Spring time is one of the most beautiful times to travel to the United Kingdom and Ireland. An independent travel package from Across the Pond Vacations might just be the ticket to renew and lift your spirits after a cold winter. May we suggest Across the Pond Vacations’ tour - England's South West? Guaranteed to renew your Senses… and Sensibilities.
Posted by jaggerdiggydog
An interesting article from the New York Times… To visit London, call Across the Pond Vacations at 310-791-6101, or visit us online at http://www.atpvacations.com.
A Falling Pound and Must-See Art
By STUART EMMRICH
Published: December 21, 2008
THE unthinkable has happened: London is actually starting to become an affordable destination for American travelers. The pound has dropped to about $1.50 (it was around $2.10 this summer), a number of top hotels are offering great weekend deals ($230 a night at the trendy St. Martin’s Lane; $196 at the Metropolitan, off Hyde Park), and airlines are cutting prices, with some fares in January as low as $560 round trip.
But the fall of the pound isn’t the only reason to head to London right now. The city is also home to three exciting, must-see art exhibits.
Two — one at Tate Britain and one at Tate Modern — are devoted to unquestioned masters of 20th-century art: Francis Bacon and Mark Rothko. The Bacon retrospective, tied to the centenary of his birth, at Tate Britain (Millbank; 44-207887-8888; www.tate.org.uk/britain; £12.20 admission, about $18.40 at $1.51 to the pound) is an almost intoxicating show, particularly as it moves from his early works (like the series of paintings modeled after Velázquez’s “Portrait of Pope Innocent X”) to the near-hallucinatory portraits of his later years, like “Three Studies for a Crucifixion” (1962) and “Triptych — In Memory of George Dyer” (1971).
As a reviewer for The Independent put it: “I can’t think of a better 100th birthday present than this, a show whose scale allows us to see the scale of its subject; a man whose theme and whose genius lay in instinct.” The show closes Jan. 4.
The Rothko show at Tate Modern (Bankside; 44-20-7887-8888; www.tate.org.uk/modern; £12.20) — through Feb. 1 — is just as revelatory. It brings together for the first time 15 of the Seagram Murals, pulling together works from the Kawamura Memorial Museum of Art in Sakura, Japan, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, as well as eight in the Tate’s collection.
In 1958, Rothko was commissioned to paint a series of murals for the Four Seasons restaurant in the Seagram Building in New York City, designed by Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson. But the artist soon had doubts about the appropriateness of a restaurant for his work and declined the commission.
Also on view are “Four Darks in Red” (1958) and the famed “Black on Gray” paintings (1969 and 1970), which were the painter’s final series before his death in 1970.
The third show is very much devoted to the here and now: an overview of contemporary Chinese art. “The Revolution Continues: New Art From China” is at the new Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea (Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road; 44-20-7823-2363; www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk).
Charles Saatchi, the former advertising-mogul-turned-art-collector who made his name with the Sensation show in 1997 (and who since has gained added fame as the husband of Nigella Lawson), has for the past several years turned his attention to the Far East and this first show reflects that interest.
It has a kind of grab-bag feel to it — a recent viewer commented that it looked as though the British collector had swept through galleries in Beijing and Shanghai, saying “I’ll take one of these, and one of that” — but there is no denying the skill and imagination of these artists. Some are as much about texture as technique (as in the Liu Wie sculpture made of edible dog chews, and the paintings by Zhang Huan that are composed of incense ash from temples).
And almost every visitor to the gallery seems to stand dumbfounded before “Communication” by Cang Xin, wondering why this person is sprawled on the floor — before realizing it is an eerily lifelike latex sculpture. There is also surprising wit in the Mao paintings by Shi Xinning and a compelling directness in the haunting portraits by Zhang Xiaogang.
Admission is free, but shell out £1.50 for the helpful booklet, with its keen observations on each of the works.
Posted by jaggerdiggydog
With Spring 2009 just around the corner, there's no better time to begin planning for your UK or Irish vacation than NOW! And, with the pound and euro being so low compared to the dollar (today's rate: £1.00 = $1.492 / €1.00 = $1.392), the time to buy is right now.
Call Across the Pond Vacations to begin planning your UK Tour Package or Ireland Tour Package. 310-791-6101. Or visit us online at http://www.atpvacations.com. info@atpvacations.com.
Don't miss out!
Posted by jaggerdiggydog
London is the best city to be in at Christmas with so much going on. You can go ice-skating, shop in a traditional Christmas market, enjoy Christmas light displays, eat food from around the world and enjoy a carol concert or two! How about “doing Christmas” in luxury? Visit http://atpvacations.com/tours/christmas-travel-england-tour-package.htm for a taste of Yuletide Luxuries.
Posted by jaggerdiggydog
Many parts of the UK now have snow! This is an ideal time to visit… the atmosphere is right and the pound is down. (As of today, £1.00 = $1.47322!!!)
Visit Across the Pond Vacations to book their Yuletide Luxuries Tour. http://atpvacations.com/tours/christmas-travel-england-tour-package.htm This tour won’t be available much longer, so the time to book is now! Call Across the Pond Vacations at (310) 791-6101, or e-mail info@atpvacations.com.
Posted by jaggerdiggydog
With the great exchange rates, Britain and Ireland are now 25% cheaper than they were in the Summer.
December is an exciting time to visit the UK and Ireland. From the many carol concerts and tree lighting ceremonies to Victorian Christmas markets and fairs, you'll find it easy to immerse yourself in the spirit of the season. You'll also find it extremely easy to get here due to the great exchange rate and variety of bargain flight deals available from the airlines.
For more information on fantastic deals, call Across the Pond Vacations at 310-791-6101, or e-mail info@atpvacations.com. Also, visit the website at www.atpvacations.com!
Posted by jaggerdiggydog
When the sun has set over London this winter and everything is quiet, dare to step inside the Tower of London and discover the tales of this darkened medieval fortress in an exclusive twilight tour away from the crowds.
Every Wednesday from 7 November until 12 December 2007 and every Wednesday in February 2008, Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters) will guide you on an exclusive tour dazzling you with the tales and legends that make the Tower so famous.
With unique after-hours access, you will be able to immerse yourself in all the stories, gossip and secrets the Tower has to offer whilst the night’s shadows close in around you. With a trusty Beefeater as your guide, you will take in some of the Tower’s most famous sites including the Medieval Palace, Bloody Tower, Traitors Gate and the Scaffold Site where two Queens of England lost their heads.
Don’t miss your chance to step inside the world’s most famous fortress and see the Tower in a new light!
Call Across the Pond Vacations at 310-791-6101, or e-mail info@atpvacations.com.
Posted by jaggerdiggydog
