THE CONTRASTING FACETS OF LAS VEGAS, NEVADA AND ITS SURROUNDING AREAS
By: Fely Sorensen

Las Vegas, Nevada is the entertainment capital of the world and is famous for its mega casino-hotels and associated entertainment. Las Vegas Boulevard known as the Strip and is the focal point of the city because of the lined hotels with elaborate themes such as Las Vegas Paris, Bellagio, Venetian, Caesar Palace, Luxor to name a few.

Every hotel has its own casino, if you are not into gambling, you can view these themed hotels from one to another as they have shopping malls, restaurants, coffee shops, free shows, and  others activities.

Las Vegas, Nevada's natural side, amazing landscapes and nature wonders are often overshadowed by the glitter and glitz of its biggest city. To venture beyond the cities and towns and get lost in Nevada's stunning natural areas to enjoy all the state has to offer.

At night take a stroll and view the water fountains show and the glittering lights. The replica of Eiffel Tower dominates the whole scene in the Las Vegas Strip.

With a combination of music, water and light, the Bellagio delivers a spectacular audiovisual performance with its fountains.

This Egypt-themed casino resort on the south end of the Strip is housed in a 30-story pyramid.

The Fremont Street Experience in the heart of downtown Las Vegas is the home of the free Viva Vision light show.

Las Vegas, Nevada and its natural wonders:  The Red Rock Canyon and the Valley of Fire need exploring if you are in Las Vegas area. Taking time of viewing these nature's beauty give you a break to all the bustles and hustles in the center of the city.

The Red  Rock Canyon within the Mojave Desert west of Las Vegas is a scenic drive offers ever changing rugged landscapes and desert flora can be seen to an open country trails.

The sandstone rocks in the conservation area get their color from iron oxide. Over centuries the iron oxide built up, producing the vibrant, crimson color. 

Spanning the Colorado River and the Black Canyon (which separates Nevada and Arizona) about 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas sits Hoover Dam.

 The immense concrete structure – which confines   Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States by volume – has helped provide power to Nevada, Arizona and California. 

Lake Mead as seen from the Hoover Dam with the white band clearly showing the high water level.

The Valley of Fire also located in Mojave Desert is a state park north of Las Vegas Strip offers breathtaking views and natural rock formations. These sandstone formations can appear to be on fire when reflecting the sun's rays. It's a hidden natural museum of nature's art. This is wild virtually untouched wilderness. It is an "adventure of color" for you to experience by car and on foot.

The red rock formations formed over many millennia by strong winds and rain slowly washing away the materials holding its sand grains together.  The rock weakened over time, allowing the natural formations that we see today.

Aside of rock formations, along the main road there are  more interesting viewpoints and walking trails that you may explore and you may  just surprise yourself of what you may discover.

Petrified wood is wood that has laid outside long enough to become a fossil. All the organic things have been removed by sun, wind, water, and time, and have been completely replaced of minerals.  According to Valley of Fire Park reading materials, logs and stumps washed into Valley of Fire about 225 million years ago and are visible in two locations.  The logs are several colorful tree trunks lying close to the road, safely fenced off for all to view.

Rainbow Vista

Rainbow Vista is a viewpoint in the Valley of Fire state park where you can view a vast area of multicolored rocks.

Petroglyphs
Native peoples who lived in the area created petroglyphs by pecking away the desert varnish to reveal the underlying light-colored sandstone rock.

The Cabins
Now a picnic area, these historic cabins were built with Valley of Fire sandstone by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930’s for travelers.

Grand Canyon National Park
The canyon's unique combinations of geologic color and erosional form overwhelms our senses through its immense size.

Thank You For Your Visit
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THE BEAUTY OF COPENHAGEN AND  NEIGHBORING CITIES
By:  Fely Sorensen

First of all, what came to mind are two questions: Why people want to travel?  Is traveling really all about sightseeing or is there much more to it than that?  Step out of the world is just one of life's adventures into the unknown.  There are many that are equally amazing and worthwhile but being in new places allow you to see the world through your own and much wider lens.

The exploration of some points of interest, (castles, museums, landmarks, parks and among other things) around Copenhagen and other cities of Denmark  were remarkable.

The iconic Nyhavn (New Harbour), a canal and entertainment district in Copenhagen.  It is lined by brightly colored townhouses, bars, cafes, and restaurants.  Serving as a "heritage harbor" and has many historical wooden ships.

During summer Nyhavn is the perfect place to end a long day. Have dinner at one of the cozy restaurants or do like the locals and buy a beer from a nearby store and rest your feet at the quayside.

The Little Mermaid is a bronze statue by Edvard Eriksen, depicting a mermaid. The sculpture is displayed on a rock by the waterside at the Langelinie promenade in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen, Denmark is the home of the Danish royal family and Amalienborg Palace is their winter home. It consists of four identical classical palace facades.  In the center of the square is a monument of the Amalienborg founder King Frederick V.

Rosenborg Castle, The castle was originally built as a country summer house in 1606 is an example of King Christian IV's many architectural projects.  Today, Rosenborg Castle is a state property and is open to the public for tours and houses a museum exhibiting the royal collection.

Fredericksborg Castle in Hillerod, Denmark,  it was built as a royal residence for King Christian IV in the early 17th century. Situated on three islets in the castle lake, it is adjoined by a large formal garden in the Baroque style. Today, it houses the Museum of National History

The Elephant Gate is the main entrance to the Ny Carlsberg Brewery.  The gate consists of four elephant statues, two at the entrance and two at the exit. The tale of how these four elephants came to exist begins with Ny Carlsberg Brewery founder, Carl Jacobsen who had always held a fascination with the mammoth animal. To him, they symbolized positive values such as strength and faithfulness.

The Carslberg Brewery, the unique displays and interactive exhibitions take you on a trip through the world's largest collection of beer bottles, the history of beer, and the Carlsberg development.

The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek is an art museum in Copenhagen, Denmark. The collection is built around the personal collection of Carl Jacobsen, the son of the founder of the Carlsberg Breweries.

Achilles by H. W. Bissen

It surely must be one of the most resplendent jewels in the crown of Denmark. The collections embrace fine sculptures of every sort, including Assyria, ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, to more modern times, with an emphasis on turn-of-the century France and modern Denmark.  NY Carlberg Glyptotek tour  is one the high lights of the trip because of the wide range display of magnificent ancient arts gallery.

The Round Tower is perhaps the best place in Copenhagen to enjoy panoramic views of the city's skyline with its fairy tale old town ...

Road tripping up north to the countryside allows you to explore more about Denmark's history, people, culture, customs and traditions, and landscapes.

The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde is the Danish national museum for ships, seafaring and boat building in the prehistoric and medieval period.

The museum is in two parts - one where you can experience the skills and crafts used in building a Viking ship, the other part houses the excavated and restored remains of a number of authentic Viking ships.

Wonderful place to visit for all ages. Step back in time and view how these wonderful ships were built, what they carried (people and cargo) and what they were used for.

Very interesting museum, but the highlight was rowing and then sailing a replica Viking ship out on the fiord.

Legoland Billund, Denmark is the most famous and popular amusement park in Denmark, with lots of fun, speed and action for families and children of all ages.  Legoland is miniland -  plastic blocks snapped together to create miniature cities and replicate global icons and many more including animals.  A visit to the park, such a good, interesting experience.  Lego blocks were invented by a Dane named Ole Kirk Christiansen.

Danish author Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales include "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Little Mermaid", "The Nightingale", "The Ugly Duckling" and many more which has been translated in many languages readily accessible to children and mature readers.

Lego blocks replica of  Hans Christian Andersen

 Grenen, Skagen
Getting to Skagen and then Grenen is off the beaten track. To experience of being at the northernmost point of Denmark and to get the vision of the merging of two seas, (SKAGERRAK and KATTEGAT), at the narrow tip is amazing and refreshing.

Skagen

According to history Malmo belonged to Denmark until 1658 and became Swedish through the Treaty of Roskilde.

Malmo is the capital and most populous city in Skåne County, and the third largest city in Sweden. Together with Copenhagen, it constitutes the transnational Oresund Region, the most densely populated area in Scandinavia. 

The trip would not be complete without visiting the  town of Malmo, Sweden, a 35 minutes drive from Copenhagen via Oresund Bridge.

The experience is definitely increases our knowledge and widens our perspective of the world. To view new customs, different ways of living firsthand is good for the mind. 

“The use of traveling is to regulate imagination with reality, and instead of thinking of how things may be, see them as they are.” 
--- Samuel Johnson

 
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