The 12 Most Expensive Handbags in the World – Part 2

Handbags or purse whatever you call them, these fashion items have grown to be a typical fixture for the present day woman. Each of them will come in various brands, figures, styles, and colors. Some are made for top quality fashion, while some are created to check the metropolitan chic. In any case, a lot of women don’t venture out without their handbags.

Of course, this list would not be complete without the designer of these next two handbags.

One of the most renowned luxury handbag producers on the planet is Louis Vuitton. The company got its start in Paris in 1854, and since its founding it has become a global empire with revenues of over $10 billion per year. The company’s monogrammed purses can easily be spotted around the world, and wearing a Louis Vuitton handbag is very much a status symbol. While most of the brand’s offerings are expensive, with even small bags costing several thousand dollars, a select few Louis Vuitton purses have record breaking price tags.

Louis Vuitton Tribute Patchwork Bag: Price Tag $42,000

Only 24 of these patchwork bags exist and were created using 15 different Louis Vuitton patterns.

This bag caused a huge buzz when it debuted in 2007 for many reasons. While some clamored to get one due to its exclusivity, including celebrities such as Beyonce and Rihanna, others were unimpressed with the bag’s mish-mash of styles. To create the concept for the Tribute Patchwork Bag, Louis Vuitton basically combined different parts of 15 different bags from one of its spring/summer collections. When you look at it, you see a handle from one handbag, a pocket from another, and motifs and patterns from many others — visually, some deemed the purse to be an expensive trainwreck.

Others who didn’t mind shelling out $45,000 for the purse thought it was creative and artsy. The reason the Tribute Patchwork Bag is so expensive is partly because it’s from Louis Vuitton, and also because it’s a limited edition and only 24 units were made. Each one of the two dozen purses quickly sold out, so the only way to get one now is to pay even more for the purse at auction or through private sale. This definitely isn’t one of the classiest Louis Vuitton handbags ever made, but it ranks among the brand’s most costly and most talked about purses.

Louis Vuitton New Age Traveller backpack: Price Tag $54,500

The LV New Age Traveller backpack features various lurex jacquard woven Monogram fabrics alongside exotic skins including crocodile and snakeskin. The bag also has suede leather tassels and headphone cables, and two furry fox tail charms.

One look at this stunning Louis Vuitton New Age Traveler Backpack and you are sure to be under its spell. Adorned with tassels, this beautiful backpack comes with a $54,000 price tag! The cream bag with the Louis Vuitton monogram pattern is one hot accessory. Made from exquisite materials and flaunting the luxurious LV logo this bag is for the uber rich chics only. Out of the reach of many, this backpack is definitely a class apart.

Leiber Precious Rose: Price Tag $92,000

The Leiber Precious Rose accessory features 1,016 diamonds totaling 42.56 carats, 1,169 pink sapphires and 800 tourmalines, all set in 18-carat white gold. So precious, that there is only one available in the world.

It is a matter of open reality that this bag is still one of the most expensive bags available on the face of this planet these days. The Judith Leiber’s 2007 Precious Rose ladies handbag is only one of its kind on earth.

The Precious Rose is an adorable little red bud of the ladies handbag, and the strap is apparently manufactured from the same metallic kidskin that lines the petite fleur. The bag, obviously leaving hardly any room for the owner’s stuff, must be designed as arm chocolate rather than a tote. Unfortunately, this important cluster of gems is no more offered by Judith Leiber boutiques, or online. Only 1 part was made and was sold much before it premiered.

Though it is almost impossible to locate, we must expect that the Precious Rose is currently in possession of a remarkably wealthy star or royal family member. In addition, depending on who is the owner of this unique creation, the bag may be worth even more than its retailed $92,000.

More Expensive Handbags to come in Part 3 of this series.

(Information from luxos.com)

April 23, 2019

The 12 Most Expensive Handbags in the World – Part 1

Many women heavily depend on expensive and branded purchase of items due to the fact that they provide class, longevity, style and further intensifies their beauty and image in public. The insatiable wishes of women can only be satisfied by providing them with the chicest and best in class accessories and clothing. One such and most wanted accessory are branded and elegant handbags.

Handbag or purse whatever you call it, this fashion item has become a common fixture for contemporary women. These babies come in all shapes, sizes, brands, colors, and styles. Some are designed to complement the urban street style woman while others are created for high-end fashion. Whatever the case may be, 90% of women don’t leave the house without their handbags.

Here are 12 of the most expensive handbags in the world:

Marc Jacob’s Carolyn Crocodile Handbag : Price is $30,000

Made of purple crocodile skin, this beautiful quilted Carolyn handbag is made of purple crocodile skin, and is one of Marc Jacob’s most popular bags.

Marc Jacobs is a person who knows how to turn ordinary things into a style testament. He is a designer with a fashion empire of his own; clothing, accessories, jewelry, fragrances, and yes… Handbags! There’s no second opinion when it comes to Marc Jacobs Handbags, especially the exotic ones like Carolyn Crocodile Handbag.

The pride of this bag is not in its brand or its texture; Marc Jacobs Carolyn Crocodile Handbag is made with exclusive exotic crocodile skin. And, that fabulous shade of purple dye… it’s to die for!!

The exterior is quilted while the interior of the bag is duly segmented in a leather finish. It’s not just a showpiece but a fully functional handbag. There are separators and extra pockets that allow easy organization and segregation of contents.

Fendi Selleria Bag: Price Tag $38,000

The Fendi Selleria Bag features two of the world’s rarest and most expensive animal skins: sable and chinchilla.

Edoardo Fendi and Adele Casagrande found instant success in Rome when they opened their high-quality leather-goods and fur shop in 1925. In 1965, Karl Lagerfeld started designing for the brand and launched its first women’s ready-to-wear collection in 1977. The men’s collection, created by the founders’ granddaughter Silvia Venturini Fendi, followed in 1990. Today, with Silvia Fendi and Lagerfeld still at the helm, Fendi is world-renowned for its innovative ready-to-wear, bags, and shoes.

Gadino Bag by Hilde Palladino: Price Tag $38,470

Norwegian designer Hilde Palladino’s Gadino bag features 39 white diamonds hidden in clasps of white gold.

At the first glance, the Gadino bag appears to be nothing special and looks just like a regular bright white handbag. However, as you look closely, you’ll see the sparkle of 39 exotic diamonds worth $30,000, strategically placed in clasps created from pure white gold. WOW!

The fine white crocodile skinned bag comes with segmented leather interior and exterior. Extra pockets and separators additionally provide systematic separation of contents and smooth organization. It’s the little details and adornments that will blow your mind. This bag is certain to be spotted on arms of many fashionistas and A-list celebrities.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the 12 Most Expensive Handbags in the World.

(Information obtained from Luxos.com)

April 20, 2019April 18, 2019

How to Dye Easter Eggs

Learn how to dye the prettiest Easter eggs with these easy tips and tricks. But first, you’ll make hard boiled eggs. Then have some fun trying different special effects!

How to Dye Easter Eggs: The Basics

To start, cover a table with layers of old newspaper to soak up any spills.
Create a drying rack by sticking pins into a sheet of thick foam board.
For colorfast egg dyes, mix 7-8 drops of food coloring into 1 cup of hot water. Stir in 1/4 cup vinegar. For more intense colors, use small amounts of professional-quality food coloring gels or pastes, available at craft, cake decorating and kitchen supply stores.
If you’re doing multi-colored eggs, let them dry thoroughly between coats of dye.
Store finished and dried eggs in empty egg cartons.

Easy Special Effects

Wrap eggs with twine or rubber bands before dyeing to create a striped effect. Remove after drying.
Create patterns with small bits of tape or stickers and remove after dyeing and drying.
Dab rubber cement on eggs and rub it off after dyeing and drying.

For spattered eggs, dip egg in a base color and let dry. Dip a clean toothbrush in a contrasting liquid color and carefully flick bristles with your fingers to make paint splatter onto egg.
For marbleized eggs, coat eggs with a base color and let dry. Mix canola or other light cooking oil into another color of dye (1 teaspoon oil per cup of dye) and quickly dunk eggs. The oil will repel color in some places and the dye will adhere in others, creating a marbled effect.

April 19, 2019

The Flowers of Easter – Part 4

Daisies – 6 Common Types

Daisies belong to one of the largest plant families in existence, making up 10 percent of the world’s flowering plants. Though we might traditionally only think of the Common Daisy or the Gerbera Daisy when we imagine this bright spring bloom, there happen to be more than 20,000 types of “daisies”. In fact, the daisy belongs to the Asteraceaefamily, along with sunflowers, chrysanthemums, and even lettuce!

Because this plant family is so large, daisies within it can vary wildly. The African Daisy, for instance, comes in many petal color combinations, with a bright blue center, while the English Daisy is a traditional white and yellow.

Gerbera Daisies

Gerbera Daisies are some of the most popular cut flowers sold by florists, only behind roses and carnations. These bright blooms are native to South Africa and bloom in a huge array of colors, such as white, pink, red, yellow, and orange. While they are a little tricky to grow – needing lots of direct sunlight but disliking hot temperatures – they are pretty durable during the winter months.

These babies are best grown in pots so that you can move them to an ideal location depending on the season. Shoot for full sunlight, with moist soil during the summer and dry soil in between waterings during the winter.

African Daisies

This bloom is, obviously, from Africa, and thus requires conditions similar to those found in Africa. It prefers heat and full sun, and needs well-drained soil, but will tolerate dry soil well. Though this plant seems finicky, its only real requirement is full sun; beyond that, it doesn’t ask for much.

Natively, the African Daisy blooms after spring rain and continues all summer. Though it’s tough enough to live in hot, dry conditions, a modicum of moisture will bring out bright and beautiful blooms. Even in the off-season, though, this plant offers wonderful foliage: the leaves are a breathtaking, supernatural greenish-grey. African Daisies are traditionally white with a steel blue center, but hybrids come in yellow, cream, purple, orange, red, and more!

Painted Daisy

The Painted Daisy is a perennial with petals in hues of red, yellow, white, violet, and pink. These bouquet favorites bloom from late spring to mid-summer in bushy clumps, growing one to three feet tall.

Painted Daisies are native to southwestern Asia, but have become popular in North American gardens for the protection they lend to other plants. These pretty blooms repel many bad bugs and browsing animals; in fact, their repellent properties are so beneficial that the petals are often dried and used in organic insecticides.

Plant in well-drained soil in full sun to shade, in an area that is neither too hot nor too humid.

Purple Cone Flower

This type of daisy can grow nearly four feet tall, with vibrant purple petals and a yellow-brown center. Purple Cone flowers are not only beautiful plants you come across in the countryside – they are also used for medicinal purposes, in cold remedies to stimulate the immune system.

This flower is found mostly on the eastern part of North America, like New England, but grows as far south as Texas.

Gloriosa Daisies

Otherwise known as the Black-Eyed Susan, this daisy is a hardy American wildflower, and can be recognized for its signature yellow or gold petals and dark centers.

Black-Eyed Susans typically grow between two and three feet tall. They like to be in the sunlight and can handle a forgetful owner, since they’re used to growing in droughts.

Tasso Pink Daisy

This pink bloom is more bulb-like than a traditional English Daisy, with a smaller center. These blooms are biennial, meaning they last through one season, but self-seed to provide future generations.

This strain features loads of little button-like flowers, coming in all shades of pink – even a “strawberries and cream” strain. Removing faded flowers regularly will keep this plant blooming well into the summer.

With so many different flowers that can be used at Easter, what is your favorite?

(Information from bouqs.com)

April 18, 2019

The Flowers of Easter – Part 3

Tulips

Tulips (Tulipa) form a genus of spring-blooming perennials (having bulbs as storage organs). The flowers are usually large, showy and brightly colored, generally red, pink, yellow, or white (usually in warm colours). They often have a different coloured blotch at the base of the tepals (petals and sepals, collectively), internally. Because of a degree of variability within the populations, and a long history of cultivation, classification has been complex and controversial. The tulip is a member of the Liliaceae (lily) family, along with 14 other genera, where it is most closely related to Amana, Erythronium and Gagea in the tribe Lilieae. There are about 75 species, and these are divided among four sub genera. The name “tulip” is thought to be derived from a Persian word for turban, which it may have been thought to resemble. Tulips originally were found in a band stretching from Southern Europe to Central Asia, but since the seventeenth century have become widely naturalized and cultivated. In their natural state they are adapted to steppes and mountainous areas with temperate climates. Flowering in the spring, they become dormant in the summer once the flowers and leaves die back, emerging above ground as a shoot from the underground bulb in early spring.

While tulips had probably been cultivated in Asia from the tenth century, they did not come to the attention of the West until the sixteenth century, when Western diplomats to the Ottoman court observed and reported on them. They were rapidly introduced into Europe and became a frenzied commodity during Tulip mania. Tulips were frequently depicted in Dutch Golden Age paintings, and have become associated with the Netherlands, the major producer for world markets, ever since. In the seventeenth century Netherlands, during the time of the Tulip mania, an infection of tulip bulbs by the tulip breaking virus created variegated patterns in the tulip flowers that were much admired and valued. This phenomenon was referred to as “broken”.

Breeding programs have produced thousands of hybrid and cultivars in addition to the original species (known in horticulture as botanical tulips). They are popular throughout the world, both as ornamental garden plants and as cut flowers.

Description

Tulips are a spring-blooming perennial, dying back after flowering to an underground storage bulb. Depending on the species, tulip plants can be between 4 inches (10 cm) and 28 inches (71 cm) high.

The tulip’s flowers are usually large.
In structure, the flower is generally cup or star shaped. Tulip stems have few leaves. Larger species tend to have multiple leaves. Plants typically have two to six leaves, some species up to 12. The tulip’s leaf is strap-shaped, with a waxy coating, and the leaves are alternate (alternately arranged on the stem), diminishing in size the further up the stem. These fleshy blades are often bluish-green in color.

Introduction to the United States

It is believed the first tulips in the United States were grown near Spring Pond at the Fay Estate in Lynn and Salem, Massachusetts. From 1847 to 1865, Richard Sullivan Fay, Esq., one of Lynn’s wealthiest men, settled on 500 acres located partly in present-day Lynn and partly in present-day Salem. Mr. Fay imported many different trees and plants from all parts of the world and planted them among the meadows of the Fay Estate.

More about Easter Flowers in Part 4 of this series.

(Information from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

April 16, 2019April 16, 2019

The Flowers of Easter – Part 2

Daffodil (Narcissi)

The daffodil is a symbol of rebirth – a sign of the new beginnings that come with spring. Daffodils are often found connected with Easter and Easter religious services because of their new birth significance.

Daffodils are the birthday flower of March, the same month as the spring equinox that heralds the beginning of a new season.

Long celebrated in art and literature, narcissi (various common names include daffodil and jonquil) are associated with a number of themes in different cultures, ranging from death to good fortune, and as symbols of Spring. The daffodil is the national flower of Wales associated with St. David’s Day. In other cultures it many be associated with wealth, good fortune and beauty. Because of the time that it flowers it is also a symbol of Spring, and associated religious festivals such as Easter, hence the use of Lent lily or in German, Easter bells, among its common names. The appearance of the wild flowers in spring is also associated with festivals in many places. While prized for its ornamental value, there is also an ancient cultural association with death, at least for pure white forms.

Historically the narcissus has appeared in written and visual arts since antiquity, being found in graves from Ancient Egypt. In classical Graeco-Roman literature the narcissus is associated with both the myth of the youth who was turned into a flower of that time, and with the Goddess Persephone, snatched into the underworld as she gathered their blooms. Narcissi were said to grow in meadows in the underworld. In these contexts they frequently appear in the poetry of the period from Stasinos to Pliny.

In western European culture narcissi and daffodils are among the most celebrated flowers in English literature, from Gower to Day-Lewis, while the best known poem is probably that of Wordsworth. In the visual arts, narcissi are depicted in three different contexts, mythological, floral art, or landscapes, from mediaeval altar pieces to Salvador Dalí.

The narcissus also plays an important part in Eastern cultures from their association with the New year in Chinese culture to symbolizing eyes in Islamic art. The word ‘Daffodil’ has been used widely in popular culture from Dutch cars to Swedish rock bands, while many cancer charities have used it as a fundraising symbol.

Symbols

The daffodil is the national flower of Wales, where it is traditional to wear a daffodil or a leek on Saint David’s Day (March 1). In Welsh the daffodil is known as “Peter’s Leek”, (cenhinen Bedr or cenin Pedr), the leek (cenhinen) being the other national symbol. The narcissus is also a national flower symbolizing the new year or Newrozin the Kurdish culture.

The narcissus is perceived in the West as a symbol of vanity, in the East as a symbol of wealth and good fortune (see Eastern cultures). In classical Persian literature, the narcissus is a symbol of beautiful eyes, together with other flowers that equal a beautiful face with a spring garden, such as roses for cheeks and violets for shining dark hair.

In western countries the daffodil is associated with spring festivals such as Lent and its successor Easter. In Germany the wild narcissus, N. pseudonarcissus, is known as Osterglocke or “Easter bell.” In the United Kingdom, particularly in ecclesiastical circles, the daffodil is sometimes variously referred to as the Lenten or Lent lily.^[ Tradition has it that the daffodil opens on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, and dies at Easter which marks the end of Lent.^[

Although prized as an ornamental flower, some people consider narcissi unlucky, because they hang their heads implying misfortune, and hence refuse to have them in the house. White narcissi are especially associated with death, especially the pure white N triandrus ‘Thalia’, and hence are considered grave flowers.^[ Indeed, in Ancient Greece narcissi were planted near tombs. Robert Herrick, describes them as portents of death, an association which also appears in the myth of Persephone and the underworld.

The daffodil is the American Cancer Society’s symbol of new life and hope that a cure for cancer will be found. “You see a daffodil and know there’s hope,” says Debbie Jaramillo, volunteer chair, California Division Daffodil Days. “And with hope, there’s a cure. They’re a burst of sunshine, a ray of hope. Even if it is still cold outside, you know there’s warmth and light ahead.”

More about flowers used at Easter in Part 3.

(Information from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

April 15, 2019

The Flowers of Easter – Part 1

Easter Lily

Lilium longiflorum (often called the Easter Lily, is a plant endemic to both Taiwan and Ryukyu Islands (Japan). Lilium formosana, a closely related species from Taiwan, has been treated as a variety of Easter lily in the past. It is a stem rooting lily, growing up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) high. It bears a number of trumpet shaped, white, fragrant, and outward facing flowers.

Features

Plants tend to grow from about 50 cm (20 in) to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) tall. They have long oval leaves and the vein enters the horizontal direction. From April to June, the plant’s flowering season, it produces pure white flowers on top of the stem. The stem has a cylindrical shape, with a diameter of about 5 cm (2.0 in).

Use in Easter

Lilium longiflorum is known as the Easter Lily because in Christianity, it is a symbol of the resurrection of Christ, which is celebrated during Easter. The “Lily has always been highly regarded in the Church”, as Jesus Himself referenced the flower, saying “Consider the Lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” (Luke 12:27). Moreover, according to pious legend, “after Jesus’ death and resurrection, some of these beautiful flowers were found growing in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus went to pray the night before His crucifixion. Legend has it that these flowers sprung up where drops of Jesus’ sweat fell as he prayed”. In many Christian churches, the chancel is adorned with Easter Lilies throughout the Paschal season.

History

From the 1890s to the early 1920s, there was a thriving export trade of bulbs from Bermuda to New York. In 1903, USDA Agricultural Research Services (ARS) started to distribute disease free plant materials and seeds. The agency also started a breeding program, and released one of the first dwarf cultivars for potted-plant production in 1929. Prior to USDA’s effort, Lily bulbs were mostly imported from Japan before the 1940s. The supply of bulbs was suddenly cut off after the attack on Pearl Harbor and Easter Lilies became extremely valuable in the United States.

Currently, nearly all Easter Lily bulbs used in North America are grown on coastal bottom lands in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon, particularly in the town of Smith River, California, according to the trade association Easter Lily Research Association.

Toxicity

Some Lilium species are toxic to cats. This is known to be so especially for L. longiflorum, though other Lilium and the unrelated Hemerocallis can also cause the same symptoms.^[ The true mechanism of toxicity is undetermined, but it involves damage to the renal tubular epithelium (composing the substance of the kidney and secreting, collecting, and conducting urine), which can cause acute renal failure. Veterinary help should be sought, as a matter of urgency, for any cat that is suspected of eating any part of a lily – including licking pollen that may have brushed onto its coat.

(Information from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Stay tuned to more about flowers associated with Easter in Part 2 of this series!

April 12, 2019

Game of Thrones – Part 3

Cast and Characters

Game of Thrones has an ensemble cast estimated to be the largest on television; during its third season, 257 cast names were recorded. In 2014, several actor contracts were renegotiated to include a seventh-season option, with raises which reportedly made them among the highest-paid performers on cable TV. In 2016, several actor contracts were again renegotiated, reportedly increasing the salary of five of the main cast members to £2 million per episode for the last two seasons, which would make them the highest paid actors on television. The main cast is listed below.^[

Lord Eddard “Ned” Stark (Sean Bean) is the head of House Stark, whose members are involved in plot lines throughout most of the series. He and his wife, Catelyn Tully (Michelle Fairley), have five children: Robb (Richard Madden), the eldest, followed by Sansa (Sophie Turner), Arya (Maisie Williams), Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright), and Rickon (Art Parkinson). Ned’s illegitimate son Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and his friend, Samwell Tarly (John Bradley), serve in the Night’s Watch under Lord Commander Jeor Mormont (James Cosmo). The Wildlings living north of the Wall include young Gilly (Hannah Murray), and warriors Tormund Giantsbane (Kristofer Hivju), and Ygritte (Rose Leslie).^[

Others associated with House Stark include Ned’s ward Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen), his vassal Roose Bolton (Michael McElhatton), and Bolton’s bastard son, Ramsay Snow (Iwan Rheon). Robb falls in love with the healer Talisa Maegyr (Oona Chaplin), and Arya befriends the blacksmith’s apprentice Gendry (Joe Dempsie) and the assassin Jaqen H’ghar (Tom Wlaschiha). The tall warrior Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) serves Catelyn and, later, Sansa.^[

In King’s Landing, the capital, Ned’s friend, King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy), shares a loveless marriage with Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), who has taken her twin brother, the “Kingslayer” Ser Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), as her lover. She loathes her younger brother, the dwarf Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), who is attended by his mistress Shae (Sibel Kekilli) and the sellsword Bronn (Jerome Flynn). Cersei’s father is Lord Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance), and she also has two young sons: Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) and Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman). Joffrey is guarded by the scar-faced warrior, Sandor “the Hound” Clegane (Rory McCann).^[

The king’s Small Council of advisors includes the crafty Master of Coin Lord Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish (Aidan Gillen) and the eunuch spymaster Lord Varys (Conleth Hill). Robert’s brother, Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane), is advised by foreign priestess Melisandre (Carice van Houten) and former smuggler Ser Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham). The wealthy Tyrell family is represented at court by Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer). The High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce) is the capital’s religious leader. In the southern principality of Dorne, Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma) seeks vengeance against the Lannisters.^[

Across the Narrow Sea, siblings Viserys (Harry Lloyd) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) – the exiled children of the last king of the original ruling dynasty, who was overthrown by Robert Baratheon – are running for their lives and trying to win back the throne. Daenerys becomes married to Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa), the leader of the nomadic Dothraki. Her advisers include the exiled knight Ser Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen), her aide Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel), and the sellsword Daario Naharis (Michiel Huisman).

The Season 8 Premier will be on April 14 on HBO. It is sure to be an exciting last season. Don’t miss it!!

(Information from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

April 11, 2019

Game of Thrones – Part 2

Background

Setting

Game of Thrones is roughly based on the story lines of A Song of Ice and Fire, set in the fictional Seven Kingdoms of Westeros and the continent of Essos. The series chronicles the violent dynastic struggles among the realm’s noble families for the Iron Throne, while other families fight for independence from it. It opens with additional threats in the icy North and Essos in the east.

The novels and their adaptations base aspects of their settings, characters, and plot on events in European history. Most of Westeros is reminiscent of high medieval Europe, from lands and cultures,^[ to the palace intrigue, feudal system, castles, and knightly tournaments. A principal inspiration for the novels is the English Wars of the Roses^[ (1455–85) between the houses of Lancaster and York, reflected in Martin’s houses of Lannister and Stark. The scheming Cersei Lannister evokes Isabella, the “she-wolf of France” (1295–1358) and her family.

A Song of Ice and Fire takes place in a fictional world in which seasons last for years and end unpredictably. Nearly three centuries before the events of the first novel, the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros were united under the Targaryen dynasty by Aegon I and his sister wives Visenya and Rhaenys, establishing military supremacy through their control of dragons. Aegon became the first king of the entire continent of Westeros, save for the southerly region of Dorne. The Targaryen dynasty ruled for three hundred years, although civil war and infighting among the Targaryens resulted in the death of all their dragons. At the beginning of A Game of Thrones, 15 peaceful years have passed since the rebellion led by Lord Robert Baratheon that deposed and killed the last Targaryen king, Aerys II “the Mad King”, and proclaimed Robert king of the Seven Kingdoms, with a nine-year-long summer coming to an end.

The principal story chronicles the power struggle for the Iron Throne among the great Houses of Westeros following the death of King Robert in A Game of Thrones. Robert’s heir apparent, the 13-year-old Joffrey, is immediately proclaimed king through the machinations of his mother, Queen Cersei Lannister. When Lord Eddard “Ned” Stark, Robert’s closest friend and chief advisor, discovers that Joffrey and his siblings are the product of incest between Cersei and her twin brother Jaime “The Kingslayer” Lannister, Eddard attempts to unseat Joffrey, but is betrayed and executed for treason. In response, Robert’s brothers Stannis and Renly both lay separate claims to the throne. During this period of instability, two of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros attempt to become independent from the Iron Throne: Eddard’s eldest son Robb is proclaimed King in the North, while Lord Balon Greyjoy desires to recover the sovereignty of his region, the Iron Islands. The so-called “War of the Five Kings” is in full progress by the middle of the second book, A Clash of Kings.

The second part of story takes place in the far north of Westeros, where an 8,000-year-old wall of ice, simply called “the Wall”, defends the Seven Kingdoms from supernatural creatures known as the Others. The Wall’s sentinels, the Sworn Brotherhood of the Night’s Watch, also protect the realm from the incursions of the “wildlings” or “Free Folk”, who are several human tribes living on the north side of the Wall. The Night’s Watch story is told primarily through the point of view of Jon Snow, Lord Eddard Stark’s bastard son. Jon follows the footsteps of his uncle Benjen Stark and joins the Watch at a young age, rising quickly through the ranks. He eventually becomes Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. In the third volume, A Storm of Swords, the Night’s Watch story line becomes increasingly entangled with the War of the Five Kings.

The third storyline follows Daenerys Targaryen, daughter of Aerys II, the last Targaryen king. On the continent of Essos, east of Westeros across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys is married off by her elder brother Viserys Targaryen to a powerful warlord, but slowly becomes an independent and intelligent ruler in her own right. Her rise to power is aided by the historic birth of three dragons, hatched from eggs given to her as wedding gifts. The three dragons soon become not only a symbol of her bloodline and her legitimate claim to the throne, but also devastating weapons of war, which help her in conquest of the Slaver’s bay.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of Game of Thrones.

(Information from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

April 10, 2019

Game of Thrones – Part 1

Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, a novel written by George R. R. Martin. Martin has written a series of fantasy novels, the first of which is A Game of Thrones. The show is filmed in Belfast and elsewhere in Northern Ireland, Canada, Croatia, Iceland, Malta, Morocco, Scotland, Spain, and the United States.^[ The series premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011, and will conclude with its eighth season, which will premiere on April 14, 2019.

Set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, Game of Thrones has several plots and a large ensemble cast, but follows three story arcs. The first arc is about the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, and follows a web of alliances and conflicts among the noble dynasties either vying to claim the throne or fighting for independence from it. The second story arc focuses on the last descendant of the realm’s deposed ruling dynasty, who has been exiled and is plotting a return to the throne. The third story arc follows the Night’s Watch, a longstanding brotherhood charged with defending the realm against the ancient threats of the fierce peoples and legendary creatures that lie far north of The Wall, and an impending winter that threatens the realm.

Game of Thrones has attracted record viewership on HBO and has a broad, active, international fan base. It has been acclaimed by critics, particularly for its acting, complex characters, story, scope, and production values.
The series has received 47 Prime time Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series in 2015, 2016, and 2018, more than any other prime time scripted television series. Its other awards and nominations include three Hugo Awards for Best Dramatic Presentation (2012–2014), a 2011 Peabody Award, and five nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama (2012 and 2015–2018).

Of the ensemble cast, Peter Dinklage has won three Prime time Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2011, 2015 and 2018) and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film (2012) for his performance as Tyrion Lannister. Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) , Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Diana Rigg (Olenna Tyrell), and Max von Sydow (Three-Eyed Raven) have also received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for their performances.

More about Game of Thrones in Part 2 of this series!

(Information obtained from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)