Famous+Works

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 * Big Buildings of Beijing **

The video is about the four Great Buildings to shape Olympic Beijing, created by famous architects like Ram Koolhass, Herzog and De Meuron, Paul Andrew and PTW architects. First the host talks about the great CCTV building, which apparently is not loved by everybody although it is an innovative project.



Later he shows the new Olympic Stadium, which has an interesting structure inspired in twigs. It is the largest eco-friendly building.

Next to this building is the National Swimming Center, which represents a semi-transparent cube with bubbles.

Finally there is The National Theater, which seems that it is floating in the water according to architect Paul Andrews.

I think that all these buildings are magnificent creations, but is a bit out of context with respect to Chinese Culture. My favorite among these buildings is the National Theater because it seems impossible to build, and that shows that everything is possible.

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The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World __** The seven wonders of the ancient world are places with different and interesting stories and, regrettably, there are few traces of them, some few columns or an empty space. These wonders chosen in an ancient time were as follows: [|Great Pyramid of Giza], [|Hanging Gardens of Babylon] , [|Temple of Artemis] at Ephesus, [|Statue of Zeus at Olympia] , [|Mausoleum of Maussollos] , [|Colossus of Rhodes] and the [|Lighthouse of Alexandria].

The Temple of Artemis is considered the most magnificent temple of the ancient world. It was a project initiated in the 6th century B.C. by Croesus of Lydia. It was built in Ephesus (Turkey) to honor Artemis, the Greek Goddess of Nature. The temple was rebuilt several times, and of its original 127 columns, there is only one left standing today. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon is a paradise oasis in the middle of the desert, built in the 7th century B.C. by Nebuchadnezzar for his wife, who was nostalgic for her homeland. They probably were not “hanging” as much as “overhanging”, such as in balconies or terraces. Another version of the origin of the gardens is that they were made by the Queen Semiramis during her 5 year reign which started in 810 B.C. The Seven Ancient Wonders of the World are fascinating and impressive, with amazing stories of the reasons for their creation. Unlike today, these creations were to made because of personal impulses, for love, for wives, for beliefs. We will start with The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus that was a tomb created by great love, However, 1522 AD, was destroyed as it is an example of pagan art. Continue with The Lighthouse of Alexandria that has an illuminated structure that was the guide for merchants trying to reach the port of Alexandria in Egypt. The tower collapsed and it was dismantled for its stones. Furthermore The Statue of Zeus is an amazing statue that was sculpted in ivory approximately 12 meters. Its purpose was to show respect for Zeus. There is also The Colossus of Rhodes that was built to revere the sun god Helios, by the engineer Chares, and the Colossus was completed in 280 B.C. The most difficult to built was the legs because that need sustain the enormous weight. Unfortunately, around 224 B.C., an earthquake caused the Colossus to crack at the knee and it collapsed into pieces. The Temple of Artemis was built in honor the Greek goddess of hunting, Artemis, lover of nature, it was largest temple in history, but now there is only 1 of its 127 columns, the temple was destroyed by fire, invasions, earthquake, among other things. Personally, my favorite is The Wonderful Hanging Gardens of Babylon, for being so mysterious, being questioned by their existence, as the representation of true love, like that felt by King Nebuchadnezzar II Amyitis, and so he wanted his wife feel comfortable, although not in his hometown, because all the buildings should have a meaning as beautiful as this. media type="file" key="Sin título (2).wma"


 * __THE NEW SEVEN WONDER OF THE WORLD__**

 __B ruges, Belgium.__  I selected this place because it is a fantasy built in a small space, a place that inspires peace, harmony and happiness. Bruges is a beautiful city, it seems to have been taken from a fairy tale as it maintains the same features it had 400 years ago. <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; letter-spacing: 0.25pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In the year 862 a personage named Balduino kidnapped Judith, the favorite daughter of King Charles the Bald and drove north of Gaul, where he built a fort, founding the city, when the canals were still connected with the sea by the river Zwyn. In 1340 was a major center and headquarters of terrible clashes between peasants and feudal lords. In the XVI century the port was ruined by the blockage of the river with sediment, being known as "Bruges la Mort." Between 1695 and 1814 it was French, Dutch between 1814 and 1831, and then it was retaken by Bel gium. In the twentieth century a canal that links back to the sea was built. <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; letter-spacing: 0.25pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> Bruges is the bicycle paradise since riding bicycles instead of driving cars seems to be the law. The streets are flat and are specially designed for cycling movement. <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; letter-spacing: 0.25pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Its main attractions are: Forget the car and stroll through its streets on foot or by bicycle to visit Mark's Square, Burg Square, the Church of Our Lady, the cathedral of San Salvador, windmills and, above all, a boat trip through the canals of the city. <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; letter-spacing: 0.25pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; letter-spacing: 0.25pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Bruges maintains the very highest culinary standards. The city boasts dozens of e xcellent restaurants, trendy lunch addresses, fun coffee bars – and a local population famed for its love of the good-life and its high levels of expectation! All year round the rich aroma of chocolate wafts through the World Heritage city and countless creative confectioners make hundreds of kilograms of the city’s most famous chocolate, the ‘Brugsch Swaentje’ (Bruges Swan). I think that Bruges should be one of the Seven Wonders of the World because it is a really beautiful place that has no comparison with anything, a quite peculiar story and different from other. It is unique and original, is a dream town where everyone would like to live. You should also think it has to be one of the 7 wonders of the world because it is a proof that dreams can come true. media type="file" key="BrujasPodcast.wma"