Text № 5. Belfast

In the 17^th century Belfast was a village. Then the development of industries like linen, rope-making, engineering, tobacco and seaborne commerce doubled the town’s size every ten years. In 1888 Queen Victoria gave the town the status of city, and the citizens built the magnificent City Hall, which dominates the central shopping area.

Northern Ireland’s long tradition of engineering is still centred on Belfast. The world’s biggest dry dock is here. There is a good view of the shipyard’s giant cranes from the foot of the Albert Clock Tower – Belfast’s Big Ben – at the end of High Street. Nearby aircraft and missile works are another important industry.

Half a century and half a mile separate the City Hall from Queen’s University. Designed by the celebrated architect Charles Lanyon, the main college building was modelled on Magdalene College, Oxford. Today, the original building is in the centre of a university quarter, which includes halls of residence in parklands, an 11-storeyed library and many other buildings catering for about 12000 students. The annual Belfast Festival at Queen’s is a 3-week celebration of cultural events and entertainment.

In the nearby Botanic Gardens you can find the Ulster Museum. Its collections include contemporary international art, Irish art, Irish furniture, glass, silver, ceramics and costume, and a display of life in Ireland over 9000 years. There is an interesting permanent exhibition called “Made in Belfast”. Perhaps the best known collection is the gold and silver jewellery recovered by divers in 1968 from the Armada treasure ship Gerona, wrecked in 1588.

St. Anne’s Cathedral was begun in 1899 and consecrated in 1904. Its mosaic depicts the landing of St. Patrick at Saul in 432 A.D.

Sinclair Seamen’s Church, opened in 1853, is like a maritime museum – the pulpit is a ship’s prow, the organ has port and starboard lights.

Nearly all the parks have bowls and tennis and the Waterworks has fishing. Victoria Park has boating in summer and Musgrave Park has a heather garden.

Text № 7. The premier palace.

The Premier Palace hotel, a unique hotel in the very heart of the ancient capital of Ukraine, is within just a few steps of Kreshchatyk, Kyiv’s main shopping street. Educational and cultural life is all within a short walk of the hotel’s doorsteps. The Premier Palace hotel is located on the picturesque Taras Shevchenko Boulevard (until 1919 – Bibikovsky Boulevard). The hotel was originally built toward the end of the XIX century and by the beginning of the XX century it had made a name for itself as amongst the finest hotels in Kyiv.

A wonderful panorama opens out from the windows of the hotel, revealing the distinctive golden domes of Kyiv’s churches, and the apartment buildings, both old and modern alike.

The Premier Palace hotel is not merely a reflection of past glories, but is a bold step into the future. During recent years, the hotel has undergone painstaking and meticulous reconstruction, and today, the hotel is fully in line with world standards. The Premier Palace hotel is one of the wonderful five-star hotels in Kyiv. When they arrive here, the city’s guests, tourists and businesspeople, all become utterly absorbed by the atmosphere of comfort, which meets all the requirements of a refined and demanding traveler.

With spacious, comfortable suites, equipped to the last detail with state-of-the-art technology, kept in perfect order and with faultless service, an excellent menu and a large variety of supplementary services, the hotel has been re-designed to make you feel as close to home, work and leisure as possible. The hotel staff and administration have ensured that you will enjoy a superb stay, and, if the need arises, you may put in a full day’s work or hold a business meeting or give a presentation in a relaxed and efficiently organized environment. The Premier Palace hotel offers its guests 150 magnificent suites. If you travel the world frequently and stay in many hotels, then you will note with satisfaction that your room has all the attributes of a luxury-class suite: electronic lock, lighting and personal safe, modern plumbing and heated floors, hermitically sealed windows and doors.

Welcome to the Premier Palace hotel!