Ho...Holland....Be....Belgium

It was a long holiday conveying ‘Bye Bye’ to Spring….28th Aug'07....and every one say that best time to visit Europe is n spring….as Holland, Belgium was nearby

Tired of flying n ryanair or easyjet…why not try to cross English Channel via ferry (P & O Ferry) from Dover to Calais..though it is around 90 minutes drive..which is worth spending n the ferry which has open terrace, food court, bar & restaurant..

Day 1: (Saturday) London – Dover – Calais – Holland, drive towards Dover to take the cross channel sailing to Calais. From Calais start the journey towards Den Haag, on arrival visit the Madurodam model village.

Day1, Madurodam, Holland. Which is a miniature city located in scheveningen. It is a model of a Dutch town on a 1:25 scale, composed of typical dutch buildings and landmarks, as are found at various locations in the country. Picture speaks more than words..so check out few miniatures of it:)
Later stayed in NH hotel, Langelaan, 3, 2211 XT Noordwijkerhout, which is a cool place stay on….though nearby to Keukenhof tulip gardens but the tulip season was far away;)

Day 2: (Sunday) VOLENDAM – AMSTERDAM After breakfast we proceed for a sightseeing tour of Holland. We commence by visiting the famous fishing port of Volendam. We also visit the cheese and clog making factory. Later drive into the amazing city of Amsterdam. Upon arrival we visit the famous diamond factory to observe the complex art of cutting these gems. Later we enjoy a tranquil cruise along the canals of Amsterdam.
‘Cheese & Clog’ factory which is again quite famous in Holland…we could get a taste of different varieties of cheese, clog(Wooden shoe worn by Holland farmers during irrigation in winter time) check out few clogs which makes you feel lk walking in the air!!

Later visited Volendam, a town in North Holland. Volendam is a popular tourist attraction in the Netherlands, well-known for its old fishing boats and the traditional clothing still worn by some residents. The women's costume of Volendam, with its high, pointed bonnet, is one of the most recognizable of the Dutch traditional costumes, and is often featured on tourist postcards and posters out there..check out few costumes, boats roaming arnd!!

Diamonds, do you like it??default is everyone likes it…. Then visit few diamond stores near by….where they give brief intro of diamonds, varieties of it..you can see 57 or 121 facets on the diamond…which is simple gorgeous and ofcourse you can buy if you like it…the price starts from 300£ to 3000£ only..Can’t you buy a diamond for the dear ones?? ;) Amsterdam in night is awesome.....roaming around center of city...also going around in RLA;)

Day 3: (Monday) BRUSSELS – CALAIS – DOVER – LONDON After breakfast checkout of the hotel and start the journey towards the capital city of Belgium, Brussels. We will be seeing the Atomium Structure, Mannekin Pis Statue and the Grand Place. Later proceed to Calais for your cross channel sailing and onwards to your original pick-up point.
Atomium structure, Brussels world’s fair (Expo 1958), Built in 1958, the 103-metre (335-foot) tall Atomium monument represents a unit cell of an iron crstal (body-centred cubic), magnified 165 billion times, with vertical body diagonal, with tubes along the 12 edges of the cube and from all 8 vertices to the centre. Nine steel spheres 18 metres in diameter connect via tubes with escalators as long as 35 m, among the longest in europe. Why Manneken Pis?? In 1142, Duke Godfrey 11 of leuven the troops of this two-year-old lord were battling against the troops of the berthouts, the lords of Grimbergen, in Ransbeke (now Neder-over-heembeek). The troops put the infant lord in a basket and hung it in a tree, to encourage them. From there, he urinated on the troops of the Berthouts, who eventually lost the battle. Watch out Panoramic view of Manneken Piss Grand Palace, is the central market square of Brussels. It is surrounded by guild houses, the city's spectacular Town Hall and the Breadhouse. The square is also the Unesco World Heritage site...

Before reaching back home n Ferry… We enjoyed the typical sunset in GMT timings onwards journey from Calais to Dover(UK) which enriched our journey.

She walks in beauty, Like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that's best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes~Lord Byron~

Degree holders wanted!!!

We had chance to visit the place where most of the Degree holders pass out with pride!!. This is none other than CAMBRIDGE… The Cambridge city is an old British university town and the administrative centre of the county of cambridgeshire. It lies approximately 50 miles (80 km) north-northeast of London and is surrounded by a number of smaller towns and villages.
Overview of Cambridge
Cambridge is best known for the University of Cambridge, which includes the renowned Cavendish laboratory, King’s College Chapel, and the Cambridge university library.

Christ College
Also we took this opportunity to play around some recreations like punting (boat riding on river cam), roaming over the small roads nearby which covers most of the colleges, parks & Gardens.

We met one of our friends in Cambridge, who had apple trees grown in the awesome backyard.
Playing arnd in the beautifull grounds nearby......

The final story, the final chapter of education, I believe, lies in Cambridge...

...Water on Southend-on-Sea....!!

We planned to visit southend-on-sea on 04th Aug 2007, which is in the county of Essex, in South-East England, on the north bank of the Thames Estuary.

Southend-on-Sea, situated at the mouth of the Thames Estuary, has long been a favourite seaside resort, with its close proximity to London. Most famous for its Pier and beach, the town has a range of attractions to offer, including the annual illuminations on the seafront, boat trips, the Golden Mile of arcades, and a wide range of shops in the High Street, including The Royals Shopping Center. Here are just a few links to Southend-on-Sea attractions.

Blue Flag award - Surprising as it may seem to the locals, Southend beach has been awarded a Blue Flag for water quality
Kursaal - Situated on the seafront, the venue includes the bowling rink, dancing, arcades and bars
Adventure Island - Southend's answer to Disneyland, for the kids (More info)
Southend Pier - The World's longest pleasure pier has had its ups and downs over the years.
Southend Carnival - Details of the annual August carnival
Sealife Centre - The fishy educational attraction on Southend seafront (More info)

At 1.33 miles in length, Southend Pier is the longest pleasure pier in the world. It was first built, in wood, in 1830 to allow boats to dock even at low tide when the sea is out a mile or more.
The most notable landmark is that of the 1.3 mile (2km) long pier which extends out into the Estuary - it's the longest pleasure pier in the world. Southend is also famous for the Golden Mile of amusement arcades and attractions, including the Kursaal bowling alley and bar, and Peter Pan's Adventure Island.

Later - in 1875 - an iron pier took its place. Three fires later, it still stands, and visitors can walk or catch the train to the pier head, where there's a lifeboat station and a gift shop. In 1890 the first electric trains started running the length of the pier.

The pier's had more than its fair share of bad luck in recent years:
1959 - Fire destroying the land-end pavilion, which was to be replaced by a bowling alley some years later
1976 - Fire at the pier-head
1986 - A tanker, the MV Kingsabbey, crashed into the pier, creating a 70 foot gap
1995 - Another fire at the pier, this time at the land end, destroying the bowling alley
2005 - Another fire at the pier-head