Golden house of nero

Rome has another attraction for the visitor to see. Actually, the Golden House of Nero has been there since 64 AD. It was rumored that the fire that left only one third of the city standing, was started by Nero. After this fire, he built the Golden House, an extravagant palace which was partly covered in gold foil, with jewels and ivory pasted onto the ceiling. All of that extravagance disappeared after Nero’s death. In the Renaissance, the Golden House ruins were rediscovered and at the end of the last century, a massive restoration effort was at last completed. The ruins are now opened to the public.

Nero’s palace and its grounds spanned three hundred and fifty acres. It contained a man made lake, some vineyards and the villa itself. The palace had three hundred rooms but none of them were bedrooms. This could have been purposely done as Nero was known to have great parties that would have lasted for many hours. There was a one hundred and thirty foot statue (40m) of Nero himself on the site but the statue was moved to the Colosseum. The bronze base can still be seen in that location.

Time has destroyed a lot of details but there is enough to fill a tour of an hour or two in the cool surroundings of the Golden House. It is nice to get out of the heat. Rome’s temperatures can be up in the eighties in October.

On the ground floor, you can go through the audio tour which has may fresco vaults painted by Fabullus, a well known artist of his day. His style was familiar to those in the city of Pompeii, not far from Rome.

In fact, Raphael used these frescos as models for his work, the site had been newly discovered during the Renaissance and other artists such as Michaelangelo also went to view the frescos. Their signatures can be seen scratched on the walls. Other well known persons of the age have left their mark too, for instance the Marquis de Sade and Casanova.

The condition of the ruins vary, some areas have mere shadows with hardly visible markings whereas others are golden marble walls with paintings more or less brought back to life.

There are plenty of grottos underneath to tour. The most remarkable area is the Octagon Room. Nero was an admirer of Greek art and it was in this room that he kept the statue of the Dying Gaul. This statue is now on display at the Pallazo Altemps museum.

There is a reconstruction of this octagonal room outdoors where visitors are able to get an idea how it was to live there. The garden has also been reconstructed to show how it would have been like at Nero’s time.

Creative wedding gifts and ideas

Many new couples receive more picture frames, candy dishes and candle stick holders than they can possibly use. While these are all lovely gifts, they are also very common and not likely to stand out very much to the new couple. On the other hand a gift that is truly creative is likely to be well appreciated by the bride and groom.

A collection of board games can be a very creative and useful wedding gift. Many couples enjoy entertaining and having a number of their friends over for dinner, drinks and conversation. While this in itself is a great deal of fun, introducing board games can be a competitive way to spice up the evening and bring laughter into the gathering. Everyone enjoys playing their old favorite board games and many people also enjoy experimenting with new games. Giving the couple a collection of board games as a wedding gift can lead to many nights of fun for the couple and their friends.

Theme baskets also make wonderful creative gift ideas. In creating a theme basket you are only limited by your imagination in what to include in your basket. You could create baskets that are cooking related, sports related or travel related. The key to creating a theme basket that is not only creative but also appropriate for the couple is to keep in mind their likes and dislikes. The couple that eats out every night of the week may not enjoy cooking and would therefore not appreciate a basket full for recipes and kitchen utensils, however, the couple with season tickets to a particular sport may enjoy a basket filled with DVDs from a championship series as well as memorabilia from their favorite sports team.

A couple is likely to receive countless picture frames on their wedding but you can put a twist on the idea of giving a picture frame to turn it into a more creative wedding gift. One way to do this is to purchase a large frame and insert an inexpensive print that the couple will appreciate or a blown up picture of the two of them. This creative gift stands out from the traditional picture frame because it includes a photo and is ready for immediate display. Many picture frames remain in the box for years while the couple tries to decide on the perfect picture to display in the frame but giving the couple a framed portrait or print eliminates this dilemma.

Another creative gift for a wedding is a personalized calendar. Many office supply stores will create a calendar for you if you provide them with the twelve pictures that you would like to include in the calendar. This creative gift idea can be created by an office supply store for a relatively low price or the wedding guest may opt to create the calendar themselves on their own computers. It is very simple and many word processing programs offer calendar templates. This creative gift idea is sure to be appreciated by the new couple for its practicality and originality.

There are many companies that will create a print that has the appeal of a watercolor painting from a photograph. Giving a gift certificate for this service can be a very creative gift idea. You may choose to give the gift certificate with instructions for the couple to redeem the gift certificate to have a water color likeness created from one of their favorite wedding pictures. If you have a copy of a picture that is flattering to both the bride and the groom you may want to arrange for this service using the picture you have in lieu of giving the couple the gift certificate. The one caveat to giving this gift is to allow enough time for the print to be created and returned to you so that you don’t have to present your gift to the bride and groom after their wedding date. If you plan to attend the wedding in person, it is appropriate to have the gift for the bride and groom either at the wedding or else scheduled to arrive via shipping prior to the wedding date.

A couple that already has children may appreciate a gift certificate stating that you would be willing to baby-sit for the couple’s children once a month for the first year of their marriage. This creative gift is extremely useful for the couple because it allows them one night a month to go out and enjoy themselves.

Creative wedding gift ideas don’t have to be expensive but they are often widely appreciated. A creative wedding gift is likely to stand out from the more traditional gifts. Creative gifts are also likely to be greatly appreciated by the new couple.

The best bachelor party ideas

The tradition of the bachelor party may date as far back as the 1800s. The stereotype of a bachelor party is a last night of debauchery for the groom and his friends before the wedding but in more recent times soon to be grooms are looking to less traditional activities to mark their final days as bachelors. While there are still would be grooms, who opt to spend the last hours before their wedding partying with alcohol and female exotic dancers, many men are choosing a less traditional route such as camping trips, sporting events, daredevil activities and even co-ed bachelor parties that include the soon to be bride and her friends. These types of activities are much less likely to get the groom in trouble with his bride not to mention that they won’t leave the groom feeling too sick to even remember his wedding day.

Camping is one alternative to the traditional bachelor party. You may choose to either rough it by backpacking to a location with only the gear on your back to help you survive the elements for a few days or you could choose to drive to a spa facility that offers well appointed cabins and five star gourmet meals. Whichever option you choose, you are bound to have a great deal of time relaxing and enjoying the company of the rest of the participants in your bachelor party. A camping trip offers the groom a quiet atmosphere to reflect with his friends on the journey he is about to take.

Sporting events are another great alternative to the usual bachelor party ideas. You may find that married life does not offer you as much free time to spend with your friends as you used to have so take this chance to enjoy a little bit of fun with your friends. Whether you choose to partake in a sport of your choice or purchase tickets to see your favorite professional athletes it is sure to be a great opportunity to bond with your male friends in the last few days before your wedding. It is wise to try choosing a sport that all of your guests will be able to participate in especially if you plan to include very young or very old guests. In this situation playing a game of football may not be the best idea but taking everyone to play a round of golf might be an activity that all of the guest can enjoy.

Still another activity that translates well into a bachelor party idea is getting a group of friends together to try an adrenaline pumping, activity geared for thrill seekers such as sky diving or white water rafting. The exhilaration gained from these activities coupled with the fear factor makes them a perfect activity for bonding with your friends. These daredevil activities will cause you and your friends to bond during the excitement leading up to the event as well as the thrill of accomplishing a new activity. While these types of activities are great for male bonding, it is important to remember that they are risky activities and there is the danger that you might be hurt during these activities. If this is your bachelor party idea of choice you might want to consider holding your bachelor party well in advance of your wedding to avoid last minute injuries that delay the wedding.

Co-ed bachelor parties that coincide with the bachelorette party are becoming increasingly popular as well. One common practice involving these adjunct parties is to have the bachelors and bachelorettes meet at separate restaurants for dinner and then join each other at a nightclub to cap off the night with some dancing and a few drinks. These types of parties can be a great deal of fun because they allow both the bride and the groom some time apart to spend time with their friends and then they reunite the couple at the end of the night in a chance for them to spend time with all of their friends without the pomp and circumstance that is likely to accompany their wedding reception.

The debauchery of stereotypical bachelor parties is not the only way to enjoy a fun-filled bachelor party that gives you the opportunity to bond with your friends. Camping trips, sporting activities, extreme adventures and even co-ed bachelor parties are redefining the traditional bachelor party. These bachelor party ideas not only serve to keep the groom out of trouble but also offer the opportunity to enjoy a new adventure.

Wedding planning exposed the best man s role

The best man traditionally offers the first toast at a wedding. His toast can offer a thought provoking look at married life, honor his friendship with the groom or reveal intimate and often embarrassing details of the couple’s courtship. The traditional toast is simply a short speech given verbally but best men are free to try other approaches to the toast such as a slideshow or a video presentation. The best man could also choose to give a verbal toast with a few new twists.

Camping is one alternative to the traditional bachelor party. You may choose to either rough it by backpacking to a location with only the gear on your back to help you survive the elements for a few days or you could choose to drive to a spa facility that offers well appointed cabins and five star gourmet meals. Whichever option you choose, you are bound to have a great deal of time relaxing and enjoying the company of the rest of the participants in your bachelor party. A camping trip offers the groom a quiet atmosphere to reflect with his friends on the journey he is about to take.

A slideshow is on increasingly popular way for the best man to toast the new couple. You could take the opportunity to display various pictures of the bride and groom separately and as a couple. One option is to interview both parents prior to the wedding and ask them to contribute pictures of their child from when they were a baby until now. You would ask the parents a series of questions about the bride or grooms childhood, adolescence and adult life. Then you could take the pictures and arrange them in a slideshow presentation that you could narrate with information gleaned from your interviews. This type of toast is especially popular with the older generation in attendance at the wedding because many of them knew the bride or groom as children and will enjoy reminiscing about those times through the pictures and stories.

It is wise to try choosing a sport that all of your guests will be able to participate in especially if you plan to include very young or very old guests. In this situation playing a game of football may not be the best idea but taking everyone to play a round of golf might be an activity that all of the guest can enjoy.

A video presentation is another unique way to make the best man’s toast. One way to do this is to arrange meetings with close friends and family members and ask them a series of questions about love and relationships and videotape their answers. You could then videotape yourself giving a short toast and introducing the other members on the tape. This is an excellent idea for the best man who is afraid that he will forget what he wants to say on the wedding day. The video allows him to practice his speech and record it over and over again until it is perfect.

Co-ed bachelor parties that coincide with the bachelorette party are becoming increasingly popular as well. One common practice involving these adjunct parties is to have the bachelors and bachelorettes meet at separate restaurants for dinner and then join each other at a nightclub to cap off the night with some dancing and a few drinks. These types of parties can be a great deal of fun because they allow both the bride and the groom some time apart to spend time with their friends and then they reunite the couple at the end of the night in a chance for them to spend time with all of their friends without the pomp and circumstance that is likely to accompany their wedding reception.

There are a variety of toasting options available to the best man. Whether he chooses to speak from the heart with an unprepared speech or invest time prior to the wedding to put together an elaborate presentation, the toast is sure to be appreciated as long as the best man is speaking from his heart.