Advice and Information for the World Traveller on Many Destinations

Archive for the ‘Culture’ Category

Northern Ireland is situated in the north east of the island of Ireland and is politically part of the United Kingdom. The country has an estimated population of just slightly fewer than two million people.

Northern Ireland shot into the headlines in the early 1920s when it separated from the Irish Free State to form a separate country. This came about because of the conflicts that were breaking out between many Roman Catholics in Ireland and the Protestants who were being persecuted for trying to spread their views that were contrary to the historical religion of the country.

The capital city of Northern Ireland is Belfast, which is the location of the country’s main airport, Belfast International Airport. Many tourists can fly direct into Belfast although some choose to fly to other parts of the Republic of Ireland and then use the M2 Motorway to get into the country.

The country has been subjected to many terrorism attacks that prove the religious conflicts are still ongoing and it is still hoped by some of the combined Irish population that one day the two countries will again unite.

The biggest industries in the country are fishing off the eastern coast and cigarette production, with distribution taking place to countries all over Europe. Northern Ireland also has a football team that is ranked among the top 100 in the world.

The country is also admired for the preservation of its landscape and coastal facilities, and this alone attracts thousands of visitors every year.

Being one of the top 25 cities in the world, Dublin continues to emerge as a historically rich city with its contribution to contemporary culture.

Flights to Dublin will be more thrilling with trips to the city’s best known theatres, the Gaiety, which hosts musical productions, the Abbey, which aims to advocate indigenous literary prowess and the Gate, which stages avant-garde productions.

The city also hosts the Dublin Theatre Festival, during which international plays are staged in larger venues for public enjoyment. Flights to Dublin offer the chance to experience the vast choice of cafes serving only the best coffees and teas from all over the world. These cafes also offer a mouth-watering selection of delicacies and cakes. They are the perfect place for tourists to unwind after enjoying action-packed activities in the city.

Dublin is also famous for its pubs, which are a central hub for musicians, literary artists and politicians. With almost 1,000 in the city, you should be sure to experience the Dubliners’ pub style.

The city is home to the three branches of the National Museum of Ireland, which are Archaeology, Decorative Arts and History.

Dublin holds festivals for locals and tourists that add to its cultural vigour and flair. There are the Dublin Culture Night, Darklight Festival and many others, which are all eagerly anticipated each year.

There is no doubt that Dublin transcends other cities and is highly deserving of its place as one of the most admired cities in the world. With its undeniable mark in diverse areas of culture, Dublin continues to attract art and culture enthusiasts from around the globe.

With an estimated 2.5million inhabitants, as of 2008, Amman is the capital city of Jordan, the administrative centre and the commercial hub of Jordan. It is situated in a hilly region of northwest Jordan and covers more than 19 hills. Generally, Jordan experiences a hot climate, all year round, but Amman enjoys four seasons of pleasant weather, ranging from as low as −5°C (23.0°F) during winter up to 30°C (86°F) in summer.

Being the hub of medical tourism, education, transportation, communications, education and investment, Amman continues to develop as a skyline city. Some of its major buildings include the Queen Alia International Airport, home of the international carrier, Royal Jordanian Airlines and the Housing Bank Commercial Building, as well as other high-rise residential developments.

Amman also has a handful of tourist sites, reflecting a history that dates back to the Stone Age. It also has a history of wars and invasions by Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians, which continued for hundreds of years. Fortresses and towers from those times can still be seen today and are preserved by the Amman government to further promote tourism in the country.

Air travel for UK and US tourists is not a problem, since a variety of airlines offer direct flights and other packages for passengers. UK tourists can fly to Amman via British Airways, Air France and Royal Jordanian, while US visitors can fly to the city by Delta, US Airways, Northwest Airlines or Royal Jordanian.

Travelling to Cairo is a great way to explore Egypt’s historical landmarks and experience its diverse cultural life. Flights to Cairo land at Cairo International Airport (CAI) and some of the carriers that offer flights to Cairo from the UK are British Airways, BMI, TAP, Northwest and Emirates.

Travelling from the airport to the city centre takes around 45 minutes. There is an airport shuttle that takes you to and from the city along the Pyramids Road. Airport taxis operate according to flat fees, which are around US$5 plus an airport exit fee. You can also choose from buses, air-conditioned coaches or car rentals, which are available from Avis, Europcar, Budget and Hertz.

Antiquities and museums are the major tourist attractions in Cairo and the surrounding area. The Egyptian Museum houses antique coins, papyrus, amulets, household items, Tutankhamen’s treasures and monuments dating back to pre-dynasty and Middle Kingdom eras. The world-famous Tutankhamen Collection comprises jewellery, statues, sculptures and perfume. The museum also has a special hall housing 11 royal mummies.

The Pharaonic Village is a recreation of ancient Egypt. Dr. Hassan Ragab created this living museum with the goal of bringing the past civilisation to a contemporary audience, while showcasing endangered plants. The Pharaonic Village is surrounded by structures that recreate ancient architecture and civilisation, with actors dressed in ancient costumes portraying ancient life and culture.

The Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) is the largest of its kind in Egypt. Located on the Giza Plateau, near Cairo, the structure is named one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, owing to its size, impressive architectural detail, and the tremendous amount of labour spent on its construction.

The concept of “European philosophy” is as broad a concept as world philosophy in general. As part of the umbrella concept of Western thought, European philosophy is rooted in ancient Greek philosophy and is interdependent with Christianity. Early European beginnings can be traced to the civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, known as the Greco-Roman world. The thinking of Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, and other ancient philosophers laid the foundations for the advent of Christendom, which spanned Europe by the early Middle Ages, following the demise of the Holy Roman Empire. The Renaissance, from the 14th to 17th centuries, through to the Enlightenment in the 18th century, served as landmark philosophical periods, upon which modern European culture is drawn. Without question, the works of Descartes and Locke are viewed as great influences upon modern European thought.

Religious philosophy has had a changing face in Europe in recent years. Demographic studies have shown that while Christian belief and the belief in a god were once powerful philosophical bases in Europe, much has changed. Theism has given way to atheism as a new liberal secularism has taken root. Democracy, with its foundations in Ancient Greece, remains a prominent style of government, as is reflected in the European Union’s criterion that member states must have democratic governments. Communism, once the thorn in the side of much of Eastern Europe, has since crumbled to form a kind of social democracy, with liberalism, secularism, and humanism the new battle-cry.

If you were to fly to Europe in expectation of encountering “European culture,” you will find a diverse number of sub-cultures. For European culture is not easy to define. England, for example, has a large number of practising Christians, is an English-speaking democracy, and has fish and chips as its national dish.

Travelling eastward to continental Europe, we find the countries of France, Germany, Luxembourg, Russia, Turkey, Denmark, Italy, etc, all very different in many ways. While much of Europe speaks Indo-European languages, this category can be broken down into scores of related languages, ranging from Russian to Slavic, Italian to French, Germanic to Latin. Europeans speaking these languages do not share a common linguistic understanding.

In terms of government, while the European Union maintains its criterion of member states having to have a democratic government, this is not the case throughout all of Europe. While Western and Central European governments have democracies – such as Italy, France, Germany and the Netherlands – this is not the case in Eastern Europe and Balkan countries, including Belarus, Ukraine, and Serbia.

Religion in Europe is also diverse in character. Russia contains a significant number of practising Russian Orthodox faithful; France has a growing number of Muslim adherents, owing to immigration from Islamic countries; Turkey is primarily a Sunni-Muslim country; and countries such as Austria and Poland have large numbers of practising Catholics. Religion in Europe is as diverse as it is throughout the whole of the rest of the world.

Europe’s cuisine, similarly, covers a diverse range of foods. While potatoes, bread, and eggs are staple fare in Russia, the Maltese love patizzi, the Italians eat pasta, the Hungarians eat goulash, and the Bulgarians eat a lot of yoghurt.

European cuisine is a collective term referring to foods commonly eaten in European countries; it is also known as Western cuisine or Continental (i.e. the continent of Europe) cuisine.

While it actually entails a culturally diverse grouping of foods, it is very distinguishable from, say, Asian cuisine or Middle-Eastern cuisine. Europe itself, as a continent of over 50 nations with peoples speaking scores of different languages and practising different religions, is a culturally diverse grouping of countries that differ greatly one from the other in many ways; they also share much in common.

European cuisine can be divided into four sub-groups: Western European – of which Belgian, French, German, and Swiss are a part; Central and Eastern European cuisines – including Hungarian, Jewish, Polish, and Ukrainian; Northern European cuisines – of which Danish, Irish, and British, are a part; and Southern European cuisines – including Greek, Italian, and Spanish.

In general, beef or other red meats are a common food across Europe. Wheat-flour is a common base for starchy foods, as is the humble potato. In addition, dairy products are used in abundance in European countries. Apart from these similarities, European cuisine ranges in style, depending on the country, region, or nationality. In France, they prefer “nouvelle cuisine,” which entails brief cooking times for meat, fish, and green vegetables, as well as short, uncomplicated menus with dishes being presented in an artistic format. This is in contrast to the lavish banquets so common to France of yesteryear. In Hungary, they favour meat stews or goulash, as well as soups and pastries. In Denmark, traditional fare entails barley, potatoes, rye, and beetroot, while in Turkey, common foods would include kebabs and corn.

South Africa is known as the Rainbow Nation because of the various races living in the country. Most of the population is made up of different ethnic groups living in the urban areas. Having different races has led to the development of various South African cultures and forms of etiquette.

South Africa’s customs and forms of etiquette are divided into three parts: meeting, gift giving, and dining. Meeting covers several greeting styles, depending on the person’s ethnic heritage. South African men tend to shake hands with foreigners while maintaining a smile and eye contact to show courtesy. If a man knows a woman very well, he may kiss her as a replacement for a handshake.

Most South Africans celebrate Christmas and birthdays by giving gifts. When a person turns 21 and 40, it is celebrated by having a large party where a lot of gifts are given. In this event, it is common for friends to share in the purchasing of the gifts to help cut the cost. Flowers, chocolates, and a bottle of South African wine are recommended as gifts if you are invited to a house. Your courtesy will be appreciated if you make an extra effort to wrap the gift nicely.

South Africans are a time-conscious people, so it’s better to arrive on time when you are invited to a house. You should contact the host to determine if you should bring a dish. Most of the people in this country appreciate casual clothing when having dinner with friends.

Visiting South Africa is easy and it’s culture is rich, with many customs and forms of etiquette that can be appreciated by other countries. The diversity of races in the country further developed the culture, making it easier for foreigners to adapt.

Europe is home to a diverse range of countries, cultures, religions, governments, and languages. Spanning east to west from the Ural Mountains bordering Asia to the Atlantic Ocean, and spanning north to south from the Arctic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, Europe’s 50 sovereign states encompass over 700 million inhabitants whose diversity of cultures is reflected clearly through its diversity of languages.

Rooted in the Proto-Indo-European languages spoken thousands of years ago are the Indo-European languages, accounting for the majority of spoken languages in Europe today. These include the Slavic languages – including Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Czech, and Bulgarian – as well as the Germanic languages – including High German, Swedish, and Danish. Also included as Indo-European languages are the Romance languages – French, Spanish, Italian, Latin, etc. – as well as Greek, Armenian, and Baltic languages.

Historically, Europe has been characterised by six linguas francas, spoken cross-culturally and trans-continentally. These are Classical Greek, Koine Greek, Latin, Spanish, French, and English, the latter being the current international lingua franca. The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages protects Europe’s linguistic diversity.

The European Union, a 500-million-strong secular, economic and political body with 27 member states, has a fairly tolerant linguistic attitude, represented by its rule that every official national language is accepted as an official EU language. While new immigrants in European countries are expected to adopt their host country’s native language, many find themselves maintaining their cultural identity through persistence in speaking their native tongue. With the changing face of Europe’s traditionally Christian population, speaking mainly Indo-European languages, to a growing Muslim population, speaking mainly Arabic languages, effects of this remain to be seen.

Europe is home to some 700 million inhabitants, the majority of whom are also part of the European Union (EU). Rooted in a millennium-long history of Christianity across the continent, Europe still maintains a dominance of Christian religions – including Roman Catholicism and Protestantism – while at the same time breeding a growing trans-continent population of Muslims. In the times of the early Middle Ages, Europe experienced Christianisation, yet this was to begin to crumble following the Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century. Meanwhile, largely due to migration, the Islamic populations of Europe have been on the rise, leading to a popular reference for the changing face of Europe: Eurabia.

Currently, the countries with a significant Roman Catholic population include Portugal, Spain, France, and Belgium. Those with a significant Protestant population include Finland, Denmark, Sweden, and Switzerland. Meanwhile, countries with a significant Muslim population include Albania, Bosnia, and Turkey. European countries with official religions include Malta, Vatican City, and Greece.

According to recent demographic studies, Europe’s religious orientation is changing from theism (a belief in god) to atheism, and from religious doctrine to secularism or liberal pluralism. In recent years, Europe has seen large numbers of Muslim migration, with the largest Islamic populations in Western Europe located in France, the Netherlands, and Denmark. As for the 500 million-strong EU, this is largely a secular body, which aims to maintain a separation between church and state, and which has no formal connection to any particular religion.