Interesting Facts

4th July 1776 - The Declaration of Independence was adopted. However, the 4th of July was not declared a public holiday in the USA until 1941.  (PS - Idependence Day is not celebrated in the UK.) 1865 - Alice in Wonderland was first published.

According to a survey run by Age Partnership, to find out what key lifestyle changes can best improve your mood, women are made happier by getting a dog or cat, while men’s positivity is boosted by joining a club or buying a new car. (For Brits over 55 a pub lunch was viewed as an easy way of improving your mood. The three most affordable options were eating out once a month, going on a monthly organised day trip and being in a club. The three least affordable lifestyle changes are getting a conservatory, buying a new car or buying a campervan – all of which are impossible to afford on the state pension alone, and if money were no object, the most effective happiness promoter for the over-55s would be to go on holiday.) Source

Chinese billionaire Li Jinyuan took 6,400 members of staff from the Tiens Group on an all-expenses-paid holiday to Paris and Cote d'Azur to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the company (France is expected to be 33 million Euros better off. His company booked up 140 hotels in Paris and then made their way to the glamorous Cote D'Azur, where they booked 4,760 rooms in 79 four-and five-star hotels in Cannes and Monaco. They then broke the world record to form a human chain in Nice as the 6,400 employees arranged themselves to spell out the phrase 'Tiens' dream is Nice in the Cote d'Azur'. LEN will be 20 in 2019. Well I can dream.)

According to a study carried out by CheapHolidayLand.com, British holidaymakers double their daily calorie intake in the first 24 hours of an all-inclusive break. (Holidaymakers consumed on average 5,756 calories on the first day of all-inclusive trips.  Research found that binge eating amounts to twice recommended daily intake; enough fuel for them to run two marathons The meals worked out at:- Breakfast - 1,117 calories A bowl of cereal (113 calories), full English breakfast (870), a glass of orange juice (112), cup of tea (22) Mid-morning drinks - 240  calories A glass of Sangria (150 calories), a glass of Coke (90) Lunch - 1,260  calories Burger and fries (770 calories), a side salad (17), a glass of Coke (90), one ice cream (230), one bottle of beer (153) Afternoon snack - 425  calories A packet of crisps (160 calories), a glass of orange juice (112), one bottle of beer (153) Dinner - 2,191  calories Starter – a bowl of soup a...

There are over 130 flavours of jelly beans. (The flavours range from the traditional fruity ones to tabasco and beer-flavoured beans. Americans are mad for them: according to the National Confectioners Association, Americans buy 16 billion beans over Easter. It even has its own holiday today (22nd April). I had a box for Easter too, but some of the weirder flavours are simply not nice.)

According to a study commissioned by Teletext Holidays, Brits spend 18 days on planning their holiday (On average, people in the UK spend 14 days choosing a holiday destination. We spend just over 13 hours researching the accommodation, and 11 hours sorting out all the transport from the flights to car hire. A further nine hours are dedicated to washing and ironing clothes, and eight hours are spent on trips to the hairdresser and tanning salons. We then spend another two days packing our suitcases before finally jetting off. They have even come up with a new phrase PHT - Pre-Holiday Tension.)

According to a survey conducted by Sunshine.co.uk, 55% of Brits on holiday abroad seek out British home comforts. (The things that they admitted to specifically looking out for included:- - Restaurants serving British food – 37% - British bars – 25% - UK TV channels – 21% - British stores – 17% - British Brands – 12% I can understand UK TV channels, and for British Brands, maybe the odd packet of Rich Tea biscuits, or Tetley tea bags, but the rest is a mystery to me.) Source

The Portuguese government has cut four of its 14 annual public holidays in an attempt to trim its budget deficit and boost economic output. (All Saints Day, Corpus Christi, a commemoration of the formation of the Portuguese Republic and a holiday celebrating independence from Spanish rule will all now be regular working days. As you may know, I live in Germany and today is Corpus Christi.  Now I understand why Joao was asking why I was on a break again and I feel guilty.)