Travel

American President Barack Obama yesterday celebrated the 49th birthday without his family. First lady Michelle, Obama’s younger daughter and Saha are on holidays in Spain, while the older girls Malia is in the summer camp. Lonely birthday celebration of the U.S. president has prompted the rumors that have appeared in the Obama family tensions and problems, but this was immediately denied.

The president retained in Chicago, where there is a pile of obligations, and rumors of problems in the family has denied his secretary pointed out that the Oval Office is to blame because the president is alone at his own birthday. “But soon the whole family will be together again,” added the secretary.

While Obama is alone, his wife, daughters and friends are enjoying the coast of southern Spain. There was even hired in a luxury hotel 60 rooms for herself and friends, and a day she spent walking in the center of Marbella.

Spanish authorities are very pleased that American First Lady is spending holidays in their country, because many tourists from America asking if there is any spare room, and saying: “This is very good for the promotion of our country”.

United Kingdom could soon have an invasion of tarantula, warns a British organization for animal rights RSPCA after a large number of spiders found in gardens across the country. RSPCA has issued a warning which says that a lot of spiders is found in the north of the country and is urging the public to be on their guard. The warning came after they found two tarantulas, 10 centimeters wide, in two different locations in Bolton.

It is a type ‘Grammostola rosea’ that can blind a man, and it is very rare. Tarantula found in gardens of approximately 3 kilometers, and the same old, same species and sex. Scientists speculate that this is a member of the same litter, which is located somewhere in the vicinity. This is a rare type of very popular among collectors and are believed to be those brought from South America, where their natural habitat.

The Guca trumpet festival, also known as the Dragacevo Assembly, is an annual trumpet festival held in the town of Guca, near the city of Cacak, in the Draga?evo region of western Serbia. Guca is a five-hour bus journey from Belgrade. We were there last year and already preparing ourselves for this year festival!

300,000 visitors make their way to the town of 2,000 people every year, both from Serbia and abroad. Elimination heats earlier in the year mean only a few dozen bands get to compete. Guca’s official festival is split into three parts. Friday’s opening concert, Saturday night celebrations and Sunday’s competition. Friday’s concerts are held at the entrance to the official Guca Festival building. This event features previous winners, each orchestra getting to play three tunes while folk dancers, all kitted out in bright knitting patterns, dance kolos and oros in front of a hyped-up audience.

An English party site, ThisIsTheLife.com, has named Guca the best festival in the world.

Forget Glastonbury, Reading, Burning Man and Cochella: the wildest music festival on earth is a cacophonic and crazy brass band festival that takes place every summer in the tiny Serbian town of Guca in the western region of Dragacevo.

Said Miles Davis, a Guca Festival visitor:

I didn’t know you could play trumpet that way

History of Guca

The village of Guca has gained world fame owing to its Assembly of Trumpet Players, the largest trumpet event on the planet. The love of the people of Dragacevo for music, especially for the trumpet, began in the rule of Prince Milos Obrenovic, who ordered the formation of the first military band in 1831. From then until now the trumpet has reigned here uninterrupted while woodwind instruments, in keeping with the customs, warm the soul of its population.

The sound of the trumpet traditionally accompanies every major event in Serbia’s rural and small-town life: births, baptisms, weddings, Slavas {family patron saint day}, farewell parties for those joining military service, state and church festivals, harvesting, reaping, and also departing this world. Appropriate music is played on these occasions, thus preserving the spirit of the existing tradition. The music is very diverse: from indigenous melodies, via kolo {a fast-rhythm chain dance}, marches and characteristic southern Serbia cocek dances, all the way to tunes that have emerged more recently, but always taking care to honor old harmonies. This music has won over the hearts of not only the local population, but has also warmed the hearts of outsiders and foreigners. In the several days of the Guca festival, hardly anyone can resist giving themselves to the adrenalin-rushing rhythms and melodies that simply force one to jump to ones feet and dance.

The traditional Dragacevo trumpet – its cult kept alive for nearly two centuries regardless of political and social considerations – has with time become world-renowned. It is owing to the trumpet that the name of Serbia has resounded worldwide, in all the continents. Some orchestras, when they appear on stage, whether for official competition national dress, the authentic and indigenous dances and other folk-inspired elements, coupled with music, have become an integral part of national gathering. The virtuoso music performers, the trumpet players to the paradox and make the story more authentic – are for the most part fully self-taught. They play by ear and quite spontaneously, relying on their musical memory; they play from the heart and soul, and their music reaches out to listeners precisely for this quality. The Guca Assembly of Trumpet Players continues to grow year after year: today, this musical feast of recognizable national skills is more popular, more diverse and bigger than ever before.

The first Dragacevo Assembly of Trumpet Players was held on October 16, 1961 in the yard of the Church of Sts. Michael and Gabriel in Guca. Initially, it was a very modest Assembly – almost subversive for the prevailing political circumstances of that time. However, the Assembly gradually grew and expanded its, one might say, magical influence, and over the past ten or so years has become the folk remained its key symbol and raison d’etre, it is no longer held solely for the trumpet players. It grew into an Assembly of toastmasters, painters, song "Sa Ovcara i Kablara" (we filmed it in 2007), marks the beginning of the festival each year.

To all fans of trumpet and its sound, as well as to all of those who are coming here for the first time and to those who are coming here again to this event visit festivals official page Guca or check this year schedule . Source

We were on vacation in Banja Luka for the May holidays. For all of you who don’t know where Banja Luka is we prepared some basic guides and links where you will find interesting stuff about town.

Being the town in which the headquarters of all the state institutions are situated, Banja Luka is the biggest town in the Republic of Srpska and the second biggest one in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Situated on both banks of the Vrbas River, it occupies more than 15.000 hectares and is inhabited by about 250.000 people.

Banja Luka is recognizable of its wide boulevards, parks, and the kilometers of tree-lined roads. The fortress of Kastel raised by the Romans in the beginning of the new era, a walk called “gospodska ulica” with its old buildings, the monuments of culture, make the town, among other, special.

It was in the written records from 1494 that the current name of the town was originally mentioned.

Ever since the Paleolithic era this area had been inhabited by various tribes, such as the Illyrian tribe of Maezaei in the pre-Roman period, that is, Slavic tribes after the fall of the Roman Empire during the 6th and 7th century A.D.

Banja Luka covers some 96.2 km² (37.1 mi²) of land in northwestern Bosnia on the river Vrbas. The city is located at 44.78° N 17.19° E. Downtown is at 163 m above sea level, surrounded by hills.

The source of the river Vrbas is some 90 km. to the south, and the tributary rivers Suturlija, Crkvena, and Vrbanja flow into the Vrbas at Banja Luka. Banja Luka also has a number of springs close by.

The area immediately around Banja Luka is woodland, although a bit farther out there are a number of mountains. The city itself is built in the Banja Luka valley, which is located on the transition between high and low mountain areas. The most notable of these mountains are Manjaca (1214 meters), Cemernica (1338 meters), and Tisovac (1172 meters). These are all part of the Dinaric Alps mountain range.

We made these pictures in small village named Krupa na Vrbasu, which is placed near Banja Luka. You can see the national sport which is played by villagers. We don’t know what the sports name is, but it goes like this: competitor grab the rock which weights approximately 20kg and throws it. Competitor, who throws rock far from it, wins. It is very interesting to watch, especially when you drink few beers (Nektar or Jelen pivo).

We also visited beautiful springs which are surrounded by mills. This place is fabulous!!! People come here to enjoy and relax in the nature after hard working week, but also many parties are held there. On one such party we eat hot lamb straight from fireplace and enjoyed in party produced by trumpeters. Watch our video: Banja Luka Trumpet Party. No comments about first picture. We were in the mood produced by drink named “Rakija”.

Banja Luka is very nice place for conviviality, but you can also meet very beautiful girls there.

Novalja with its famous beach Zrce on the island of Pag is a popular summer resort for youth. It is probably the only beach in Croatia and the whole Mediterranean coast with Ibiza sense.

Situated in a warm cove between the groves of pine, Zrces near town Novalja maintained the archaic Mediterranean ambience and has become an important tourist centre.

Its offer includes hotels, campsites, modern houses, the residential and tourist resort Gajac, sports and recreational facilities, gastronomic delicacies, cultural events – attractive local dance, valuable heritage, excursions by boat.

The Very attractive Beaches of Zrce and Strasko particularly stand out, with their many sporting and recreational facilities to enhance your holiday.

During the summer, tournaments in football, beach volley, underwater fishing, and mini-marathons are organized.

Zrce is a long, stretched, white pebbled beach with crystal clear sea. The beach has numerous facilities and three popular clubs offering entertainment until wee-wee hours.

Aquarius and Papaya are outfits from Zagreb’s popular clubs, and there is also legendary Kalypso Beach Club (Oldest One, first who started with Parties on Beach Zrce).

Beach and pool parties in open-air clubs: Papaya, Aquarius and Calypso begin around 4.00 PM and ends around 7.00 AM every day during season.

Summer season at Zrce starts every year on 15.07. With big opening party and ends with big closing party on 15.08.

We recommend our favorite entertainment place: Papaya club to every party eager reader of “Scoop Celebrity” blog. In Papayas pool you will find the most beautiful girls in thongs, dancing and shaking with their booty’s!

It was that time of the year when we usually visit Belgarde which is the capital and largest city of Serbia. The first settlements in the area of Belgrade emerged in prehistoric Vinca in 4800 BC. The site of the city was settled in the 3rd century BC by the Celts, before becoming the Roman settlement of Singidunum. The Slavic name Beligrad (a form of Beograd, literally meaning White City) was first recorded in 878 AD. It first became the capital of Serbia in 1403 and was the capital of the various incarnations of Yugoslavia from 1918 until 2003, as well as of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro from 2003 until 2006.

The city lies at the confluence of the Sava and Danube Rivers in north central Serbia, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkan Peninsula. The population of Belgrade, according to the Serbian census of 2002, is 1,576,124. It is the largest city on the territory of the former Yugoslavia, and by population ranks fourth in South Eastern Europe behind Istanbul, Athens and Bucharest.

Belgrade has the status of a separate territorial unit in Serbia, with its own autonomous city government. Its territory is divided into 17 municipalities, each of which has its own local council. Belgrade spreads over 3.6% of the territory of Serbia, and 21% of the Serbian population (excluding that of the Kosovo province) lives in the city. It is the central economic hub of Serbia, and the capital of Serbian culture, education and science.

Trip, Belgrade City and its Night Life

Our trip started in Ljubljana’s main railway station where we went to Belgrade. The trip was long and very uncomfortable, because it isn’t simple to seat 9 hours in bus. We arrived in Belgrade next day and accommodated at Prague Hotel which is in great location behind Hotel Moscow in center of the city.

After settlement in hotel we decide to visit Kalemegdan (old castle in the center of the city) where I maid some beautiful pictures. I was impressed by view. From there you can see a large part of New Belgrade and the confluence of the Sava River into the Danube River.

That afternoon we walk through largest street in town, named Terazije. There we found great pub where atmosphere was fantastic. Loud ethnic music and people were dancing on tables and chairs. It was so fun that we almost forgot to get back to hotel.

About 10 o’clock that night we went with our agency Collegium to disco water club named BlayWatch. It is one of the famous water clubs in city. We waited 45 minutes to get in, because 2500 people waited outside. At the end BlayWatch was crowded with people. It was unforgettable, great and wild party there.

Around 3 o’clock with friends we decided to go to neighbor water club named Hrabro Srce. For me Hrabro Srce and Piranha water clubs are No.1 party places in Belgrade. Hrabro Srce had go-go dancers and live music which we missed in BlayWatch. Time we spent in that water club will stay in our memories for a long, long time.

Only thing we missed there was our cell phones (left it in hotel), because we couldn’t take any pictures…grrrr. Last stop that night was Pekara where we eat slice of pizza…

Belgrade’s ZOO

Next day we woke up and saw beautiful sunny weather. So we decided to visit Belgrade ZOO which is placed in the center of the city near Kalemegdan. When we got there we couldn’t see all animals because they were locked up. Most animals are used to high temperatures and these days, they are little low for them.

Belgrade’s New Years Eve

We got back from ZOO and start preparing for New Years Eve. We book a table in advance in local boozer.

Boozer was great and we stayed there till 11.45 pm. 15 minutes before midnight we went out to fell the New Year in the street atmosphere. At midnight Whole Street went wild, everywhere you can here screaming and loud cracks from rockets fired into the sky. Everyone congratulated one another new year.

Then we went to club Dom Omladine which was reserved from our agency. It was very crowded there and nothing special. So we decided to call friends cousins and ask them about some good party in town. They were very happy to here ass again (last time we were in Belgrade three years ago) and recommended Top night club. We took a cab at once and visited the club.

When we arrived in Top Night club (Topciderska Noc) we were impressed by atmosphere there, girls were dancing on every table in the club and once again we heard live ethnic music.

Next morning we went back to Ljubljana with few wonderful days in our mind we shall not forget!