Lapland

At Christmas time in the UK, Lapland theme parks appear around the country. They claim to offer a 'genuine' Arctic Christmas experience, with snow, elves, reindeer, huskies, and the rest. The best of these was Lapland New Forest, which was closed down after being uncovered as a scam. Members of the public described it as a 'joke' and 'hell'. There was no snow, just a muddy field and some under-nourished huskies. One punter was so unhappy with the attraction he attacked Santa and one of the elves. See the BBC story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/7765080.stm

Another theme park's opening was cancelled altogether, which seems a pity since it promised a winter wonderland overlooking a motorway near Wolverhampton. Some customers had pre-paid 25 pounds a ticket (yes...25 pounds), only to be turned away at the gate. At another Lapland in scenic Kent, the cost for 3 kids and 2 adults is 117.50!

They sure know how to do value entertainment here in the UK.

Skating

At Christmas time, the Council sets up an ice rink in the city. It used to be at Piccadilly Gardens, which was a dog's breakfast. The new one is at Spinningfields, away from the bars, so it's a much better location.

I went skating, and surprisingly managed to say on my feet the entire time. Most people were falling all over the place, careening around the rink in complete chaos. In the photograph, the kid behind me was a total menace, staggering around the rink at speed knocking people over. I spent a lot of time avoiding him. But, given my success, I might give it another go.

Congestion charge defeated

The referendum on the proposed congestion charge for Greater Manchester was defeated on Friday. Every borough voted heavily against it, so the comprehensive loss may see the end of proposals for similar schemes all around the country. It is also the end for any large investment in transport infrastructure for the city. Any new transport funds will be shared around the country, so a major expansion of public transport here is off the table. Well done, drivers. I hope you enjoy your traffic jams.

Como

Como is a beautiful town on the shores of Lake Como, in Lombardia, northern Italy. The old town nudges right up against the lake, and the newer suburbs spread out through the valley. The lake itself is beautiful. It is narrow and stretches a long way north towards the Swiss border. You can see the alps from the lake. Small villages line the shores at the foot of large hills, and they are too picturesque for words. In autumn it was pretty quiet, as most of the tourists are there in summer. But this was the best time to be there. And the lake, good food, wine and coffee would be enough to make it a fantastic visit anytime. I wonder if they have a university I can teach at for a semester?