Glasgow is not the gritty, working-class metropolis of legend. It never was, and there are many attractions and things to do in this Mecca of the North.

Glasgow, in fact, is one of the UK's most visited cities. It hosted the Great Exhibitions of 1888 and 1901, became an industrial powerhouse in the twentieth century, and has returned as a place of culture since the Second World War. The city hosted the popular Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988, and was designated European City of Culture in 1990. In 1996, it hosted a spectacular Festival of Visual Arts. More than two million tourists visit from within the UK and from Europe and more distant areas every year.

The Old and the New

Glasgow is home to many of Scotland's principal performing arts organisations:

• The Scottish Opera
• The Scottish Ballet
• The Royal Scottish National Orchestra
• The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
• The National Youth Orchestra of Scotland
• The Citizen's Theatre

In addition, there are many new small and "experimental" venues and lively pubs and clubs, especially clustering around the Glasgow centers of learning. Since the city's first university was established in 1451, Glasgow has been hailed as a powerful seat of learning. Lord Kelvin, Adam Smith and James Watt are just some of history's great thinkers associated with the city's academic past. Today's educational establishments include:

• The University of Glasgow
• Strathclyde University
• Glasgow Caledonian University
• The Royal Scottish Academy of Music
• Glasgow School of Art
• College of Commerce
• College of Building and Printing
• College of Food Technology
• Glasgow Hotel School (Strathclyde University)

Visitors are often surprised to learn that Glasgow has the largest retail sector outside of London. Residents and visitors from around the UK and overseas are drawn to the city's expanding shopping outlets, which include:

• Shopping malls like the chic and trendy Princes Square, the enormous St Enoch Centre, Sauchiehall Street Centre, Parkhead Forge, the historical Argyle Arcade, and the Buchanan Galleries (opened 1999)
• The main pedestrian shopping thoroughfares of Sauchiehall Street, Buchanan Street and Argyle Street. .
• The unique and colorful Barras weekend street market
• The smaller, character filled outlets of the city's bohemian West End
• A wide range of top class cafés, restaurants, pubs and wine bars

The city of Glasgow is proud of its tough industrial past and current vibrant economy. The city employs City Centre Representatives to help shoppers and visitors around the city, and a comprehensive City Watch close-circuit TV scheme keeping a watchful eye on the streets.

 

My wife informed me that this little incident had convinced her our two weeks in Scotland would either make or break our marriage. Knowing me as she did, she'd immediately become resigned to a fortnight of lurching from one minor disaster to another. I tried to reassure her. We had in prospect a highly enjoyable tour around the most spectacular parts of the British Isles. The weather was glorious, the car had just been serviced, all B & B bookings were confirmed - what could possibly go wrong?

To me it seemed a reasonable point of view as we gazed down at the brown trout languidly making their way along the River Bladnoch near Wigtown. Next day, having moved on to Base Camp 2 at Helensburgh, we were more adventurous and decided on a swim in Gare Loch, undaunted by the nuclear submarine base only a mile away. Upon returning to the layby we were confronted with the sight of a locked car, with the keys smirking at us from the rear parcel shelf.

I swear that the pied wagtail observing my increasingly violent efforts to open the small, hinged window (the car was an Austin 1300, built in 1969) had an amused, “Another silly Sassenach tourist” look about him. At least the sun was still shining.

The window succumbed, miraculously without the glass breaking. We motored on, eager to reach Loch Oich and our first shared experience of camping. We'd planned about four nights under canvas to reduce costs. Forgetting the tent pegs was no problem, I assured my long-suffering partner - there were plenty of screwdrivers in the tool box. I was looking forward to exploring the path of the old Fort William to Invergarry railway at the side of the loch.

The ravages of both time and the Forestry Commission had obliterated all signs of the railway, which I later found had closed just before World War One. “Never mind, dear,” I consoled Avril, “let's go for a drink. There's a hotel just up the road.”

It was during this four-mile walk that we saw the first of very few wild animals of the holiday. The young deer lay at the side of the road, sightless eyes accusingly fixed on us. We offered a silent apology on behalf of our car-worshiping species and continued on our way. Avril was understandably thirsty when we reached the hotel, so I treated her to a pint of keg heavy (apparently the Scots term for bitter). She insisted we sat outside.

One of the few pleasures to compare with sipping beer al fresco on a warm summer evening in Scotland, is emerging from a tent the next morning and washing yourself in an icy-cold loch in brilliant sunshine. The sense of freedom is total. Birmingham, our home city, seemed light-years away. Even the noise from the R.A.F. Tornadoes racing down the Great Glen only gave a momentary sense of the end of the world. We struck camp and headed west.

The Isle of Skye has been eulogised so much there seems little to add. Suffice to say that a visit should be the aim of everyone who calls himself a discerning traveller. Few other places seem to provide such a deep sense of peace, tranquillity and escape from the pressures of everyday life. What induces this feeling is hard to fathom. Unlike Iona, Skye has little direct spiritual significance. It undeniably has far more visitors that most Hebridean islands, which can make some areas uncomfortably crowded. Since the opening of the bridge linking it with the mainland, it is no longer even an island.

Perhaps Skye's appeal lies solely in its sheer beauty, or the romantic association it has with Bonnie Prince Charlie. At any event, it was significant that during our three days in this gem of a place nothing whatsoever went wrong. Even the sun kept shining - until we drove onto the ferry back to Kyle of Lochalsh.

Week Two was far more typical of Scottish holidays. It was as if the rain, having been unavoidably detained, was intent on redoubling its efforts to ensure we didn't go home with a false impression. The damp began to affect the car, resulting in most of a morning being devoted to working under the bonnet in our landlady's garage. At one point I looked up to glimpse a pine marten watching me with a quizzical gaze. Or was it a stoat? It chose not to tarry - a rapid shake of whiskers, dislodging a sparkling shower of droplets, and it was gone.

That evening the rain paused awhile and we made the short trip to the shore of Loch Carron. The sun was sinking behind the mountains of Wester Ross. A gentle breeze rippled the surface of the loch. The last train of the day rattled by on the opposite bank, heading for Inverness. I switched on the car radio, hoping to find a local station playing suitable music to enhance the mood. It was, however, tuned to Radio One, which was playing "Pretty Vacant" by the Sex Pistols. The scene abruptly became decidedly less idyllic.

Our remaining time north of Hadrian's Wall passed quickly, and was becoming an anticlimax. Further nights camping were out of the question; we spent a fortune telephoning landladies, desperately arranging extra nights' accommodation. We covered most of the country, resulting in much of our experience of Scotland being through the car windscreen - not, of course, an ideal way to see anywhere.

Ironically in a land full of natural wonders, the fortnight culminated in the crossing of the River Forth. First-time drivers should proceed with caution at low speed. Not that the road bridge is unsafe - far from it, but your first view of the neighbouring cantilever structure (THE Forth Bridge) genuinely takes the breath away. Observation is best from the walkway of the road bridge - it's well worth stopping in North (or South) Queensferry and walking halfway across, lingering to let the scale of the thing wash over you. Is it its sheer size? Or the intrinsic beauty of those three colossal steel diamonds laid end to end? Or the ghosts of the 57 men who died building it? Whatever it is, I defy anyone with a trace of a soul to be unmoved. The Forth Bridge seems to sum up both Man's ingenuity and the indomitable nature of the human spirit.

These musings were suddenly interrupted by my sunglasses, which I was absently twirling as one does, slipping from my grasp and tumbling gracefully into the Forth 160 feet below. It seemed fitting to end the holiday much as it had begun. Avril just looked at me. “Hasn't been TOO bad, has it?” she said. It hadn't. what's more, our marriage is still going strong 30 years later.

Any sea trip in these waters will be paradise for wildlife enthusiasts. We saw seals, dolphins, minke whales and basking sharks, none of which is exactly common in our native Staffordshire! But the real glory of the islands is the birds. You will always find various species of gulls on the British coast, but you get the impression that the bird population of St Kilda exceeds that of the rest of Britain put together. Little fulmars (the staple diet of the former residents of the islands), are everywhere on the main island Hirta. Boreray and the stacs contain huge colonies of majestic gannets. The small island of Dun has large numbers of rainbow-billed puffins, unmistakeable in flight with their rapid wing beats. Visitors walking the grassy slopes of Hirta risk being "dive-bombed" by aggressive great skuas, protecting their nests on the ground. The combined sight, sound and smell of what seems like millions of birds leaves an indelible impression.

St Kilda was inhabited for centuries until 1930, when the hardship of life for the few remaining islanders led to evacuation at their own request. Previous generations had survived by means of what was one of the few truly communistic societies in human history. The total absence of money, limited contact with the outside world, and a genuinely co-operative system for food production and decision-making caused more than a few of the occasional visitors to enthuse about the near-utopian culture.

This is not to say that life really was idyllic. Infant mortality was appalling for much of the time; a major factor was the "sickness of eight days" - Tetanus infantum - which killed up to 80% of newborns. It was strongly suspected that the primary cause of this tragic scourge of the islands' babies was the custom of anointing the umbilicus with fulmar oil.

Another blight on the St Kildans' lives, although mostly well-intentioned, was religion. In common with much of the Western Isles, the Church played a major, although varying in intensity, role in life. The tenure of one notorious missionary, the Rev. John MacKay, was particularly severe. The populace were reduced to a religious orthodoxy which bordered on the fanatical, with three church services on Sundays lasting at least two hours each. Of course no work of any kind was permitted on the Sabbath, which often resulted in the men being unable to unload essential supplies from visiting ships.

But it was visitors, that is tourists, which brought about the fateful shift in the focus of the islanders' lives that ultimately led to the end of the St Kilda community. As the rest of Britain learned of their unique way of life, the more adventurous began to brave the treacherous seas beyond the Outer Hebrides and travel to the archipelago. They brought with them a desire for souvenirs, postcards, photographs of themselves with the "natives" - and money to pay for them. The result was predictable, and inevitable. The St Kildans rapidly became dependant on the link with the rest of the world, and younger residents, their eyes opened to an alternative way of life, gradually began to leave. When the population fell to thirty-six in early 1930 it was clear that the society was unsustainable. All were shipped to the Scottish mainland in August of that year, the more able-bodied men being found jobs in forestry, and the community with its unique culture was scattered and simply ceased to exist.

Since the evacuation the only long-term occupants have been the military, resulting in some unsightly buildings and radio masts, but it is this presence which has kept the islands open to visitors. Walking past the long abandoned ruins of the village is a moving experience. The National Trust for Scotland has made good progress with restoring the cottages - joining their summer work parties is the only way to spend more than a couple of days there. Beware, though - after a couple of weeks away from the "real" world you may be reluctant to leave these beautiful islands.

Short visit, but full of interesting things.

Edimburgh is a strange city, it is full of unexpected situations.

In example you can walk in the chaos of the main way and if you turn, for mistake or desire, in one of the Closes, suddenly you can find yourself in a space between the palaces where the voices and the noises of the main way are unable to reach you despite to the only 20 meters from the main way.

In one of these spaces outside from the time, the museum of the writers is found.

Settled during 1622 in memory of Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson, all the guides will say you to visit it at least for the building itself.

But, if you want to understand as the Dr.Jekyll had to be felt during his work on the formula that would change him in Mr Hyde, try to walk around the evocative Closes in the middle of the night; stop yourself on th little particular of the buildings around you, try to breathe the atmosphere... but after, don't play with chemistry, of course!

But what are the Closes?

In the 1644 they decided to wall some poor quarters because of the plague.

The wiskey blurred the minds, it is known, and in this case also the memory, in fact they simply forgot about those quarters.

So over them, they started to construct a new level of the city, this level is now called Royal Mile.

Living in Turin (Italy) I'm quite used to hear story about underground galleries, but when they forgot that the Closes were an entrance of an underground world, they forgot also in that world persons were living.

Therefore during the jobs they had two Edimburgo: the new and bright one and the dark one, where the people lives under the official side of Edimburgh.

Then the plague thought to resolve this dichotomy of the city and in the decades a lot of voices about the ghosts of the old inhabitants conviced the people to stay away from the Closes.

Thanks to the fear of the plague and of the ghost, for 400 years the basement of the royal mile kept in a good conditions a lot of narrow lanes and houses of an entire quarter.

Obviously today the tourism does not have more fear of the plague so, in the Mary King' s close, the tourists can visit an house, considered by the guides, "one of the best existing examples of city architecture of the XVII century", all obviously flavored with a lot of ghost stories expecially of child ghosts for which people leaves flowers and toys in the close.

So if you are planning to go to Edimburgh, bring with you your ghost-buster suite!

Malaysia

Like other parts of the world, Malaysia too, celebrates the New Year's Day with great excitement and joyful. Malaysians prefer to celebrate New Year's Eve with much merry-making at public squares like Dataran Merdeka, hotels and restaurants. Though Malaysia is a multi-racial country with races includes Malays, Chinese, Indians, Sikhs, Eurasians, Portuguese, indigenous people and other minority races, we are here celebrated the New Year's celebration in harmonious and tranquility, regardless of religions, customs, languages and races. This unity spirit marks the strong unity among the citizens of Malaysians without bios and racism, which highlights the beauty of Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Malaysians gather one hour earlier at the Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur. Dataran Merdeka is just like the Times Square of New York. Almost all the restaurants and shops have their premises decorated with colorful bulbs, balloons and steamers. The Malaysian flag or “Jalur Gemilang” and the state's flags are swinging gracefully on top of the premises. People prefer to come out in the streets and stay until daybreak to cheer for the arrival of New Year rather than sit in front of the television, as they want to capture the full excitement moment in the mood of New Year's celebration. People will gather at stadiums, coffee shops, café, restaurants, KLCC, Genting Highlands and all parts of states in Malaysia shouting Happy New Year or “Selamat Tahun Baru” to each other when the clock strikes 12 at midnight.

The unique of Malaysians here are unity and family oriented. A day before the New Year in Malaysia, all family members from far of places return to their hometowns for the reunion dinners. We are proud to be Malaysians!

China

In the early morning on January 1, 2008, the Beijing Tiananmen held a grand flag-raising ceremony.

Flag-raising ceremony in China

People from all parts of China gathered here to watch the ceremony while greeting the arrival of 2008.

A child was sitting on the adult's shoulder while watching the flag-raising ceremony.

Japan

Every year on 1 January, Japanese celebrate their New Year or also known as Oshiogatsu or shogatsu. In general, the New Year in Japan commences on 31 December and lasts until 3 January. On every 31 December at the midnight, Buddhist temples ring their bells for 108 times on the last night of the passing year all over Japan. This event is also another major attraction called The Watched night bell held every year in Tokyo during the New Year's Day. The night bell is stricken 108 times symbolizes the 108 human sins in Buddhist belief and get rid of the 108 worldly desires regarding sense and feeling in every Japanese nation. Japanese believe that the tolling of the bells can get rid off their sins of the previous year.

Dezomenshiki in Japan

In Tokyo, the capital of Japan, people bid farewell to the past year and welcome the New Year by undertaking some activities such as Dezomeshiki (New Year's parade of firefighters. Traditional acrobatic stunts are performed by the firefighters of Tokyo in the parade during the New Year's Day in Tokyo) and Special Opening of the Imperial Palace Grounds.

Tokyo, Japan

Japanese eat Herring roe or fish egg (symbolizing fertility), black beans (symbolizing health), dried chestnuts (symbolizing success) and prawns as omens (symbolizing happiness) on the mood of celebrating the arrival of New Year. They also have their traditional mouthwatering delicacies called mochi or white rice cake breakfast called zouni.

Before the New Year's day, they sent cards to their relatives and friends but the postmen will keep them and only deliver the New Year's greeting cards or nengajo at one time on 1 January. All Japanese put on beautiful and finely knitted Japanese traditional costumes to greet their guests. Females will wear Kimono or Yugata on this day.

Japanese children play karuta or a card game, some play hanetsuki or a badminton type of game, and some have takoage or kite flying during New Year's Day. Parents give their children money or otoshidama on New Year's Day. In Japan, Japanese will do hatsu-mode by paying holly visits to Shinto temples and shrines to pray for a healthy and Happy New Year. They put decorations outside their house with pine and bamboo or Kado-matsu to celebrate New Year. They display a large steamed rice cake or Kagami-mochi in a place of importance in the house until 11 January.

South Korea

On 1 January, Korean people rush to sunrise sites in the eastern Gangwon Province and Southern city of Busan (the largest port city in the South Korea) to see the first sunrise of the New Year. Some gather at the east coast cities of Gangneung and Donghae to make wishes as the sun rose on the New Year. Korean Folk Village features at hosting some traditional games and events all over the Korea on New Year's Day. The festival mood of New Year's Eve Celebration includes a series of Korean cultural performances in central Seoul.

Watching sunrise in South Korea

Seoul, South Korea

On New Year's Eve, more than 150-thousand Korean people gather in Jongno district to witness the striking of an old temple bell at the Bosingak (Bonshingak, made in 1468,is the largest pavilion among the Korea's national treasures) pavilion. The bell rings 33 times to greet the coming of New Year. As the festive mood in Korea mounted, Korean people attend a variety of ceremonies and events, including parades, fireworks and traditional cultural performances till the end of the New Year's Day on 1 January every year.

United States of America

One of the unique and unusual New Year's celebrations in United States is the Mummer's Parade (This custom is brought to Philadephia by European settlers and dates back to medieval England, where troupes of costumed performers went house from house presenting a folk drama or Mummer's play at Christmas time. “Mummer” in German refers to a mask. The earliest known Mummer's club was formed in the 1840s and the first official "Mummer's Parade" was held in Philadelphia in 1901) held in Philadelphia on 1 January every year. This parade features at elaborating costumes with ornate costumes that rival those in Mardi Gras parades, comedy and string bands of accordions, saxes, drums, violins, banjos, bass fiddles, glockenspiels, and clarinets. A slide show of the parade is available from Mummer's museum while its photographs are available from Mummer's Picture Gallery.

New York Times Square, U.S.A

The New Year's celebration at Time Square, New York was the ball drop, and its streaming video clips are available at EarthCam.com. The first Ball lowering celebration held on headquarters in Times Square, New York on December 31, 1907 and has proceeded for the past 100 years.

The Waterford Ball is a geodesic sphere with six feet in diameter, and weighing approximately 1,070 pounds. During the New Year at Time Square, New York every year, people there lower the ball. There are 504 Waterford crystal triangles engraved with the names of those lost in the World Trade Center on the ball, with the decoration of 696 multicolored light bulbs, 96 high-density strobe lights and 90 rotating pyramid mirrors.

In celebrating the arrival of 2008, the Bow Tie of Time Square (42nd to 47th Sts. between Broadway and 7th Ave.) was unavailable to traffic. After lighting the New Year's Eve ball, city officials and guests at the Countdown Stage in the center of Times Square will ring a commemorative bell. By pushing the Waterford crystal button, it marked the final sixty-second countdown prior to the Ball Lowering. The numerals of the New Year “2008” shone high above Times Square, with the light bulbs on the New Year's Eve Ball turned off. A two-minute pyrotechnic display illuminated and glistered with the bursts of custom-mixed colors in the sky above One Times Square accompanying with special effects of computer. The release of the world-famous New Year's Eve confetti from the rooftops of buildings throughout Times Square marking the start of New Year and the people cheered happily and contentedly in the mood of New Year's celebration.

United Kingdom, U.K.

New Year in Britain is a time to drink, eat and dance either at homes or with friends in a club or pub when clock strikes 12 at midnight. Different countries and cities in Britain have their own unique ways to welcome the New Year but the spirit to celebrate the New Year in each person's heart is the same all over the Britain.

The other main feature of New Year in Britain is the tradition custom of “First Footers”, which believes that the first person over the threshold on the New Year's Day will dictate the luck to bring to the particular house on 1 January. Scotland and Northern Ireland had followed this tradition with the first footers bringing in a piece of coal, bread and whisky while crossing the threshold.

London, England

Chinese New Year's Day Parade, London

London's New Year's Day Parade, also known as Hogmanay is famous all over the world. Over thousands of people, more than 10,000 musicians, dancers, clowns and acrobats gather and feast at Trafalgar Square while waiting eagerly for the arrival of New Year. London is by far the best city to be on the New Year's Eve for some of its excellent bars and clubs. Last but not the least, is the traditional dragon dancing, music and entertainment at London's Chinatown.

Scotland

People celebrate Hogmanay (Hogmanay's culture roots back to the pagan practice of sun and fire worship in the deep mid-winter. This fire symbolizes how the light of the knowledge to be handed over from one year to the next, which carries forward the light of hope to a better world) or Scottish New Year on 31 December every year. It has become a great festive season at the large city of Glasgow and Edinburgh. To view “1000 pipers” gathered at Edinburg castle and piping their way down to Holyrood palace, go to Homnanay.com and click some of the video clips.

Fireworks display, Hogmanay's Street Party, Dornoch, Scotland

When the bells of Big Ben chimed at the midnight, everyone sang Auld Lang Syne with lots of kisses. The words to this song are as follows:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o'kindness yet
For auld lang syne!

Scotland “Firstfooting,” (Each year, groups of friends or families do a tour to each others' houses and each family takes turn to provide the meal for the group) and Ceilidhs (Scottish dances) took place in the most remote parts of Scotland. The children in Scotland went from house to house collecting oatcakes. Grand parties were held everywhere at this night, and people celebrated the arrival of New Year with Scottish dances or Ceilidhs.

Spain

Eating 12 grapes is a custom that makes New Year celebrations in Spain unique and New Year in Spain is worth visiting for his nightlife. The night view during the New Year's celebration is amazing, so make sure to be a part of the New Year in Madrid. Spanish people keep 12 grapes ready at the beginning of the New Year and eat one with each chime of the clock symbolizing the 12 months of the year. The grape eating custom dates back to the King of Spain, who gave grapes to everybody to eat on the New Year's Eve with jest and enthusiasm.

As soon as the clock strikes 12, people gather at the Puerta del Sol Square in Madrid cheered happily for the entry of the New Year. New Year in Spain indeed enchants the visitors with the atmosphere dipped in true festive mood, atmosphere and decorations all over the Spain.

In Barcelona, people also participate in 12 grapes eating tradition when clock strikes at 12 midnight. People here are having party, dance, music, drinking and feasting with great enjoyment, enlightening the New Year's atmosphere. Visitors may come to experience countless surprises while having rock band performances to salsa, and from ballroom dance to gourmet delights. Another feature of New Year celebrations include the arrival of Magos who distribute candies and lollipops to all in The Procession of the Three Kings, bottle rockets and other aerial fireworks are being shot off all over the city particularly in Barcelona, furnishing Spain with an aura of jollity and festive atmosphere.

Spanish people celebrated the arrival of the New Year or Año nuevo

A buffoon shakes his hands during a New Year's celebration in Spain's Madrid on December 31, 2007

Germany

In German language, “Silvester” refers to New Year's Eve as the name suggests that a pope who lived in the fourth century has his feast day of Saint Sylvester on 31 December. People here celebrate New Year by dancing, singing, drinking and getting merry. Many Germans prefer playing games to foretell the future of the arrival of the New Year. Dropping molten lead into cold water is one of the famous games that predicting the future according to the shapes it takes in the cold water. Some prefer to share this special moment with their friends and loved ones.

When the clock strikes at 12 midnight, Germans hug and wish each other Happy New Year. To celebrate New Year's Eve, Germans usually splash a bottle of fine champagne, burn eye-catching fireworks and party hard.

Germany Brandenburg Gate

In Frankfurt, a city rich in culture and tradition, the sky is dazzling with brilliant firework display. On the New Year's Eve, in almost all the pubs and clubs in Frankfurt, one cannot stop from munching the delicious almond cookies called Brenten, Bethmännchen and drinks like Kinderpunch and Apfelwein. On every 1 January, the traditional New Year's concert is held annually at Alte Oper with performances include Maurice Ravel's Alborada del Cracioso, Klavierkonzert G-Dur, Boris Blacher's Orchestervariationen über ein Thema von Paganini and Mazeppa. Meanwhile in Hamburg, as soon as the clock strikes 12 at midnight, the church bells toll and ships sound their horns, which marks the merriment of the New Year. New Year is a gala event where dance, party and usher in the New Year bidding adieu to the old in the stylist city of Germany has become an important festival in Hamburg, Germany.

France

The French celebrate New Year on 1 January by exchanging gifts, cards and goodies as if Americans celebrate Christmas. Initially, people celebrated the New Year's Day known as “La Saint Sylyestre” in France since 1582.

Paris, France

During the French New Year's Eve, people celebrate with grand pomp and show. Various cultural programs too, take place during the New Year's Day. French make every moment approaching New Year by partying hard with family and dear ones, and bid a joyful farewell to the past year while welcoming the New Year with sparkling success, glorious and excitement. The New Year's holidays in France ends on 6 January with a tradition of cutting cake and types of cakes are in varieties depends on the place where you are in France.

Australia

During New Year in Australia, the Sydney Harbor Bridge is dazzling with more than 80,000 fireworks lit at the Circular Quay in vicinity to the Sydney Opera House. During the New Year's Eve, from a 16km radius around Sydney, one can see the fireworks sparkling with glorious, joyful, and more than 300,000 tourists from all over the world who want to capture the glimpse of the famous fireworks set their legs in Sydney. Everyone set eyes on the clock waiting eagerly for the arrival of the New Year.

Sydney, Australia

Australians prefer to go on picnics, outing and camping on beaches as ways to bid farewell to the past year and at the same time welcoming the arrival of the New Year. Meanwhile, people enjoy themselves by having New Year Party, camping and enjoying bonfires in Sydney. As soon as the clock strikes at sharp 12 at midnight, they ring the Church bells with excitement. People there make loud noises, blow car horns, whistles and shouting Happy New Year to each other. The spirit to celebrate the New Year is the same no matter whether they are at the seaside, in a dance club, at home, in the shopping complex, in a hotel and any other places all over the Australia.

In celebrating the arrival of 2008, people have party along with their beloved family, relatives and friends in Melbourne accompanying with the hottest rock bands performing on Melbourne beaches. For the community of Chinese-Australia, spectacular Great Dragon appears in the streets of Melbourne, marking the arrival of the New Year.

Good-bye 2007, welcome 2008!

The city center of Dunfermline is a small, intimate place and the sights are easily explored on foot.

Abbot House is the oldest house in Dunfermline. It is ideally situated in the center of the attractions and a good place to start, as it outlines the history of Dunfermline and will point you in the directions you wish to take from there. Painted bright pink to indicate the importance of the building, Abbot House was once the administrative headquarters of the first Benedictine abbey in Scotland. Today a small group of volunteers act as guides and take visitors from room to room where hardly a moment in Scottish history is not touched upon, from the time of the Picts to spotting the Luftwaffe in world war II.

From Lady Anne Halkett's garden at the rear of Abbot House, a gate will take you directly into the grounds of the abbey, where Braveheart William Wallace's mother is buried beneath a thorn tree. Entrance to the abbey if free, although a donation is much appreciated and an entrance fee will need to be paid to gain access to the ruined palace situated alongside the abbey.

Once inside the abbey it is the final resting place of Robert the Bruce which beckons. Lying beneath the pulpit, Robert the Bruce's outline in Gold follows the exact measurements of his body when it was found. As visitors stand and view the place where he rests, it's worth remembering that his body was actually found beneath the magnificent stained glass window, where he had been for around 600 years, before he was preserved in tar and laid beneath the pulpit.

From the abbey you can walk to the Carnegie museum. The museum is inside the cottage where Andrew Carnegie was born. Carnegie was born to a relatively poor family, but through his determination and entrepreneurial skills he became the steel king of America, making his fortune in the steel furnaces of Pittsburgh. He went on to establish over 20 charities and has had more set up in his name since his death, including the Carnegie trust which supports many of the attractions seen in Dunfermline today.

Andrew Carnegie also gifted Pittencrieff Park, which he loved as a child, to the people of Dunfermline. The greenhouses here are open all year and there's a children's play area.

Dunfermline's only underground attraction is St Margaret's Cave. This was once the sanctuary of Scotland's unfortunate, royal saint, Margaret. An impressive replica of the silver bust and crown of St Margaret which was lost in Europe can be viewed in Abbot's House.

Dunfermline is a quiet place today with hardly any nightlife and just a few shops, but the sights and sounds of history are all around you. Little Dunfermline was once the capital of Scotland and the home of kings.

Festivals aside, Edinburgh is a diverse, exciting place to visit. The museums and art galleries here can take up a day's visiting alone. The national gallery of Scotland Complex is free to enter and shows works by Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin and many others. The Queens' Gallery on the Royal Mile has changing exhibitions, including a wide range of art and treasures held in trust by The Queen. Then there's the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. This is also free to enter and includes works by Dali, Warhol and Hirst.

If you're looking for more of an experience The Real Mary King's Close is a guided tour of Edinburgh's famous underground streets, showing what life was like in the city in the 17th century. Later in the evening the Edinburgh literary pub tour begins at the Beehive Inn.

Shopping can also be a bit of an experience in Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Old Town Weaving company shows tartan being woven on the premises. Upstairs there's an information point where you can find the tartan for any clan, as well as other information on Scottish names and history. In the Scotch Whisky Experience by the castle not only can you buy your favourite single malt, but there's a tour which lasts about an hour revealing the mysteries of whisky and offering free tastings.

When it comes to eating out in Edinburgh there's a wide choice, ranging from lunch time cafes, Indian restaurants, Thai, Italian and many bistros. The Rhubarb restaurant on Prestonfield Road recently won Best Hotel Restaurant 2007 and is the latest restaurant from James Thomson whose other Restaurant, The Witchery By The Castle is already Scotland's most famous place to dine out.

Walk the streets of Edinburgh and you'll notice many pubs and bars. The Golf tavern overlooks Bruntsfield Links and is a unique place to enjoy a drink. The Bollinger Bar at Palm Court is Scotland's only Bollinger Champagne bar. The Prestoungrange Gothenburg on the High Street brew their own real ales on the premises. And The Jam House on Queen Street is Edinburgh's newest Live music venue, also offering fine dining in this old Georgian town house.

If you want something a little more lively The Stand Comedy Club has the best in Scottish and international stand-up comedy. There are many theatres and playhouses such as the Edinburgh Festival Theater on Nicolson Street and the Ross Open Air Theatre in Princes Street Gardens. But if you want something more authentic The Thistle on Leith Street boasts the best traditional Scottish entertainment the city has to offer.

Arts & Entertainment

The National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street boasts some of the finest collections in Britain on many subjects. From Egyptology to Dolly the first cloned sheep, the whole is housed in a fine and vast building. The cafe at the bottom is worth popping into just for lunch or a hot drink, and the bonkers clock in the atrium is worth anyone's visit. Happily, the museum is entirely free.

If it's a film you're after, why not try the Cameo cinema on Bread Street? Enjoy the experience of relaxing in wide, comfortable seats in a space with more in common with the 1950s that the 21st century. The staff are friendly and student discounts are available.

For cheap theatre, the University's student company is one of the best in Britain and one of the few to operate a theatre entirely on its own back. The Bedlam Theatre is an Edinburgh institution, with shows every week of term. It is home to the first Scottish improvised comedy troupe, The Improverts, who create comic scenes from audience suggestions every Friday night of term at 10:30.

Accommodation

The city boasts many fine hotels, not least the Balmoral and the Scotsman (so called as it is housed in the building previously occupied by the venerable Scotsman newspaper). For somewhere a bit cheaper, good deals can be found in hotels throughout the city. Visit Edinburgh Hostels for more details.

Food and Drink

While the city has the usual number of kebab shops and chippies to keep the stomach and wallet full, there are healthier places to eat cheap. Recommended is Uncle T's on Forest Road, a Mediterranean take-away. The couscous is a must at only £3. The same price will buy you a large curry at the Edinburgh Mosque which operates a lunch kitchen throughout the week.

Slightly more upmarket places include the Thai restaurant Anthalya, opposite the Festival Theatre, and Bonsai, a Japanese restaurant off Pleasance Road.

Daytrip

If you're looking to take a break from the city, the seaside resort of North Berwick is only half an hour away by train and highly picturesque with an old fashioned sweet shop to boot.

Transport

Trains from Glasgow run every half hour. Waverley, the main train station, is situated slap bang between the Old and New Town. From here you can catch the Airport Express for a bus direct to Edinburgh Airport (£3 one way; £5 return) every fifteen minutes.

Taxis are in abundance around the city and bus trips cost a pound for short journeys.

Here are a selection of six top brands of single malt (unblended whiskeys):

1. Laphroaig. 10 year old malt.

   The Laphroaig distillery is situated on the Scottish Island of Islay using the smoky, peaty spring water found on the island. The bottle bears the Prince of Wales Crest as it one of the Prince Charles' favourite tipples.

2. Talkisker. 18 year old, single island malt.

   Distilled on the western Scottish Island of Skye, this single malt has a very strong aroma and a distinct flavour which comes from the spring water that permeates through the rocks next door to the distillery. This is a full bodied, smooth whiskey with a distinct flavor.

3. Blair Athol. 12 year old single malt.

   This single malt whiskey is distilled in the Scottish Highlands. It is dark in color and has a mellow but distinctive aroma. There is clearly a touch of spice and lemon peel in the after taste.

4. Drumguish. 5 year old single malt.

   Speyside distillery takes it's water from the river Tromie. This distillery has some of the smallest commercial stills in Scotland. The aroma of this single malt is fresh and clean with a very slight menthol touch. The pale spirit has a reputation for being the "best whiskey in the world."

5. Glenfarclas. Single malt.

   This rich and powerful spirit is distilled in Speyside. Glenfarclas comes in a range of ages: 10, 12 and 17 year old single malt and the strength of the spirit varies accordingly. The 17 year old version is 43% proof. It also comes in a powerful 60% cask strength. The overall flavor of this spirit is malty, smoky and slightly dry.

6. Braeval. Single malt.

   The Braeval distillery in Banffshire, Scotland is only 25 years old. The aroma of this whiskey which is often used to make blends, is malty with a touch of dried grass. It tastes spicy and slightly sweet with a hint of vanilla and is best enjoyed neat.