This is a good news. The pilgrimage to famous Sikh shrine, Hemkund Sahib in Uttarakhand in Himalayan India, suspended since the June 16 natural calamity, resumed on Saturday with Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna flagging off a batch of nearly 100 pilgrims from Govindghat. The flag-off took place after “bhog” and a ceremonial recitation of Akhand Path. The portals of the shrine located at a height of 15,200 ft will reopen on Sunday when the first batch of pilgrims arrives there. Now the pilgrims and trekkers alike will be able to make most of whatever season is left to go to Hemkund and world Heritage site of Valley of Flowers. Though damage to the shrine devoted to the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh was not as extensive as in Kedarnatah, a 6 km stretch of the trek route to the high...
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From November 22, 2013 to April 21, 2014, the Brussels Stock Exchange will host a truly unique art exhibit: THE ART OF THE BRICK. This exhibit showcases more than 60 imposing and fascinating works of art, made with the famous LEGO bricks. All these wonders are the product of the wild imagination of the US artist, Nathan Sawaya. This exhibition has already attracted over 1.5 million visitors in North America, Australia and Asia. The arrival in Belgium of this exhibit, which is aimed at a wide audience, will be the European Premiere. THE ART OF THE BRICK exhibition is displayed on a surface of 1,300 m² more than 60 impressive new objects in a new genre : exceptional works of art created with hundreds of thousands LEGO® building blocks. Whether real or fictional, the characters and obj...
Read MoreThe 7th Art Nouveau and Art Deco Biennial Event will be held in October 2013. Over 4 weekends, Voir et Dire Bruxelles will organise guided tours of interiors and other guided tours which will show off the richness and diversity of these styles in Brussels between 1893 and 1939.The Biennial Event has become a unique opportunity to see inside homes over a weekend that are lived in and cherished by their occupants, and whose history is shared with the public by professional guides. Each weekend will concentrate on a different district, where around a dozen interiors will be open to the public to visit in guided tours by guides provided by Voir et Dire Bruxelles. The guided tours will be in French, Dutch, English and, in some cases, German. Other guided tours on foot, by bike or by coac...
Read MoreSurrounded by unspoilt white sandy beaches, stunning coral reefs, and enchanting underwater, environment Menjangan Island is a perfect definition of what natural beauty is all about. Located about 10Km North West off the shore of Bali’s mainland, the small island of Menjangan forms part of the West Bali National Park Conservation Area. The word "Menjangan" in the Javanese language means "Deer". According to Wikipedia, the name was given by the local population who observed wild deer herds swimming to the island every spring covering a distance of approx 1.2 miles. This small island is actually where diving first started seriously on Bali back in about 1978 under the sponsorship of the Indonesian Navy, when it arranged a get-together of the country’s main diving clubs -Possi, Ganesha, Nu
Read MoreWith a global reach extending into more than 85 countries, Preferred Hotel Group represents more than 650 of the finest hotels, resorts, and serviced residences in the world. Recently Preferred Hotel Group added nine new member hotels to their family of brands in North and South America, as well as Europe and the Middle East. CVK Park Bosphorus Istanbul, Turkey (A member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts) Located minutes from Taksim Square, CVK Park Bosphorus Istanbul is an expansive luxury property with 378 guestrooms and 60 suites. The lavish accommodations emphasize Turkish culture while featuring modern amenities like LCD televisions, a pillow menu with 10 options, minibar, and outstanding views of the city or sea. Guests can dine at any of six restaurant venues, serving everyth
Read MoreLooking for the happiest place on earth? Head straight for Denmark, which has yet again been named the world’s happiest country. According to the 2013 World Happiness Report, published by Columbia University’s Earth Institute for the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the Danes are the happiest people in the world, followed by the Finns, the Norwegians and the Dutch. The 158-page report ranks over 150 countries according to a ’life evaluation score‘ that takes into account a variety of factors such as wealth, government corruption, political freedom and job security. Its sources include the Gallup World Poll (GWP), the World Values Survey (WVS), the European Values Survey (EVS), and theEuropean Social Survey (ESS). Denmark also took the top spot in 2012...
Read MoreKoreastay is a Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) brand that certifies city accommodation. The selected homestays and guesthouses offer international visitors a special opportunity to experience Korean culture and lifestyle by living with a Korean family. The KTO selected 250 host families after conducting a strict assessment according to such criteria as their command of foreign languages, absence of a criminal record, residential environment, guestroom & cleanliness, service and convenience. Later this year, the KTO plans to certify further 200 host families. The KTO’s Koreastay program is attracting favorable reviews for its good, reliable accommodation, and has become hugely popular particularly among backpackers, school trips, cultural tour groups and people interested in Kore
Read MoreLocated in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand in Himalayan India, Hemkund Sahib gurudwara is among those rare places which provide an excellent mix of adventure and pilgrimage. Hemkund Sahib (also spelled Hemkunt) is a Sikh place of worship Gurudwara, known as Gurudwara Sri Hemkunt Sahib Ji, devoted to Guru Gobind Singh Ji (1666–1708), the tenth Sikh Guru, which finds mention in Dasam Granth, a piece of work believed to be narrated by Guru Gobind Singh Ji. It is situated at one end of a glacial lake surrounded by seven mountain peaks and each peak adorned by a Nishan Sahib on its cliff, it is located in the Himalayas at an elevation of 4632 meters (15,200 ft). Just like Valley of flowers (read: http://vagabondimages.in/2013/09/11/valley-of-flowers/) approach to Hemkund is also via Joshimat
Read MoreBordeaux and Brussels, have forged a partnership as a part of the restaurant festival eat! BRUSSELS.Behind this partnership was the idea of associating Bordeaux Wines with the restaurant festival eat! BRUSSELS, developed by VISITBRUSSELS on the initiative of the Brussels-Capital Region, and organised in September in the Bois de la Cambre. Bordeaux will be VISITBRUSSELS’s valued partner for the eat! BRUSSELS festival. Starting next year, the experience of savouring specialities cooked up by restaurateurs in Brussels will be combined with the pleasure of tasting different Bordeaux wines in the presence of wine-growers and sommeliers from Bordeaux.The concept of the “Bordeaux Wine Festival” has become a hotly anticipated biannual event in Bordeaux, attracting 500,000 visitors from France ...
Read MoreValley of Flowers is one of those places which one has to visit atleast once in lifetime. Located at varied height of more than 3200 metres, this UNESCO world heritage site (for natural biosphere) is in Uttarakhand state of India. On way to Badrinath from Rishikesh is famous temple town of Joshimath. Another 12 kilometres from there is Govindghat. From here is a trek to Ghangharia along the Laxman Ganga river. From Ghangharia, there are two route- one takes uphill right to Hemkund and another one left to Valley of Flowers, one of the most beautiful places on this earth, known for high altitude valley carpeted by a rare mix of natural flowers, herbs and shrubs. This is actually the time of the year, August-September, when valley is at its full bloom. Cloudburst in June this year, made mo...
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