Monday, February 27, 2017

Weston Super Mare - Somerset - England




My Travel Tales post today is another flashback but nowhere near as far back as some of my recent posts! It is a flashback to my Christmas 2016 trip to Somerset when on Boxing Day we made a trip down memory lane and visited Weston Super Mare somewhere none of us had been for years!






Weston-super-Mare is the biggest, and also one of the oldest resorts on the Somerset coast.

These resorts grew out of tiny fishing villages two hundred years ago, when the fashion in holidays and health cures changed from ‘taking the waters’ at inland spa towns like Bath, to sea bathing.

‘Weston-super-Mare’ sounds very grand, but it’s just medieval Latin for ‘Weston-on-Sea’, and that’s the most important thing about it.

The wonderful sweep of Weston Bay, with views over to Wales and down to Exmoor. It is a perfect huge space for many activities as it boasts the second highest tidal rise in the world and that’s why Weston-super-Mare has its piers.

Originally steamboat jetties, but then it was found that people just liked to walk out to sea on them just for fun. The Grand Pier was rebuilt in 2010 after suffering a fire.


The Pier provided me with interesting photo opportunities, not all shared here but lots of material for my photography blog. Very British and something that probably has not changed much over the years.

I hope you will enjoy your virtual visit today with the photos I have chosen to share.








Decking salvaged from the Grand Pier of  July 2008 has been recycled and used in various projects on the new pier. This includes seating on these land trains.








More Information about Weston-Super-Mare and the surrounding area can found by visiting the following links.

Trip Advisor    Visit Somerset    Wikipedia - Weston Super Mare

Thursday, February 9, 2017

World at Work 8 - Street Vendors and Delivery Men - Xian - China




Photos taken from my archives that due to the dramatic changes in my life when David became ill I have never shared here before. Travel Tales has always been an online scrapbook of my life adventures for myself as well as all the lovely people that follow me, so I hope you will not mind me going back in time for my latest World at Work post.

All these photos were taken during a trip to Xian ( the home of the Terracotta Army) in China and will give an idea of the hustle and bustle of this city.














More information about Xian can be found by following these links.  The first two are my own previous posts on this blog about my visit.     Xian Trip   and Faces on Friday - Xian

   Wikipedia - Xian       Xian - Travel China       China Highlights - Xian      Xian - Lonely Planet

   Trip Advisor - Top Ten Things to do in Xian

 

Friday, February 3, 2017

Faces On Friday - Hong Kong - Kowloon - Jade Market - Saleswoman

Jade Market - Kowloon - Hong Kong

The Jade Market in Hong Kong is always worth a visit. There are so many traders there that it can be very difficult to decide where, if you are going to purchase some jade, you should do so. My advice is avoid the pushy salespeople that do nothing except pester you and choose someone to buy from that you feel comfortable dealing with. I purchased from this lovely lady who was very friendly and helpful but not in a pushy way.

Jade has a very special meaning to the Chinese, it is considered a sacred stone that symbolizes purity and morality and stands for beauty and grace.

More Information about the Jade Market can be found by visiting the following links.

Jade Market - Hong Kong Traveller           Best of All Its In Hong Kong - Jade Market