Lauren Tabbron shares her favourite things to do in Manchester
Jess Astbury regales tales of festivities in warmer climates.
Studying archaeology as a degree has probably had more of an effect me more than I first realised. After recently reading about human ritual sacrifices by the Incas, I got to thinking about Peru and the Inca period. Though having nothing to do with ritual sacrifices, Machu Picchu looks like one of the most breathtaking sites in the whole of Peru and iconic of the Inca period. Machu Picchu is often referred to as ‘The Lost City of the Incas’. It was constructed in 1450 when the Incan Empire was at its height and is located 80km from the Incan capital of Cusco. It is definitely a must see site situated almost 2,430 metres above sea level.
Who wouldn’t want to go on safari? Ever since my parents went to Kenya without me as a child, I have always wanted to go. Their impressive safari photos of lions eating zebras and the whole ‘circle of life’ thing stimulated my interest. They seemed to get photos of almost everything from lions to birds to giraffes. It looked like an incredible experience and with the chance to be rushed off suddenly to see lions in the twlight a safari would definitely trump any zoo!
Being a bit of a geek, I love museums and have been to a one in almost every country I’ve visited. But the colossal Smithsonian Museum Complex is a dream for museum-lovers like myself. From the Museum of Natural History to the National Air and Space Museum, it has something for everybody. The National Museum of Natural History alone has over 126 unique specimens. But for me, the most exciting would be the Osteology. It has the Hall of Bones and the exciting dinosaur section: I don't think anyone can resist looking at massive skeletal dinosaurs!
It’s slightly depressing that some of the best archaeological sites are in Mesopotamia, mostly in modern day Iraq. It is however considered the ‘cradle of civilisation’, with its history starting in 5300 B.C. Ur was a city in ancient Mesopotamia located at the modern site of Tell el-Mukayyar. The Great Ziggurat (in Ur, it looks like a terraced step-pyramid) is obviously the main attraction. It's 4200 years old and still remains relatively undamaged by the hands of time. According to ancient literature of Herodutus, at the top of the ziggurat was a shrine to the gods, sadly this has not survived. There are actually 28 ziggurats in Iraq with the Great Ziggurat being the most impressive and famous.
The Dead Sea has the lowest elevation on the Earth’s surface on dry land and is the deepest hypersaline lake in the world with 33.7% salinity. This means that no animals can flourish in this environment. Some people believe that it has special healing qualities, some people are just impressed by the unusual buoyancy that the Dead Sea has due to the high volume of salt in the water. In any case, it's definitely somewhere I would like to say I have been.
My ultimate dream trip would be to go to Iceland to see the Northern Lights. They are one of the most beautiful natural phenomena in the world and, despite the slim chance of seeing them, it still remains a fantastic location to visit. For the price of 30 Euros you can ‘hunt’ for the Aurora Borealis in Iceland - the chance of seeing such a rare sight would be priceless. While in Iceland I would also love to go whale watching where you can witness an array of different whales and even some dolphins! This is definitely a must-do holiday of the future.
So there you have it, some of the places I want to go before I die. Hopefully I will have plenty of time to fulfil these dreams and plenty more. It would be interesting to know if anyone has actually been to any of these places and have thoughts on them. Or perhaps you have dream holidays of your own? It's all something to look forward to after leaving university...
I would rush to the Dead Sea asap, as it's disappearing a little bit every year. But you should definitely check it out - just don't shave your legs beforehand and, as my male friends discovered, make sure you keep your 'lower end' hygiene in check, otherwise it stings like a mofo in very unpleasant places.
Haha! Thanks, Natalija! I shall keep that in mind if I ever do go to the Dead Sea one day!
I would love to see the northern lights! I also think it would be great to go to China when their new year begins and see all the culture and celebrations. 
China is gorgeous 
You should definately go if you get chance.
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