1 . Madrid’s Incredible Museums

CaixaForum

CaixaForum is a museum and cultural center that occupies an old power plant. From the outside the building appears to be floating, and there’s a vertical (垂直的) garden with 15,000 plant species growing on the side of one wall. Inside are four floors of paintings, photos, andmultimedia exhibitions, as well as workshops and a theater-auditorium. Even if you don’t enterany exhibitions, it’s worth stopping by to admire the building’s striking outer and innerarchitecture.

Hours: 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM daily

Free admission: May 15, 18, and November 9

Museo Sorolla

This small art gallery is dedicated to the Impressionist painter Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923).The gallery is in his former home and studio, and they’ve preserved the original atmosphere wellso you get a feel for what it was like when he was living and working there.

Hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30 AM to 8:00 PM

Sundays and holidays from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, closed Mondays

Free admission: Saturdays after 2:00 PM and Sundays

Museo del Romanticismo

This small museum focuses on the history and daily life of the Romantic period. The museum recreates the Romantic atmosphere in its room displays with furniture, carpets, jewelry, paintings, and other antiques of the time period.

Hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM

Sundays and holidays from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, closed Mondays

Free admission: Saturdays after 2:00 PM and Sundays

Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza

The Thyssen Museum began as the Thyssen family’s private collection of seven centuriesof European painting, regarded as one of the most important collections of the last century. In1992, it was converted into a public museum. It has a great variety of artists, styles, and time periods.

Hours:Mondays from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM,

Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Free admission:Mondays from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM

2 . Camping tips: Which overnight wilderness experience is right for you?

If you’re an experienced backpacker, read no further. This article is for camping rookies, those who have never slept beneath the stars or haven’t pitched a tent since their youth but are seriously thinking about overnighting in the wilderness.

Car camping

At its most basic, car camping involves packing a tent, sleeping bag, fold-up chair, cooler and camp stove into your vehicle and staying at a drive-up campground. Nearly every national park, and many state and county parks and private facilities, offer drive-up campgrounds with restrooms, potable water, fire rings or pits, and maybe even hot showers. So there are lots of choices.

The downside of car camping is the fact that these campgrounds are often packed with other campers. Not a lot of privacy, they can be noisy, and possibly hinder your quest of communing with nature.

Backpacking

No vehicle required; just your feet and a good pair of hiking boots or shoes to get you to the next overnight spot. A multi-day hiking trip is without doubt the most immersive way to experience the great outdoors.

Different from maybe car camping, it requires the least expense and equipment. All you really need are a backpack, sleeping bag, water bottle, small first-aid kit, enough food to last the entire travel. It can be done just about anywhere on the planet.

Boat Camping

While this does involve owning or renting a watercraft or using a ferry or water taxi service to reach the overnight site, camping via canoe, kayak, raft or boat offers a similar get-away-from-it-all adventure as backpacking.

Experienced paddlers and boaters usually prefer to camp on their own along a secluded shoreline. But many adventure or wilderness outfitters offer guided trips that can last anywhere from a couple of days to two or three weeks. With a boat, you can sometimes camp places that not even backpackers can reach.

3 . Potala Palace Travel Guide

● The travel route is set strictly.

● The visiting time is limited in 1 hour.

● Watch your steps due to the high altitude.

● Bring along an overcoat as it is a bit cold in the hall.

● Oxygen bag is prohibited to be taken into the Palace.

● Smoking is prohibited and cigarettes are not allowed to be brought into the Palace

● Smartphones can be carried with you into the Palace, but please do not take photos.

● Liquid is not allowed, including mineral water, which can be purchased at the hill top.

Visitors are required to apply for free reservation tickets with identity documents, such as ID cards and passports one day in advance.

The visiting date and exact time, number of visitors and ID document numbers are printed on the reservation tickets. Those visitors who have reservation tickets should make their tickets canceled if they can’t visit the Palace for personal reasons. Otherwise, they will be forbidden to apply again within a week because their names are added to the blacklist.

On the following day, visitors should have their reservation tickets and ID documents checked and walk to the ticket office in front of the White Palace to buy the entrance tickets. Then they can start their tour after another security check.

● Take bus 13 to Yaowangshan Bus Stop.

● Take bus 8 or 17 to Baita Bus Stop.

● Take bus 2, 16 or 26 to Lazhong Bus Stop.

● Take airport shuttle to Minhangju Bus Stop.

4 .    

Endangered Species Youth Art Contest

2023 Contest Now Open!

Join us for our 6th annual Endangered Species Youth Art Contest! In celebration of Endangered Species Day (May 19, 2023), Roger Williams Park Zoo is accepting art entries from local K-12 grade students in the New England area showing threatened and endangered species. Together we hope to raise awareness about the importance of saving endangered species and their wild habitats.

Winners will be formally announced by May 2023.

Rules & Art Submission Instructions:

▲All entries are to be submitted electronically. Web form will be made available beginning February 1,2023.

▲Students’   artworks must be original. Computer-produced images will NOTbe judged.

▲All artworks must be about threatened/endangered species.

▲Each art entry must also include a short explanation (3-5 sentences) as to why saving your chosen species from extinction is important.

Deadline: Entries must be received by Sunday, April 2,2023. Late entries will not be judged.

2023 Art Contest Prizes

GRAND PRIZE(Judges Choice)

▲One Family RWPZoo membership (a S149 value; or extra year added to current Zoo membership)

▲An adopt-an-animal package of your choice

▲One $100 gift card

GRADE CATEGORY WINNERS (Grades K-2, Grades 3-12)

Each grade-winner shall receive:

★Six General daytime admission tickets to RWPZoo

★One $25 gift card

HONORABLE MENTIONS (Grades K-2,Grades 3-12)

Each grade-honorable mention shall receive:

·Four General daytime admission tickets to RWPZoo

·An award certificate

All winning artworks will be highlighted on the Zoo’s website and social media pages, and in the Zoo’s summer WILD Magazine issue.

5 . It’s that time of year, again, somehow time for the list of UK LEGO events of this year 2023. Here is a rough guide.

Discovery Brick Show

Date:30th, April-1st, May

Place: Discovery Museum

Description: This LEGO show in central Newcastle returns, with LEGO models from builders across the UK, activities and a marketplace for LEGO-lovers.

Cost: Some free activities; entry to the marketplace requires a paid ticket.

Thirsk Brick Show

Date:12th February

Place: Thirsk& Sowerby Town Hall

Description: A small LEGO show in this town hall, back for its third year. The money that is made from the show goes to an aged care centre in the town. LEGO displays and some activities.

Cost: A small entry fee in aid of charity.

Hull Brick Festival

Date:13th-14th August

Place: Guildhall

Description: This show is in its seventh year and this time it’s in town for the whole weekend! Awesome

LEGO creations from the best builders in the UK, fun activities plus several specialist

LEGO traders with everything from new bargain sets, loose bricks to custom accessories.

Cost: Free entry; ticket booking is recommended.

Caterham Model Show

Date:17th September

Place: Sacred Heart Centenary Hall

Description: This remarkable LEGO and model show is back again this year. LEGO as well as non-LEGO displays, activities and traders who buy and sell a lot of unique LEGO creations.

Cost: Paid tickets are required for entry; see the event page for details.

7 . Gather together a couple of good friends and take a leisurely stroll through the streets — this is what many youngsters in China enjoy doing when they visit a new city.

To them, Citywalk means “roaming around the city” on foot. Participants can follow a distinctive urban route, soaking up the atmosphere, exploring old buildings, browsing boutique shops, sipping a cup of coffee, or indulging in authentic local snacks.

Citywalk can be a special guided trip for a small group of people, or simply a leisurely stroll for one or two to explore new areas, sticking to the key point: avoiding famous scenic spots and big crowds to gain a more inclusive experience of the places you visit. Besides interacting with a city, Citywalk provides young people with a new social scene, where they who share the same interests and ideas can easily make friends.

In China, the Citywalk trend is spreading from first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai to second and third-tier cities, encouraging more participants and event organizers to get involved. Some organizers invite folk culture researchers and enthusiasts to act as tour guides. Xiao Yiyi, a young entrepreneur in Changsha, recently launched six Citywalk routes in different cities on her social media account, with the aim of providing experiences for visitors to “walk in open-air museums”. Her Changsha route features more offbeat sights like historical architecture from the 19th century, artsy old alleys, and even a stop-off to sample the local spicy crayfish specialty.

Even though Citywalk is a relatively new phenomenon, it is offering a positive change to urban travelers as they can better choose the experiences based on their interests and needs. At the same time, Citywalk represents an opportunity for tour guides and travel service providers to offer a more tailored, professional service to meet with ever-changing market demands.

9 . I wasn’t the most popular kid in my freshman year—I mostly kept myself buried in a book alone. Ashley was very _________ from me. She was outspoken and fashionable. So you can _________ how surprising when we became friends! During that summer, we _________ and did everything together!

I looked up to Ashley, and wanted to be all of her. I even tailored my next-year _________ to her interests. Later, Ashley introduced me to her group of friends. I would _________ them around.

One day, arriving earlier at the classroom, I overheard what they were talking about. “She’s such a(n) _________ ,” one girl said. “She just follows you, but doesn’t have a _________ of her own.” This was the first time I had felt _________ . My eyes began to well with tears and my hands were _________ . I couldn’t stay there anymore.

I ran home and told my mother. The advice she gave was so __________ , “Just be yourself and people will __________ you for who you are.” It sounded so profound and I decided I was going to __________ myself. Over the next month, I went through a lot of __________ . I bought new clothes I wanted to wear. __________ I began making new friends. I never just followed the crowd.

When I look back, I think of it as the year I grew up. Despite the pain I felt, it was a __________ they had given me.

10 . A storm blew up over the state. In the morning, I found a baby bird in the gallery. He was wet through, looking very 4________ for himself. He was alone, with no ________ around. Realizing he was ________ by the storm, I picked him up and made a big “house” for him, filled with some grass and ________

He was very ________ at first. But as time ________ he finally became outgoing and sat on my shoulder as I walked in the yard. From then on, he ________ became a member of my family. He ate some of the dog’s meat and some insects I ________ to find. Two weeks going by, he decided to fly off on his own! I was glad he ________ and was able to live his life as he should.

About one year later, I was in the yard again, this time hanging out some ________ when a big bird flew down and ________ on my shoulder! He was not a bit ________ and I knew it was him. Staying for a while, he flew off up into the ________,disappearing.

A wild bird came back to say, “Thank you for ________ me.”Fantastic! ________ the little thing, I experienced a strong sense of satisfaction.