Visit the Most Haunted Pub in England and Many More…

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One of the great attractions of visiting York is the change to see some of the many historical pubs in the city. They provide a fascinating experience for those interested in York's rich and varied past, as well as being ideal places for a relaxing and enjoyable drink or meal. In some of them, there could be a surprise in store for visitors, in the form of ghostly presences from history.

Scotland The Ideal Touring Destination For All

 

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The prospect of lying on a sun-kissed beach for a week or two in the summer is something that helps many people to stay focused during the winter months. Whenever the frost is at its hardest and the snow is causing chaos on the roads, it’s the thought of an ice cold drink and a vacant sun lounger that enables many of us to get through the period unscathed. 


However, a growing number of tourists are turning their backs on the traditional hot-spots of Spain, Portugal and Greece to explore other regions instead. They will arrive at a specific airport, hire a car and set off on the open road to see what can be discovered, and what adventures they are likely to encounter along the way.

12 Beautiful Places You've Never Heard Of

What with all the travel deal search engines and the number of travel blogs that abound, one might think all the unknown exotic places are commonplace already. Not these 12 – we’ve put together THE list of the most beautiful locales you’ve not heard of that have not been explored to death.

Tracking Jack Bauer On An African Gap Year

Jack’s back!  At least he will be soon. Jack Bauer, the hero, or anti-hero depending on which way you look at it (but I know which way I look at it!) of hit TV series 24 will be returning to our screens in the not too distant future. This year, shooting for the long promised film version of the addictive series will finally begin. And I’ve finally worked out that if I’m going to find him in the meantime I will have to volunteer abroad.  It makes perfect sense.  Last time we saw Jack he was given a chance to disappear – again - so where will he go?  He’ll go and hide and assume a new identity, silly.

 If your grip on reality isn’t quite as tenuous as mine you might still consider the options of travelling abroad and taking part in voluntary projects. You can absorb the culture, broaden your horizons and grow as a person, and if you happen to come across a certain ex-CTU operative while doing so, all the better.

The Greatest Show on Earth

Every year, two million wild animals make a great trek through one of the most spectacular landscapes in Africa. It's not too late to reserve your front-row seat for the greatest wildlife spectacle on the planet. Every year, around the end of the wet season in April, two million wild animals make a great trek through one of the most spectacular landscapes in Africa.

London Dungeons Will Give You the Creeps

Fans of horror shows love the London Dungeons. What began in 1974 as a museum dedicated to the historically horrible is now a hall of black humour. Younger visitors, in particular, rave about the interactive mix of actors, rides and special effects.

Five Very Crooked Buildings

These five feats of architecture say no to right angles and laugh at the idea of being composed entirely of straight lines. Twisted, wonky and all very crooked, here are 5 buildings that defy convention.

Family Guy Christmas Holiday Escapes

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, sort of, and what better way to spend the holidays than with your family?

Chestnuts roasting, Gran snoring and sleigh bells ringing, ah, what bliss.

Years of childhood magic (presents) have helped to create an almost Pavlovian response to the sounds of Christmas and from Bing Crosby to Shaking Stevens, it doesn’t take much to get us in the festive mood.

However, are we really looking forward to spending two or three days cooped up together as a family? Are there times when we wish that we could leave the tinselled world behind and jet off abroad? I’m sure we’ve all secretly longed to go on a winter break but the thought of missing out on a traditional Christmas, warts and all, is a pretty hard habit to break.

One family that laughs in the face of forced festive frolics is the Griffins from Family Guy. It wouldn’t take much persuading for them, individually of course, to go on a huge variety of activity holidays, leaving Santa and Rudolph in their wake.

It’s with this in mind that I’ve compiled a few suggestions to help the Griffins have a very happy Christmas as they escape to locations as far away from each other as possible.

Peter 

I thought that the patriarch of the show would really enjoy a trip to the Catholic heartland of Italy and what better way to travel than by bike? Cycling holidays in Italy are a splendid way to see the country and as Peter begins to navigate scenic mountain roads and welcoming pizzerias he’d no doubt revel in the chance to wear all that Lycra. Of course, it might be a tad chilly around this time of year but if anyone could benefit from shedding a few pounds while freezing their butt off then it’s the head of the Griffin household.

Lois

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Lois, who could be more deserving of a week or two in paradise? As with any former (gambling, shoplifting, bulimia) addict, time to relax and take stock is an essential tool for getting back onto the straight and narrow. Thailand offers a hugely diverse range of locations and activities that are just perfect for Ms Pewterschmidt to enjoy and I think she’d really love the opportunity to meditate during a Thai massage on the palm-fringed beaches of the south. From Phuket to Phi Phi, Koh Samui to Krabi, this is your time Lois so relax, unwind and enjoy.

Chris

I feel that the ‘Elephant Child’ would really benefit from a couple of weeks on the Southeast Asian island of Borneo. Not only would he be able to laze on the beach, jungle trek and swim with dolphins, he’d be able to face up to one of his childhood fears, evil monkeys. As soon as Chris steps foot into the Sepilok orangutan sanctuary he’d see that not all monkeys are bad and perhaps that little guy in the wardrobe back home is just as scared as he is.

Brian & Stewie

Where better to send these two culture loving thespians than good old London? After a trip around the boutiques and bars of Soho, a night on the town would surely catapult them into Christmas heaven. This is a splendid opportunity for the boys to really let their hair down and from the bright lights of Oxford Street to the musicals of the West End, there’s nowhere better for Brian & Stewie to paint the town red.

Meg

Ah bless Meg at this time of year as she’s as likely to get what she wants as Rudolph is of sorting out his nasal issues. So, maybe a break away from the family will do her the power of good. All she needs to do to blossom from a winter weed into a gorgeous flower is a bit of self-belief and the confidence to lose that hat! India is calling Meg and from the mountains and national parks of Rājasthān to the beaches and yoga retreats of Goa, throw off your shackles young pigeon and soar like an eagle.

Just as Christmas presents a romantic vision of what we’d dearly like it to be, the Griffins provide a frightening image of what we’re glad our families are not.

Whatever you get up to this holiday season bear one thing in mind: however annoying, frustrating or downright irritating your family is at Christmas, it could be a lot worse!

About Today's Contributor: 

Chris is a big fan of Family Guy and Christmas so he’ll be looking out for a DVD box set under the tree

Related Articles:

• Brian and Stewie Travel Back to 1999 to See the 'Family Guy' Pilot (VIDEO) 
• Do Brian and Stewie from Family Guy get too much attention 
• Factoid Friday - All About Christmas 
• The Weirdest Christmas Blogs 
• 5 Classic Christmas Movies from the 80's 
• 'Eureka: Do You See What I See?' - Recap (Special Holiday Episode) 
• Unique Gifts for Christmas 

London - A Guide to the Innovative City

Aside from being one of the most vibrant cultural hotspots in the world, London is also host to one of the largest financial centres on the planet. The city is located in a relatively temperate climate. Winters are not severe, nor are the summers particularly unbearable. The climate is instead perfectly suited for fostering innovation.

Eight Great Bands and Musicians That Have Come Out of Australia

When thinking of Australia, one usually pictures the oft-quoted “shrimp on the Barbie” phrase, actors like Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, kangaroos, and Crocodile Dundee. Music isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind. But, it should be – the country is actually home to a pretty kickin’ music scene. 

Five Famous Movies Set In New York City

This is New York Day at LoupDargent.com thanks to Melvin, our Guest Writer for today, who has provided us with an inspirational travel article exploring some of the most famous movies which have been set in the Big Apple. Cool!

Facebook Apps: Welcome To Your Own Personalised Holiday Match Maker

If your Facebook profile was a holiday destination, what would it be? 

Of course, you know what your ideal holiday destination is, don't you?

I mean, who knows you better than... well... you?

Plus, you don't need anyone to tell you what you want, do you? 

Not only you know what you want, but you also recognise quality when you see it...  
After all, you do read LoupDargent.info. 

(Hmmm... okay, that last bit might not really help your case, but we/you know what we/you mean.)

But, to come back to the ideal holiday destination topic, have you ever wondered what your Facebook profile would be if it was a holiday destination? 

We know that you know what you want it to be, of course, but humour us for a few minutes and let's find out with that nifty Facebook application conveniently called  The Holiday Match Maker, okay?

The Holiday Match Maker is a Facebook App from Halifax. It’s one of those rare things, a Facebook application that is genuinely useful and entertaining at the same time. 

It’s quite clever too. By analysing the content of your profile, it will ’calculate’ what your ideal holiday destination is, where you should stay, what you should do, what the weather’s like at the moment and how many plastic Eiffel Towers you can buy for a fiver. Now it doesn’t get much more useful than that. 

It will also point you in the direction of Halifax Travel Money, something you might find handy when going on holiday (fair enough, it's an App from Halifax after all...). 

So, what is your real  ideal holiday destination? 

Mine is... wait for it.... 

Nope, not Paris.... 

Not Southend-on-Sea either... 

it's... yes.... Chamonix!

Hold on, there is more....

"Being an adventurous kind of guy, you'll love testing out the slopes and of course enjoy the après-ski! The beautiful mountain landscape will make Chamonix a great destination for your birthday celebrations. The kids will love it too! Why not bring along Christy Guichard?"

Brilliant! 

(Just in case you were wondering, Christy is one of my daughters...)

Please, do let us know what your results are...

But, most of all, have fun! 

Loup Dargent

Related Articles 

• Soulmates Find Each Other on Facebook
• Facebook Apps: Welcome To Your Own Personalised Holiday Match Maker
• Paris tries to stop mass Eiffel Tower drinks party
• Celebrate Bastille Day in France

Football Fiesta - The Heineken Way

Girls, Rio Carnival costumes, beer and football. The perfect mix?

What happens when you bring together the beautiful game, amazing costumes from the ultimate football nation – we’re talking Brazil of course – and everyone’s favourite Dutch export? 

Whatever you’re imagining, it probably isn’t this…

Whitby's History - Stranger Than Fiction

"When asked where vampires can be found, most people usuallly answer Transilvania, London, Sunnydale or, even, Sunningdale..."

Well, that's probably because they haven't read today's post yet.

Alan Moore, our Guest Writer for the day, is taking us to Whitby, a Yorkshire town

that is rumoured to have been one of the lurking places of the Prince of Darkness,

Count Dracula, himself...

Now, that's a post with a bite.

Get the holy water and garlic ready and enjoy the visit...

Loup Dargent

We've also added a Youtube video that fits this post's topic perfectly. It's untitled "Whitby: Ghosts and Mysteries" and can be found right underneath Alan Moore's article... Great stuff!

St Hilda's Abbey (via THE WHITBY GOTHS )