19 Nov
Vancouver Tours Blog

10 Facts About the Polar Bear Plunge

Are they nuts? Plunging into water at 8 degrees Celsius (46 F)! Perhaps they are, but people have been known to do stranger things.

  1. A Polar Bear “Swim” or “Plunge” is a tradition that goes back more than 100 years. It originated with the Scandinavian sauna tradition as a way to rapidly cool off after the heat of a sauna.

  2. In China and Russia, ice-swimming is reputed to have health benefits and is performed whenever the need arises, not just on New Year’s Day.

  3. Russian ice-swimmers are referred to as ‘walruses’ instead of the North American ‘polar bears’.

  4. In North America, the oldest annual plunge belongs to Boston, MA (1904). Dorchester Bay water was 3 degrees Celsius (37 F) on January 1, 2012 – barely above freezing. Regardless, over 600 swimmers came out to take the waters.

  5. Full submersion is the objective for the purists. They say that it’s not so bad once you get your head wet. I don’t know about that!

  6. Costumes are optional but preferred in North America. Superhero costumes are common. At least one person has donned a polar bear costume.

  7. The biggest event in Canada takes place in Vancouver, B.C. Vancouverites plunge into a frigid English Bay, part of the Pacific Ocean. The swim was initiated in 1921 by a local restaurateur who invited friends to join him for a quick dip and rewarded them with a free lunch. Nowadays, there are more than 2,000 participants and 10,000 spectators.

  8. Water temperatures in English Bay on New Year’s Day are usually in the vicinity of 8 Celsius. Considering that normal body temperature is 37 Celsius, you can see that there is a significant gradient. Most people dash in and dash right back out. A few brave souls actually swim for a couple of minutes, but the majority just plunge. One participant commented that “it’s quite pleasant once you lose feeling in your limbs”.

  9. January 1, 2012 saw a record 36,000 polar bear swimmers in various locations around the Netherlands.

  10. Thousands of dollars are raised for charity each year by New Year’s Day ‘Polar Bears’.

Plunging into icy water can be done for health, fun, charity or just to strike it from your bucket list. If you missed the New Year’s Day plunge, you can head north to Yellowknife, North West Territories for their March “Freezin for a Reason” in Great Slave Lake, 400km (250 miles) south of the Arctic Circle.

Source by Karen Rogers Sim

19 Aug
Vancouver Tours Blog

Romford-Essex – Facts About the Town

The town of Romford – Essex is located in northeast London, England. The town is also the headquarters of the London Borough of Havering. If you are in Charing Crossing, you can reach the town by travelling 23 kilometres in the northeastern direction. The town can be found on the London metropolitan plan that lists all the major centres in the area.

Romford started as a small market town.During the time, it was a part of the Essex county and the headquarters of the Liberty of Havering, until 1892.The construction of a railway line and road networks opened the way for further development. The population grew and other industries came into being. The economy of Romford thrived on agriculture, but as time went on, emphasis was on light product manufacturing. The light industry became the backbone of the economy but other forms of industry such as retail have become dominant. By the turn of the 20th century, urban settlements began to form around the area. The town was rapidly expanding and it was not long before the town was granted municipal borough status in 1937.By the beginning of 1965, the borough merged with Greater London.

Modern Romford is a large town with many facilities for shopping and entertainment. Visitors will find large shopping complexes, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, bars and sports clubs. The town never sleeps because the nightlife is vibrant.

The original town can be traced back to the Medieval Ages. Early Romford grew along the main London road. The town was given market status in 1247.During the time, the population relied on agriculture. Historical records show that corn grinding was done by several mills that were scattered around the town. Besides agriculture, leather processing was one of the main activities.

Records show that many types of industries such as brewing, metalworking, charcoal burning, weaving and cloth making existed in the region. The introduction of transport systems was the main factor in the growth of the town. A road linking London and Romford was constructed in 1721.The project was carried out by the Turnpike Trust.

By the turn of the 18th century, coach services plied the London-Romford road. The Romford Canal was seen as an ideal link between the Thames and the town, but attempts at making the links failed and the idea was finally abandoned. Had the project been successful, it could have provided a channel for transporting goods between London and Romford.

Source by Simon Haughtone