A Pre-Cruise Guide to Southampton

Southampton is a city on the South Coast of England, nestled between Portsmouth and Bournemouth. It is one of the largest cities in Hampshire, and a well-known setting off point for numerous cruise ships. Cruises from Southampton include destinations such as the Mediterranean, Canary Islands, Caribbean, and Northern European countries such as Norway. Cruise ships typically tend to set off at varying times, including late nights and early mornings, so it’s possible you will have some time to spend in the city before boarding with the cruise line of your choice. Thinking practically, a dayroom from daybreakhotels.com selection of hotels on offer is a good way to rest pre-journey. Here are some other activities you might like to consider whilst you are in Southampton if time allows:

Museums and Art Galleries

The SeaCity Museum includes maritime activities and displays. You can learn all about the Titanic here, too, and there is a cafe as well as exploration zone and gift shop. Solent Sky is an aviation museum where you can find out about the history of flight and flying in the local area. There are also a number of art galleries.

Sightseeing

Southampton’s town walls are a sequence of defensive structures built around the town and are easy and free to view. You can gain further insight into the city’s history through a visit to the Tudor House and Garden, a Grade I listed building that is now a tourist attraction and museum.

City Parks

There are some beautiful parks in the city, including Southampton Common, Hoglands Park, and the Greenways. The Common is a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to its unusual flora and fauna. It is the largest open green space in the city.

Eating and Drinking

Of course, there are a good range of cafes, restaurants and pubs in this thriving Southern city. All the usual chains are here, plus many local gems as well. Other attractions include cinemas, theatres, St Mary’s Stadium for sports fans, and concert venues such as The Guildhall. Southampton is a city well worth exploring if you do have a little time to spend, and with so much to see and do, your time is certain to go very swiftly.

Muscle Optimisation

Working the Brain Muscle

One of the ways you can exercise your brain is by focusing on something, de-focusing, and then focusing in once again. This is almost like muscle work for the mind, it makes the brain alternate between stress and release and is therefore a strengthening process, almost as if you were lifting weights with your arm. In this case, it’s that web of neurons and synapses that you are working. Bursts of short duration and single point focus can improve concentration over time, and the time you are able to focus will also extend naturally. You can use a game which requires concentration, such as Sudoku app and alternate this with rest e.g. daydreaming, gazing out the window, scrolling through social media, sleeping. Give this a go, and see how your concentration and focus naturally improve. Do it every day, and you will see results quickly.

There are many muscles in the body - over 600 of them, with some scientists’ categorisation going up to as many as 840. A muscle is a band of fibrous tissue connected to the skeleton which has the ability to expand and contract. It therefore has the ability to move. Some people count the human brain as a muscle, too, and like all muscles it must be exercised in order to be at an optimum. The interesting thing about this muscle is that it can be exercised at the same time as other muscles - when at the gym, for example. You probably use the brain to daydream at this time. However, of all the muscles, the brain is the one that is most important to us, as it is our central control system and ‘hub’. Keeping fit both in the body and the mind are very important, therefore, and what we shall we looking at here.