POZNAN, POLAND

     I went to Poznan for a day back in 2011 to visit my cousin who was studying at the University of Poznan. It is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland.

     It is most known for the renaissance building standing at Poznan's Old Market Square, formerly acting as city hall. The bugle call of Poznan is played daily from the City Hall tower. Furthermore, the main attraction of the city are the goats. Everyday at noon, the goat figures slide out from the middle tower of the City Hall and butt their horns for a minute, you cannot miss the show if you're visiting Poznan!

     Find Malta in Poznan! No, not the hot Italian island, but a popular recreation area in Poznan, with a lake, biking and roller-skating area, and even skiing area. If you're a shopaholic, right next to this amazing area full of attractions there is a huge Malta Gallery with numerous big brands, a cinema and a gym. There is another shopping centre call the Old Brewery, which has a very interesting architecture.

     If you're an animal lover, take a trip to the local zoo to see beautiful tigers, elephants and other animals. Overall Poznan is a nice city with an awesome architecture, and I would love to visit it again and explore more parts of it.

 

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND

     I travelled to Manchester to celebrate the New Year with my boyfriend and friends. We chose to go there as we have not been up North before and it's one of the biggest cities in the UK, so we knew we would not be bored.

     Manchester is a beautiful city with many skyscrapers and modern architecture. It seriously feels like it is just a smaller version of London, it even has it's own China town!

     The city centre was full of beautiful Christmas decorations, it looked absolutely magical!

     If you are planning to visit Manchester on New Year's Eve, do not miss out on the midnight fireworks at Albert square. It's an amazing show lasting ten minutes, it's free and honestly I believe it is just as good as the London show.

     For the actual party we went to the Fifth Club situated on Princess Street. It has three floors, each playing different type of music so everyone should find something they like. Another benefit of this venue is the cheap drink prices. Jagerbomb was only £0.99, a bottle of Carlsberg or Fosters £1.50 and shot with mixer for £2.50!

     The places you want to visit are the Cathedral situated near the Victoria train station and the Art Museum near the Albert's square. Both places are very interesting and the entrance is free. Overall Manchester is an awesome city and I definitely would like to visit it again!

CHEDDAR,ENGLAND

AND WE'RE SINGING LOUDER THAN BOMBS CAN FALL!

     I went to Cheddar last weekend for a short camping trip with my uni friends. It is a large village situated in the south-west of England, just 9 miles away from the Welsh border. It was my first ever camping experience, so I didn't know what to expect, but I can honestly say Cheddar was a pleasant surprise.

     We stayed at the Petruth Paddocks camping site, which covers two large fields. It is the perfect place to stay if you DO NOT want to be isolated from the world during your stay. There are multiple drinking water stations, cubical toilets and showers, as well as a 'phone charging' point in reception. The staff is very friendly. A massive advantage of Petruth Paddocks is the allowance of on-site fires, which will keep you warm during cold nights.

     Be ready (I definitely wasn't) for heavy rain, and a leaked tent. Spend that extra time setting the tent up properly to avoid a wet surprise.

     Cheddar reservoir is a perfect place for an evening chill out by the water. It is only about 10 min walk from the village centre. It covers quite a large area, and the sunset view is beautiful.

     A must see when visiting Cheddar is the Cheddar Gorge. The entrance fee for an adult is £18.95, it covers 6 different attractions and is valid for ten years, so don't worry if you're tight on time, you can always come back! You first get a short bus tour around the limestone gorge in the Mendip Hills.

     You then go on to exploring the Cheddar Gorge caves, which were found by Richard Cox Gough in the late 19th century. It is an interesting place to see, full of facts and history. Before entering, ensure you grab an audio set (available in English, French and German), which deeply explains the history.

     Don't forget to get on top of the Lookout Tower. You will first need to climb 274 steps but it is all worth it, as you get a 360 degrees view on Cheddar.

     All the cheese lovers, this is the place where the cheddar cheese was invented! There is a a shop near the Cheddar Gorge where you can try all the different flavours of the cheese and of course purchase it for around £4. Overall I really liked Cheddar, it is a charming village and I wouldn't mind going there again.