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United Kingdom tour with Events & Adventures

United Kingdom Tour with Events & Adventures

We’re only a few days into our United Kingdom tour and I can say the country is truly amazing. The people are very friendly and welcoming and there is so much to see and do! After landing at Heathrow we immediately headed north to start touring. We started in the Cotswolds and visited the home of Downton Abbey. We moved on to Stratford-Upon-Avon and had our first classic English dinner, fish and chips. Over dinner it was great meeting and getting to know all the people from the other Events & Adventures clubs around the country.

It was drizzly, so everyone’s opinion on the weather varied depending on where they were from and the weather back home. The members from Phoenix thought the rain was refreshing, while Seattleites thought nothing of it at all. Those of us from the south packed for ‘winter weather’ and have been enjoying the break from our 100% humidity!

Our first full day started at Shakespeare’s birthplace. We loved the actors in period attire that were so full of information. And yeah, I think we all found a treasure in the gift shop. Our Beatles fans were overwhelmed by Liverpool. If the Beatles had even the slightest thing to do with a place in town there were had entire stories created around it. We loved to see the actual Penny Lane and visit and learn about Strawberry Fields. The song and John’s very generous donation to the orphanage keep it open for many years after it was almost closed down.

At the end of the first day of our United Kingdom tour we arrived at a spectacular traditional hotel in the Lake District.

We had a lovely dinner in a gorgeous venue and setting, and it’s obvious why the area is a top wedding destination. After a rainy first day, on the second day of our United Kingdom tour the sun came out and stayed out all day! We visited the William Wordsworth Museum and Home. We all loved the 18th century home and the history of the family. From there we enjoyed a great paddle boat tour on the largest of the lakes in the district. The warm sun made up for the cool breeze. We all decided we wanted to live at the imposing castle that was overlooking the lake.

After the boat we headed into the fabulous town center, which was right out of a movie set. We scattered for lunch and a bit of shopping. Some of us tried the traditional meat pie with fresh cheese and bread. Some argued that their soup or salad was tastier, but I know better. After lunch we headed back up to a part of the Lake District that had even more amazing scenery. We, like thousands of visitors before us, crossed the border into Scotland and stopped at Gretna Green. We stopped for the history and shopping instead of a wedding service though. There is so much cool (if not strange) history here!

We enjoyed the Scottish Shortbread and other treats from there on our way to our hotel in old town Edinburgh. Unlike a lot of cities back home, it’s walking distance to everything! Speaking of walking, in the morning we’ll walk out of our hotel and see the great Edinburgh Castle, and later we’ll finish our evening in the downtown part of the city. Only Events & Adventures can put together a trip like this just for singles!

~ Events & Adventures Dallas Event Manager Jacque

China trip with Events & Adventures

Events & Adventures Members Visit China!

The chance for Events & Adventures members to visit China is finally here! Day 1 here in Beijing is winding down and it was nothing short of incredible! It was a jam-packed day full of adventure, laughter, and a lot of great new memories.

Our first stop of the day was The Sacred Way—referring to the road travelled to heaven—of the Ming Tombs. Our tour guide Frank was well-informed of the area’s history as he shared the meaning and significance of the many things we would see and experience. The pathway starts with a huge stone memorial archway lying near the entrance. It was constructed in 1540, during the Ming Dynasty, and is archway is the earliest and biggest stone archway in China.

The pathway is lined with stone statues which are considered crucial decorations to the mausoleum. These statues include 12 human figures, including a general, civil officials, and meritorious officials, and 24 animals, including lions, camels, elephants, xiezhis (a mythological unicorn), horses, and qilin, which is one of the four “divine animals”. The other three divine animals are the dragon, phoenix, and tortoise. There are four of each of the animals, two standing and two squatting, each implying a different meaning.

We learned that the lion symbolizes awesome solemnity because of their ferocity. The camels and elephants suggest the vastness of the territory controlled by the court because of their dependability in places like the desert and tropics. Xiezhi was placed there to keep evil spirits away because it was believed to possess the sixth sense to tell right and wrong. The horse, as the emperor’s mount, is absolutely indispensable. It is said that these animals are supposed to change guard at midnight.

We knew if we were going to visit China, we had to see how jade was made!

After exploring The Sacred Way, our next stop was The Jade Factory. This factory was actual produced the 2008 Olympic Medals that featured white jades. We learned about the different textures and colors of jade and how each figure has its own meaning. For example, the Psu statue made from jade is believed to bring more money into the household. The male statue represents bringing the money and the female represents keeping the money.

After The Jade Factory we stopped for lunch before heading onto The Great Wall of China, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (obviously). It was a dream come true. I can honestly say I never thought I would have ever made it to one of the Seven Wonders of the World. We hiked up to the top of the wall, which was beautiful and provided spectacular views (and was also really windy).

We closed out the day with a visit to a Chinese Tea Factory, where they brew the most delicious loose leaf teas, and followed that with dinner and an acrobatic show. It feels as if we have been here for a week instead of just a day. We cannot wait to see what the rest of the week will bring. Only Events & Adventures can play host to a once-in-a-lifetime experience like this, it’s definitely the only way to visit China!

Night Kayaking with friends at Events & Adventures

Night Kayaking with Events & Adventures

Night Kayaking Under a Full Moon – Extraordinary Excitement with Events & Adventures

Night kayaking is not something many people have experienced, but everyone with a love for the outdoors definitely should!  While kayaking has been featured as a competitive sport in the Summer Olympic Games since 1936, night kayaking is a new twist on an old favorite. So in the Spirit of Rio, Events & Adventures members in the Bay Area grabbed paddles and took on the Bay under moonlight for a kayak venture unlike any other.

Our members were dazzled by the serene and beautiful surroundings of the Bay, with both the moon and city light playing off the water.  “This is the most incredible trip you can do in the Bay Area at night! As you paddle along the San Francisco waterfront, you’ll be mesmerized by the beautiful city lights,” said Monica, one our great San Francisco members.  “It really adds to the ambiance as the sun sets and the moon rises.”

It was a magical experience as the full moon lit up the water and we could see animals swimming underneath our kayaks!  Seeing these animals made us feel like we were really connected with our environment and experience.  On nights of a full moon, time seems to stand still as it casts a mystical glow on the water.  Our kayaks coasted across the Bay, following the arc of the rising moon while we laughed and tried to keep our balance so no one fell in.

Events & Adventures gave our members the opportunity to be adventurous on a Friday night, instead of heading to a bar or restaurant they bonded with members and worked together to create a memorable experience.  There are many more of these experiences coming up; in a way, Events & Adventures turns the extraordinary into the ordinary!

trampoline dodgeball with Events & Adventures Phoenix

Dodgeball Competition Heats Up in Phoenix

Dodgeball is no longer just a kids’ game played during gym class in junior high with the jocks teasing the nerds.

Nope, dodgeball is now an adult game played for fun in leagues across America, and last week we decided to get it on right here in Glendale, Arizona at Jump Street.  It’s a great way to spend time with your friends while getting in a competitive workout, so the members of Events & Adventures Phoenix did battle five-on-five—with the added twist of blending in a trampoline to raise the stakes, and insanity level. We picked our teams, decided our strategies, and summoned our inner Patches O’Houlihan!

Even if you were never very competitive before, that part of you will reveal itself when it comes down to deciding who will be the last man standing after a game of dodgeball.  The good news is that no matter how hard a ball is thrown even a direct hit on the chest does more stinging than any real harm.  It starts out with members of each team lining up on the base line and charging to center court on a whistle or clap to pick up as many of four balls as possible to be thrown at the other team. But first, each team must retreat behind the free throw line before attempting to hit an opponent.

Some teams will have a certain technique, while others will not.  The most common strategy is to target the other team’s best player and whip several balls at him or her in a coordinated barrage, presuming the player cannot dodge them all.  It took me several times to figure out how to actually dodge the ball rather than attempting to catch it flying at me.  When a team is ahead in the number of players remaining, another tactic is to pick out an opposing individual and bull-rush him until he is tagged. Play continues until one team is out of players.  Teamwork will win more games than rogue individual play.

So how does the trampoline factor into the dodgeball game?  Well if you’re able to go out and enjoy any activity when you’re laughing at yourself after repeatedly falling down, then you’re the perfect candidate to attempt this workout of a game on a trampoline!  At the end of the night, not only will your thigh muscles and arms burn from a good workout, your sides will probably hurt from all the laughs.  Trampoline dodgeball is definitely a lot more fun than just working out the gym.

As famed dodgeball coach Patches O’Houlihan once said, “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.”  So next time you want to try it, join Events & Adventures for an intense and hilarious round of dodgeball!