Derry in Londonderry

15 November 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

River Foyle © Sean McClean

River Foyle © Sean McClean

Derry or Londonderry is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Daire or Doire meaning “oak grove”. In 1613, the city was granted a Royal Charter by King James I and the “London” prefix was added, changing the name of the city to Londonderry. While the city is more usually known as Derry, Londonderry is also used and remains the legal name.   read more…

The Independence of the Seas

1 November 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Cruise Ships, Yacht of the Month Reading Time:  6 minutes

in Southampton/UK © Aztec06

in Southampton/UK © Aztec06

MS Independence of the Seas is a Freedom-class cruise ship operated by the Royal Caribbean cruise line that entered service in April 2008. The 15-deck ship can accommodate 4,370 passengers and is served by 1,360 crew. She was built in the Aker Finnyards drydock in Turku, Finland, builder of Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas, her sister ships of the Freedom class. At 154,407 gross tons, she joined Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas as the largest cruise ships and passenger vessels yet built. She is 1,112 feet (339 m) long, and typically cruises at 21.6 knots (40.0 km/h; 24.9 mph). The vessel operates from Southampton, England and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.   read more…

The Shard in London

1 November 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month, Hotels, London Reading Time:  8 minutes

The Shard in April 2012 © Cmglee/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Shard in April 2012 © Cmglee/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Shard (also referred to as the Shard of Glass, Shard London Bridge or the London Bridge Tower) is a skyscraper in London. Standing 309.6 metres (1,016 ft) high, it was topped out on 30 March 2012 and opened on 5 July 2012. The Shard is the tallest completed building in Europe, and is also the tallest free-standing structure in London, after the 330-metre (1,083 ft) concrete tower at the Emley Moor transmitting station.   read more…

Winchester in the south of England

20 October 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Cheyney Court © geograph.org.uk - Stephen McKay

Cheyney Court © geograph.org.uk – Stephen McKay

Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of the River Itchen. Winchester has a population of 40,000.   read more…

Parks and Gardens

17 October 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks, Environment Reading Time:  8 minutes

Hannover - Great Garden in Herrenhausen Gardens © Arabsalam

Hannover – Great Garden in Herrenhausen Gardens © Arabsalam

A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has traditionally been a more general one. Zoos, which display wild animals in simulated natural habitats, were formerly called zoological gardens. Western gardens are almost universally based on plants, with garden often signifying a shortened form of botanical garden.   read more…

Glastonbury in Somerset

17 October 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Glastonbury from the Tor © Adrian Pingstone

Glastonbury from the Tor © Adrian Pingstone

Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset, situated at a dry point on the low lying Somerset Levels, 23 miles (37 km) south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,784 in the 2001 census. Glastonbury is less than 1 mile (2 km) across the River Brue from Street, which is now larger than Glastonbury.   read more…

Wolverhampton in the West Midlands

2 October 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Art Gallery © G-Man

Art Gallery © G-Man

Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands. In 2004, the local government district had an estimated population of 239,100. Wolverhampton is part of the West Midlands Urban Area which had a population of 2.3 million in the 2001 census which makes it part of the second largest urban area in the United Kingdom. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region (code UKG35) and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the “West Midlands” NUTS 2 region. The West Midlands County is one of the most heavily urbanised counties in the UK. Birmingham, Wolverhampton, the Black Country and Solihull together form the most populous conurbation in the United Kingdom outside London, with a combined population of around 2.27 million.   read more…

The city of Aberdeen in Scotland

28 September 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Belmont Street Farmers Market © Peter Ward

Belmont Street Farmers Market © Peter Ward

Aberdeen is Scotland’s third most populous city, one of Scotland’s 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom’s 29th most populous city, with an official population estimate of 220,420. Nicknames include the Granite City, the Grey City and the Silver City with the Golden Sands. During the mid-18th to mid-20th centuries, Aberdeen’s buildings incorporated locally quarried grey granite, which can sparkle like silver due to their high mica contents. The city has a long, sandy coastline. Since the discovery of North Sea oil in the 1970s, other nicknames have been the Oil Capital of Europe or the Energy Capital of Europe. The area around Aberdeen has been settled since at least 8,000 years ago, when prehistoric villages lay around the mouths of the rivers Dee and Don. Aberdeen received Royal Burgh status from King David I (1124–53), transforming the city economically. The city’s two universities, the University of Aberdeen, founded in 1495, and The Robert Gordon University, which was awarded university status in 1992, make Aberdeen the educational centre of the north-east. The traditional industries of fishing, paper-making, shipbuilding, and textiles have been overtaken by the oil industry and Aberdeen’s seaport. Aberdeen Heliport is one of the busiest commercial heliports in the world and the seaport is the largest in the north-east of Scotland. Aberdeen has won the Britain in Bloom competition a record-breaking ten times, and hosts the Aberdeen International Youth Festival, a major international event which attracts up to 1000 of the most talented young performing arts companies. It was named the 54th most liveable city in the World.   read more…

The Cinque Ports in Kent and Sussex

24 September 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Cinque Ports map © Clem Rutter

Cinque Ports map © Clem Rutter

The Confederation of Cinque Ports (pronounced “sink” ports, not as the French “cinq”) is a historic series of coastal towns in Kent and Sussex. It was originally formed for military and trade purposes, but is now entirely ceremonial. It lies at the eastern end of the English Channel, where the crossing to the continent is narrowest. The name originates in Norman French, meaning “five ports”, which are: Hastings, New Romney, Hythe, Dover and Sandwich.   read more…

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