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VPG-DVD-103 - TUSCANY Tuscany was named after the Etruskans, who were called 'Tusci' by the Romans. The kingdom was eventually divided into independent dukedoms and, from 1531, the Medici ruled, a family of businessmen and bankers. Capital of Tuscany is Florence, a city of art and joie de vivre and past home of important artists and sculptors such as Donatello, Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci, plus the writers Dante and Boccaccio, not to mention the scientist, Galileo Galilei. Lucca, one of Tuscany's most important historical towns, rises from the lower reaches of the Serchio river, on a former swamp. Dating from the Middle Ages, it is surrounded by a massive 4.2 kilometre long brick wall which helped the town retain its independence, and also protected it from the floodwaters of the Serchio. The precarious imperfection of The Leaning Tower Of Pisa is in stark contrast to the grandiose palaces and religious buildings of the Medici family and the natural contours of the hills and mountains of this European nirvana complete the connection between art and nature. Tuscany satisfies all the senses!
Vista Point Tuscany Italy
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m34s
Views: 30  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-105 - St. Petersburg In 1703, Tsar Peter the Great founded St. Petersburg in the swampy delta mouth of the Newa. It became Russia's capital city and remained so until 1918 when Lenin and his revolutionary Bolshevik government moved to Moscow. Today it is a living monument to the lives and times of Russia's Imperial Tsars The Winter Palace contains Russia's largest museum, the Eremitage, which houses more than two and a half million exhibits. Since Peter the Great, Russian rulers purchased many major works of art, but it was Catherine The Great who acquired complete collections from the auction houses of Europe. The Admiralty, with its needle-shaped, gold-plated tower, is one of the city's most famous landmarks, its grand architecture depicting the emergence of Russia as a naval power and the marvellous Isaaks Cathedral has the third largest dome in the world. Twenty four thousand tree stumps were used for its foundations and it can accommodate a congregation of 14,000. The Peter And Paul Cathedral was the burial place of the Tsars and it contains the marble coffin of Peter the Great. The most colourful church in Russia is the Resurrection Of Christ Cathedral which was built on the orders of Tsar Alexander the Third on land where, in 1881, his father, Alexander the Second, had been killed by a bomb planted by a revolutionary group. Russian Baroque and Russian Classicism were established in St. Petersburg -- city of monumental events, outstanding architecture and an Imperial metropolis on the grand scale.
Vista Point ST....
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m32s
Views: 33  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-101  - NEW ORLEANS Fun-filled metropolis at the mouth of the Mississippi, New Orleans is a cultural melting pot and the birth place of jazz. In 1682, the Frenchman, Robert Cavalier, declared this Mississippi region to be French territory and named it, 'La Louisiana'. However, Napoleon later accepted $15,000,000 from President Jefferson and in 1840 it was the fourth largest city in the USA. The Garden District is a sought-after residential area in which there is an abundance of magnolia trees, palms, shrubs and flowers, and the city's largest graveyard, the Metairie Cemetery, has over 7,000 graves and an array of spectacular mausoleums which astound the eye. Gumbo Soup, Jambalaya, Hurricane Cocktails and Dixie Beer are just a few of the traditional refreshments on offer in this carefree, non-stop city, yet, just outside, there are the swampy bayous alive with many exotic species, and the Oak Valley Plantations whose great wealth derived from the sugar cane industry prior to the American Civil War and part of which is reminiscent of some of the scenery from Hollywood's, Gone With The Wind. In the 19th Century, New Orleans was North American capital of the Voodoo cult and today it is a city of unique atmospheres, flavours, contrasts and Mardi Gras: an extraordinary city!
Vista Point NEW ORLEANS
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m19s
Views: 24  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-230 - IRELAND Ireland is one of Europe's most green and mysterious islands and everyone who visits this isolated island in the Atlantic Ocean is given a very warm welcome. Dublin is the capital of the Irish Republic and it is a city of musicians, poets and dreamers, as well as being a financial centre. Its many old buildings indicate its long and dramatic past. It was founded by the Vikings within a wonderful valley where the River Liffey flows into the Atlantic Ocean. South west of Dublin is Kildare, the heart of Ireland's horse racing. In 1902 the Irish national stud, Tully House, was founded there. Rich and eccentric Scottish brewery heir, Colonel William Hall-Walker, had the idea of a creating unique horse breeding scheme that would be based upon astrological calculation. The Wicklow Mountains are a natural paradise of mountains, swamps and lakes, beautiful valleys and a fascinating mountain landscape to the south of Dublin. Jerpoint Abbey near Thomastown dates back to the twelfth century. It is one of the most beautiful Cistercian ruins in Ireland. The Cistercians built the monastery in characteristic style and one of the stone sarcophaguses is said to contain the bones of Holy Nicolas who was buried there by the Crusaders. Although much of it has remained unspoiled, Ireland has undergone much change. It is a land of great natural beauty, healthy commercial success and excellent hospitality: a wild green island set in the wild Atlantic Ocean!
Vista Point IRELAND
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m32s
Views: 18  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-222 - HAMBURG Hamburg is a lively metropolis in the north of Germany and contains several green spaces, canals and lakes and provides a good standard of living for its inhabitants. Although known as a harbour city, Hamburg is located on the Elbe and is more than a hundred kilometres from the North Sea. Due to its huge river the sheltered harbour is accessible to large containerships. The Speicherstadt is part of the harbour and is the largest warehouse complex in the world and is crossed by canals that are known as fleets. It was once what amounted to a city of warehouses whose Gothic brick architecture with gables, pinnacles and arches created an extraordinary setting. The tower of St. Michaelis Church is lovingly known as 'Michel' and is one of the city's most famous landmarks and it is also one of the most beautiful Baroque buildings in the north of Germany, its white, grey and golden interior being particularly impressive. City Hall highlights the power of the autonomous Hansestadt Hamburg. This impressive building is supported by four thousand oak posts in the former swampland of the Alster. Hamburg is a green city on the water and gateway to the world: a European harbour that contains the spirit of distant lands!
Vista Point HAMBURG Germany
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m38s
Views: 18  | Comments: 0
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VPG-DVD-136 - CUBA Basking in the Caribbean sun, the island of Cuba lies between sun and socialism, rumba and revolution. Havana is the capital. In 1553, the Spanish conquerors designated Havana's harbour as a collection point for ships loaded with gold and silver from the new Spanish colonies and named the settlement, San Cristobal De La Habana. La Bodeguita Del Medio was once Hemmingway`s local and nowhere else is the 'Mojito' mixed better. Whether it be the Teatro Marti, the Old Tobacco Factory, the famous Bacardi House, or the Floridita Bar, everywhere there is a feeling of nostalgia. When the Daiquiri is served, one almost expects Fidel Castro to be sitting at the next table. Pinar Del Rio is a small but busy town in which the Red Star and portraits of Che Guevara are on display for all to see. In the old town, colourful houses with beautiful pillared corridors demonstrate the former wealth of the country's independent tobacco growers. A visit to a tobacco factory is a must. Cuba's cigars are world famous. Together with sugar, tobacco is the country's most important export. The oldest geological formation in Cuba are the Mogotes, well-weathered limestone peaks that, supported by pillars, once covered a large complex of caves. On seven manmade islands in the centre of the Cienaga De Zapata National Park, is the Indian village of Guama. This swampy nature reserve with its dense mangrove forest vegetation is an ideal sanctuary for many rare water birds. Legend has it that the Siboney Indians sunk all their possessions in the Laguna Del Tesoro to protect their gold from the Spaniards. No Cuban town has changed as little in two hundred years than that of Trinidad. In the 18th century, the city experienced great wealth and recognition due to the cultivation of sugar cane and the luxurious palaces and villas of the sugar barons still leave their mark on the city. Rich green tropical forests, tobacco country at the foot of mysterious mountain caves, humid tropical swamps, history, cigars and rum. Cuba is a colourful cocktail.
Vista Point CUBA
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m29s
Views: 18  | Comments: 0
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NPM-DVD-133 - The Petrified Forest National Park is located in Arizona in the USA. Long ago the region was covered by a dense forest and mighty rivers cut across the terrain. Water caused by heavy flooding forced dead trees to float to a low lying swampland. In the deep quagmire of the swamp and having, in effect, been hermitically sealed, the trees were subsequently covered by layers of sediment. Thus their further decomposition was halted. As the trees piled deeper and deeper into the swamp the petrification process began. Mud, sand and volcanic ash settled above the trees that gradually absorbed minerals from the surrounding moisture. Thus, hundreds of fossilised trunks developed that today are scattered across the prairie. Today, the Petrified Forest's formerly tall conifers are the most common examples of this stone world of plants that dates back to prehistory. The numerous colours of the pure quartz and various other varieties of the "stone trees" are quite remarkable and in stark contrast to the bright blue of the mostly cloudless sky. Most impressive is the millions of years old geologic phenomenon of the stone forest in the southern region that is situated only two kilometres from the entrance to the national park. In the Long Logs area that is located close to Giant Logs, there are hundreds of thousands of fossilised specimens. There are around three hundred archaeological sites in the park that range from small discoveries that have uncovered items of clay, to the incredible Pueblo dwellings of the Anasazi Indians. The Petrified Forest National Park combines the majestic brilliance of its petrifaction with the rugged beauty of a colourful desert. It is, without doubt, a unique masterpiece of Nature.
Nature Parks PETRIFIED...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m27s
Views: 12  | Comments: 0
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NPM-DVD-145 - Even for the African continent that is blessed with numerous beautiful natural landscapes, the Okavango Delta is truly unique. Covering a total area of more than fifteen thousand square kilometres the Okawango River is the largest inland delta in the world. It flows from the Bihé Highlands in Angola and travels down to the less elevated regions of the Kalahari Desert until it finally divides into a variety of creeks. The delta's relatively few visitors mean that the landscape is well protected and it also means that those who do come here can enjoy the scenery undisturbed. Rann's Camp has a first class range of facilities but such service comes at a price and it costs several hundred dollars per person per night, but to calm the shock one can enjoy a relaxing bathe in the camp's cool swimming pool. Wildlife abounds on the innumerable islands of the Okavango Delta that, with their lush vegetation, are a true paradise for many kinds of herbivore. Today the islands of the delta are not frequented by poachers because the terrain is far too difficult and inaccessible for them. Thus in these parts, the elephant, the largest mammal in Africa, is in no danger of being shot for its ivory tusks. Most of the Delta's giraffes live on the seventy-five kilometre long and twenty-five kilometre wide, Chief's Island. In addition to its lush vegetation and diverse natural habitats, the lagoons, swamps and forests of the Delta make it one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. The Okavango Delta is one of the last great wildernesses in Africa and is something altogether special. The scenery is so beautiful that it often resembles a wonderful painting, than mere reality, a place in which myth and the captivating magic of Africa have survived right up to the present day.
Nature Parks OKAVANGO...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m32s
Views: 17  | Comments: 0
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NPM-DVD-111 - Nature Parks  MISSISSIPPI SWAMPS New OrleansNew Orleans is synonymous with good food, jazz and Mardi Gras and it was here that history was created: founded by France, conquered by Spain, bought by President Jefferson and occupied by theYankees! New Orleans also possesses the second largest harbour in the USA and even today they shout, „Full speed ahead!" as paddle steamers negotiate 'Ol Man River', the grand waters of the Mississippi that flow to the Mississippi Swamps. The Swamps are extensive and only experienced boatmen can find their way around the mass of main and side tributaries as it's easy to become disorientated, sight of the sky often being lost due to the density of the trees. In the past 5,000 years the Mississippi had seven different deltas prior to it being reinforced by embankments. When dykes strengthened the river, some side channels remained and these are the famous small rivers known as the Bayous, a labyrinth of small tributaries and waterways. ‚Cowens' is the name of the oldest life form in the swamp, a turtle that grows to about 10 to 25 centimetres long and feeds mainly on small fish and aquatic animals. Almost 30,000 hectares of swampland have been declared a nature reserve in which the complex balance between salt and freshwater reigns supreme and, when viewed from above, has the appearance of a strange network of city streets. The Delta area provides ideal conditions for many feathered species, including around four million ducks and also the national symbol of the USA, the white-headed sea eagle and the variety of animals living in this region, most notably the alligator, is also vast and includes beaver and racoon. The wonderful world of the Swamps with their legends and myths draw the traveller under their spell, a bewitching labyrinth of infinite waterways each one holding a special fascination. The allure of Nature is surely as puzzling as the innermost secrets of the Mississippi Swamps!
Nature Parks MISSISSIPPI...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m33s
Views: 14  | Comments: 0
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NPM-DVD-138 - Around five kilometres beyond the city of Bharatpur is one of the most fascinating wildlife reserves on the Indian subcontinent, Keoladeo Ghana. Accompanied by the park's experienced guides, the first leg of our journey travels across a well-worn route to Python Point that, due to its population of Tiger Pythons, most assuredly lives up to its name. Despite the picturesque landscape the local maharajas were more interested in the region's wildlife, especially the population of wild duck In the middle of the 19th century the maharajahs recognized the merits of this newly created habitat and officially declared it to be their very own hunting grounds. Unlike today, the numerous water birds of Keoladeo Ghana were not protected but instead were hunted for sport. The park's varied scenery is quite remarkable. Low-lying forests, shrubberies, swampland and savannah-like grasslands influence the external appearance of this fascinating nature reserve. In the north east of the park the dry forests consist mainly of the babul tree, a unique variety of acacia tree, and rose apple. For many visitors the remoteness of the park is in stark contrast to life in India's lively, noisy and hectic cities. However, this world famous bird sanctuary is located close to civilization and also to a good network of roads. Yet motor vehicles are few and far between in Keoladeo Ghana where the bicycle rickshaw is the most common means of transport. Few bird sanctuaries in the world provide visitors with such a variety of bio-diversity and scenic beauty as does the Keoladeo National Park.
Nature Parks KEOLADEO...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m32s
Views: 8  | Comments: 0
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NPM-DVD-105 - Nature Parks  EVERGLADES FloridaThe Everglades Nature Park is located in the far South East of Florida and covers an area of around 3,500 square kilometres. Beyond the protection of the park, the neighbouring swamps are a major fascination of this region. The textures of the landscape are both rugged and soft and its infinite waterways and riverbanks conjure up a strong sense of adventure. There are alligators, racoons, pelicans, heron, ibis, and two hundred and seventy-five species of fish including the manatis - a docile sea cow that weighs well over a ton - as well as more than four hundred species of bird. There's a replica of an original Miccosukee Indian village that has been transformed into an historical museum and the tiny settlement also contains a variety of well-stocked shops with an array of traditionally crafted Indian products. An unusual vehicle that seems to be related to a tractor, but a more elevated version, is an ideal way to journey through the thick mud of the swamp, passing racoons and even alligators along the way. Numerous legends surround these mysterious, natural swamps, and some of the faces of its natural inhabitants - alligators, racoons and birdlife - reflect the stories and history of this unique, highly atmospheric and fascinating nature park.
Nature Parks EVERGLADES...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m42s
Views: 10  | Comments: 0
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NPM-DVD-123 - Nature Parks  CAMARGUE Provence, FranceNowhere else are both countryside and waterscapes more attractive. In France, amongst the spacious tributaries of the Rhone is the romantic region of the Camargue. Once considered as hostile terrain, today this swampy area is becoming increasingly popular, which is not surprising with the large variety of impressive locations that this fascinating region has to offer and the region's traditional white horses that are famous throughout the world. Bright fields of sunflowers are everywhere yet the Camargue is more well known for its cultivation of rice. In the high season of the summer months, of which the inhabitants of the small town of Saintes-Maries-De-La-Mer numbers around a thousand, the population increases ten fold. The fortified exterior of the pilgrimage church of Notre-Dame-De-La-Mer that was built on the site of an early Christian chapel is a reminder of this region's dramatic past. Legend has it that its beach was the starting point for the subsequent spread of Christianity in Provence. In addition to its significance as a place of pilgrimage, life in the village centres around the Camargue bulls and it even contains a bullring! Just as with Provence the beauty of the Camargue has attracted numerous famous painters and artists who were inspired by the wild tranquillity of this area and the landscape itself is like a painting when suddenly a collection of water lilies can bring to mind a famous impressionistic painting by Monet. The region's outstandingly beautiful and harmonious combination of water, air and earth is unique in Europe. The French poet, Daudet, was absolutely right when he described the Camargue as the 'most beautiful swamp in the world!'
Nature Parks CAMARGUE...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 209 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m33s
Views: 13  | Comments: 0
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