posted by Traveller on Jul 29

Flights Ireland : The Giant’s Causeway, which is located at the northern coast of Northern Ireland, is Ireland’s only World Heritage site.  It has one of the most remarkable rock formations which are made up of 37,000 dark hexagonal shape columns standing beneath the grey cliffs of northern Antrim.  The Giant’s Causeway consists of the Little Causeway, Middle Causeway and Grand Causeway.  Interestingly, looking from the sky, the shape of the Grand Causeway resembles the tail of a lizard. 

According to a legend, these hexagonal rocks were actually placed by a giant called Finn MacCool.  He placed the rocks there to form a bridge which spans across the sea and reaches the island Staffa in Scotland.  There are similar columns found in Scotland.  This bridge served as a walkway for the woman he loved who was staying at the island of Staffa.  He provided this walkway for her to get across to him without getting her feet wet.  The giant, Finn MacCool, indeed showed his deep love for this woman by building this bridge so that she could reach him with ease, comfort and convenience.  At the tip of the Middle Causeway, there is a rocky seat which is known as the Wishing Chair.  It was told that this chair was made for the giant, Finn MacCool, when he was a child.  As the legend says, all wishes made by anyone at the Wishing Chair will come true.  Perhaps, the giant had wished before that he could build the causeway one day and his wish had come true!

The geologists, however, have come up with some explanations about the existence of these amazing rock formations.  According to them, these formations were created about 60 million years ago due to massive volcanic eruptions.  The layer of tholeiitic basalt lava cooled rapidly causing the rocks to crack into polygonal-shaped blocks.  At the end of the Ice Age, about 15,000 years ago, the sea water eroded the foreshore, thus forming the Giant’s Causeway today.

How the incredible rock formations actually come about is still a mystery.  Nonetheless, the Giant’s Causeway is too much of a wonder to be missed.  With the intriguing legend and awesome rock formations, it has become a magical place worthwhile to visit.  If you are keen to take a vacation trip and looks forward to beautiful sceneries and mysterious places, you may consider visiting this legendary place and discover the wonder of it for yourself.  Why not bring your loved one to the Giant’s Causeway and profess your love at the causeway?  It would be a meaningful gesture, since it was told that the bridge came into existence because of a man’s deep love for his woman.  Wouldn’t it also be romantic to walk in this “causeway of love” with your loved one?  It would certainly thrill and touch your beloved.  Besides having the opportunity of sharing the wonderful experience of discovering the wonders of this place with your loved one, you can also spend a romantic time together.  It would be a lasting experience for both of you.

If you go to the Giant’s Causeway, it would be marvelous to visit the Wishing Chair as well and make a wish there.  Remember, the giant could have made a wish to build the Giant’s Causeway and it came into existence.  So, do not be surprise if your wish really comes true!

Copyright : Rose Mary

posted by Traveller on Jul 18

Cheap flights to Scotland : How many cathedral have you seen on your holidays? Which is the most awesome and magnificent one that you have seen? Can you name it? I believe that you will like some of those that you have seen before based on your own experienced, books or documentary film. Sir Joseph Banks, the great botanist and explorer wrote “Compared to this, what are all the cathedrals and the palaces built by men!”

This so-called “cathedral” is the Fingal’s cave of Scotland. The cave is located at the southern end of the Island of Staffa, Scotland. The Island of Staffa is located in the Inner Hebrides. The whole island is basaltic and it has the same feature as that of the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland. The roof of the cave is made of a crust of volcanic slag. On one side of the cave, visitors can access to a shadowy interior whereby they can see yellow stalactites glisten against the fluted walls.
Fingal’s cave is called Uamh Binn in Gaelic, which also means Melodious Cave. This name was attributed to its tuneful acoustic. It was told that in 1829, Felix Mendelssohn, the great German composer, came to the island of Staffa by rowing a boat. As he approached the cave, the sound produced by the smashing waves against the cave gave him inspiration to pen down a melody. It was told that this brief melody became the tune of his overture, The Hebrides, also know as the Fingal’s cave. Perhaps you can try what Felix Mendelssohn did if you need to write an overture!

Sir Robert Peel, the Victorian statesman was told that he became a poet on approaching the cave. He wrote “had seen the temple not made with hands, had felt the majestic swell of ocean, the pulsation of the great Atlantic, beating in its inmost sanctuary.”

Finally, Scots novelist Sir Walter Scott described Fingal’s Cave as “one of the most extraordinary places I ever beheld. It exceeded, in my mind, every description I had heard of it …composed entirely of basaltic pillars as high as the roof of a cathedral, and running deep into the rock, eternally swept by a deep and swelling sea, and paved, as it were, with ruddy marble, baffles all description.” With so many praises from these great men, this awesome and magnificent cave is definite worth a visit when you are in Scotland. Cheap flights to Scotland.

Copy Rights : Rose Mary

posted by Traveller on Jul 2

Cairns Australia is a booming city of Northern Queensland. There are many wonderful attractions. Cairns Australia is the departure point for most cruises to the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef in the world. Hence, there are many cruise boats, catamarans and yatchs heading from here to the Great Barrier Reef every day. Cairns Australia is packed with many activities for the visitors to do. They can choose to do diving, snorkelling, cruising, white-water rafting, skydiving, fishing, bird watching and hot air ballooning.

Along the northeast coast of Queensland, the Great Barrier Reef stretches more than 2,300km, from Bundaberg in the south to the tip of Cape Town in the north. It is the largest natural feature on earth, made up by live organisms. Billions of tiny creatures known as coral polyps have formed the reef for more than 600 years. There are many tours to the Great Barrier Reef including day cruises, sailing trips and island stays.

One of the most popular spots, Cairns Esplanade Lagoon, is fabulous for swimming. This saltwater swimming lagoon is free to the public. The 3-km boardwalk promenade, northwest of the lagoon, is popular with strollers and joggers. Cairns Australia’s foreshore has fine spots for picnics and barbecues, as well as a playground for children.

If you want to experience some greenery, you can visit the Flecker Botanic Gardens. It has plenty of tropical plants with a comprehensive collection of over 100 species of palm trees. The rainforest, with native birdlife, is a wonderful natural attraction. A boardwalk leads from the botanic gardens to the Century Lakes. There is a freshwater lake and a saltwater lake. Both lakes provide areas for picnics and children’s play. The Century Lakes were created in 1976 to commemorate the city’s first 100 years.

For visitors who are interested to visit museums and art centres, there are the Cairns Museum, Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns Regional Gallery and Tjapukai Cultural Park. The Cairns Museum reflects the city’s early architecture. The museum has exhibits showing the beginnings and development of the region. The information it provides includes the Palmer River and Hodgkinson River goldfields, contents of a Chinese temple and the construction of the Cairns-Kuranda railway.

The Tanks Arts Centre showcases local artists’ art pieces and performance arts. Housed in a beautiful heritage building, the Cairns Regional Gallery holds exhibitions on both local and indigenous works. A shop located in the gallery sells handicraft goods such as jewellery, ceramics and glassware.

The Tjapukai Cultural Park has a Creation Theatre, a Dance Theatre and gallery. It is an indigenous-owned park, providing a range of educational performances on Aboriginal culture. The activities held here certainly offer visitors an insight to this interesting culture. There are boomerang and spear throwing demonstrations in an Aboriginal camp set-up.

In Cairns Australia, there is a mini zoo, Cairns Wildlife Dome. This mini zoo is perched in the glass atrium on the top of Reef Casino. In the zoo, visitors can see free-flying birds, koalas, wallabies, lizards and crocodiles in a rainforest atmosphere.

From the above, you can see that there is a wide variety of attractions in Cairns Australia.  Visitors can be involved in various kinds of activities. Based on individual needs, visitors can spent their time doing the activities they like here. Furthermore, there is the world-acclaimed attraction, the Great Barrier Reef, which you can visit through an organised tour departing from here. Visit Cairns Australia today, a rewarding experience awaits you.

Copyright: Rose Mary