Steve's World Blog Information and articles on cities, towns and villages around the world.

March 22, 2012

Ipswich Suffolk

Filed under: England,Travel,United Kingdom — Tags: , , , , , , — needahand @ 1:02 pm

Ipswich Suffolk – Ipswich is a city of 128,000 inhabitants. Ipswich is the administrative capital of the region of Suffolk in England, United Kingdom. The city is located in the east of the country a hundred miles from London. The centre of Ipswich provides a wide choice of boutiques, shops, bars and restaurants. The town offers a vibrant mix of heritage. The city has preserved traces of ancient origin: 650 houses and 12 medieval churches are classified. The beautiful parks of Ipswich are an important part of the legacies of the city and very popular when the weather is fine. Residents and visitors can access over 500 hectares of green space. Its location on the estuary of the River Orwell, about fifteen miles from the Port of Felixstowe gives it a dual purpose of river port and sailing centre. The city has a very diversified economy. The Orwell River that flows through the city is a real asset for aesthetics and tourism. Ipswich is a student town. Near the town are the coasts of Suffolk, impressive heritage of the region and the natural beauty of the forests of Thetford and Rendlesham. The nearest towns are Felixstowe, in the same area of Suffolk, and Harwich and Colchester in Essex.

Get a street map of Ipswich here: http://www.my-towns.co.uk/ipswich-map.html

March 21, 2012

Marlow Buckinghamshire England

Filed under: England,United Kingdom — Tags: , , , , , — needahand @ 11:39 am

Marlow Buckinghamshire England – Marlow (14,000 inhabitants, previously Great Marlow or Chipping Marlow ) is a small British town situated on the banks of the River Thames. Marlow lies on the River Thames next to the A 404, which intersects the north-east of the town with the A 4155. The town of High Wycombe is to the north, Maidenhead about 6 miles to the south, Reading is located 15 km to the southwest and to Heathrow airport in the southeast it is about 20 km. The town of Marlow is known for one of the oldest suspension bridges in Europe, designed by William Tierney Clark, it was built between 1829 and 1832. Marlow is a popular place for a walk along the River Thames, especially when the weather is fine. Also worth seeing is the church of All Saints. Marlow is a driving distance of about 5 miles from High Wycombe in the county of Buckinghamshire.

View a useful Marlow map here: http://www.my-towns.co.uk/marlow-map.html

Valencia Fallas 2012

Filed under: Costa Blanca,Costa del Azahar,Events,Spain — Tags: , , , , — needahand @ 8:05 am
Valencia Fallas 2012 Effigy of Elvis Presley

Valencia Fallas 2012 Effigy of Elvis Presley

Valencia Fallas 2012 – On Monday we took a coach trip to see the final evening of the Fallas celebrations in Valencia. We picked up in various places along the way ending in Gran Alacant which was the final pick-up. We then headed along the Costa Blanca coast passing the airport and going up the A31 past many of the old historic towns with castles such as Novelda, Sax, Petrer and Villena, then cutting through to the Font de la Figuera (Spring of the Fig Picker), and picking up the A35 past Moixent, Montesa, L’Alcudia de Crispins and Xativa before reaching Valencia, for us a journey of 4 hours (we got on at Cabo Roig).

While there are many different celebrations in the Fallas, the star of the show is the building of giant effigies which are burnt on the final night together with a massive firework display. Some of the effigies are huge (up to 20 metres high) and make fun of famous people mostly Spanish, though one of the best this year featured Elvis Presley with a number of other famous pop stars such as Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Freddie Mercury etc. I must say the giants are amazing an it seems a shame to burn them though they do hand out some smaller sections of the figures to local children.

There was some concern over the weather on the day as rain was expected and in the event the celebrations went on in fine weather (though a bit chilly) and it actually started to rain as we got back on the coach for the journey home (and on through the night, some 6 inches of rain in all!).

We really enjoyed the whole event and the burnings are amazing, if rather smelly and dangerous, with burning pices of polystyrene flying everywhere, the fireworks were excellent, the display of flowers was amazing.

Valencia Road Map.

Learn lots more about Valencia here: http://www.needahandspanishproperties.com/valencia.html

March 16, 2012

Abingdon Oxfordshire

Filed under: England,United Kingdom — Tags: , , , , — needahand @ 2:39 pm

Abingdon Oxfordshire – Located just to the south of Oxford on the River Thames , is a town in Oxfordshire called Abingdon with a population of about 36,000. Abingdon only joined the county of Oxfordshire in 1974: it was formerly part of Berkshire . Abington grew around an abbey founded in the seventh century, and it has long been an important town, but was somewhat marginalized during the nineteenth century, especially in favour of Reading better served by the railway system. The town now enjoys the vitality of the Oxfordshire area and is home to several new technology companies. Abingdon is about 9 miles from the city of Oxford.

View an Abingdon map here: http://www.my-towns.co.uk/abingdon-map.html

York National Railway Museum

Filed under: England,United Kingdom — Tags: , , , — needahand @ 9:41 am

York National Railway Museum – The National Railway Museum (NRM), is a railroad museum located in York, in the county of Yorkshire. The museum opened in 1975, bringing together in one place various collections of preserved rolling stock from the nineteenth century. The museum houses an extensive collection of over a hundred locomotives and other railway equipment. The machines are too numerous for the available space, the selection presented is frequently renewed. The most famous locomotive is the Mallard which reached the speed of 203 kilometres per hour on 3rd July 1938, a world record for a steam locomotive. The museum attracts 800,000 visitors a year and is one of the top attractions for both York and Yorkshire as a county.

Get a map of York here: http://www.my-towns.co.uk/york-map.html

March 15, 2012

Woolacombe Devon

Filed under: England,United Kingdom — Tags: , , , , , — needahand @ 6:55 pm

Woolacombe Devon – Lying in the North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the small coastal town of Woolacombe is an ideal spot to enjoy this beautiful area, well known for its spectacular cliff formations and rugged landscape. Looking across to Lundy Island, Woolacombe is also popular with surfers, benefitting from perfect conditions for this extreme sport. Rare plant life can be found in the unique sand dunes which lie behind the main beach areas, and the National Trust who care for this area do a great job in maintaining it in good condition for all to enjoy. Woolacombe is close to Barnstaple and Ilfracombe in North Devon.

Find your way around the town with this Woolacombe map: http://www.my-towns.co.uk/woolacombe-map.html

« Newer Posts — Older Posts »

Powered by WordPress