Treat Yourself To A Luxury Ski Vacation

I think that an annual vacation is something that most of us spend a lot of time looking forward to. There may be a number of reasons why you're looking to get away from the daily routine, including taking the opportunity to escape from stresses that `re associated with working life.

In truth, many people would probably like to get away for vacations on a more regular basis. Instead, what tends to happen is that many of us plan a single, lavish trip away. This may well be due to the fact that regular commitments mean that there's something of a limit on the amount of time that we have available for leisure opportunities.

When you think about these issues and your own approach, you may well realise that it's important to ensure that you plan trips that will be truly memorable. You don't want to travel to somewhere that will ultimately prove to be disappointing. So how can you go about making travel plans that will meet your requirements and that are able to match your aspirations?

Ski vacations have held a place in the mind as offering luxury travel options for a long time. They enable you to combine sporting activities, with entertainment and opportunities for relaxation. There are numerous ski resorts, located throughout the world. As might be expected, many people tend to head for the leading European resorts.

If you're thinking along similar lines, then you may well be thinking about a trip to France, Switzerland, Italy or Austria. Each of these locations boasts a range of wonderful options, enabling you to create a vacation experience that you'll be able to remember for years to come. You'll find that there are no limits to the type of experience that you'll be able to enjoy.

Ski the Slopes In Queenstown, New Zealand

Queenstown, New Zealand, is the Southern Hemisphere's premier four season lake and alpine resort. Surrounded by majestic mountains and nestled on the shores of crystal clear Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown's stunning scenery is inspiring and revitalising.

With such a huge range of activities in Queenstown, no two days will ever be the same. You can choose activities such as skydiving, bungy jumping, white water rafting, helicopter flights, taking a wild ride on a jetboat or relax and try some of the best wines in the world.

Take a day trip to the beautiful Milford Sound which is absolutely breathtaking,  or go by 4WD and explore the "Lord of the Rings" country. Whatever your appetite for adventure or exploration, Queenstown has something for everyone.

The winter months is when Queenstown really shines. It's a beautiful town nestled in the southern alps of New Zealand and is a mecca for international tourists all year long. Because of its popularity as a great destination, accommodation is booked up quickly, so looking for a great deal during the ski season means that you will have to book months in advance. There are always plenty of different options to choose from as far as your accommodation is concerned, so take the opportunity to compare prices and get the best deal.

One of the major winter attractions is skiing and Queenstown has some of the best skiing to be found anywhere. Tourism is quieter during winter as the main focus is on skiing and Queenstown is within easy reach of Coronet Peak ski resort (20 minutes away) and The Remarkables ski resort (40 minutes away). The skiing at Queenstown is great for all skiiers as the weather seems to be much more stable, giving skiiers every opportunity to get out on the slopes. Added to this is the fact that these two ski resorts rarely close, because the weather is so favourable. The scenery from the top of Coronet Peak will take your breath away so be sure to visit even if you don't ski.

Dr. Barnes in Philadelphia

One of Dr. Barnes' "ensembles" contrasts a cozy family portrait by Renoir  with a painting by Cézanne of nudes in a hostile landscape

With jubilation and some residual sour faces from the bruising legal brawl that preceded the occasion, the Barnes Foundation opened its Center City Philadelphia campus on May 19, 2012. A hundred years ago, Dr. Albert C. Barnes began buying Impressionist, post-Impressionist and early 20th-century art, assembling one of the world's great collections, larded with old masters such as El Greco, Hals and Goya and African and Native American work that intrigued him. He was also interested in Pennsylvania German folk art and furniture and in centuries-old metalworking. He liked the inventive shapes of hinges, locks and keys and ornamental metalwork.

Dr. Albert C. Barnes as painted by Giorgio de Chirico

The doctor, who was born in 1872 in what might politely be called a "working class" neighborhood of Philadelphia and whose father was a butcher before he lost his right arm in the Civil War, made a fortune with his invention of the antiseptic Argyrol. Barnes used his money to buy art, which he installed in a building that he commissioned in Merion, a suburb of Philadelphia. From behind that barred door, he spurned the art critics, socialites and celebrities who had spurned him. He turned down their pleas to see his collection, admitting factory workers, young artists and others who gratefully feasted on the wonders that Dr. Barnes had amassed and carefully arranged.

Under the tutelage of the educator John Dewey, who became a friend, Barnes developed his own methods of education. There would be no mind-numbing curatorial explanations in his galleries. He wanted his visitors to look, not to read. Barnes stipulated in his will that his collection was to remain exactly as it was at the time of his death and that of his wife, Laura. Nothing was to be loaned or moved.

Dr. Barnes was killed in an automobile accident on July 24, 1951. Laura died in April 1966. For the ensuing 40 or so years, the Barnes collection remained sequestered in Merion with comparatively few visitors and insufficient funds to maintain the building and the grounds of the doctor's estate. But the legal wrangling necessary to break Barnes' will and move the collection to Center City Philadelphia was intense.