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Are you and your friends currently considering taking a holiday in the UK? Although the largest numbers of visitors to the UK decide to stay in famous places like London, others would rather take a vacation in Scotland. In the article below I introduce the Isle of Harris and why it makes such a fantastic vacation destination.

Though London may be home to some of the most highly interesting museums and galleries in the whole of Great Britain  together with some of the most widely known tourist attractions  the capital city will not appeal to all types of visitor.

Some tourists have a preference for vacations which are more relaxing and other folk would rather have more exciting vacations such as sports vacations. Interestingly the island of Harris, in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, appeals both types of visitor.

Like a great many other people sun bathing on the beach for the whole of my summer vacation is not my thing. Don’t get me wrong, I often spend time relaxing on a sunny beach, and Harris certainly is home to some of the most astounding beaches in Scotland (and Britain), but, I also like to visit other places on my vacation. I like to soak in the atmosphere, I also like to experience the local culture and especially enjoy sampling the food. If the truth be known each year I like to experience something new and I go to great lengths attempting to discover something or somewhere wholly unique and different. This is the most likely reason why I enjoy visiting the Hebrides island named the Isle of Harris and why I regularly choose to hire self catering houses on Harris.

One of the most common factors in attracting visitors to the Isle of Harris is to enjoy the islands landscape and culture. The Harris culture has, throughout history been incredibly influenced by the Celtic, Norse, English and Scottish races. Nowadays in general most folk speak in the Gaelic language and though many speak English, it is commonly their second language. The Harris folk are amongst the friendliest on our planet and the hospitality is known across the globe. The Isle of Harris folk are very proud of the breathtaking beauty of the island and go to great lengths to keep the island tidy and clean so it is immensely important clean up after yourself.

It is vitally important that you remember that rubbish doesn’t just make the place appear a mess it is also incredibly dangerous to wild creatures.

A further important point to learn is that the roads on the Isle of Harris are not the same as elsewhere in Scotland or the UK in some areas you will need to traverse single track roads and you will need to know how to use passing places to safely let oncoming traffic past and also let traffic from behind to pass too. Just keep it in mind that you come to a halt on the left hand side of the road. If you are faced with an extremely large vehicle wishing to get past and the passing place is on the right hand side of the road you may carefully pull over into to it to let the said vehicle pass more easily but be careful not to drive off the edge of the road too much.

I hope that artcile above sufficiently interests you in taking a short break on Harris. Many visitors the Scotland’s Western Isles decide to stay in two places. There are a small number of other islands to visit including North Uist, South Uist and Lewis. Why not consider staying in a self catering house on Harris for a week and then stay in a room in a North Uist hotel or a hotel on South Uist for the rest of your holiday?

Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, must be one of the least visited and most misrepresented cities of South America. There aren’t even many destination guides available for the city, it is sometimes hard to get your hands on one, and it’s even more difficult to find a destination guide for gay men or women.

It is likely that the first European who visited the site where Asuncion was eventually founded was a certain Juan de Ayolas. He was looking for a passage to the mines of Bolivia, and traveled up the river Paraguay. Unfortunately he was killed by the Payagua on his return trip. Juan de Salazar was then dispatched to look for him (in vain). In August 1537 De Salazar visited the location of the present-day Asuncion and made the decision to found a fort there. He called it Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion.

A city soon developed around the fort from where explorers went on to found other cities in the region, including Buenos Aires, Santa Cruz (in Bolivia) and Santa Fe. Asuncion is therefore one of the oldest cities in Latin America and is also the area in the river Plate Basin that has been continually inhabited for a longer period than any other.

Asuncion is located next to the river Paraguay. The old part of the city, including the harbor, looks out over the Bay of Asuncion. This is a natural harbor and from here numerous boats sail up the River Paraguay to outlying destinations – including Brazil.

For those who love charm and character – this part of the city offers it in abundance. It has an assortment of beautifully restored colonial buildings as well as some art nouveau architecture. A short trip down Palma (the main street) will introduce you to many of the delights of Asuncion: you will no doubt be approached by one or more vendors selling chipa – the delicious Paraguayan bread made from corn flour or manioc; you will also no doubt hear traditional Paraguayan harp music emerging from the doorways of various stores and everywhere you will be able to buy the Nanduti lace for which Paraguay is famous.

Staying at the atmospheric old Hotel Armele is an experience in itself. You will have a view across the harbor and the Bay of Asuncion from most rooms. The evergreen Chaco on the other side of the river stretches as far as the eye can see.

South Americans have a passion for music – and at night Asuncion comes alive with many music venues where you can listen to live music. Traditional Paraguayan music is very popular – as is modern English and Spanish rock. The city also has a large variety of restaurants to cater for every taste.

Make your way to the east of the town and you will be totally astounded at it’s modern buildings and opulent Villas. The two main arterials namely; Avenida Espana and Avenida Mariscal Lopez connect to this area which is known as Villa Morra. Here you’ll find glitzy shopping malls and upmarket coffee shops and restaurants. If it’s culinary delights you are after, then you need not look any further than Asuncion. The locals are excellent chefs and their food is prepared in such varieties that it’s truly a feast for the eye. You can also catch a movie at many of their multi-screen cinemas. If it’s orchestral music or a ballet you are after then the Paraguayan National Bank Theater offers concerts on a regular basis.

The city has a large number of hotels to suit all pockets. Budget hotels cluster around Plaza Uruguay, while near Plaza de los Heroes there are a number of four- and five star hotels.

Destination guides for Asuncion are difficult to find. We recommend that you print this page and keep it for reference purposes.

Consider Nottingham and nearly all visitors remember the legend of Robin Hood, his merry men and the Sherrif of Nottingham and even though the story attracts many people year after year there is a great deal more to Nottingham and Nottinghamshire than your would think. Infact Nottingham has a respectable collection of fantastic local attractions making it a superb place for a family vacation and the article below discusses the city and a small selection of attractions in and around Nottingham, including some establishments offering Nottingham B&B.

The city of Nottingham is found in the county of Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands, England, UK. As well as the legend of Sir Robin Hood, Nottingham is also strongly associated with the  industry especially during the period known as the Industrial Revolution when it gained a superb worldwide reputation.

The Lace Market, Nottingham

Once the center of the world’s lace industry, at the peak of the British Empire, the Lace Market is, now, a protected heritage area. The area  is home to a great many fantastic examples of 19th Century industrial architecture. The market wasn’t like a normal market area, rather than featuring stalls and salesmen, it featured a number of warehouses and salesrooms selling and displaying lace. After the decline in the lace industry the area suffered terribly however, nowadays, the majority of the fine warehouses have been restored for other purposes for instance photographic studios and similar. The Lace Market in Nottingham is a popular visitor attraction.

Galleries of Justice & Shire Hall

Near to the Lace Market you will discover the Galleries of Justice situated in Shire Hall. Shire Hall is a Georgian building which features Neoclassical columns, pilasters and dome. The facade has, if you look at it closely, a spelling mistake Goal rather than Gaol. The Hall has 2 superbly preserved Victorian courtrooms plus a women’s prison, bath house, old cells, an Edwardian police station and a prisoner’s exercise yard.

Nottingham is a fantastic place to have a vacation. You will find plenty to see and do around the city and a massive selection of visitor attractions nearby. Nearby places to visit include; Newstead Abbey, Hardwick Hall and Wollaton Hall.

As is common in all England B&B, Nottingham accommodation is commonly of superb quality at a reasonable cost and many visitors choose to stay in Nottingham for only part of their vacation and then elsewhere for the remaining nights.

The Western Isles/Outer Hebrides are a group of more than four hundred islands lying off the north west coast of Scotland.  The islands of the Inner and Outer Hebrides have been inhabited since the Mesolithic times and throughout history the culture and way of life has been powerfully influenced by numerous different races and today the Hebridean culture is a mix of Norse, Celtic, Scottish and English influences. In general most people speak in the Gaelic language and though many speak English, it is often their second language. Not that long ago visits to the Outer Hebrides/Western Isles were only for rich people and those people who had plenty of time. Nowadays it is much to travel to the Hebrides, it is possible to travel by car and boat or take a flight to a choice of airports on the islands. Sadly you are unable to get all of the way by train though you can travel to the coast and then travel by coach for the remainder of the trip. Sometimes the only problem that can occur is arranging accommodation especially if  you are in need of Harris accommodation for groups which is more often than not booked up twelve months in advance.

One of the main reasons people visit the Outer Hebrides/Western Isles is that the the culture and landscape of the islands are interestingly unique.  Dotted along the south west coast of the Isle of Harris you will discover some of the most stunningly beautiful beaches of golden sand in the whole of Scotland, and it could be said the whole of Britain. Here and there you will discover a standing stone on Harris however it is on Lewis that you will discover the best standing stones at Calanais not a huge distance from Stornoway the only town in the Western Isles/Outer Hebrides. The standing stones at Calanais is said to be second only to England’s Stonehenge.

Deciding whether to stay on the Isle of Lewis or the Isle of Harris is often difficult and more and more folk are deciding to spend a short time on both. B&B accommodation on Lewis is often more readily available than Isle of Harris accommodation, so it is best to book well in advance.

Bed & breakfast accommodation in Stornoway is far less of a problem to find but to be certain book well in advance. Nearly all accommodation in the Hebrides is high quality and the hospitality is unbeatable and the people helpful and friendly.

Besides the Isles of Lewis and Harris there are a small number of other isles that are relatively easy to visit. The most commonly visited are North and South Uist, Barra and Benbecula and a ferry can be caught which runs from North Uist to the Isle of Harris at Leverburgh on South Harris.

Asuncion is the capital city of Paraguay. It is also one of the unexplored gems of South American travel. For some reason the city has not been discovered by mainstream tourists yet and it might even be hard to find destination guides for Paraguay at your local bookstore, and it’s even more difficult to find specialty resources such as a gay destination guide.

The location where Asuncion is situated today was most likely visited by the Spanish conqueror Juan de Ayolas n the 16th century. He was searching for a way to get to the silver mines of Bolivia. He was eventually killed by the aborigines on one of his return trips. Later, a Senor Juan de Salazar was dispatched to search for his lost countrymen, but alas this was in vein. It was the year 1537 when Senor De Salazar visited the present day location and decided to build a fort. He called it Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion.

It wasn’t long after the erection of the fort that word got out and it soon became an important base to explore from – both Bolivia’s Santa Cruz and Argentina’s Buenos Aires were founded by expeditions that left from Asuncion. Hence the name “the mother of cities”.

The city is situated on the banks of the river Paraguay. The old city overlooks the Bay of Asuncion, a natural harbor from where many boats leave to destinations as far away as Brazil.

The old city around the harbor, including the main street (Avenida Palma), is a decaying old place with lots of charm and character. As you stroll past the many quaint artisan’s shops you start to feel it’s heartbeat and very quickly you will be intoxicated by the smells and sounds of Asuncion. Soon you will be offered chipa bread – which is famous in this part of the world. You will want to stop and explore the beautiful lace articles on display, like Nanduti spiderweb lace for which Paraguay is well known.

Asuncion has many stately old hotels like The Grand Armele and the Asuncion Palace, both situated downtown near the harbor. The Armele offers spectacular views looking across the bay and the river. The evergreen Chaco on the other side of the river stretches as far as the eye can see.

Because of it’s heat in the summer months, the locals tend to frequent its many restaurants, bars, night clubs and open air festivals at night. Paraguayans love music and sing spontaneously in the streets. It’s not strange to hear a group of people walking and singing their favorite songs.

In the eastern part of Asuncion you will find Villa Morra – an upmarket neighborhood with fancy shopping malls and large Spanish villas. All the malls have food courts with a variety of local and international food available. Multi-screen cinemas are the order of the day. This is also where you will find the modern concert hall established by the Paraguayan National Bank with regular classical music concerts.

Asuncion has hotels in all price ranges. The cheaper ones tend to center around Plaza Uruguay. There are several five star hotels in the vicinity of Plaza de los Heroes.

Destination guides for Asuncion are difficult to find. We recommend that you print this page and keep it for reference purposes.