TITANIC turns 100: truly made in Belfast (Northern Ireland)

THIS YEAR IS THE CELEBRATION OF THE 100th anniversary of the liner. Titanic 100 is part of the annual festival launched on 31 March 2011 and will end in 31 May. The main highlight of the festival includes an exhibition showcasing the work of RJ Welch - the official photographer for Harland and Wolff (the company who built the ship), where huge framed photos on display in the ciy hall grounds of Belfast.

Belfast is the only city in the world that celebrates significant centennial anniversaries/events in relation to Titanic. Aside from the launch of RM Titanic on 31 May 1911, the other two anniversaries include: the opening of the Thompson Dry Dock (1 April 1911) and the launch of Nomadic (25 April 1911).

This 2-month festival also features SS Nomadic with a second exhibition at the city hall that focuses on the ship's contruction and the current restoration programme, including rare artefacts from both the tender and the White Star Line.

The Titanic Memorial is also found within the ground of Belfast City Hall which is dedicated to those people (1,517) who died in the disaster on 14 April 1912.

DID YOU KNOW THAT (source: Northern Ireland Tourist Board)... the first class cuisine on Titanic matched the world's finest restaurants and hotels. First class diners enjoyed 11 course meals, with wine served for nearly every course. You can enjoy a recreation of the last first class menu at the Rayanne House guesthouse in Holywood (Northern Ireland) and discover its fascinating link to Titanic. In addition, a state-of-the-art 6-storey building, Titanic Belfast will be opened in April 2012 - the centennary celebration of the ship's maiden voyage!

If you are interested to find more of the forthcoming events, visit GotoBelfast and DiscoverNorthernIreland websites.

The Catacombs: An underground tourist attraction in Paris

PARIS IS WELL KNOWN AS THE CITY OF LOVE, CITY OF MADNESS and the City of Lights. But on the other hand, it is also the city of secrets - it has a darker side that lies beneath its surface.

The Catacombs occupies abandoned quarries located 20 metres beneath the ground of the city. It served as an alternative burial location when the city suffered from serious diseases and famine in the years leading up to the French revolution. Between 1785 and 1787, remains from various cemeteries were removed and then skeletons were sorted and neatly stacked according to type. The transfer of human remains from other urban burial sites continued until 1870s and the Catacombs became the final resting place of an estimated 6 million former Partisans.

Paris Catacombs is modelled after the Roman Catacombs covering a surface of 11,000 square metres, the labyrinth of corridors open to the public is 1.7 km long, but the collective reach of the networks of underground tunnels is approximately 300 km. To date, it is a popular tourist attraction which opens from Tuesday to Sunday (10am to 5pm, 4pm is the last admission) with a minimal entrance fee.

I visited Paris in September 2008 and the Catacombs is one of the must-see tourist attractions at the City of Lights!

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