The island of Corsica is located in the Mediterranean and much like the sea in which it exits, the island is beautiful and captures imaginations and passions for people across the world. And while it might seem like the entire island is something of a paradise natural park, there is actually a designated park on it that is amazing in its own right. The Parc Naturei Regional de Corse is relatively new and was established in 1972. It includes some of the highest mountain ranges on the island in its borders as well as the Golfe de Porto and the Scandola Nature Reserve.
It is one of the top attractions for tourists who visit the island and information on it as well as directions to it can be found at some of the top resorts and hotels in Corsica . And while many people assume the great beaches to be the top geographic attractions on the island, they are surprised to find the extend of the offerings and importance of this great park.

Although the park is protected and cannot be accessed by foot, it is possible to visit the park and arrive there by a boat that originates in the village of Galeria. Thousands of rare animal and plant species thrive in and are protected by this park and part of its function is to serve as a major conservation effort. As is true for most of the world, Corsica has seen its share of indigenous species become extinct through the centuries and it recognizes the environmental importance of preservation. In addition to some of the rare species that are found there the park also features endangered species. Two sub species of hoofed animals the mouflon and Corsican red deer are found here. In addition to the amazing beauty of the park it is also a great place to visit and see rare and endangered animals and plants.

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The Natural Park of Corsica

Though many states are still buried deep in snow, there are many more than are experiencing the warmer weather of spring time.  With such nice weather, there is no excuse not to get out of the house and enjoy nature.  This week is National Park Week and to celebrate over 300 national parks are offering free admission as well as special events and programs for the kids.  It only runs through Sunday so make plans to take part.  For more information and to take advantage of this offer visit the ChicagoSunTimes.com.

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Celebrate National Park Week

Denver, Colorado is an extremely popular city for many reasons. One of the obvious ones is its close proximity to some great ski resorts, though that is definitely not the only thing that attracts guests to its friendly hotels . There are numerous cultural attractions and landmarks that entice people to this mile high city, and once they are there they frequently discover a favorite aspect of it that they were previously unaware. Denver has some incredibly beautiful parks and recreational areas and they are typically full of not only residents but also tourists. Some of the parks are centered around historical aspects of the city and area, while others are specific plant life and cultural and entertainment attraction oriented.

The Four Mile Historic Park is one of the favorite visitation centers for tourists, and this is also one of the parks that visitors are frequently aware of before arriving. This large park is located on twelve acres of land and is just four miles from downtown. It includes some of the city’s oldest buildings and is full of reminders of the pioneer days. In addition, the park hosts some exciting events and festivals. The Seventh Annual Colorado Corks and Cuisines is just one of them and is one the schedule for May 3rd. The festival this year has been expanded and there is more food and drinks planned as well as art exhibits.

The Lakeside Amusement Park is located, appropriately, right on the lake at Sheridan and I-70. In addition to the great attraction features of this theme park, there are incredible scenic views of the lake and surrounding mountains. This is an extremely popular place for families and is also suited to be a celebration venue for large parties. There are numerous rides in the park and they are for children and adults. There is a special Kiddie’s Playland area that children absolutely love. There is a new ride in this area and it has become one of the kids’ favorites. It is the Mini Skater ride, one that mini humans can’t get enough of. There are numerous food options available and patrons are also welcome to bring their own picnic items.

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Four Mile Historic Park and Lakeside Amusement Park in Denver, Colorado

I made a special stop at Bristol with my wife and our two children and stayed at a Bristol Hotel in order for me to take them to the Bristol zoo. I have such fond memories of the zoo and I wanted my family to share what was my childhood.

After we spent the night at the hotel, we went early in the morning to have a full fun day at the zoo. Bristol Zoo has changed, I almost didn’t recognize it. What was weird was I did recognize the brown elephant signpost which has faithfully pointed the way to the zoo every since I was a child, but the Bristol Zoo no longer has elephants. Going through the zoo’s entrance, we now had to go through the gift shop first. Effective, sure. You can’t enter or leave the zoo without having to go through the gift shop. My children most definitely wanted all the very expensive items offered in the shop.

I successfully navigated my children through the shop without having to open my wallet, of course promising they’ll get something when we leave. We finally proceeded to the zoo itself and walked by beautiful trees and landscaping which were quite stunning and well manicured. This was new for me, or I just don’t remember, or I’m now more mature where I appreciate wonderful landscaping. The zoo is rather small, I remember being so much bigger. But, it’s only twelve acres. We stopped by the one of the two cafe/snack place’s the zoo offers and I was blown away with the pricing. Very expensive. If I wasn’t travelling, I would’ve prepared our own picnic basket, which the zoo allows.

As we strolled around the zoo, I noticed that there was more space dedicated to gardens, nice picnic areas and lakes than to animals. I got the feeling that it really wasn’t a zoo anymore, but more like a parkland. My kids weren’t disappointed though, they didn’t care that they didn’t see elephants, giraffes, rhinos or polar bears, like I did when I was a kid. All they wanted to do was chase all the ducks and geese around the lake, eat and of course have Dad buy them something from the gift shop when we leave.

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Bristol Zoo Old and New

Various parts of the eastern hemisphere are experiencing a rare occurrence of an extremely long solar eclipse. Some cities in northern India and China can expect a complete blackout on the morning of Wednesday, July 22, 2009. This is a fascinating event, and many people will visit the cities that will be strongly affected, just to experience it. There are also cruise tours that will pass through the strong eclipse areas and are booked to capacity with passengers that wish to experience the eclipse from the open water. This could add a romantic element, and what a perfect time for a marriage proposal. Hotels are booked to capacity in the major cities that will be affected, and though Goa will not experience the full eclipse that is will occur on Wednesday, the Goa hotels are almost always full. And this is a major tourist time of year.

In Goa, there was a partial eclipse in the early morning of Monday, March 19, 2007. This was a beautiful event, and many photographers were able to capture the silhouetted image against the moon. The eclipse occurred close to the horizon, which may have made it less visible from specific locations, though it also created a beautiful linear view. There is actually an eclipse season, and it will begin in late August of this year. On August 28 there will be total lunar eclipse followed by a partial solar eclipse in October. With any eclipse, it is important to take precautions when looking at them, as even partial sun directed into ones eyes can cause extreme damage. Many schools have special viewing projects for students and make it a class event to view them through the crudely constructed instruments. This is also a great opportunity for astronomy classes to create an interactive lesson.

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Goa Eclipse

Many people have been traveling to Singapore for purposes of business for many years, whether in marketing, banking or trade.  Singapore is well known for the excellence in practice, and for the convention halls, lectures and seminars dedicated to expanding the knowledge of the Singapore business world, and creating new business as well.  The city is a bit congested and for anyone working there on a daily basis, say in a Singapore private bank, office building or hotel trips outside the city become a necessary retreat for peace of mind and well being.  One of the best get aways close enough for a day trip is to the rain forest.  The surroundings of the natural world will bring one back to onself, and give one the sense of the proper world.  One of the largest trees in the rainforests of Asia are the Tualang Trees.

And of the most distinguishable features of the tree is that honeycombs, like large disks, hang from the branches high above the top of the forest canopy.  One of the aspects of the trees is that the natural predator for honey, the bear, is unable to grip the sides of the tree due to the slick bark.  Which means, the honey is there for the people.  The honey harvestd from these trees is worth more than the timber would be should they be cut down, so the trees remain.  Some of the combs reach a diameter of six or more feet, containing as many as thirty thousand bees.  The bees are of the species of Asian bees, the largest honey bees in the world, averaging about a foot in length.  An average tree will contain about one thousand pounds of honey.  The ritual harvest of the honey occurs in February and March, and holds religious significance for Hindus and Muslims.  This is one of the times of great festivals, and work.  This is just one of the many aspects of the forest of interest when one decides to head to the rainforest of Singapore for a break from the city life.

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The Perfect Singapore Getaway

When I came to New York on a business trip, I had no idea that I would put in an application to help New York become greener. It was after I had finished up with my business deals and getting ready to check out of my New York USA Hotel, I heard a public announcement over the television about a new plan Mayor Bloomberg was implementing.

It has to do with enhancing New York’s urban environment. By 2017 he plans to plant an estimated 220,000 street trees with funding over $200 million. New York’s Parks and Recreations will be the steward of the approximately 29,000 acres of land from Central Park to the Yankee Stadium to the community Gardens and Greenstreets.

I did a little research on the Internet to find out more and to see what qualifications are necessary. Apparently, the Ciity of New York will be seeking individuals with experience and a earnest interest in Horticulture. They will have to perform advanced forestry functions. Do field surveys and inspections to assess the conditions of trees and recommend solutions to all the damage being done by insects and disease. Also recommend which species to plant. So far so good, I can meet all those expectations. My current job is in Horticulture.

I found a place on-line where I could fill out an application and submit it. I think that this initiative to make New York greener sounds like my ticket to get out from under a corporate job and get back to nature. Plus, help make New York and even better and more beautiful place to visit and live. I left my hotel room and took a leisurely walk up the street I was on. Yes, I could see how I could be of great benefit to this magnificent city and be of benefit to aiding in the re-greening of our Earth.

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The Greening of New York

I took an expedition to Kings Park and spent around 4 hours checking out the sights and sounds. I only managed to cover 10 percent of the park in those 4 hours, that’s how big it is. King’s Park Botanical Gardens covers approximately 401 hectares. I was unaware of that when I left my room were I booked a week with at one of the Perth Hotels Australia. The concierges only told me that it’s a must see before I leave the country.

While in the park I saw an number of people having fun and enjoying the park. Couples, parents, singles sitting under a tree reading a book, kids running around wildly and me. One thing that stood out for me was how friendly everyone seemed to be. People would walk past me saying Hi and couples stopping to help me figure out what I need to see here and what I don’t need to bother with. Back in New York, that would never happen, ever. What a pleasant surprise and how refreshing, really.

There was plenty of facilities at Kings Park like undercover picnic tables, but what was odd about that was the coin operated BBQ pits. Later on, I found out that the toilets are coin operated too. Glad I had coins. I needed a rest after only being at the park for about 45 minutes. I found a nice tree to sit under on the grass, it was a huge Gum tree. It was a good spot because I could watch an assortment of beautiful fountains which were in a small lake, apparently that was apart of the water garden. It was peaceful just sitting at the park surrounded by beauty and listening to the songs of the birds.

I finally got up and checked out the outstanding collection of Australia’s flora. Nearly two-thirds of the park consists of natural bushland and endemic birds species. My concierge was right, this park is amazing. A beautiful balance of cultivated gardens, open recreational areas and a water garden. When I got back to my room, I immediately called up the concierge to thank them.

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Perth Kings Park

We came to Cape Town South Africa to visit the renown Cederberg. We booked one of the Best Cape Town Hotels and hired a Range Rover so we could drive ourselves there and take our time exploring this pristine wilderness of South Africa. We could have booked a hotel there, but it’s more convenient for us to stay in Cape Town.

The Cederberh Wilderness area is approximately 200 kilo meters north of Cape Town and it stretches from Middelberg Pass to Pakhuis Pass. It encompasses about 71,000 hectares of pristine, stark and dramatic shaped rock sandstone formations, waterfalls, caverns, streams, peaks and deep valleys. The Cederberg is one of the most ancient landscapes with a unforgettable view.

When we arrive to the wilderness we were astonished with the amount of small game such as Dassies, Klipspringers, Grey Rhebok, Grysbok and baboons. The leopards that roam here, which we did not see one, are protected. Our eyes were filled with a tremendous diversity of wild flowers and trees. We even got to talk to several local farmers which are allowed on the land which are encouraged to rehabilitate and conserve this unique flora kingdom which, apparently, was exploited ruthlessly until the late 1800′s. Even the trees, including the Clanwilliam Cedar were almost on the brink of extinction. But, due to the Clanwilliam Cedar Tree project and the Cape Leopard Project of the University of Cape Town, both of these precious items have been saved and are doing well and regaining to foothold in this vast wilderness.

We found out that several farms in the Cederberg also form part of the Cederberg Biodiversity Corridor, one of the three Mega-Reserves in South Africa where the public and private sectors have joined hands to create a conservation corridor. We were grateful to have had a chance to hike a site see this wonderful treasure of South Africa. We decided we will be back when we retire and help with the conservation efforts. We feel it’s the least we can do so that others may have the same chance we had to explore the natural beauty of this country.

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Cederberg Wilderness Cape Town