Week of BLOG PRESENTATIONS
LET'S CELEBRATE!!!!!
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Week 10 - Ireland's most world famous holiday
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| Courtesy of Free All Images |
Living in the USA for almost five years now, I realized that Americans just love to throw parties and celebrate any occasion. Every month is dedicated to one or more particular holiday(s) - with Christmas in December being the most valued. This month's holiday is a European one. It's St. Patrick's Day.
How many people actually know why it's celebrated though? My answer would be: not too many. So, let's take a look at St. Patty's history.
According to our favorite website Wikipedia ;), Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a cultural and religious
celebration occurring annually on March 17, the death date of the most commonly-recognized patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461).
Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early seventeenth century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutheran Church. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, as well as celebrating the heritage and culture of the Irish in general.
Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. Christians also attend church services, and the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol are lifted for the day, which has encouraged and propagated the holiday's tradition of alcohol consumption.
In the United States, more than 100 St. Patrick's Day parades are held across the country; with Boston and New York City being the home of the largest celebrations.
Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early seventeenth century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutheran Church. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, as well as celebrating the heritage and culture of the Irish in general.
Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. Christians also attend church services, and the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol are lifted for the day, which has encouraged and propagated the holiday's tradition of alcohol consumption.
In the United States, more than 100 St. Patrick's Day parades are held across the country; with Boston and New York City being the home of the largest celebrations.
Did you know that more than 34 mio. U.S. residents claim Irish ancestry? That's more than seven times the population of Ireland. If you want to read up on more interesting facts about St. Patrick's Day, check out this graphic.
Monday, March 9, 2015
Week 9 - Oops, where did time fly?!
Courtesy of writechangegrow.com
What day is it? And, what time? The weekend already passed? Oh no!! We all know this feeling. The feeling of "Wait, wasn't something due today/yesterday/the day before yesterday"?
YES!!!
Whoops, I guess I missed the deadline for last Friday's blog. Not a good thing in professional journalism - at all. So, I am lucky that this is "only" a college class that is part of my journey, and everyone makes mistakes.
However, I didn't want to miss this entry because I greatly looked forward to talking a bit about time travel - a really cool way of moving from one place to another. We all experienced it last weekend. You don't believe me? Oh come on, I know you did (unless you were on a different continent than North America).
March 8, 2015 was when all people - yes, including YOU - on this continent traveled from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. in the blink of an eye. Whaaaat? Yeah, some folks refer to this way of traveling also to daylight saving time. :)
Daylight saving time here officially began Sunday. It was invented to conserve energy and to make better use of sunlight. All clocks had to be set one hour ahead. Daylight saving time will end at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, and that's when clocks will "fall back" an hour again.
In Germany, for example, the same procedure will happen on March 29. Why three weeks later than in North America, you wonder? Germany follows the rules of the European Union (EU) regarding the start and end times and dates for summer time. The period extends each year from the last Sunday in March until the last Sunday in October.
If you would like to know a bit more about "time traveling" check out this website!
YES!!!
Whoops, I guess I missed the deadline for last Friday's blog. Not a good thing in professional journalism - at all. So, I am lucky that this is "only" a college class that is part of my journey, and everyone makes mistakes.
However, I didn't want to miss this entry because I greatly looked forward to talking a bit about time travel - a really cool way of moving from one place to another. We all experienced it last weekend. You don't believe me? Oh come on, I know you did (unless you were on a different continent than North America).
March 8, 2015 was when all people - yes, including YOU - on this continent traveled from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. in the blink of an eye. Whaaaat? Yeah, some folks refer to this way of traveling also to daylight saving time. :)
Daylight saving time here officially began Sunday. It was invented to conserve energy and to make better use of sunlight. All clocks had to be set one hour ahead. Daylight saving time will end at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, and that's when clocks will "fall back" an hour again.
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| Courtesy of positiv-magazin.de |
In Germany, for example, the same procedure will happen on March 29. Why three weeks later than in North America, you wonder? Germany follows the rules of the European Union (EU) regarding the start and end times and dates for summer time. The period extends each year from the last Sunday in March until the last Sunday in October.
If you would like to know a bit more about "time traveling" check out this website!
Friday, February 27, 2015
Week 8 - What's on your travel bucket list?
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| Courtesy of bucketlistpublications,com |
Personally, I want to see the whole world! The list of places I like to visit - before I die - is endless. Not just countries in Europe, but also North and South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. Where would you like to travel next? And what's on your overall TRAVEL BUCKET LIST?
You don't have one yet? Well, then it is time to start thinking about some of the most amazing places this continent has to offer. I'd like to help you out a bit with getting started by introducing you to one hand-picked country - you might never have heard of before - from Asia.
Ready?
Set...
Gooooo!
CAMBODIA
Cambodia, officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is located in Southeast Asia. It's bordered by Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and the Gulf of Thailand. The country's capital Phnom Penh is located in the southern part of this tropic nation.
World famous Angkor Wat, a temple complex and the largest religious monument in the world, is Cambodia's flagship.
If you got curious and want to learn more about this beautiful land, its people, languages, history, and sights, please visit the country's information center's homepage or The Official Site for Tourism of Cambodia, and check out the web. And, maybe, one day, you'll find yourself on a flight to CAMBODIA.
You don't have one yet? Well, then it is time to start thinking about some of the most amazing places this continent has to offer. I'd like to help you out a bit with getting started by introducing you to one hand-picked country - you might never have heard of before - from Asia.
Ready?
Set...
Gooooo!
CAMBODIA
 |
| Courtesy of maps.com |
Cambodia, officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is located in Southeast Asia. It's bordered by Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and the Gulf of Thailand. The country's capital Phnom Penh is located in the southern part of this tropic nation.
World famous Angkor Wat, a temple complex and the largest religious monument in the world, is Cambodia's flagship.
If you got curious and want to learn more about this beautiful land, its people, languages, history, and sights, please visit the country's information center's homepage or The Official Site for Tourism of Cambodia, and check out the web. And, maybe, one day, you'll find yourself on a flight to CAMBODIA.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Week 7 - "And the Oscar goes to...Los Angeles"
I hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day/President's Day weekend. Did some of you maybe use the long weekend for a short get away? This was the perfect time to explore more of wonderful California.
Originally, I wanted to present you some of California's nicest get aways this week, but since the 87th Academy Awards will be held this Sunday, I decided to show you some of the best places in...dun dun dun...
L O S A N G E L E S
Los Angeles, or L.A. as we usually just like to say, is only a five to six hour drive away from the Bay area if you drive on 101 South or 5 South. If you are not in a rush, I would recommend following famous highway 1 along the coast. The views you get are breathtaking and well worth its time. For those of you who don't even want to think about driving, just hop on a plane at SFO (San Francisco International Airport) or SJC (Mineta San Jose International Airport) and touch down at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) 90 minutes later.
So, what's there to check out? Well, with an area of about 500 square miles, everyone should find their favorite spot. Following are some ideas what you could do (and I will for sure be doing this weekend :)).
So, what's there to check out? Well, with an area of about 500 square miles, everyone should find their favorite spot. Following are some ideas what you could do (and I will for sure be doing this weekend :)).
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Week 6 - Valentine's Day getaways
February 14 is only three (in other languages: drei, tres, trois, sān) days away. Aaaand, what happens then? Well, it will finally be here - VALENTINE'S DAY. The most overrated of all American holidays - but maybe that's just my opinion.
In many American households it is a festival of romantic love. A large number of people celebrate their love for their partner by sending cards or letters, giving gifts or flowers and arranging meals in restaurants or romantic nights in hotels. People who would like to have a romantic relationship with somebody may also use the occasion to make this known, often anonymously.
Many restaurants and hotels have special offers at this time. These can include romantic meals or weekend breaks. For those of you who are planning a short trip or weekend getaway I have two websites you definitely should check out:
1. GROUPON - always a great idea to get stuff cheaper, and especially for this occasion they have some cute deals.
2. Budget Travel - a website that has the latest travel news, tips for traveling, information about destinations worldwide, and even a column that solely focuses on generating trip ideas.
I hope everyone enjoys the "show-me-today-how-much-you-love-me-day" which is followed by President's Day to make it a nice long three day weekend. So, I see you all well rested and loved on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Cheers!
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