The jewel of Tuscan region, Florence is a city of central Italy on the Arno River, at the foot of the Apennines, east of Pisa. It is the capital city of Tuscany, the region in the northwest Italy surrounded by Apennines, the Ligurian Sea, and Tyrrhenian Sea. Florence is also known as Firenze.

Florence was a powerful city-state under the Medici family. The city was the center of the Italian Renaissance from the 14th century to the 16th century, and during that time artists and intellectuals like Boccaccio, Botticelli, Dante, Donatello, Filippo Brunelleschi, Galileo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Niccolò Machiavelli etc. flourished in the city. It is said that of the 1,000 most important European artists of the second millennium, 350 lived or worked in Florence.

Florence remained the capital the capital of the Kingdom of Italy from 1865 to 1870. In 1871 the capital was shifted to Rome. Modern city of Florence has area of 102 km² and population of 366,488. It is a commercial, industrial, rail junction, and a tourist center. The city has highly flourishing tourism industry; in fact tourism is the cornerstone of the economy of the city.

Florence is a highly coveted tourist destination in the world. The city enjoys warm temperate continental climate, which includes hot dry summers and cool damp winters. The summer temperatures are higher than those along coastlines due to the lack of a prevailing wind. Small amount rain falls in the summer, but relief rainfall dominates in the winter.

The heart of Tuscany, Florence is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The city is blessed with rare beauties of nature. The city has a treasure of exquisiteness in its bosom to offer to its visitors. It dishes out stunning province of hills, mesmeric mountains, luscious lakes, ravishing rivers, seducing skyline. Florence is beautiful city of flowers and fragrances; In fact the very name of the city sounds its close affinity to the flowers and fragrance. The city is famous for its flowers, lilies that have earned it a beautiful epithet— the “City of Lilies.” The city is home to numerous beautiful blooming parks and gardens. Florence offers intoxicating atmosphere full of fragrant airs all around. It’s the best destination for having vacation with theme of love and romance.

Florence is widely known for its fine art and architecture. A connoisseur’s delight, the city is a perfect destination for lovers of art. It’s the city of beautiful churches, monasteries, museums, galleries and palaces. Florence is one of the greatest historic cities of the world, and thus sometimes also dubbed as “Athens of Italy,” or “Athens of the Middle Age.” The UNESCO declared the historic city of Florence as a World Heritage Site in 1982.

Orson Johnson writes for holiday-velvet.com” title=”Holiday Velvet Holiday Velvet, a website providing listings for bed and breakfasts, villas, hotels and holiday-velvet.com/florence” title=”Villas in Florida apartments in Florence

The town of Alice Springs is located in the middle of the Australian continent and is the unofficial but undisputed capital of the Australia’s vast outback. This unique town is rich in history and natural features, and is the perfect base from which to explore Australia’s Red Centre which includes world famous features such as Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta, Kings Canyon and the MacDonnell Ranges.

Alice Springs is nestled in the MacDonnell Ranges in Central Australia. Roughly equidistant between Adelaide and Darwin, it lies almost at the geographical centre of Australia, approximately 1500 kilometres from any major Australian city in any direction. The highest mountain in the Northern Territory of Australia, Mount Zeil, rises to 1,525 metres out of the West MacDonnell Ranges about 200 kilometres west of Alice Springs. The town has a growing population of around 28,000 and is today a thriving regional centre where an amazing variety of tours, accommodation and activities for every taste and budget are available.

The history of Alice Springs began in 1871 with the construction of a telegraph repeater station, one of several such stations built between Adelaide and Darwin as part of the historic Overland Telegraph. Originally known as Stuart, this name was never really popular and in 1933 the town’s name was officially changed to Alice Springs. Development was initially slow, with the original dirt road to Adelaide not being replaced until 1987. Until then, travellers including train travellers on the historic Ghan railway followed the same route north as that followed by early Scottish explorer John MacDouall Stuart, north from Port Augusta in South Australia to Alice Springs via the outback towns of Oodnadatta and Finke. Today, the Stuart Highway which runs from Adelaide to Darwin is a first class highway suitable for any vehicle.

Development in Alice Springs accelerated greatly in the 1980’s, and the town today is a modern, moderate sized municipality with a wealth of resources and facilities compared to similar sized Australian towns. The Ghan Railway played a significant role in the town’s development, first arriving in 1929. The railway line was recently extended north to Darwin, with the resulting route across the centre of the Australian continent from Adelaide to Darwin now representing one of the world’s great train journeys.

A variety of historic buildings can be found in the centre of Alice Springs, including the original hospital in Adelaide House, the John Flynn Museum and Church, the Old Courthouse, the Residence and the Stuart Town Gaol. The original Telegraph Station is located in a reserve a short distance outside Alice Springs to the north. On the eastern side side of the normally dry Todd River, which runs through the centre of town, is the Olive Pink Botanic Garden, an arid zone botanical garden located right in the heart of town.

Alice Springs is located in a predominantly dry region, with glorious cloudless blue skies from April to September. Rainfall is unreliable and intermittent, but can normally be expected during the warmer summer months from October to March. During summer, temperatures of 40 degrees C (104-108 F) are common, while in winter (June to August) overnight temperatures often fall below freezing point. Winter days are typically bright and sunny, making this the most popular time of year for visitors.

Information about the Arrernte people of Alice Springs can be found at the Strehlow Research Centre, where many fascinating artifacts are displayed. The Araluen Arts Centre maintains a large collection of paintings by Aboriginal artists from the Alice Springs area, including renowned the watercolour painter Albert Namatjira. Many other activities are available in and around Alice Springs, including hot air ballooning, horse and camel riding, cycling, and excursions to nearby natural attractions in the MacDonnell Ranges. Alice Springs also hosts a variety of events and festivals in the cooler months between May and September.

Alice Springs is well serviced with accommodation suited to all tastes and budgets, from backpacker hostels to luxury hotels, and has several good restaurants. Alice Springs is easily accessible by air or bus from all Australian capital cities. To travel in style to Alice Springs, consider the luxurious Ghan train which departs from Darwin, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. Cars can be carried on the Ghan so that your own transport is available when you arrive in Alice Springs.

Miguel Scaccialupo writes regularly on newterritory.com.au Alice Springs Tour topics including tour-bazaar.com/alice-springs-tour.php Alice Springs Tour destinations and uluru-to-kakadu.com/alice-springs-tours.php Alice Springs Tour itineraries.

This just in: EOS Airlines, an upstart air carrier operating flights between New York’s JFK Airport and London’s Stanstead Airport has slashed their fares. For just $5000 round trip passengers can now fly the premium jet carrier and save a bundle. It gets even better than this: purchase one round trip ticket and a companion can fly for free; restrictions apply. Has the airline world gone crazy, or is EOS onto something? Read on for all the amazing details.

On October 25, 2005, EOS Airlines’ “official” inaugural flight took off one week after a series of pre-inaugural flights. Directed toward the business traveler, EOS operates custom outfitted Boeing 757 aircraft with seating for just 48 passengers. EOS, which means “Greek goddess of the dawn”, is offering a level of service unlike any other in the industry.

If you book a flight on EOS Airlines, here is what you can expect, besides paying a premium price:

48 passenger lumbar support seating; every person receives 21 square feet of personal space [individualized suites] for a combined work/rest/dining area;

Convertible seats that can be easily changed into a 78 inch long bed; cashmere blanket and Tempur-Pedic® pillow included;

Extra large carry on bins;

Lighting and laptop outlets for each station;

An onboard library to peruse the latest books and videos;

On demand food and beverage service comparable to what passengers receive on a corporate jet.

While the price certainly seems steep, keep in mind that prices rival what passengers had paid on Air France’s and British Airway’s super sonic transport [SST] Concorde before it was pulled from the market in June of 2003. In lieu of a jet that can match the SST’s speed, EOS has created a level of service and comfort that exceeds the Concorde. In other words, EOS Airlines is attempting to fill a void created when the SST was pulled from the market.

As with any new air carrier, success is never guaranteed. However, by concentrating on business travelers who frequent the NY to London “bridge” EOS Airlines just may have found a special place for itself within the business community. With no new SST on the horizon, privately held EOS has created a viable alternative to business jet travel and at a price far lower than chartering a Gulfstream 550.

Copyright 2005 — Matthew Keegan is thearticlewriter.com The Article Writer who writes on a variety of topics including: advocacy, automobiles, aviation, business, Christian themes, family, news, product reviews, travel, writing, and more. Samples from his portfolio are available right thearticlewriter.com/portfolio.htm online.

Since Botswana is a democratic republic, it can be expected that religious freedoms are respected. Given the different religions that are practiced in the country, it can be said that religious freedoms are not only respected, but are also protected.

Religions in Botswana

Botswana has an estimated population of about 1,611,000 people. Half of the population in Botswana consider themselves Christian. This 50 percent is further divided into Anglicans, Methodists, Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Mormons, Adventists, Jehovah?s Witnesses, Baptists and other Christian denominations. The majority of the other 50 percent practice traditional religious beliefs, while two to three percent of this percentage is Muslim. The level of atheism, which is very unpopular, remains unknown.

Religious freedom and attitudes

The government in Botswana adheres to and respects the policy of freedom of religion. Apart from this, the government not only protects this right but also protects this right against abuse. The state has also not prescribed a state religion. Religious organizations are required to register with the government, specifically to the Ministry of Home Affairs. However, the state does not offer benefits to registered organizations. Those who do not register face penalties like fines and imprisonment. These religious groups are allowed to construct their own places of worship where they can congregate. The relationships among religious groups can be considered generally amicable.

Restrictions

As the government respects the right to religious freedom, it also respects the right of people to practice their religion without the intervention of people of other faiths. In this light, the government does not tolerate religions that foster violence against other religions. For example, if a religion is found to be encouraging its members to do violent crimes against members of other religions, they may be denied registration by the government. The only time that government can suspend the right of religious freedom is if it is in the interest of national security and order.

Botswana is a good example of a country that respects the right of religious freedom. By instituting mechanisms by which this right is protected for all its citizens, the government of Botswana has been able to maintain good relationships among religious groups, which greatly contributes to the country’s stability.

i-Botswana.com Botswana provides detailed information on Botswana, Botswana Safaries, Botswana Culture, Botswana Agate and more. Botswana is affiliated with e-AfricanSafari.com African Safari Vacations.