Buenos Aires which is one of the largest cities of the South American continent is a vibrant and pulsating city which has been influenced greatly by European style. Buenos Aires or ‘Bue’ as it is colloquially called is often referred to as the ‘Paris of the South. This city which is also considered to be the birth place of the dance form known as the Tango boasts of an exciting art scene as is reflected by its many fantastic museums like the Museo Nacional De Belles Artes, the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires/Colleccion Constantini( MALBA), the Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo amongst others.
To further the interests and popularize Latin American art, Buenos Aires based ArteBA Fundacion each year holds a huge Contemporary Art Fair called ArteBA. This year this grand showcase of Latin American art is to be held from Friday, 22nd May to Tuesday, 26th May at La Rural Exhibition Center which is located in the barrio( district) of Palermo which is located on the north east side of this sprawling port city located on the west bank of the Río de la Plata.
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The Sydney Writers’ Festival is the biggest literary event in Australia. This literary event has been held annually since 1997 and it attracts an interesting mix of authors, poets, biographers, editors, publishers and book lovers from Australia and the rest of the world. More than 65,000 people attend this week long festival which is held at various venues like Pier 4/5 and the Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay and the City Recital Hall, Sydney Opera House and The Mint. The 2008 festival extended the scope of the Sydney Writers’ Festival to several locales in suburban Sydney like Parramatta, Ashfield, Blacktown etc. This year this expertly curated festival will be held from Monday the 18th of May to Sunday the 24th of May and will feature a whole host of events like workshops, talks, discussions and book fairs.
The Sydney Writers’ Festival 2009 assumes even more importance in a world where the written word is being constantly challenged by the digital age. Where newspapers are being forced to shut down every day due to loss in ad revenue and circulation and ‘old fashioned’ books are being replaced by digital readers like the Kindle which are equipped to read thousands of e-books. This year the writer’s festival will feature programs that have been inspired by current political and social events like the election of the first African-American President of the USA. read more
If you have ever visited New York City, you are probably aware that it is a city which has many diverse neighborhoods. Moreover each of these neighborhoods or ‘nabes’ as they are often called have their own inimitable character. One such prominent New York City neighborhood, is an area that is located in Midtown West, which is known as ‘Hell’s Kitchen’. The Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood encompasses an area that stretches from 34th Street to 59th Street from 8th Avenue to the Hudson River.
This neighborhood was known for its gritty, rough and tumble character as it has been home for years to a largely Irish-American working class population. The character of the neighborhood changed somewhat in the 1950’s when the district came to be occupied by Puerto Rican immigrants as they tended to get into violent skirmishes with the original inhabitants of the neighborhood. Today however this neighborhood like much of the Manhattan has undergone a rapid gentrification as old buildings have given away to shiny condominium apartment buildings which house young professionals and several actors who ply their craft in the nearby theater district, though some old time residents still continue to reside in the older buildings of this lively neighborhood which is now a major entertainment, transportation and infrastructure hub in modern day Manhattan.
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The Belgian city of Ypres is an ancient town which is located in the Flemish Westhoek or the Belgian Province of West Flanders. This historic city which is also known as Ieper in the Dutch language was an important city for cloth production and cloth trading during the Middle Ages.
Apart from the cloth trade, Ypres is also well known as a locale where many of the fierce battles during the First World War were fought. These battles in fact completed flattened the city though today Ypres has been totally rebuilt in a manner so as to reflect its medieval heritage. However it has several historic sites like the Menin Gate which bear testimony to its violent past. The Menin Gate is a memorial which was built to honor the several hundred British and Commonwealth soldiers who lost their lives at the battles of Ypres Salient during the First World War.
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Seville is the capital and the largest city in Andalusia, a region in Spain that was ruled by the Moors for over eight centuries. The Moors brought their own culture to Andalusia and under them; the region prospered both culturally and intellectually as during their reign, the Moors established many institutions like mosques, universities and palaces. The beauty of the region especially of its capital city, Seville also inspired the famous poet Lord Byron to write that “Seville is a pleasant city, famous for oranges and women” in honor of the city’s gorgeous womenfolk and its big succulent oranges.
Seville is in fact known also for its intense heat especially in the month of August when temperatures have been known to reach 50ºC (122ºF) but before the onslaught of the often brutal summer, the city of Seville every year throws a grand party to celebrate a week long festival known as the La Feria de Abril or the April Fair which features typically Andalusian cultural events. This year the Feria de Abril the will be held from the Thursday the 28th of April until Sunday the 3rd of May and is expected as always to draw more than a million revelers to Seville.
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