Aberdeen Coventry Train

Sometimes referred to as The Granite City, Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city. Modern day Aberdeen's economy is strongly linked to the oil and gas fields of the North Sea. Traditionally, however, the city was involved in fishing, paper making and shipbuilding. The city has won the annual Britain in Bloom competition a record breaking ten times and also hosts the Aberdeen International Youth Festival which is a major international event which attracts up to 1,000 of the most talented young performing arts companies.

Buildings of note in the city include the Town and County Bank, the Music Hall, the Trinity Hall of the incorporated trades (which is now a shopping mall), the former office of the Northern Assurance Company and the National Bank of Scotland. All of these buildings are located on Union Street.

Situated next to each other are Victoria Park and Westburn Park. Victoria Park opened in 1871 and contains a conservatory used as a seating area and a fountain made of fourteen different granites, presented to the people by the granite polishers and master builders of Aberdeen. Opposite to the north is Westburn Park opened in 1901 which has large grass pitches and is widely used for field sports. There is also a large tennis centre with indoor and outdoor courts, a children's cycle track, play area and a grass boules lawn.

The city of Coventry in the West Midlands, England, is roughly an hour from London and twenty minutes from the city of Birmingham. There are plenty of things to do and see throughout the year including festivals, exhibitions, concerts and theatre performances. There is something for all the family. One of the most fascinating monuments in the city today is the remnants of its original city walls and gates which were built in the 14th century. The construction work began at New Gate and was initially completed around 1400. Visitors can still find examples of the old wall to this day, including the magnificently well-preserved wall link between Cook Street Gate and Swanswell Gate that runs right through Lady Herbert’s Garden. The wall measured approximately 2.2 miles right around, containing 32 towers and 12 gatehouses in total. The city walls were demolished in 1662 on the orders of King Charles II as a punishment for Coventry’s housing of Parliamentarians during the war. The remaining wall is protected under law and are classified as Grade I listed buildings and a scheduled monument.