New Year's eve 2025 - what I've seen live in London, and online from Australia and what I'd like to see worldwide

UK

Local fireworks in London. Vide by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Live in London. Photo/video by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

In London we heard fireworks from about 7 pm which was already midnight in other parts of the world. Then at midnight loud eruptions of waves of noise. I ran out and saw huge bursts of red and green and white lights, one after another. Must have cost a fortune. Amazing. 

I ran back for some warm clothes and went out to the high street. 

A man from Social Dhaba Indian restaurant was crossing the street back to the restaurant. 

He waished me, 'Happy New Year!'

So I reciprocated, 'And happy New Year to you!'

I huge gust of wind carried me a couple of feet. Then the wind died away.

I hurried home, jubilantly.

Australia

Earlier I had been watching online. The first fireworks had appeared from Sydney Harbout bridge in Australia.  Bursts of circular spectacles, plus rows of lights shotting upwards vertically and forwards horizontally. 

New Zealand

In New Zealand, the lights projected from the top of a tower.

Time Clocks Needed

What we need across the top of our screens is a series of clocks, like those in the receptions of hotels, showing where the displays are already online and those starting now.

Dubai

Dubai had varied music, from pop to classical marching songs. The tower was lit by ascending spark, spirals, a diving giant bird, blocks of solid colour, red and other colours. Plus jumping fountains in rows or white, jumping and swaying in formation like trees.

America's celebrations come next, way beyond our bedtime. We will see them tomorrow, January 1st. After 9 am UK time we shall be hoping to watch the UK New Year's Day Parade, later in the Day the American parads. If possible, the New Year's Day concert from Vienna, Austria. It is usually on the radio. But we would like to watch it, pershaps a bit later on the BBC iplayer, so we can see the ballet dancers, the decorated hall and the conductor, and some amusement created between the concutor and orchestra for the last piece or encore. Failing all else, we shall look at some snippets from previous years, such as the dancers in the costumes designed by Vivien Westwood.

Yes, New Year's Day is an artificial creation. I have been reading up about the claendars created by Julian, roman Julian, updated and improved by Gregory (the one we use) and the Jewish and Moslem calendars. The Chinese are preparing for their New Year always in January or February, featuring offering a pair of oranges to family and friends and customers, and reciprocating. 

So much jollity, to overcome the bad things remembered from the year.

Labelling Photos

I have spent the day labelling photos with the birth dates, marriage dates, birthdays, and death dates, of my family.

Diary Records

A friend of mine has all her diaries in order in shoe boxes. Ask her on what date we went on holiday together fifty years ago when we first met, and she went to a box and pulled out a record of places visited and things we said. 

It is good to record and remember the good times, and hope for more good times to come. 

I wish you a safe and succcessful, peaceful and prosperous New Year.

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Lasers Instead of Fireworks, Favoured by Animals and humans

Cats and dogs and other animals can be terrified of fireworks. Also displays have injured animals, children and adults. 

The good news is that safer displays could be on the way. They cost less in clearing up. Less cost in injuries. And it seems that the public like the laser displays which can be used not just in the sky but to light up buildings.

I'm all for music to go with displays instead of startling bangs and unnerving whizzes.

Useful Websites

 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13947315/Oooh-aaaah-NO-Majority-Britons-want-laser-shows-instead-noisy-fireworks-poll-reveals

https://www.rospa.com/policy/home-safety/advice/fireworks-safety

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fireworks_accidents_and_incidents

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireworks_law_in_the_United_Kingdom

Fireworks advertising poster in Harrow for November 8th 2024.

Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

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Valentine's Day Symbols and Celebrations in Dublin, Ireland, Australia, America and Worldwide

Valentine's memorial in Dublin, Ireland. Photo from Wikipedia.

Grave of Jayne Mansfield. Pennsylvania. USA.

In America children at school make Valentine's day cards for teachers, parents and other pupils. 

Now the idea has reached the UK of parents buying cards and gifts for their children. If no children, for your pets. 

It has left behind its associations with courting, and Christianity, and become commercial. A bit like Christmas and Easter. 

Valentine's Day fireworks, Australia. Wikipedia.

Wikipedia tells you which countries have banned Valentine's day. Check up on Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan. The objections seem to be that it is Christian, not Muslim, is western. Worse still, it encourages immoral, romantic relationships outside marriage. 

The objection to Westernization can be considered the same as introducing immorality - but the West was at distant times Puritanical and at our grandparents' time Victorian. So is is a different question. One of identity. Being different. And one of power and control.  

To my mind, once it is detached from being solely or mainly connected with singles, it becomes a celebration of all kinds of love. It is an innocent day, and a day for proposing marriage, anniversaries. It can be about family love, friendship. 

This keeps it separate from religion, from Christianity. However, although not attached to religion, it can be attacked on the grounds that it is certainly commercial. 

However, as one commentator said, retailers want to sell items and make money. Hardly surprising. That is their purpose.

Card

If you want an economical Valentine's day, make a card. It is easy. Fold paper in half so that the two halves match. Use a heart shape cutter to cut a heart in toast and fill the centre, with egg and tomato strips or ketchup. Cut hearts out of pancakes with a knife. You get two - the piece cut out and the piece left behind. 

You could also make a pop up card. Easy to do with just a heart.

Photograph yourself making a heart shape with your thumbs pointing down, for a photo to send to your family and loved ones overseas. 

Buy red apples from the supermarket and cut out a heart shape. You can do this with green apples. But red would be better.

Useful Websites

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10482171/Parents-buying-Valentines-gifts-KIDS-shops-accused-gratuitous-consumerism.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ico=taboola_feed_article&ns_mchannel=rss&ico=taboola_feed#comments

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tu_B%27Av

About the author of this blog post

Angela Lansbury

About the Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Books by Angela Lansbury
How to be the best man. (Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Wedding Speeches and Toasts.(Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Unforgettable British Weekends.
Poetry Workshop Workbook.
The Tailor and the Spy. (Lulu.)
Larry The Talking Labrador. (Lulu.)
Writing Poetry for fun.

Quick Quotations

Who Said What When

 

Fireworks For Guy Fawkes Night In The UK

 

Stanmore sign. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Fireworks night is November the 5th. That date commemorates the Guy Fawkes plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament. The plot was thwarted and the event is commemorated in the UK by Guy Fawkes night. This year, 2021, public displays are held on the nearest weekend night, which is Saturday the 6th of November.

The fireworks were on sale in supermarkets, as well as newsagents. At the supermarket you could not just pick them from the rack. You had to collect them from a counter. I presume they were checking your age.

Useful Websites

wiki Guy Fawkes

About the Author

Angela Lansbury was born and bred in Britain, and has lived in the USA and Singapore. Her family has worked in or lived in Spain and Switzerland. 

She is the author of several books on public speaking and quotations.

She is a member of Toastmasters Clubs meeting on Zoom with visitors from the UK and USA, India, Sri Lanka, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. Through the Toastmasters mentoring program Angela has connected with individuals in Vietnam and Romania, and Belize, a different connection each month. Please come to the next BHA Toastmasters meeting on the 3rd Saturday afternoon every month.

Angela is a member of Harrovian Speakers, London (two Monday evenings each month (BST or GMT) currently part in person and part on Zoom, and VP PR for BHA (1st Monday evening and 3rd Saturday afternoon Singapore Time; and TCA, one Tuesday evening a month, both currently on Zoom, as well as secretary for Singapore Online Dynamic which is online only and always, Friday evening 9.30 pm Singapore time.   

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Dubai New Years Eve 2020 - 2021 Burj Khalifa fireworks

UAE flag

Dubai is a popular stopover in the Middle East en route to other countries. Dubai is capital of the UAE, united Arab Emirates. 

Burj Khalif opening ceremony.

As you might have suspected, Burj means tower.

New Year's Eve Dubai. 

The Burj Khalifa held the record of the tallest building in Dubai and the world from 2009. At the opening it was festooned with fireworks.

On New Year's Eve 2020, the night before Jan 1st 2021, Burj Kharifa was lit up with ever changing pictures. Some of the fireworks looked like the ones from the opening ceremony.

If you are there during the rest of the year, you can look at the tower from the ground across the fountains which are floodlit. Check locally for light up times.

The floodlit fountains can also be seen from inside the tower.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Khalifa

https://www.visitdubai.com/en/

About the Author

Angela Lansbury is a teacher, tutor (in person and online) and workshop leader, specialising in English and other languages.

Please contact Angela if you need an English language workshop for a Toastmasters Club or a business.

 

How To Send online birthday cards

My family is scattered around the world. In one month we have two birthdays for people in different coutnries. We have two choices. One is to fly between the two countries. Only one person or one couple needs to fly.

The alternative is for one coupld to join the other. Celebrate two birthdays the nearest weekend to one or both birthdays. Alternative countries. This year in the chldren's oucntry. Next year in the parents' country. Normally we try to get together.

So, sending birthday cards by email becomes a must.

I received a card from 123. I could send a thank you card.

Than I looked at cards to choose, create and email

The first 123 offering suggestion for a birthday card was fireworks. To me this looked more like a New Year card.



Decisions
I should have sent it. But I decided to move on and explore more cards. Why?

 I am classified on the Myers Briggs personality test as ENFP. The P stands for Pereiver but I call it procrastinator. The opposite is judger, my husband's type. He would have found one good enough card and sent it off straight away, job done. He accomplishes much more each day than I do.

Being an ENFP, I have to see all the options before making a decision, a commitment. 123greetings offered about 167 cards. I looked at them all. That took me over an hour.

Bithday Cards I rejected
The 123 birthday card site shows you all kinds of birthday cards. Many of them were instantly and easily rejcted. For my son I did not want greetings to a daughter, a mother, a father, a wife, a baby, a toddler wtih teddy bears, a sixteen year, a seventy year old, a retiree with grey hair.

I liked a capella - a barbershop quartet, and a country and western song. But that might not be his taste.

I started looking for all the alternative sites and comparative sites.

Jib-Jab
Jib-jab are those people who send the cards with the face of the sender on little animated Santa bodies doing dances.

You can insert photos of your family. This takes time. It works well if you are at home over Xmas and start sending out cards early.

Canva
Canva offers the greatest choice for creators. But you need time to design every aspect. The text workding, font, size colour, position on the page, the front, inside, back, insert photos, remove the company logo.

To sum up:
Instant cards on 123. Some free. Or share the cost bewteen two or three members of your family and whoever has paid the subscription can do cards for everybody.

Your family's faces on jib-jab, but you pay.

Canva
Allows you to create completely individual cards, with your own photos, writing, colour schemes, music. Allow time to do this. Not for last minute sending on the day unless you have hours of time and are on a timezone East so you are several hours ahead and can work on the card and still have it arrive your lunch time or evening but the recipient's breakfast or lunch time.

Wiki
Wikipedia has not much of use under birthday cards but redirects you to the more useful Wikicommons site which has a few picture sof birthday cards showing balloons, cakes, kids and flowers.

Facebook
I am not keen on broadcasting exact bihday dates on Facebook and media. It lays you open to identity theft.

You could change the date by a few days.

Email Storage
You could also keep cards from one year to the next in your email box under the word birthday. A year later you can use old photos of last year's birthday cake and the Birthday girl or boy.

Create an animated slide show of past birthday celebrations. you could even project onto a white screen or white wall a big picture of a family birthday.

Cnference Call Party
Another possibility is to do a conference call with the family overseas, using Skype, Google Hangouts or zoo. Set up a camera on a tripod with a remote to take a group photo with those in one country with the others in the other country.

Useful Websites
123
https://www.123cards.com/birthday-ecards/
Jibjab
https://www.jibjab.com/
Canva
https://www.canva.com/templates/search/birthday-cards/
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/03/tanglin-club-birthday-lunch-in.html

About the Author
Angela Lansbury is the author of 20 books, several blogs, and a travel writer and photographer. Please share links to your favurite posts.

Singapore's National Day - what is it and where to see celebrations?

Singapore flag. Red horizontal stripe above white. White crescent, for the emergeing nation. Five five-point stars. I like to think of it as five languages.

Flags
Singapore's National Day is celebrated every year on August 9th. For days, weeks, the red and white flags of Singapore have been flying on skyscraper office blocks, shopping malls, public buildings, schools, condos, HDB government built public housing estates and railway station ticket booths.

I also saw flags on car exterior mirror backs. At one time there were strict rules about how to show respect for the flag. But now the rules have been changed. In the USA you can use the flag on a car, a tablecloth, a tee shirt, your face, just about anywhere, flying the flag and displaying it everywhere is not seen as a sign of disrespect but enthusiasm. Singapore is starting to follow this attitude.

Speech Previews
At least three Toastmasters International clubs had Singapore and National Day as their theme in the days in August leading up to National Day, with a request to wear red and white.  I went to Changi Simei near Changi Airport for an evening meeting and they had Singapore flags for everybody to hold. Then I attended Eminent Communicators at Dell near Changi Airport for a lunch time meeting. Again they had flags.

I am President of Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters club and I bought bunting (a ribbon suspending triangular flags) and a pair of flags on stands, at $2 each from Daeso the budget Japanese supermarket.

 I saw the flags for sale in two branches, by Exp MRT station (one stop away from the airport).

I bought my flags at another branch in the eco friendly shopping mall beside Farrer Park MRT station near Little India.

Singapore has spent millions on National Day, seen as essential for promoting shared identity and harmony between the different races and religions of Singapore.


I prepared a slide presentation about Singapore for my Toastmasters Internation Braddell Heights Advanced Speakers' club's midweek meeting on Wednesday 7th just two evenings before National Day. Some of the table topics (picked off the table) for impromptu speeches of two minutes.

One of the speakers described his visit to a local school where dance troupes from the four major ethnic, religious and language groups showcased their dances, Chinese, Malay and Indian, all joining to celebrate together whilst harmoniously using their own group's unique features to contribute to the collective joy of the occasion.

After National Day, at the Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters club, we will celebrate Singapore again, this time with our recent memories of Singapore National Day. The meeting will be on Saturday August 2019. The club meets the first Wednesday evening 6.45 for 7 pm and the third Saturday afternoon 1.45 for 2 pm.

The Singapore flags are put into storage. They can be brought out again next year and on other national occasions.

Events
Street parade transport including President in an open top car.
Fly-past of planes towing a flag and puffs of red smoke.
March past parade of adults and children.
Lunches, teas, dinners and fast food kiosks with festive flags and cakes.
Finish with fireworks.

News And Replay On Screen And Phones
See it on YouTube, CNA (Not CNN but Channel News Asia), and in newspaper. Local papers are The Straits Times and The New Paper. You can subscribe to them on the internet on your lap top as well as reading and watching on your handphone.

October 9th culminates with a fireworks show, the main one in the centre but other events around the sity state island.

Websites
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ndp-2019-27000-turn-up-at-the-padang-for-singapores-bicentennial-birthday-bash

About the Author
Angela Lansbury

Singapore National Day Celebrations To See: Oct 6, 9, 10

Flag of Singapore

Singapore National Day is August 9th, and it celebrates independence in 1965 from Malaysia, now the neighbour with whom Singapore makes constant efforts to stay on good terms.

The national languages of Singapore are English, Chinese (Mandarin), Malay and Tamil.

Events to watch in person or on TV:

1 The parade.

2 The speech.

3 The fireworks.

Things to do:
Volunteer to help.
Attend events at your Community Club.
Watch TV.
See the parade.


Birthday Banner at Community Club in Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Photograph flags in streets and banners adorning Community Clubs.
Select red and white outfits to wear, such as white shirts and blouses, red ties and jackets, red shoes, red brooches..
Find red and white food or drink such as:
White bread and tomatoesL yogurt and strawberries, milk, white lassi, red and white plates.

Writing from Singapore in the week of Friday 28 July 2019 I can tell you that the Singapore flag has been displayed along the streets and on the buildings for days.

Singapore flags reflected in the pool. Cashew Heights. Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.




Flags on a balcony at Cashew Heights condo complex.

Happy Birthday Singapore vertical banner. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Features on the vertical banner to notice and point out to tourists: red and white of the flag with a crescent and stars, the Merlion symbol, the fireworks

I am president of Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Club and we will be wearing red and white, the colours of the national flag, at our meeting held two days earlier, July 7 2019. Other Toastmasters Clubs will do the same.

You can buy Singapore flags to drape over the back of the car's exterior wing mirror. Novelty, souvenir and stationery shops also sell attractive round badges with the flag symbol.

A preview of the fireworks takes place on August 6th. You can see a video preview online. At the weekend, on Saturday 10th of August, 2019, another five fireworks displays will be in the heartlands, the suburbs.

Good vantage points are high residences or offices or rooftop bars (which might sell tickets or increase prices like on New Year's Eve). If you can hear te fireworks but not see them at a buidling such as a hotel, try walking around to a public area such as a stairwell or lift lobby on the other side of the building.

Check last train times. Wear read and white and keep your camera charged and with you ready to capture the magic moments.

Make A Cake
American
Earlier in July I wondered how to make a cake for July 4th and the whole month at my Toastmasters Club meetings showing the American flag. I now know you can use raspberries or strawberries and white icing, and red food colouring. (For an American or UK flag for the blue add blueberries.)

Singapore
Cheapest, smallest, simplest. Buy a cupcake. Cover half with white frosting. Put red jam or dyed red over the other half. (Or red foil taken off a wrapped chocolate.) Cut white frosting into a crescent and five small five point stars. And / or add the letters Sg. And place the cake on a large plate on a print out of the singapore flag.

Red Food Colouring
When I looked at rainbow cakes most cooks said that natural dyes such as beetroot and strawberry gave very pale colours and you would get better results from food colouring.

Flags and badges
Flags and pages are sold at novelty stores, cheap Singapore dollar or two dollar stores, stationery stores.

You can buy a hat with the letters SG for 5 Singapore dollare from the shop in the YWCA.

Useful Websites
FIREWORKS
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ndp-2019-fireworks-to-be-set-off-from-singapore-river-for-the-first-time

DIY & BOUGHT FLAG CAKES
Simple flag cakes in red and white
https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/food/a-slice-of-patriotism
https://bakeavenue.com/products/singapore-flag-cake
Elaborate cakes showing flags, personalities, landmarks, Merlions and more
https://mothership.sg/2015/08/this-is-the-amazeball-result-when-19-super-creative-patissiers-bake-birthday-cakes-for-singapore/

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, teacher of English and other languages.

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day - what to see on TV and when

The first place to celebrate New Year's Eve is down under in Australia and New Zealand. You can see the fireworks on TV worldwide.

If you miss it, never mind. You have another chance to enjoy fireworks and late night celebrations in cities. Hanoi in Vietnam was saving fireworks display events for the Tet New Year in early 2019. (All over Asia especially China and Singapore celebrate Chinese new year by the lunar calendar Feb 5-6 in 2019).

Singaporean individuals and Toastmasters groups have been sending out Christmas and New Year's greetings.

On January 1st on TV you can see the concert from Vienna in London, UK and other parts of Europe and the world.

Hanoi has a similar New Year's Day classical concert performed in the opera house by an orchestra. They have had signs outside the opera house and on the opera house website and announcements on TV. Like the Vienna concert, it is exclusive 'invitation only'. VTC (Vietnam TV corporation?).

Over in the USA open air parades. London, England, another parade.

If you are awake after the midnight fireworks on TV during the countdown to 2019, you can enjoy reprises on January 1 2019.

Time to start your 2019 diary and note birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, holidays, business trips, wishlists.

How about writing down your New Year resolutions. List the countries you wish to visit, the best months, the events. New Year events appear on You Tube. My New Year's Resolution is to get onto Wikipedia and send in up-to-date photos of events I attend and places I visit.

Useful websites:
UK
https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/event/42844535-new-years-day-in-london
Travel information
For hotels
booking.com
Comparison site:
https://www.clicktripz.com/rates/search/index
For airlines
travelok.com

VIETNAM
vietJetair.com (Comprehensive list of budget airlines in Wikivoyage.)
For transport
https://www.grab.com/vn/en/

Language
Duolingo.com 
(Remember to click on the sound symbol to hear how words are pronounced.) 

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Pease share links to your favourite posts.

Lord Mayor's Show Fireworks in London: where to watch the previous and next fireworks in London

Lord Mayor's Coach in the Museum of London, England. Photo by Justinc. Wikipedia.

Problem
Where do you see the Lord Mayor's Show fireworks? Does it cost to watch?

Answers
The whole event dates back to the year 1215. Then the city of London was a small area. (Now Greater London stretches for miles. 'The city of London' is the old area.) Nowadays the day starts at 8.30 am with the Lord mayor's procession by boat up the River Thames. His boat is followed by a score or more of other boats.

The Lord Mayor's parade takes place at 11 am through a route along the city of London. The Lord mayor and the Lady mayor and assorted VIPs stand on the upper deck of a covered stand and wave to each group as they pass.

Other members of the public gather along the route behind the barriers. The event is televised. (See my previous post.)

At the end of the day the people in the parade are provided with  packed lunch.

Later in the day, fireworks can be seen between Waterloo and Blackfriars bridges. Fireworks start at 5.15 pm - by which time it is dark at this time of year in London, England. Fireworks last only 15 minutes or so, therefore get in place early, especially as nearby roads will be closed. Watching is free.

Watch From A Boat With Prosecco
If you have money to spend, you can take a river cruise costing £18 for adults, £12 for children, including a cruise with commentary, a glass of prosecco on arrival (soft drink for children) and a view of the fireworks from the centre of the river.
The bar on board is open if you want to buy more drinks.
 Consider this for next year.
www.londonpartyboats.co.uk

You can watch the fireworks from 2017 and previous years on YouTube.
Two of the videos I watched showed distant fireworks which looked white against a black sky.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD4Wk5qMwtU
One video had fireworks from closer, in colour, with children's voices.

Useful websites:
https://lordmayorsshow.london/fireworks/index.html (Official website)
https://www.city.ac.uk/news/2017/november/a-guide-to-the-lord-mayors-show-2017

If you want to see more fireworks, London on New Year's Eve is the place to be. The Thames riverside is very crowded and you have to buy tickets. But that means staying up until midnight to see in the New Year. If you are a lark rather than an owl, or your New Year's Resolution is early to bed and early to rise, consider instead watching the Lord Mayor's fireworks next November.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts.

Where to see Fireworks? Buy indoor fireworks? Warning about Hotel Fire alarms, holiday homes and second homes

Problem
People set off fireworks on New Year's Even Where can I light the fireworks? Who set off the fire alarm?

Fireworks.

Answers
In the UK fireworks are lit on October 31 for Halloween, in London.

Fireworks will appear again on November 5th, for Guy Fawkes Night. You can see public displays when driving your car or from a balcony outside your bedroom if you have a view over the city or the sea where there is a public display.

Fee or Free
Public displays usually charge a fee. But from nearby or overlooking from a distance you will see them for free. Drive around a day earlier to plan your route in and out, noting side roads and making a map highlighting alternatives to speed your car through traffic jams on the day or night.

Also note any late night fast food restaurants in case you want to have a late night snack. Alternatively pack water and a picnic. Also note toilets.

Do not light fireworks near cars. When filling your car with petrol during the day before, wipe any drips off the outside of your car.

Park on the edge of the car park for a quick exit. You may want to leave at midnight or shortly after and find yourself boxed in or stuck in a queue. If a warden tries to direct you to a middle space, ask politely if they can allocate you a space for a quick exit because your child / family is tired and might leave early.

New Year's Eve, Prague
One year in Prague we went to a free display where you parked in a large field or paved car park. When other people started lighting fireworks amidst the cars I grew alarmed.

Sparks were too near our car and everybody else's. "Where are the engine and petrol cap in that car? Back or front?" I asked. "People are lighting fireworks all around."

"You worry too much," my husband said. Two minutes later he agreed, "I don't like this. Too many fireworks, near too many cars."

"What if somebody lights a spark near somebody else's box of fireworks and starts a fire beside a car? Or the box of fireworks inside their car?"

We were boxed in. We had to ask somebody to move back a bit so we could manoeuvre out. We drove off.

Indoor Fireworks In Florida
New Year's Eve in Florida. We looked at some of the public displays. We decided they were beyond our budget, especially as our small sun was likely to fall asleep before the start time.

So instead we bought handheld fireworks, sparklers. Much cheaper, and we could choose a time to suit our own schedule, and place. Where? When?

Wait until it was dark, or just turn the lights out at twilight? Not in a car. Not near cars.

Maybe draw the curtains in a hotel room.  We were staying in a hotel in Florida.

The packet says indoor fireworks. So they must be safe indoors. We had often had indoor fireworks in the UK, in the days before we had a fire alarm.

So in Florida, we thought, how about on the balcony?

The wind was blowing them out. Wind and fireworks was not a good combination.

No Fireworks Indoors
How about inside?  Not near the curtains. For safety in the bathroom, near water, no fire alarm there.

Oops. Fire alarm. That interrupted us. Interrupted a wedding. I wonder who set off the fire alarm?

A member of staff appears to check. Their warning system has shown a fire - on our floor! Oh, dear, was it us?

Maybe not. It could have been somebody else smoking.  But better not to light fireworks in the hotel again.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Learning Korean And What To See And Ski In Korea

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_South_Korea

Problem
The Korean project starts with a piece of overall description. The language goes from left the right. Like the American Mr Webster, who simplified British spelling, the Korean king wanted the language to be easy to learn. It is said that a wise man can learn it in half a day' a fol can learn it in a day.

You start the Korean project and learn letters.

Then you are presented with a word and asked the meaning. The trick is to hover your mouse over the Korean word and the English pop up.

A circle at the bottom of a block is read -ng, so you can distinguish Pyongyang (평양) from Seoul (서울). Further, the Korean words for many common products — coffee, juice, computer — are often the same as the English words, but will be written in hangul. If you can read hangul, you'll find surviving in Korea surprisingly easy.

A must see visit for a student of Language is the Hanyeau Museum. It has all of exhibits relating to the creation and evolution of the language, and another are devoted to the King who made it happen, so that all his illiterate subjects would ave an easy to learn language.

Useful web links
www.duolingo.com/skill/ko/alphabet
http://www.koreanwikiproject.com/wiki/Hangeul_step_1
www.90dayKorean.com
Writeit!Koreanfree
www.Koreanfromzero.com
howtostudykorean.com/unit0
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=631659 (The Language Museum)

word fireworks/learn Korean
Tree Week Deep Roots drama is a play about the creation of the alphabet.
Youtube has three videos on pronunciation.

Travel
I accompanied a family member who was working in Korea for a short visit. We stayed in a grand hotel in the capital, Seoul. The temperature was very cold in winter.

I did not speak the language and could not read it so I was afraid to go out on my own. The first day I stayed in the hotel and read magazines and watched TV and had free coffee in the hotel's club lounge.

I then asked reception to book me on two trips. The first tour took me past the city's landmarks, stopped at a park with a monument to a Korean hero. When I was there, I was told that the Koreans and Japanese have a love-hate relationship because Korea was occupied by the Japanese in the past.

I enjoyed seeing the statue in the centre of the city which honours the Admiral, Yi Sunsin, an admirable man, quite a character. He built the Korean fleet, of tough ships which looked like turtles. I enjoyed reading his life story.

I was puzzled by the white half masks covering the noses and mouths of police directing traffic, as well as many pedestrians, and people on the trains. The masks are worn when you have a cold so that you don't sneeze and spread infection to others. Since the trains are constantly crowded, this seems very sensible.

Simpler to understand were the shopping mall, and a ginseng factory with leaflet to exaplain.

I booked a second tour which took the same route, except that it went to an amethyst factory. I was hoping to buy amethyst jewellery. I saw no bargains. Why? This is real amethyst. I came to the conclusion that the cheaper jewellery on sale in London is mainly paler coloured and synthetic stones.

The guide the first day was excellent. One or both of the tours went to the American cemetery, left from the time of the Korean War. As a schoolgirl, I did not understand what the Korean war was all about. Now, everything is much clearer.

Simpler to understand were the shopping mall, and a ginseng factory with leaflet to explain. The asians were all already familiar with ginseng. I wished I had read extensively about it before my trip. You'll make more sense of it if you check up on ginseng before your trip to Korea, rather than after you've ben there and got interested.

Recommended Temples
At the weekend we took a trip to a ski resort,Yongpyong meaning nine dragons, because of the surrounding, undulating mountain peaks.  We are to go to the south with a driver, who spoke no English, and an English speaking guide. The agency told us we needed a guide and the guide could explain things to us on the journey. Our aim was to see two temples which were en route, and the guide could explain them to us.

On the way down we were told that it was better to see the temples on the way back so we could be sure of reaching the hotel in time for supper. We agreed.

Snow
The temperature at the ski resort was minus five, no, it was minus fifteen. I didn't think it was possible. But the signs showing the temperature, with warnings, were up at the entrance to the ski slope. You could not go out, even at ground level, more than five feet from the doorway opening and shutting, letting out heat, without covering your nose and face with a scarf. Even though I was not skiing, I had to buy more ski weather accessories, warmer gloves, a thicker scarf, a tight fitting hat.

Food
 As a non-skier, I had not much to do, after I had been around the shops twice. We had a meal at the hotel. As far as I was concerned, it was not a success. I am allergic to shellfish and asked the guide to check with the waitress that the soup had no shellfish. I was assured there were no shellfish.

As soon as I took the first youthful, it tasted sour. I asked again. Again I was assured there was not shellfish.

I ran my spoon and fork around and lifted what was at the bottom of the bowl. Up came shellfish! I spat into my napkin and ran off to the ladies where I spat again, cleaned my teeth, and made myself sick to bring up anything I had inadvertently swallowed.

Driving back to Seoul, on the road back we seemed to by-pass the first of the three possible temples. Eventually we got half way home and insisted that the guide tell the driver to stop, because we must have gone past it. An heated discussion ensued. The driver wanted to go home early. We could do a tour of the city when we got back instead. We were very annoyed. I had already done the city tour twice and we were due to fly out the next day. As I was a non-skier, the whole purpose of my trip out to the countryside had been to see the temples en route.

The driver and guide were silent. We then stopped at two temples which were stunning most interesting mythology and history and great photos. They were striking, beautiful, exotic and quite different to Chinese temples and Indian temples.

Korean Food
We had once last chance to see and sample authentic Korean cuisine. The food is predominantly Kimchee, pickled vegetables and meat. The vegetables are a bit like pickled gherkins but different colours. If you don't like your food in vinegar, it may not be to your taste and you might soon give up trying and revert to ordering any Western choice.

Koreans In London
Back in London, we went with friends to a Korean restaurant in Golders Green. The food was tiny portions, prettily displayed, but still mostly pickled.

In the UK I met Korean people who were extremely civilized. They were the top of the crop, people who spoke English and were well organized and ambitious and efficient and conscious of timekeeping. I was very impressed by the fact that I told the father on the Friday evening that his son should have an English dictionary, a lever arch file, a pen and a ruler.

The next morning the family arrived arrived fully equipped, with a brand new folder, not old pencils like most pupils, but fresh new pencils, ready sharpened, having driven to the shopping mall to wait outside and be first in when the shop opened, then race back for the first lesson.

If you are as keen on learning Korean as the Koreans were about learning English, you can learn Korean at a Korean university. They have many courses for foreigners, anything from a day to much longer. The language was designed, like American English, to be simpler to learn.

https://wikitravel.org/en/South_Korea
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yongpyong_Resort
The King Sejong Story+The King Sejong Memorial Hall
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=631659 (The king and his created language)
https://www.koreanair.com/global/en.html

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

All The Fun Of The Feria at Dax; marching bands, red cravats and Greek wine

Problem
What do I wear to the fair at Dax in France? (Annual fair in August, with bull fights. If you missed this year, consider booking for next year.)

Answer
Tourists and locals buy red cravats and red belts to wear with white clothes. This creates a feeling of unity, jollity and festivity.

The website tells you to bring white clothes. People wear white trousers or shorts and white blouses. The red cravat you can buy with the words Dax La Feria is triangular. The red belt is a tie belt, a long oblong which you tie with a double knot and one end hanging down long.

At the bull fight when the fight ends the riders make the horses step sideways around the ring with the horses' heads towards the audience. The audience stand and wave the triangular red cravats.

Glossary
English - French - Spanish
English Fair / festival - French fête - Spanish la feria - Portuguese a festa / feira

Videos To Watch
You tube has a video of the opening ceremony in the bullring or arena, showing everybody waving red cravats and red and yellow flags:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR8XTKvJlyY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR_Cc-5W47M&t=0s

This video shows the thousands of people in the street singing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSzo73f_xtQ

The closing music is the song Vino Griego, meaning Greek Wine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87cAtrts5A0

Here are marching bands, folklore groups, a man wrapped in a tuba, what look like bagpipes carried by a band in black, musical instrument like wind up musical boxes operated by turning a handle (I once saw a busker in London's underground using one and thought, that's for me, don't have to learn to play music, just turn the handle, but the giant music box turned out to cost over £1000!) Resembles the Rio carnival, all costumes as well as music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYMkHs6Phy0

If you understand French, a video in the cathedral shows all the bands celebrating Mass, and the curé (vicar, curate?) explaining the gifts of cravats. I understood from the voice over and his response that he had given gifts of the red Dax cravats to everybody attending the mass, but at the video end it appears that people thanking him are tying around his neck cravats of green and other colours to reciprocate.

The festivities end with fireworks. Another video shows the fireworks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTZOodACeiM

Information on museums, events and tourism in France:
http://www.dax-tourisme.com
http://uk.france.fr
Accommodation and attractions can also be found on
Tripadvisor
Google maps

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. I have several posts on Dax. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Fireworks in Singapore, or Bournemouth, England, or Edinburgh, Scotland

Singapore's Marina Bay with view of Marina Bay Sands complex which has rooftop restaurants and bars and hotel residents enjoy an infinity pool spanning the top of three skyscrapers. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Public gardens where I am standing are free.

Problem
It's pouring with rain in London. Dark and dismal. I don't feel like going anywhere. Despite two trips promised to different parts of England. What could I or you see and do?

Bournemouth, England
Every week, once a week in August, on Friday, Bournemouth is having a fireworks display. Go to the pier. Bournemouth, once only a place for sedate family outings, is now a lively student seaside in term time.

Singapore
Once a year, on National Day, Singapore has fireworks. Singapore is a well-regulated and heavily populated skyscraper city, so you are not allowed to throw fireworks around in the streets and set off fireworks here, there and everywhere. All the effort goes into a big fireworks display, which is in the Marina Bay area. Others are in Community Centre areas.

Grab, Taxis, Cab Service, Car Sharing, Road Closures In Singapore
I am on the email list for updates and offers from Grab Singapore. They sent me a handy map of road closures for the fireworks at Marina Bay waterfront and information on the nearest stations for the MRT (underground and overground railway - Esplanade and Promenade MRT) and where to go for pickup points for cabs which can't enter the road closure areas.

Unfortunately, by the time somebody in Singapore sends an email to London, the day in Singapore is almost over. Remember, Australia is the first country to have fireworks on New Year's Even then England and Europe, finally the USA.
Next big event is the Grand Prix in Singapore starting September 8th 2017.

Time
I remember which way the clock goes because I was a teenager in London when Kennedy was assassinated. We watched TV in London in the evening, hearing what was happening in America in the afternoon.

New Year's Eve in Scotland
New Year's Eve rather than Xmas is the big celebration in Scotland. The same goes for the former communist countries. Most years you can watch New Year's Eve fireworks around the world on TV and YouTube.

Fireworks in Prague. Photo courtesy of Trevor Sharot Photography.

Tips
Singapore
https://www.grab.com/sg/taxi/
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/where-to-catch-national-day-parade-fireworks
http://www.visitsingapore.com/festivals-events-singapore/annual-highlights/grand-prix-season-singapore

Bournemouth
http://www.letsgoout-bournemouthandpoole.co.uk/main-events/bournemouth/friday-summer-fireworks/
http://www.visitbournemouth.com

UK
https://www.visitscotland.com
https://www.visitbritain.org

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

July 4 in the USA: what did you and I miss? A quiz for you on the USA.

Map of the USA from Wikipedia.

Problem
I wasn't in the USA on July 4 this year, 2017. The British papers which I read on line, the BBC News and the Daily Mail, did not report much. I found a few people and places in London, such as pubs and American theme restaurants which were offering American food and drink.


In Hatch End we have Baskin Robbins. Their website says:
Headquartered in Massachusetts, USA, Baskin-Robbins is part of Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) along with sister brand Dunkin' Donuts. 

We are forever indebted to the Americans. I remember going to the USA in 1967 and being astonished to see shops selling several varieties of ice cream. Back in London, England, post-war, an ordinary shop or restaurant only had vanilla ice cream. The top places offered you three sorts, vanilla,  chocolate and, if you were lucky, strawberry.

B, back to July 4th, 2017. It was too late to go there because I was out all day in London at Imbibe at Olympia. I had hardly had time to notice it was the 4th of July, and looking at families with children whose faces are painted feels like I'm introducing on somebody else's family party.

One reason for the shortage of news from the USA on July 4th could be that London, England is five hours ahead of New York. So it's still 1pm, lunch time in New York when Londoners get home from work at 6 pm.  New York is still early evening, 7 pm, if we go to bed in London at midnight, if we stay up that late. The West coast, San Francisco is even further away, timewise.

July 4 Picnic
When I lived in the USA, in Rockville, Maryland, in the late 1980s, on July 4th we went for a picnic on a hillside in the south near the military cemetery overlooking Washington DC.  The fireworks were not until late in the evening, a long wait, and they were far away. Now I understand why we saw so little festivity.

We didn't realise that family picnics are just that, like Christmas Day, a day off work when families can get together. We expected parades or events all day everywhere. Nothing much happened in our park. Just a lot of families having picnics. We would have seen more at home all day enjoying our swimming pool in the morning then watching morning parades from the west coast on TV in the east coast in the afternoon.

Never mind. No point thinking about the past. Learn from that. Plan to be where you can see something happening next time.

Another member of my family had a picnic in Central Park on the 200th anniversary in 1976.

July 4 Plans
Nowadays everything is on line for you to enjoy, even if you are in another city or another continent. So what can you see of the 4th of July celebrations that you missed this year?  What could you look out for or join next year?

Answers
1 Don't rely on other people. For your selfie photos stock up on American flags and face paint and keep everything together in a bag with stars and stripes on it, as you would for Christmas. Note where in your attic or basement the American theme items are kept.
2 Check your dirty ahead and see which clubs are meeting that week so you can suggest an American theme. Bake red white and blue cakes or biscuits or put flags on the food. Ask all your friend to bring red white and blue. Find a flag for your emails, websites, newsletters and blogs.

Quiz on America
Plan a quiz for children or adults on:
1 American states.
2 American state capitals.
3 American Presidents.
4 Who was your favourite American President and why?
5 Which President did the most for America?
6 Which First Lady most inspired you?
7 Make a quiz on American quotations.

My Quiz
1 Which year was the Declaration of Independence? 1666, 1776, 1886, 1996?
2 America declared independence from: Canada, France, Great Britain, Mexico, Russia, South America, all of the above?
3 Who was the first American President? Jefferson, Lincoln, Kennedy, Washington?
4 Who are the four Presidents on Mount Rushmore? Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson, ....?
5 The National anthem is: America the beautiful. The Star Spangled Banner.
6 The motto is: All for one and one for all. In God We Trust.
7 Where is Mount Rushmore? Washington state? Colorado? North Dakota? South Dakota?
8 Which of these states are on the west coast? California. Washington. Oregon. California. New Mexico? Alaska?
9 Which of these states are on the East coast? New York. Virginia. West Virginia. Florida. Texas. South Carolina, North Carolina. Maryland. R h o d e Island. Massachusetts. New Hampshire. Vermont. ...?
10 Which of these states border Mexico? New Mexico. Texas. California? ...?
11 Which states border Canada? New York State. Michigan. Washington State. North Dakota?
12 Name an American film star who became a President.
13 How many American states are there? And how many stars on the American flag?
14 Name an American female film star with the initials M M.
15 Name an American singer with the initials E P.
16 Buffalo wings are made of what? Chicken. Buffalo.
17 Which American President said: the business of America is business.
18 Which President said: Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.
19 Name three to ten ten tourist sights in the USA in NY, Washington DC, Dakota. Add one American connected site in London, England.
20 Name the previous and current presidents of the USA.

Answers
1 1776
2 Great Britain. Being independent, all of the above also applies, but specifically America wanted independence from Britain. (And from the taxes. Remember the Boston Tea Party?)
3 The first President was Washington. Maybe that's why the capital is called Washington DC. Maybe that's why there is a Washington state, but no state named after others.
4 George Washington. Abraham Lincoln. Thomas Jefferson. Theodore Roosevelt.
5 The Star Spangled Banner.
6 In God We Trust. All for one and one for all is from the novel The Three Musketeers.
7 South Dakota.
8 See map above. I can tell you. But you will remember better if you look at the map and memorise it.
9 See map above.
10 See map above.
11 New York state - of course, Niagara Falls is both sides.
12 President Reagan
13 How many states in the USA, 50, (although some say, 52, but only if you count 'territories' etc, Puerto Rico, and Washington DC. The stars on the American flag are therefore 50. (13 stripes - recalling the early days of the USA.)
14 Marilyn Monroe.
15 Elvis Presley.
16 Chicken. The dish of chicken wings was invented in Buffalo. I discovered this when I lived in the USA. At the Grand canyon we saw lots of Buffalo. Buffalo wings was on the menu. I was disappointed when I got chicken and not Buffalo. I complained that the server had brought the wrong dish. She thought I was crazy. I discovered my error a year later when I met a lady from Buffalo and asked her if her state had any national dish. Thinking about it, I still blush and wince and cover my mouth and shake my head and tut and run my hands through my hair.
17 President Calvin Coolidge.
18 President J F Kennedy.
19 Statue of Liberty. Mount Rushmore. Lincoln Memorial. Washington Memorial. Benjamin Franklin House museum in London, England.
20 Barack Obama. Donald Trump.

Use as many questions as you like, one, five, ten, or fifteen. Add your own questions. Award prizes or certificates or titles such as Top of the Class and Last But Not Least or Last But Not Lost. (I just made up 'last but not lost'. If you use it, please attribute it to me.)

You can use the quiz to entertain the family when travelling by car or train or plane, having a party or picnic or when hiking. You could make prizes for the winners, which a small certificate. Or list everybody's score and time answering.

On July 4, 2017, I did a competition at Imbibe exhibition at Olympia, London, on the WSET stand. (WSET stands for Wine and Spirits Education Trust.) I was immensely pleased to have my name up on the wall.  Even if everybody's name is on the wall, and you are last, your name is still on the wall.

Photo of Angela Lansbury Proudly Pointing to Her Name on the Top of the Class board at WSET stand at Imbibe, London, July 4, 2017, England. 

Tips For What To See In The USA or UK on July 4

Morning - see parades in person or on TV news. Parades:

Evening - see fireworks. Fireworks: San Francisco. New York.

All Day: Lights on Miami Tower in Florida.

MORE INFORMATION FROM

http://www.baskinrobbins.co.uk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rushmore

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_and_territories_of_the_United_States

US visitor and visa information:

https://uk.usembassy.gov/visiting-united-states/

https://www.visitbritain.com/gb/en

http://www.benjaminfranklinhouse.org

https://americanmuseum.org (near Bath, England, UK)

WSET

http://www.westlondonwineschool.com/catlist.

Imbibe.com

FLIGHTS

www.virginatlantic.com

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Author of Quick Quotations (Lulu.com)
Author of Who Said What When (Lulu.com)
My two previous posts are on the IMBIBE exhibition and one post mentions Prince Charles and Camilla. If you work for a tourist board please keep me updated with new attractions, museums, hotels, restaurants, films and books. I have several other posts on Benjamin Franklin, quotations, the USA, and London, England and tourism worldwide, everything from monuments to tips on packing your suitcase. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Ten Reasons to enjoy Canada, the maple leaf and maple syrup

Problem
We could not get to Canada to see the 150th celebrations.

Answer
Never mind. We celebrate Canada every day with 100 per cent maple syrup on our porridge.

Story
What do I like most about Canada?
1 Maple syrup!
2 Niagara Falls.
3 No guns.
4 Walkways in the sky between buildings so you can get around the city of Toronto when it's snowing in the streets.
5 Vancouver - my favourite city.
6 Chateaux hotels.
7 State staff in Ottawa have to speak both French and English - an idea we should copy.
8 Easily identifiable flag. Red maple leaf.
9 Houdini museum - on my wish list, at Niagara Falls.
10 You can practise your French.

What do I like least? The French accent is not the same as in Paris. Oh, well, I shall have to live with that. At least the written language is the same as the French I learned at school.

Tip
You can see the fireworks and celebrations in the BBC article.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40468161

I've tried not a hundred per cent maple syrup which is cheaper but it doesn't taste as good so now I buy the real thing.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. (More on maple syrup in the next post. Please share links to your favourite posts.)

Fireworks Festivals, Fun Dates, Chocolate Museums And Hokusai Art Exhibition For 2017

Problem
Where shall we go to watch fireworks and when shall we go?
If not, where can we watch?

Answer
New Year's Eve worldwide. Especially first down under in Sydney, Australia, or London, England, or Edinburgh, Scotland. If not on TV.

Festivals around the year are listed here.
http://www.pokies.net.au/fireworks/

Other Events include
British Museum exhibition of Japanese artist Hokusai who painted The Great Wave. When I visited Japan I bought a set of little prints like a pack of playing cards of Hokusai paintings. He is a classic artists. He lived in the late 1700s and early 1800s.

This exhibition shows pictures from Japan and the USA, from the artist's later period. None of his other paintings appeal to me as much as The Great Wave. It is menacing yet beautiful, rather like a snow-capped mountain, or a fall of rain, or a curve, or a flight of birds. Yes, you can see Mount Fuji beyond the wave. It is part of a set of pictures of the mountain. I can show it to you on this internet site because the picture from Wikipedia is in the public domain.

Do read about Hokusai in Wikipedia. He is Japan's most famous artist, and a point of discussion if you meet somebody from Japan or London this year, or anybody studying or practising art. His life sheds interesting light on Japanese customs. He changed his name many times, which was common practice for artists in his day.

The exhibition takes place May 25 - July 2 and July 7- Aug 13. The exhibition closes in the middle to change the works shown to protect them from damage (from day light). So if you are in London, England, you can see it if you are free from May 25, also in June, July, (not July 3-6) or in August before August 13, when unluckily it's the last day, your last chance to see it.

Hokusai Beyond The Great Wave
The British Museum
London
England

Booking
Adult tickets cost £12 and there are reductions for students and others. If you have already joined or wish to join the Friends at about £42 per person you get free entry to the exhibition.
http://www.britishmuseumshoponline.org/exhibition-tickets/hokusai-beyond-the-great-wave/invt/mexhokusai?_ga=1.4192496.1730437856.1484159490#book-now

My last new year wish is to add another museum to my travel plans.
The Chocolate Museum
Brixton
London
Tel:
http://www.thechocolatemuseum.co.uk/collection

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer,a author and speaker. See my other posts on this blog, my other blogs on blogger.com on subjects such as spelling and grammar and public speaking; see my profiles and posts on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and videos of me talking about etiquette and spelling and reading my comic poetry on YouTube. You can also take a peek at my books on Amazon.com and Lulu.com and buy them pristine new new or bargain price second hand. If you meet me, naturally I can sign books for you and write you an amusing message, maybe a rhyming couplet. Please share my posts.