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For anyone who likes snow and winter weather, the state of Maine provides a perfect vacation spot, especially northern areas like Aroostook County with towns like Caribou, Limestone, and Presque Isle hidden beyond large cities and heavily populated areas. A visit in winter results in a different perspective than one during summer.

Of the four seasons, winter most evokes extreme emotions. Some people hate winter, the whole season: the wind and the cold, the coats and the boots, the gray skies and the snow. Others come alive in winter: the brisk air and fresh breezes, the bright snow and warm fires, the skiing and the skating. Winter attacks some places with more anger than others. Some places have sunshine glittering on a snow-covered landscape; others have harsh winds and blowing dirt. A Maine winter brings harsh wind, bitter cold, gray threatening skies, bright sunny days, and a Christmas card beauty of ice and snow.

Bundled in woolen clothes, coats, caps, mittens, and mufflers, school children stand huddled in doorways as they await the school bus. The wind hurls the biting cold through the strongest of materials. People rush from warm buildings into vehicles and back into warm buildings as quickly as possible. Eyes water; noses turn red; toes become numb. Misery runs rampant as the temperature drops lower and lower; the wind, strong and vicious, makes the cold penetrate into the innermost core of a person.

Low, gray skies depress and press upon spirits as people attempt their business of living, many wishing to hibernate the winter away. Yet, many days glitter and glisten as the sun’s rays upon the snow shoots sparks of light into eyes, causing an illusion of heat on faces.

However harsh a Maine winter may be, no one can deny the beauty once snow covers any barrenness and ugliness. Tall majestic fir and pine stand under their mantles. Crystallized birches appear at attention. Hill, vale, and garbage heap sleep under a blanket of white which softens and hides defects.

Thus a Maine winter reveals a great beauty to rest the eyes, cold and wind to battle, dark skies and bright sun to play havoc with spirits. Yet, harsh cold and biting winds, sunshine and depressing gray days create the whole, making the beauty all the more unique.

Vivian Gilbert Zabel taught English, composition, and creative writing for twenty-five years, honing her skills as she studied and taught. She is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/, a site for Writers, and her portfolio is http://www.Writing.Com/authors/vzabel. Her books, Hidden Lies and Other Storied and Walking the Earth, can be found through Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com.

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This place is not just known for its matchless cricket army and world-class wine but is also famous for its bewitching scenic splendor and exclusive events. Ranked as one of the top-most vacation spots on earth, Australia is a place to be in. Children as well as elderly love to bask in the beauty of this place that offers something good for everyone.

This land of kangaroos has more than a dozen wonderful sites for all the visitors to relish. Each of the Australian states is a unique experience altogether. New South Wales or Sydney, the oldest state is known for the Sydney Harbor Bridge, Opera House and Sydney National Park. The wine city of Australia, Victoria is popular for its huge vineyards. Wine cultivation is the next best occupation of the people out there. Melbourne, the capital of Victoria is the hub of local music and is a shopper’s paradise.
The second largest Australian state, Queensland is swarming with tourists all throughout the year. One of the reasons being that its capital Brisbane houses the Barrier Reef, one of the natural wonders of the world. Other pulls of Queensland are its Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast.

Impromptu events are the forte of any Australian state but South Australia is notoriously popular for its events, fairs and other festivals. No wonder that this part of the sub continent is accoladed with being the festival state. The highlights of the festival include setting up of galleries, nightclubs, and theatres and art in general. Adding to charisma of the place are the sites like Kangaroo Island, the Limestone Coast and the Eyre Peninsula.

The continent’s largest state, Western Australia, is expansive enough to fit in entire Japan, New Zealand, Texas and England taken together with room to spare. More than half of this state is dotted with sand as there are three deserts here- the Great Sandy Desert, the Gibson Desert and the Great Victorian Desert that feature as important landmarks on the globe. Western Australia is also known as the Wildflower State simply because it boasts of more than 8000 species of wildflowers more than anywhere else in the world.

The ideal place to confront and enjoy Australian wildlife is Tasmania. Since nature has blessed Tasmania with many gifts, it is also known as the “natural state” of Australia. Tasmania is the habitat of more than a million penguins, thousands of elephants, wombats, wallabies and Tasmanian devils. The famous wildlife parks of this area are the Trowunna Wildlife Park, the Platypus House and the Tasmanian Devil Park.

Like every continent, Australia’s government abode too is a place to visit. Not only for its political or historian attraction but because the Australian Capital Territory or Canberra has a lot of tourist popularity. Must see of this area include the Australian-American memorial, Captain cook memorial, Indigenous voices, National Caillon and the most important of them all - the Australian parliament.

The northern region of this continent is also a home to a plethora of wonderful places. Darwin, the capital of this region, Tennant Creek, an area that will educate you about local customs of native Australia, Uluru, the largest single land in Australia, the Tiwi Islands and The Kings Canyon are some of these captivating places.

Mansi aggarwal writes about australian vacation

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For many centuries, Subic Bay was recognized as a deep safe harbour. Realizing
Subic Bay’s potentials, the Spaniards used the bay as a port to defend and maintain
the Philippines as a part of their empire in the 17th century. In 1885, it was built
into a naval base that utilized the safe harbors and natural resources.

After their victory over the Spaniards in 1898, a naval repair and supply base in
Subic Bay was established by the Americans. It was only reachable by sea until 1932
when the zigzag roads were opened linking Subic Bay and Olongapo to the rest of
the Philippines.

The Japanese bombed Subic Bay in 1941 and was held by them until the US took
back the Philippines in 1945. The naval base was returned to the control of the
United States. The two invasions by the Japanese and Americans produced a
number of bombed or scuttled naval ships in Subic Bay. Scuba divers from around
the world are now enjoying these wrecks in their underwater graveyards.

Control and maintenance of Subic naval base remained under the United States
despite the Philippines gaining their independence. The United States was given 99
years free access of the facility via an agreement signed between the Philippines and
US. With the outbreak of the Vietnam War, Subic Bay became a strategic site in the
maintenance of a strong US presence in Asia.

In 1991, the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo covered Olongapo and Subic Bay with nearly
half a metre of ash. After the Senate of the Philippines rejected the renewal of the
US bases treaty in 1992, the Subic Bay Freeport was established after the last of the
American naval ships completed its pullout of forces.

Since then, Subic Bay Freeport Zone has now become a well-known economic,
commercial and tourist hub. It is booming with world class restaurants and duty-
free shopping.

Subic Bay is situated in Zambales Province on the west coast of Luzon 120
kilometres north of Manila. Mountains with lush jungles bound its coastal area.
Mountains with lush dense jungles, suitable for trekking, surround the coastal area.
The bay cuts out into the South China Sea.

Subic Bay brags of interesting wreck dives. It is home to a impressive combination
of wrecks. The six wreck sites have an average depth of 45 ft.

Subic Bay boasts of its rainforest and a white sand beach. Its world-class facilities,
which include a marina, yacht club, hotels, shopping arcades and food shops, are
supported by Philippine tourism. An international airport is another attraction.

Nestor Santos is a field reporter for PhilippinesVacation.org, where you can
enjoy great articles about the Philippines.

If you want to enjoy more articles related to going on a
Philippines Vacation, visit the
site.

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