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What You Need To Know About Tubingen, Germany
Located around a 40-minute drive southwest of Stuttgart is the small little town of Tubingen. History With a medieval castle atop one of the many hills of Tubingen that dates back to 1078. The founding of Eberhard Karls University in 1477, making it one of Central Europe’s oldest, Tubingen has a wealth of history. In fact, the settlement of Tubingen dates back to the 6th and 7th century. Schloss Luckily during the Second World War, Tubingen was left relatively unscathed and many of the medieval buildings still remain intact. If you willing to take the small hike up a hill to Hohentubingen Castle (Schloss), the reward is spectacular views of…
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From Balloch to Tarbet – The West of Loch Lomond
Where the sun shines fair on the banks of Loch Lomond Britain’s largest loch (or lake) is one of the most beautiful destinations in Scotland (and trust me there are a lot of places to chose from). I have spent many childhood summers visiting my grandparents who are only a 10-minute drive away. Situated in the heart of the ‘Trossachs’ Scotland’s first national park, is a miniature version of the highlands, only an hour from Glasgow. Balloch The start of the Loch Lomond & Trossachs park is Balloch, which has plenty to do and see. Balloch Castle Country Park Initially developed in the early 19th century, the country park and…
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Russia World Cup 2018
‘The World Cup is a very important way to measure the good players, and the great ones’ – Pele The beautiful game of football is played worldwide by millions of men, women, and children. Played first (official association football) in 1863 and how the game has grown since this scoreless draw between Barnes and Richmond. Now represented by an estimated 265 million people across 207 member associations, and the pinnacle of association football is the World Cup. Hosted every four years since 1930, Russia hosts the 2018 competition which starts on Thursday 14th June. This tournaments’ hosts are Russia, and the bidding was not without scandal or controversy. Allegations of corruption were…
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Top 7 Things To Do In Budapest
Budapest is a city of contrast. From the gently sloping hills of ancient Buda to the flat terrain of Pest. With a history of Celtic, Roman and Ottoman occupation, and pivotal during both of the World Wars, Budapest has something for everyone. Here are the top 7 things to do when you visit Budapest 1. Take In The Architecture Of The Parliament Building The outstanding Gothic building on the banks of the Danube is one of the largest buildings in Hungary. Still, a fully functional parliamentary office, stunning from virtually every angle, forming part of the UNESCO site as a central element in the Danube panorama. Tickets are available daily to…
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Healing Waters – Budapest’s Thermal Baths
Budapest sits on a complex network of almost 125 thermal springs, and this thermal-water reserve is one of the largest in the world, especially for a capital city. Budapest is therefore rich in world-class healing baths and ‘taking the waters’ has been a part of everyday life. There can be few places in the world where water is as lavishly celebrated. The healing powers of the hot springs were first discovered in 100 AD, when Romans settled at Aquincum, which is now part of Budapest. Then it was the Turks, who occupied Hungary during the 16th century, who built the baths and developed the spa culture. The water contains calcium, magnesium, hydrocarbonate, alkalis, chloride, sulfate and fluoride. Some of…
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Ruins to Rebirth – Budapest’s Ruin Pubs
In the quiet heart of the old Jewish Quarter of Budapest, there is an unexpected emerging bar scene. From the abandoned homes and businesses, has grown an eclectic nightlife. The Jewish Quarter is the smallest in Budapest, yet it currently has the highest population density. The Jewish district is full with the historical remains of the Jewish community that once thrived there. There are three synagogues in the area, with the Dohány Synagogue being the largest and, indeed, the second largest in the entire world. Sadly, the tragic effects of the Holocaust ravaged the area and stripped it of its population and identity. Luckily, the Jewish culture is not only something of the past. The district is experiencing…
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Brainstorming Budapest
Before travelling, it is always recommended to do your research so that you are prepared for your destination. Whether that is confirming which country you are going to, the currency they use or the language. For this trip, this is unfortunately things that have required investigation before we travel today! When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable Budapest is voted as one of the world’s most beautiful cities worldwide. From a quick google search, it is easy to see why. The architecture, spanning neoclassical to art nouveau, Castles and Parliament buildings, with the…
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Britain’s Forgotten Mother Tongues
International Mother Language Day is recognised by UNESCO on the 21st February each year, celebrating linguistic diversity and promoting multilingual education. There are an astounding 2464 languages listed as vulnerable, and at potential risk of vanishing, from almost 6000 languages worldwide. Almost 10% of these languages are critically endangered. It is possible that almost 600 languages may become extinct in a single generation. In the UK, there are 11 languages that are listed as vulnerable, and UNESCO registered 2 of these languages as extinct previously, but a resurgence and revitalisation has forced UNESCO to reconsider this classification. Manx or Manx Gaelic is the native Gaelic derived language of the Isle…
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I’ll Meet You in Paris
Paris is just 300 miles away from London, and with fantastic transport links with the Eurostar, EuroTunnel and Channel Crossing Ferry, I have visited the French Capital on a number of occasions. Here are the best things to do and see in Paris Arc de Triomphe The icon Arc de Triomphe is found at the end of the Champes-Elysees and is a monument to the fallen during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. It is found in the centre of a roundabout with 12 avenues radiating from the centre. This means this junction a little bit scary as it is very busy with cars, best to use one of the…
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Christmas Markets in Esslingen
Esslingen am Neckar is a small medieval town close by to Stuttgart. Last year I was lucky enough to be visiting Esslingen for a workshop and had a chance to visit a traditional Christmas Market. However, the Christmas Market in Esslingen is unique. With more than 200 booths, the Esslingen Market is one of the largest in the region and had so much history given that there has been a settlement at Esslingen since about 1000BC. For almost four weeks at the Medieval Market, merchants in historical garments offer their goods for sale just as they did hundreds of years ago. Craftsmen like pewterers, felt-makers, tinder-makers, blacksmiths, rope-makers, basket-makers, broom-makers or…
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Surprises in Milan
This July I bought my husband a surprise holiday, not only did he not know where we were going but neither did I! We used the prior Expedia service ‘Surprise Trips’ where one of the grand wizards at Expedia found me a holiday based on my budget, airport and number of nights and people. We were told to get to Gatwick for 7am on the day we flew out, only finding out on the way to the airport our destination. Milan! All I knew about Milan was it was famous for fashion, Ferrari’s and football! I never would have thought about Milan as a destination for a city break, would…
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Chocolate, Canals and Cobbles in Bruges
Last year for my 30th birthday, my husband bought me a weekend away in Bruges. Pretty much all I knew about Bruges before we travelled there was it’s famous for chocolate and its gothic architecture (from the infamous film ‘In Bruges’). We travelled by Eurostar from Ebbsfleet in Kent for a two-night break. We got the Eurostar to Brussels and with a fifteen-minute change over we were on the train to Bruges. I love travelling by train in Europe as it’s so different from my regular British rail commute to London. Walking from the train station to our hotel, which was about 15-20 minutes, we passed through lots of cobbled…
