Best Places to Celebrate New Year Eve – 2012

New Year is fast approaching and all of us are eager to welcome the New Year with open hands. When a New Year arrives things that come to our mind would include New Year resolutions, celebrations, and finally the fireworks. What are the best places to celebrate this New Year Eve?

1.     Times Square, New York City:

Times Square is a place that is always buzzing up with energy and if it is going to be New Year, more power and energy comes into foray. Have you watched the ball drop on the television last New Year? Ball dropping is a New Year tradition being followed since 1904; a must watch celebration. This ball is made of Waterford Crystal; this ball is descends 23 meters a minute and will rest at the bottom of the pole at midnight.

The Waterford Crystal at Times Square

Image courtesy: Wikipedia

Are you a party animal and wish to party the whole night? Clubs in and around Times Square would be opened for night parties and you can really have a blast. Make yourself available on the New Year Day to watch the ball dropping and party all night.

2.     Tokyo, Japan:

Do you wish to celebrate New Year a few days earlier and extending the celebrations even after New Year? If yes, Tokyo would be the perfect or best place to celebrate New Year for you. The actual New Year celebrations start on the 29^th of December and ends on the 4^th of January. Majority of the tourist spots may have been closed down during this period, but places like restaurants and pubs would be crowded with people. How about watching fireworks? It will be a spectacular event.

Kadomatsu, the traditional decoration for the New Year holiday in Japan

Japanese have a New Year tradition where the gongs in the Buddhist temples would strike 108 times at the stroke of midnight; watch it. You can eat their traditional noodles called the Toshikoshi Soba or even visit “The Imperial Palace.” This palace is opened for public just for 2 days in a year, which is 1^st and 2^ndof January.

3.      London, United Kingdom:

Are you keen on watching fabulous fireworks? If yes, London is the best place to celebrate this New Year. A recent statistics says that nearly a million of people gathered near London Eye last year to watch the spectacular fireworks. How about you being one among millions this year to watch the brilliant fireworks? This year (2012) you can watch the fireworks in London from viewing areas on both the North and South banks of the river between Waterloo and Lambeth bridges.

Trafalgar Square at London

Image source: Wikipedia

If you feel the place would be too crowded, you can watch the fireworks display at London Eye or at the big screens kept in Trafalgar Square. Pubs and clubs are opened almost all through the night on New Year just for party lovers.

4.      Sydney, Australia:

New Year at Sydney, Australia

Image courtesy: Wikipedia

To be one of the first in the world to ring in the New Year, go to Sydney. Here, you can witness absolutely stunning fireworks accompanied by music exploding over the Sidney Harbour Bridge, the magnificent center piece of beautiful Sydney Harbour. More than a million people gather around Sydney Harbour for Midnight Fireworks, countdown and party. There are plenty of vantage points around the harbour, but probably best views of fireworks and all the New Year’s action are from one of the boats in the harbour. What can be better than to party on a boat at New Year’s Eve wearing shorts and flip flops? Don't forget to book your place on board in advance! Don’t miss to watch the “Harbour of Light parade” that will be held before the midnight fireworks.

5.      Scotland, United Kingdom

Do you wish to celebrate the New Year in a place that has several customs and a world famous street party? If yes, head to Scotland. They celebrate the New Year as Hogmanay. One of the most widespread traditions followed in Scotland is “First-footing;” a person who crosses the threshold of being a friend or neighbor comes to your house with lots of gifts such as coal, whiskey, salt, shortbread, and a black bun. This symbolizes good luck and prosperity for the entire year.

Celebrations at Edinburg for Hogomanay, the New Year in Scotland

Image courtesy: Wikipedia

 Edinburg is the Scottish capital and this holds the world’s most famous New Year celebrations called the street party held at Princes Street. At the stroke of midnight, cannon is fired and this is followed by fireworks. The celebrations in general start on December 28^th and goes on till January 2^nd.  

6.      Gisborne, New Zealand

Fireworks at Sky Tower, Auckland, New Zealand

Image courtesy: sacbee

Gisborne is 496.3 km west of International Date Line and therefore, this is the first city to see the beginning of the New Year. Visit Gisborne and be the first person to celebrate the dawn of the New Year. It is really a treat to the eye to watch those beautiful street carnivals and fireworks. Visit the Sky Tower, one of the tallest freestanding structures in the Southern Hemisphere for the spectacular fireworks.

7.      Marina Bay Area, Singapore

Be one among the nearly 250,000 people who watch the impressive New Year celebrations at the Marina Bay Area in Singapore; this starts at the Marina Bay Area and extends to Esplanade Promenade, Esplanade Bridge, Benjamin Sheares Bridge, Merlion Park, and the Padang. You can also hop on to “The Singapore Flyer” which is the world’s tallest ferry wheel to watch the spectacular New Year celebrations.

Skyline of Singapore on New Year

Image courtesy: Telegraph

Visit any of these places and enjoy the New Year celebrations. If you are like me who wishes to stay home with family and friends for the New Year, cook a delicious meal and enjoy sharing it with your near and dear. Isn’t this the best New Year celebration?

Tourist Attractions: 10 Notable Natural Arches around the World

Nature never ceases to amaze me. If we have a close look at the nature, we surely can learn a lot from it. All of us must have seen huge flyovers and bridges all over our country, but how about knowing some of the natural arches around the world. Natural arches, what are they? A natural geological rock formation that has an opening below is termed as a natural arch; many of these natural arches serve as a narrow bridge. Take a look at these 10 notable natural arches around the world.

1. Azure Window, Gozo, Malta

Azure Window, Gozo Island

Azure Window is a famous natural arch in a Gozo island. This natural arch looks like a table. This famous landmark of Malta is situated near two other famous landmarks of Malta; the Inland Sea and Dwejra Bay. This is a very popular site for scuba diving. The height of this natural arch is 22.54 m. It is believed that this arch will very soon disappear as the disintegrated rocks are falling one after the other. If you are planning to visit Malta, do not forget to visit this soon-to-disappear natural wonder of the world. This natural arch will be renamed as Arch Pinnacle once the entire form disintegrates.

2. El Arco de Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

El Arco de Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (A natural arch made of granite rock)

Image via wikimedia

The arch is actually called as El Arco by the local people of Cabo San Lucas; this arch lies in a place where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez. This is a 200 foot high granite rock; it is believed that this natural arch was formed due to strong ocean currents. This place is famous for sea lions. El Arco is a perfect tourist or travel destination if you are an adventure traveller who is always ready with a backpack.

3. Durdle Door, Dorset, England

Durdle Door, A natural limestone arch

It is a privately owned natural limestone arch; it is open for public even though a privately owned property of the Welds. Why is it called Durdle? There was an old word in English called “thirl” meaning bore or drill and this is how Durdle Door got its name. This natural arch is found on the Jurassic coast near Lulworth. This natural limestone arch has been cut by the sea through the almost vertical Purbeck Caps and the top of the Portland Freestone. It is definitely one of the most impressive natural arches.

4. Percé Rock, Quebec, Canada

Perce Rock or the Pierced Rock, Major attraction of Gaspesie region

Image courtesey: Wikimedia

Percé Rock is a French word meaning pierced rock. This natural arch is called by other names such as le rocher percé, Pierced Rock, and Split Rock. When you see this rock from a distance it will look like a ship under sail, wow. Percé Rock is one among the longest natural arches in the world and a major attraction of the Gaspesie region. The park where Percé Rock is situated is the second largest migratory bird sanctuary and one can witness lots of northern gannets here. This is one of the best places to watch blue whale, humpback whale, razorbills, and kittiwakes.

5. Pont d’Arc, France

Pont d'Arc, France.

Pont means bridge in French; Pont d’Arc is a natural arch carved out by Ardéche River. This is situated near a small town called Vallon-Pont-d’Arc. If you are thinking of canoeing or kayaking in France, Pont d’Arc is the best place. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in France. You can also find lots of caves near Pont d’Arc, of which one of the famous caves with cave paintings is Chauvet Cave.

6. Pravčická brána, Czech Republic

Pravacicka brana, natural sandstone arch in Europe

Image courtesy: wikimedia

Pravčická brána is the largest natural sandstone arch in the Europe and one of the most beautiful rock formations in Bohemian Switzerland; it is a natural monument of Czech Republic. This is a very narrow natural arch. There are several divergent paths and stairs that lead to the observation platforms; from here one can enjoy the panoramic view of the surrounding area.

7. Shipton’s Arch, Xinjiang, China

Shipton's arch, tallest natural arch in the world.

Image source: wikimedia

Shipton’s arch is probably the tallest natural arch in the world. Shipton’s arch is also called as Tushuk Tash in the local language, which mean “Heavenly Gate” and is a conglomerate natural arch. Eric Shipton, a British mountaineer was the first person to report about this arch and hence called the Shipton’s arch. According to the National Geographic team, the height of this natural arch is 1200 feet, which is as high as the Empire State Building in the USA. This arch was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for some time, but later dropped it as they were not able to locate the exact location of the arch. It was in the year 2000, a team from National Geographic re-found this arch and made an excellent documentary about it.

8. The Green Bridge of Wales, Pembrokeshire, United Kingdom

The Green Bridge of Wales, Limestone arch, Pembrokshire.

Image courtesy: Wikimedia

The Green Bridge of Wales is a spectacular natural arch in the coast of Pembrokeshire. This natural arch was formed by the erosion of the sea or in other words, marine erosion. This is a limestone arch and is considered one of the biggest natural arches in the world. It is believed that due to coastal erosion, this natural arch may collapse in the long run. It has a rugged picturesque and the views are amazing. It is a place for many caves and natural formations.

9. The Eye of Burroo Rock, United Kingdom

The Eye of Burroo Rock, largest natural arch, island of Burroo

Image courtesy: wikimedia

The Eye of Burroo Rock is the largest natural arch in the small island of Burroo. It is called the Eye of Burroo as one can notice a large hole in the Burroo when they are miles away; this large hole is what is termed as “The Eye.”

10. Aloba Arch, Chad

Aloba Arch, longest natural arch outside the US, Ennedi Range

Image courtesy: Naturalarches

Aloba Arch is considered the longest natural arch outside the United States spanning an area of 250 feet. This natural arch is made of sandstone and is located in the Ennedi Range; this range is located within the Sahara Desert. This arch is 394 feet tall and is one among the tallest natural arches of the world.

These natural arches are definitely a must visit tourist attraction. Take a break from the regular routine and visit these breathtaking natural arches around the world.