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VPG-DVD-116 - SINGAPORE Singapore is a city of gardens and the heart of South East Asia. Its history began in 1819 with Stamford Raffles, a young official who worked for the British East India Company. Raffles estimated that the natural harbour was perfect for trading ships and so he bought the land from the Sultan of Johor and founded a trading settlement. As a free port, Singapore attracted trading ships from all over the world and today four million people live here on an area that covers 640 square kilometres. In June each year there is an exciting boat race in Marina Bay known as the Dragon Boat Race that features magnificently painted dragon boats with hand-carved heads and tails accompanied by the sound of frenetic drumbeats. Dating back to colonial times, British influence is omnipresent, whether the Cricket Club or the Parliament, traditional English spirit rules despite Singapore's Independence. The World Famous Raffles Hotel is situated in the Colonial District near to the Singapore River. In the hotel's Ashanti Bar it was customary to throw expired peanut shells directly onto the floor and at the same time to reverently sip a Singapore Sling, the national drink. The Singapore Zoo is one of the finest in the world in which the animals can roam freely, their territory being surrounded by a landscaped ditch. Approximately 2800 animals live in the spacious enclosures and even those from the world's coldest regions can be observed both below and above water, thanks to cleverly designed viewing areas. A complete mix of ethnic cultures, there's Chinatown, Little India and the Arab Street Quarter in which there are mosques, women wear burqas and there is all the hustle and bustle of a bazaar. Singapore is an exotic city of skyscrapers, a cultural melting pot and the exciting gateway to South East Asia!
Vista Point SINGAPORE
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m42s
Views: 28  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-117 - MARRAKESH Marrakesh, the 'red pearl' of Morocco was founded by Youssef Ben Tachfin in 1602. It is one of the country's four Royal Cities. Up to the beginning of the 20th century the city was a trading centre for both the north of Morocco and the Sahara and the monarchs of various dynasties made Marrakesh their capital city. The large souks of Marrakesh's Medina are divided into numerous sections and stock just about everything known to Man! In spite of the city's apparent calm there is much activity and the traffic is surprisingly well disciplined. Marrakesh has the largest souks in Morocco. As well as shoes and clothing they stock all the necessities of life and of course bargaining and haggling are the norm! Daily life in the souks is dominated by trade. They are a vital meeting place and trading centre for the farmers of the High Atlas. Those who wish to experience Moroccan daily life can do so here and a stroll through the narrow alleys taking in the city's sounds and aromas explains far more than any travel guide. Place Jemaa El-Fna is the 'Square Of The Beheaded' and is Marrakesh's most famous attraction with snake charmers, musicians and storytellers. In 2001 the Square Of The Beheaded was designated by Unesco as a World Heritage Site. Built in 1158, the minaret of the Koutoubia Mosquee is the symbol of the city. The seventy seven metre tall sandstone minaret served as the model for the Giralda in Seville and the Hassan Tower in Rabat and most of it was built by Spanish prisoners of war. Marrakesh is an historic bridge that unites both urban and nomadic cultures - an exotic gateway to Africa and a captivating window to Europe!
Vista Point MARRAKESH Morocco
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m32s
Views: 36  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-203 - YANGON Yangon is a river city and the capital of Myanmar. A country surrounded by India, China, Laos and Thailand with a fascinating mêlée of tribes and cultures plus a tranquil harmony of churches, pagodas, Hindu temples and mosques. Here, contrast is all, and that makes Yangon unique! The Chaukhtatkyi Pagoda contains one of the largest prone Buddha statues in the world. Its length makes up for its lack of artistry as it is seventy metres long. Over six hundred monks live in the adjoining monastery that was founded in 1907 for the study of Buddhist scripts that are known as 'Palikanums'. Three seasons determine the climate of this subtropical country: the cool of winter, the heat of summer and the monsoons when it rains for most of the afternoon and entire regions are flooded. But then follows the lush green sight of endless paddy fields. In Yangon the early morning is the best time to travel to the nearby city of Bago which was once the capital of the Second Burmese Realm. It was thought by Europeans to be the most magnificent city in the East, a fact highlighted by its many splendid monuments. The city of Yangon is like travelling back in time to the colonial days of British Rangoon and hopefully this fascinating city will continue to be a golden fairy tale behind a tantalising bamboo curtain!
Vista Point YANGON Myanmar
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m27s
Views: 28  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-153 - TUNIS Tunis is the capital of Tunisia and this 'Paris' of North Africa is a metropolis with a long history. In the centre of the medina the domed roof of the souk encircles the Olive Tree Mosque the spiritual centre of the old town. The central market district dates back to the Hafsidic and Early Christian period. Here there's something for everyone, many of the goods being skilfully crafted under the watchful eye of prospective purchasers and while strolling through the markets it's like being part of an Arabian fairy-tale with all the magic of the One Thousand And One Nights. The tall, octagonal minaret of the Sidi Youssef Mosque is an example of Tunisia's earliest Syric building design and opposite is the Dar El Bey, former palace of the Turkish monarchs. Dar Ben Abdallah is a splendid palace that dates back to the 18th century and since 1975 has incorporated a folklore museum that is well worth a visit. A large cool courtyard is dominated by a central marble fountain and surrounded by both residential and official rooms. The lavish lifestyle of the 19th century is on full display in numerous rooms with precious furniture and crystal chandeliers as well as beautifully attired life-size dolls. Today Bardo is an elegant suburb of villas but in the 19th century the Turkish Beys built their palace district within it and the former harem today contains the majestic Bardo Museum. Tunis has all the wonderful atmosphere of this region's historic and colourful past.
Vista Point TUNIS Tunisia
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m21s
Views: 21  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-177 - SEVILLA Seville is a gem of a city and Andalusia's most fascinating metropolis. In the centre of the old town is the Real Alcazar that was originally home to numerous Moorish monarchs and later the domicile of Spanish kings. It's said to be the oldest and most fascinating palace complex in the whole of Europe. Christopher Columbus was welcomed in the palace when he returned from his second voyage to America after having established a trading route with the New World. Its unique mixture of numerous cultures and époques augments the atmosphere of exquisite luxury. With its labyrinth of white alleys, Santa Cruz is the city's old Jewish district and is located close to both the Real Alcazar and the Catedral. Grated windows, flowerpots on the walls and old wooden gates are typical of this area of the city that exemplifies the traditional Andalusian way of life. The Plaza De Toros and the seasonal hustle and bustle of its bullfights, dominates the El Arenal, the city's former harbour district. Designed in the 18th century by Vicente San Martin, the bullfight arena was fully restored in the middle of the 19th century. The Giralda and the Patio De Los Naranjos are the only remains of Sevilla´s Almohadian Mosque. The rest of the temple was destroyed by the Christians. Construction began in 1401 and it became the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. After the Petersdom in Rome and St. Paul's in London it is the third largest Christian building in the world. With its rich cultural inheritance bequeathed by both the Moors and the Christians, Seville is a truly incredible city with a flamboyant way of life and fiery Latin temperament!
Vista Point SEVILLA Spain...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m35s
Views: 19  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-137 - RABAT Rabat is the capital of Morocco and also its royal seat of power. The main residence of King Mohammed the Sixth is a fascinating modern metropolis. Along with its monumental works of art the fourth oldest of the Makhzen cities is also one of Morocco's most important. Cafés and workshops reflect daily life and most of the city's souks are divided into specialised areas with items such as leather goods, blankets and carpets for sale: and with a little haggling it's possible to purchase quality handicrafts at a very modest price! The Kasbah Des Oudaias was built by Yacoub El Mansour in the 12th century. It is located at Rabat's most elevated point and is like a village within the city. The eight metre high wall once protected the Kasbah and its inhabitants and the fortress is inhabited to the present day. Barred windows create an Andalusian ambience. The Kasbah is one of the most popular though most expensive addresses in Rabat. Throughout the centuries the Moroccan coast was dominated by pirates but the might of European colonialists put an end to their dubious activities. The mausoleum of Mohammed the 5th was built in 1967 and the tomb complex contains a mosque, a mausoleum and a small memorial that contains images of the king. At the end of the 12th century Yacoub El Mansour constructed the largest mosque in the Maghreb. At a height of sixty metres its minaret was taller than any other in North Africa. Four hundred columns support the prayer room and it has fourteen gates. Rabat is a fascinating capital city and royal residence. An exotic world that lies between both occident and orient.
Vista Point RABAT Morocco
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m35s
Views: 23  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-194 - PALERMO Once known as the stronghold of the Mafia, Palermo, the capital of Sicily, has gradually improved its image and the joie de vivre of its inhabitants has turned it into one of the most lively cities in Italy. The monumental Palermo Cathedral is located on the edge of the Piazza Cathedrale, throughout the centuries a place for rendezvous, celebrations and justice. Following the city's conquest by the Saracens an ancient cathedral on this site was transformed into a Friday mosque and was later used for Christian ceremonies. When in 1072 the Normans conquered the island they were so captivated by this 'paradise on earth' that they were careful to preserve it. They admired its oriental splendour and Arabian-Norman architecture but when the kings of Aragon attained power the golden age of Palermo came to an end. The Castello Della Zisa is the largest building of Arabian design in Palermo and in former times it was a residence situated within a regal park that was used for the royal sport of hawking. In a mountain area close to Palermo is the picturesque town of Monreale, a townscape that for more than eight hundred years has been dominated by a single building: Monreale Cathedral was built due to a struggle for power between the Bishop Of Palermo and the Norman King, William The Second. The Sicilian metropolis of Palermo has been both feared and loved but it most assuredly remains 'a flower within a golden shell'.
Vista Point PALERMO Italy
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m28s
Views: 24  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-150 - MEKNES Meknes is one of Morocco's four royal cities and became famous due to its megalomaniac monarch, Sultan Moulay Ismail who is also known as Morocco's Sun King. The cruel and despotic sultan made Meknes the mightiest fortified city in North Africa. Moulay Ismail had an army of a hundred and fifty thousand men who were stationed at each of the country's main strategic points. Included in his royal household was a harem of six hundred wives of various races as well as countless children and a large retinue of African slaves. His former residence, the Heri and Dar El-Ma Complex, contained fifty palaces that were divided by way of gardens, barracks and stables in which there were twelve thousand horses. The Medina of Meknes is a World Heritage Site and contains both medieval and modern architecture. The old town consists of the Ville Imperiale, the ruins of the palace complex and also the Medina with it residential and commercial districts. It also includes the former Jews Ancien district and the Nouveau Mellah that is now known as Riad. The Medersa Bou-Inania is one of the most important buildings in the Medina. Its courtyard contains a shell-shaped well that is used for ritual bathing. The ground marble and alabaster stuccowork is decorated with objects made with fine spatulas. The Great Mosque was founded by the Almohads but was altered during the time of the Meridis and provides a close insight into the world of Islam. The Berber tribe of Meknassa first gave this city its name but following thousands of years of dramatic history the former royal city of Meknes remains an enigma to the present day.
Vista Point MEKNES Morocco
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m18s
Views: 17  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-139 - LISBOA Lisbon is a white city located on Portugal's River Tejo and is flamboyantly beautiful and full of melancholy, and also lively and bursting with colourful joie de vivre. The Praca Dom Pedro is more commonly known as the Rossio. At the northern end of the square is a former palace that has been transformed into a national theatre. The main square was once the setting of bull fights and up until 1820 and the Spanish Inquisition so called heretics were burned at the stake. The medieval Sé Patriacal Cathedral stands defiantly on a hillside. Following the Christian conquest the city's bishops' church was built on the foundations of a former mosque to commemorate victory over the Moors. On the city's highest hill is the marvellous Castelo De Sao Jorge. Since times immemorial this fortified complex has stood guard above the mouth of the Tejo. Little remains of the former Moorish royal residence in which Vasco Da Gama´s journey to India was once celebrated. Electricos is the name of Lisbon's unique trams that travel noisily through the old town They are an indelible feature of the city and negotiate the city's twisting alleys like an ancient roller-coaster within streets so narrow that pedestrians are forced to seek refuge in the nearest doorway. On the banks of the Tejo on the outskirts of the Belem district is the Mosteiro Dos Jeronimos. This superb historical building with its snow-white façade and adornments and figures in playful Manuelistic style dominates the entire city. Lisbon continues to be Portugal's unchanged treasure right up to the present day.
Vista Point LISBON Portugal
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m18s
Views: 17  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-226 - KUALA LUMPUR Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's modern capital city, is relatively young. It originated in the middle of the nineteenth century at the junction of the Gombak and Kelang Rivers. The Petronas Twin Towers are one of the city's main landmarks. Each tower is four hundred and fifty two metres tall connected by a breathtaking bridge. The façade of this unique architectural gem is particularly splendid in bright sunlight or when illuminated at night. The old Masjid Jamek Mosque is situated in the centre of the city on the precise spot where the city was founded. Several prayer halls, and an inner courtyard that contains palm trees, make the mosque into a tranquil oasis. The Sultan Abdul Samad Building, the largest building in Merdeka Square, extends for more than two hundred metres. This splendid Moorish style building with onion-shaped towers and a central clock tower was designed in 1897 by architect A.C. Norman. Malaysians dance at every opportunity. Although traditional clothing and dance styles change from region to region they always convey the same expressions of love, emotion and passion. Traditional festivals also feature dances where the men and women dance together without touching. The Zoo Negara provides a good insight into the animal kingdom of Malaysia and South East Asia. The enclosures are extremely spacious. From the ostrich to the imposing Seladang wild buffalo there are also rare animals such as the orang-utan and tapir. Hardly any other capital city on Earth offers as many contrasting sights and multicultural impressions. Tradition, history, the past, present and future, each is harmonically united in the pulsating metropolis that is Kuala Lumpur.
Vista Point KUALA LUMPUR...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m28s
Views: 19  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-190 - DELHI Delhi is the political and administrative capital of India and the largest democracy in the world, a melting pot of both culture and religion plus a constantly expanding metropolis that has more than ten million inhabitants. Built on the site of twelve former cities it is the gateway to India and has been the country's centre of power for almost a thousand years. Jama Masjid, the Friday Mosque, is one of old Delhi's main landmarks, bequeathed to the city by the Mogul king, Shah Jahan. Its huge inner courtyard accommodates twenty thousand. Raj Ghat is a memorial to the country's former political leaders and once contained the funeral pyres of Mahatma Ghandi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Ghandi. Rajpath is the name of an impressive three hundred metre wide road flanked by green swathes and luxuriant fountains, remnants of British Imperial rule. The National Rail Museum contains an interesting collection of nostalgic locomotives, carriages and memorabilia and for those who do not wish to risk a journey on India's present day over-packed trains, the museum provides the perfect opportunity to imagine how it must have been on the Indian railroads of old. The Safdar-Jang Mausoleum was built in the final years of Mogul rule and is an architectural monument of this golden era. It contains each design element of this epoch, with a terrace-like substructure, painted stucco and a dome. No other city in this huge and diverse country demonstrates the dramatic history of India with all the intensity of colour as Delhi.
Vista Point DELHI India
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m33s
Views: 13  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-228 - DAMASCUS Damascus is the capital of Syria and is a symbol of culture in the Near East. A hundred kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, the strategically located city was once the capital of the Umayyad. Cannons, the busts of various presidents and military vehicles are displayed in the large courtyard of the Takiyeh Mosque, an ancient Dervish monastery complex. Built in 1554 and designed by Ottoman master architect, Sinan, it also includes an adjoining inn for the numerous pilgrims who travelled to Mecca. Damascus has always been much prized: by the pharaohs and the Babylonian monarch, Nebukadnezar, and later, Alexander The Great. Then came Persian, Roman and Islamic emperors followed by the Crusaders and Mongols. The Kalaa Citadel is situated on the periphery of the old town that was once surrounded by huge walls. It was from here that Saladin fended off the attacks of the Crusaders. The Romans built a fort here that was constantly extended with impressive walls and towers and located directly outside the city wall, the River Barada was also of strategic importance. Although the Mongols destroyed the inner buildings, the fortress walls survived. The Suq is an important part of every Islamic city, a market that originated in ancient times. Thousands of shops in numerous interconnected lanes form the commercial heart of Damascus. In the Gold Suq everything glitters, bracelets, rings and even a large variety of kitchen utensils. Damascus has for thousands of years been a place desired by the powerful. Yet it has managed to survive and is still the most beautiful capital city in the Near East.
Vista Point DAMASCUS Syria
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m25s
Views: 9  | Comments: 0
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