| Intel® Core™2 Extreme Processor Multiple cores. Astonishing performance. |
       |
 |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
digital world
places to visit in wrold
Rome
Following the completion of the Olympic facilities, London may well deserve inclusion.
St. Mark’s Square
St Peter’s Basilica
Il Museo Archeologico Nazionale
Duomo (Florence Cathedral)
Potsdamer Platz
Notre Dame Cathedral
Paris - The Seine River
Whether seen by a long, leisurely walk or from one of the many excellent tour boats, the view along the Seine in Paris is a delight.
The river flows nearly 800km (480mi) from Dijon through Paris and into the English Channel. But even the short section through the city provides enough sights to satisfy the most discerning traveler.
La Tour Eiffel can be seen changing shades from cocoa to gold as dusk fades to dark. The lights along its four pillars melding into the spire are only one of the many sights not to be missed.
Joining the left and right banks (the 'rive gauche' and the 'rive droit') along this ancient river are bridges themselves no stranger to time.
The oldest extant is Pont Neuf, ironically called 'the new bridge', whose first stone was laid by Henry III in 1578. Continued during the reign of his successor Henry IV in 1598, the construction was an enormous undertaking for the time. Finally completed in 1607, the bridge itself is, in a sense, older than France. At the time, the country was still split into fairly independent regions, such as Burgundy, Champagne and Normandy.
One of its newer cousins is the Pont d'Austerlitz constructed from 1854 to 1885. Comprised of five cast iron arches with a span of 32m (105ft), it rests on four piers and two stone abutments. (Abutments are the supports for the ends of a bridge.) The bridge has been widened twice from its original 13m (43ft) to the present 30m (98ft).
But not only youth and age are represented along these shores. Elegant beauty, in the form of the Alexander III, is also here. Opened in 1900, the bridge connects the Grand Palais on the right bank to the Invalides on the left. With pillars decorated by a gilded bronze Pegasus and large lampposts encircled by cherubs and nymphs, the Alexander III is among Paris' most artistic public works.
The many tour boats provide another way to see the sights. Some are small, others larger, but they all offer a relaxed way to see the bridges and parts of Paris from another point of view.
The visitor can enjoy a glass of wine as the lights come on along the Montparnasse. The larger boats even offer lunch or dinner. From the uncovered flat boats tours are given in English and French. Several glide as far as past the Eiffel Tower and back past Notre Dame to Quai Henri IV.
Accessible from the center of the Pont Neuf, just walk down to the tip of the island, du Vert Galant.
Once you've completed the boat tour, don't forget about the other attractions. From the exit it's just a short walk to many other things to do and see.
Just down the bank is one of the finest art museums in the world, the Musée d'Orsay. And there are several small galleries and shops along the way. Be sure to walk down the stone steps to the river itself and see the bridges from underneath as well.
New York - Wall Street Area
New Yorkers are famous for many things, not least of which is a sense of irony. One more instance of that can be found in the fact that Wall Street, by which most people really mean the New York Stock Exchange, isn't located on the street called Wall at all. It's actually at 20 Broad Street.
But, it's a minor quibble that most Manhattanites would rightly dismiss with a characteristic wave of the hand.
Though the stock exchange tour has been closed since 9/11, the building is still a sight to behold and the streets of the surrounding area could form a study in the history of architecture. George Washington was inaugurated in Federal Hall and important events have been occurring here ever since.
Whether viewing the stately, turn-of-the-century NYSE building or the ultra-modern American Express the area carved out by the Dutch in 1653 is full of amazing sights. The actual Wall Street did get its name from running alongside a wooden palisade erected then to protect the town from wild Indians. Now, along the short, random-angled streets is a cornucopia of people and buildings of all shapes and sizes.
And don't forget to take a photo near the now-famous bull sculpture, placed in 1989. Near the Cunard Building just down from Wall Street, this bronze behemoth is larger than your average bear. Some contend it has eclipsed its chief rival, a large red metal sculpture that no one could identify, including its creator.
The area houses not only large financial institutions and other corporate giants, but an array of pubs and restaurants to rival any of its uptown competitors. Just be careful what you say about your company there. You never know who'll be at the next table and the only thing that moves faster than trades here is the rumor mill.
Not far away (south) are the departure points for the Staten Island Ferry, or the tours of the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island.
But, if those don't suit your fancy travel east a few blocks to the South Street Seaport along the East River at Fulton. There you'll find a hundred shops, dozens of restaurants and several outdoor venues including a maritime museum. Ships docked there hark back to the days when wind in sails was the main power source. You'll be surprised at how small the captain's cabin is!
Take a few minutes to just stand and look at the world-famous Brooklyn Bridge, the world's first wire-suspension type and an artistic marvel. From time to time, you'll even see private boats and yachts making their way up the river to docks connected to private apartments further uptown.
19th Century history combines with the most modern art and engineering here in one of New York's most popular tourist areas. The newly developing World Trade Center site, where the Freedom Tower is under construction, deserves a few moments of quiet contemplation.
Just be prepared to bump elbows with the crowds in the morning, at lunch and in the evening when the thousands of busy, temporary inhabitants flood the streets.
top 10 places to visit
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
