Tag: Free Things To Do

Plaza De Armus in Queretaro

Posted in Cities, Day Trips, Federal, State and City Parks, Free Site, Good Food, Mexico, Plazas, Queretaro, VideoTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I love this plaza. Besides being surrounded by great restaurants, beautiful historical buildings, and cute little shops; it is the place where the locals come to sit a spell and to dance to the live music. And anytime you can dance on the street or at an open air plaza you know you are in for a memorable time. How I wished at that moment I had someone to dance with! I spent a good half-hour people watching and it was a great way to pass the time under the shade of the beautiful old trees which fill the plaza. I thought I would try something new and throw in a couple of videos.

From there I was lured by the bells ringing at the Parish of Santiago calling the faithful into its doors. I slipped into the church and spent some time reflecting before heading out into the town again.

Eventually I ended up at Plaza De Armus again and just soaked up the culture of the place. What a marvelous way to spend a Sunday!

Torpedo Bay Navy Museum-Devonport, New Zealand

Posted in Foreign Lands, Great Fun For The Kids, Museums, New Zealand, Travel Hints, Using Local TransportationTagged , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

One of the issues that those of us face when traveling with children is what we are doing of interest to the kids or will we spend all that entrance fee money only to be confronted with “THIS IS BORING.” Frankly, it is one of our worst nightmares come true.

I was a little concerned before reaching Torpedo Bay Navy Museum that we might find ourselves embroiled in that “I’M BORED”  scenario but I was, oh-so-wrong. The kids loved it here and from the “whoops” of children in their school uniforms it would appear the natives did too.

What’s not to love? First of all the museum is housed in a modern building along the bay with Auckland harbor serving as a pristine backdrop. With a cafe and plenty of space to run if nothing else the museum is a great spot to take in lunch. But wait…there is so much more to see.

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Upon entry kids are given a paper in which to hunt for artifacts and make brass rubbings as they move about the exhibits. There is even a place where children can dress up in old military uniforms and pretend they are in a submarine.

If you are a military history buff there is plenty to be found here. Old photos, interactive exhibits and films are just a few of the things to gaze at. Not only is New Zealand’s Naval history on display you can also find much about WW I, the United States Navy and other military personnel throughout the world who served in both World Wars.

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While the museum also houses artifacts from past sailors throughout history you can also find displays of weaponry, maps, and relics from the early years of deep sea diving. Military medals, military posters and paintings. But wait…before you go you must visit ‘The Boatshed’ an historic building with old boats celebrating whalers, dinghies an other sea worthy vessels who all contributed to maritime efforts in the area.

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Torpedo Bay Navy Museum is FREE and open seven days a week 10a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Christmas, Boxing Day and Good Friday. Take the ferry over from Auckland.