#familytime – firstclasslounge.net

A couple of weeks ago after work, we drove to York with my husband to celebrate our first wedding anniversary.

York is located in North Yorkshire in England. It is a historic city that has a rich heritage and was part of major political events in England throughout the history of UK. It is also a popular tourist destination for millions and, nowadays, tourism is an important element of the local economy.

The city was founded by the Romans. In the Middle Ages, York grew as a major trading centre and became the capital of the northern province of the Church of England. In the 19th century, York became a known hub of the railway network and a confectionery manufacturing centre.

The city offers a wealth of historic attractions and I would definitely recommend a visit to:

York Castle Museum
The Shambles
York City Walls
York Minster Cathedral
Yorkshire Museum and Museum Gardens
Jorvik Viking Centre

During our stay we had some great meals but I will review them in another post.

If you consider visiting York then Booking.com has a range of great properties where you can relax and unwind after a day of sightseeing. In addition, if you book your accommodation via this referral link, you’ll get £20 in cash.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post!

Pauline

A few weeks ago, my younger brother was in UK for a couple of days and we decided to go to Birmingham for a day break.

Birmingham is located in the West Midlands area and is the second largest city outside in UK with a population of over 1 million. We took a fast train (Virgin Train) from Euston and in just 90 min, we arrived in Birmingham’s New Street station.

Due to its close proximity to London, Birmingham is perfect if you wish to escape from London and visit another English city. It is an important transport, retail, events and conference hub and city’s economy is dominated by the service sector which accounted for 88% of the city’s employment.

Apart from world-class galleries and stimulating museums there are many places worth visiting:

National Sea Life Centre – an aquarium with over 60 displays of freshwater and marine life in Brindleyplace. Located 15 minutes walk from the train station.
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery – great museum with a vast collection of international importance covering fine art, ceramics, metalwork and natural history.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens – if you like relaxing in gardens then you should go to this 15 acres botanical gardens that are around 10 min walk from the city centre.
Gas Street Basin – a canal basin in the centre of Birmingham with some trendy bars and cafes to grab a drink or some lunch from.
Hall of Memory – a war memorial located in the city centre to commemorate the 12,320 Birmingham citizens who died in World War I.