The British Isles In Depth

Located in eastern Northern Ireland on Belfast Lough, an inlet of the north channel of the Irish Sea, Belfast is the captial and largest city in the country.n Population is around 320,000.

Located south of London on the English Channel, it is a popular resort area.

Located on Bristol Channel, Cardiff is the capital and largest city in Wales.

Joyce, Yeats, Shaw, Beckett– no, it’s not an English test, it’s your vacation, and if literature is of interest to you, there’s no better place to be: No other city has produced so many Nobel Prize Winners (including 1995’s recipient, the poet Seamus Heany).

Ireland’s capital is a thriving, modern city, yet it’s also strikingly elegant, with many beautifully restored Georgian buildings. And with friendly natives and cheery pubs–well, what more could a visitor want?

Edinburgh, (èd´n-bûr´e) capital city (1991 pop. 421,213) of Scotland and royal burgh. The city is divided into two sections: the Old Town, on the slope of Castle Rock, dates from the 11th century; the New Town spread to the north in the late 18th cent. Edinburgh is a government, finance, and tourist center. Most industry, which includes brewing and distilling, publishing, and paper milling, is situated near the city’s port, Leith. Edinburgh grew up around its 11th-century castle and became Scotland’s capital in 1437. It blossomed as a cultural center in the 18th and 19th century, with such figures as David Hume, Robert Burns, and Sir Walter Scott. It remains a cultural and educational hub and hosts an annual international arts festival.

Galway is located on the western coast of Ireland. Stunning beauty, world class cuisine and Irish music are found in abundance here.

The Loch Ness Monster is only one of many fairy tales you’ll be enchanted by after visiting this storybook corner of Scotland. From the castle near Inverness where Macbeth reputedly murdered King Duncan to the mesmerizing beauty of the Scottish highlands, you’ll see why so many people for so many centuries have gone out of their way to come here.

The Isle of Skye is said to be the ancient island were warriors of the famed Red Branch of Irish mythology trained.

Killarney – Ireland’s most vibrant town. Located in the Southwestern region of Ireland, in County Kerry, Killarney is a renown stop on the famed “Ring of Kerry” journey. The town itself is set near the beautiful Killarney National Park, by the shores of Lough Leane and in the shadow of Ireland’s highest mountains. The mystic beauty of Killarney’s lakes is wonder to behold. From clubs and pubs, to ancient sites and historical places, Killarney is a perfect blend of past and present.

Restless, enduring and wonderful, London is Europe’s largest city. And surely, if you have the choice to visit only two or three cities of the world in your lifetime, by all means make one of them London.

The Romans started it all. The city they developed was “the square mile,” – and Londoners still hunt for Roman relics in the Thames. History is everywhere you look in London, yet today the city is as modern and metropolitan as any city on earth.

By day, London is buzzing with the frenetic pace of commerce not even Dickens could have imagined. By night, the excitement and glitter of theatres, cinemas, pubs and restaurants beckons throngs of travellers from around the world. But there is another London, a peaceful London of cool museums, quiet tea rooms, immaculate gardens and hushed churches.

There is Royal London – ancient pageantry in a modern kingdom – with its palaces, pomp and precise manoeuvres at the Changing of the Guard. And there’s outrageous London, the urban gathering ground for Cockney pitchmen, “fringe” theatre and the city’s youth, with their own distinctive style.

London, this extraordinary city of contrasts, holds a stunning abundance of hidden-round-the-corner surprises. You owe it to yourself to explore them all. Here, then, is the London you’ll come to know and remember.

Newcastle is the capital of the Hunter Valley Region, in New South Wales. Located on the east coast of Australia, the Hunter Region encompasses a land area of approximately 31,000 square kilometres and a resident population of around 544,000 people. Newcastle’s population is estimated at 132,000 people. Getting to and from Newcastle is simple. From Sydney, it is a comfortable 2 hour drive (Sydney is 171 kilometres to the south); 30 minutes by air and two hours by passenger train (there is a regular hourly service). There are also direct flights from Brisbane and Canberra. Newcastle is the gateway to the Hunter Valley and is now a very different place to the time when steel and coal industries were the main source of employment. Long gone are the smoky grey industrial images – they have been replaced with elegantly restored historic buildings; picturesque parks and gardens; an extensive selection of restaurants boasting cuisine from around the world; and the natural beauty of its white sandy beaches and harbour. There is a wide selection of magnificent art galleries and museums; nightclubs and eateries; and extensive shopping facilities. The long list of natural attractions
within easy access of the city includes everything from wilderness areas, rainforests and beaches to world famous vineyards. The green rolling hills of Australia’s oldest winemaking region are studded with restaurants, guest houses, and of course, the vineyards where more than twenty varieties of grape ripen slowly in the warm summer sunshine to produce some of Australia’s finest wines. Lakes, beaches, rivers and bays, combine with lush countryside to make the Hunter
region surrounding Newcastle almost unlimited in its appeal.

Plymouth is a town in southeastern Massachusetts, on Plymouth Bay, about 55 km (34 mi) southeast of Boston. The seat of Plymouth County, it was the site of the first permanent European settlement in New England; it is now a fishing and tourist center with ship-related industries and cranberry-packing houses. Plymouth Rock, a tourist attraction, is on the shore under a granite canopy; recreations of Plimoth Plantation and the Mayflower are also there. The pilgrims founded Plymouth on Dec. 21, 1620, establishing a settlement that became the seat of Plymouth Colony in 1633 and a part of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691.