A
Places have always been important in people’s lives. Throughout our lives we get to know various places that are somehow connected to us. One of the most important places in our life is our birthplace. We know the place fairly well as it is usually always connected with the happiest memories from our childhood, with our parents and siblings, with friends, first boyfriend/girlfriend and even after we grow up and live somewhere else we tend to come back to recollect those happy days. People are strongly tied to their birthplace and it seems that nothing can break that bond.
Later as adults we have to find a place to live on our own and very often it is far from our birthplace but that does not mean it is less important in our lives. This place becomes our hometown, the place where we work, meet new friends, live with our family, the place that is our home. The reasons why we choose a place to be our home are various. Some people choose a place that is quiet, far from busy cities, living in privacy is important for them. On the other side, there are lots of people who choose a town to be their home. They cannot imagine living far from “civilisation”. For them the towns are ideal places as they offer more opportunities for finding a job, there are educational, cultural and sports facilities. Socializing is easier in towns, in fact, you are never alone in towns, and you are always surrounded by lots of people.
The word “home” has different meaning for different people. To a child “home” means parents, toys and bedtime stories, to a teenager “home” means strict rules, arguments about school results, clothes and pocket money, to a working woman it means hard work, tiring household chores and to a man it can mean tasty meals and relaxation. Most of people try hard to create “real home” for their loved ones, the place where all the members of their family can feel safe and happy and they find help whenever they need it. Some other places can become important in one’s life. For thousands of students who start studying at universities their campus becomes “home” where they spend several years. At present many students eager to learn a language apply for a scholarship and spend several months in a foreign country. Some of them stay in a host family, live with their host parents and they have a “second home”.
B
There are many places for spending a holiday whenever and wherever all around the world. Many tourists prefer to visit destinations near the sea, like Italy, Spain or France. Those places offer accommodations, such as hotels, reserved houses or maybe some places for camping on the open air. On the other hand, there are tourists who dislike sea and beaches, so they would like to visit places or towns surrounded by nature, where they can experience beauty of the nature. For example we in Slovakia have well known High Tatras. Here travellers come for hiking experiences, relaxation, beautiful sceneries. It is really hard to choose from all the places (attractions) Slovakia is offering, but if some tourists prefer relaxation, I would recommend them to visit spa or wellness centre. If they’d like to view some sceneries and exercise by climbing mountains, I would recommend them high or low Tatras although there are many other mountains to choose from.
C
Different places in the world are famous for different reasons. New York City is famous for its parades. One of the most famous is the annual Macy´s Thanksgiving Day parade, which can be seen on television. In the UK, people often think of Trafalgar Square as a place where you can go to feed pigeons. There is also a stereotype about people from the North of England who keep pigeons and race them, to see which pigeon returns home first. The south of France is known as a place for the rich and famous to go on holiday.
Spas became very fashionable places in the UK and Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries. People still visit spas, even though in Britain it is more to look at the old buildings than to go in the water. The most famous English spa is in Bath. In Slovakia, people believe in the healing effects of spas and people spend 3-week stays getting different treatments, massages and just relaxing. Piešťany is famous for helping people who suffer from rheumatism, Bardejov for diabetes and stomach aches, and Trenčianske Teplice for problems with locomotor apparatus.
Slovakia also offers many interesting places for relaxation. Beautiful sceneries, caves, roaring waterfalls and vast plains attract many domestic and foreign tourists. The High and Low Tatras are great for spending active holidays during the whole year. Hiking, skiing, cross country skiing, cycling and horse riding are very popular among the tourists there. Podbanské is one of the best known tourist centres with hotels, shops, skiing centres, restaurants and cultural sites.
Tatranská Lomnica offers a variety of accommodation, ski slopes, fitness centres, a horse-racing track and many other activities for tourists. Veľká and Malá Studená Dolina, with its waterfalls, is one of the most beautiful places for hiking. Jánska Dolina with thermal swimming pools, Chopok (the second highest peak), The National Park of Low Tatras, Kráľova Hoľa, Demänovská Dolina and Demänovská Ice Cave are the most visited places. Besides nature, Slovakia offers many interesting places for sightseeing. The most beautiful castles are in Orava, Spiš, Trenčín, Zvolen and Bojnice. Levoča, an old town, is very famous for beautiful wooden creations made by the woodcarver Master Paul. ”The gold town” Kremnica and the “silver town” Banská Štiavnica are famous for their mining history.
Slovakia also offers many cultural events to tourists. The folk festivals in Východná, Detva, Myjava and elsewhere reflect cultural traditions preserved through folk songs and dances. Within several hours a visitor coming to Slovakia can get to natural reservations and picturesque countryside along the Danube, fertile lowlands, hunting grounds, vineyards and quiet valleys where medieval castles used to protect historical trade routes. One unique sight in Slovakia is Spiš Castle which dates back to the time before 13th century and is known as one of the most extensive Gothic castles in Europe. That main body of the castle was fortified by stone outer walls in the first half of the 13th century, enabling the castle to resist Tatar raids in 1241. A Romanesque palace and a tower were built in the castle at this time. The castle was extended by the addition of a central courtyard with entry gate watchtower in the 14th century. The extensive lower courtyard was built in the middle of the 15th century. During a fire in 1780, the castle suffered extensive damage and was not rebuilt afterwards.
Every summer millions of people set off for their holiday destinations and spend several days or weeks far from home, relaxing, having fun and learning about different cultures. Such holidays are important, since they help people find out how important home is. If their holiday is a long one, they usually get homesick and long for the place they know. After coming home they feel relaxed and full of energy. They had a wonderful time but they are home and you may hear the well know phrases, “East or west, home is best.” “There is no place like home.” or “Home, sweet home.”
D
Life in the city and life in the countryside have many differences. A town is a residential community of people ranging from a few hundred to several thousand. It is larger than a village but smaller than a city. A city usually consists of residential, industrial and business areas together with administrative functions. The majority of a city area is primarily taken up by housing. Skyscrapers, housing estates, businesses and shopping centres are built in all major cities. Infrastructure, such as roads, streets and public transport routes, are usually well-developed too. A global city, also known as a world city, is the main centre of trade, banking, finance, innovations and markets. Whereas megacity refers to any city of enormous size, a global city is one of enormous power of influence.
The four traditional global or world cities are London, New York, Paris and Tokyo. A suburb is the place with houses and other buildings (e.g. church, school, pub, a few shops), usually smaller than a town. It is usually situated on the outskirts of the city. A village is usually found in rural areas out of a town or a city where people live. It is usually larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town and city. A hamlet is a small settlement, too small or unimportant to be considered a village. In addition, there are many advantages and disadvantages of such a living. People who live in the city centre have everything near. On the other hand there is always too much noise. People who live on the suburbs have more agreeable atmosphere for living. A relationships are different, too. So if I would choose where to live, I would prefer living in the suburbs.
Nowadays, it is quite normal for people to live in different places during their life. They move from place to place for various reasons. The most frequent ones are jobs, studies or marriage. Moving is often connected with personal and social life. Adaptation to a new place and assimilation among new people may take some time. On the other hand, there are people who spend all their life in one place. They do not have any social, personal or financial needs to change their home.
E
I think many people have the place of dreams, where they would live for a few days, some want to live here for years... The phrase “place of dreams” is giving a feeling about some very specific place like paradise. But it should be a real place in the world. If it wasn’t a real place, we wouldn’t be able to go there. My place of dreams is very far from my country, from my home and people who I know. It could be some island, maybe an uninhabited island. All around would be an ocean with clean, crystal clear water.
It would be far from land and civilisation. The only route, how to come on this island, would be by a boat. This place would be full of fun and relaxation. Food and drink would be from exotic fruits such as coconut, pineapple, mango, papaya, bananas, and many other specialities, maybe something unusual which we don’t eat in our country. But the best of everything would be the accommodation. Accommodation would be in small wooden house which would be built on the sea but in shallow water. A way how to get into the house would be across the wooden bridge. Rooms in a house would be only two small ones but very cosy. One of the room would be living room with a library, comfortable couch, rocking chair and small coffee table. The second room would be a bedroom with a bed and wardrobe. But the kitchen and bathroom would be located on the island. So this is my dream place that I really want to visit in the future.