Edinburgh Festival

It all started in Edinburgh, which is the capital of Scotland. Luckily it happened that at the same time take place in the Edinburgh International Festival. Then comes to town a lot of theater and music groups to present themselves at local theaters and streets. The city is visited by then many thousands of tourists from all over the world. The international nature of this festival is an opportunity to showcase their native culture. In addition to the kilcie Scot, playing in the kobzie can see people in the ethnic African clothes. All provide an atmosphere of fun, music can be heard everywhere. In addition to attending the event may be amused to see the tired tourists in the gardens of dozing off Princes Street. In the early afternoon on the Royal Mile, which leads to the castle, they begin to arrive in numerous bands and theater. It happened to us to chase one of these teams up the Royal Mile in the rain, because the members of the corpses looked like a group of Scottish soldiers of the sixteenth century. The fact that the twentieth century we have witnessed only the sun glasses on the nose of one of the players on the drum. Everything that happens on the streets of Edinburgh at this time, the Scots refer to as "fringe". In addition to the theater festival is also the Military Tattoo Festival, which ends with a spectacular military parade. Yet returned to Edinburgh for the final of the festival, which usually takes place in early September. Organized the spectacular fireworks display at the castle, which is painted in the night a thousand colors.

The other legend of Giant's Causeway

The second legend is more romantic, though it's only a banal love story of a giant and the giant. This time, Fionn had to fall in love with a woman living on the Island of Staffa, near the Scottish coast (here, "the road" again emerges.) So he built the dam, and on her way to be able to move to his beloved home.

Before the place became a famous tourist attraction of the local villagers used the exposed gaps between the columns as reservoirs of salt. Filling them with sea water and, after evaporation of the sun scraping salt. Since the eighteenth century, began to appear there first tourists.
We stood on the black basalt columns, covered with yellowish brown and lichen. Patrzyłyśmy as foaming waves crashing on the shore. We felt a slight breeze on his face unique and admired the beauty arising from the forces of nature. When I left this piece of land there was no bitterness in me as in the eighteenth century writer William Makepeace Thackeray, who said: "My God! And I traveled 100 miles to see it. "I walked with a friend is not 150 and 1500 km and do not regret. Once again, the nature of mankind has proved that her works are not only subtle, multicolored, arousing awe and humility, but also finely made that no man is as creative as nature itself.

Giant's Causeway

Giant's Causeway greeted us with a breathtaking picture - a small piece of land as if made ​​by human hands, and whose creation had nothing to do with human activity! We saw a regular, hexagonal columns of descending stairs into the depths of the ocean. They were about 60 million years ago during a volcanic eruption that formed the Antrim plateau. The middle part of the effluent stream from the crust of lava stygła slower than the outer layers. Solidify lava shrank, resulting in tension and tension arose, which led to the formation of cracks in hexagonal and 37,000 regular basalt columns. Only some of them are five and a seven, and two, the key and the chair of the octagonal wishlist.

Otherwise explain the rise of the Irish legend of the island. According to the most popular version of the island once lived a giant called the Ulster warrior Fionn Mac Cumhaill. He had scores to settle with his friend from Scotland. To meet with a rival and fight a duel with him on the fists began to build the road to Scotland throwing in the sea pulled from the earth, stone pillars. When he saw the enemy, but he threw himself to escape. Scot followed him. Fionn he came to his house, he put the child's cradle. When Scot came home and saw Fionna "child" of his enemy as a giant, said that the father should be even greater. So scared of that vision, that he fled to Scotland and did not appear again. Built if the road still exists and is called the Giant's Causeway.

Irish impressions

Ireland has charmed us with its wealth of landscapes. Lush green grass, steep rugged cliffs, dive into the waves of the sea, the old mountain ranges covered with heath and the blue glacial lakes in the ruins of old castles and the remains of the Celtic culture still draw in my imagination the image of the island. Wandering through the rarely visited, Irish routes, away from human settlements established close contact with nature, I had time for reflection and inner calm.
Thoughts often go back to the moments in this wonderful country. Before my eyes there is a breathtaking sight of a small portion of the coast, which takes only 2 ha in size and is called the Giant's Causeway - Giant Road. It is located in the northern part of Ulster, belonging to Great Britain. For Northern Ireland, we got a hitch from Donegal situated in the Republic of Ireland. Hitch-hiking provides not only economic benefits. It's a great way to closer to understanding the country's population, their mentality and everyday life, not written anywhere customs and traditions, as well as an excellent opportunity to learn the language.

National Health Service in the UK

For health care, you can use services institutions the National Health Service - NHS (National Health Service) - general practitioners (GPs), GP (Walkin Centres NHS) and NHS hospitals. Please show the doctor the European Health Insurance Card and identity card. For specialist treatment and hospital referral is needed, but in emergencies can be reported directly to the hospital emergency department (Accident and Emergency Department). NHS doctors' addresses can be obtained by phone NHS Direct - 0845 46 47 (Web address: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk), and the local authority for health care (in England are the Primary Care Trusts in Wales - Local Health Boards in Scotland - Health Boards in Northern Ireland - Health and Social Services Boards. Fees for medical services: prescription drugs are issued free of charge to children under the age of 16, pupils aged 18, pregnant women and people over 60 years of age, the other person must pay a fee lump sum of 6.50 pound sterling (GBP) for each prescription. authorized to issue prescriptions covered by the refund is a physician practicing in the NHS. Part of the costs you incur for dental treatment: a flat fee for the examination and 80 percent. the cost of treatment. The fees are exempt pregnant women and up to 1 year after childbirth, as well as children under 16 or to 18 years (if they are learning.) Transportation to the Polish health is fully paid by the patient. Private treatment: if you use care centers operating outside the NHS must pay the full cost of treatment, without the right to return them. emergency number - 999 or 112 documents necessary to obtain reimbursement of the original invoices, proof of payment. When in doubt, information can be obtained from the Department for Work and Pensions, The Pension Service, International Pension Centre, Tyneview Park, NE98 1BA Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom, Tel: 0044 191 2187547, fax 0044 191 2187375 or NHS Direct on tel 08,454,647th Jersey and Guernsey should be reckon with limited access to social benefits. doing the work, you must register with a GP, which will provide access to National Health Service. The European Health Insurance Card is not accepted.

Cost of living in the UK

Credit cards are widely accepted. Same with traveler's checks, which is best to use in pounds sterling (avoided in this way, additional commission fees.)

Example prices in the UK: a loaf of bread - on average £ 1 a liter of milk - about 60 pence, 1 kg of apples - about 1.5 GBP.

Renting in London in a double room will cost about 200 GBP per week and more. Prices depend on location and standard of accommodation, often requires a deposit for 1, 2, weeks or months in advance. The current minimum wage per hour is £ 5.05 for workers aged 22 and above.

A weekly bus ticket in London costs £ 13.5; day - £ 3.5; a single journey - 1.5 GBP. Tickets for the metro and train are much more expensive, such as single Tube journey will cost £ 3 a week travelcard (on the train, metro and buses) on the 4 zones will cost £ 31.6.

Driving in Great Britain

In the UK drive on the left. It is compulsory to wear seat belts in the front and rear seats. Talking on the phone while driving is prohibited. The permissible blood alcohol level driving a vehicle is 0.8 per mil. A green card is not obligatory, but still, it serves as proof of insurance in case of an accident makes it easier to obtain compensation, it is desirable to purchase insurance hull. There is no obligation to replace the Polish law for a British one, but it can be done. To do this, get in the mail form D1, fill it out and send to the DVLA (Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Swansea, SA99 1BT, www.dvla.gov.uk) together with the Polish driver's license, evidence of identity and a fee of EUR 38 British pounds (GBP). Please also enclose a letter confirming the application that the director knows that the exchange is not mandatory, and does so at his own request.