10 Fun and Free Things to Do in San Diego

You Don't Have to Spend a Penny to Enjoy Beautiful San Diego.

There is no place quite like San Diego, California. Blessed with wonderful year-round weather, visitors can enjoy many of the same favorite free attractions that are well-known to the Locals. While you should probably take your wallet with you because it contains your Driver's License and you may want to grab some lunch, for most of the day, you can keep your wallet in your pocket.

10 Great Ways to Spend the Day in SD that will not Cost you a Penny

1. A Day at the Beach

Whether you like to swim, surf or sail, head west until you see one of the many magnificent beaches. Bring your blanket and soak up some rays. Beaches are family friendly and also a great place to check out the local scenery.

2. Balboa Park

When in SD, be sure to make your way to the Nation's largest urban cultural park. Park admission to the 1,200 acre property is always free and it will cost you nothing to hike on some of the 65 miles of scenic trails. There are about 20 carefully tended gardens, some of which can be enjoyed for free. While tourists will have to pay a small admission fee to tour 1 of the 15 museums, daily tours of the park are free. On Sundays, everyone is treated to free organ music concerts.

3. Old Town

Stroll through the district and see the historical buildings that date back several hundred years. The oldest school house in San Diego is among the many interesting and historic sights.

4. Torrey Pines State Reserve

Nature lovers can catch a glimpse of the rare Torrey Pine as well as many other birds that call the area home. Situated in a protected preserve, this quiet and very scenic area is a great place for enjoying the fresh ocean air while doing a little bird watching.

5. San Diego Public Libraries

At last count, there were 38 public libraries in San Diego. All are always welcome to escape the heat and relax while reading a book or browsing the internet. Most libraries have regular free film screenings and other special events.

6. North Port Art Walk

On the second Saturday of each month, from 6:00pm-9:00pm, thousands of people walk up and down Ray Street taking in a vast array of all types of art. Go from gallery to gallery, enjoy some complimentary wine and cheese and maybe, pick up an original oil painting.

7. Museum of Contemporary Art

This downtown museum features minimalism, pop art, sculpture, photography and other genres of art from the 1950s to the present. Free admission is offered on the third Thursday of every month from 5:00pm-7:00pm.

8. Mission Bay Park

Get some exercise at this 4,600 acre park. You can fly a kite, practice your jump shot, play volleyball or maybe just sit back and watch the local skateboarders do their thing.

9. The Gaslamp Quarter

Turn back the clock and tour the boutiques, art galleries and small shops in this restored part of downtown San Diego. The Gaslamp Quarter features some classic Victorian buildings and intricate period architecture.

10. Mt. Soledad

This La Jolla mountain top affords spectacular panoramic views of the City of San Diego, the coastline and Mission Bay. You can see for miles in all directions.

These are just a few of the many things you can enjoy for free in San Diego. There are many more free attractions that might pique your interest. If you are thinking about a vacation, why not come to San Diego. Escape the frigid winter and stay in style at the Mission Valley Resort, the ultimate in destination hotels and resorts.

For more information about the great cities of San Diego please visit San Diego Hotels website. This hotel is operated by Hotel Managers Group a leading hotel management company in California.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6806570

Photo by slack12

Tags: san diego,free things,free attractions,beautiful san diego,free film,Gaslamp Quarter,Mission,Park,CA

5 Romantic Experiences To Enjoy In London

Source: google.com.au via Huda on Pinterest

As someone who was born and bred in London and consider myself a Londoner no matter where I am living in the world, I firmly believe that London lends itself to one of the most romantic and lovely places in the world to spend time with your loved ones. London can rival any other major city for the amount of fun and romance it can offer and more. One of the biggest and vibrant cities in the world with a wide variety of nice places to go to, it truly is a magnificent place for couples to enjoy. In this article I will list 5 of the most romantic things to do when spending time in London.

1. Taking a trip on the London eye and gazing at the London skyline with your loved one can be a really breathtaking experience. So many people come from all over the world just to enjoy this experience, but you can book yourself a VIP capsule just for yourselves and be served some champagne to go with your round trip.

2. London has some of the world's finest restaurants and steakhouses located in the city centre. Having a quality meal in a nice, cozy, warm environment (especially during the winter months) is a great feeling wherever you are, and in London there are plenty of opportunities to wine and dine to a wonderfully high standard

3. Taking a boat ride along the River Thames, particularly at night, and enjoying the beautifully lit buildings and settings is truly something to behold. Similar to taking a boat ride in Paris, another major city of love, this experience is definitely a must for couples.

4. In the months leading up to December and Christmas, there will be numerous out-door ice rinks set up all throughout the city. Holding hands with your partner whilst you skate amidst a backdrop of historic buildings and Christmas lights is an absolute treat, just like in the romance movies, and can be great fun even if you don't know how to skate.

5. Finally, London is one of the most beautifully built and planned cities in the world. Just walking along the streets, some over 200 years old, and admiring the gorgeous architecture and, traditional buildings is a romantic thing to do with your loved one. Why not give it a try and come over and embrace being in London as a couple? A dazzling city with huge potential awaits your visit.

Franny is a professional adviser and travel expert helping websites with their marketing online. Currently he is helping Romantic things to do in London, an activities and ideas for dates website, with their marketing. For more information about Romantic things to do in London, please visit their website for great travel information regarding London.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6809753

Tags: romantic things,london skyline,romantic thing,romantic experiences

Some Things to Do in Liverpool

Source: en.wikipedia.org via Katy on Pinterest

If you've never visited Liverpool before, you'll find yourself spoiled for choice in this north-western city and cultural hub, and even if you're a regular visitor here you're still bound to find new experiences to enjoy in Liverpool's dynamic and ever-changing arts scene.

Liverpool has many world-famous achievements to its name, but to many people in Britain and abroad, the city is most closely associated with its music exports - specifically the Beatles. Liverpool's tourism industry hasn't overlooked this fact, and you can find a number of high quality locations celebrating various aspects of the Fab Four, the most notable being the Beatles Story exhibition itself that features interactive exhibits. Dedicated Beatles fans can also trace the history of the band and its individual members by taking a Beatles Tour around significant areas of the city, including Strawberry Fields, Penny Lane and the former homes of the pop legends.

There are many other museums celebrating different aspects of Liverpool's heritage and culture, such as the Maritime Museum and the International Slavery Museum, the latter of which doesn't hold back in presenting a stark and thought-provoking insight into the suffering experienced by people in the past. Other museums in Liverpool similarly expand their horizons to tackle subjects larger than the city itself, such as the World Museum that collects everything from Ancient Egyptian artefacts to contemporary art works.

If you're interested in the arts, galleries such as the Tate Liverpool rival those of London and other cities, and Liverpool's recognition as European City of Culture in 2008 led to significant improvements in some of its major theatres and other entertainment venues, where you'll find a number of acclaimed and popular performances taking place throughout the year - from West End musicals to Christmas pantomimes.

Some of Liverpool's historic buildings are tourist attractions in their own right, including the city's two cathedrals and several hotels in Liverpool. If you're visiting with the family, Calderstones Park is located close to the city centre and is a great place to relax in the sun or enjoy outdoor activities, while football fans can also enjoy close proximity to the home grounds of two of the country's top teams - namely Liverpool Football Club at Anfield and Everton Football Club at Goodison Park. As a major city, Liverpool also offers all the shopping opportunities, restaurant options and night-time venues you need to get the most out of your city break.

Fiona Roy writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has looking at Liverpool and hotels in Liverpool been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6822439

Tags: hotels in Liverpool, Liverpool hotels, cheap hotels in Liverpool

How to Save Money in Venice, Italy

Source: globalgrasshopper.com via Skyler on Pinterest

If you're going to be visiting Venice, you'll quickly notice that it's a very expensive city, even by European standards. However, there are some tips and tricks you can learn in order to save money in Venice.

One of the best ways to keep your Venice travel costs down is to make use of public transportation rather than private water taxi rides. The Venetian form of public transit is called a vaporetto, or water bus.

It's important to understand the difference between water bus (vaporetto) and water taxi. The water bus is inexpensive public transportation costing just a couple of euros a ride; whereas the water taxi is an expensive private-hire form of transportation. It typically costs 100 euros or more to hire a water taxi.

You can save even more money on the vaporetto by purchasing a multiday pass. It's a great deal that many tourists aren't aware of or aren't confident enough to use. Buying a pass allows you to get on and off whenever and wherever you want, without having to purchase another ticket. That saves you money and time, and also offers you a lot of freedom.

Here's another money saving tip for Venice. If you want to experience riding in a traditional Venetian gondola, but you don't want to pay the 100+ euros that a private gondola ride costs, try a traghetto ride. A traghetto is a public transport gondola that takes you in a straight line from one side of the Grand Canal to the other side.

Taking a traghetto will save having to spend much of your walking time looking for bridges to cross the canal, and it's also a great way to participate in an authentic Venetian experience with the locals. A traghetto ride will cost you less than a dollar, which you hand to an oarsman as you get on. It's the best transportation bargain (and the cheapest gondola ride) in Venice.

What are traghetti? They are old gondolas stripped of their fancy decoration. They are rowed by two oarsmen: one who stands in the back like a traditional gondolier, the other closer to the bow. Passengers generally stand for the short trip, although you can sit down as well.

Be sure to get your terminology correct: don't confuse traghetto with vaporetto. A vaporetto is a motorized water bus that runs the length of the Grand Canal. In contrast, a traghetto (or traghetti, plural) is a gondola that is rowed by oarsmen and crosses the Grand Canal from side to side.

There are various traghetti operating at seven convenient spots on the Grand Canal. Just look for the striped pole that marks the spots. Oh, and be aware that most of the traghetti only operate until about lunchtime each day.

So there you have it: save money in Venice by using the water bus instead of the water taxi, and take a traghetto ride instead of a private gondola ride.

If you want to learn all about great places to visit in Italy, then check out Barbra Sundquist's site on how to plan the best Italian holidays. Barbra is an Italy fanatic and travels there every year to research and update information for her Italy travel blog.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6824388

Tags: save money water taxi grand canal visiting venice water taxi rides traghetto ride private water

Peru Travel: Andahuaylillas, America's Sistine Chapel

Source: picasaweb.google.com via Thais on Pinterest

The small church in Andahuaylillas has been dubbed America's Sistine Chapel because its interior decoration, which includes fabulous murals and paintings, recalls its Vatican equivalent. Located about 45 km from Cusco, a visit to Andahuaylillas can be added to a Cusco or Peru vacation package.

Formally named San Pedro de Andahuaylillas, this church is typical of churches built by Spanish colonists and missionaries in the southern Andean region in order to facilitate evangelization efforts among the indigenous populations resident in the area. The town itself was founded in 1572 by the viceroy Francisco de Toledo and its purpose was to gather the natives, who lived scattered across the countryside, into concentrated communities. This process and the towns were known as reducciones.

Built at the turn of the 16thcentury, this church is on the main plaza, like many other churches throughout Latin America. The remains of Inca walls in the interior indicate that the church might have been built on top of a huaca, or an Inca sacred place, a common conquest practice. The exterior architecture of the church is simple enough and provides a sharp contrast to the stunning wealth of decorative detail housed inside.

In the interior of Andahuaylillas church, visitors are treated to an archetypal example of mestizo baroque style. Almost every square inch is covered in ornamentation. Gilded altars rise from floor to ceiling and saints decked out in rich finery inhabit various nooks. Gilded rafters are lined with fruit and floral motifs. Paintings in gilded frames line the upper walls of the church. In keeping with the baroque style, details abound and the effect is that of an overgrown garden layered with gold. The style is termed mestizo because many of the images, painted by local artists, are specific to the Andean region and are significant only in the local context.

Painters whose works can be found in Andahuyalillas include: Luis de Riaño, who was born in Lima but moved to Cusco and was active in the 17thcentury; Diego Quispe Tito, an artist born in San Sebastian, just outside Cusco; and anonymous contributions from artists trained in the Escuela Cusqueña, or Cusco School of Art. These artists received training from Spanish and Italian priests who were themselves schooled in Europeans styles of art. However, local artists, especially those from the Cusco school, infused the religious-themed paintings with Andean symbols and meanings.

Indeed, aside from the abundance of golden detail, the most interesting thing about Andahuaylillas is the specific imagery in the paintings and murals. Instructed to paint specific religious scenes, artists with no direct knowledge of the European world adapted religious representations to make sense in the local context. The result is fascinating - misplaced and incongruous images, for example a 15thcentury castle in a biblical scene.

Don't miss the mural on the interior wall as you enter. It represents the 2 possible paths in life. The first is the easy path, a wide road that welcomes all with simple temptations and then constricts into hell. The second starts as a narrow path starts, difficult to stay on, but those who persist on it are rewarded with an easier track later on and are welcomed into paradise

How to Get There

Andahuaylillas can be reached from Cusco by hiring a private transport or taking a public bus and can be added to a Cusco vacation package. For those traveling to or coming from Puno, tour buses frequently include a stop in Andahuaylillas.

This article was written by a travel expert at Peru For Less who specializes in helping you organize best value Cusco vacation packages for your trip to Peru.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6823153

Tags: cusco vacation package,peru travel,peru trip,cusco travel,peru vacation package,peru travel package

Peru Travel: Architectural Mixture in Cusco, the Imperial Inca City

Source: en.wikipedia.org via Bridget on Pinterest

Mestizaje is a term used to describe the meeting of two or more distinct elements. When you travel through Peru and Latin America, this is evident in aspects as diverse as food, religion, and even the physical appearance of people, which is a product of the confluence of indigenous, Spanish, African, and other cultures. Mestizaje is also evident in the architecture of the imperial city of the ancient Inca civilization, which travelers can appreciate as part of a Cusco vacation package. Although the Spanish conquerors razed many Inca structures in the effort to impose a Spanish settlement upon Cusco, some parts of Inca edifices, including many of the palaces and temples that surrounded the Plaza de Armas, were preserved and incorporated into Spanish buildings.

Architectural mestizaje takes many forms. For example, just off the Plaza de Armas, Inca and Spanish architectures share the same corner of Calle Triunfo and Santa Catalina Angosta. An Inca wall is identifiable by its stones which are perfectly fitted together; stone on stone with no mortar, cement, or other binding element in between. Also, the corners are rounded, and the wall itself leans in slightly at an angle. Spanish builders later added portales, or arched, covered walkways, all around the Plaza. The corners of these stones form perfect right angles and the mortar between the stones is clearly evident. Moreover, the Inca were unfamiliar with the arch, making it a strictly Spanish construction. Around Cusco, it is not uncommon to see Inca walls form the lower part of a building, and Spanish walls forming the remainder or extending out from the original structure. The Archbishop's Palace, former the royal palace of Inca Roca, is a perfect example of architectural mestizaje.

A second type of architectural mestizaje is the use of Inca stones to construct Spanish buildings. Indeed, Inca palaces and temples served as quarries for the construction of Spanish churches, temples, and houses. It was common for Spanish builders to destroy Inca buildings and reshape the stones to suit their own purposes. The Cusco Cathedral and Santo Domingo Church, formerly the Qoricancha or Temple of the Sun, are examples of this. The architecture of both is classically Spanish, but the stones are evidently of ancient Inca origin.

One interesting facet of Inca architecture is that the walls, not only in Cusco, but throughout the region, have been able to withstand the severe earthquakes that have struck regularly in the centuries since the Conquest. Spanish constructions, on the other hand, crumbled easily during these major earthquakes. As an example, Santo Domingo Church sustained critical damage in the earthquake of 1950, which ironically exposed Inca walls that had been covered under layers of Spanish plaster and bricks. The original Inca walls are now incorporated into the exhibit structure of the church. Such are the wonders of architectural mestizaje that travelers can appreciate in the Inca imperial city on a trip to Peru.

This article was written by a travel expert at Peru For Less who specializes in helping you organize best value Cusco vacation packages for your trip to Peru.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6823129

Tags: cusco vacation package,travel to Peru, Peru trips, Peru holidays, Peru vacations

Chinese New Year in London

Source: Uploaded by user via Jo on Pinterest

Unlike the Western New Year celebration, Chinese New Year, based on the Chinese calendar, is more than just a 1-night celebration. In fact, Chinese New Year is a 15-day celebration that includes many festive Chinese traditions. For the Chinese community living in London, as well as other London residents and visiting tourists, Chinese New Year is an exciting occasion, full of celebration and rejuvenation.

To begin, it's important to note that Chinese New Year doesn't fall on the same day each year. Since the holiday is based on the lunar and solar calendars, the date fluctuates from year to year. However, you can usually count on it being in late January or early February. If you're planning your trip to London for the occasion, you can look online to learn exactly what day the festivities are scheduled to take place.

The London Chinatown Chinese Association hosts a variety of events throughout the city, and one of the largest Chinese New Year celebrations in London can be found in the famous Trafalgar Square. Large crowds gather in this central location to celebrate with costumes, food, dancing and other traditional activities. A parade also runs through the area in the morning, followed by live entertainment through the evening.

Another London neighbourhood that is the perfect place for celebrating Chinese New Year is, of course, Chinatown. In honour of the New Year, the streets of Chinatown are decorated and special stalls are set-up, serving authentic Chinese food and other Chinese goods. During your visit to Chinatown you can also witness traditional dragon and lion dances.

Finally, if you wish to learn more about the Chinese culture during your visit to London, several of the city's museums feature exhibits which showcase the unique Chinese culture and China's varied history. For example, for the 2012 New Year, the National Maritime Museum will host a day of Chinese music and workshops on the Chinese culture. Also, if you want to explore other parts of the English capital while still sticking with the Chinese New Year theme, you can visit The Tea House in London's famous Covent Garden for a spot of Chinese Oolong tea.

When you plan your trip to London for the Chinese New Year, it's a good idea to book your tickets as far in advance as possible, as flights to London can fill up fast. Similarly, there are a range of London hotels to choose from, and early-booking will help ensure you get the type of room you want.

Fiona Roy writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has lookins at Chinese New Year in London and flights to London been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6828053

Tags: flights to London, London flights, Chinese New Year London, visit London