March 7th, 2012 by admin
2012 marks the 60th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II and her Diamond Jubilee is sure to be something to behold. The main celebrations will take place over the weekend of the 2, 3, 4 and 5 June, but events will be held in her honour around the world for the entire year. If you are planning a visit to the UK this year why not take in some of the great events being held for the Jubilee – there really is nothing more British than the Queen!
Communities around the country will be holding events to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee, the biggest of which has to be The Big Lunch on June 3rd. This is a nationwide event that aims to unite neighbourhoods and bring people together to commemorate the Queen. These events will be organized locally so will all be different, but all are sure to be festive events and a great place to meet locals. If you’d like to be part of a Big Lunch celebration why not hire a big holiday cottage with a fully equipped kitchen and whip up something delicious to bring along? Everyone is welcome at the Big Lunch, locals and tourists alike.
Your best bet for actually catching a glimpse of Her Majesty is to attend one of the regional visits she will be making across England, Scotland, and Wales between March and July 2012. At these events the Queen will be accompanied by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, and they will take part in events organized in their honour – including visits to local cathedrals and universities. These events are sure to be popular so make sure to scout your viewing spot out early if you want to guarantee a royal sighting!
For something a little bit more formal you can attend the Diamond Jubilee Pagaent that will be held in the private grounds of Windsor Castle on the evenings of 10th- 13th May 2012. This will be a spectacle of military precision with over 500 horses and 800 performers from around the world. There are still tickets available for this event, but you’ll want to snap them up quickly as they are sure to sell out soon.
If you’re looking for accommodation for any of the Diamond Jubilee events why not consider a Sykes holiday cottage? With so many to choose from all over the country Sykes Cottages are sure to have the perfect holiday cottage for you and your family.
Image by: royal.co.uk
March 2nd, 2012 by admin
I miss Germany! I mean I miss Cologne! Just kidding folks.. I had the pleasure to visit one of the most liberal cities in Germany and that is Cologne (Köln in German). In fact, I was there twice already. This is the fourth largest city in Germany. Berlin, Germany’s capital city is the largest one, followed by Hamburg, then Munich.
There are a lot to see and experience in Cologne. You must visit Cologne Cathedral when you are there. It is the most famous sight of the city. When you go out from Cologne’s Haupbahnhof (main train station), you can immediately take a sight of Cologne Cathedral. It is just a few steps from there.
Cologne Cathedral is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture. It is also included in the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is considered to be Germany’s most visited landmark, attracting an average of 20,000 people a day. You can find inside The Shrine of the Three Kings.
This is the interior of the Medieval east end, showing the extreme height. Such and amazing architecture. I took these images during my second visit last August 2010.
The Cologne Cathedral, known in German as Kölner Dom. Its official name is Hohe Domkirche St. Peter und Maria, called in English s High Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Mary.
March 1st, 2012 by admin
How was your first day of the month of March? Yes, we are now in the third month of the leap year 2012. It was indeed a beautiful day for me today. You know why? I was quite busy with a lot of things offline. I did some cooking today and I also cleaned the house plus a little organizing. I need to do it before I will be away to Spain in over a week from now. Besides it makes me feel good when I accomplish a lot of things in a day.
I also attended a goodbye party and it was quite a wonderful time meeting old and new friends. The restaurant where we went to was good. The menus were cheap. That is probably the reason why there are always a lot of people there. I just cannot see a music wire and I never heard a music playing on the radio or on Television. Most of the restaurants I went to have music or TV inside. I guess we really don’t need it tonight because the noises of over a hundred of people who were inside there tonight were already too loud. The most important is, everybody had a great time and they enjoyed the party and the food.
Today was just a lovely and beautiful day. I hope you had a great one too! Off to bed earlier tonight. I need to wake-up early tomorrow for another escapade. Take care folks!
February 29th, 2012 by admin
Don’t you know that today is called a Leap Day? I believed most of you know that February 29, 2012 is a leap day. It is simply because 2012 is a leap year. Before I forgot, let me take the chance to greet all birthday celebrants for today since their birthday only happens every four years. I believed this day is very special for those who are celebrating their natal day. Of course they can still celebrate their birthdays even when it is not a leap year. The only thing is, they have to choose either February 28 or March 1 or any day they wish to celebrate their birthdays.
Special birthday greetings to my former bank colleague, Nelrose. I can still remember that day in 1994 when I first started to work in one of the biggest bank in the Philippines and met awesome colleagues including Nelrose. There was a birthday party at the bank because it was her birthday. I wish all birthday celebrants today a happy and blessed one. All the best to all of you and may God showered all His blessings to you all!
Back to the main topic..In Gregorian calendar, February 29 is known as a leap day. It is a date that occurs only every four year like in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016. You have to know that years that are evenly divisible by 100 do not contain a leap day, with the exception of years that are evenly divisible by 400, which do contain a leap day; thus 1900 did not contain a leap day while 2000 did.
I hope you are all having a wonderful month of February. Lastly, I want to wish everyone a more bountiful and blessed month of March!
February 28th, 2012 by admin
It is almost a year now since our last visit to this town. It was only a day sightseeing in villages of Cinque Terre and Vernazza is one of those charming villages we visited that time. Vernazza is a village in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, northwestern Italy. From our hotel in Pietra Liguria, it took us over two hours with the bus going to this area in La Spezia. It was quite a long trip but it was worth it seeing the beauty of this place in Italy.
we were on our way to the train station in Vernazza to go back to Levanto where our bus was waiting for us.
The Church of Santa Margherita d’Antiochia, circa 1318. Unique for its east facing entryway. It has a nave and two aisles, with an octagonal bell tower rising from the apse area, and is located in the town’s main square Piazza Marconi.
