Free Ebook Offer: The Story of America: Discovery – Article 3 – Book-Reviews
Free Ebook Offer: The Story of America: Discovery - Article 3
Quite a lot happened in Europe between 1002AD, when the Vikings hurriedly packed their longships and retreated back to the colder climes of Greenland, and 1492AD, when the Spanish caravels, with Columbus so confident at the helm, accidentally stumbled across the forgotten continent.The period, collectively known as the Renaissance, saw a general revival of interest in intellectual thought. Science was studied, with fresh experiments conducted and new conclusions drawn, laws were introduced to control the growing populations and to create more stable societies, medicines were used to cure illness and prolong life, astonomers peered farther into the unknown universe, while geographers mapped and plotted the earth.All of these advances were aided by the invention of the movable type and a working printing press, which for the first time made books and maps easy to produce and allowed knowledge to be readily available to all.While Spain united to drive out the Moors and the other major European countries generally moved closer to becoming nation states, so the merchants also started to trade with far-off places and in particular with the other main hubbub of civilization, namely the East (principally China, India and Persia).This trade brought all sorts of attractive items into daily use and it wasn't long before Europe started to thrive on this vital commerce, though events were suddenly brought to a premature halt by the rise of the Muslems in the Middle East who moved to blockade the profitable trade routes.When Constantinople, the established base of the Christian Byzantium Empire, finally fell to the forces of the Ottaman Turks in 1453, the trade virtually dried up. The merchants were doomed and a continent that had become more or less dependant on this trade suddenly felt the need to find an alternative route to regain access to this lucrative market.At that time Portugal was the leading maritime nation in Europe, holding vital access to the Atlantic Ocean, the unknown frontier and as a few believed the real key to access the eastern markets. As they started to explore into this ocean they first found tiny chains of islands - Madeira, the Canary Islands, the Azores and the Cape Verde Islands - but they then turned their ships southwards to chart the continent of Africa. The Atlantic was still too big, too unknown, and they decided to play it safe and stick to the coastline. Their plan was to try and get around the tip of Africa and then to access Asia across the Indian Ocean. This was a safe route, making sense on the maps of the time, as to their knowledge the American continent quite simply did not exist.How things were going to change!This excerpt is taken from the third chapter of Discovery - The Story of America by Anthony Treasure. This book is already published in the UK (listed on Amazon.co.uk) and is due to be published in the US at a later date. For now it is published as an ebook and as a SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER Discovery Part One is available to download COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE. Three further titles - Discovery Part Two, Colonization Part One and Colonization Part Two are also out as ebooks and can be bought and downloaded from the website. To claim your free ebook today simply visit http://www.farawaybooks.com
Update April 2005 – Holland America Cruises, Signature of Excellence Program-Sailing
Update April 2005 - Holland America Cruises, Signature of Excellence Program
Holland America Cruise Lines has initiated a program of up-scaling their cruise ships, cruise line image and passenger cruise experience. This initiative is called the Signature of Excellence program and will soon be experienced by cruise passengers on all Holland America cruises.The award winning Holland America five star fleet of cruise ships will all have the unparalleled enhancements by the end of 2006. Included in the program are enhancements to the impeccable service Holland America guests have become accustomed to as well.Premium cruising aboard Holland America's fleet will be enhanced by state-of-the-art facilities and public areas. Included are stateroom amenities, luxury beds and bed linens. All Holland America cruise ships will include the Neptune Lounge, Pinnacle Grill, Explorations Caf
Costa Rica has been Called the Hawaii of Central America – Vacation-Rentals
Costa Rica has been Called the Hawaii of Central America
Considering a romantic or family Costa Rica vacation? You're choosing one of the best tourist destinations in the world. Costa Rica has been called the Hawaii of Central America. A Costa Rica vacation is full of beauty, lush foliage, many wildlife surprises, incredible lakes, rivers, and waterfalls.Activities on a Costa Rica vacation include bird and butterfly watching, surfing, deep sea fishing, scuba diving, tree top (canopy) tours, four wheeling, snorkeling, shopping, hiking, river rafting, horse back riding and casinos. On a Costa Rica vacation you'll find pristine beaches, tropical jungles, clear blue skies, high mountain rain forest, and tropical sun. That's why Costa Rica was aptly named 'rich coast' by Christopher Columbus in 1502.Nature is Costa Rica's green card. Wildlife diversity and exceptional landscapes merge in a long list of untouched lands and protected areas that will get you involved in as many Costa Rica expedition activities and adventure sports as you can imagine.Costa Rica is unusually blessed by the diversity of its butterflies. There exists about 20,000 butterfly species worldwide. Of these, about 1,000 or 5% can be found in Costa Rica.
With more than 850 species of birds, all found within a tight geographic area, Costa Rica offers birders of all levels of expertise an unrivaled bird watching experience. Birders out on the trail in Costa Rica's forests should keep an eye out for mixed flocks foraging on certain types of food, especially fruit, in the forest canopy.Costa Rica is home to roughly 150 species of amphibians, some of which are extremely colorful and exotic. There are tree frogs, which spend their entire lives above the forest floor, breeding in the water of tank bromeliads or in holes in the trunks of trees. Others, like the poison-arrow frog, are exuberantly colored, ranging from bright red with blue or green legs to bright green with black markings. There are over 200 species of reptiles in Costa Rica. The 14 turtle species include both marine and freshwater varieties. The largest of the marine turtles are leatherbacks. Their shells are up to 5 feet and they weigh upwards of 800 pounds! Marine turtles climb up sandy beaches to lay their eggs, a spectacular sight because it happens en masse.Costa Rica is home to over 9,000 identified species of vascular plants, including over 900 different species of trees. Costa Rica is home to some 1,500 species of orchids. From sub-alpine dwarf vegetation, rainforest flora from sea level to mangrove swamps and seasonal dry forest with its deciduous trees, there is an astounding range of floral habitats for a country so small.The protection of Costa Rica's natural heritage is managed by the respective national parks and reserves. These areas protect many species of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fresh and salt-water fish, and a vast number of identified vascular plants-representing 4% of the world's total floral and faunal species.In addition, these management groups protect examples of almost all the existing natural habitats such as deciduous forests, mangrove swamps, rain forests, herbaceous swamps, cloud forests, paramos, hilillo forests and marshlands. They also protect areas of historical and archaeological interest, such as pre-Columbian settlements and early battlefields, as well as beautiful areas of scenic interest, such as beaches, valleys and waterfalls. But above all, the areas of particular interest to the conservationist are the zones which protect the last remaining examples of Central American dry forest and the beaches where the sea turtles nest.The protection of Costa Rica's natural resources has implications beyond its borders because they encompass an incredible biodiversity, including numerous species on the verge of extinction. All of this is the reason the country has become one of the most popular destinations for visiting ecologists and biologists. On the whole, access to these areas and facilities are freely available provided the visitor respects the need to protect them. These protected areas are ideal for hiking and rafting, for watching the birds and other wildlife, for camping and just for enjoying in general, their rivers, beaches, jungles, mountain forests, volcanoes as well as their historic and archaeological sites.A Costa Rica vacation is fast becoming the #1 romantic honeymoon and family vacation destination in the world. Whether it's your honeymoon or family vacation-- Exotic, Romantic and Nature-- the perfect ingredients for that special get away, what more could you ask for on your vacation. An unbeatable choice for those travelers looking for a combination of relaxation, romance and activity. The atmosphere on a Costa Rica vacation is "Pura-Vida", the pure life.We traveled to Costa Rica on vacation in 2001. Fell in love with the people and their country. Purchased property on the last day of our vacation and built a villa in 2002. Handles villa rentals for five additional villas. Two, three, four and five bedroom villa's available, all of which are surrounded by Costa Rica's biodiversity and over looking the Pacific Ocean. Find more useful information about Costa Rica by visiting our web site.http://www.costarica-vacation-getaway.com
info@costarica-vacation-getaway.com