La Maison Radieuse
During the reconstruction of the city of Nantes in the ’50s, after World War II, and having the idea of relieving the housing shortage at that time, Le Corbursier conceived La Maison Radieuse, one of the unité d’habitation (unit room) that have become a landmark in the twentieth century’s civil architecture which later, served as inspiration for many European cities.
The first of these Unité d’habitation was built in Marseilles. Later on, in 1955, was built a very similar version but slightly refined in Rezé, just 3 or 4 miles from Nantes.
At first sight, it is surprising that this building with symmetrical structure and vivid coloured windows in contrast to the gray of its structure was so revolutionary at that time. The idea was that the 294-duplex-apartments building would work formally and functionally independent as a boat. For that purpose, he included games communal areas and gardens.
Nowadays, most of the apartments are inhabited, but a few can be visited in this sort of original House-Museum.
Imagen de Pymouss44
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more infoGoethehaus
German writer Johann Wolfgang Goethe on August 28th, 1749. The same house where he lived and wrote some of his masterpieces, right on Frankfurt’s oldtown, can be visit nowadays, after more than two centures, restored and in perfect condition. The four floors of the house are an invaluable testimony about society and life in Frankfurt in the 18th century.
Many of the exhibitis were removed for safety during bombings on the World War II but, after the house was rebuilt, these pieces returned in perfect condition.
All the information panels audio guides, on German and English, provide all the insights necessary to immerse the visitor in the Age of Romanticism.
The museum next to the house also worth a visit: beautiful artworks by Goethe and other artists from the same era, a a surprisingly good collection of late-18th and early-19th century art.
The house and the museum are open every day, from 10am to 6pm, Sunday and holidays till 5:30pm. Tickets cost 7€ (general) and 3€ (reduced price). Group prices and tours are available.
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Pepperkakebyen. El pueblo de galleta de jengibre.
One of the food we normally associate with Christmas dates are ginger cookies. Along with rice pudding is one of the most typical christmas desserts that never miss in a table in Norway. Kids enjoy helping mothers to prepare cookies to eat them as a dessert with all the family.
Though the cookies with Gingerbread Man's shape –also known as Gingy- are the most popular, the true is that there are no limits when preparing these sweet creations made of ginger and aromatized with cinnamon or honey: they may be oven cooked like Santa Claus, christmas tree or even you may build up a whole city of them.
In Bergen they know this fact quite well. From Christmas in 1991, the city center -Torgallmenningen- becomes the sweetest place in the world with the creation of Pepperkakebyen- the Ginger cookie's biggest town in the world-. They create tiny little houses, trains, cars and ships made of ginger bread, candy canes and they use glass sugar to stick all together.
Everybody helps to make this ginger town grow up, from kindergarden children to school kids that contribute with their own creations. That is why every year Pepperkakebyen is visited by thousands of tourists attracted by its magic and who want to be wrapped with the christmas spirit. It will be open the whole month of December.
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more infoPoblado Spaghetti Western Townslos Spaghetti Western
About 30 kilometres from Almeria is Tabernas, a very dry desert region of Spain that is one of the driest areas in Europe. In spite of that, the area has cultivated a certain tourism charm due to having been used as the set for numerous spaghetti westerns (including For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) and over one hundred westerns.
Some of those sets are still standing; three Western towns that Sergio Leone built for his films and that have since become a tourist attraction for people wishing to see live shows performed by stuntmen. They are: the town of El Fraile, the so-called Mini Hollywood, the first to be built and the set used on For a Few Dollars More; the larger town of Fort Bravo, which was used on ‘For a Few Dollars More’ and ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’; and Western Leone.
It is also possible to explore the Tabernas Desert nature reserve by following the numerous low-difficulty hiking routes that have been prepared for visitors.
Picture by Gordito1869
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