CVL Travelogue #3 Roleplays in 1920's Berlin

As I've written in two other articles, the CVL Travelogue group continues its tours with #3 on September 18 to 1920's Berlin. The 1920's Berlin Project tour was conducted by Rosemary Thyme who met our group and visitors at the Berlin Teleportplatz where freebie period clothing was available for those who needed them. Although we were told that the Berlin Project is not a strict role-play sim, it's best to look and act the part as much as possible. 

The train ride into Berlin was fast.

The group's favorite spot, the library

Outside the Club Eldorado

From the Teleportplatz, we took the train into Berlin. After disembarking, Rosemary gave us the history of the sim and some interesting tidbits of information as we visited such places as Der Keller (a backstreet where you can dance and listen to 1920's music); Alexanderplatz (where the municipal building, stores, and residential areas are found); Club Eldorado (open every Saturday for Cabaret/burlesque shows and concerts); Magdalenenkirche (the church where services are held each week); the library (our favorite spot); the museum (which is closed now but offers exhibits occasionally); the Odeon theater (that features concerts and performances regularly); the Unter den Linden (famous square in Berlin); Adlon (a luxury hotel that is almost always booked to capacity and where the second anniversary ball recently took place); the school Hindenburg schule (the only place on the sim that allows voice chatting and where language classes are given); the police station; and the final stop, the night club der Keller, where Rosemary told us there is a "happy hour" every night.

The Church

The luxurious Adlon Hotel

The language school

The Unter den Linden with blimp above

Originally posted in "Rainbow Notes" blog

A Grand Place to Visit

Text by DULCIE MILLS

Photos by CLARK ABISMO

Originally published in RezLibris Magazine
See Fall 2011 issue for photo slideshow

One only has to check the Destination Guide for a sampling of the incredible sims in Second Life. From roleplaying to Arts, from Education to Fantasy, there’s a category for every interest. The Real Life category usually features depictions of real places. One example that stands out in this category is the SL version of the Grand Canyon. Want to go somewhere that is picturesque? Want to hang glide, be shot out of a cannon, ride a horse through mountainous trails, ice skate? Want to go on a date, find romance, or get married? Want to have fun with friends and play games for prizes? It’s all there and more, scattered among three distinctive sims connected by zip lines, helicopter tours, boats, and convenient teleport boards.

The history of the Grand Canyon began when Lissisme Dubrovna and her brother, TD Tremmor, purchased TDT Estates in Oct. 2009. In January 2010, Dubrovna, an experienced builder, visited a texture store and fell in love with a texture that became the rock for the Grand Canyon that she had recently visited in RL. After having a dream about the texture and the Grand Canyon, she did a search in SL to see if there was already a Grand Canyon, and discovered there wasn’t. She then went to work and created the Grand Canyon in 18 hours.

In March 2010, she began working with her partner, Tiger Zepp. “The whole idea behind these sims is to give residents of SL an opportunity to get away from shopping and sex and pressures in SL,” Dubrovna said. “It also gives new residents a chance to learn valuable skills in a fun recreational way.” She added that the success of the Canyon sims came about after Zepp taught her his “stickiness theory.” Zepp explained, “. . . it’s about engagement with the environment. It’s all well and good just admiring views, etc., but if you, as a visitor, can engage with the terrain . . . say, with skiing, climbing, swimming, fishing, paragliding, horseback riding . . . you see the place again and again from many perspectives and find hidden places. [It] literally would take you a week here solid to find things. We have over 35 destinations over the sims in our board.”

The three sims that currently compose the Grand Canyon area are the Imago sim that contains Lake Tahoe and Crater Lake and is most known for its winter sports and activities; the Grand Canyon sim that features the main attractions and adventure sports; and TDT Estates sim that specializes in romance and weddings. Some of the things you can do at Lake Tahoe and Crater Lake include ice skating, skiing, slalom racing (sleds and snowboards are free), and even white water kayaking. You should beware of crocodiles and the bears that make this area their home, but some persistent explorers have found prizes in the trash bins by the bears.

The Grand Canyon offers a multitude of experiences and activities. The skywalk is noted to give the “same sense of awe and wonder,” as its rl counterpart in Arizona. For thrill seekers, the hang gliders, bungee jump, human cannon, parachuting, and rock slide are just some of the activities offered. For those who like more relaxing past-times, there is a picnic area, mermaid park, and fishing pier. If games are your thing, you might want to spend some time trying your luck at the shooting gallery, horse shoes, and knife throwing area where prizes are awarded to high scorers. There’s also a yacht club and Indian camp. To top it all off, you can even go on a helicopter tour of all three sims with a friend, date, or partner.

TDT Estates offers all you need to plan a romantic date or the perfect wedding – a bridal shop, romance ballroom, hot air balloon rides, a drive-in theater, and a dance club. Throughout all the sims there are campsites, caves and waterfalls, and lots of pose and dance balls. As stated in “The Grand Canyon Magazine” published by Imago Builders, “GC is a place of beauty, health, open air, RL sports, and skill enhancing activities.”

When asked what she personally likes most about the Grand Canyon in SL, Dubrovna replied, “I have to say I love it all - it has been a wonderful project but one thing I truly love is seeing others have fun and relax and the loyalty they show the Canyon.” The Grand Canyon group is free to join, and members are scouts. Events are announced through the group such as the Friday night dances at the Canyon Club. Dubrovna also said that singers and live performers appear often and that, besides weddings, many engagement parties, rez days, and meetings take place at the Canyon. They are also about to launch a series of educational events on the topic of global warming and its effects on the environment. The sims are solely supported by visitor donations, and Dubrovna mentioned that she will soon be seeking sponsorship for a “very amazing build – totally new to SL.” A few new additions are also planned for the Grand Canyon – a Cable car and video documentaries of the real Grand Canyon.

To visit this lovely and fun place, search for The Grand Canyon in SL Places or take this Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Grand%20Canyon/99/194/111

Second CVL Travelogue Visits the Past

In a previous blog, I wrote about the fun and entertainment sims that the CVL Travelogue featured on their first tour. On July 17, the CVL Travelolgue group conducted a second tour of historical sims. The places visited included the First World War Poetry Digital Archive, Virtual Harlem, and Virtual Montmarte. The First Wold War Poetry Digital Archive tour was led by Csteph Submariner and the Virtual Harlem and Virtual Montmarte tours were led by Bryan Mnemonic.

The CVL Travelogue Group and guests at the
WWI Poetry Digital Archives

Touring the Trenches

The first stop on the historical tour was the World War I Poetry Digital Archive where the group and guests, led by Csteph Submariner (Christopher Stephens in RL) of the University of Oxford, visited the camp and trenches. Since time was limited and there is a vast amount of very detailed historical information to see and learn about, it was suggested that participants visit again on their own. A free HUD is available to teleport between sites. Videos and notecards highlight the immersive historical experience. At the campsite, there are realistic illustrations of wartime living conditions on the front down to scary, animated rats. The group and visitors agreed that this is an important and very well-created build. We later learned that funding for this project was discontinued in 2009 and that Submarinar is in need of keeping it going. He wrote an email to the head of the CVL Travelogue group asking her help in sending an email in support of the WWI Poetry Arachive to

stuart....@oucs.ox.ac.uk -- Director: computing Services
katharine.lind...@oucs.ox.ac.uk -- Project manager: WWI Poetry Digital
Archive

CVL Travelogue tour group at the Cotton Club

The Virtual Harlem tour led by Bryan Mnemonic (Bryan Carter in RL), Associate Professor of English at the University of Central Missouri, began at the Dark Tower mansion, the office of Dr. Menemonic. After a brief introduction, Menemonic gave a tour of several sites in 1920's Virtual Harlem, the famous Cotton Club jazz club and two locations that featured student art exhibits. Afterwards, he led everyone across the bridge to France where we visited Virtual Montmarte, a very authentic-looking French village with some nice shops and sites.

Virtual Montmarte

A slightly larger number of people joined us for the history tour, and we hope that more will come to the next one which may possibly focus on roleplay sims. There are so many places to visit in SL, and the CVL Travelogue is a great way to learn of them and become introduced to the different location themes. The group is always in need of volunteers and has its own Google as well as SL group to communicate its meetings and events.

Originally posted in "Rainbow Notes" blog

History Meets Art on Museum Island

Originally published in RezLibris Magazine See Summer 2011 issue for Slideshow

Text by DULCIE MILLS Photos by DULCIE MILLS and CLARK ABISMO     There are so many creative sims in Second Life, but imagine one that is a museum filled with statues, buildings, and other artifacts illustrating historical places and times, all arranged artistically with gardens and other plants, walkways, and paths. Visit ancient Egypt, Rome, Babylon, and Greece by boat or walking tour or just fly through the sim. This is Museum Island, the creation of Carlolello Zapatero, an Italian builder who works with computer graphics in RL. Zapatero joined Second Life three years ago but didn't begin work on Museum Island until last year after some people saw his builds at a sandbox and pushed him to create something inworld. "I built Museum Island to give people the chance who can't travel the world to have an idea of these beautiful ancient sites," he said. Zapatero says the most popular attractions on Museum Island include Petra, Nefertari's Tomb, Babylonia, and the Library of Ephesus, but he believes all the monuments are interesting, especially the tall ancient sundial in Rome which he says "is built seven metres under the modern city in RL." His favorite build is the House of the Tragic Poet in Pompeii. "I painted all the walls in watercolor after I scanned them for SL," he said. "Many archeological teachers visit this house. All paints are original. I restored this home. In RL it was destroyed." Other sites to see on Museum Island include Ara Pacis (Alter to Peace); Tholos of Apollo, Delphi (Greece); Arch of Septimius Severus; Arch of Constantine; Ishtar Gate (Babylon); Canopo, Villa Ariana (Tivoli); the Acropolis; Hanging Gardens; Colossus of Rhodes; and even a pet memorial called Memory Gardens. After all the sightseeing through ancient times, you can take a nap on a hammock in the relaxing area. Regarding what readers of RezLibris should know about Museum Island, Zapetero replied, "I hope your readers like my land. I built an ideal city with archeological monuments representative of the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean sea." Many signs in both Italian and English describe the various builds on the sim with historical background. Zapetero's next build is the site of Abu-Simbel in Egypt, which is currently under construction.   While no formal events take place on Museum Island, there is a SL group, and art exhibits are displayed there. Zapetero wanted to thank several people who helped him with the Museum Island project: Pille Bikcin, Miky Canning, Alex Sigal, Azyxel, Rigi, Frontrunner, Vonkalbert, Roja, Manuelita, and other friends. For a place to learn about ancient history and art, Museum Island is the place to visit. Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sunny%20Breezes/211/151/22

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Finding Your Special Place

My real birthday is May 9 which falls on Mother's Day this year. In second Life, the day my avatar, Dulcie, was "born" or what residents refer to as a Rez Day is March 6. I like to celebrate both days, as many people do. I don't always do anything big, although I've had a few Rez day parties. For my real birthday, I also like to do something in SL. It's always nice to have an excuse for a party or celebration, and there are so many places to dance, explore, or just have a good time with friends.

When trying to plan a place to go, I wanted to try some place different than the old standby, the Jazz Cat on Info Island International, although I always enjoy going there, as do many of my fellow SL librarian colleagues and friends. I asked for some recommendations but, of course, just like asking for a book recommendation, everyone's taste is different. I also checked SL blogs and the Destination Guide. I didn't really know exactly what I was looking for, but I thought I'd know it when I saw it. The problem was that there were too many choices, and I really wanted to visit each one to see what they were like.

I saw a play advertised, Alice in WonderSland, and thought that might be fun to try, but it wasn't performed on the day that worked best for me. I also considered a SL cruise that one of my friends had tried aboard the SS Galaxy or even a more daring voyage on the HRS Titanic. But when I visited Foxxie's Ballroom and Jazz Club in Shadowfox, I felt that I'd found the place where I wanted to celebrate. In addition to a really breathtaking ballroom of gold, silver, and black, the grounds of the Shadowfox sim feature lovely gardens scattered with dance balls, a gazebo, and a pretty lake with swans. You can take a hot air balloon or horsedrawn carriage tour of the area, have a free photo taken, row a rowboat on the lake, and, of course, shop. As far as dancing, the Ballroom has a strict formal dress code, but it is a classy place and worth the effort. Besides most ladies love to take out their gowns from inventory every once in awhile or buy a new one for the occasion, and men can always find a tuxedo tucked away in their inventories.

So next year, I may celebrate my Rez Day or birthday by seeing a play or taking a Second Life cruise or maybe I'll find another nice place or even just stay home, but, this year, I will enjoy a special night at Foxxies. I am looking forward to it.

Originally posted in Rainbow Notes

Santorini and Mykonos Beach

I've never been to the Greek Isles, but I can imagine that the Santorini and Mykonos Beach of Greece sim does them justice. I first heard of this sim when one of my favorite stores, Paris Metro, opened a new branch there. I assumed the place was just full of commercial shops, but I was wrong. Upon landing at the teleport point, one is assuaged by the colorful flowers and vibrant art surrounding the Greek village as well as the beautiful blue of the SL Aegean Sea. There are numerous places to sit, dance, eat and drink, including those on the beach. There's also a windmill, statues and other Greek art, pottery, and numerous waterfalls, and pools.

Windmill

Of course, there are shops, including Paris Metro, but these are tasteful and fit in with the architecture. There are other buildings there, too, including a church and a dungeon in addition to the windmill which can be toured (and one can even sit outside it and sip wine at a table for two).

One of two outdoor dance areas

The flowers are gorgeous and cheerful, from those in pots, on vines, and growing on the land. The courtyard is bright and welcoming with tables and chairs and assorted dance balls. Statues, paintings, mosaics, and murals abound, and there are two temple-like outdoor dance floors, one in the courtyard and one on the beach.

Dulcie by one of the many potted plants on the islands

For a taste of the Greek Isles to warm your SL soul, I would recommend taking a short trip to the Santorini and Mykonos Beach of Greece.

Slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lagoona/112/194/26