Thursday, July 8, 2010

March Trip - DUBAI - Part 15

THE BURJ KHALIFA - is the world's tallest tower and the centerpiece of the Gulf region`s most prestigious urban development to date. This architectural phenomenon is a global tourist magnet that skyrockets Dubai into the global limelight. Burj Khalifa radiates out in a series of ellipses from the sky breaking tower encompassing residential, commercial, hotel, entertainment, and the world largest shopping mall. The Old Town with its intimate streets and architectural detail creates a special ambience with the mystery of yesterdays Arabia. Old Town features every kind of restaurant from five-star dining to outdoor cafes overlooking parks and waterways. The builders invented a new structural system, called a buttressed core, which enabled the building's efficient and economic build out. The design for Burj Khalifa went through extensive wind tunnel testing, resulting in a building that resists high winds while minimizing vibration. Taking advantage of the height, SOM invented a "skysourcing" cooling system to maximize ambient air. It pulls cooler air from the top of the building (which is on average 7° C cooler than the ground) and forces it back down through the building to keep it cool


THE INTERIOR OF THE BURJ (Double click on photos to see an enkarged version)














































Tuesday, July 6, 2010

March Trip - Europe Part 15 - DUBAI


The Gold Souk - Dubai











The Largest Golden Ring - Guiness Record Holder














The Kings Palace - Abu Dhabi









The Second biggest Mosque in the World after MECCA - Sheik Zahid Mosque Abu Dhabi.











A rare shaped buiding Complex in Abu Dhabi











A bus which can go in water too...






Hotel Atlantis built on reclaimed land.







This is how they occupy the sea & reclaim land












The Worlds most most expensive 7 Star Hotel BURJ AL ARAB built partly in land & partly in the sea.












TRip to UK -Europe -Part 14 - LONDON


Madame Tussauds Wax Museum - with Sachin Tendulkar






Wax Museum with Jim Carrey









The Euro Tunnel connecting France & UK 45 metres below sea level.The railway operation involves 50.5 kilometres (31.4 mi) of double track railway in the main tunnels, plus extensive surface-level terminal facilities at Folkestone in the UK and at Frethun in France; the Eurotunnel operation is entirely self-contained, with connections near the two terminals to the respective national railway networks. Train operation consists of operating shuttle trains conveying cars and separate trains conveying heavy goods vehicles between the two terminals. The Buses & cars are parked in line inside the train and driven out after a short journey of 35 minutes.









The London Bridge














West Minister Abbey.








The Big Ben

























The Queens Palace





With the James Bond Lady Boss - Wax Museum











Monday, July 5, 2010

Europe Trip Part 13 - BRUSSELS



Waffles with different fillings - the delicacy of Brussels.




Manneken Pis or in Tamil Moocha Payyan. This statue of a little boy in a somewhat compromising position has since several centuries been a major tourist attraction in the city. When most people see our 'manneken', the first reaction is always one of amazement: "Look, how small he is ! Why does everybody want to see him ?" The people of Brussels, however, accept him the way he is.The official origin can be traced back to the 13th of August 1619 when the city ordered the sculptor Jerome Duquesnoy to make a new bronze statue of manneken-pis to replace an old and withered one. During the course of the centuries our little manneken has often been hidden to protect him against bombs of invading armies. He has also been stolen several times by plundering soldiers and even by the citizens of Geraardsbergen, a city in Flanders that claims to possess the oldest statue of a peeing boy in Belgium.

A lot of people do not know that the manneken-pis is very often dressed. At the moment he has a wardrobe of more than 600 costumes, which are all preserved in the King's House, or City Museum at the Grand-Place, the central market square of the city.



































Sunday, July 4, 2010

March 2010 Trip Part 12 - FRANCE

The Triumphal Arch dates back to 1806, when Napol×™on commissioned Chalgrin to build an arch to the glory of the French Army. Construction on the Arch began in 1806, restarted in 1825, and was not finished until 1836. The Arc de Triomphe is built on the model of ancient Triumphal Arches, but it stands alone because of its monumental size: 50 meters tall and 45 meters wide (164 by 148 feet). The four magnificent high reliefs are crowned by Rude's masterpiece, "The Departure of the Volunteers in 1792"

















The Eiffel Tower was built for the World Exhibition in 1889, held in celebration of the French Revolution in 1789.
The construction was only meant to last for the duration of the Exposition, but it still stands today, despite all protests from contemporary artists who feared the construction would be the advent of structures without 'individuality' and despite the many people who feared that this huge 'object' would not fit into the architecture of Paris.

Today, there is no such aversion anymore among the Parisians, and one could not imagine Paris without the Eiffel Tower, in fact it has become the symbol of the City of Light.
























Cruise on the River SIENE