Constructing Cathedrals in the Middle Ages

Cathedrals Construction, Bedore Tours

America is known for being a melting pot of cultures, religions, philosophies, languages and peoples. Today, over four centuries later, many religions are practiced in America, and various structures have been built as houses of faith and worship.

A number of these buildings recall earlier religious architectural styles, and this is definitely true regarding Gothic cathedrals. Anyone who has had the opportunity to walk through one of these structures constructed in medieval Europe can’t help but be spellbound by the immensity of their size, the powerful appearance of their facades, or the stunning beauty of their stained glass windows.

These cathedrals are symbols of faith, built without the modern construction equipment of today. And how did those huge, heavy stone structures have walls of glass?

Initially, chunks of stone needed to be quarried and a mason would work to shape those into smaller piece. Medieval manuscripts show depictions of cathedral construction, and from them we get to know that a pulley system was used to get heavy stones up multiple stories. Creators would employ a big wooden wheel that a person would walk within to put the wheel moving. The wheel was connected to rope, which was rigged to a wooden platform that they would stuff with stones. As a person stepped inside the wheel, it would put tension on the rope, take advantage of the stones higher and higher. Once the stones were arranged, it was essential that each layer of rock was level to create the necessary balance for the overall structure.

In earlier times, the only method to build a tall construction was to build it with thick walls. How were people living in the Middle Ages able to build these towers of stone that had relatively thin walls filled with gorgeous glass? The answer lies in three components of their architectural design: the pointed arch, flying buttresses, and vaulted ceilings which mimic the same engineering behind a Gothic arch.

In a pivoted arch, the weight of the stonework distributes in a more lateral fashion, putting stress on the walls of the structure. The brilliance of the Gothic (pointed) arch, however, is that this engineering development directed the weight down the arch to the ground. With all of the weight being moved to the ground, the walls were then able to be created largely of beautifully colored windows.

At the same time, medieval architects designed flying buttresses, which essentially function as huge stone arms placed at the greatest stress points in the arches to support the weight of the heavy stone. Vaulted ceilings have the same pointed design of the Gothic arch, driving the weight of the whole structure to the ground, as an alternative to distributing the weight through the walls.

Once they had figured out how to drive the weight to the ground, it opened up the chance of allowing light to stream into the church by creating walls of colorful glass. In medieval times, glass makers would add metals to the liquid glass mixture to create several colors in the glass. They would shape that glass into discs and then once they had achieved a desired hue
it could be cut, with other colored glass discs, into the various pieces that would come together to make vibrantly colored windows.

There’s no question about it; these structures exemplify a huge architectural feat, and they’re still astonishing when you walk inside them today. And while the Gothic style cathedrals constructed on American soil aren’t as old as the ones built in the Middle Ages, they have something in common, apart from their design: they were built as sacred structures to house worshippers.

As a motorcoach company, Bedore Tours love partnering with church groups. Please don’t hesitate to call if we can help transport your cathedral choir to a benefit performance or help in shuttling at a church sponsored event. Bedore Tours motorcoaches are created to ensure transportation on a larger scale. Whether it’s for worship or service, we’re on hand for all of your congregational needs! (And, if you loved reading this and want to discover more about Gothic cathedral construction in the Middle Ages, browse through this documentary by PBS that we watched to get the information for this article: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gFxNFxjV4IA).

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Business and Cellular Phones

Cellphones and Business, Niagara Falls Tours

Let’s face it: smart phone have changed the way we do business, and here are just a handful of the methods this is happening.

Who makes use of a phone book anymore? Everything is digital, which means you probably use your phone to access telephone numbers for all business contacts.

How about taking a look at travel itineraries? It’s super practical to be able to look at the status of your flight, departure gates and arrival times, all from your phone.

You don’t have to be at your computer from now on to get significant email messages. Nowadays, you can go through it immediately from the screen you carry inside your pocket, no matter where you are. (This can possibly be a curse and a blessing.).

The built-in GPS system on your phone shows quite the handy tool to have when you’re in a new place for a business convention and don’t know your way around.

What happens if you require to talk something over with your boss, and it’s essential? Not only can you call her right now, you can also FaceTime and be capable to talk face-to-face.

Monitoring business accounts has never been more convenient. Mobile banking renders it a cinch to check the status of a deposit, find out what funds are provided, make essential transfers, or observe if a transaction has cleared.

Increasingly more, you don’t have to go to the front desk of a hotel to check in when you’re on a business trip. All you need to do is download the hotel’s app and make use of mobile check in (if they have that perk available). You don’t even need a key anymore!

If you’re talking about something essential in a meeting, you may prefer to use the voice memo feature on your phone to document everything that’s said. (This is also valuable if you’re conducting an important interview.).

Social media has revolutionized the world today, and this is certainly true for how businesses do advertising. Having your smart phone can make it easy to snap a photograph and upload it onto any social media platform in a matter of seconds. Voila!

If you need to take down something to get back to later, take out your phone, open the notes section and type it in, and no matter what it is will be anticipating you when you come back to it later on.

Occasionally, when your schedule is a little bit busy and crazy, you might have one too many meetings to keep track of everything in your head. That small pocket computer will do it for you, and even send you reminders, when you specify, so you can have everything prepared earlier that you need to care for.

And, basically, if you’ve got any concerns about anything, you can search the worldwide web at pretty much any time from your phone. The easy access to information is pretty much mind blowing.

Cell phones have changed how we do business, and yours will likely be the way you call us to reserve a Niagara Falls Tours for your upcoming business event, too. Need a great way to handle getting your office to the ski resort for the Christmas party, or a shuttle system from the convention center to the hotel? All you’ve got to do is use that phone in your pocket and call us to book our Niagara Falls Tours.

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5 Basic Habits for Better Health

Better Health, Bedore Tours

Good health isn’t just a matter of exercise. If your kid gets regular exercise by being involved in a youth sports team, she’s off to a good start.

None of these pointers are anything new, but sometimes it’s effective to commit and have the reminder to getting back on track in specific ways. And the more we can incorporate these tips into our lives, the more we can positively bring about what is already happening, health-wise, for our children who are actively engaged in exercise with a team. These five simple tips are habits to pursue, and a lot of us could probably enhance in at least one of these areas.

Excess sugar, empty calories, high fructose corn syrup and chemicals are all good reasons to avoid it. Your body needs water to help with every aspect of its functioning, and most of us aren’t drinking enough. Some people aim to drink a certain amount of water every day, and some might focus on drinking a specific amount at mealtimes.

Pay attention to the amount of sugar you’re taking in. These days, sugar is in everything, even covering in foods you might not recognize. Eating a lot of sugar is a sure way to pack on extra weight and ruin your body’s overall health. You can watch it more cautiously by deciding to not eat as many sweets generally, but also by taking note of food labels for unknown sugars in the ingredients at the same time. Sometimes it’s hard to earn the switch, but there are better alternatives when you want something sweet and you’re aiming to do better.

Instead of cutting out fat, however, you want to focus on eating fats that are good for you. These types of foods are good for your body, and they’re not the type of fats that make you gain weight.

In today’s day and age, many packaged foods and snacks make up the bulk of what a lot of people eat, instead of eating food that is fresh and focusing on getting a lot of produce. You can get more of it in your diet is a step in the right direction. Chop a whole bunch of these foods at the beginning of the week so they’re ready for eating, right away, when you’re hungry.

Helping your kids get good sleep is essential, including helping them unwind and get into a relaxed and peaceful state before turning in at night. And hey, when they’re worn out, getting a nap in is always a good idea, too.

Whether you need to get everyone to an away game or to a state competition, Bedore Tours love to come along for the ride. If you put the focus on overall health and fitness, we can get you where you need to be when it’s time for all that work to pay off and the rubber meets the road at game time!

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How To Keep Your Wine Cool

cooling wine, best niagara falls tours

For most beverages, temperature and position during storage don’t affect the flavor or integrity of the drink. (Okay, wait. Temp does matter for milk.) But seriously, for the most part, it doesn’t matter … whether hot or cold, your soda won’t spoil, and water might taste better chilled, but it doesn’t hurt it any to be warm. The same can’t be said for wine, however. (Move over and make room for Super Finicky … yep, that’s correct.) Wine touts a reputation for culture and class, so I expect we shouldn’t be amazed that it has to be discriminated. From a wine becoming “corked” to the integrity of the flavor changing, you have to make sure that you take note of a few things so it is still what it should be when you actually open a bottle during best Niagara falls tours.

For permanent storage at home, you really would like to obtain a wine refrigerator where you can set the temperature. A regular refrigerator is too cold to store wine in for a substantial period of time, and having a fridge that is tailored specifically for wine storage will keep all your vintages at the ideal temp for the duration of their shelf life.

If you’re on a wine tour and end up purchasing several bottles to take home, how do you keep the wine from being altered by the temperature in the car when the bottles are lying in the sun? If you’re going on a picnic excursion to the lake for the afternoon, what’s the best way to keep the wine chilled until you’re ready to open the bottle?

Maintaining it cool for a few hours.
If you’re only buying a couple of bottles and don’t have to keep the wine cool for hours on end, consider investing in a neoprene wine tote. They’re easy and compact to carry around for the afternoon if you’re on a wine tour and don’t want the couple bottles that you purchase to go bad by leaving them in the car.

Keeping your wine for several hours (or on a road trip.)
If you need the a bottle of wine to stay great for quite a while, consider acquiring a thermoelectric cooler (one made by Igloo or Coleman, for example). These keep the wine (or other beverages you want cooled) at a good temp by plugging in the cooler, or using your battery outlet in the car as you travel.

For sending wine to friends or transporting it home.
When you need to ship wine, it’s a smart idea to purchase styrofoam wine shippers that keep the bottles insulated. Because they’ll prevent the bottles from moving around inside the box and potentially cracking, they’re also handy.

For getting the wine bottles cool immediately.
It’s pretty handy to buy a wine cooler sleeve to have on hand. Basically, you buy it and freeze it for some hours beforehand, and then you can pull it out of the freezer, slip the bottle inside, and it will cool the wine in just a matter of minutes.

And one other guideline? For short-term storing (having wine home, for example, or taking it to a friend’s for dinner), having the bottle upright is just fine. When you want to store the wine long-term, you always want it on its side. Maintaining the bottle on its side lets the wine to be touching the cork, and this is important so the cork doesn’t dry out. If it dries out, your bottle of wine will likely become “corked,” damaging the integrity of the wine’s flavor.

It appears to be tricky, but it’s really practically learning the tricks of the trade. Once you recognize with what you have to be mindful of, you’ll have the capacity to keep your wine fresh and unspoiled so your dinner party (or beach celebration, holiday fun like having best Niagara falls tours, or celebratory occasion!) will be on point.

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Meeting Your Match

Meeting Your Match, Rochester charter bus

And then it ensued: informal texting about random stuff in the day, and you found that, surprisingly, you were actually connecting with this person: laughing at her sense of humor, intrigued by her pretty face, interested in the things she had to say. And your heart began to hope that maybe this was someone who could actually be something, a diamond in the rough of online dating.

And here’s the thing: the hunt for love is as old as time, everyone searching for a connection with a sweetheart, someone they can rely on, share life’s road with, someone to love and hold. And especially before, people use dating apps to associate with others and meet up. But obviously this hasn’t been a fixture of our time alone. This letter from the Civil War would remind anyone these days’s online dating world if they’ve had any subjection to it.

“Dear Hattie”

Pardon the affectionate familiarity but you know its done in fun. Your wonderful little epistle has just reached me, and I do myself the honor to answer it instantly, thus adhering to your request to write soon.

Before moving on farther truth and candor compel me to accept that a little deception was used in the advertisement in the ‘Waverly.’ In shorts my true description differs materially from the one therein stated, and may not please you as well as the one “fancy painted,” but I thought it was all for fun, therefore funningly gave an imaginary description as well as cognomen. Be it known unto you then, this individual is twenty-nine years of age, five feet and eleven inches high, dark blue eyes, brown hair, and light (ruddy) complexion. There you have it. How do you like the description? Me thinks I hear you answer. I don’t like it so well as the promoted description.”

When you go over the exact physical description this soldier gives, one is emphasized of sorting fields on dating apps, being able to specify your preferences and what you want, down to physical traits you give preference to: height, physique, hair color, etc. And that’s just the beginning of it. Religious preference, occupation, education, hobbies, books you’ve loved, exercise habits, whether you drink or smoke, and whether you have or want kids are just some of the other obtainable sorting fields.

And the crazy thing is? People actually get together and take it all the way to the chapel and Pachelbel’s Canon and rose petals and all that jazz as a result of these apps. And now, you’re in the throes of wedding planning, attempting to get all your ducks in a row for the big day.

When it comes to wedding planning, there are so many things to think about. And, of course, how you plan to get the wedding party around from event to event in a smooth fashion (especially with lots of folks flying in from out of town who don’t know their way around!). Wedding transportation is one of the matters we excel at, whether you want one of our Rochester charter bus for the wedding party, a bachelorette party, or to transport guests via shuttle for the reception.

You came together– whether it was today’s equivalent of that Civil War letter, or by meeting someone in a more traditional, old-fashioned encounter, we’d love to be part of how you tie the knot. Being a part of your wedding day is not lost on us and we want our Rochester charter bus to show the importance of the occasion … for you and your guests!

(The letter excerpt in this article was derived from this source: http://spec.lib.vt.edu/cwlove/dearhattie.html).

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Visiting Great City

Statue of Liberty, New York to Niagara Falls

Think you’re headed to what is possibly the United States most famous destination. You’ve had a handful of moments to devote in New York to Niagara Falls, and you’re arranging to cram your time loaded by heading to several sites. If you were to book a city tour with a tour operator, what are some of the points they ‘d likely take you to see? We ‘d wager that at least some of these would likely be on the list:

TIMES SQUARE
Isn’t this the spot that we all watch every New Year’s Eve, anticipating the ball to drop in the first seconds of the New Year? Yep. Times Square, with its substantial screens and billboards, is definitely one of those things you instantly associate with New York City, and seeing the city without visiting this site would be missing out.

STATUE OF LIBERTY
A lot of us discovered the song “God Bless the USA” when we were in primary school, and if there’s one picture that we came to associate with America (aside from the American flag), this might be it. We attached it to freedom, liberty, and the home of the brave. Being capable to visit it in person and learn some of the details of its construction is a treat!

GROUND ZERO MEMORIAL and ONE WORLD TRADE
Possibly many of us bear in mind exactly where we were when we found out about the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. And once we knew, a lot of us were glued to the TV the rest of the day, watching footage of the planes plunging into the towers and their subsequent collapse in horror and disbelief. We paid attention for updates, trying to be aware of exactly what was happening in New York City. As points were released, we were extremely stunned by the blow it dealt to our country. These days, years later, visitors touring the city can find the site of the original towers, the museum that is presently there, and the new super skyscraper that is One World Trade Center.

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
You might be a Monet fan, or love Rembrandt, Michelangelo, or Chagall. Maybe you favor stylist art, or love the embellished nature of works from the baroque period. Regardless of what you gravitate toward, if you’re an art lover, you won’t like to miss hitting up the Met, undoubtedly one of the most popular art museums in the United States. If you want to spend hours checking out incredible exhibits, this is the place to go.

CENTRAL PARK
If you were playing a game and needed to list some of the country’s most popular city parks, no doubt Central Park would be just one of the first to be proposed. It’s a huge park in the city, a natural respite from the noise and bustle and cosmopolitan areas that New York is known for. When you’re dropping by, it’s an ideal location to stop and picnic, relax, and people watch.

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
As a result of its sheer size and height, it’s pretty remarkable to go up to the observation deck of this well known office building to look out over the city from way up high, and it’s something that great numbers of tourists do each year.

When sightseeing in this famous city, these six locations are just a small sampling of the many things one could see and do. More importantly, this is the precise thing that tour operators take care of. If you organize a vacation with an operator, whether it’s to New York to Niagara Falls or Houston or Phoenix … they’ll organize all the top things to see, and have information prepared for you so you don’t have to search it out.

We deal with tour operators to deliver group transportation for tour groups. We can attest to their knowledge, friendliness and proficiency at managing fantastic sightseeing ventures. Don’t hesitate to give us a call if you’re a tour operator looking to secure a way to get your scheduled tour group around!

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4 Big Stars in the Ski Industry

big star in ski industry, Bedore Tours

If you obtain an affinity for that cold, white powdery stuff on the mountains in the wintertime, you most likely get an itch to check out the slopes once it flies. And, if you’re “in the know” in the industry, you’ll likely determine some of the individuals highlighted in this post. While they are each known for separate things, one thing unites them: their interest for snow sports!

Doug Coombs: A “steep” in skiing refers to any slope with a pitch greater than 45 degrees, and Doug Coombs loved them. He is one of the exceptional in skiing steeps and is quoted as saying, “There is no such thing as too much snow.” He married Emily Coombs and jointly they opened the Doug Coombs Steep Skiing Camps Worldwide in the United States. They afterwards moved their business to Europe because there were fewer “red tape” safety regulations that they had to abide by on the slopes. He worked to direct others down steeps, mentoring and broadening their ski experiences. In April of 2006, while skiing with friends in France, one of them fell off a cliff. Doug also fell to his death while trying to locate and help him. Even if he’s been gone for more than 10 years now, his legacy continues. Created in 2013, the Doug Coombs Foundation prioritizes blending social classes by offering children who can’t afford it the possibility to enjoy excursion in the outdoors. Coombs was a man of grit, discipline and determination. To check out more about his story and his legacy that continues today, visit dougcoombsfoundation.com or look into the biography of his life, Tracking the Wild Coomba by Robert Cocuzzo.

Kim Reichhelm: A woman who has made a name for herself in adventure skiing, Kim founded Women’s Ski Adventures in 1989 to help women have a good time on skis and improve their technique, and later started Steep Skiing Camps geared toward offering exciting opportunities for expert skiers who want to take it to the next level. She was a winner of the World Extreme Skiing Championship twice, and is also known for dominating the North American, South American, and World Extreme Skiing titles all within the same year. She has worked in the industry for all of her professional life, and she organizes heliskiing adventures for groups in Chile, Japan, Iceland, and Alaska. She’s strong, independent, and dedicated, and you can find out more about her (or ski with her!) at skiwithkim.com

Jake Burton Carpenter: This guy is kind of the father of modern snowboarding. He founded Burton snowboards in 1977, and named the company after his middle name. The design of his snowboard began as a spoof on what was known as the “Snurfer,” a single board with a rope attached. In the beginning he built each board by hand, with the first board sporting aluminum fins at the back (which were later replaced by refining the board edges).

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/29/sports/jake-burton-carpenter-paralyzed-snowboard-executive-trail-of-anguish-and-hope.html?_r=0burton.comchill.org
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-tciLFry5Ww
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K4JoU8W3c2w

Alf Engen: Born in Norway, Alf was known as a ski jumper when he came to the United States at the age of 19. He became involved at Alta Ski Resort, and was engaged with the ski school there. Alf won many ski awards, coached the 1948 United States Olympic team in Switzerland, and worked with the Deseret News Free Ski School.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3LWvbg57uJMh
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ4VZiWTlmI
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GJDktpAFxxk.

A lot of us don’t ski with the same level of intensity, life dedication, and passion as these four folks, but it’s also something we love and enjoy doing solo or with friends and family. Let Bedore Tours come along for the ride and provide transportation if you’ve organized a group ski trip. Taking a Bedore Tours for this kind of outing is appropriate because we have appropriate storage for all the gear you’ve got, there’s power and WiFi on board for when you’re in transit, and it’s wonderful to have someone on hand to do the driving when you’re tired at the end of a great day on the slopes. We love being part of the adventure and fun that’s on your calendar, so get in touch with us today!

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White House Trivia

The White House, Rochester Charter Bus

In D.C., 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is the home of The White House, the creation of George Washington. When the plan of a house for the president was initially conceived, however, our country was just in its early stage. Everything about the process of building a nation was new, including developing a design for the home that would be the residence and working space of the president of the United States.

In order to brainstorm architectural ideas, Thomas Jefferson suggested an open forum for people to submit potential house designs. Ultimately, Washington met with an Irishman by the name of James Hoban, and his design ended up being the one that Washington chose. And although Washington was the impetus behind the house project itself, he never stayed in it. Construction initiated on October 13, 1792, but wasn’t finished for eight more years. Ultimately, John Adams was actually the first president to sleep in the house on November 1, 1800.

The following day, he written a letter to his wife, Abigail, which included these words: “I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house, and all that shall hereafter live in it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.” Surprisingly, years later, Franklin Roosevelt had Adams’ words memorialized in the state dining room on the mantle.

Although it stands strong today, the house was burned by British troops in 1814, and the entire interior was wrecked. The only thing that remained were the exterior walls that make up the iconic facade that every American acknowledges instantly. Restoration began on the house immediately thereafter, and James Monroe was the first president to move back into the house when that project was done. During the Truman administration, it became obvious that the house was structurally compromised and risky. Accordingly, the Trumans moved out and a substantial renovation initiated. The interior was essentially demolished, and the structure was reinforced by steel beams. Once that framework was set up, the rooms were repaired essentially as they were before, and the timber from the demolished beams was sawn into paneling that was then installed in the house. During the Kennedy administration, Jackie Kennedy decorated the house in a style made to reflect its marvelous story and history.

Furthermore, even though the White House was the original structure, these days the complex encompasses several buildings that have been added to accommodate its purposes and the business that takes place there. The property sits on 18 acres, a sprawling, picturesque plot of land and gardens, and some of the oldest trees on the site are magnolias that were grown by Andrew Jackson.

Any other interesting facts?

The first public rally there was for the women’s suffrage movement on January 10, 1917.

Things changed shortly after the beginning of the 1900s, but up until then, all the staff at the White House were hired by the president himself, and they were paid by him personally.

And, for some numbers? As it stands nowadays, the White House has 35 bathrooms, 28 fireplaces, and 5 full-time chefs.

What does any of this have to do with a modern motorcoach company? Well, just this. Among the things we do is generate quality group transportation to people who are interested in sightseeing. We like our Rochester Charter Bus the wheels behind discovery, adventure, and knowledge, and viewing renowned locations is just one of the ways we help with this. Maybe you’re not headed to check out the White House for the very first time with a tour or sightseeing group, but you might want to see another thing. And if that’s the case, we will cater a sightseeing trip that’s certain to the interests of your group. Next time you’re up for an adventure, let us make it a reality with our Rochester Charter Bus!

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