London – 4 Days

The Original City Bus Tour City Bus Hop on Hop off Tour on the yellow route will take you around London’s most famous

sights: Buckingham Palace Big Ben The Houses of Parliament Downing Street

The London Dungeon Tower Bridge

The Tower of London

Here the different route maps and shows where you can hop on and hop off the bus at different points of interest.

Website: http://www.theoriginaltour.com/

Fish and ChipsIt is simply a classic British favourite served with mushy peas.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is a working building and the centrepiece of Britain’s constitutional monarchy. It has served as the official London residence of Britain’s sovereigns since 1837 and today it houses the offices of those who support the day – to – day activities and duties of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh and their immediate family. One of the highlights of visiting is to see the changing of the guards that gets scheduled based on operational or ceremonials duties.

Westminster Abbey

The Westminster Abbey has been a part of many important events within the British history. Kings, queens, statesmen and soldiers; poets, priests, heroes and villains have been to this 700 year old building and today it welcomes over one million people to explore the Abbey. This was also the place where the 2011 Royal Wedding took place while the world watched.

The London Eye

The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel that was erected in 1999 and was the world’s tallest Ferris wheel. Today it is described as “the world’s tallest cantilevered observation wheel” that offers

the highest public viewing point in the city until last year. It is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom with over 3.5 million visitors annually.

Punting on the Cam

Pleasure punts were not introduced to Cambridge wasn’t until 1902 – 1904, and because very popular on the river. A punt is a flat – bottomed boat with a square - cut bow that are designed for use in small rivers or other shallow. This is why I became popular in the Cambridge River and it has beautiful scenery surrounding it.

Tower of London

The Tower of London or Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress is a historic castle that was founded towards the end of 1066 part of the Norman Conquest of England. Today the museum offers you the

opportunity to discover the history of the royal palace, an armoury and powerful fortress. Googling over the priceless Crown Jewels; join the iconic Beefeater on tour and hear their bloody tales, learn from the legend of the Tower’s Ravens and so much more.

Caroline Hope – Traditional Afternoon Tea Party Baking

Taking this class you learn the traditional baking skills for hosting an English Tea Party. After getting back to the basics with baking the lesson will end with a tea party where you can taste your creations, complemented by sandwiches, clotted cream, jams and a selection of superior teas.

The Lion King

The Lion King musical is based on the 1994 Disney animated film that is set against the majesty of the Serengeti Plains to the evocative rhythms of Africa. Julie

Taymor brought her extensive experience staging epic theatre, opera productions, exploring classic myths through puppetry, mask and movement. She made Broadway history by becoming the first women to win the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical. It is performed at the Lyceum Theatre, originally opened in 1830’s.

London Zoo

The London Zoo was open on April 27, 1882 originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. Today it is the world’s oldest scientific zoo that holds a collection of 755 species of animals making it one of the largest collections in the United Kingdom.

I chose these different attractions and activities because these are all things are associated with London. This will give us a better appreciation for all the London has to offer. It also gave us the chance to go to see where Duchess Kate and Prince William got married, which was such a publicized event that will be something that will be talked about for years to come just like Princess Diane and Prince Charles’s wedding. It will give us a taste of what London has to offer for food and it will show us the theater scene that is world renowned. Starting the trip with an open tour bus would give us an idea of the city and what it looks like. It is interesting to see how they do bus tours. Hopefully we will learn new ways and strategies to bring back to Nova Scotia. Learning how to make tea biscuits and cookies would be such a special experience that is also done here in Nova Scotia and it would be another good experience and give us a better understanding how they do their food experiences and things we could improve on or differently from that to apply to our experiences.

Iceland – 4 Days

The Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa is a man – made lagoon that is fed by the water output of the nearby geothermal power plant and is renewed every two days. The superheated water is vented from the ground near a lava flow and uses to run turbines that generate electricity. It

operates a research and development facility to help find cures for other skin ailments using the mineral – rich water. It is one of the most visited attractions in Iceland.

Whale Watching

There are many whale watching tours offered all throughout Iceland. Each company offers the opportunity to see 23 different types of whales, and many other animals in their natural habitat from the comfort of their boat.

The Golden Circle

The Golden Circle is a popular tourist route where you can find yourself exploring the national park Þingvellir, the waterfall Gullfoss, and the geothermal active valley of Haukadalur.

The Secret Kitchen

Salt Eldhús is a company that will take you to a surprise location at a local home and treat you to a four course meal. That will be comprised of the freshest available ingredients and present it glamorously. They will also arrange for local people or artists to show up to engage in conversation with you.

The Northern Lights Hunt

There are many tours that offer you a trip to see the Northern Lights, this one feature takes you around Reykjavik in a 4X4 truck and bring you to the picture perfect spots. The tour in total is 4 – 5 hours and you will be able to warm up with some hot chocolate or tea.

Inside the Volcano

The dormant Thrihnukagigur volcano has been opened to the public to allow them to experience it. The tour involves a 40 – 50 minute hike then you descend 120 meters/400 feet to the bottom of the crater in an open cable lift. With this tour company they treat you to traditional Icelandic meat soup, coffee/tea and some sweets as well.

I choose these activities for Iceland because I feel like these really show us the cultural and history of Iceland. Besides how many people can say that they went into a volcano, it is only open to the public for a short amount of time. I really think the 4 course meal in a local’s house would be the most interesting. It would really give you the local perspective on everything and anything. Plus it is a nice casual way to integrate with them and try out some local cuisine. We can’t go to Iceland and not go in the Blue Lagoon; it is like their rite of passage.

Portugal Lisbon – 2 Days

Jeronimos Monastery

Jeronimos Monastery is the resting place of explorer Vasco da Gama is a church that was built in 1500’s and is listed as a World Heritage Site. It is a great monument to the

Age of Discovery and an example of the Manueline style of Architecture. It was founded by Kind Manuel in celebration of and funded by successful Portuguese voyages around the world.

Ericeira Ericeria is a seaside resort/fishing community that has beautiful beaches.

Painting Azulejos

Most art you will find around the world is expressed on canvas, the Portuguese made theirs on tiles, called Azulejos. With the style and method of creation of this art dating back more than 500 years. This handicraft is all about making useful decorative things with your hands, using the traditional devices. With this company you get to experience painting your own Azulejos and take your one of a kind souvenir back home.

Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Stand Up Paddle Boarding is one of the new hot watersports around, it is a fun new easy way to play in the water. It is great

because you aren’t restricted to the sea, but can be practised on rivers and lakes anywhere. It also allows you to enjoy excellent views of everything that’s happening around you.

Alfama

Taking the Tram 28 through the Alfama neighbourhood is a must. It was founded long ago with history that dates back to the Moors. It is characteriszed by the narrow, winding streets and feature popular attractions like St. George’s Castle and the Sé Cathedral.

I picked these places and experiences for Lisbon because I think that it encouraged self-exploration within each activity. I picked to travel to Ericeria because it is a small fishing village and I feel like we are able to easily relate to it and could learn a lot from it. Painting the Azulejos not only gives you a unique experience into their native craft but it enables you to bring a visual story home to share that craft. I also picked the stand-up paddle boating because it said that it had beautiful beaches for surfing which I don’t think I would be comfortable at trying. Therefore I thought stand – up paddle boating would be a safer and easier alternative.

Madrid – 2 Days

Mercado de San Miguel

The Mercado de San Miguel is a market that is a historic and monumental place. It is full of the best merchants, professionals, experts and enthusiasts in their field. It offers a wide range in activities including courses, presentations, trade shows, tastings and casual meals.

Palacio Real

The Royal Palace of Madrid is the official residence of His Majesty the King of Spain. It was built in the 18th century by order of Philip V, today it is used for

ceremonial and reception purposes. The Palace is filled with furniture, tapestries, paintings, ceramics and other important works of art.

Cardamomo Tablao Flamenco

“The Cardamomo Tablao Flamenco unites a dance that blooms from natural expression of feelings with the viewer’s experience of his or her own inner emotion”. Flamenco dancing in Madrid can be traced back to the gypsies and the purists to this day still believe they are the only ones that can truly understand and create Flamenco.

Plaza de Santa Ana

The Plaza de Santa Ana is a lively square in the heart of historic Madrid where you can find many popular cafes and bars at and around the square. It was laid out in the 19th century during the short reign of Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon’s Bother.

Madrid Walking Tapas Tours

Walking Tapas Tour is a way to explore old, historic Madrid at night, visiting restaurants and tapas bars. This gives you the opportunity to indulge in real Spanish gourmet food and wines, and meeting like – minded people. A sample tour visits four traditional bars or restaurants to try authentic Spanish delicacies such as

chorizo in cider, octopus from Galicia, cider from Asturias, sherry from Andalusia and other regional specialities.

I picked these activities to do for our class while in Madrid because I think that they give us a unique look into their culture in many different ways. The market and the tapas really dive into the traditional dishes of Madrid but it also shows the art and passion for the food. The flamenco dancing shows another form of art that they practice in. I think learning about the market allows us to bring more ideas back to Nova Scotia to further improve our different markets that we have here.