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Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Travel in Greece: free guide of Santorini Island

Travel in Greece: free guide of Santorini Island by Michele De Capitani

Santorini is a small, circular group of volcanic islands located in southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km south-east from Greece's mainland.



In general, Flashbooking guides have been written for giving the essential information about the most visited cities in the world and in particular for any traveller or first-time visitor.



It is also known as Thera. It is the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands, with an area of approximately 73 km², and in 2001 had an estimated population of 13,600.



For a short visit, a week-end, a city break, these free pocket guides are useful printable and downloadable tools available online.



Santorini is essentially what has been left from an enormous volcanic explosion which destroyed the settlements thereon and led to the creation of the current geological caldera.



Flashbooking's happy travellers can book their rooms and beds not only in cheap hotels or cheap hotel Santorini but also consider other budget accommodations in Bed and Breakfast, Guesthouses, Campsites, apartments, farm houses and much more.



Its spectacular natural beauty along with its eminent nightlife make the island one of Europe's top tourist hotspots.



With the monthly newsletter, Flashbooking puts at travellers, students, volunteers free disposal some useful pocket travel guides of major European cities: the Amsterdam City guide, the London City guide, the Prague City guide, the Paris City guide, the Rome City guide, the Florence City guide, and the freshly issued Santorini Island guide!! For the Santorini travel guide Flashbooking staff efforts concentrate on making it simple to read dividing the Santorini centre in different districts with their relevant amenities.



A giant central lagoon, more or less rectangular and measuring about 12 km by 7 km, is surrounded by 300 m high, steep cliffs on three sides.



Flashbooking accommodation database is easily available online and comes completed with all relevant information about youth hostel and hotel location and map, description, services, hostel contacts, customer ratings, six pictures and updated prices inclusive of taxes and services together with instant real availability.



The island slopes downward from the cliffs to the surrounding Mediterranean sea.



Having the reservation final price is also convenient as it does give the transparency our users pretend while booking. Having the final total amount of your booking means you do not have to worry about other extra surprises!



On the fourth side, the lagoon is separated from the Mediterranean by another much smaller island called Therasia. The lagoon merges with the sea in two places, in the northwest and southwest.



Flashbooking policy tends to privilege small and family-run hotels in order to promote an alternative tourism respectful of cultures and different societies.



Last but not least, if you wish to help us, you can either give your personal ratings of some accommodations, lodgings, bed and breakfast Santorini, youth hostels and budget small hotels where you stayed, or enlarging the hostel offer by reporting some new hostel contacts!



This article was written by Michele De Capitani with support from Budget youth hostels. For any information, please visit bed and breakfast Santorini to download your free travel guide for Santorini Island (cheap hotel Santorini).



Article Source: ArticleBazaar.net

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Ancient Egyptian Art -- Timeless and Beautiful Today

Ancient Egyptian Art -- Timeless and Beautiful Today
by: Ann Hession

Ancient Egyptian Art is one of the most recognized, admired and collected art in the history of the world. From delicate gold jewelry to vivid paintings to massive statues dozens of feet tall, for over 5,000 years Egyptian art has fascinated, delighted and awed generation after generation with its beauty, style and mystery. While genuine ancient pieces of art are rare and extremely valuable, modern Egyptian artists make beautiful art and jewelry that is inspired by some of the greatest recovered works from ancient sites, and which adheres strictly to the styles used by ancient artists. Jewelry in gold and silver with inlaid stones are fashioned after pieces of jewelry recovered from ancient tombs. Papyrus Paintings are painted in vivid color on genuine papyrus, made using the same principles developed thousands of years ago on the banks of the Nile, where the papyrus plant grows to this day. Paintings are executed in the style of frontalism, one of the most striking characteristics of ancient Egypt.

Frontalism

Frontalism is the style in which every known piece of ancient Egyptian art was produced. In paintings, the style of frontalism means that the head of the character is drawn in profile, while the body is drawn from a front view. However, even though the face is in profile, the eye is drawn in full, as it would be seen from the front. The legs always face the same direction as the head, with one foot forward and one back.

Ancient Egyptian figures, especially of gods and pharaohs, are noticeable for their very formal, even rigid stance and posture, but their faces are always serene, regardless of the scene in which they are depicted. There were very strict rules about how a god or pharaoh could be represented, which even included a prohibition against anything being drawn in front of the face or body of the pharaoh, even when the scene depicted clearly required it for any kind of realism. Realism was simply not a goal of ancient Egyptian Art. It is these very formal and stylized rules that have made Egyptian Art one of the most widely recognized forms of art in the world. Over thousands of years Egyptian artists adhered to this one style, which is quite remarkable, especially as compared to the extreme differences in art expression that have occurred in the modern world in just the past 100 years or so. The only acknowledged variations are in the portrayals of animals and common people as compared to the more formal depictions of pharaohs and gods. As can be seen in many Egyptian paintings, animals and common people or slaves are represented in a more natural manner, though still within very strict and formulaic rules.

This frontalist style is the primary reason why ancient Egyptian art is so easily recognizable, and its appeal has lasted through many centuries to this day.

About The Author
Ann M. Hession is the founder of Egyptian Artisans. A graduate of Harvard University, Ms. Hession has been fascinated by ancient Egyptian art and culture since high school. Egyptian Artisans is dedicated to sharing the beauty and mystery of ancient Egypt through making available fine Egyptian art and jewelry.