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Free Things To See And Do In London

September 29th, 2010 No comments
The Palace of Westminster at night as seen fro...
Image via Wikipedia

Every capital city is expensive, and London is no exception. For the wise tourist, however, there are plenty of things to do that don’t cost a dime.

London has a lot of museums and many of them are free. The British Museum on Great Russell Street is open every day and doesn’t charge an entrance fee. The National Gallery is a wonderful place to learn about art for free. The Tate Modern, The Tate Britain, The Victoria and Albert, The Natural History Museum and The Science Museum are cost nothing to enter.

London’s main attractions can be seen on foot. The Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, The London Eye and Tower Bridge are all within walking distance and it costs nothing to look and take photographs.

Among the most popular sights in London is the Changing of the Guard. Every day in summer and every second day in winter the guards line up at 11.30 for a thirty minute ceremony. The views of Buckingham Palace are lovely and the best thing is that it doesn’t cost a thing.

Near to Buckingham Palace is St. James’s Park and it is free to enter. There are guided tours to give visitors an idea of the upkeep of the park and what it entails. All the other London Parks are free as well and it is worth popping to Hyde Park to see free band concerts in the summer, Speakers Corner and the Diana Fountain.

Covent Garden is a must on any London itinerary and it doesn’t have to cost anything. The licensed street performers put on fantastic shows and visitors can see comedians, acrobats, singers and dancers all for free.

The National Theatre is near Waterloo Bridge on Southbank and while tickets for the performances in the theatre come with a charge, the music and exhibitions held in the foyer do not. This free entertainment is put on before a show, so a quick check of the timetable reveals when to go.

It is free to worship in Westminster Abbey. Evensong is held every day at 5.00pm and tourists can join in, see the beautiful architecture and listen to the choir without having to pay an entrance fee.

TV buffs can pick up free tickets for the latest TV shows being filmed in London. Two handy websites to find out what’s available are tvrecordings.com and bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/tickets

It is easy to take in the best of London safe in the knowledge that it won’t break the bank.

Continue : Budget Hotel London

England’s South Coast – A Look At Some Of Its Sights And Attractions

August 22nd, 2010 No comments

There are many incredible places to visit and sights to see on England’s South Coast. But before we get to that, let’s discuss what England’s south coast is comprised of. England’s South Coast is part of Southern England which includes the southern counties of England. The UK considers Southern England to include South West England, South East England, Greater London and the East of England. So having established some geographical boundaries, here are some places to go on England’s South Coast:

The cliffs of Beachy Head and the Lighthouse b...Image via Wikipedia

- Beachy Head: 5km or 3 miles south of Eastbourne is a snowy white cliff at the end of the South Downs. It has popular views and is reached by a lovely footpath. It is known for its striped lighthouse. The cliff path that passes through Cuckmere, Haven and Seaford is 3.5 miles or 6km long and provides a great hiking opportunity.

- Bramber Castle: is a place to see the ruins of a gatehouse built by the Normans. It is an English heritage Property found on the west side of Bramber Village.

- The Kent Battle of Britain Museum: is in Hawkinge. It’s an old armory that contains the Luftwaffe Room, the Aircraft Armaments Room, the R.A.F. room and an art gallery.

- The Eurotunnel is England’s newest and fastest transport system. It crosses under the channel between Folkestone, Kent and Coquelles, France. It was completed im 1994. There is a visitor center in Folkestone and The Exhibition Centre in Cheriton, near Folkestone. The Exhibition Centre is dedicated to the construction of the Eurotunnel.

- Borde Hill Gardens in Haywards Heath: is set on 200 acres of Sussex woods and parkland. It is a renowned botanical garden and displays a fabulous variety of colour through all seasons.

- Romney Marsh: is 50,000 acres of flowers that extends along the coast from Hythe. Visit in the spring when the flowers are the most beautiful.

- Mermaid Street: offers enchanting strolls in Rye. You will see The Mermaid Inn, a 15th century pub notorious as a meeting place for smugglers. Henry James lived out his last years here in Lamb House, a 19th century Georgian building, while writing his beloved novels “The Wings of the Dove” and “The Golden Bowl”. Don’t miss the Old Hospital. It’s a triple-gabled, half timbered 15th to 16th century building.

This is just a small sampling of the many things to do and see on England’s South Coast. Be sure to learn about the many other attractions of this beautiful area of England.

Next : Cheap Hotels Brighton

United Kingdom To Bordeaux

July 1st, 2010 No comments

You can reach Bordeaux from the United Kingdom on flights from London, Manchester or Birmingham. Bordeaux is located in southwest France and is that region?s largest city with a population of one million people in the metropolitan area. Its airport is the Bordeaux-Merignac Airport

The gentle climate makes Bordeaux popular with tourists from the UK. While summers may run hot and long, the rest of the year is quite mild. Bordeaux is a port on the Atlantic, and about nine million metric tons of cargo passes through each year. Visitors come to the port to enjoy the view and also to enjoy the mild weather. Bordeaux’s main rail station is the Gare de Bordeaux Saint-Jean. The station offers high-speed service trips to Paris taking about three hours. There is also extensive local tram, bus, and taxi service.

The most famous product of Bordeaux is its wine. It is in one of the top wine producing areas of the world, with almost 500,000,000 meters of vines. Bordeaux’s famous reds are almost always blended wines, made from Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot grapes.

The red wine produced near Bordeaux is usually referred to as claret. Wine makers in the region also make white wine and dessert wines, but these are only about 10 per cent of total production. Some of the world’s most expensive vintages are produced near Bordeaux, but so are everyday table wines of extraordinary quality. Almost all Bordeauxs are blended wines.

Not just world famous for its wine industry, Bordeaux also is home to research centers for laser technology and a booming aeronautic industry. Both of these industries employ thousands of workers. Travel and tourism also serve as an economic engine, largely, of course, due to popularity of the vineyards and winemaking tours.

In addition, Bordeaux is a major architectural center, boasting one of the biggest collections of’th century architecture in Europe. Some of its more famous buildings are the Place de la Bourse, the church of St. Pierre, the church of the Holy Cross, the Saint Andre Cathedral, the Saint Michel Basilica and the Saint Seurin Basilica.

Tourists also enjoy shops, restaurants, cafes, gardens, parks, and many festivals in Bordeaux. Home to the National Opera of Bordeaux, Bordeaux was the first city in France to found an architectural and research center.

This cultural gem is known as Arc en Reve, and it is one of the most popular and respected architecture and research centers in all of France. This city is also home to a lively music scene, with no shortage of live music venues.

The climate, the architecture, the culture, and the wines make Bordeaux an outstanding place to visit and enjoy.

Tom Martens is the content coordinator for Bestukflights.co.uk the UK’s premier flight and travel comparison portal which includes a detailed section on Travel and Flights to Bordeaux

Scotland And The Clans Of The Highlands

February 19th, 2010 No comments

The Highlands of Scotland were well written about for their wars and betrayals and it is certainly accurate that from the reign of James IV in the 1490′s existence in the Highlands was somewhat tumultuous. In 1493, James went against the strong chiefs of the MacDonald Clan and forfeited the MacDonald Lord of the Isles in favour of himself and the Campbell Clan. Therefore the Campbell’s took over as powerhouse in that time at the expense of the MacDonalds.

Issues came about not merely with the MacDonalds but also with several other Scottish clans because of this unhealthy power divide that the Campbells held over everyone else. The Campbell were in such a position that they could buy up readily available land and charge a kind of rent upon anybody who wanted to utilize the area for cows or sheep. The MacLeans were especially aggrieved Clan. As a sidenote here, the word Clan originates from the Gaelic word “clann” which actually signifies “children”.

It would seem this can signify any person inside a clan were strongly related however this was not the case. Only the higher echelons of the specific clan were associated with the chiefs. All others simply saw the chief as the leader rather than as a relative as such.

The particular system of clans came from a mixture of early Celtic idealism and feudal ways, the main point being the ownership of lands. The clan chief was the owner of the lands of the clan and he had the capability to grant the land out to his fellow clans men. The status of a clan nonetheless wasn’t necessarily about the amount of land that the family owned or operated but more concerning the number of males the clan could possibly muster to be able to fight in war. Because of the Highlands being extremely militaristic they would be looked to for fighting men during the time of conflict between the King and his opponents. For the highland clans this became problematic because they often became embroiled in lowland politics.

When James VI came to be King however, civil war broke out. When he called on the clans to assist the Campbells decided otherwise. It was not just the Campbells who were to cause issues for James – he extirped (sent away) the clan MacGregor in 1603, and in 1609 he introduced new laws in to force which limited all clan chiefs from utilizing and abusing their earlier powers.

More can be learned about the colourful history of Scotland at visit Scotland.

Thailand: My First Night in Pattaya

January 10th, 2010 No comments

It was seven-ish and I was sitting in a nice-enough room overlooking the front entrance to the pub above which I had just moved in. The pub was the Pig and Whistle on Soi 7 in Pattaya. Across the way was a big hole, which they were hoping to construct a hotel in and next door to that, just opposite me, was a tiny bar with one lady sitting on a stool outside it. Not that there was a wall there, it was open on two sides. The Soi was lovely and peaceful, I thought. I also thought that I might go and sit in that little bar and talk to that woman, if my friend was late, because I would surely see him arrive from two metres away, the width of the Soi.

So, I went to the bar in the pub at 19:15 to await my friend who said he would meet me at 20:00. It was much busier than thirty minutes earlier but not noisy and I sat at the bar. The first thing a barmaid did was say hello, give me a menu and step back. I did not really want to eat, I only wanted a beer as I presumed we would be dining together later, but I wanted to read the menu anyway.

‘A pint of Boddington’s', I said. It arrived and the girl began laying a setting for me. I tried to explain that I was not hungry, but it was no good. Like in Spain, most people eat and drink at the same time. All the while the girl was smiling at me. Then she said: ‘You live upstairs? My name Charli. What you want to eat?’. So, I gave in and ordered something and rice.

‘You first time in Thailand? You no can eat. Too spicy’, she said with a grin. ‘Oh’, I replied, ‘but I want to try. ‘I put only 50-50 for you’, she said and went.

I battled my way through that meal and it took a Boddingtons and a bottle of water. Charli had been accurate, it was too hot for first-time foreigners and she had reduced the chilis by 50%. I have always heeded a Thai’s guidance on food ever since.

I changed seat to by the window to see what was happening as it was dark by 19:30 and I was curious. Within thirty minutes Soi 7 had changed completely. I could see hundreds of ladies and tourists milling about. I wanted to go out and join in or at least sit in the quiet bar across the way, but I’m ashamed to say that I was too scared, so I sat put, rivetted to the Pig like a rabbit in a hunter’s beam.

My friend walked in on time and after we had been chatting for an hour, he said: ‘Drink up, I have someone I want you to meet’. This was it, we were going into that mele. A waitress opened the door for us and the racket and the heat were terrific. Particularly the noise. Every metre at least two or three girls would yell: ‘Hello, sexy man, you want a drink’. Trying to say no courteously to each call was out of the question, so I just stuck close by to my pal.

Luckily, we only had about fifty metres to stroll and we sat down in another bar. My friend said hello to several women and then said, this a girl I have been going out with for some time. I was flabbergasted as I had never heard him talk about her, ever. She was gorgeous, but could not speak English, so I sat in the pandemonium in silence. Not for long through, as my friend said, I have a blind date for you and he introduced another girl to me who was equally beautiful, but with whom I could speak a little. She was captivating and I was captivated. The pandemonium seemed to pass away, but it was only because I was concentrating on my new friend. The four of us had the best time and the best food I had ever had in my forty-nine years of existence.

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