by Roy Witman

Americans often dream of visiting faraway lands or some distant, tropical paradise. We tend to forget that we have some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world – as do our neighbors to the north. Before venturing too far from home, take a moment to discover what wonders can unfold on a cruise to Canada & New England.

Many cruise lines, including Carnival, have begun offering trips to this majestic region over the past few years. The voyages have been met with great success, as Americans rediscover a little homegrown excitement.

If touring onboard a Carnival ship, you’ll depart from New York for a four-, five- or seven-day cruise. As you make your way toward Boston, home of the Red Sox and endless bowls of clam “chowda,” legends will come alive. From the history of the Old North Church and Paul Revere’s home to the excitement of Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston gives you a way to step back in time.

Continuing north on the Atlantic Ocean, you call on the port at Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada. Take a Hummer back-road adventure and see the best of this coastal town. An experienced driver will escort you to Shipwreck’s Cove and other popular sites filled with photo opportunities. Explore Halifax Harbor with tall-ship sailing at the direction of the captain and his crew. Even ride in a horse-drawn trolley and more. From the turning of the leaves in fall to the lapping of waves on the beach in summer, Halifax gives a unique experience year round.

Saint John, New Brunswick offers a delightful array of excursions to choose from, including activities and tours in Fundy National Park. With natural waterfalls and towering cliffs that plunge into the ocean below, this park is overflowing with wildlife and stunning scenery. And, did you know, the Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world? You can also experience a phenomenon called “reversing falls.” Every six hours the tide either rises or falls some 28 feet, causing the currents to reverse. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before! Bicycle tours, kayak adventures, lobster bakes, harbor cruises, jet boat rides (in the reversing falls) and so much more await you in Saint John.

Because of the historic significance of the cities you’ll visit, cruises to Canada & New England make for exceptional family vacations. With a wide range of tours, exhibits and activities, there are excursions for every age range, physical ability and interest. Thinking of a romantic getaway? Canada & New England cruises take you into some awe-inspiring natural beauty sure to rekindle any romance. Walks along the shore, unhurried bike rides across quaint covered bridges and more will have you and your sweetheart falling in love all over again.

Regardless of when, why or with whom you cruise, you’ll find a renewed sense of appreciation for America and our northern neighbors.

It’s the end of another four year wait – the World Cup has rolled around again and this time we’re off to Germany. On Saturday the 10th of July in Frankfurt, at 3.00pm, England will kick off against Paraguay in the FIFA World Cup group B and now is the time to ask yourself: where will you be?

Frankfurt has a 48000 seat capacity stadium, protected by a translucent roof allowing that early afternoon light to illuminate the players – so capacity crowds can be expected. Let’s break down stereotypes and show them how to be gracious guests and supportive fans (and still have the team turn out a result on the day).

It might seem like it’s a long way away, but right about now speculation about team selection, managers, fitness and tantrums will be filling out the sports pages until they wrap right around to become front page news. We’ve had our Svengate, is Rooneygate next? How many more upsets are there in the pipeline before even the first ball is kicked off? To make sure you don’t miss out, you should be sourcing your tickets to Germany now (http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com).

We are already in the fourth sales stage for tickets to the World Cup, and that means its first come first served. Face prices for group stage matches are set at €35 but you can slide all the way up that scale to €600 for the most expensive seats for the final. That’s face value – and that’s if you can find them!

Of course, if you’re feeling lucky, you might want to skip buying tickets at all, and simply enter the competition from Barclaycard to win World Cup tickets (http://www.barclaycard.co.uk/worldcup ), and although it’s a high risk strategy only the Ronaldinho’s among us can get away with, you could end up with a pair of tickets to each of the 12 venues to watch a FIFA World Cup match, plus accommodation, flights, a pre-paid MasterCard, and more. There are over 500 runners up prizes too, so even if you miss out on the top prize you could still win tickets to see England play firsthand in Germany.

It’s only once every four years that the world’s footballing cream come together to decide who is the best, and that time has come around for us this year – would you want to risk missing out? Remember: it’s also only in Germany that the Golden Shoe can be claimed, the Best Young Player settled (Wayne Rooney or Lionel Messi anyone?) and the tournament Golden Ball awarded – and then there is the small matter of the FIFA World Cup trophy itself.

With the pre-World Cup friendlies underway, there’s a chance to check out the competition and see who we think will live up to the hype – with some of the most combustible teams and wildfire personalities coming to Germany this Summer, you need to be doing your research now so that come the big day you can book your place in the terraces to watch this year’s heroes and villains break hearts and become legends.

Disclaimer

All information contained in this article is for general information purpose only and should not be construed as advice under the financial Services act 1986. You are strongly advised to take appropriate professional and legal advice before entering into any binding contracts.

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One of the greatest highlights of Christmas is Santa Claus whose legend turned him into a magical kind-hearted, noble, and generous “good fairy Godfather” today!

Santa was originally a Bishop who after his death became the legendary Saint Nicholas. Here is something that you may be surprised to know. He was Greek and Greek speaking! He is believed to have been born around 280 AD in Patara near Myra. Originally Saint Nicholas was the Christian Bishop of Myra (today known as Turkey). Back in those days Myra was predominantly populated with Greeks. The Turks didn’t arrive until the 11th century AD. This Bishop was a generous and kind-hearted man, devoted particularly to children. In 340AD after his death in Myra it is said that sailors stole his remains and took them to Bari, Italy where he remains today in the beautiful Basilica of Saint Nicholas specially built to house him. Medieval people believed relics of Saints had healing powers and every church had a store of them. The sailors increased his popularity in Europe with stories of his kindness and generosity which lead to increased devotion with stories of miracles.

St Nicholas became so popular, loved and adored by the people that he was honored as the patron Saint of just about everything! He was indeed the national Saint of Greece and Russia where churches were named in the thousands after him. Known by his red cape, flowing white beard and Bishop’s miter he also become the patron Saint:

- in Greece of sailors

- in France of lawyers

- in Belgium of children and travelers

In other lands he was patron of merchants, judges, paupers and just about everything else you can think of!

An official church holiday was created in St Nicholas’ honor some time around the 12th century. This was a time when thousands of churches across Europe were dedicated to him. A Feast Day in his honor on the 6th of December become the official day of his celebration and is the day of the anniversary of his death. In the early days of celebrations it was considered lucky to make large purchases or to get married on his Feast Day! Traditionally the day was honored each year with celebrations and marked by gift giving and charity.

How did his name transform from Saint Nicholas to Santa Claus? Some say it started from the Dutch naming of him. After the Reformation, European followers of Saint Nicholas dwindled but the legend was kept alive in Holland. Dutch children have a magical tradition where they excitedly leave their wooden shoes by the fireplace and “Sinterklaas” would reward good children by placing treats in their shoes. The Dutch colonists brought this fun tradition with them to America in the 17th century where the spelling of his name “Sint Nikolaas” was eventually and affectionately transformed to “Sinterklaas”. Hence the Anglican name “Santa Claus” emerged which is now the most popular name he is known by today! However others suggest the Anglican name comes from the Germans. As “Santa” is said to have come from the word “Saint” and “Claus” is an abbreviation for the name Nicholas in Germany.

What did he look like? Originally he appeared in Bishop’s robes holding a Bishop’s miter. When first arrived in America Santa didn’t look like the figure we know today. He was a thin, sad faced old man wearing a fur-trimmed knee-length coat. Santa’s back in the old days were usually dressed in blue, green or black with no red and white we see today in sight! It was by the mid 1850’s that the red and white fat jolly version we know today gained popularity.

The American image of Santa Claus developed from the Dutch austere Sinterklaas; a bishop in a red bishop’s costume who rode a white horse. Washington Irving in his comic “History of New York” is said to be the first to describe him as plump and jolly. The evolution of the image of Santa Claus continued in 1823 with the publication of the famous poem by Clement C Moore “A Visit From Saint Nicholas”.

In England by the mid 19th century Santa was a fat, red faced, jovial character who wore glasses and a crown of holly on his head. He appeared almost always tipsy accompanied by a steaming bowl of punch with either a glass of punch or ale in his hand. We know that around the world Santa has been depicted in many shapes and forms including the most popular being tall and thin or short and fat.

How did he become so famous? A transformation onto paper leads the way! Dr Clement C Moore (an Episcopal Minister) in 1822 described Santa Claus as a benevolent plump jolly man in a red suit. He originally wrote the famous poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” for his 3 daughters after an inspirational moonlight sleigh ride home from the market after buying a Christmas turkey. It was not published for another 20 years. Then fame didn’t take long to spread to children and adults around the world. It was much loved for its sense of fun and magic. This poem helped to popularize the idea of Santa Claus visiting on Christmas Eve.