"Welcome-Bienvenido-Benvenuto-Bienvenu-Willkommen" Varinia's Profile

Ahlan wa sahlan- Pari yegak - Bruchim habayim-

Hello,
Welcome to my page. My name is Varinia, it means Versatile in Latin, it's an old roman name (featured in the film Spartacus). I live in California which is heaven on earth as far as weather and geography. California enjoys a mediterranean weather. But if you go north in the winter there are mountains full of snow , go south and you will find desert and beaches. The lowest temperature in winter is 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
California is big enough to have Hollywood (another story by itself) + good Universities (Caltech, UCLA,USC), Modern Architecture (The Walt Disney Hall by F.Gehry) and a beautiful Geography (Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Mammoth). And the most international group of people which means Eclectic Fashion and Cuisine.
This is a great site for people who share their travel experiences and value friendship around the world. Welcome newcomers!
You are welcome to read my "The Academy Awards" 2013 Varinia Reporting from LA.

The Academy Awards 2013 Varinia Reporting from LA

February 21, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JANE FONDA, JENNIFER GARNER, KRISTEN STEWART
AND KERRY WASHINGTON
TO PRESENT ON OSCAR® TELECAST

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Academy Award® winner Jane Fonda will join Jennifer Garner, Kristen Stewart and Kerry Washington to present on the Oscar telecast, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron announced today.

Fonda earned seven nominations and won Academy Awards for her roles in "Klute" and "Coming Home." Garner was seen in this year's "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" and will be seen next in "Dallas Buyers Club." Stewart is best known for her role as Bella Swan in the "Twilight" saga and also starred in 2012's "On the Road" and "Snow White and the Huntsman." Washington starred in the Best Picture Nominee "Django Unchained" and was seen in "A Thousand Words." Washington is also the star of ABC's hit drama "Scandal."

Fonda, Garner, Stewart and Washington join a stellar list of previously announced Oscar presenters including Jennifer Aniston, Michael Douglas, Jamie Foxx, Paul Rudd, Salma Hayek Pinault, Melissa McCarthy, Liam Neeson, John Travolta, Ben Affleck, Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Mark Wahlberg, Ted and "Marvel's The Avengers" cast members Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo; returning 2011 Oscar winners Jean Dujardin, Christopher Plummer, Octavia Spencer and Meryl Streep; "Chicago" cast members Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones; special guests Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Daniel Radcliffe, Channing Tatum and Charlize Theron; and performers including Kristin Chenoweth, Jennifer Hudson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks, Aaron Tveit and Helena Bonham,Adele, Dame Shirley Bassey, Norah Jones and Barbra Streisand.

Oscars® for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, February 24 at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and will be hosted by Seth MacFarlane live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide. For more information go to Oscar.com or download the official Oscars app.

A view of Florence from Brunelleschi Dome

Florence

A medieval masterpiece of Engineering. In Florence, I felt the urge to climb up the Dome at the Duomo Complex in Florence. 463 twisting, turning stairs to the top! It is a true engineering marvel designed by Brunelleschi, the first dome of its sort since the Pantheon in Rome.

Christmas 2007 in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna.

Schonbrunn Palace

We had a great time this Chritsmas in Vienna!
It was freezing for us, we are used to our heavenly California temperature.
It is a custom to visit the schonbrunn to have a hot applecedar with a liquor of your choice, buy Austrian christmas ornaments in a freezing day.
Love Vienna!
The leaders of the Austria-Hungary empire summered here.

Eiffel Tower

Paris is simply beautiful! The Parisians are so blessed to have their city intact after WW II. A modern master piece of engineering.

Who wouldn't believe that the Eiffel tower was once a controversy.... in spite of big protests and harsh criticisim of Parisians and French intellectuals, its construction began in 1887 and finished 26 months later in 1889.

This controversy sounds familiar? the glass Louvre pyramid by I.M. Pei which is hated and loved by parisians; but no doubt it was the most practical solution for the site, brings light into the underground museum.
The tower was built for the Universal Exhibition in celebration of the French Revolution centenary, the Eiffel Tower hoisting the flag to the top was inaugurated on March 31st 1889.

The metal tower was planned to be demolished only after the Universal Exhibition of 1900. I'm so glad that radio transmission carried out by the French military right before the deadline of the destruction plan finally saved the tower.
Without the Eiffel tower, we wouldn't be able to enjoy all the great views of Paris...

Cruising on the Sienne

The Sienne river

A view of Notre Dame from the distance...

A view of Paris...

...from the Eiffel tower, it was freezing!
We decided to go to the top next time during the Summer.

Frankfurt

A rebuilt city...
Frankfurt has the highest skycrapers in Europe, some designed by the most prestigious architects.
I visited the city just to see Commerzbank Headquarters designed by Sir Norman Foster, is said to be the world's first "ecological high-rise."

This picture was taken coming out from the train station, I was advised not to walk around this area.

Intro Updated Feb 21, 2013
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Comments (73)

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giampiero6 Feb 11, 2013 at 9:42 AM

Hi Varinia...are you reporting on Hollywood stuff these days??
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  giampiero6 Feb 11, 2013 at 10:03 AM
  
  Hey very cool! :) Let us know how it goes!
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  Varinia Feb 11, 2013 at 10:31 AM
  
  Thanks. I have a friend who is a member of the Academy. I am promoting the Exhibits, people don't know that they are free and open to the public. A great place to visit for VT travelers!
  
  They are building an amazing museum designed by renowned architects Renzo Piano and Zoltan Pali. It will a great tourist attraction.
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DaHongHua Aug 5, 2012 at 1:16 AM

A warm happy birthday greeting from Malaysia. Wish you have more travels and more VT sharings in this year and coming years.
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  Varinia Dec 4, 2012 at 9:09 AM
  
  Thank you!
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richiecdisc Dec 19, 2009 at 4:56 AM

Thank you for your sweet thoughts, Varinia. She had a wonderful life and so very glad I was part of it.
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jumpingnorman Nov 1, 2009 at 10:18 PM

Hi Varinia! How have you been doing --- you think you might have a jumping picture for my collection of jumping VTers on my homepage? Thanks....Cheers, Norman :)
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zolasteve Aug 6, 2009 at 2:03 PM

great pages varinia, thank you :-) Steve
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alusru Aug 5, 2009 at 2:32 PM

Thank you so much and also a very happy bithday to you! Ursula
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a2lopes Aug 5, 2009 at 9:57 AM

Happy birthday Varinia and many happy returns of the day. Greetings from Lisbon which is waiting for your visit
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Donna_in_India Aug 4, 2009 at 8:34 PM

Happy Birthday Varinia!
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Sirvictor Jul 17, 2009 at 2:01 AM

Your tittle means in Turkish "Hoshgeldiniz" Thank you for your good wishes for my birth day. Hope you have better days in the future. Dont die before visiting Turkey.
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Pieter11 Apr 2, 2009 at 11:02 AM

Thank you for the birthday wishes! :) I'm having a great day so far! :)