Get These Ireland Spots On Your Bucket List!

Get Artsy at the National Gallery of Ireland

If you have an interest in the visual arts, the National Gallery of Ireland should be right at the top of your “must visit” list on a trip to Dublin. The impressive museum holds over 15,000 items, and you’ll be able to find paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, and more inside. There are works from all over Europe, including art work from Monet, Caravaggio, and Rembrandt. This is also a budget conscious way to spend an afternoon as the audio guides that will take you around the museum’s permanent collection are totally free.

Walk Out to Inishkeel Island

Just off the coast of County Donegal, you can find an island called Inishkeel island, and at low tide a tidal bank is created so that you can actually walk across to the island. This isn’t just a quaint thing to do, the island is actually fascinating, and houses the ruins of a 6th century ancient Christian settlement. You can also discover the ruins on two churches and a graveyard. Just be sure to make it off the island while the tidal bank still exists!

Feel Dublin’s Creativity at the Irish Design Shop

Dublin is definitely one of the most traditional capital cities in the world, and most people don‘t visit the city for its cutting edge design, but this is not to say that Dublin doesn’t have a creative scene. It most certainly does, and you can feel the force of that incredible creative spirit at the Irish Design Shop. It is the ideal place to go souvenir shopping for something that’s a little out of the ordinary, and you’ll find original works in ceramics, textiles, glassware, jewellery, and furniture from up and coming designers around the country.

Take in a Show at Cork Opera House

If you find yourself in the beautiful city of Cork and at a loss as to what to do in the evening time, a trip to the Cork Opera House could be just what you are looking for. This is probably the main performance space in Cork, and it has a long history that dates back to 1855 when its doors first opened. These days, you can find all kinds of performances on the stage of the Opera House so whether you would like to see a grand opera, a contemporary musical, or an elegant ballet, there will be something in the programme for you.

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Ireland: Try Out Something New on Your Next Travel Adventure

Warm Your Bones With a Bowl of Guinness Stew

Irish food is all about comfort and warming your bones from the inside out. We can’t think of anything more comforting than a piping hot bowl of Guinness Stew. This stew is typically slow cooked with big hulks of beef, root vegetables, and, of course, Guinness, which gives the dish richness and depth. There are endless places where you can try a bowlful in Ireland, but we recommend the Brazen Head (the oldest pub in the country!), The Quays, and Arthur’s Pub for the best Guinness stew in Dublin.

Learn Something New at the Cork Butter Museum

When you spread Irish butter on your toast for the first time and then take a bite, you will be wondering how Irish butter has managed to escape you for all these years. Of course, the best way of becoming acquainted with the good stuff is by eating it, but you can also learn more about local butter at the Cork Butter Museum. Inside, you can find lots of artefacts and documents that tell the story of butter trade in Ireland over the course of its history and right up to the present day.

Get to Grips with the Ireland’s Literary History

Dublin is world famous on the literary scene. Many Dubliners, such as James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, and WB Yeats, have created some of the best loved works of literature ever written. To learn more about the Irish literary tradition, head straight to the Dublin Writers’ Museum. As you tour the 18th century mansion, you can explore the lives and works of the writers through manuscripts, personal letters, their personal objects, and their books. Guided tours are also available.

Ride a Horse at the Slieve Aughty Riding Centre

There are numerous ways to explore the beautiful countryside of Ireland, but none is quite as special as mounting a horse and viewing this green land on horseback. There are numerous places where you can take a horse ride in Ireland, but we are particularly fond of the Slieve Aughty Riding Centre, which is set across 17 acres of land in County Galway. Whether you want to book a scenic ride for the afternoon or stay for a while and have a horse riding holiday, the choice is yours.

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What To Take Home from India

Shawls in Kullu

As you walk around the streets of India, something that may grasp your attention is the beautiful shawls worn by many of the women. Of course, these are not difficult to find in many shops and bazaars around the country, but if you want something extra special, we can recommend paying a trip to Kullu in Himachal Pradesh. Kullu shawls tend to be crafted from warm yak’s wool, and the designs are often geometric with bright colours.

Back Spices From Fort Cochin

Fort Cochin is an Indian city with a European feel, with many cafes dotted along the streets. This is partly because of the European influence here, as it’s in Fort Cochin that the Portuguese used to trade spices. Kochi is still enormously important for the spice trade today, and you’ll notice this as soon as your lungs breathe in the spice filled air. A trip to the ginger factory is well worth your time, and this town is definitely the places to purchase spices for taking back home.

Sadar Bazaar

As you walk around the streets of India, you are bound to be mesmerised by all the incredible colours, sights, and smells, and, of course, you will want to take a little part of that back home with you. For us, one of the best places for shopping is always going to be a traditional bazaar, and we particularly like the Sadar Bazaar in Delhi. This is very much a local market so not everything will be a souvenir, but keep looking and we’re sure you’ll find something cool to take home with you.

Floating Vegetable Market of Srinigar

When you think of floating markets in Asia, you would probably first think of Thailand and Vietnam, and while floating markets aren’t a huge part of Indian culture, they can be found, and we really like the floating market that’s located in Srinigar on Dal Lake. The land that surrounds the lake is particularly fertile, and so you can pretty much guarantee that everything sold in the boats is of a really high quality.

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Travel to Discover More About China's Culture and History

Take in a Show at the National Centre for Performing Arts

After strolling the streets of Beijing all day, you no doubt want to relax and have some fun when it comes to the evening time, and we think one of the best options for an unforgettable Beijing evening it to take in a show at the National Centre for Performing Arts. This totally spectacular and futuristic looking theatre has a titanium dome, and stages performances such as opera shows, ballets, dances, symphony concerts, and more besides. Be sure to keep up to date with their programme!

Watch a Show at the Shanghai Grand Theatre

If you find yourself in the city of Shanghai without something to do in the evening time, it can be a great idea to take in a performance at the beyond incredible Shanghai Grand Theatre. The theatre is so beautiful that it functions as a tourist attraction as a piece of architecture alone, but the shows you can see inside are just as enticing. You can find anything from European symphonies to traditional Chinese operas, and many other types of performance besides.

Discover Tibetan Culture in Shangrila

Unfortunately, it can be really quite difficult to get permission from the Chinese authorities to enter Tibet on a tourist trip, but if you don’t manage to secure permission, fear not because you can still discover some traditional Tibetan culture in the town of Shangrila in the Yunnan province. In the old town, you can visit a few temples, and there is also surrounding countryside that you can explore either on foot or with a rented bicycle.

Visit a Stunning Orthodox Church in Harbin

As you travel around China, you will, of course, spot more than a couple of temples. While churches are a far less common sight, there is some truly stunning church architecture to be discovered around the country. One of the most beautiful churches is called Saint Sofia Cathedral in a small city called Harbin. The church was built following the construction of the trans-Siberian railway, when there were 100,000 Russian people living in the city of Harbin. Looking at the church, you could be forgiven for thinking you are in St Petersburg.

Visit China’s Oldest Water Town

Zhouzhuang is otherwise known as the Venice of the East, because this ancient village is China’s oldest water town. The ancient town has a history that extends back in time for more than 900 years, and it still retains the look and feel of those times gone by. It is possible to take a canal tour on small boats while the people on the boats sing traditional songs to you – a beautiful way of exploring a beautiful part of China.

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Great "Eats" in China

Chow Down on Steamed Chinese Buns

One of the most quintessential Chinese foods that you should eat as much of as you can on your trip is the humble steamed bun, otherwise known as baozi in China. While much of Chinese food is regional, the good news is that you’ll pretty much be able to find these wherever you are in the country. Of course, as the Chinese capital, Beijing is the place to find anything and everything, and for our money, the best place for a fluffy steamed bun filled with meat is always from simple street carts in the capital.

Enjoy an Authentic Chinese BBQ in Xi’an

If you are on the hunt for comfort food, you are in the right place, because China is a country that has comfort food in spades, and what could be more comforting than a good old fashioned barbecue? While barbecue is something that you can find right across the country, we think that it’s particularly great in the Xi’an, where there are tonnes of restaurants dedicated to grilled meats. It’s here that you’ll also find delicious lamb, which is not so popular in other parts of the country.

Eat at the Lanzhou Night Market

Almost as soon as you arrive in China, you will discover that the local people absolutely love a market, and a night market even more. These are places to socialise with friends, enjoy the summer weather, eat some wonderful street food, and make other purchases. One of our favourite night markets in the country is the Lanzhou Night Market. This is a great place to have a truly local experience, meet some local Chinese people, and share a meal and a few drinks on the street.

Start Your Day With a Bowl of Congee

As the saying goes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and never is this statement truer than when you are travelling and you need fuel for all the sightseeing you’ll be doing in China. If you really want to have breakfast like a local, skip the buttered toast and opt for a steaming bowl of congee instead. Congee is essentially a porridge made from rice, but instead of eating it with fruit and honey as you would at home, congee is served up with ingredients such as chicken, pork, and pickled vegetables.

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Travel Guide: Food Tripping in China

Tuck Into an Authentic Sichuan Hot Pot

On a trip to China, your idea of Chinese food will be totally flipped on its head, and if you like your food spicy, you need to make sure that you travel to the Sichuan region, where the local people like their food packed with spice and heat. In this region, Sichuan Hot Pot is by far the most famous and most delicious dish. As the name would suggest, this is a simmering pot full of ingredients, and the most important ingredient of them all is the fiery hot Sichuan pepper.

Go Dumpling Crazy at Mr Shi’s Dumplings

Beijing is a city that seems to have been made with foodies in mind. On every street you’ll find street vendors, small local restaurants, and fancy places to eat too. So much choice can be overwhelming, but we’re going to make it so much easier for you by telling you that you absolutely need to make at least one stop for lunch at Mr Shi’s Dumplings. As the name would suggest, all that’s served up are dumplings, either with pork, vegetables, or shrimp inside. They are cheap and incredibly moreish.

Try the Street Yoghurts of Beijing

As you walk along the streets of Beijing, your senses will be overloaded by all the different types of food on offer on the streets. One food that you’ll no doubt notice again and again is yoghurt served in small glass jars. Although you wouldn’t think of yoghurt as being typically Chinese, these are hugely popular in Beijing. The yoghurt is drunk there and then on the street and the glass is then returned to the street stall. It’s thick like a milkshake but much tangier. Ultra delicious.

Sip on Tea atMaliandao Tea Market

It is no secret that the Chinese love their tea, and indeed, much of the tea that we drink in the West is actually grown in the tea plantations of China. This makes China an extra special place to go tea shopping, and the ultimate place for this is Maliandao Tea Market in Beijing. As well as many varieties of tea, you can find teacups, tea saucers, tea sets, and other beautiful porcelain items that you wouldn’t find at home

Eat Dinner on the 91st Floor of the Shanghai World Financial Centre

There’s certainly no shortage of incredible dining opportunities throughout China, but one of the most special would have to be dinner at the Dining Room of the Park Hyatt in Shanghai. The reason why dining here is something extra special is because the restaurant is located on the 91st floor of the Shanghai World Financial Centre, and as you eat, you will have the most spectacular view of the whole city illuminated at night.

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A Lovely and Exceptional Day in Japan

Eat in a 3 Star Michelin Restaurant in Hiroshima

People mostly visit Hiroshima for the cultural and historic attractions, but you’ll need to eat while you’re there too! And if you are in the mood to treat yourself, you can’t do any better than the 3 star Michelin restaurant, Nakashima. It’s kaiseki food that is served up here, which is traditional Japanese multi-course fare. There is no a la carte choice, but a tasting menu of various dishes, which is a great way of exploring lots of Japanese food in one sitting. The highlight is Matsutake mushrooms served with pike eel.

Learn How to Roll Your Own Sushi

While you are in Japan, there is absolutely no doubt that you will be chowing down on plenty of sushi for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But wouldn’t it be impressive if you could actually learn how to make sushi for authentic Japanese dinner parties back at home? The Tokyo Sushi Academy is absolutely the place to pick up this skill. Classes are both educational and fun, and you’ll learn how to make different types of sushi such as California rolls and Nigiri.

Watch the Autumn Leaves Change Colour on Miyajima Island

Miyajima Island is said to be the island where God dwells, and it’s one of the most scenic places in all of Japan. Without a doubt, the most spectacular time of year to visit the island is during the autumn time. In fact, there is a park called Shukkei-en, where a Maple festival is held every October, specifically to behold the beautiful red and russet tones of the leaves on the island.

Get a Stellar View of Osaka at the Top of the Umeda Sky Building

The Umeda Sky Building may not be the tallest structure in Osaka, but believe us when we say it has the very best observation deck. The deck is actually a bridge that connects two parts of the building, and the deck is a donut shape so that you can get a 360 degree panorama of the city. As it’s totally exposed, the winds there can be pretty strong, but it’s well worth braving the elements. From the deck’s high of 170 metres, you can even see as far as Awaji Island on a clear day.

Take Tea at Rikugien Garden

If you are looking for some peaceful respite from the bustle of Tokyo City, Rikugien is a park hidden away in the centre of the city. There are lawn areas, a flower garden, and a forest, but the highlight is the teahouse where you can experience an authentic Japanese tea ceremony, and take the time to replenish your body and mind with a few moments of peace and a steaming cup of green tea.

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Museums You Shouldn't Be Missed When In Dominican Republic

From the late 16th century, Cuba was the king of the cigar world. However, this changed following the Cuban Revolution and the subsequent US embargo that forced many cigar makers to immigrate to the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic is today the world’s largest cigar exporter, producing some of the finest and most famous cigar brands in the world. Some cigar aficionados believe that many of the cigars made in the Dominican Republic are superior in quality to their much more famous Cuban counterparts, as they offer a greater variety in aromas and colors.

Cultivated by the Taino Indians long before the arrival of the Spanish colonizers, tobacco is the oldest crop in the Dominican Republic, and Santiago is the main hub for receiving tobacco from the Cibao Valley where the crop is grown. Located in the town center of Santiago is El Museo del Tabaco, the tobacco museum at which you can learn all about the making of cigars in the Dominican Republic.

The museum is situated in a former Victorian cigar warehouse and features exhibits that include the tools used to form cigars, as well as fascinating old pictures. The distinctive museum displays a collection of art with exhibits that cover the usage of the crop dating back to the times of the Taino.

The tobacco museum is an ideal spot for cigar lovers and a great place to relax after a full day of exploring. At the museum, you not only learn about the art of cigar-making, but can also purchase some of the top brands in the country.

There is also a mock cigar room in which visitors can observe how some of the world’s finest tobacco is processed and rolled. Here you can watch the process of cigar-making from when the tobacco leaf is cut to when the cigar is rolled. If you desire a flavorful and unique Dominican cigar for your own pleasure or as a souvenir, you should definitely go here.

Museo Folklorico Yoryi

Morel Santiago de los Caballeros or just Santiago in short is located in the Cibao Valley. As the second-largest city of the Dominican Republic, Santiago has a thriving arts and culture scene. A good place to get a taste of this is at the Museo Folklorico Yoryi Morel.

Situated on Restauracion Street in the historic city center, Museo Folklorico Yoryi Morel is a museum that showcases the carnival culture of Santiago. Here you will find interesting designs of the “lechones”, the garments worn in the Santiago Province of the Dominican Republic during Carnaval. The museum also displays carnival costumes from other provinces.

The museum is named after Yoryi Morel, the late Dominican Republic painter who is regarded as one of the founders of the modernist school of Dominican painting. A native of Santiago, Morel was self-taught and is famous for his portraits, landscapes and genre paintings. The museum is situated in a pretty painted wooden house with columns at the front, and highlights the passion of Yoryi Morel for folklore.

Right from the doorstep, you can admire huge masks hanging from the walls, which immerse visitors into the carnival atmosphere. The eclectic museum collection comprises an amazing clutter of unusual, colorful personal objects that tell the story of the villages of Cibao Valley.

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The Magnificent Florence

No one who visits Florence is ever disappointed.  It is an amazing city and is also the birthplace of the Renaissance.  Set in the heart of Tuscany, Florence is the city that led Western Europe out of the darkness of the middle ages and into the light: a rebirth, a renaissance.  There's more artwork in this small and easily navigable city than you can possibly see in one day, but it's worth a try. 

There are frequent trains from Roma Termini to Firenze Santa Maria Novella, the train station that is within walking distance of the main tourist area in Florence.  The fastest trains take just an hour and a half, so if you leave Rome early in the morning, you will be able to spend a full day in Florence.

There are so many other museums in Florence!  The National Museum of Bargello has sculptures by Donatello, Michelangelo, and others; the Accademia Gallery houses one of the most famous sculptures in the word, David by Michelangelo.

The other important church in Florence is San Croce.  This church contains huge tombs of well-known people of the Renaissance, like Dante, Galileo, Machiavelli, Michelangelo, and many others. 

There are several other churches, like Santa Maria Novella and San Lorenzo, but let's move on to some other sites in Florence.

If you don't want to wait in line to see Michelangelo's original "David" in the Accademia Gallery, then head over to the Palazzo Vecchio.  This is a beautiful palace and a copy of "David" sits in front of the main door, the original location of the statue (the original was moved indoors to protect it from the elements).  Inside the Palazzo are many works of art including another sculpture by Michelangelo called "Genio della Vittoria."

Palazzo Vecchio, which means "Old Palace" in Italian, and the nearby Ponte Vecchio is the oldest and most famous bridge over the Arno River, and one of the few to survive World War II.  The bridge is lined with shops, most of which have traditionally been jewelry shops since the time of the Medici family which ruled Florence during the Renaissance.

There are so many other fantastic places to visit in Tuscany like Arezzo, Fiesole, Lucca, Lucignano, Pisa, San Gimignano, Siena and many others.  Include them in your list.

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Travel Guide: Places to Visit in Melbourne

Melbourne makes for a great base to explore Victoria’s manybeaches, ski resorts and the stunning natural wonders within her countryside. For adrenaline junkies there is hot air balloons to enjoy, hang gliding, mountain climbing, water activities and many others to get a thrill from.

St Kilda

Exuding a ‘shabby chic’ atmosphere, St Kilda is a popular former seaside town which is quite a harmonious blend of contrasts – on one hand it is quite a residential area but has an energetic party scene, has a stylish atmosphere but borders on being seedy. Fitzroy Street is St Kilda’s red light district and not really the place to be for single women. However, the waterfront is popular, especially with its beach and the long pier stretching across the water. The best way to see St Kilda is on the tram, which you can jump on at South Melbourne and Albert Park.

Como Historic House and Gardens

Como Historic House and Gardens is a sophisticated and grand white mansion which boasts beautiful views over the river. The mansion is a fusion of Regency and Italianate architecture and emphasizes the styles of properties created in the 19th century by rich landowners.

Brunswick Street

The center of Fitzroy is undoubtedly Brunswick Street. This area is where you will find a number of chic art galleries and performance centres, Spanish bars, charity stores, minority supermarkets, restaurants of all cuisine and cafes where artists, painters and writers etc. all hang out. This is definitely a place to wander around and soak up the unique and invigorating atmosphere.    

Richmond

One of the city’s oldest industrial sections, Richmond was initially a mixture of grand mansions, bars and tanners but by the beginning of the 20th century the elite had begun to move elsewhere. In the 1960s, there was a surge of Vietnamese, Greek and Italian immigrants who settled here with the development of several high rise apartment buildings. Today, it is a vibrant and colourful place to explore, close to the CBD district and features a range of bicycle and walking routes. 

Melbourne Zoo

Melbourne Zoo opened its doors to the public in 1862, the first of its kind in the entire country. Indeed, as you wander around you can see elements of its initial construction which includes plant life from all over the world. Some of the more popular attractions include the Orangutan House, the Gorilla Rainforest, the Asian Rainforest, the Trail of the Elephants, the Australian Area, the Great Flight Aviary, the Butterfly House and the Platypus House. On summer nights, the zoo stays open late and features live music.

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