Museo Nacional del Prado

The Museo Nacional del Prado, known simply as the Museo del Prado, is the primary national art museum which is located in the central part of Madrid and is ranked first nationally and eleventh globally for visitors to the museum. Its construction began during the reign of Charles III, but was stopped at the end of his reign and was only started again by his grandson, Ferdinand VII.  This museum contains art from all over Europe from the 12th century to the 19th century. It contains works by Rembrandt, Raphael, Francisco de Goya, and Titian. The Museo del Prado currently has approximately 7,600 paintings, 4,800 prints, 1,000 sculptures, and 8,200 drawings.

Palacio Real de Madrid (Royal Palace of Madrid)

The Palacio Real de Madrid, or Royal Palace of Madrid, is the official residence of the Royal Family of Spain. The original palace that was built on the location was constructed in the 16th century. Among other things, it was home to an art gallery which housed artwork by such legendary artists as Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, among other artists. However, this building was destroyed in a fire on Christmas Eve of 1734, which burned for four days. Some of the works of art were saved by people throwing them out the windows of the building. Also, shortly prior to the fire, the king had ordered a large portion of the art collection to be moved to another palace, thus sparing these priceless works from destruction. The new Royal Palace was planned and constructed beginning in 1760, with the Charles III moving into the palace in 1764. The building has been renovated and restored since the original construction. The Royal Palace contains the Sabatini Gardens, Campo del Moro Gardens, Royal Library, and the Royal Armoury. It is the second largest palace in Europe, second only to the Louvre Palace. In addition to the artwork located in the Royal Palace, it is also home to the only complete Stradivarius string quintet remaining in the world.

Puerta del Sol

The Puerta del Sol was originally one of the gates to the wall that surrounded the city of Madrid in the 15th Century. The area surrounding it has been an important place for people to meet as it was the destination for people going to the Post Office, where people were able to obtain the latest information and news. the Puerta del Sol contains the office of the President of Madrid , which is in the old Post Office, a statue of Charles III on a horse, and other famed locations. In recent years, the Puerta del Sol has also been a place of demonstrations for citizens to protest for democracy.

Auditorio Nacional de Musica (National Auditorium of Music)

The Auditorio Nacional de Musica, or National Auditorium of Music, was made up of several locations where concert are held. The Auditorio Nacional opened in 1988, as the city had decided that they needed to have a modern concert hall since they had not had one up to that point. The main concert all is the Sala Sinfonica, or Symphonic Hall, which can seat over 2,000 people and houses a large pipe organ. The smaller hall is called the Sala de Camara, or Chamber Hall, which can seat almost 700 people. There is also the Sala General del Coro, or General Choir Hall, which can seat over 200 people. The Auditorio also has several places were individuals and groups can meet to practice.

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White Collar is a fun crime show that recently concluded its fourth season and has been renewed for a fifth season. Matt Bomer portrays smooth, suave con man Neal Caffrey. Tim DeKay plays the role of by-the-book FBI agent Peter Burke. Other characters in the show include Neal’s friend and fellow con man, Mozzie, portrayed by Willie Garson, and Peter’s supportive and spunky wife, Elizabeth, played by Tiffani Thiessen. I have been a fan of crime shows like CSI and NCIS for a long time and this was a pleasant change from the blood and gore of the typical crime genre, although it is occasionally present. The back-and-forth bantering between Neal and Peter is what makes this show work so well. Elizabeth balances out Peter’s distrust of Neal with her own willingness to give him a chance. Mozzie provides great comedic relief with his distrust of the FBI.

Pick up a copy of seasons 1, 2, or 3 of White Collar from your libary. You can locate a copy and place a hold on it through the library’s catalog.

What are some of your favorite Crime television shows?

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Sports

 Sports are a big part of life in Jamaica. Many people have seen the movie Cool Runnings and Usain Bolt captured the attention of people world-wide with his amazing performances at the Olympics. While one the most popular sports in Jamaica is cricket, including hosting the 2007 Cricket World Cup, they are known world-wide for their excellence in track and field. Other popular sports include boxing, horseback riding, and football (known in America as soccer).

Dunn’s River Falls

Dunn’s River Falls is one of the most popular locations in Jamaica and is found near the city of Ocho Rios. The Jamaican historical Society lists that the Battle of Las Chorreras was fought near the falls in 1657. It takes around an hour to climb the falls, which are 180 feet high and 600 feet long. These tours are often, but not always led by tour guides.

Firefly

Firefly Estate is the former home of British playwright Noel Coward, who is also buried on the site and is a National Heritage Site. He purchased the property and renamed it Firefly Hill due to the firefly insects that were found there. At one time the estate was owned by Sir Henry Morgan, a former governor of Jamaica and a known pirate. Following Coward’s death in 1973 at the age of 73, the Firefly Estate was turned into a government sponsored museum.

Bob Marley Museum

The Bob Marley Museum is located in Kingston, Jamaica, and is the former home of reggae musician, Bob Marley. It is also the site of a failed assassination attempt on Marley’s life. It is one of the most frequently visited attractions in Kingston and offers a guided tour through this life.

  Learn more about the beautiful country of Jamaica by finding books in the library catalog.

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National Theatre of Costa Rica (Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica)

The Teatro Nacional, or National Theatre, can be found in the central part of San Jose, the country’s capitol. Construction on the theatre began in 1891 and was funded by a tax on coffee, the main export for Costa Rica at the time. The National Theatre opened in 1897, with the first performance being Faust. The foyer of the theatre is a sight to see, containing a mural and statues. Performances take place multiple times a week as well as the National Symphonic Orchestra performing there for part of the orchestra’s regular performance schedule.

National Museum of Costa Rica (Museo Nacional de Costa Rica)

The Museo Nacional, or National Museum, is located in San Jose. It was built in 1917 as a military barracks. To this day, there are still bullets in the outer walls of the building. It was turned into a museum in 1950. The National Museum contains historical artifacts related to Costa Rica’s archaeological, colonial, and religious history, among others.

Cocos Island (Isla del Coco)

The Isla del Coco, or Cocos Island, is located off the shore of Costa Rica and is one of the National Parks of Costa Rica as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cocos Island became part of Costa Rica in 1832. It is a popular destination for scuba divers as it is know for its bountiful marine life. It is also uninhabited with the exception of two encampments of Costa Rican Park Rangers.

Manuel Antonio National Park (Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio)

The Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, or Manuel Antonio National Park, was established in 1972 and covers over 4,000 acres. It is locates in the tropical forest and has a diverse population of land and marine animals and plants. It is one of the most popular national parks in Costa Rica with over 150,000 visitors each year. It is known for its beaches and hiking trails. The Manuel Antonio Beach was named as one of the 12 most beautiful national parks in the world by Forbes in 2011.

Want To Learn More About Costa Rica?

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Costa Rica: A Guide to the People, Politics and Culture

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Warehouse 13 is a science fiction television show that is currently on a break during its fourth season on the SyFy notwork. New episodes are scheduled to pick up again in April 2013. When I was first introduced to Warehouse 13, I was suspicious it, thinking that it was going to be silly, boring, and, like many of the Sci-Fi shows that I had seen, completely unbelievable and unrelatable. I could not have been more wrong. In fact, this is now one of my favorite shows. It is one of those series that made me stop and think, “There’s no way that could happen, could it? Well, maybe it could.” Warehouse 13 is a great TV show if you like something that is a little different, a little bit out there, and really funny. If you want to catch up on this exciting show, you can check out season 1, season 2 and season 3 from your Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.

What are some Science Fiction TV shows that you like to watch?

Sky Tower

Sky Tower is the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere and is located in Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. It stands at 1,076 feet tall and attracts approximately 1,450 people to it every day. One of the features available the Sky Tower is the “SkyJump”, which allows people to bungee jump from one of the observation decks.  The tower also has two restaurants and a cafe. It has a great amount of lighting, which causes it be a prominent feature in the Auckland skyline. In some cases, the lights have been used to promote various causes, such as using pink lights for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It has been open since August of 1997.

Maori Villages

The Maori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand numbering approximately 750,000 members to their population. Current evidence says that the first settlers came to New Zealand in approximately 1280 CE and evidence has not shown previous visitors to the area. European settlement did not occur until approximately 1642. Maori is one of the official languages of the Maori peoples, but English is the national language. To experience their culture, it is possible to visit Maori villages and be immersed in their culture, including their food, crafts, and trade.

Tongariro National Park

Tongariro National Park is the oldest national park in New Zealand, covers an area of approximately 795.98 square kilometers, and is designates as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tongariro is home to the volcanoes Tongariro, Ngauruhoe, and Ruapehu, located on the southern end of a range of smaller volcanoes. It is also home to a number of Maori religious sites. Tongariro is open to hiking, climbing, skiing, and snowboarding.

Fiordland National Park

Fiordland National Park is the largest of the 14 national parks located in New Zealand, covering an area of 12,500 square kilometers. In the past, glaciers created the fiords as well as creating some islands that have been separated from the mainland of New Zealand. Fiordland is a popular place for climbing and hiking, although there are few trails to follow.

Queenstown

Queenstown is located on the South Island of New Zealand and is a popular destination for adventurous tourists. The Queenstown area was utilized by the Maori people dating back to the mid-1800s, prior to Europeans settling there. Queenstown offers opportunities for skiing, snowboarding, whitewater rafting, bungee jumping, hiking, and mountain climbing. It has also been utilized in the filming of the popular Lord of the Rings trilogy.

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New Zealand

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Forbidden City

The Forbidden City was built in the early 1400′s and was the Chinese imperial palace from its inception under the Ming Dynasty until the abdication of the last Emperor of China at the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1912. It has 980 buildings with 8,886 rooms. It is surrounded by a 26 foot high wall and a moat 20 feet deep.  The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987 because of its place in the development of Chinese architecture and culture. It is currently undergoing a 16-year restoration project to restore all of the buildings in the Forbidden City, but is still open to the public.

Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square is the third largest city square in the world and is separated from the Forbidden City by the Tiananmen Gate. The square was built in 1651 and has quadrupled in size since its construction. A Mausoleum to Mao Zedong was contructed in Tiananmen Square in 1976. Tiananmen Square has held multiple political events and protests. One of the most notable events held here was the Tiananmen Square Protests held in 1989. This protest ended with the declaration of martial law and the deaths of hundreds of people.

Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications along the historical northern borders of China. Originally built as several smaller separate walls, they were later connected together. It currently stands at 13,171 miles long. Some portions of the Great Wall have been preserved, but other portions have fallen into disrepair or have been damaged by vandalism. The Great Wall is also subject to a popular myth stating that it is visible from space, which has been proven incorrect on multiple occasions.

Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven is a series of buildings used for religous purposes. The buildings were constructed between 1406 and 1420, but were not named the Temple of Heaven until the 16th Century. Many of the buildings were damaged with the downfall of the Qing Dynasty, with several of the buildings eventually collapsing. In 1918, the temple was opened to the public for the first time. It was named a World Heritage Site in 1998.

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National Geographic Traveler. Beijing

Fodor’s Beijing

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Peter and Paul Fortress

The Peter and Paul Fortress is considered to be the most important part of the State Museum of Saint Petersburg History. Construction of the Fortress was started in 1703 by Peter the Great to protect the then-capitol from a potential Swedish attack and was completed within a year. However, since the first fortress was built with wood, reconstruction from stone began in 1706. Later, it served as a prison for high-ranking prisoners. During the Russian revolution, the Fortress was attacked and all of the prisoners were released and later officials of the government of the Czar were held there instead. In the 1920s, much of the fortress was turned into a museum, but it suffered serious damage during World War II. It was later restored and is now a popular tourist attraction.

The Peter and Paul Fortress is home to the Peter and Paul Catherdral, which has the burial place of all of the Russian Czars but one. The Grand Ducal Mausoleum is also located there which holds the remains of members of various members of the Romanov family who never held the throne. There are prison cells still located on the fortress property as well as popular beaches, which are often quite busy during the summer.

Mariinsky Theatre and Mariinsky Ballet

Opened in 1860, the Mariinsky Theatre is home to the beauty of opera and ballet. Some of the great composers, such as Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, have premiered their masterpieces here. The Mariinsky Theatre has gone through several name changes throughout its history, including the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre and the Leningrad State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet, among others. Its official title has been the State Academic Mariinsky Theatre since 1992.

The Mariinsky Ballet is based in the Mariinsky Theatre and is considered to be one of the world’s best ballet companies. It was created in 1740s and was originally known as the Imperial Theatre School, but went through several name changes. The Mariinsky Ballet, then known as the Imperial Russian Ballet, was temporarily closed following the Russian Revolution because the government at the time believed that it was an unwanted symbol of the former government under the Czar. It was later re-established and has flourished, currently employing over 200 dancers. The Mariinsky Ballet has been home to some of the most noted ballet dancers in history, including Mikhail Baryshnikov and Anna Pavlova.

State Hermitage Museum

Founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great, the State Hermitage Museum is one the biggest and oldest museums in the world. It has been open to the public since 1852 and has a collection of almost 3 million items, including the largest collection of paintings in the world. However, only a small part of the collection is on display permanently. Catherine the Great acquired over 4,000 paintings, 38,000 books, and much more for the museum during her lifetime alone. During the German Invasion in 1941, much of the Museum’s collection was evacuated and the Museum was hit by two bombs and multiple shells. The collections were eventually returned the museum and it was eventually re-opened in 1945. The Museum’s collection includes works by such notable artists as Rembrandt, Raphael, da Vinci, Monet, Van Gogh, Matisse, and Picasso.

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood was built as a memorial to Czar Alexander II who was assassinated after being hit by a bomb on the site where the church was eventually built. Alexander III order construction in 1883 and it was completed in 1907. The Church contains over 7500 square meters of mosaics, the most of any church in the world. The Church was badly damaged during the Russian Revolution and was closed in the 1930s. It was further damaged during World War II during the German Invasion. Later, the Church was used for storage for vegetables, leading some to mockingly call it the “Saviour on Potatoes.” In 1970, restoration of the church began and was completed in 1997. It is currently a museum and does not serve as a place of worship on a full-time basis.

Peterhof Palace

The Peterhof Palace is actually a set of palaces and gadens whose creation began under the direction of Peter the Great. Construction began in 1714 and the parts that Peter the Great contributed to were completed around 1725, but each Czar afterward added on to Peterhof. It is home to extensive gardens, fountains, and palaces. The Grand Cascade is one set of fountains found on the grounds and the water from them flows into the pool of the Samson Fountain, which is a monument to the Russian vistory over Sweden in the Great Northern War. The Lower Gardens are home to a many fountains including some of which will douse unsuspecting visitors. The Grand Palace is the largest of the palaces at Peterhof and contains the Chesma Hall which is home to several paintings of the Battle of Chema dating back to the 1770s.

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 St. Petersburg

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Parthenon

The Parthenon is an ancient temple to the Greek goddess Athena and is considered to be the most important surviving building from the Classical Greek era. Construction began in 447 BC to replace an older temple for Athena and was completed in 438 BC. Over the centuries since it was constructed, the Parthenon has been brought down by war and weather. In 1975, the Greek government began to restore the Parthenon using new marble from the quarry it originally used during the construction.

Olympic Stadium

The Panathenaic Stadium hosted the first modern Olympic games in 1896 and is one of the oldest in the world. The original stadium built on this site was built in approximately 566 BC, but was rebuilt in 329 BC and is the only major stadium contructed completely out of white marble. It has undergone renovations 3 times in preparation for the Olympic games that have been held there throughout its history. It was originally created to host part of the Panathenaic Games. In recent times, it has been used for the archery competition in the 2004 Olympic games as well as for music concerts and to welcome home triumphant Green athletes.

Temple of Olympian Zeus

The Temple of Olympian Zeus was dedicated to Zeus, the king of the Olympian gods. The constuction began in the 6th century BC, but was abandoned when the country’s rulers were overthrown. However, it was completed in the 2nd Century AD by Hadrian with two large statues inside: one for Zeus and one for Hadrian himself. The temple began to fall into disrepair due to the sacking of Athens in 267 AD. Over the course of time following Athens’ sacking, the pieces of the temple were used for the materials to build other buildings in Athens, reducing the temple to ruins. Fifteen of the original 104 columns remain standing with another laying on the ground nearby.

National Garden

The National Garden covers 38 acres in the middle of Athens and was completed in 1840. It was home to 500 different varieties of plants and home to different spedies of animals. Part of the garden was closed to the public and served as a private garden for the King and Queen. Despite discovering that many of the plants were not able to survive the climate in Athens, many of the animals survived and flourished. After the abolition of the monarchy, the entire garden, which contains a duck pond, small zoo, botanical museum, cafe, playground, and library, was opened to the public.

How to Learn About More Historic Locations in Athens

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London Eye

The London Eye is a gigantic ferris wheel that gives breathtaking views of the city. It was officially opened to the public on March 9th, 2000. It is the largest  ferris wheel in Europe and is the most popular tourist attraction in the United Kingdom with over 3.5 million people visiting it every year.

British Museum

The British Museum is considered to be one of the greatest museums in the world. It was established in 1753 and opened to the public in 1759. It’s collection includes over 13 million items and the building is over 990,000 square feet. Some highlights of the collection include the Rosetta Stone, drawings by Leonardo da Vinci and Michaelangelo, and artifacts from some of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is a gothic church located in London. It has served as the location of royal coronations, funerals, and weddings. Benedictine monks first came to the site during the 10th Century and Westminster Abbey became the official coronation church in 1066. The present church building began construction in 1245. It has been home to several high profile events, notably the funeral of Princess Diana in 1997 as well as the wedding of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in 2012.

The Tower of London

The Tower of London is a castle which houses the Crown Jewels and has served as a royal residence. It was founded in 1066, then built in 1078 by William the Conqueror following the Norman Conquest of England, and grew to encompass several buildings. It has a bloody history in that many people were held prisoner and some were executed here. Some of these prisoners were Anne Boleyn, one of the wives of Henry VIII, and Lady Jane Grey, who were both executed. It is alleged that some of the prisoners’ ghosts continue to haunt the Tower. Over the course of time, all but two of the buildings built on the grounds of the Tower of London have been destroyed. These remaining buildings have been restored and are open to the public.

Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a prehistoric site located near London and is believed to have been constructed between 2000 B.C. and 3000 B.C. The stone structure is breathtaking. Until 1977, it was possible to walk up to, touch, even climb on the structure, but it was roped off in 1977 for Stonehenge’s protection.

National Gallery

The National Gallery is an art museum containing pieces dating back to the mid-13th century. It has over 2,300 items in its collection including pieces by Leonardo di Vinci, Michaelangelo, Raphael, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, and Rembrandt. The National Gallery was founded in 1824 and is located in London’s famed Trafalgar Square.

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Let’s Go Budget London 

Fodor’s 2012 London

Let’s Go Britain 2009

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