The winter is here. That means, no more fooling around in the beach but staying home next to the fireplace. Well, it sounds great but only if you don’t like ski! If you find skiing pleasurable, then probably you didn’t miss London Ski & Snowboard Show that was organized last month.
More than 250 brands exhibited their latest products while free ski and snowboard lessons were supposed to introduce amateurs into the delights of these two winter sports.
It seems that the latest trend on skiing is off-piste ski. Ski aficionados are searching more for unpredictable terrains that can increase the levels of excitement.
Monarch Airlines gives us an account on what happened at this prestigious event. Read more.
History means
heritage and this is definitely an issue to be taken seriously, as it builds
our identity and shows us the way – past paths with a view towards the future.
No wonder that there are so many cities worldwide proud of their own unique
history! As there is a sense of pride in paying tribute to one's own past and
identity. It is in such places that we find our inspiration, that we usually
connect with ourselves and manage to see clearly towards the future, as the
remnants of old civilizations are usually able to trigger not only theimagination, but also a broader vision
towards life and the course of things.
From the once
almighty Rome to classic Athens and from China to the Pyramids of Egypt, the
world hosts innumerable monuments worth exploring. And what makes us feel even
more fulfilled and pleased when visiting a historical place is the sense that
the mere story of the place is being well taken care of, mingled in the webs of
present moment, as if still an ongoing story that we – visitors – can also be
part of. Cultural events are the glue of the past with the present, making us
feel part of something grand that still brings life and energy to places that,
otherwise, might give one the impression that gave their all already. Bath is
one of these places with a breathtaking story that, somehow, still manages to
breath – and it does it fully, by all means!
Bath is an historical city of England. Located in the Somerset County, in the South Western
part of England, Bath is already well known to the informed tourists. Bath
flourished as a famous spa town during the Georgian era and the city’s Roman
Baths are the region’s most visited touristic attraction up till today.
Moreover, the whole city of Bath has been declared a World Heritage Site by
UNESCO in 1987. Thus, wherever you may find yourself walking in Bath, bear in
mind that you are taking a stroll through history, witnessing the miracles and
wonders of it, created for us to enjoy.
We might all know
by now that holidays in England can mean a trip to history and an embrace of our modern culture just as well; it feels in no way different when visiting
Bath. Culture manages, with its always transforming vibrant events, to adapt
places to an adopted moment in the present, and it surely plays a special role,
even in a place such as Bath, which have already a story and a voice of their
own. In Bath, a number of cultural events are offering the chance to locals and
visitors alike to feel that the city cares deeply about its past, its story and
its status as a place with a unique cultural heritage. As for hotels in Bath
for your stay to be worth it, my recommendation would be to keep it simple and
search for a Travelodge hotel in Bath
where comfort meets reasonable prices. After all, it is all about visiting
Bath, not the expensive hotels!
Let’s now take a
look at what qualifies as the most renowned festival that takes place in Bath
year by year: the Bath Literature Festival!
Bath Literature Festival
Established in
1995, the Bath Literature Festival is by now a very prestigious international
literature event. Over the years, a number of leading writers and intellectuals
have been giving lectures in front of those audiences that are always thirsty
for knowledge. Influential figures such as Doris Lessing, Margaret Atwood,
Tariq Ali, the late Anna Politkovskaya and Eric Hobsbawm, Steve Bell and Wendy
Cope among many others have participated in this celebration of literature.
This year, the
festival was held in the first week of March and was met with significant
success. The two most prominent figures that naturally stole the attention were
Hilary Mantel and J.K. Rowling.
Hilary Mantel
Hilary Mantel is
the only female writer that won twice the Booker Prize, one of the most significant
of all literature awards. Her books belong to the historical fiction genre, but
her splendid writing skills make these books the exact opposite of a book
filled with boring, endless information about facts of historical relevance.
Recently, she found herself in the middle of a storm due to a highly critical
statement that she made against the Duchess of Cambridge. Hopefully for her
(and her fans), though, during her lecture at the festival the audience didn’t
seem to care a lot about the controversy.
JK Rowling
As for JK Rowling,
well… you know what they say: it is difficult to write her name in a sentence
that doesn’t include the words “Harry Potter” as well! The publishing
phenomenon of the last decades, Rowling, for good or for bad, will always be
linked with the books that made a generation of kids and teenagers or those who
always feel teenagers at heart to fall in love with reading (while forgetting
about their game consoles for a bit)! To be honest, I don’t think people will
stop asking her questions about the books that made her rich and famous, no
matter how many years will have passed. After one of these types of questions
during her speech at the Bath Literature Festival, Rowling rejected the idea of
writing a prequel to Harry Potter’s adventures. As far as it concerns her
latest book, the first after the Harry Potter series, it took mixed responses
from the critics, but it still sold fast!
Nevertheless, the
Bath Literature Festival is not the one and only cultural event taking place in
Bath, but just the most prolific. However, there are other festivals held in
Bath that are worth the attention, such as the Bath International Music Festival and the Children Literature Festival. With all these cultural events taking
place in such a marvelous location, Bath does sound like a very attractive
destination!
I was barely a teen when their music reached my years … and not only the
music, but that whole cool, detached attitude counterbalanced by the lyrics, that
are quite to the point – very British, one might say! And Britain seen through
the songs of The Smiths has something of its own, something of that humor – dark
at times or nearly always - , something of that twist of straightforwardness as
well.
Their music has a specific genuine flow coming from the raw simplicity,
which is suggested by the very name picked to define the music band. What other
more ordinary British name than Smith? Still, The Smiths, as simple as they
might seem, brought poetry and artful guitar sound into the picture, turning
rock music into something more similar to what we hear nowadays. In one word,
they were the pioneers of the sound that dominates nowadays.
Still, there is a specific melodic attribute that is to be given not as
much to the sound as to the lyrics. Morrissey – the band's front man – has
never ceased to also be a writer. He definitely brought an undeniably unique
and unmistakable element to the band not only due to his performance, but also
to his talent in writing lyrics. 'There is a light that never goes out' with
Morrissey charming the audiences…
The song 'There's a light that never goes out' is from the album The Queen is Dead. There is an
undeniable legacy that Morrissey carried on from his previous punk experiences.
But, at the same time, there is a legacy that the Manchester band carried
forward, as they made music and sang for and from the everyday life experiences
of the simple and unpretentious, of those called 'the common people', still
dignified by frankness and honesty. And it is precisely this honesty
trans-passing the music made by The Smiths that politicized their music when
the case, singing for and in the name of all those affected by Thatcherism and
harsh policies affecting precisely the simple people in Britain.
The band did not have a long-living life as they dismantled in 1987,
only five years after getting together as a group. There were also some
disputes taken to court concerning the royalties. No harm done, though! The
strong and leading former members went on with their careers. The most well
known ones remain Johnny Marr (the guitarist of The Smiths) and Morrissey, who
went on with an independent career that brought him much reward for his talent
and hard work, as well as the public acclaim that he seemed to have always been
looking forward to, as he both is and he's being regarded as one of the most
influential artists of today.
UK is known for a
million of things but if you are less than 25 years old and you crave for
alternative rock music you certainly know Britain for its rock festivals too,
the Glastonbury Festival and Reading and Leeds Festival among others. It is
there where tens of thousands of youth from all around Europe gather annually
to drink… as much as they can (beer is the predominant type of alcoholic drink)
while losing themselves to the ecstatic rhythms of rock music. If you want to
take a taste of the festival’s history then I would recommend Julian Temple’s
documentary Glastonbury.
Since 2005, when
the documentary was shot, many more artists have brought waves of enthusiasm to
young music enthusiasts. Given the fact that last year the festival was not
held due to the London Summer Olympics something tells me that many are already
impatiently waiting for this year’s big rock party! Apart from these
gigantic festivals though, there are many more festivals of smaller size in
many parts of the island. For example, on the 5th of May The Big Beach Ball takes place in
Aberdeen, Scotland. Who would say no to some fine rock tunes by the beach in
Scotland? Surely not anyone that wishes to stay updated with the latest trends
of alternative music and hipster attitudes! The festival takes
place at the legendary Beach Ballroom, a beautiful art deco building ran by the
Aberdeen City Council. Bands like The Beatles, The Small Faces, Pink Floyd and
Cream have performed in the Beach Ballroom in the – not so remote – past. In
case you want to grab a taste of a temple of rock ‘n’ roll that continues to
rock till today, then book your Travelodge hotel in Aberdeen as soon as possible, not to somehow miss your
chance to party!
Miaoux Miaoux
This year, a number
of international DJ’s and Scottish groups will perform at the Big Beach Ball
including Inner City, Octave One, The Xcerts, Miaoux Miaoux (nice name, eh!?),
Lockah, the Little Kicks, Nevada Base and Marionettes, among other fancy
choices. What is more, DJ Jackmaster in particular, is expected to set fire to
around 3.000 people with the latest dance hits.
The festival is
organized for the second year in a row. One might argue that The Big Beach Ball is a relatively new
festival, but surely is an ambitious and up to date one! Not to mention that it
is much less 'sweaty' than Glastonbury! Plus, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to
decide to stay some more in Aberdeen and discover the city, which is, after
all, one of Scotland’s biggest cities. Maybe a good idea would have also been
for a festival to be held inside a Scottish castle; just imagine… the aura of a
remote medieval past combined with rock ‘n’ roll tunes and endless amount of
beers! Hic! However, now, that I am thinking of it, I could also do with that
legendary Beach Ballroom. After all, it is not bad at all to step on the footsteps
of The Beatles!
