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VPG-DVD-215 - NORTH VIETNAM In colonial times the Europeans referred to North Vietnam as Tongking. Today the Vietnamese people call it, Bac Bo. Hanoi is North Vietnam's lively capital city. It was here that in 1882 the French created their administrative headquarters and main capital city. Compared to other southeast Asian cities that have developed into modern metropolis' at breathtaking speed, Hanoi could be described as being a provincial city. The Hoh Chi Minh Museum, a three storey concrete building, was inaugurated in May 1990 to commemorate Hoh's one hundredth birthday. Den Dao Quan is one of the most beautiful Taoist temples in Vietnam and an oasis of tranquillity. It is a place dedicated to the worship of benevolent spirits and for those who believe in divine and spiritual natural powers. Haiphong is the most important industrial harbour town in North Vietnam and has a population of one and a half million. Under French rule thousands of workers built this city at record speed and the harbour was enlarged, making it the largest in Indo China. Hoa Binh is one of the north's less attractive provincial towns but this, the former centre of a prehistoric Bronze Age culture on the Black River, is the gateway to the mountains of the north. Located within a remote and mountainous landscape, the village of Ban Lac Thai is a peaceful place set within an elevated and fertile valley. It is believed that the Viet are related to the Thai people and originally separated from the Muong tribe when they cultivated the Red River Delta. Everywhere the Thai folk offer hand made arts and crafts for sale such as knitted blankets, woven cloth and numerous bags. From the nostalgic capital of Hanoi as far as the mountain tribes of the north, North Vietnam is a country of charm and beauty with natural wonders and ancient cultures full of age-old traditions and new hope for the future!
Vista Point NORTH VIETNAM
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 114 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m33s
Views: 13  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
VPG-DVD-130 - MADRID Madrid is Europe's most elevated metropolis, a royal capital of history, outstanding buildings and cultural treasures. Most of Spain's royal palaces are in Madrid, the capital of Spain since the 17th century. Including the Palacio Real that even today serves as a royal castle. The colossal building of grey granite and limestone owes its impressive appearance to its length of five hundred metres and strategic elevated location. On the southern side of the castle is Madrid's most recent cathedral, La Almudena. It boasts a combination of styles between New Gothic and Classical and was two hundred years in construction. Madrid also has a boulevard that has transformed it into a major metropolis, the Gran Via, that compares in both flair and dimensions with the exquisite streets of Paris and New York, with splendid noble buildings along with the contemporary. What the Gran Via a hundred years ago the Paseo De La Castellana achieved comparable renown at the end of the last millennium: a replica of Manhattan, the Zona Azca. A modern city district with spectacular skyscrapers and spacious streets where chrome, glass and concrete dominate the futuristic skyline. The royal splendour of former times has managed to successfully combine with the contemporary, and today Madrid is no less flamboyant - a city of historic joie de vivre!
Vista Point MADRID Spain
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 114 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m28s
Views: 11  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
VPG-DVD-115 - KRETA Crete is an island of light, the 'cradle of Zeus', with sun-drenched coastlines, picturesque villages and majestic mountains. No wonder that even the gods felt comfortable in this wonderful region of Greece. Heraklion is the capital of the largest and most southerly Greek islands, on which a highly developed culture has existed for 4000 years. The Venetians built massive fortresses to defend the island against the Turks The Gortys Ruins are reminders of the moving history of an old town that was prosperous in the 5th century B.C. when Gortys became the most powerful town of the Messara Plain and throughout the olive groves between the hills can be found the scattered remnants of its past cultural riches. With its beautiful sandy beaches, Matala is a popular coastal resort to which many come simply to experience the glorious sunsets in addition to the rich archaeological discoveries of the Phaistos Palace. Agia Galini is a quiet fishing village that, during the summer months, is a lively bathing resort on Crete's south coast. However, it has managed to maintain its original atmosphere with fishing boats in the harbour and crystal clear water lapping the shoreline, plus the allure of its tavernas and restaurants. The precipitous rocky coastline of Agia Roumeli is also the starting point of the Samaria Gorge that is regarded as the largest in Europe. Eighteen kilometres long and in places up to a hundred and fifty kilometres wide, the gorge stretches from the Libyan Sea right up to the heights of Lefka Ori. Picturesque harbours, ancient treasures, lost legends and Greek hospitality: who could possibly ask for more?
Vista Point KRETA Greece...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 114 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m24s
Views: 20  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
VPG-DVD-125 - JOHANNESBURG Johannesburg is the commercial centre of South Africa. Since gold was first discovered, everything has revolved around money and from the 50th floor of Africa's tallest building, The Carlton Towers, there is an all-engulfing view of the city's narrow streets and jungle of concrete and glass. The African Museum is a contemporary building and one of South Africa's most exquisite landmarks, it contains a large variety of geological exhibits and detailed accounts of the city's past surface mining that gave rise to the country's massive gold rush. The resistance to apartheid is also illustrated, as well as that of the history of Africa's native inhabitants who journeyed from present day Botswana to the south of the country. Gold Reef City is a large historical theme park that features the Johannesburg of pioneering times and focuses on the clothing, houses and entertainments of the country's golden years. On display are some of the old mining wagons that the workers used to transport the precious rock from the unforgiving mines and there's also a chance to see the liquid gold as it is turned into bullion and processed as gold coins. In contrast to Johannesburg, Pretoria grew at a calmer pace and has developed from a Boer farming municipality into South Africa's administrative capital. Located on a hill is the Vortrekker Monument that is a reminder of the Boers' Great Trek and, in 1830, the crucial battle in which they defeated the Zulus. Sun City is a magnificent fantasy world full of African ambience and the Sun City Hotel is the casino that made Sol Kerzner the richest man in South Africa, whereas the futuristic Cascades Hotel derived its name from its wonderful setting of waterfalls, pools and lush plant life. Johannesburg and this whole region of South Africa is THE sunshiny place to be!
Vista Point JOHANNESBURG...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 114 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m34s
Views: 14  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
VPG-DVD-176 - JAMAICA Montego Bay is Jamaica's second largest city that, at the end of the 18th century, was one of the most important harbours for the island's sugar industry. The lively city centre is a mixture of both old and new with modern concrete houses located next to simple wooden huts and congested streets with numerous small shops and street traders. Close to Falmouth there's the excitement of Martha Brae River Rafting which is an excellent way to explore this tropical paradise in which dense tropical rain forest shows off all its spectacular colours. It was here on the north coast that Christopher Columbus landed in1502 and where the Spanish were defeated by the British in a bloody battle for sovereign control of the island. Dunn`s River Falls is the name of a waterfall near to Ochos Rios, one of the island's most well known natural attractions. In swimming attire, more than a million annual visitors attempt to climb through spraying torrents of water whilst linking hands in a human chain. In foaming cascades, the water plunges 200 metres down toward the sea over step-shaped limestone blocks and across an overgrown landscape of ferns and plants. Harmony Hall, a Victorian building that is a reminder of British colonial rule, is the name of an immaculate manor house located on a turn of the century plantation. Today it contains a handicraft centre and also a gallery that displays the works of indigenous artists. James Bond Beach is the name of the former winter retreat of the English author, Ian Fleming, who created British secret agent, James Bond. The famous author wrote most of his fourteen 007 novels on the small island of Golden Eye, of which five were set in Jamaica. Expansive fields of coconut palms dominate the Sun Valley Plantation which continues a tradition that dates back 250 years. In addition to bananas, citrus fruits, papayas, melons and apples, various spices are also cultivated on the plantation. World famous for their coffee beans, the Blue Mountains represent breathtaking primeval nature with a hint of adventure, a further experience in this sun-scorched island.
Vista Point JAMAICA
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 114 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m34s
Views: 18  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
OTT-DVD-139 - For many years the infamous Bridge On The River Kwai has attracted a great deal of tourists to the city of Kanchanaburi. The bridge owes its worldwide fame to a novel by French author Pierre Boulle and a distinguished film by David Lean. However, due to its natural beauty, the province, which is located around a hundred and thirty kilometres west of Bangkok, is also a popular holiday area. With the creation of the Death Railway in the Second World War the Japanese planned to establish an alternative supply route across South East Asia built by POW's and forced labourers from all over Asia. The bridge has been moved from its original location as originally the railway viaduct was situated four kilometres further north. Despite this the historic bridge on the River Kwai has lost nothing of its fascination and historic significance and its somewhat plain and unspectacular construction of steel and concrete is in stark contrast to its moving and dramatic history. The longer the construction work continued, the worse the situation grew for the totally exhausted POW's. The back-breaking work, continuous under nourishment, the outbreak of cholera and the daily torture by the Japanese, took its toll and thousands of men died. In 1945 the Japanese destroyed all the documents that related to the death of the POW's and forced labourers. However, it is estimated that around sixteen thousand allied soldiers and up to one hundred thousand forced labourers from each corner of Asia perished. The seven thousand gravestones of the POW's that lie within Kanchanaburi Cemetery and the legendary River Kwai are a tragic reminder of one of the saddest chapters in the history of Thailand.
On Tour... RIVER KWAI...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 114 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m28s
Views: 10  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
GTR-DVD-1086 - Surrounded by the magnificent and captivating hills of Tuscan Crete are the rooftops and towers of Pienza, a small town with 2,500 inhabitants. The town's history is indelibly associated with Pope Pius The Second who had a unique and resounding influence on what was also his birthplace. The head of the Roman Catholic Church decided to transform his home village into a perfect town of the Renaissance. The cathedral's interior walls are covered with several beautiful paintings created by numerous master artists of SIENA one of whom was Lorenzo Di Pietro who is also known as 'Il Vecchietta'. In order to intensify the light within the cathedral, and following the wishes of the Pope, the walls were originally bereft of paintings. Despite numerous renovations instigated by Pius The Second, the character of the majority of the town's houses, streets and old alleyways has been retained to the present day. The „Street of Love", VIA DELL AMORE, or „The Road of Kisses", contains more than a little romance. Unfortunately, little remains of the old castle of Corsignano that, prior to the Pope's construction programme, was once located in the centre of the town. The death of Pius The Second in August 1464 brought with it the sudden end of Pienza´s golden years. Although the Pope's architectural ideals for the town were never fully realized he successfully transformed his home town forever. Global Treasures - History's Most Protected Monuments - Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage. Join us as we explore one of these protected monuments.
Global Treasures PIENZA...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 114 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m5s
Views: 10  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
GTR-DVD-1044 - The 4000 year old ruins of the Minoan Palace of Phaistos are scattered over a wide area of a picturesque hillside on the island of Crete.The first archaeological excavations took place between 1900 and 1909 and it soon became evident that these ruins, as well as further discoveries of the Minoan Epoch that date from around 1900 B.C., were the remains of the first highly developed culture of Europe. The multi-layered ruins and walls of the palace as they appear today are similar to the numerous cultural influences of ancient Crete. Libyan Megalith constructions with large limestone blocks combine with the wood, quarry stone and clay plaster of the semi-timbered buildings. Unlike classic Greek architecture, the Minoan constructions are not dominated or influenced by strict symmetrical lines. The facades of the buildings were given little importance by the people of Crete who instead focused on comfort and luxury from within, a fact demonstrated by the discovery of baths and a highly developed drainage system. No one could have foreseen that the once prosperous Minoan culture that left its traces in Phaistos would later be considered by historians to be the beginning of Europe's cultural development. Global Treasures - History's Most Protected Monuments - Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage. Join us as we explore one of these protected monuments.
Global Treasures Phaistos...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 114 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m14s
Views: 16  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
GTR-DVD-1101 - Around 7 kilometres southeast of Heraklion on the Greek island of Crete, is the Palace of Knossós, the largest of all the Minoan palaces, located on the picturesque, partly tree-covered Kefala Hill. As parts of the palace have been rebuilt, its former splendour makes a visit to Knossós even more worthwhile. At the beginning of the 20th century, large scale excavations of the former Minoan palace were carried out under the leadership of Englishman, Arthur Evans. In just three years, Evans and his team of archaeologists excavated an area of almost 20,000 square metres. Visitors can move around the newly built areas of the palace and imagine the former life of the Minoans. Almost all of the palace's 1200 rooms and splendid inner courtyards are asymmetrical which is in contrast to the subsequent Ancient Greek epochs of strict symmetrical architecture. As with other Minoan palaces in Phaistos and Malia, around 1700 B.C., the first palace in Knossós was destroyed by a devastating earthquake. Around 100 years later, the palace was rebuilt and was simply known as the 'New Palace'. These buildings have also been referred to as the 'Labyrinth of the Minotaurs'. But if the legendary Minotaurs actually resided in the Palace of Knossós, it has yet to be confirmed by the world of archaeology! Global Treasures - History's Most Protected Monuments - Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage. Join us as we explore one of these protected monuments.
Global Treasures Knossos...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 114 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m4s
Views: 23  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
GTR-DVD-1124 - The picturesque harbour of Iraklion welcomes those arriving by ship at Crete's greatest city that is also the fourth largest harbour in Greece. In common with much of the history of this city, the imposing castle located at the harbour dates back to Venetian times and was built between 1523 and 1540. Today the archaeological search for ruins from the time of the ancient Minoers has become increasingly more important. In addition, work on the ruins that date from the earlier history of the town, when it was ruled by Turkey, has also gained momentum. The remains that date back to Venetian rule, such as some sections of the massive town wall and the Loggia, are part of the town's most well preserved buildings. Built between 1626 and 1628, with its classic beauty the Venetian Loggia is one of the city's most beautiful buildings. During the 17th century the aristocracy used this building as a kind of social meeting place, a club house and celebration hall. Today, it is considered to be a fine example of traditional Venetian architecture. The Morosini Fountain dates back to Venice's prosperous years. It was once part of the town's urban water supply and was named after an important civil servant. Although the city has moved with the times and developed into an important centre of tourism, it has managed to retain a significant part of its history. Thus the old town of Iraklion owes its unique flair to the splendid architectural relics of the Venetians. Global Treasures - History's Most Protected Monuments - Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage. Join us as we explore one of these protected monuments.
Global Treasures...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 114 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m10s
Views: 13  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
GTR-DVD-1160 - South of the centre of Crete are the remains of a ruined basilica, the Christian remains of Gortys' former glory.For the construction of the basilica in the 6th and the 7th centuries many of the architectural elements of the surrounding ancient ruins were also used. During construction there was no lack of decorative old capitals, as Gortys was once one of the most important cities in Crete.Gortys became famous among archaeologists due to a sensational discovery within the walls of a nearby Roman Odeion. Twelve stone blocks that bore inscriptions from the Classical period of around 500 years B.C. were built into the wall of a small amphitheatre by its Roman creators. The stones contained sections of the great legal code of Gortys. In using this material the Romans managed to preserve one of the best kept legal texts of ancient Greece.Although nature has buried many of its treasures, even today a few magnificent statues still manage to reflect the former size and wealth of the city of Gortys.Global Treasures - History's Most Protected Monuments - Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage. Join us as we explore one of these protected monuments.
Global Treasures GORTYN...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 114 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m27s
Views: 17  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
GTR-DVD-1063 - On the Greek island of Crete, 23 kilometres south east of Rethimnon on a small plateau at the foot of the Psiloritis Mountains, is the Arkádi Monastery, a building that contains a moving history of the island's struggle for liberty against the Turks.The remote monastery was built in 1587 at the time of the 'Cretian Renaissance' and in November, 1866, nine hundred and sixty-four Cretians secured themselves within its walls in protest against the continued Turkish occupation of the island. Fifteen thousand Turkish solders assailed the monastery and an unequal fight began. One of the monastery's brave defender's set a fuse to the monastery's ammunition store which resulted in a massive explosion killing both attackers and defenders alike. Although the Arkádi Monastery doesn't contain any spectacular works of art, it possesses its own unique atmosphere and one that recalls a courageous struggle for the liberty of Crete. Global Treasures - History's Most Protected Monuments - Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage. Join us as we explore one of these protected monuments.
Global Treasures Arkadi...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 114 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m12s
Views: 12  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
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