Travelsmartplanet

This is a 1909 Packard Model 18 Gentleman’s Runabout found in the Antique Car Museum in Fort Lauderdale. It has a 4 cylinder 18 hp engine with 3 speeds. The lamps and lights are all acetylene, with kerosene side lamps and solid white rubber tires. This is one of only 11 left of the 802 produced by the Packard Motor Co., and of only 159 total that exist between the years 1899-1915.

Tags: acetylene, antique, antique car museum, broward, car, collection, company, county, cylinder, drivei95, engine, Florida, fort lauderdale, gentleman, i95, interstate95, kerosene, lamp, light, model, motor, Museum, packard, produce, roadtrip, rubber, runabout, speed, speedster, tire, travel, travelblogger, USA, year

This summer is your moment to finally get to see Cirque du Soleil AND enjoy a beach vacation at the same time. The show KOOZA  will be performing under their iconic blue and yellow tent from July 17 to August 16. If Patrick John Ross is playing Trickster, say hello from us.

However, Virginia Beach is way more than a beach and a circus full of fun:

– Zip through the trees at The Adventure Park at Virginia Aquarium
– Fly in a vintage airplane at the Virginia Military Aviation Museum
– Share the water with dolphins on an ocean kayaking excursion
– Eat a fresh oyster dinner, on a table in the middle of the water where you just caught them
–  Have a paragliding adventure
– Learn to hang ten – go surfing
– Take a selfie in the sky in the Cape Henry Lighthouse
– Pick fresh crab and then eat it fresh – on newspaper with the tide rolling in

www.visitvirginiabeach.com

Tags: Adventure, airplane, aquarium, aviation, beach, Cape Henry, circus, Cirque du Soleil, crab, dinner, dolphin, hang ten, kayak, Kooza, Lighthouse, military, Museum, newspaper, ocean, oyster, paragliding, park, Patrick John Ross, selfie, sky, surf, tent, tree, Trickster, vintage, Virginia, water, zip

Maman the Giant Spider

Most people would not think of taking children to an art museum. However, The National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa offers Artissimo,  one of the best children’s programs I have come across  – and at an amazingly reasonable price of only $24 for 2 adults and 3 children. They try to teach kids about the art through different senses.

– First up was the creation of Art Buddies, toys (like dolls or animals) which can be found in paintings. These exact reproductions are given to the kids to hold, and then they are pointed to galleries where they can try to find them in a painting. Our Marguerite Charlotte doll had golden curls intertwined with green ribbon, and was holding a little blue bird in her hand.

– Second fun activity was the touch box which the child wears around his neck. They can put their hands in the sides (like a muff) and feel textures inside. Each box relates to a painting which has these textures in it; they have to guess what they are feeling and what in the painting represents it: a feather, lace, fur, picture frame, etc.

– Thirdly, was a real hit for ages 4-10. In Sounds Like Art, they are given headphones which play sounds. In each gallery, they have to find a painting which would relate to that sound: water, a crying baby, horses’ hooves, crackling fire.

The Arts and Crafts Area

For completing these games, the kids are rewarded with collectors’ cards of the paintings.

– Lastly there is an arts and crafts area set up in the most beautiful setting possible – the Great Hall with its soaring windows. While they are creating their works of art, you (and they) can oogle the magnificent panoramic view of Parliament Hill, the Gatineau Hills and the Ottawa River.

The children also enjoyed finding the surprise garden (from above and at ground level), the ceiling water window in the lobby, the “sound sculpture” in the chapel and, of course, Maman, the giant spider outside.  And yes, there is also the fabulous collection of art. We spent 4 hours there easily.

Location: 380 promenade Sussex Drive, Ottawa ON K1N 9N4
Phone: 800-319-ARTS
Hours: Tues-Sun 10-5 (closed Mon Oct 1-Apr 30)
www.gallery.ca  www.beaux-arts.ca

Tags: activity, animal, art, baby, bird, blue, box, buddies, Canada, card, ceiling, chapel, children, collector, crackling, craft, cry, curl, doll, feather, fire, frame, fun, fur, galleries, gallery, game, garden, Gatineau, golden, Great Hall, green, hand, headphone, Hill, horse, kid, lace, lobby, Maman, muff, neck, Ottawa, painting, panoramic, Parliament, picture, reproduction, ribbon, river, sculpture, sense, soar, sound, spider, surprise, texture, touch, view, water, window

Old New Synagogue

The former Jewish Ghetto (now called Josefov) in Prague goes back to the 12th century. In fact, the oldest synagogue in Europe, the Old-New Synagogue, is still there and it is still used for its purpose, as there are regular services. An old legend says it was built of stones from the Second Temple in Jerusalem. This quarter was demolished in 1897. Today, there are 6 synagogues, the Jewish City Hall and the Old Jewish Cemetery from the 15th century. Notice the Rabbi’s house has gold decorations and the clock with hebrew letters which dates to 1674.

In 1389 the biggest anti-Jewish pogrom in the Middle Ages took place here, when about 3,000 citizens of the Jewish Quarter were killed, turning the walls of the Old–New Synagogue dark with blood. Their homes were plundered and burned.

However, in the 16th century, this quarter was thriving. Some of the synagogues we can still see were built then. The Maisel Synagogue houses an exhibition of the Jewish Museum in Prague. In the 1950’s, the Pinkas Synagogue became a Memorial to victims of the Holocaust. The walls of the nave, gallery and vestibule were covered with names of about 80,000 Bohemian and Moravian Jews. You can also see drawings of Jewish children made in the Terezin concentration camp between 1942 and 1944. There were more than 10,000 children under the age of 15 there. In 1577, the High Synagogue was built as a part of the Jewish City Hall, and the original vault with some Gothic features and stucco decoration still can be seen.

The Rabbi’s House

Nowadays, Paris St. in this area is one of the most popular places to live in Prague. If you get hungry, you can eat at the King Solomon kosher restaurant. Michelle Obama ate there when she was in town.

www.cosmos.com/Product.aspx?trip=46050

Tags: 16th, Bohemian, Budapest, burn, camp, cemetery, children, citizen, city, clock, Cosmos, Cosmos Tour: Prague Vienna Budapest, decoration, drawing, exhibition, gallery, ghetto, gold, Gothic, Hall, hebrew, high, Holocaust, home, hungry, Jerusalem, Jew, Josefov, kill, King Solomon, kosher, letter, Maisel, massacre, memorial, Michelle, Middle Age, Moravian, Museum, nave, Obama, Paris, Pinkas, plunder, Prague, quarter, rabbi, Restaurant, Second Temple, St, stone, stucco, synagogue, Terezin, tour, vault, vestibule, Vienna, wall

The Wittelsbach dynasty ruled the German territories of Bavaria from 1180 to 1918 – that’s 738 years,  pretty impressive.  Munich Residenz,  their former royal palace, is  located right in the center of Munich and very much open to the public. After 4 centuries of building it, the giant palace is made up of  many styles: late Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and Neo-Classicism.

Though spartan on the outside, it is very opulent inside. You can tour it for its architecture, over-the-top room decor (130 rooms), and displays from the former royal collections. After WWII, the Cuvilliés Theatre was built into the Festsaalbau wing. You can also catch the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Hercules Hall. In his time, Mozart performed in this palace.

The Treasury houses the jewels of the Wittelsbach dynasty and spans 1,000 years, from the early Middle Ages to Neo-classicism, and includes: crowns, swords, golden objects, rock crystal, ivory, goblets, icons, tableware and toiletries.

The palace suffered huge damages during WWII, but the curators managed to store furnishings, art and  details of its architecture in mines. When you are wandering around the 10 courtyards, see if you can find this fountain with statues of  fire, water, earth and air on its corners.

The Wittelsbach family’s head, since 1996, is Franz, Duke of Bavaria, and he still hangs out in Munich. During WWII, the Wittelsbachs were anti-Nazi and were arrested when Franz was 11. He spent time in several Nazi concentration camps. After the war, he studied at the University of Munich and became a collector of modern art. Some of his collection is on loan to the Pinakothek der Moderne Museum (see other post).

www.muenchen.de/int/en/tourism.html

Tags: age, Air, architecture, art, Baroque, Bavaria, Bavarian, camp, courtyard, Crown, crystal, curator, Cuvillies, decor, duke, dynasty, earth, family, Festsaalbau, fire, fountain, Franz, furnishing, German, Germany, goblet, gold, Hall, Hercules, icon, ivory, jewels, Middle, mine, modern, moderne, Mozart, Munich, Museum, Neo-Classicism, opulent, orchestra, palace, Pinakothek, radio, Renaissance, Residenz, rock, Rococo, room, royal, spartan, sword, symphony, tableware, Theatre, toiletries, treasury, university, wind, wing, Wittlesbach, WWII

If you’ve ever wondered what the letters BMW mean it’s for Bavarian Motor Works. You can get your fill of everything BMW by touring the BMW museum, located  just outside of Munich.

The blue and white colors and pattern on the car’s emblem are taken right from the Bavarian flag.

www.muenchen.de/int/en/tourism.html

www.cosmos.com/Product.aspx?trip=46050

Tags: Bavarian, Bavarian Motor Works, blue, BMW, car, color, emblem, flag, Munich, Museum, white

 Haus der Deutschen Kunst (“House of Aryan Art”) was the Third Reich’s first monumental structure of Nazi architecture and a showcase for  Nazi propaganda. It  opened  July 18, 1937 to highlight what the Third Reich regarded as Germany’s finest art.  Since Hitler thought Modern Art was crap, he intended this as an edifying contrast to it.

Ironically, since, 2002, it has housed the the National Collection of Modern and Contemporary Arts and is called the Pinakothek der Moderne.

Just to make sure we get it, crowning the top of the building are 20 words written in Yiddish such as “meshiginer or nudnick” – all words relating to the fact he was a fool.

www.muenchen.de/int/en/tourism.html

Tags: architecture, art, collection, Crown, fool, Germany, Haus der Deutschen Kunst, modern, modern contemporary, Munich, Pinakothek, propaganda, Reich, Third, yiddish

Harry Potter fans in Canada or anywhere else who wants to travel there, can see inside the famous wizard’s world,  Harry Potter: The Exhibition opened at TELUS World of Science – Edmonton.

You can see the amazing craftsmanship behind hundreds of authentic costumes and film props from all 8 of the Harry Potter films. The show immerses fans in the experience as they get a firsthand view of authentic artifacts displayed in detailed settings inspired by the film sets, including the Great Hall, Hagrid’s hut, the Gryffindor™ common room, and other settings from the films.

While touring through the exhibit space, discover iconic items such as Harry’s original wand and eyeglasses, the Marauder’s Map, Gryffindor school uniforms as well as costumes worn at the Yule Ball.  Enter the Quidditch™ area and toss a “Quaffle”, pull your own Mandrake, encounter Buckbeak™ the Hippogriff and even a giant Acromantula spider.

Edmonton is the 1oth stop for the exhibition which is concluding its global 5-year tour. Harry Potter: The Exhibition debuted in Chicago in 2009 and has since been touring the world with most recent stops in Tokyo, New York and Singapore. The exhibition has expanded in recent years to include artifacts from all eight Harry Potter films.

Dates: until Mar 9, 2014
www.telusworldofscienceedmonton.com

Tags: Acromantula, artifact, Buckbeak, Canada, Chicago, costume, craft, Edmonton, eyeglass, fan, film, Great Hall, Gryffindor, Hagrid, Harry Potter, Hippogriff, Mandrake, map, Marauder, New York, prop, Quaffle, Quidditch, school, science, setting, show, Singapore, spider, Telus, Tokyo, uniform, wand, wizard

VA Exit 177B: The movie, “12 Years a Slave”  has a connection to a slave site, now a Virginia museum, called Freedom House Museum. In 1808, a US law outlawed the importation of slaves. Still so necessary for plantation life, clever entrepreneurs did not let this stop the sale of slaves – they simply bred them! The slaves were encouraged to have as many children as possible so they could be auctioned off.

The last slave trader at this site, James H. Birch, was the same dealer who, in the movie,  paid kidnappers $250 for Solomon Northup of Saratoga Springs, NY; They then sold him into slavery in Louisiana. “What is unique about this building is it’s one of the few remaining buildings that the slave trade actually took place in.” said curator Julian Kiganda” who designed the exhibits here.

This building was once headquarters for the Franklin and Armfield Slave Pen, the largest and most successful domestic slave trading firm in America. “We will give Cash for one hundred likely YOUNG NEGROES”, read one of their ads in the Alexandria Gazette in 1828. “Persons who wish to sell, would do well to give us a call, as the negroes are wanted immediately. We will give more than any other purchasers that are in the market or may hereafter come into the market.”

Between the 1830’s and 1860’s Virginia exported more than 10,000 slaves a year to the Deep South, and the total may have reached 300,000, tearing families apart forever. The FREE museum is a must to absorb the personal stories of this black mark on the country’s history. “Everyone who comes through there, they feel moved.” says Kiganda.

Location: . 1315 Duke St., Alexandria, VA
Tel:  703-836-2858
www.freedomhousemuseum.org

Tags: Aleandria, America, auction, children, curator, entrepreneur, families, Franklin and Armfield, Freedom House, gazette, History, James H. Birch, Julian Kiganda, kidnap, Louisiana, negro, pen, plantation, purchase, Saratoga, slave, Solomon Northup, south, Springs, trader, Virginia

It costs $500 a year to join Patrons of the Vatican Museums which means you are a donor to the Vatican museums. For your basic membership, you get to jump the line at Vatican Museums – as in going straight in to the Sistine Chapel in the morning before anyone else. You get private tours of off limits galleries and restoration labs, special access to St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Gardens, priority seating at the Pope’s weekly general audience, and can score coveted tickets to Midnight Mass.

This is not necessarily for Catholics, but for anyone who is an art buff and eager for behind the scenes access. On top of that, it’s a good deal as it is tax deductible.

Three hundred and fifty of this fundraising organization (of about 2500) of Vatican lovers, had a 30th anniversary gala this year. The guests, art loving philanthropists,  were mostly from the US; They had become excited after seeing  a  traveling exhibit of Vatican treasures. For only $1900 a person, they enjoyed five days of touring, VIP treatment, lectures on museum restoration, catered dinners in museum galleries, question and answer periods with top official in the Secretariat about Vatican reform, vespers service in the Sistine Chapel – and even a one-on-one with Pope Francis himself.