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If you are looking to spend your holidays in one of the vibrant cities of the world, then Manchester is the place you should visit. Some of the key elements of the city are diversity, modern buildings, neo-Gothic structures, and a long list of various other tourist attractions. So, if you are in Manchester, make sure you have explored these top 5 attractions.
Museum Of Science & Industry
It is said that innovation is the city’s lifeblood. The museum offers something for everyone. If you are coming along with your kids, they will be enthralled by hands-on exhibitions, historic working machinery, and vintage vehicles. Witnessing steam-powered machines in action is a once in a lifetime experience and your kids will love it. You get to know how the Industrial Revolution was started through different permanent exhibitions.
Manchester Art Gallery
A visit to Manchester Art Gallery will give you an opportunity to witness the finest art collections. Some of the major highlights of the museum are – pre-Raphaelite paintings, various craft and design, and 20th-century British art. Both the kids and adults can be a part of various activities here. For the visitors, there are two cafes and a large shop.
Whitmore Art Gallery
Founded in 1889, this award-winning gallery has over 50, 000 different items in its collections. It is also a Grade II listed gallery. For all the art lovers, this gallery has a huge collection of wallpapers, watercolours, textiles, and sculptures. The gallery mainly concentrates on modern artists and you get to witness art work by some of the popular artists such as – Paul Gauguin, William Blake, Henry Moore, and Francis Bacon.
Imperial War Museum North
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Opened in July 2002, one of the striking things of Imperial War Museum North is its unconventional building. In the first year of its opening, it witnessed around 50, 000 visitors. The building is designed by Daniel Libeskind and it is located in Greater Manchester. The main gallery of the building is Earth Shard, the Water Shard (restaurant), and Air Shard offers gorgeous views of both Salford Quays and MediaCityUK.
Well, if you are thinking you will get to see different types of arms, then you will be highly disappointed as the gallery mainly focuses on war instead of the weapons. There is a gift shop at the museum from where you can buy books, souvenirs, DVDs, and postcards.
Manchester Sea Life Centre
This is a great place to visit along with your kids. This is a place where you get to witness more than 5,000 creatures including octopus, sharks, jellyfish, rays, and seahorses. Throughout the day, the kids have the opportunity to watch fun talks and feed shows. The kids can test their creature knowledge by being a part of the free kids’ quiz. A journey to the underwater tunnel will surely be a unique experience. The kids can have a great time at the soft play area. Some of the key highlights of this place are Interactive Touchpool, Sea Bed Walk, and Weedy and Leafy Sea Dragons.
Have you still not visited Europe? Well, it is better late than never! Europe brings you a string of hot destinations where you can have an unforgettable few days with your wife. Honeymooning in Europe is the best way to start your wedding chapter. There is nothing more romantic than European cities which despite being modern still remind of classic times. Take for instance, the pure beauty of Switzerland! Of course, the Swiss country has developed along with other parts of the world but its personality and outlook have stayed unchanged. It is still that simple and landscaped country with sparse vegetation, low population and plenty of space for the sky to sneak in.
Switzerland is famous for a number of things all at once. Its mesmerizing beauty needs no reminder. Those who have been feeding on romantic Bollywood capers will never forget the charming landscape and gardens shown in ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’ which is considered amongst the most romantic films of all times. Opportunities for skiing too are many and the rustic shops lend a very warm appeal to the whole setting. From shopping to sports, you will love every hour you spend in this country. Your stay may be a short one but the memories will be there with you for at least one lifetime, if not more.
Italy is another country which is high on a honeymooners’ list. Europe holiday packages to cities like Rome, Venice and Milan can leave you in a state of frenzy. There is so much art and history to explore. Besides, Italy has always been the fulcrum point of world fashion. Shopping is a way of life here. Bringing your wife to Italy and then permitting her the ecstasy of picking up apparels and accessories can be a sweet way of letting her know that you love her.
Strangely so, Spain, which wasn’t amongst the most popular European destinations till recently, has now sprung up as a hot favorite by many honeymooners. Its beaches offer plenty of sun to a forlorn honeymooner, there are some quiet luxury resorts and the lifestyle is quite laidback and appealing. Europe holiday packages to Spain can drop you to a destination which can be quite different from India. For the diversity it offers, this country can be amongst the top choices for a romantic and quiet getaway.
Greece is another country which can leave you spellbound with its history, architecture and mythology. Someone who has a profound interest in mythology can spend half his life in this part of the world and still not get bored. There is a lot to explore and so most Europe tour packages from India to Greece are at least a week-long. Greece is made up of many small islands amongst which Crete, Rhodes and Santorini are the biggest draws.
Other best honeymoon destinations in Europe are Paris, Naples, Bremen, Bulgaria and Lagos. Each place has a magic of its own. You just have to decide whose spell you would like to face.
Places change and so do favorites, cuisine change and so do dishes but still there are some evergreen restaurants which have managed to maintain their glory and presence in the culinary culture of the city. Star chefs have been targeting the city to spread the aroma of their signature dishes. It would be correct to proclaim London as a city having some of the world’s best restaurants.
I present to you a list of top 5 restaurants which I personally found to be the best and are a must try while you are in England. I am sure if any of the readers have been to London, they would easily be able to relate to this.
Gordon Ramsay
Situated on the Royal hospital road, the restaurant requires prior booking. Now that is something common but what would be your reaction if I said the reservation has to be made a month before? This says it all about the restaurant. Even though the Chef has expanded the chain of restaurants, it makes no difference to the quality and elegance which the restaurant has on offer.
The Chutney Mary
Without a doubt, this restaurant is one of the most sumptuous Indian restaurants in London. The restaurant was opened in the year 1990 and continues to dominate others in the league of Indian curries.
I opted to try out the curry platter which gives you a mini version of all the popular dishes of the restaurant. Other things which one should also try from its inventive kitchen are crab claws, seared scallops, tandoori platter along with the exotic chutneys. Make sure you also try out the signature cocktails out there, ‘Bombay Blush’ and ‘Goa on the Rocks’. The restaurant is run by Masala World, which also runs other famous Indian restaurants like Veeraswamy, one of the oldest Indian restaurants in London.
The Wolseley
The Wolseley is one of the most popular restaurants of the city. Even this requires booking well in advance. Fortunately, we got a table after making a spontaneous booking and waiting for about half an hour. The restaurant, which was transformed from an art deco car showroom is now a plush cafe cloaked in the European traditions. Be it a quick bite for breakfast, corporate lunch or a family dinner, the food and ambiance is just perfect for everything. Celebrities like Jack Nicholson are a common sight there. However I was quite unlucky not to spot any of them.
Galvin at Windows
Grab peerless views of the attractions that the English capital has on offer from the 28th floor of the London Hilton. With the likes of Chef Chris Galvin and company, the restaurant has recently earned a Michelin star which helped it become a part of our yummy itinerary. I got to eat one of the finest dishes from the French haute cuisine like the Marinated Loch Fyne Salmon, Dorset crab and Foie gras and truffle. As a chocoholic, I would personally recommend you the Valrhona chocolate fondant for oodles of chocolate.
Quilon Restaurant
The Michelin starred Quilon restaurant is situated in the Taj 51 Buckingham gate suites and residences. You certainly feast like a king here. I was lucky enough to have this restaurant within my hotel. The Quilon serves South West coastal Indian cuisine and has various progressive and ethnic dishes to taste.
If your palate craves for South West coastal Indian cuisine, Quilon is one of the finest places to eat in London.
These restaurants are synonymous to the city’s culinary traditions. So make a point to visit these top shots and take a gastronomical tour of the city. I would love to hear your experiences and explore them the next time I visit the city.
Christmas season brings chilly weather and snowy delights for the persons who love to take pleasure in the freezing climate and enjoy playing with velvety snow. People who love showers of snow would pray to get their desired fulfilled on the day of Christmas to get the double treat of Christmas merriments. However, not all the area contains such weather settings to have feathery snow especially at the time of Christmas. That’s why people intended to head to those areas, which are famous for heavy snow showers during the Christmas. One of the outstanding destinations those are renowned for white Christmas atmosphere. You would love to enjoy the scenic landscape with load of snow and celebrative activities. Well-decorated ethnic villages, towns, streets, and markets with glistening lights will captivate your attention to make you indulge in lifetime experience of white Christmas.
Traditions
Austrian Christmas traditions more or less resemble with mainstreams customs of the world.
- Starting from the St. Nicolas festival who come along with devil and distribute desired gifts, sweets, apples and nuts among kids according to good and bad deeds they have done all through the year.
- People love to gather around the open fireplace to enjoy the play of nativity and later they surround the Christmas tree for midnight mass to open the Christmas gifts with high zest and zeal.
- Carol singers visit every house with burning torches and playing brass music instrument to wish everyone the holy eve. This tradition has been started in 1818 accidently and then followed each year until now.
- Christmas cannot be completed in Austria without warm home baked cookies. And the Christmas tree is secretly decorated by parents while kids can only see it after they hear the bell ringing.
Attractions
Austria is extremely romantic destination to celebrate grand event of Christmas. It contains marvelous panoramic views that outshines in the season of winter with white furry snow layers. Some of major Austrian attractive places are suggested here.
- Vienna
Vienna offers you lots of interesting places to visit during your stay on the occasion of Christmas. As it has been the imperial court for 6 centuries, it contains a fascinating array of architectural legacy that you never want to miss. To relish the flavors of Vienna you can find diverse kinds of restaurants that provide traditional treats along with the high class sophisticated dinner deals. You can take services of guide tours of all around the Austrian region. Attractive Danube River can be enjoyed while visiting the historic Silent chapel. The ‘December Market’ in Vienna city has been established since 1294 and known to be the innovator of the Christmas markets in the world.
- Salzburg
Salzburg opens another façade Austria towards you to let you enjoy more with exciting activities and heart throbbing sightseeing. Here you will find historically and culturally rich spots, most prominently fortress – Hohen Salzburg is a must-see location. Neighboring town of Salzburg can also be explored where you can visit the exclusive salt mines with tempting activities and attractions.
- Seefeld
The most exciting part of this city is the Crystal work of Swarovski where you can mesmerize your eyes with translucent glowing crystal artifacts and also can buy the affordable. Furthermore, you can explore the Christmas markets by strolling on the snow carpet at the old town square built with landmark golden roofs. Traversing through the market provides you charming gift ideas for Christmas celebration as a gesture of kindness for relations encircling you to elevate the pleasure factor.
All these thrilling temptations of Austria can make your Christmas incredibly exciting to be an unforgettable affair of your life.
Have you ever tried to rejuvenate your skin in a “time machine”? Have you ever tried sleeping in a cave or in an enterprise located in a zone where there is strong radiation? Peculiar adventurous spirit is not needed when it comes to visiting some of the unusual tourist attractions that we have listed below. It is quite enough to be a bit curious and courageous in order to descend into the Paris’ dark and mysterious catacombs or wander around a Hindu temple where there are hundreds of terrifying rats.
The largest hockey stick
If you want to visit this pretty strange tourist attraction, you would have to go to Canada and more specifically – to Vancouver in the western province of British Columbia. The largest hockey stick was built in 1985 and has a weight of 28,118 kilograms. It was initially ordered by the Government of Canada as a part of Expo ’86, but after that it was sent as a gift to the citizens of the Cowichan Valley.
However, according to some, the largest hockey stick is located in the small town of Eveleth in Minnesota, USA but on July the 14th 2008 this 20-year battle for the title was won by the Vancouver hockey stick.
Gundam
The Full-Scale Gundam is undoubtedly one of the strangest tourist attractions of Tokyo. You wonder what it really is? This is a great statue of an enormous robot located in the Odaiba Shiokaze Park. The RX-78 Gundam replica, which is about 60-feet tall has a head that can move and also emits light thanks to more than 50 different locations of its body. The statue was created in July 2009 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of one of the most popular Japanese animation series – the Mobile Suit Gundam.
The Catacombs of Paris
Visiting the Catacombs of Paris can guarantee you really bad dreams for at least a month. This ominous attraction of the otherwise romantic Paris is a real network of more than 320km tunnels, criss-crossing the underground of the entire city, and their walls and ceilings are “decorated” with the bones and skulls of nearly seven million Parisians. The catacombs were created in the late 18th century, when the Government decided to transfer the already existing cemetery into the unused underground tunnels, which was taking up some valuable land for new construction.
The orange carnival in Ivrea
If you have accidentally got in Ivrea in February, do not rush to leave, because this is the time when the unique battle with oranges starts. It is a part of the so-called Orange carnival, which turns this small Italian town, located not near Turin into a battlefield for a three days, during which the main weapons here are oranges. This war recreates the legend according to which the cruel Marquis Guglielmo Monferrato, who ruled the city in the 18th century wanted to spend the night with a young Violeta – a beautiful bride, who opposed to him and killed him.
Chernobyl
Do you know that one of the most terrifying places in the world is actually one of the strangest tourist attractions? The world-famous Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine and the city of Pripyat situated nearby have become a desired destination for visitors from different countries. We personally con not figure out what would motivate a person to go and visit such a place but it’s a fact that in the recent years this place attracts many tourist from all over the world, who wish to take the risk and enter the radioactive zone. Today the ghost town of Pripyat is nothing more than some empty buildings, abandoned after the Chernobyl disaster which happened in 1986.
Crazy Horse Memorial
The so-called Crazy Horse Memorial, which was carved out of solid rock and is dedicated to a dead Indian leader is one of the world’s strangest tourist attractions. The sculpture is situated in South Dakota and was begun in 1948 by Korczak Ziolkowski, who died in 1982 and the construction faded away despite the intensified efforts of his family to finish the job. Nowadays a foundation managed by Ziolkowski wife and children owns the entire complex. And if by any chance the monument gets finished, it will be world’s largest sculpture ever built.
Conni Jameson is passionate traveller and blogger. She works as a cleaner at http://www.shinylondon.co.uk/house-cleaners-acton-w3/ and thanks to that she earns enough money to travel a lot.
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It might sound like a joke (please forgive the pun) but many people know that Edinburgh has one of the biggest art festivals in the entire UK, if not the world. Thousands of people descend on the city every year to take in all of the sights and sounds which artists from all over the world present. While art is the predominant theme, there are also hundreds of comedians who attend, if only for the opportunity to show off their craft in front of some crowds. Although comedians might appear to be a strange lot, they are usually quite smart and live a fairly bohemian lifestyle. As a result, they might very well be the best people to ask about their impressions of Edinburgh, what to see and where to go.
When Big Is Really Big
The annual Edinburgh Arts Festival occurs throughout the month of August every year. Because it attracts visitors from all over, it can sometimes be a little confusing or disorienting to know where to go for something as simple as breakfast, lunch or even where to stay. Tim Clark of the Guardian newspaper decided to take matters into his own hands, interviewing the comedians that return year after year, so that they could voice their opinion on all of these matters. While the responses were not unanimous, of course, a pattern emerged.
So You Had a Late Night out
There is nothing like a nice full breakfast to recover from the revelry of the night before. One of the top recommendations was a simple and unassuming place called Snax Café. It is frequented by regular working folks, people who plan on putting in a hard day’s work and want to start the day probably with a satisfying breakfast. With a wide variety of items, Snax offers a little something for everybody and everyone is guaranteed to not go hungry. For a late brunch, many recommended a mobile cart called CheeseePeasee, which as the name implies specializes in all things involving cheese. While it might be difficult to locate, since it is mobile, the hunt appears to be worth the effort.
Far from the Madding Crowd
If all the activities at the Arts Festival start to wear you out and the crowds begin to feel like they are converging on you, many recommend taking a short ride out of town and going to North Berwick, a pleasant seaside spot just on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Sometimes, there is nothing like fish and chips in a quiet and undisturbed setting to soothe the soul.
Enjoy Freedom of Movement
No matter what time of year, there is so much to see and do in and around Edinburgh that you owe it to yourself to have the freedom to go wherever you want, whenever you want. The easiest solution is to use car hire in Edinburgh, where you will get a modern, clean vehicle at a great price, coupled with helpful attendants that will make your experience complete.
image courtesy of: freedigitalphotos.netMarcus
Business travel to London is far different from leisure trip to the city as you have a specific purpose in mind while you are on a business travel. Not only you need to make your business travel productive but it should also be organised and economical. Given below are few tips through which you can achieve both these aims:
Opting for the Right type of Accommodation
You are going to visit London for business purposes. Therefore, it would be unwise if you book a family or luxury hotel. Book only from those hotel websites that boast a good range of business hotels in the city.
While you are booking a business hotel in the city, see to it that the hotel has comforting facilities like central London location, in-house bar and restaurant, conference and meeting rooms and other such services. This will help you in saving your time in the city.
Going for Thrifty Packing
When you are travelling for business to a mega city like London, you are the thriftiest packer as you do not have your family with you. Take full advantage of this and pack only essentials as a heavy baggage will not only be inconvenient but prove costly as well (due to weight charges of airlines).
Check thoroughly all your items before packing the bag. Do make sure that all the important business and travel documents are snuggled into a plastic envelope. In addition to this, do not bury down the travel and business documents with clothes and other such things. It would be better if you keep them into a separate briefcase.
Selecting Appropriate Clothes
Pack formal clothes and do not forget to pack jacket or woollens as London weather is extremely unpredictable. Men should go for coats, tie, formal trousers and shirts whereas women should opt for knee-length skirts and coats other than formal clothes.
If there will be an informal get-together after your business meetings in the city, pack dark coloured jackets for that. However, do not stuff fancy clothing patterns.
Keeping Electrical Plug Adapters
Do not forget to put plug adapters while you are hurrying to the journey. You never know how long your business trip might take to conclude. Therefore, it would be a good idea to stock plug convertors for computer, cell phones and other gadgets which you use. If you are still confused about what plug adapters to pack, visit countryplug.com to get detailed information.
Maintaining a Routine while on-board
If you are a frequent business traveller to London and your journey happens to be a long one, then you should definitely frame a routine. Keep your favourite books, portable DVD players and other such leisure items into a separate bag so that you do not have to rummage through your luggage while you are on-board.
Eating and Sleeping Right
It is of prime importance that you have an optimum amount of sleep before you embark on your business trip to the city. It is often seen that many business travellers skip meals and follow a disorderly sleeping pattern due to anxiety. This practice, however, reduces your efficiency and working abilities. Stay away from unhealthy eating habits too, like gorging on junk food and having alcohol before taking a flight.
Keeping Medications at Hand
Researches have shown that one in five people catches cold within a week of flying. Therefore, it is only apt that you keep hand sanitizers and nasal sanitizers for your business travel so that you don’t catch germs while in-air.
Your business travel to London should be a productive affair not a disarrayed program. Use the tips given above and plan an organised business travel to the city.
Author’s Bio: Author Mohit is a frequent business traveller to different parts of the world. He loves passing on his advice regarding different aspects of business travelling.
Attracting visitors for more than 160 years
Visitors have been coming here for more than one hundred and sixty years to see the natural canyons formed by water and glacier activity on the native sandstone. This scenic area of the Wisconsin River is viewed by thousands of visitors each year that choose from tours that use unique amphibious vehicles, riverboats or even jet boats. While the scenic dells there the original reasons for people coming to this area, the number of attractions has grown significantly. Today visitors can find more than 100 different features of all kinds in this area.
Wisconsin Dells attractions may be one of the best-kept secrets in pleasure travel in the United States. Familiar to many in the Midwest, it may be an area that people in other areas may not have heard about. It is an area that has options for visitors all year long with activities and attractions for all age groups. For people that want to tour interesting places in the U.S., this can be a great choice.
Something for everyone
People of all ages are bound to find something interesting here. There are plenty of options that are family friendly such as horseback riding, water parks (many of which are inside and open all year long), animal parks, museums and exhibits, as well as fishing, kayaking and other outdoor activities.
Adult visitors will also find resort style packages that are fun and relaxing. Spa packages and gambling at the local casino are some of the ways that people can relax, have a good time and leave their worries at home. There are also options like golfing as well as skiing during the wintertime. With many options for fine dining here, people can choose a different kind of meal every night they are here.
For people that like spectator sports or other events, there is something always going on from gymkhana to baseball. There are also festivals of all kinds at different times of the year as well as music and other kinds of entertainment. People that enjoy comedy will find many different entertainers here that perform standup as well as comedy groups and bands.
Finding options for entertainment and travel is easy. Possibly the most difficult things for travelers will be deciding which season to visit and which features to incorporate into their plans. Many visitors return again and again to try new things each time they visit.
For some, the perfect holiday means spending time shopping in some of the most famous streets in the world and perhaps even splashing out on exquisite pieces of jewellery. While you can get jewellery in practically any city or town, there are some holiday destinations that are particularly popular for jewellery shopping.
Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter
The jewellery artisans of Birmingham have been creating awe-inspiring jewellery for nearly 350 years. From fancy French shoe buckles to silver pen nibs, Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter has it all. The exceptional silver jewellery that you can find here is not available anywhere else. This Quarter is a haven for jewellery buyers from all over the world. There are about 400 jewellery-related businesses here and out of these, 100 of them are retail shops. In addition, the area is teeming with designers who can create custom-made silver jewellery at reasonable prices. Whether you are looking for silver earrings, rings, bracelets, brooches or ornaments, you will be able to find it at the jewellery stores here. And, if you cannot find something to please your senses, you always can place an order with the artisans, who are expert silversmiths.
The Jewellery Quarter is found in the heart of the city, close to Great Hampton Street and St. Paul’s Church. There are plenty of hotels to be found in the city centre and the jewellery quarter offers some of the nicest hotels that cater to all travellers. Stay near Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter for access to some of the best artisan silversmiths in the UK. And, you will be able to get the most exquisite pieces of silver jewellery, especially designed for you.
Paris’ Jewellery Quarter
Paris is often associated with the Eiffel Tower and its museums and gardens, but many visitors also know that the City of Love is paradise for jewellery aficionados. Experience Paris’ amazing jewellery quarter to pick up some fabulous ornaments. The array of vintage jewellery at Paris’ jewellery quarter can be spellbinding. Intaglio cameos, mine-cut diamond bracelets and ruby-encrusted brooches can be difficult to resist. The jewellery quarter is located along Rue St. Honore. Here you will be able to find some of the best vintage jewellery shops in the city. Majority of the antique jewellery that you can find in this quarter is made from 18 karat gold, but you also will be able to pick up pieces in silver. Finding 19th century earrings carved with flowers and tiny bees can be fascinating and exciting. And, if you have the money to spare, you can pick amethyst collaret or even a crystal and diamond embellished lorgnette!
If you are coming from the UK, you can easily book a short flight to Parisand be at the jewellery quarter within no time and browse through the amazing shops laden with antique jewellery. You surely will find something to suit your taste and of course, something that fits your budget.
On these holidays move to central Europe and enjoy a great time in the gorgeous Hungarian city the whole world know as Budapest. The watery city is loaded with an immense number of attractions making this city a strong contender for being your choice for Cheap Weekend Breaks in Europe.
Budapest: City in a Glance
Budapest is a beautiful city settled on the banks of equally gorgeous Danube River. Budapest is known and crowned as the capital city Hungary, making it a vital city for all major activities in Hungary, activities like political, cultural, financial, commercial and many more, resulting in major development of city. So you can get assured of getting all essential amenities on your Weekend breaks in Budapest and enjoy this marvellous city at its best.
Stunning Budapest Landmarks
Zwack Unicum: Officially known as Zwack Unicum Heritage Visitors’ Centre, is a great place to visit and kill a few hours with classy activity of wine tasting. Located in Soroksari region of the city, Zwack is a place where you will get more knowledge about wines and taste as well and the most exciting thing is great discounts over purchases of wines.
Underground Railway Museum: A unique museum where you can enjoy fun ride and fun facts about the development of railway in Hungary and Europe, one of the very few underground railway museums you’ll find in the world is located in Deak Ferenc ter metro underpass and a proven way to enjoy a few hours.
Palace of Wonders: Another place where you can learn a few new things and tricks. Settled in millennium park in city, palace of wonders is a great place where you can easily kill a day while playing around and rejuvenate the inside you.
Victor Vasarely Museum: Literally a temple for art lovers and especially for the people appreciating modern paintings. Victor Vasarely Museum is settled in Szentlelek and exhibits works of great artist named Victor Vasarely, a large museum with a large number of world class paintings.
The Invisible Exhibition: An innovative place where you can know how a blind person lives his/her life. A great humanitarian idea and raising money for disabled people; The Invisible Exhibition shows you another perspective of life and gets you closer to humanity.