More and more people engage in outdoors activities these days, as outdoor sports are becoming very popular. The top recreational activities include kayaking, jogging, walking, hiking, and camping.

How can outdoor recreational activities be beneficial to you?

The foremost advantage of spending time outdoors is gaining a good mental spirit and healthy balance of your body. Not only will it help in giving you the liveliness that everyone should have, but it will also pump your life force and the love of living.

Activities such as walking, bird watching, kayaking and camping all make you feel happier while appreciating the beauty that we often forget during our busy hours at the office. Nowadays the stress level has increased so much in everyone’s life that everyone, without exception, deserves a small break to get rid of this stress. Sometimes a small walk in the park will do the trick and can lighten up your tensions and make you feel happy.

In today’s hectic life styles, we hardly find time to spend with our families and friends. Engaging regularly in various outdoor activities can help you create much stronger bonds with your family and friends. You can interact and talk more with your friends and family while sharing the astonishing experiences of a different outdoor activity each time you go out.

How can outdoor recreation help you in saving money?

Our lives are never smooth and secured; everyone comes across various difficult times in their lifetime. Taking the time to engage in simple outdoor recreations will not only help you mentally, but you will also find that it costs close to nothing. For example hiking does not cost anything when compared with cycling. All you need is a pair of good shoes and a mountaintop to hike to. Another example is simply playing outdoors with your kids. Nothing will beat playing soccer or tags with your kids, especially when you take time off from a stressful job.

While there is other activities like hunting that are somewhat costlier however they will provide you with a lot of thrills and great sense of accomplishment. If you can’t afford spending money on such activities then you still have many options that will definitely suit your pocket.

You should try to spend as much time as possible in these types of activities. You should also encourage your friends, family and kids to spend such a wonderful time together building good memories. Nothing can be more enjoyable and beneficial than gaining a good and healthy lifestyle by being in the outdoors.

Cruise liners come in every shape and size: from gigantic ships to super- luxury, intimate yachts. Based on the number of passengers, these ships can be divided into large, medium and small. As the size of the ship will significantly influence your experience on board – larger cruises offer more amenities and entertainment options while smaller ships excel in personalised service and attention to detail – it’s worth giving it some thought.

Cruises on large ships A large ship can carry 1,500 passengers or more. These ships are ideal for families and those travelling on a budget as there are often cruise deals and last-minute offers available. Several decks and cabin options (a lower interior cabin will save you 25% or more when compared with an ocean view cabin) also mean that you can take advantage of what the ship has to offer without spending too much on accommodation.

On a large ship you can expect to find several restaurants, indoor and outdoor pools, playgrounds, activities (often referred to as -clubs’) for children and teenagers, computer rooms, a movie theatre, a gym or health centre, various shops and, in general, all the amenities that a small town could offer.

Carnival, a giant in the industry, promotes its cruises as -fun and friendly’ and boasts to have the largest choice of recreational facilities and family entertainment. Disney cruises have also become popular with families – their ships can carry up to 3000 passengers with -Disney-style’ entertainment and dcor.

However, if you don’t care much about entertainment and you’re after something more sophisticated and quiet you’re better off selecting a medium-sized or small ship.

Cruises on medium-sized ships Medium-sized ships carry 500 – 1,500 passengers. These cruises offer the comfort of larger ships – without the noise. You will still have access to various dining options, live music, gym, shops, classes and activities but, with less passengers on board, you’ll experience a more sophisticated and tranquil trip.

Naturally, this comes at a price. Medium ships are more expensive than their larger sisters (unless you’ve landed a great cruise deal) and cater mainly for couples, 45+ travellers and for seniors.

Holland America Line specialises in medium ships and has many repeat cruisers who love the consistency and traditional nature of the experience: these cruises are perfect if you’re after a quality product, traditional cruising and tailored shore excursions. However, they’re not so perfect if you’re travelling with four children or are after late night entertainment – in this case Disney or Carnival cruises might be a better option!

Cruises on small ships Because small ships don’t need to stick to deep and open water, they will take you to off-the-beaten-path destinations, smaller ports, and you’ll be able to enjoy some amazing scenic routes. No wishful thinking: small ship cruises are the most expensive on the market, but if you’re in for a treat and your budget allows it, this is the ultimate sailing experience.

With 500 passengers or less the focus is all on exclusivity, service, atmosphere and elegance. For example, Silversea offers a -personal butler’ service while companies like Compagnie du Ponant and Windstar provide ultra-modern luxury yachts with sails that unfurl at the click of a button.

Whatever your choice, you can be sure that these cruises will be a memorable experience, well worth the expense. They are recommended for honeymooners or for anyone who has something to celebrate in style.

And what about you, travelling with four children? Don’t worry – one day they’ll grow up and you’ll be able to enjoy the pleasure of cruising on a small ship too!

Paolo Cristianis wonderfully observed scenes of airports, hotel rooms and city streets all places of movement and transition present a tangible yet unpopulated world. Cristianis rich colors and detail are realistic with just enough heightening to create an inviting warmth, becoming attractive and relatable in a way that real hotel rooms seldom are. The viewer can easily imagine entering the space of a Cristiani painting, yet there are no protagonists in the work; there are rarely any figures in the frame, and the few who do appear are turned away, for all intents and purposes faceless. The human presence in these works lives in a half-empty water glass, or the ruffle of a bedspread that has been tossed aside just so.
Cristiani is equally adept with oil, acrylic and ink, in addition to practicing mixed media sculpture with wood, terracotta and cloth. Born in Milan, the artist remains based in northern Italy but travels frequently. His series Airport and Hotels aims to capture and fix the silence and the human movement within a virtual reality.

Exhibition Dates: December 20, 2012 January 12, 2013
Reception: Thursday, December 20, 2012, 6-8 pm
Gallery Location: 530 West 25th St, New York City
Gallery Hours: Tues Sat, 11a.m. – 6 p.m.
Event URL: https://www.agora-gallery.com/artistpage/Paolo_Cristiani.aspx

About the Exhibition
In The Odyssey Within viewers are introduced to art that takes the power of tradition and melds it with the thrilling novelty of the present. Charming, thought-provoking and intelligent, this is art with the ability to inspire. Pathway to Abstraction explores the force and creativity that consummate skill offers when combined with a feeling of daring and innovation. Lively, lovely and full of energy, the art contains both breadth and depth in terms of both content and technique. The artists of Sensorial Realms sensitively investigate the complex layers of human thought and imagination, yet remain carefully rooted in the physical world. The result is an appealing meeting of everything that is most fascinating about human nature and experience.

Featured Artists:
The Odyssey Within
Mariana Acua | Laura Almerico | Stefania Buccio Gonzato | Paolo Cristiani | Lucia Ferrara | Luka Hajdini | Sofia Dorotea Kukkonen | Massimo Margagnoni | Vito Matera | Silvio Natali | Fabio Pasotti | Fabrizio Pinzi | Alma Sheik | Elio Talon | Monia Tartarini | Franco Testa | Guido Villa
Pathway to Abstraction
Kathleen Barefield | Helen S. Cohen | Michael Freedman | LeeAnn Gorman | Emily Grieco | Shu-Tsin Liu | Tyice Natasha | Minami Ogura | Maurice van Tilburg | Yana Yami | Chiho Yoshikawa | Susanne Zimmer
Sensorial Realms
Eva Fritz | Cathy McClelland | Therese Obergottsberger | David Renn | Samuel Rosell | Eduardo D. Rubin | Pati Trippel | Uriu Veselik | NJ Woods

Ahmedabad is the largest and the fast growing city situated in the state of Gujarat in the western side of India. Ahmedabad is popularly called the Manchester of the East as this city is famous for its textile industry. Ahmedabad, located on the banks of Sabarmati River, is associated with our father of the nation and the Indian Independence Movement. This city houses the Sabarmati Ashram which was established in 1915. This thriving industrial city is home to some famous destinations for tourists like Akshardham Temple, Gandhi Ashram, ISCKON Temple and Teen Darwaza among others. Ahmedabad is also called by Amdabad by locals. Ahmedabad dwells various mosques and other religious places. Kite festival during the month of January is a spectacular event.

Ahmedabad was modernized during the British rule. The monuments in Ahmedabad showcase the Islamic craftsmanship. Here we can see around 76 parks and 96 traffic islands in Ahmedabad. The perfect time to visit Ahmedabad is during the winter season which is from November to January. Ahmedabad celebrates the famous Gujarati festivals like Garba and Navratras.

Delhi, the capital of India, has a rich culture and an old hiistory. Situated on the banks of River Yamuna, Delhi was designed by a British architect, Edwin Lutyens. Rashtrapati Bhawan in the Raisina Hill and other buildings show the architectural caliber of Lutyens. This cosmopolitan city accepts all people from every side of the country. Delhi is a perfect combination of culture, tradition, power and politics. Delhi, the capital of India, houses many central government offices and ministries. Metro is the main attraction for the tourists for travelling besides buses and local trains. Akshardham Temple is a new temple dedicated to Swaminarayan in Delhi. Delhis monuments and other famous buildings showcase the great work of Mughals who ruled the area for a long time.

Several economy flights like SpiceJet, Indigo, Go Air and Jet airways fly from Delhi to Ahmedabad.

A lot of trains depart from the four main stations in Delhi to Ahmedabad and it takes around 17 hours to reach there.

Bus is also an option to travel from Delhi to Ahmedabad. There are frequent AC and non AC sleeper and seater buses which cost you around Rs. 280/- to Rs. 500/- for a trip.

Taxis charge Rs. 17,600/- to reach Delhi to Ahmedabad. This cab is for four people. For seven people it costs Rs. 27,800/- for round trip.

If you have your own vehicle it takes approximately 12 hours 30 minutes to cover the distance of 915 km depending upon the vehicle.

There are a lot of accommodation facilities available for the guests in Ahmedabad. Here we can find 139 hotels which include luxury hotels, resorts, hostels, medium luxury hotels and budget hotels.