a shop, a café &
restaurant with outdoor seating, as well as an auditorium
for readings, concerts and lectures. From Berlin,
Potsdam can be reached by public transportation
in 45 minutes.
Ease of Travel: Delta, airberlin,
Air Canada Rouge offer new nonstop service to Berlin
It will get even easier and more convenient to get
to Berlin from the USA and Canada with new nonstop
service: In mid April, airberlin will increase its
nonstop-service to Berlin to two flights daily from
New York’s JFK, as well as increased service
from Miami. Starting in May, the German airline
will also be offering nonstop service from Los Angeles,
as well as San Francisco.
Also in May, Delta will resume flights
to Berlin with the launch of nonstop service between
JFK and Tegel Airport.
Canadians can look forward to the
new Air Canada Rouge nonstop flight from Toronto
to Berlin, which will operate four times/week and
launch on June 1, 2017.
More information on travel to Berlin
www.visitBerlin.com
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