London Trips - First Time In London

A trip to London can be quite exciting for the first-time visitor. As the capital city of England, there is much to experience in London. With millions of residents packed into this vibrant cultural melting pot, London is always bustling with activity, regardless of the day of the week or the month. You should make a list of sights to take in, as otherwise you might end up missing out on one of London’s highlights.

London has been around for more than 2,000 years. While few visitors have the time to take in all that London offers, there are some places more enticing than others. Take the time to see Westminster Abbey, the Tower Of London, and the Houses Of Parliament. You might want to consider taking them as part of a guided tour, as learning a little about their histories will give you an even better appreciation of them.

Also, be sure to find time for the House of Lords, the House of Commons, and the accompanying clock tower. You have probably seen the clock tower, called Big Ben, on TV, and it is even more impressive when you see it in person. It has four 23-foot faces that light up at night. The minute hands alone are 14 feet long. It is not open for public tours, but standing back far enough to see it is a rewarding view.

There are lots of palaces and historic buildings to visit. The Queen of England lives in the most famous of all them, which is called Buckingham Palace. The changing of the guard outside is a sight to see. Tourists will gather long before the appointed time just to see the grand guards in their world famous red and black uniforms. The hat itself is legendary.

Depending on the time of year, catch a sporting event. London has some of best stadiums in the whole world, and five Premier League football (or soccer if you prefer) teams, including Arsenal and Chelsea, who have genuine football superstars in their teams. As well as football, you can take in a game of cricket or football. Attending a tennis match at Wimbledon is also an option if you happen to be in London during June or July.

As a final point, remember to pack your camera and take lots of photos!

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The Island of South Georgia

The island of South Georgia, an inhospitable frozen wasteland of glaciers, snow-capped mountains and freezing winds, lies in the southern Atlantic Ocean east of Tierra del Fuego.

This remote Antarctic island is part of the British territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The British claim to sovereignty of South Georgia dates from 1775 when Captain Cook landed here and dismissed the island as not worth discovering. Argentina also claimed the island in 1027, an unresolved dispute which contributed to the 1982 Falklands war when Argentine forces briefly occupied South Georgia.

In 1916 Ernest Shackleton became stranded on Elephant Island to the south-west, while on his Imperial Straits Antarctic Expedition, Shackleton and a small group of men left the rest of the party to summon help and ended up, after an arduous journey, at King Haakon Bay on the south coast of South Georgia.

They then managed to make it overland to reach help at Stromness whaling station, which led to the rescue of the remaining men. Daring a later expedition in 1922, Shackleton died on board a ship off South Georgia and he is buried on the island at Grytviken.

There is no permanent human population on South Georgia, only the British Government Officer, research scientists and museum staff at Grytviken, but there are enormous populations of penguins, the largest colonies anywhere on earth, with around 400,000 breeding pairs of king penguins, two million pairs of the macaroni penguins and large colonies of four other species.

Visitors come here to watch penguin couples overcome the extreme climatic conditions and nurture their precious eggs through hatching and the vulnerable chick stage into fully fledged members of the colony. The charming creatures work tirelessly together avoiding the seals that lurk in the shallows waiting to pounce and protecting their young from ferocious skua gulls who will snatch one and tear it to shreds.

When he landed here in the 18th century, Captain Cook noted the huge seal and whale populations around the island, but just two hundred years later both had been hunted nearly to extinction. South Georgia is, however, home to 95 per cent of the world’s southern fur seals, half the southern elephant seals, 250,000 Albatrosses, including the massive Wandering Albatross, and up to ten million other seabirds, making a trip here a totally unique experience.

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The Steamship Carnatic Diving Holiday

The story begins in August 1869 when the Steamer “Venetian” sailed from Liverpool for Alexandria with a cargo bound for Bombay. Shortly afterwards the “Pera” sailed from London with passengers for the same destination. This was at a time when the Suez Canal was nearing completion and due to be opened within three months.

Even at this late stage, however, few could imagine how such a new “seaway” would change the shape of world trade forever. Up until now, ships had unloaded passengers and cargo at Alexandria from where they would be moved by land to Suez - over 200 miles away, before joining another vessel and resuming the journey. In this way, the longer and more perilous route around the Cape of Good Hope was avoided.

The passengers on board the Pera had enjoyed an uneventful crossing to Gibraltar and a similarly quiet journey taking in almost the entire length of the Mediterranean before their ship grounded off Alexandria - where they remained for three hours until floating off with the tide.

Despite this minor mishap, they were, nevertheless mostly at ease and looking forward to joining the more opulent “Carnatic” - the pride of the P & O fleet. The long trek to Suez was a frightful journey in the most oppressive of conditions - but there really was no alternative and everyone knew they would soon be enjoying cool evening sea breezes once again. In the meantime, the Masters of both the Pera and Venetian had played their part and were already heading back to England.

Progress overland was always slow, so it was not until the second week of September that Captain Jones was able to supervise the arrival and stowage of both passengers and cargo. He exercised great care - some of that cargo was very valuable and he had to make sure every single item was accounted for and thoroughly checked.

Finally, he was able to confirm a total of 230 passengers and crew in addition to a cargo of cotton bales, copper sheeting, Royal Mail, and 40,000 specie - as bullion was called in those days.

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What are the New Travel Laws regarding Passports for Canadians Traveling to the US?

Since the tragic events of 911, there have been many changes to the laws when traveling from Canada to the United States. These changes are designed to enhance security between the two countries. When a Canadian travels to the US, they should be aware of the new travel laws regarding Passports.

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) is one law that Canadians should learn about. It is a US law mandating that all travelers, including US and Canadian residents, provide a passport or other approved secure document when entering the United States. This law applies to all travelers, including children.

Canadians who travel by plane to and from the United States must provide one of the following documents: a passport or a NEXUS card to be presented at all U.S. airports when coming back to Canada. For example, if a Canadian travels to the US by vehicle, but returns to Canada by flights, a NEXUS card will be required before they can board the flight.

When Canadians enter the United States by land or water, they are mandated to provide ONE of the following documents: a passport; a NEXUS card, a Free and Secure Trade (FAST) card, an enhanced driver’s license (EDL) or enhanced identification card, or a Secure Certificate of Indian Status.

For Canadians under the age of 15, they must provide verification of their Canadian citizenship, such as an original or a photocopy of a birth certificate, or an original citizenship card. Canadian citizens 18 years of age or under who are traveling with an organized group may provide proof of Canadian citizenship only. This makes it easier to make school trips to the US.

There have been some concerns about meeting all of the requirements so the US has provided some flexibility on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) law. However, the Canadian Government warns that the extent of this flexibility is the decision of the U.S. officials.

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative was created after the implementation of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA). This act mandated that every traveler have a passport or other approved document that proves one’s identity when coming into the United States. The purpose was to help the Department of Homeland Security identify a traveler quickly.

As of August 15, 2007, the Canadian Government has implemented measures to make renewing one’s passport easier. The Simplified Passport Renewal Program permits Canadians who meet specific eligibility criteria to renew their passport using a less complicated form and without submitting such documents as proof of citizenship, supplementary identification, and a guarantor declaration. Under the renewal program, one will just need to submit the small form along with two new photos, the application fee, and their last passport. As well, Passport Canada enacted a simpler guarantor policy, which allows most adult Canadian passport holders to act as guarantors for first time applicants.

In order to avoid any travel disruptions, before Canadians travel, they should be aware of the entry requirements for the United States.

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Adding Mystique To The Railways

There is something quite magical about the railways. Right from the time when there used to be steam engines to the transcontinental high speed trains that zip across Europe and Asia, trains have captured the imagination of people from across the globe. If you are one of those who just keep flying from place to place, it may make sense to savor the magic of the trains every now and then, just for a change. Whether it is Moscow or Tokyo, Mumbai or London, the common thread happens to be the railways which have tied together huge countries leading to unparalleled connectivity as well as a world of luxury.

Train journeys, especially if they are long in duration are not quite complete without consumption of certain beverages or drinks, either cold or hot. This is where cup holders come in quite handy so that one can keep the cup, bottle or even pouch in the cup holder and take sips from drinks that they would like to savor. It is possible to get quite thirsty in trains, which means that the cup holder’s utility is unquestioned.

Cup holders on trains are quite convenient as these can help hold not only the beverages that you love, but also some chocolate or small packet snacks that you may have purchased from vendors along the way. Some people find this extremely convenient as placing these items on the seat or in flaps in the seat ahead can get rather cumbersome and not the tidiest of options. After all, as the train zips by at dizzying speeds, any imbalanced movements could cause the drink to spill, which is prevented by using cup holders.

Train cup holders come with easy to use Velcro straps which mean that you do not have to fumble as you try and hold the cup holder in place on high speed trains. If you want some coffee, just order it, place it in the cup holder and enjoy sips of this utterly stimulating drink that can help wake you up from a stupor.

If you want to buy cup holders that can be used in trains, you need not really look too far. There are so many websites that you can refer to which list various types of cup holders at various price points too, to meet your needs in terms of style, size and cost.

Cooper “Coop” Shepherd makes his daily commute by rail, to a job where he investigates the usefulness of the drink holder especially in reference to stadium accessories.