 It's a hot day today, so for today's virtual travelogue, let's stay inside and watch some fantastic performances!
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. has a wide variety of videos to view on their Digital Stage. These are amazing performances recorded on the Kennedy Center's stages and beyond. They put out new content every day, and have thousands of videos to view! There's a little something for everyone, from ballet to jazz to theater to the National Symphony Orchestra, and more. If you're in need of a laugh, be sure to check out some of the acceptance speeches for the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. There are also conversations with several authors, including Jacqueline Woodson and Jason Reynolds. You can view the Digital Stage on the Kennedy Center's website here: https://www.kennedy-center.org/digitalstage/ Google Arts & Culture also has a historical tour of the Kennedy Center, as well as a selection of online exhibits here: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-kennedy-center  For today's virtual travelogue, let's visit some beautiful gardens!
The United States Botanic Garden in Washington D.C. offers interactive virtual tours of their Rose Garden, Tropics House, and Bartholdi Park on their website. They also have video tours and you can explore the garden through historical photos! You can find all of that here: https://www.usbg.gov/take-virtual-tour Next we'll go to Kyoto Gardens in Japan, to view 360 degree tours of 25 lovely gardens! Additionally, you can check out a map to see where each one is located, view fantastic photos, and read research articles about zen gardens. Everything, with detailed instructions on using the site, can be found here: https://kyotogardens.org/ Finally, we'll fly off to Keukenhof in Holland to view their gorgeous tulips, hyacinths, and orchids. There are 360 degree tours, videos with expert gardeners, and so much more to explore! Be sure to check out the video of violinist Rosanne Philippens at sunrise in the gardens, it is spectacular. All of their videos can be found here: https://keukenhof.nl/en/keukenhof-virtually-open-2/
For today’s virtual travelogue, let’s travel to New York City and visit two of the city’s many amazing museums! First, we’ll head to The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met). The Met has put together an online video series, called The Artist Project. This project gives artists the chance to talk about what inspires them from the museum’s collection. There are interviews with 120 artists, including Robert Longo and Jeff Koons, all available here: http://artistproject.metmuseum.org/ You can also take a closer look at many works in the collection, and take a virtual tour of The Met (as well as the museum’s Breuer Building), thanks to Google Arts & Culture: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-metropolitan-museum-of-art?hl=en Then we’ll set our sights on the city’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). MoMA’s YouTube page has a variety of different video series, where you can view exhibitions, learn how to paint like the masters, and more: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9CswYtb5rL31CHwyVoyJvQ
Google Arts & Culture also has a page for MoMA, where you can view a selection of pieces from the museum. Many can be looked at in Street View, to see how the pieces are displayed in the museum, and a few can even be viewed in augmented reality: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/moma-the-museum-of-modern-art?hl=en  The Summer Solstice is this weekend, so for today’s virtual travelogue, let’s travel to Stonehenge! English Heritage cares for many historical sites across England, including Stonehenge. They have an interactive virtual tour, as well as other information about the history of the monument and a tour of the landscape around the site: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/history-and-stories/stonehenge360/
Be sure to check out their Skyscape website, as well! This has a live feed where people can experience the skies above the Neolithic monument, and see how the movements of the planets, the sun, and the moon align with the stones. It’s a really cool experience! You can find it here: https://www.stonehengeskyscape.co.uk/ For the Solstice, they will have live coverage of the sunset and sunrise on Facebook this weekend. The event even has a handy reminder function so you don’t miss it: https://www.facebook.com/events/581183132524229/  For today's virtual travelogue we're going to look at a virtual photography exhibit by the National Wildlife Federation because today is Nature Photography Day!
The exhibit, entitled Nature's Witness, features 50 magnificent photos of animals and insects from all over the world. You can find it here: https://www.nwf.org/virtualwildlifeexhibit If you want a behind the scenes look at what it's like to be a nature photographer, be sure to also check out this Ted Talk by Thomas Peschak: https://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_peschak_dive_into_an_ocean_photographer_s_world  For today's virtual travelogue we are heading to Puerto Rico! Discover Puerto Rico has designed an amazing virtual vacation, so you can see the sights and learn about the culture while staying home: discoverpuertorico.com/virtual-vacay.
There are so many fun things to do, it was difficult choosing which ones to include! Some of the highlights we found: -take a virtual salsa dance class (discoverpuertorico.com/virtual-events/dance) -learn to make arroz con pollo with Chef Juliana Gonzalez (discoverpuertorico.com/virtual-events/cooking-mixology) -go on a virtual tour off the beaten path (discoverpuertorico.com/article/virtual-tour-through-puerto-ricos-off-beaten-path) -visit Puerto Rico's museums with Google Arts & Culture (discoverpuertorico.com/article/explore-puerto-ricos-top-museums-home) There's a whole slew of other exciting and beautiful things you can explore on the site thanks to Puerto Rico's tourism board. Happy virtual travels!  Happy World Oceans Day! For today's virtual travelogue we will take a virtual dive into the ocean to see some of the beautiful views under the water!
Have you ever wanted to swim with sea lions? Now you can from the comfort of your own home thanks to the NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkTZsEeD8Ns Explore an underwater National Park, St. Croix’s Buck Island Reef, with National Geographic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v64KOxKVLVg The Monterey Bay Aquarium in California has a variety of different ocean animals you can view on their live web cams every day! Check them out here: https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams You can also learn more about World Oceans Day here: https://unworldoceansday.org/  Today is World Environment Day, so we are going to visit a few of the natural wonders that can be found around the world for today's virtual travelogue! First we'll travel to Ireland to take a stunning tour of the Giant's Causeway. The National Trust has a virtual tour: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/giants-causeway/features/take-a-virtual-tour-of-the-giants-causeway And there's also a neat article about the ancient organisms living in a rockpool at Giant's Causeway on the National Trust's website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/giants-causeway/features/ancient-organisms-at-giants-causeway Next up, we'll jet to Vietnam to see the world's largest cave, Hang Son Doong: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news-features/son-doong-cave/2/#s=pano37 Finally, let's head back to the United States and take in the spectacular views of the Grand Canyon. You can check it out via Google Earth by clicking on the button below: The National Park Service also has a series of video tours here: https://www.nps.gov/%E2%80%A6/photosmulti%E2%80%A6/grand-canyon-in-depth.htm
 Happy first day of Summer Reading! For today's virtual travelogue, we will Dig Deeper and travel to Egypt. Recently Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities released virtual tours of a handful of their historical sites. These virtual experiences let you "walk" around the ancient sites by clicking on hotspots along the floor.
The oldest site available for a virtual walkthrough is the tomb of Queen Meresankh III. The tomb of Menna in the Theban Necropolis is “one of the most visited and best preserved” according to the ministry. There are additional tours of the tomb of Pharaoh Ramesses VI, the Ben Ezra Synagogue, the Red Monastery, and the Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Barquq. |
AuthorEPLD Staff Archives
August 2020
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