Tag: Travel
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The royal botanic gardens at Kew
Located in southwest London along the banks of the Thames, Kew Gardens originated in the 18th century from the private botanical interests of Princess Augusta, the mother of King George III. In 1759, she established a nine-acre botanical garden on the grounds of Kew Palace. The gardens expanded under the direction of Sir Joseph Banks,…
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Keukenhof, Lisse, Netherlands
Known as the “Garden of Europe” and located in Lisse, Netherlands, Keukenhof is one of the most beautiful and largest flower gardens in the world. Famous for its display of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and other spring flowers, it covers an area of over 32 hectares, featuring millions of budding bulbs that create interesting designs and…
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Madrid’s Real Jardín Botánico
The roots of the Real Jardín Botánico lie in medieval Madrid’s geography and its fortifications designed to secure the frontier between al‑Andalus and the northern Christian kingdoms. After Alfonso VI captured Madrid in 1083, the city expanded and walls built in the 11th–12th centuries enclosed new neighborhoods, transforming it by the late Middle Ages into…
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The Butchart Gardens – Vancouver’s botanical splendor
The Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island, located near Victoria in British Columbia, are one of the most celebrated horticultural attractions in the world. Spanning over 55 acres of meticulously designed floral displays, they began as the vision of Jennie Butchart in the early 20th century. Their origins are rooted in industry and transformation, when 1904,…
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The Dubai Miracle Garden: A botanical marvel in the desert
Dubai Miracle Garden establishes itself as an outstanding horticultural marvel in the middle of the Arabian Desert. The 72,000-square-meter botanical garden in Dubai shows what can be achieved in one of the driest areas on Earth, which experiences ten centimeters of yearly rainfall and summer temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius. The project began under the leadership of Abdel Nasser Rahhal to fulfill Dubai’s mission of developing world-class attractions that would establish the emirate as a…
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The Cismigiu Gardens in Bucharest
Cismigiu Gardens (Parcul Cișmigiu), the oldest public garden in the Romanian capital Bucharest, spans 14.6 to 17 hectares in the heart of the city. It started as a natural pond called Balta lui Dura neguțătorul (“Lake of Dura the merchant”) that served as a fishing spot in the 17th century before being transformed into a vineyard around a water source that provided relief during the 1795 plague epidemic. …
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The Boston Public Garden: A botanical and medical landmark
Situated in the heart of Boston and adjacent to the Boston Common, the Boston Public Garden, established in 1837, was the first public botanical garden in the United States. The Garden exemplifies the city’s long-standing commitment to horticulture, public health, and civic beautification. Beyond its picturesque winding pathways, elegant Swan Boats, and Victorian floral patterns,…
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The Bois de Boulogne of Paris
The Bois de Boulogne, spanning 2,090 acres on the western edge of Paris, was originally a hunting ground for the kings of France, from King Dagobert, who used this forest to hunt bears and deer, to his grandson Childeric II who gave the forest to the Abbey of Saint-Denis, and to King Philip Augustus, who…
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The magnificent Boboli Gardens of Florence
The Boboli Gardens, one the most magnificent Renaissance gardens in Italy, originated in 1549 after Cosimo I de’ Medici bought the Pitti Palace to create formal gardens on the hillside behind it. Niccolò Tribolo was the first architect given the task to design the gardens, before other renowned architects such as Bartolomeo Ammannati, Bernardo Buontalenti, and Guilio and Alfonso and Parigi joined the project. A two-century-long collaboration produced…
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Notes made after a medical meeting in Rhodes a long time ago
It is time to relax between presentations, away from medical crowds, from lectures and posters, from science, medical education, and eager pharmaceutical representatives. It is also a respite from sleet and snow, and there is no need to wear a coat, for the sun shines almost all day. This is also an opportunity to learn…