Virtual Tripping

This is the partially recognised Republic of Kosovo in southeastern Europe.

Mark — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:20:50 +0000

National Anthem Republic of Kosova
Pristina, Kosovo – Seeing the Sights!
History of kosovo 2011

This is a picture taken from flickr of Downtown Pristina, taken from the K4 Towers.

This is a picture taken from flickr of a part of Pristina.
Welcome to a post about a tiny country in Europe, known as Kosovo, which is a partially recognised Republic of Kosovo. Located in the southeastern part of Europe. Along time ago this region used to be a part of the medieval Serbia, which was then conquered by the Ottoman Empire, then it became known as the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, which was withinthe country of Serbia . Back then, when this happened Serbia was one of the constituent republics of Yugoslavia, but also part of Serbia after First Balkan War and this was also before Yugoslavia was created. One of the sadest, things about this small nation is that there appears to have been long-term severe ethnic tensions, between Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian and Serb populations. Because of this it is sad to say that it has left Kosovo ethnically divided, and this was also one of the reasons why the Kosovo War happened in 1999, there was so much violence within the nation that it spread within the Kosovo.

Photo by Joseph A Ferris III

This is a picture taken from flickr of Prizren, Kosovo.

Photo by David Bailey MBE

Once the war was over, it appears that a Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, known also as the FRY, they then took over the governance of this territory, and was it was sorted out it was then passed over to the United Nations, who went on to govern, Kosovo. But it still remained legally the sovereign territory of the FRY after the transfer of authority. Now because of the serious tensions within the Kosovo, it has now become a self-declared independent state, has de facto control over most of the territory. But you will find that in North Kosovo, which happens to have the largest Kosovo Serb enclave or population, happens to be under the control of institutions of the Republic of Serbia, and because of this, Serbia says that it does not recognise the unilateral secession of Kosovo and considers it a UN-governed entity within its sovereign territory, or you could say that the Serbians, believe that Kosovo, especially the north, is still apart of Serbia, and that the United Nations governing within Kosovo is fictional and that they should not be there.

This is Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia on Virtual-tripping.com.

Mark — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:02:04 +0000

Sydney Harbour Bridge – Sydney Australia in HD
Opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Constructing Australia – The Bridge

Photo by Antony J Shepherd

This is a picture taken from flickr of the amazing Sydney Harbour Bridge.
So what is the Sydney Harbour Bridge and why is it so well-known around the world. Well, this is a steel through arch bridge which goes across the Sydney Harbour, it is a well-known bridge, because, it carries many different types of rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district (CBD) and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House have become iconic images, both for Sydney and Australia. And the locals have nicknamed the bridge,”The Coathanger” because of its arch-based design. Also it appears to be the venue, where the Australians celebrate the new year, which a spectacular fireworks, display, infront of the bridge.

Photo by Odd Bod

This is a picture taken from flickr of the bridge at night.

Photo by bishib70

This is a picture taken from flickr of the New Year’s Eve celebration in front of the Bridge.
So the bridge was created under the directions of Dr J.J.C. Bradfield of the NSW Department of Public Works, it was designed and built by the British firm Dorman Long and Co Ltd of Middlesbrough, funny enough, they based the design of the bridge, on their 1928 Tyne Bridge in Newcastle upon Tyne in England. And it was opened in 1932. But this is an extraordinary bridge, it made it into the Guinness World Records, for being the world’s widest long-span bridge and on top of that it is also the fifth longest spanning-arch bridge in the world, and it is alsothe tallest steel arch bridge, measuring an amazing 134 metres or 440 foot from top to water level. I have also learn’t that it was Sydney’s tallest structure until 1967.

Photo by iambents

This is a picture taken from flickr of people on the bridge.

Photo by Shishberg

This is a picture taken from flickr of Sydney, the harbour and the bridge.
So how does the structure of the bridge work, well the southern (CBD) bridge end, you will find is located at Millers Point in The Rocks area, where as the northern end is at Milsons Point in the lower North Shore area. There are six lanes of road traffic which it carries on its main roadway, where on the eastern side there are two lanes of road traffic, it used to be tram tracks and a footpath, and on the western side of the bridge, there are two railway tracks and a bicycle path, this makes the western side of the bridge, 30.5 cm or 12 inches broader than the eastern side. When you are on the bridge, you will notice, that the main roadway which across the bridge is known as the Bradfield Highway and this is about 2.4 kilometres or 1.5 miles length, making it one of the shortest highways in Australia. And the actual shortest highway, which is also called the Bradfield Highway, is found on the Story Bridge in Brisbane.

This is Melbourne Park and Entertainment Precinct in Melbourne, Australia.

Mark — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:53:37 +0000

25 years at Melbourne Park: Australian Open 2012
Winter Sound System 2009 @ Melbourne Park

Photo by jkam813

Photo by sensesmaybenumbed

This is a picture taken from flickr of Melbourne Park.
Welcome to a post on Melbourne Park, this happens to b a sports venue in the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. And as it is also the host to the main Australian Open tennis tournament since 1988, the competition is held annually in January. Before the tennis took over it used to be the venue and the home of the Melbourne Tigers basketball team. But this is a special sports park, because, it can also and has adapted to host other events, like, ice skating, concerts, cycling as well as swimming and motorsport. The venue is run by Melbourne & Olympic Parks, which also runs the adjacent Olympic Park Stadium. Where as the Yarra Park section of the Sports and Entertainment Precinct is run separately.

Photo by hannah takes pictures

This is a picture taken from flickr of court 2 at Melbourne Park.

Photo by nettsu

This is a picture taken from flickr of a music concert at Melbourne Park.
As i said above this venue really is adaptable, while it is best known for being a tennis venue, it is surprisingly how many other events do take place here Melbourne Park. There are plenty of different sports and musical events throughout the year. You will find that alot of popular international performers, will head to Melbourne Park, because this is the largest venue that the city has to offer, apart from the venues like, the Docklands Stadium in the Docklands and the nearby Melbourne Cricket Ground, which are both hugely expensive. Also there used to be the Two Tribes dance festival was held there annually aswell. But it looks and appears to be a brilliant place to visit for you are into Sports or Entertainment. Also you will find the main tennis stadium which is known as the Rod Laver Arena, but you will also find other tennis courts like the Melbourne Multi Purpose Venue, known as the Hinsense Arena and also there is the Margaret Court Arena, there are other tennis courts to, but these appear to be the main ones. So the park includes the major tennis complex which has three outdoor show courts, five indoor courts, and more than twenty outdoor courts, and all of them are used by professional players and can also be used by the public to hire.

Photo by Scootie

This is a picture taken from flickr of people at Melbourne Park heading towards a concert or something.

Photo by avlxyz

This is a picture taken from flickr of people at Garden Square, Melbourne Park.

Welcome to the city of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, North America on Virtualtripping.com

Mark — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:59:53 +0000

I Love Regina, SK, Canada

Photo by jimmywayne

Photo by Daniel Paquet

This is a picture taken from flickr of the Regina, Mosaic Stadium, home of the Roughriders football team.
Welcome to the city of Regina it is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Regina is now the second-largest city in the province, behind the largest city of Saskatoon, it is also a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. And to no surprise it is governed and run by the Regina City Council. Regina is a cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox, Dioceses of Regina and the Anglican Diocese of Qu’Appelle.The locals of Regina are known as Reginans and the city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Sherwood No. 159. A while back in history, the city of Regina used have the seat of government of the North-West Territories. Back then the seat was shared with the current provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta, and of the District of Assiniboia. The name Regina, came from daughter of Queen Victoria, Princess Louise, who was the wife of the Marquess of Lorne, and he was the Governor General of Canada. Who named the city in 1882 after Victoria Regina.

Photo by daryl_mitchell

This is a picture taken from flickr of The Queen City.

Photo by jimmywayne

This is a picture taken from flickr of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building.
So here is some of the history of this city, well it started differently, to other planned cities in the Canadian West, it appears that this was a natural area and that man took on himself to create an area that became the city of Regina, this was known as a tabula rasa, without topographical features other than the small spring run-off Wascana Creek. So the people of that day, decided to take advantage of such opportunity by damming the creek to creating a decorative lake to the south of the central business district, they then constructed an the elaborate 840-foot or 260 miles long Albert Street Bridge which went across the new lake. The city then grew and became more and more important, when it was offered the opportunity to become the new province of Saskatchewan, capital in 1906. The main attraction of this city is the Wascana Centre, which was made around the focal point of Wascana Lake, and has the Provincial Legislative Building, inside aswell as the campuses of the University of Regina, the provincial museum of natural history, the Regina Conservatory (in the original Regina College buildings), the Saskatchewan Science Centre, the Norman MacKenzie Art Gallery and the Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts. So you will find plenty to do and see within this city, including places to eat, drink and be merry, and you will find plenty of places to stay and as i have said above, plenty of attractions to be found to.

Photo by thelastminute

This is a picture taken from flickr of Regina City in the Snow.

Photo by Ben Lawson

This is a picture taken from flickr of Saskatchewan Legislature, on Lake Wascana.
So what else is there to se and do, well if you head outwards from Regina to her Residential neighbourhoods, you will notice that they are largely indistinguishable from those in other western Canadian cities, you will find some beautiful natural or man-made sites from several precincts beyond the historic city centre, which are a must to see, namely the Lakeview and The Crescents both of which lie directly south of downtown. There is alsoto the north of the central business district, an old warehouse district, is is where you will find shopping and residential development, there. This is nothing like what you would find in other western cities of North America, where they will have the shopping malls and big box stores. So this is a very interesting and beautiful area to visit in Canada.

Photo by Wat Peace (formerly wat suandok)

This is a picture taken from flickr of the Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

This is a post on St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A.

Mark — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:22:02 +0000

ST. John\’s Episcopal Church Richmond Va.
St. John\’s Church Richmond, VA
So what is this post going to teach us, well article is about St. John’s which is an Episcopal church, you will find this building on 2401 East Broad Street in Richmond, Virginia. This is a very important church to the city of Richmond, as it is formerly been made up from several earlier churches, and these churches have now created a big church, which is known as St. John’s. But the reason why it is so special is because it is the oldest church in Richmond, and was built by Colonel Richard Randolph in 1741 and giving its name to the Church Hill district. But on top of that it really is an amazing church, because it has become well-known for two important conventions in the period which lead to the American Revolutionary War, and also where Patrick Henry gave his closing speech at the Second Virginia Convention with the famous quotation “give me liberty or give me death.”

Now St. Johns has become a place that many tourists like to go and visit when in Richmond, the reasons being are because of above, but also because, there is a small souvenir shop which can be found within the churchyard, and this is where regular tours begin. So you will find that there is an active church with a ministry and congregation, but even so the tours still go on, and they begin with the tombstones, where some of are actually of archaic design, which have marking’s on the graves of many important or famous Richmond and Virginia residents and the tours ends when you reach the insideof the church where the background to the historic events preceding and during the Revolutionary War is described. Two very important individuals, who are buried at St’ John’s are George Wythe, who was the first law professor in the United States, aswell as a delegate to the Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence. And then there is Elizabeth Arnold Poe, she was the mother of author Edgar Allan Poe, her exact burial spot is unknown, but a memorial marks the general area. so whether you are religious or not, this is a place of peace and tranquility and i am sure you will enjoy visiting this special church.

Welcome to the country of Burkina Faso and her capital city, Ouagadougou in Western Africa on Virtualtripping.com.

Mark — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:50:53 +0000

Burkina Faso Hotel and Hostel Reservation by HotelWorld.co
♫ Burkina Faso National Anthem ♫
Driving around in Ougadougou
Travessia da capital de Burkina: Ouagadougou

Photo by Gates Foundation

This is a picture taken from flickr of the people of Burkina Faso.
So where is Burkina Faso and what have i learn’t about this nation, well it is also known as Burkina. This is a landlocked country in the west of Africa. This nation is surrounded by her neighbours, they are: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d’Ivoire to the southwest. Burkina Faso is quite a small country, it is in size is 274,200 square kilometres or 105,900 sq miles and there is an estimated population of more than 15,757,000. It used to be known as the Republic of Upper Volta, but it was renamed by the then President Thomas Sankara, on 4 August 1984, it mean’t “the land of upright people” in Mòoré and Dioula, which are the major native languages of the country. But the name today, for example, “Burkina” may be translated as, “men of integrity”, this from the Mòoré language, and “Faso” means “father’s house” in Dioula. The local people of the nation are known today Burkinabe.

Photo by Jeff Attaway

This is a picture taken from flickr of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Photo by cordelia_persen

This is a picture taken from flickr of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
So the history of Burkina Faso, says that this nation was populated somewhere between 14,000 and 5000 BC by what was hunter-gatherers in the country’s northwestern region. It then appears that farm settlements appeared between 3600 and 2600 BC. The central part, it in the olden years used to be principally composed of Mossi kingdoms. But it was around 1896, when these Mossi Kingdoms would become a French protectorate. It was around 1960, when Burkina Faso, finally was given independence from France, and it went through many governmental changes until arriving at its current form, a semi-presidential republic. The president being Blaise Compaoré. The capital of this nation is Ouagadougou and the country is a member of the African Union, Community of Sahel-Saharan States, La Francophonie, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and Economic Community of West African States.

Photo by Jeff Attaway

This is a picture taken from flickr of a dish known as Burrito Special.

Photo by Philippe Streicher

This is a picture taken from flickr of two people walking the street in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Now one thing that surprised me about this country is that it is well-known for it’s cinema of Burkina Faso, this has become an important part of West African and the African film industry. It all started in 1969, when they contributed to African cinema with the establishment of the film festival FESPACO (Festival Panafricain du Cinéma et de la Télévision de Ouagadougou), which was launched as a film week in that year. I was quite surprised to learn that alot of Burkina faso’s filmmakers are known internationally and that some of them have won international prizes. Also it appears that headquarters of the Federation of Panafrican Filmmakers (FEPACI) was inthe capital city of Ouagadougou. It apears that there was a decline and it had to be saved which it was in 1983. When the President Sankara helped it out, but then in 2006 the Secretariat of FEPACI was moved to South Africa, but the headquarters of the organization is still in the capital, Ouagaoudougou. Here are some of the best known directors from Burkina Faso they are: Gaston Kaboré, Idrissa Ouedraogo and Dani Kouyate. But you will find that even some of the international known filmakers like, Ouedraogo, Kabore, Yameogo, and Kouyate also produce and make popular television series, such as Bobodjiouf.

Equatorial Guinea and Gabon host the 2012 African Cup of Nations, (football), on Virtualtripping.com.

Mark — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 11:20:01 +0000

2012 Africa Cup of Nations Trailer HD

Official Song Of CAN 2012.

Photo by nova3web

This is a picture taken from flickr of Ghana 2008: Nigeria Vrs Ivory Coast.
Welcome to a post about the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, this is a football competition which is held in the continent of Africa. This is the 28th tournement in the Africa Cup of Nations, and is the major football competition in Africa, it is organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). This year the tournement is being held by two countries they are: Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. They won the rights to hold this tournement after defeating the countries of Nigeria, along with winning bids over Angola and Libya. There had been other bids from other countries like: Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Senegal, but they were all rejected. The Confederation of Africa, made history, they sorted out the hosts of three successive tournaments which were all chosen at the same time; Angola was chosen to host in 2010, Gabon/Equatorial Guinea were chosen as hosts for the 2012 cup and the third country to host the competition in 2013 edition, was Libya, but sadley due to the Libyan Civil War, they decided to move the tournement to South Africa. They also got Nigeria to host, just incase one of the other countries were unable to host the competition.

Photo by nova3web

This is a picture taken from flickr during the 2008, Ghana tournement.

Photo by Embassy of Equatorial Guinea

This is a picture taken from flickr of View of the Cathedral from the Port in Malabo.

The Falklands Islands and her capital Stanley here on Virtualtripping.com.

Mark — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 09:22:21 +0000

The Falkland Islands
Welcome to Stanley

Photo by Matthew Goulding

Photo by Strange Ones

This is a picture taken from flickr of Hanging Out Gentoos
This is a post about the Falklands Islands which are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, you will find these islands about 250 nautical miles (290 miles or 460 km away from the mainland coast of South America. There are basically 778 islands with the two main islands being East Falkland and West Falkland and the 776 are more smaller and lesser islands. The capital,of this country is known as Stanley, and it is on East Falkland. These islands are really a self-governing British Overseas Territory, where the United Kingdom are responsible for defending and offering foreign affairs to the Falkland Islands.

Photo by Liam Q

This is a picture taken from flickr of Settlement on West Point Island.

Photo by Liam Q

This is a picture taken from flickr of Seyhan under the Whalebone Arch.
So what have i learn’t about the Falklands, well, it has been under the re-establishment of British rule in 1833, and have always enjoyed it’s own history, but sadly for islander’s, it’s neighbour Argentina has always claimed the sovereignty of the islands. Even though the locals have rejected the claims. So back in 1982, the pressure exploded and Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands. This war lasted up to two months and became known as a long undeclared Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom. So what happened, well the war was resolved, when the British, defeated the Argentine forces and they withdrew. But it was a sad and tradegic time for all involed in this war and a number of deaths came out of this, which should never have happened in the first place. But even thought the British won the war if you can same it was a win, is that currently the Falkland Islands are on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories. But there has been some good news for the Falklands, is that since the war, there has been strong economic growth in both fisheries and tourism.

Photo by Strange Ones

This is a picture taken from flickr of the Kelp Goose.

Photo by Skinnyde

This is a picture taken from flickr of San Carlos War cemetery.

Lets go to Vanuatu and her capital city Port Vila in the Pacific Ocean on Virtualtripping.com.

Mark — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:22:59 +0000

Vanuatu
Vanuatu : Beaches
Blue Water Island in Vanuatu

Photo by peregrinari

Photo by Arthur Chapman

This is a picture taken from flickr of Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott (Taro).
Welcome to my post about the country of Vanuatu, it is also officially known as the Republic of Vanuatu. This is an island nation and it can be found in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some 1,750 kilometres or 1,090 miles east of northern Australia, 500 kilometres or 310 miles northeast of New Caledonia, and west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea. The first people of this country, were known as Melanesian people, but i am not sure when they first settled on the island, but what i have learn’t is that the first European people to arrive on the islands were the Spanish members who expedition was led by Fernandes de Queirós who arrived in Espiritu Santo in 1605.

Photo by KirrilyRobert

This is a picture taken from flickr of Port Vila marketplace.

Photo by April Fools Me

Then in the 1880s the countries of France and the United Kingdom claimed parts of the country, and then in 1906 there was an agreement between the two nations on a framework to join and manage the archipelago as the New Hebrides through a British-French Condominium. And then around 1970′s there was a movement arose to gain independance, which finally happened in the 1980 and the nation known as Republic of Vanuatu, was created. What i have found out about Vanatu, is that the name was derived from the word vanua , which mean land or home, which occurs in several Austronesian languages, and also the tu at the end of Vanuatu means, stand. And if you put the two words together they will indicate the independent status of the new nation.

Photo by katykat

Photo by Arthur Chapman

This is a picture taken from flickr of Cocos nucifera (Coconut).
There is plenty to do and see on these amazing islands and beaches are stunning, the weather is usually tropical and the food, drink and people are all excellent. You will be welcomed when you arrive on the islands of Vanuatu and you will find places to stay, eat and explore, so if you have the money, the time and the opportunity, then the islands of Vanuatu are a must for any holiday maker.

Lets learn about the incredible country of Costa Rica in Central America on Virtualltripping.com.

Mark — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 11:50:53 +0000

A Little Piece of Paradise
San Jose, Costa Rica
National Anthem of Costa Rica

Photo by Kirk Bravender

This is a post about the country of Costa Rica this is a special country, because it is known for being a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, Costa Rica neighbours are, Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east. The name Cost Rica, actually means “Rich Coast”, also, the country, constitutionally abolished its army permanently in 1949. This is the only Latin American country which is included in the list of the world’s 22 older democracies and has consistently been among the top Latin American countries in the Human Development Index (HDI), and in 2011, it was ranked 69th in the world.

Photo by Kirk Bravender

I am amazed when i read about Costa Rica, how established this country has become, i have learn’t that it was cited by the UNDP in 2010, it is one of the countries in the world that have attained much higher human development than other countries at the same income levels, which is extraordinary, but on top of that Cosat Rica, in 2011 was highlighted by UNDP that this country was doing much better than other countries within the region as being a good performer on environmental sustainability, and doing very well on human development and inequality than the median of their region. This country, has some how managed to be the only country to meet all five criteria established to measure environmental sustainability. It was also ranked in 2010 in third place around the world and first place among the Americas, in terms of the 2010 Environmental Performance Index. Finally this amazing country in 2007, the government of Costa Rica, decided they wanted to make plans to become the first carbon-neutral country by 2021. And i have learn’t that this country according to the New Economics Foundation, Costa Rica ranks first in the Happy Planet Index and is the “greenest” country in the world. There really is very little to say, other than well done, because alot of people associate the central ameica countries has more poorer and less economic, compared to North and South America, but other the time i have been writing about the central america’s, it has amazed me how well some of the countries are really doing, Wow. There is so much to do and see in this amazing country, shops, hotels, bars and pubs, swimming, adventure walks, forests, animals and so on and so on, if you really want a holiday experience and you can afford it, then this is the country to visit.

Photo by Doctress Neutopia

Photo by Kirk Bravender