Fjord in France

Did you know that there are fjords in France? No? I did not know about it, too. Till yesterday.Than I found a photo like this one:


«Утро на пляже» на Яндекс.Фотках

The title of that photo was "Calanques". I heard that word for the first time and thought it's something like a little mediterranean town that is situated not far or on the seaside of this formation -like Amalfi, Maiori etc. But I was not right. The word is possible to translate as "fjord" -well, you are right, "translate" is not the proper signification but everybody knows what it is. So, I, for example, sell vacation packages and cruises in Northern Europe that offer visits and trips to Norwegian fjords. Spectacular places, I have to say you.


But I' never thought that there are similar fjords in South Europe, too.

The region is full of them. Here is the photo from Wikipedia where you can find more general information about this place ( Calanque ). Because I did not know about it, I'll copy here some words to have them in my site.

The region is between Marseille and Cassis, there are different calanques there you can visit.

There arew similar formations. So here, in Italy, there is a Regional Natural Reserve of Atri (it's in the region Abruzzo) where you can visit calanques -without sea there, only mountains of this special form. Plants do not grow there but there are interesting animals like reptiles and many species of rapacious birds. Because there are so many different species, it would be interesting to go for bird watching there. We have some species here and they are very interesting to observe.

Monaco, Monte Carlo -one of the Most Beautiful Places in Europe

For many years I thought, Monaco is the most beautiful place I've ever seen in my life.

We traveled with my friends in Liguria and because they have a flat not far from Ventimilia, we visited the not too far situating towns and other interesting places. It was vvery interesting because the French part of the coast was much more illuminated and there was life all the night, there. This way we reached Monaco one of the days.

The road we came in Monaco was high enough, and we could see all the town. Ther is not so much soil between the mountains and the sea, and the buildings grow in high into the air there. And all the amenities like gardens and pools that all "normal" houses have on the ground, were on the roofs there.


«Монако, Монте-Карло» на Яндекс.Фотках

In the little harbour there was an interesting entertaining: you could sail with a little yacht that had glass bottom so that the tourists could see the underwater life of the harbour. But the cost of one ticket was 300 Francs (I don't remember the currency) and we were 4 persons, so we decided to leave this idea.


«Монако, Монте-Карло» на Яндекс.Фотках

We went in the old town where is situating the Palace of the Prince. The square was empty (maybe we came too early, I don't remember now) and we decided to walk there. We found a garden on the rock over the sea. Somebody said us that there is a prison just under our feet there. The prisoners could see only sea from the windows of their cells. Nearby was the Institute of the Oceanography which head was Jacques-Yves Cousteau in that period. We loved to watch his documentaries and felt honoured to stay near the place he worked in (even if he surely was in sea).


«Монако, Монте-Карло» на Яндекс.Фотках

It was clear that the old town was the residential area of the rich families. All the houses that seemed to come from XVIII-XIX centuries were very beautiful.


«Монако, Монте-Карло» на Яндекс.Фотках

In the evening we visited the square of the famous casino where we found different enormous cars that I've never seen from that time more. There were women clothed with long evening dresses, too. But not only these persons, everything there was very beautiful. We entered the building just to see that some persons came to visit theater, others went to casino. Tourists are not allowed in such places. So, we went out.

After that, we walked some steps and found "American casino" opened for everybody. We entered it, too. It was only touristic visit, nothing more. A week before, an other friend of this family left a big sum there. She lived 5 days there and passed all the evenings in this casino to prove that all the stories about the money that persons leave there are not true. Well, she proved it. ;-)))

It was night when we left Monte Carlo. And I could never forget it's beauty.
-------------------------
For more articles and Travel and Cruise Deals visit my blog "Marvelous World of Travel"

France -- Festival (and stereotypes?)

 

Poster for Jazz 'n' Klezmer festival

► ◄

I've just posted a link to the 9th edition of the Jazz 'n' Klezmer festival in Paris, which takes place Nov. 21-Dec. 13, with some big names taking part -- David Krakauer, Balkan Beat Box, etc.

What I find interesting are the iconic stereotypes used in the poster (see above) -- a sexy Black woman to symbolize jazz and a (sort of sexy) beardless Hasid to symbolize klezmer.....

Versailles -Panoramic View

It is strange: why did I not visit France else? No, not France. I was in France in 1992 and 93, I think. There were border and customs between Italy and France in that period else, even if they were not very difficult to pass: I had not France visa and could not visit it but I did cheeky face, my friends "wanted to show" their passes to the border guards and they never controlled us. We visited Cote d'Azur, Monaco and Nice every day that year. But I never was in Paris.

I would like to see Versailles and Louvre, the castels of Loire... Well, maybe one day. Waiting for it we can enjoy a virtual visit. The link is in the bottom of this post.


«Версальский парк» на Яндекс.Фотках

http://www.panoramas.dk/fullscreen7/f30-versailles.html

I would be very happy if you visit my blog "Marvelous World of Travel" and write me a comment there.
_______________________________

This is the best period to book your cruise. There are terrific cruise discounts actually.And if you have doubts about the destination etc, we can discuss them. Write to me: liudmila-@hotmail.it

Paris -panoramic photo

We have many fantasies about the world we can't reach. From our school years we know about the legendary cities, empires, events and rithuals that every good educated person has to visit, to see, to partecipate. The life passes and we are still here. We have not seen Paris, we have not drink beer during the Octoberfest in München, we did not climb Everest neither Mont Blanc... It's sad if we think about it from one side. Than, from other point of view, could you imagine that ALL those "good educated" persons climb Everest? What a mess would it be... Poor Everest. It's so good that not all those who dream about it could climb it...

When I begin to think about this unjustice of my destiny, I remember always my favourite German song that tells: my fiancee that's name is Marianne, wants to go to Hawaii for our honeymoon, but I can't accept it because there is not beer there. Here is a nice video with the song. By the way, do you "dance" like Germans when you sing? I like it very much!



If you still want to visit Paris but have not this possibility, here is a nice panoramic photo of this city with splendid song accompaining it:
Paris, panoramic photo

Paris -- Festival of Jewish Cultures

I just added a link in my annual list of Jewish culture festival  (see the sidebar of this blog)  to the 6th Festival of Jewish Cultures (Festival des Cultures Juives), which takes place in Paris June 13-28.

The program includes an international roster of music, art, theater, film and more in several locations around the city -- and particularly in the old Jewish neighborhood of the Marais. Most of the events are linked to Russia and Jewish culture there.

Le Festival des Cultures Juives propose 15 jours de manifestations culturelles éclectiques et originales (conférences, concerts, expositions, films, théâtres, visites) destinées à faire découvrir la richesse et la diversité de la culture juive de par le monde, dans un esprit d'ouverture, de dialogue et d'échanges.

Sa vocation est triple :

• Découverte d'une culture juive plurielle
• Mémoire et héritage d'un patrimoine qui a marqué les âges
• Ouverture et affirmation d'une culture juive ouverte sur la Cité

Un concept original

Un Festival au coeur du Marais

Le Festival des Cultures Juives se déroule tous les étés, au mois de juin dans le Marais, quartier emblématique de l'histoire de la communauté juive qui y a inscrit sa culture.

Une programmation éclectique et de qualité

La programmation est à la fois festive (concerts, représentations théâtrales, spectacles), ludique (expositions, ateliers, projection de films) et académique (conférences, tables-rondes).

Un festival ouvert à tous les publics

Le festival s'adresse à un large public, amateur ou connaisseur, ainsi qu'à tous les âges.

L'engagement de la Ville de Paris

Fort de son succès populaire, le Festival est inscrit au calendrier officiel de la Ville de Paris au même titre que « Paris plage » ou « Nuit blanche ».
Le Maire de Paris accueille chaque année la soirée d'ouverture du Festival à l'Hôtel de Ville.

Les partenaires : une collaboration originale

Depuis sa création, le Festival a réuni 80 partenaires institutionnels, associatifs, publics ou privés.

• Fonds Social Juif Unifié, porteur du projet
• Municipalités (Mairies des 3e et 4e arrondissements, Mairie de Paris)
• Ambassades (Israël, Pologne)
• Institutions et associations culturelles
• Hauts lieux culturels de la Capitale

Jewish Culture/Music/Etc Festivals 2010

 Posters for last year's Quarter6Quarter7 Hanukkah festival in Budapest. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

                                                                                            

A number of Jewish culture festivals of all sorts take place around Europe in the spring and summer (and beyond). Some are dedicated just to music. Some to film. Others are much broader. As far as I know, there is no central web site where you can find information on all of them. I will begin to post information here on dates and venues. I ask my readers to please send me information to include!

The culture festivals and other smaller events make good destinations around which to center a trip. Some, like the annual Festival of Jewish Culture in Krakow, are huge events lasting a week or more, which draw thousands of people and offer scores or sometimes hundreds of performances, lectures, concerts, exhibits and the like. Other festivals are much less ambitious. Some are primarily workshops but also feature concerts. Many of the same artists perform at more than one festival.

 The list will be growing and growing -- and again,  I ask my readers to please send me information and links to upcoming events. Thanks!


ALL OVER EUROPE -- 11th annual European Day of Jewish Culture. The first Sunday in September -- Sept. 5. Events take place in nearly 30 countries. The theme this year is Art and Judaism.

AUSTRIA

April 22-27 -- Vienna --  Stay Jewish! (Film Festival)

October 14-November 14 -- Vienna -- Yiddish Culture Autumn (web site under construction)

November 6 -  21 -- Vienna -- KlezMORE festival (this year's program is not up yet)

CROATIA

Aug. 23-31 -- Opatija -- Bejahad 2010


CZECH REPUBLIC

July 8-11 -- Boskovice -- Boskovice Festival. Mainly jazz, but also an emphasis on Jewish culture, given the importance of the well-preserved former Jewish quarter, cemetery and Jewish museum in the restored synagogue.

July 29-31 -- Trebic -- Seventh edition of the Trebic Jewish Culture Festival, held in the Czech Republic's most extensive preserved former Jewish quarter

FRANCE

April 9 - July 18 -- Paris -- Radical Jewish Culture exhibit (and concerts), Jewish Museum

June 13-28 -- Paris --  6th Festival of Jewish Cultures

July 5-9 -- Paris -- Klezmer Paris festival Lots of workshops from an all-star international team of  musicians and teachers.

November 6-13 -- Lyons -- International Jewish Music Festival 

Nov.21-Dec. 13 -- Paris -- Jazz'n'Klezmer festival, 9th edition.

GERMANY

March 5-14  -- Fürth -- Fürth International Klezmer Festival (12th edition)

July 3-August 2  -- Weimar -- Yiddish Summer Weimar

October 17-31 -- Dresden -- The 14th Yiddish Weeks Dresden

November 20-30 -- Munich -- The 24th Jewish Culture Days, Munich (devoted this year to Jewish Berlin)

HUNGARY

April 2-4 -- Budapest -- Mini-Israeli-Film-Festival, Kino cinema club

August 5-8  -- Bank Lake -- Bankito Festival

August 26-Sept. 6 -- Budapest -- Jewish Summer Festival


 ITALY

 March 11 -- Barletta --  Festival Musica Judaica 2009-2010

April 17-21 -- Ferrara -- Festival of the Jewish Book in Italy


April 23-May 23; Sept. 26-Oct. 31 -- Casale Monferrato -- OyOyOy Festival

October 9-13 -- Rome -- International Festival of Jewish Literature

October 23-27 -- Rome -- Kolno'a Israeli Film Festival

NETHERLANDS

April  18-25    -- Leeuwarden -- Yiddish Festival Leeuwarden (takes place every other year)

Oct. 28-31 -- Amsterdam -- International Jewish Music Festival

POLAND

April 9-11 -- Warsaw -- Festival of New Jewish Music

April 20-25 -- Warsaw -- Jewish Motifs International Film Festival

May 23-28 -- Wroclaw -- 12th Simcha Jewish Culture Festival (note -- other events take place May 5-9, with the gala re-opening of the newly restored White Stork Synagogue)

May 15-23 -- Warsaw -- "Otwardatwarda" festival

May 23-26 -- Warsaw --  13th Jewish Book Fair

 June 13-19 -- Sejny -- Musicians' Raft

June -14-16 -- Bialystok -- Zahor Festival of Jewish Culture

June 19-20 -- Chmielnik -- The Eighth "Meetings with Jewish Culture" festival

June 22-26 -- Piotrkow Trybunalski -- Days of Judaism

June 26-July 4 --Krakow -- Festival of Jewish Culture --20th Edition!

 July 13-17 -- Kazimierz Dolny -- Klezmer Music Festival

July 23-25 -- Poznan -- 4th Tzadik Jewish Culture Festival

August 11 -- Lublin -- Shalom. Meetings with Jewish Culture

August 12-14 -- Rymanow -- Shabbat in Rymanow

August 28-Sept. 5 -- Warsaw -- Singer's Warsaw Jewish Culture Festival

October 4-6 -- Slupsk -- Meetings with Jewish Culture 

ROMANIA

May 24-27 -- Timisoara -- Jewish Culture Days


May 26-29 -- Bucharest -- Czech Nine Gates Festival

June 19-22 -- Sighet -- Sighet Jewish Festival

September 2-5 -- Bucharest -- World of Yiddish Festival

RUSSIA

March 29-April 4 -- Moscow -- Yiddish Fest


SWITZERLAND

March 6-April 25 -- Geneva - Printemps Sefarade

U.K.

Feb. 27-March 7 -- London -- Jewish Book Week

June 21-24 -- London -- Cantors Convention

August 8-13 -- London -- KlezFest

Ukraine

July 25 -- L'viv -- LvivKlezFest

October 3-10 -- Kharkov -- Days of Jewish Culture

Don't Forget To Visit In Paris

Yes, you are right, I suggest you to visit a cemetery in Paris. Precisely Cimetière du Père-Lachaise situated on Boulevard de Ménilmontant.

There are tombs of many important and famous persons there. What you see on the photo from Wikipedia is the tomb of one of the most famous Franch composers, Georges Bizet.

This cemetery is one of the most known in the world. The list of the celebrities burried here would be probably longer as this blog. Bizet is maybe not the greatest among them, and if you want to go there, you have to collect all the necessary information whom you want to visit.

I don't know, if ther are many other places in Parigi dedicated to this unfortunate in the life person. So many composers of genius had not luck and happiness in their lives. At least we have his tomb to thank him for his music.

Abbadia St.Michel

I began to write about the most interesting castels of France in my previous posts. The Types Of Castels is one of those posts.

This is an island, Mont Saint-Michel, with the benedictine abbey built before X century, and is one of the most frequented places of Normandy, France because is interesting for it's high and low tides. The photo you see is from Wikipedia and you will find many others there.

I could not find the information if this abbey is on the way of pilgrimage. I wrote that there are different very important and the most interesting cathedrals on the pilgrimage way from North Europe to Palestina. It could be interesting to make the full list of these places one day...

The Types Of Castels

My dream is to make a tour in France visiting the most important castels. Like this for example. There are special tours, I know because I had (and have maybe) a book dedicated to them.



We spoke about the castles in our museum last time. Did you know that there are different types of castles? Many castles of France are residential. They were built in the period when the life was calm, the nobles were rich, the central government was powerful to allow this rich life.

Well, I don't speak here about the castles that were built only to create a place similar to a fable.

In Italy, the life never was too calm and too rich. That is why most castles were built to defend the territory here. I never was in UK but they say there is the same more or less.

You can see castles in our zone if you open these my posts

• Castles of Campania
• Castles (2)

They were rarely used as residences. Imagine that near the villages Mercato San Severino-Castel San Giorgio there are about 15 castels!!!!

This photo from Wikipedia is of the castel Carcassone-vignes in France.

And this is chateau Chamboard, in France, too. The difference is clear without comments, I think.

The last type of the castel is a "realized fable". Some persons want to possess in reality such a castel that they imagine it after reading fables. The most famous example of it you can see in this post The Fable Castel To Visit

About The Museu Rodin

«родэн» на Яндекс.Фотках

Every time I had the possibility to visit the Hermitage Museum in S. Petersburg I wanted to go in the rooms where there were the sculptures of Auguste Rodin. One of the friends sent me a slide-show from Rodin museum (Collections) todayб and I was really surprized to know this Sculptor in all his splendid creativity. Did you think the modern sculptors are not able to create something valuable? I thought so too. Specially when you see the creations of Michelangelo or Leonardo and than "pass" to modern art.

They say Rodin was the best sculptor of XIX century... Well, I agree.


«Роковая ошибка...» на Яндекс.Фотках

Europe -- Jewish culture festivals

Cantorial concert Jewish Culture Festival Krakow, 2008. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

A number of Jewish culture festivals of all sorts take place around Europe in the spring and summer. Some are dedicated just to music. Others are much broader. As far as I know, there is no central web site where you can find information on all of them. I will begin to post information here on dates and venues. I ask my readers to please send me information to include!

The culture festivals and other smaller events make good destinations around which to center a trip. Some, like the annual Festival of Jewish Culture in Krakow, are huge events lasting a week or more, which draw thousands of people and offer scores or sometimes hundreds of performances, lectures, concerts, exhibits and the like. Other festivals are much less ambitious. Some are primarily workshops but also feature concerts. Many of the same artists perform at more than one festival.

Dance workshop, Krakow, 2008. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

A highlight this summer will be three concerts by the 14-person ensemble of The Other Europeans project on Jewish and Roma culture, music and identity. This is an EU-co-financed project of the Yiddish Summer Weimar, The Festival of Jewish Culture in Krakow and the KlezMORE Festival Vienna.

Here is a partial list, with links to web sites -- I will add to it (here or on separate posts) as information comes in:

All Over Europe -- 10th annual European Day of Jewish Culture. Sept. 6. Events take place in nearly 30 countries. The theme this year is Jewish Festivals and Traditions.


Austria

Vienna -- KlezMORE Festival -- The festival itself is Nov. 7-22. But on June 28 it will present The Other Europeans concert. For detrails contact weimar@the-other-europeans.eu or Ruth Schwarz, tel. +43(0)699 - 1270 8645; e-mail: ruth(at)klezmore-vienna.at


Canada

Montreal -- International Yiddish Theatre Festival -- June 17-25. Not in Europe,
but with a lot of European Jewish/Yiddish Theatres participating.

Laurentian Mountains, Quebec -- KlezKanada Summer Institute, Aug. 24-30

Czech Republic

Boskovice -- Boskovice Festival 2009. July 16-19. Many types of music, performance and exhibitions, etc, aimed at supporting the restoration and promotion of the historic Jewish quarter


France

Paris -- Klezmer Paris -- July 6-10. Mainly workshops in dance, singing, playing.

Germany

Weimar -- Yiddish Summer Weimar. Workshops and concerts the whole month of July. The Other Europeans concert will be July 5.

Great Britain

London -- Nine Gates International Festival of Czech-German-Jewish Culture. May 30-June 1.

London -- Klezfest. August 9-14. There is also a Yiddish crash course August 2-7.

Hungary

Bank Lake -- "Jewstock", August 6-8 (Now called Bankito, with new web site.)

Budapest -- Jewish Summer Festival, Aug. 30-Sept. 7

Lithuania

Vilnius -- Klezmer Festival. Aug. 25-29 (This will take place within the framework of the Third Litvak Congress, a meeting of Jews with origins in Lithuania, Aug. 23-31)

Poland

Wroclaw -- Simcha - 11th Jewish Culture Festival in Wrocław. May 31-June 5

Gdansk -- 10th Baltic Days of Jewish Culture. June 14-15

Lodz -- Jewish Culture Days, Lodz. June 14-30.

Bialystok -- 2nd Zachor Festival of Jewish Culture. June 15-16

Chmielnik -- VII Meeting with Jewish Culture, June 19-21

Krakow -- Festival of Jewish Culture, June 27-July 5. The Other Europeans concert will be July 3.

Warsaw -- Singer's Warsaw Festival of Jewish Culture, Aug. 29-Sept. 6. A big festival, increasingly similar in scope to that in Krakow.

Lodz -- Festival of the Dialogue of Four Cultures. Usually in September

Romania

Oradea, Cluj, Sighet -- Mamaliga and Gefilte Fish. Klezmer workshops and dance house. June 16-24. Oradea June 16, Sighet June 21, Cluj june 24. For Information contact klezromania@gmail.com