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

March 29, 2012

Portinscale Lake District Cumbria

Filed under: England,Travel,United Kingdom — Tags: , , , , , — needahand @ 11:58 am

Portinscale Lake District Cumbria – A farming village located near to Keswick in Cumbria, Portinscale in the northern region of the Lake District between Bassenthwaite Lake and Derwentwater. Portinscale has a long history and was settled way back in prehistoric times. The area is popular with hikers and water sports enthusiasts with windsurfing and sailing top of the agenda for many visitors. The village has the basic facilities with pub, tearoom and village shop. Keswick can be reached on foot from Portinscale, most pleasantly via the footpath which crosses the River Greta. A pretty Cumbria village, Portinscale should certainly be on your list of places to visit or stay in the Lake District.

See a road map of Portinscale, Cumbria here: http://www.my-towns.co.uk/portinscale-map.html

March 25, 2012

Daya Nueva Alicante

Filed under: Costa Blanca,Facts,Spain — Tags: , , , , , , , — needahand @ 3:59 pm

Daya Nueva Alicante: Daya Nueva (in Valencian Daia Nova) is a municipality and town of Valencia, Spain. Located in the province of Alicante and the region of the Vega Baja del Segura (Low Fertile Valley of the River Segura), in the area to the left of the Segura River, east of Almoradi. The main economic activity of Daya Nueva has always been irrigated agriculture, producing citrus fruits, artichokes and potatoes. Currently the town has many shops and other businesses, and is gradually moving towards a more modern economy. Daya Nueva experiences a typical Mediterranean climate with sunny weather all year round. Daya Nueva has a population of 1,988 nearby town and villages include Daya Vieja, San Fulgencio, Almoradi, Dolores and Catral.

Learn more about the town of Daya Nueva here: http://www.needahandspanishproperties.com/daya-nueva.html

March 23, 2012

Pineda de Mar Early History

Filed under: Costa Brava,History,Spain — Tags: , , — needahand @ 2:23 pm

Pineda de Mar Early History – Though today a modern tourist resort Pineda de Mar on the Costa Maresme has a long history which started even before the Romans arrived in Spain. Several remains of the Iberian period (fourth century BC) found in different parts of the town of Pineda de Mar (Montpalau Hill and near Mas Castellar) testify to the settlement in the area since time immemorial. The Iberian settlements are quite numerous throughout the Costa Maresme, the towns of the Laietans tribe, whose territory occupied the entire coastal strip from the Llobregat to Tordera stood in small promontories far from the coast. The intense process of Romanization of the region from the first century BC led to the gradual occupation of the coastal zone around Pineda de Mar, with numerous villas built along the coast, making the most of easy access by way of the Via Augusta, which led to Barcelona. In Pineda de Mar there are remains of an important Roman villa, Can Roig, where an aqueduct of four arches which are still quite visible near to Cua Can.

Pineda de Mar Map.

Get lots more information for Pineda del Mar here: http://www.needahandspanishproperties.com/pineda-de-mar.html

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

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