Exciting Guided Tours: Visit the Ancient City of Beijing

With the coming of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics, more and more guided tours of this city in China have been

established and China itself has become one of the fastest growing tourist locations in the world.

For the US, the borders of China are open and tourists are welcome to get visas for travel in this country.

Because Chinese is such a difficult language to learn, signing up for one of the many guided tours of the country

is the best option. Otherwise, the complications of travel and language barriers make it difficult for a couple or

family to really see the country in the best way possible.

Most guided tours of China include several cities as well as intra-China flights from city to city.

This is preferable to driving as this is a very large country.

Otherwise, you can just pick a city and spend your time there. For example, a tour could involve

the city of Beijing (formerly 揚eking? where the Olympic preparations are being made.

From this city, you can visit the infamous Tiananmen Square, where many protesters were killed in 1989.

Now, it is a peaceful meeting place where visitors can see MaoTse Tung抯 entombed body and an official museum.

Almost all guided tours of Beijing also include a walking tour of the Forbidden City梐 place where ancient emperors

lived and ruled the country. Although it has been burned down and rebuilt several times, the tourist definitely gets

an idea of how the ancient royalty lived and several of the large statues and the garden are still standing.

The Summer Palace in Beijing is on a lake nearby and includes the longest covered walkway in the world.

Bring your most comfortable shoes as there is a great deal of walking involved.

Guided tours around Beijing also commonly include a visit to a portion of the Great Wall of China.

On the bus ride out to the wall, the visitor can see bits and pieces of the wall snaking along the tops of the mountain.

At the visitor center, the tourist can take a cable car up to the base of the wall, where a short walk takes you to the

wall itself. Good walking shoes are vital here as well because the wall isn抰 flat when one walks on it and is instead

very irregular and slanted in places.

Other places to see on guided tours of Beijing are what the Chinese call the 揾utongs?

These are very narrow alley-like passageways that can, in part, be traveled through using Chinese pedicabs梑icycles

attached to surreys for two riders to sit on and enjoy the scenery. The lucky tourist will get to visit a school inside

one of the hutong areas where very small children are taught from as young as two years of age. Private homes in the

hutongs can be visited as well so the tourist can see how genuine Chinese people live. Because you are on a guided

tour, you will have the advantage of an interpreter.

None of the guided tours of Beijing are complete without a trip to the shopping areas.

The infamous 揝ilk Alley?contains a plethora of what otherwise would be street vendors梐ll trying

to get your attention and all hoping you don抰 know how to bargain. Bargaining in Beijing is essential so

bring your money and an extra suitcase to pack your well-loved souvenirs in.

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Ancient Wonders Revealed on Guided Tours of Greece

Greece, the mysterious island of the ancients, is on the list of desired guided tours of many seasoned travelers. There

are scores of archeological sites to visit in Greece and extended guided tours will take you out to one or more of Greece抯

several Mediterranean islands. So sign up for a tour and enjoy the trip of a lifetime.

Most guided tours of Greece will begin in Athens, the capital city of Greece and a nice city to fly into. You抣l often

stay in Athens for a few days and take day trips in and around this fabulous city. Within the city itself, there is much

to see, including the famous Acropolis and a tour of the magnificent Athens museum. Visitors can spend all day wandering

the halls of this lovely museum, taking in the many artifacts from ancient Greece that are housed there.

Travel from Athens and visit the famed Theatre of Epidaurus, known for its amazing acoustics. Guided tours of the area may

then take you to the town of Nauplion and on to Mycenae, where you抣l see some important archeology and visit the tomb of

Agamemnon. After seeing these wonderful archeological sites, you抣l travel on to Olympia, passing through the towns of

Tripolis and Megalopolis. Practically everywhere you look, there will be archeological ruins and something to see.

In Olympia, guided tours of the area will take you to the site of the original Olympic Games in ancient times. You can put

your feet into the same toeholds that ancient athletes used for sprinting. You抣l see the ancient Olympic stadium and the

Sanctuary of Olympian Zeus along with an informative archeological museum, where you can learn about the early Olympic Games.

After taking in all of the Olympic ruins, guided tours will often drive you through the plains of Eliad and Achaia and

through the awesome bridge crossing the Corinthian Bay. Eventually, you will arrive at the ancient and famous city of

Delphi. Most guided tours will have you stay overnight in the city of Delphi.

In Delphi, guided tours of the area will give you a chance to visit the archeological site located there as well as the

Museum of Delphi. From there, you will travel on to the village of Kalambaka, the site of some gigantic rocks known as

the Meteora. Nearby, you can visit age old monasteries, complete with pieces of ancient Byzantine artwork. Afterward,

you will likely head back to Athens for another adventure梩hat of the islands near Greece.

In Athens, guided tours of the islands around Greece will allow you to get onto a lovely cruise ship, where your first

stop will likely be Mykonos. A pearl in the Mediterranean Sea, Mykonos is known for being the vacation site for

international jet-setters who enjoy its sandy beaches and memorable nightlife.

Perhaps the next port of call on many guided tours of this area is the Turkish port of Kusadasi. You can visit one of the

most complete ancient cities ever to be excavated, the city of Ephessos, where St. Paul was first arrested and then banished.

Later, you will arrive in Patmos, another terrific spot for archeological and Biblical spots.

Other spectacular islands many guided tours of this area will take you are the islands of Crete and Santorini, believed by

some to be the lost continent of Atlantis. Enjoy the spectacular views and the ocean sunshine for, before long, you抣l be

sailing back to Athens and to your home port of call.

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Ancient Celebrations Of The Christmas Holiday

Christmas may very well be the oldest holiday that is shared across the many cultures of the world; it is traditionally celebrated during the winter season (or even the warm summer season if you count Australia, where Christmas is celebrated as an official holiday).

Before Christmas was celebrated, people were finding time to celebrate in Europe during the winter holiday before the birth of Jesus Christ ever even occurred!

The Winter Solstice has always been a time to celebrate and rejoice; it is celebrated on December 21 in the northern hemisphere and it was after the Winter Solstice that the worst part of the year was behind them. It was at that point during the year that the days began to get longer, giving the people more time to spend outside on their crops and tending to their animals.

In Scandinavia during the Winter Solstice, men and their sons used to go in to the woods to cut a tree down. After the tree had been felled, a nicely sized log was cut out of it, and the men would carry the log back to the home. This log was dubbed a Yule Log, and the Yule log was burned in the fireplace. The entire time the Yule log burned, the family would feast. Often times the Yule log might burn for a whole twelve days! Of course, as the Yule log burned it sent sparks out of the hearth and as the sparks flew out of the fire place, the family would count the sparks and each spark stood for a farm animal (a cow, a goat, a pig, etc) that would be born on their property that year. It is important to note that farm animals were signs of wealth back then.

Saturnalia is a celebration of the Winter Solstice that occurred in ancient pagan Rome. Saturnalia was celebrated in honor of the god of agriculture, who was named Saturn. During the time of Saturnalia, the entire Roman empire is in a state of social disarray. Servants and peasants spend time with and celebrate the holiday with people of higher classes, which was a rarity back then.

The Saturnalia festival in itself can last as long as an entire week in Rome. During that time, people rejoiced all over the country of Rome. The phrase 慹at, drink, and be merry?was played out to its fullest. Shops and businesses are closed during the Festival of Saturnalia. Following the first week of Saturnalia, the festival itself usually ends, but the Saturnalia period itself does not end.

In addition to Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture, the Romans also worshipped an infant type god named Methra, who was carved out of a rock. On Mithra抯 birthday, people also rejoiced, just as they did during Saturnalia. The day of this rock god抯 birthday was one of the most sacred days of the year for the Roman people. It was a time for celebration and togetherness, and for family.

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