Top 9 reasons to plan your stay at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai

Arriving and staying in the city of Mumbai is a very rewarding experience for the people especially if they are planning their stay in a very good quality hotel. There is no need to worry because Mumbai is a city that is inclusive of different kinds of hotels that are ultimately successful in terms of providing the people be top-notch quality facilities and features and one such great hotel is Taj Mahal Tower Mumbai. Staying into Taj Mahal Hotel is a dream of many people because of multiple reasons and some of those reasons why people prefer this particular hotel are mentioned as follows:

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The hotel comes with a worry-free experience for the guests: In case the people have to choose everything about the trip on their own for example transportation, stay and several other kinds of things then it can be a very tiring experience. But whenever one will go with the option of allowing the hotels to choose and arrange the transportation then one can enjoy a very worry-free trip very easily. The moment when the people will be walking outside they will find the hotel the person of hotel staff holding the placard and they will escort to the transportation being arranged by them. The hotel is very much successful in terms of enhancing the experience for the people so that all the guests can have a worry-free experience because this particular hotel always pays proper attention to the demands of the guests.
The welcoming experience is too good: The moment when the people will walk through the door of the hotel they will be witnessing one of the finest and largest hotel companies of India as well as Asia. Staying in this particular hotel is a very good experience and the people will be greeted with chilled towels, the tastiest non-alcoholic welcome drink, and the flower lei.
It comes with a high-quality museum and art collection: The hotel also pays proper serious attention to the best quality art collection and everywhere people will be looking there will be a masterpiece in the form of painting, sculpture, or artifact and the best part is that everything has been created by the Indians only. There are more than 300 pieces in this particular hotel and along with all these kinds of things; the hotel is itself no less than a tourist destination. Hence, whenever people will plan their stay in this particular hotel they will be availing multiple advantages in the long run.
The rooms are amazing: Every room comes with beautiful new interiors and there are different kinds of categories of rooms and each one of them is ridiculously beautiful. Every room has been designed differently so that people have a top-notch quality experience all the time. The architecture has been paid proper attention and the interior design provided by the hotels is amazing. Hence, whenever the individuals are interested in avail the advantages of best quality interior designing they must go with the option of staying into this particular hotel so that they can enjoy on the trip.
The food is breathtaking: The hotel comes with 11 restaurants and 24 hours of room service for the people. The on-site restaurants are many and they help in providing the people with different kinds of cuisine options, for example, Arabic, Japanese, Mediterranean, western dishes, Indian, Chinese, French, Italian and several other options so that taste buds of every guest are perfectly satisfied and there is no issue to any of the guests in the form of food items. Hence, the variety and flexibility provided by these kinds of cuisine options are top-notch.
The hotel comes with the best service in the industry: Taj hotels are well-known across the globe for the hospitality and services provided by them and Taj Mahal Tower Mumbai is also a very important member of this list. This particular hotel treats their entire staff very well and most of them have been working here for many years and are very much happy. The waiters serve the breakfast perfectly to the people and one will get everything which one normally expects at a five-star international hotel breakfast buffet. Hence whenever the people are interested to take the best possible advantage of top-notch quality hospitality and different kinds of services then depending upon staying into this particular hotel is very much important. To have proper access to delicious and authentic Indian dishes you must plan your stay in the Taj Mahal Tower Mumbai.
The hotel comes with a very good pool: Whenever the individuals are interested to relax and enjoy a good time with them then they can take complete advantage of the pool and several other kinds of facilities provided by the Taj hotel. Taking a dip in the pool is very much relaxing and the best part is that people can even go to the gym after it. Hence, this point is very much successful in terms of making the vacation the best possible experience for the people.
Everybody prefers to stay here: Another very important reason why you should plan your trip to stay in this particular hotel only because this hotel is the first preference of all the celebrities and heads of the states and many of them have already stayed over there. The list is very long and includes President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, John Lennon, Oprah Winfrey, and several other famous personalities. Hence, witnessing great interior and architecture is a great idea with the help of this concept and you must always fulfill your overall dream of staying it to a very lovely place by booking a room in Taj Mahal Tower Mumbai.
The location of the hotel is too good: The Taj Mahal Palace is located at the most famous landmark of the city which is the Gateway of India and everything else worth checking in Mumbai is only 10-15 minutes taxi ride from here hence, the prime location of the hotel is a great reason why you should prefer booking a room here.
Hence, for your next trip if you are planning to visit Mumbai then you must book a room in Taj Mahal Tower Mumbai to avail of all the above-mentioned advantages.

The Heart of Texas, The Alamo

While living in a place sprinkled with history may sound exciting and appealing to many people, actually appreciating the historical site that might be located across the street from where you live might require an extra second of consideration. The importance of historical events, historical constructions, or historical places might dwindle if you see them every day, but taking a spare moment to acknowledge them will make you feel a sense of wonder, humility, and appreciation. That is what the residents of San Antonio, Texas, experience every day as they walk past the most important historical site of Texas, also known as the heart of Texas, the Alamo.

Like many other historical cities, the city of San Antonio, Texas, began from one structure. One structure that had a mission and managed to attract people to the region. While in the old world in Europe, you might encounter fortresses that stood the test of centuries passing by, in Texas, there is the Alamo. Built May 1, 1718 by Father Antonio de Olivares, the Payaya, and the Pastia Indians, the Mission San Antonio de Valero, known today as the Alamo, is a historic Spanish mission and fortress compound meant to bring education and Christianity to the local American Indians.

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By 1793, Mision San Antonio de Valero was secularized, meaning that its purpose was cast aside, and the dissociation from religion took place. However, the structure remained. Decades went by, and history reshaped it, but the Alamo maintains its appeal for visitors from all over the country. From its stone front to the stories they whisper, this Shrine of Texas Liberty can share its story one more time. If you’re interested in living in the shadows of Texan history, go ahead and contact the local real estate agents in San Antonio TX. You might even discover some new things about the city from them.

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The Mission
At the start of the 18th century, the Spanish settlers and their government established several Roman Catholic missions in the Eastern side of Texas. As the distance between the missions was too large, the need for a waystation to simplify supply access resulted in the new mission, San Antonio de Valero, being built in 1718 near the San Antonio River. The leader of this mission was Father Antonio de San Buenaventura y Olivares, and it started with three to five converted American Indians from Mission San Francisco Solano. Close by, the governor of Spanish Texas founded San Antonio de Bexar, the first civilian community in Texas, the present-day city of San Antonio.

As the first settlement was considered a risk area for flooding, they moved the mission on the river’s west bank within a year. It expanded to 3 acres, and the permanent buildings were erected. The number of mission Indians grew to 300 by 1744, and the mission was self-sufficient with 2,000 head of cattle and 1,300 sheep. The farmland surrounding the mission was covered in crops of corn, beans, and cotton. Aside from the church that was never completed, around 30 adobe buildings were constructed for storerooms, workrooms, and residential quarters for the Indian residents.

The mission walls could withstand raids from Apache and Comanche attackers, and in 1745 around 100 mission Indians drove off 300 Apache raiders, saving the mission and the town from destruction. As a precaution and response to attacks on other missions, walls were built to enclose the convent, church, Indian homes, and cannons placed near the main gate. Because of their increased liability, the missions were stripped of their influence, Apache tribes stole the horses, and the Alamo lost its ability to support a large number of converts. With only 12 mission Indians left, by 1793, the mission was secularized.

The Battle
A nickname like the Alamo might make one wonder about its origins. Nowadays, the Alamo stands for the structure that began the foundation of the city of San Antonio, the original name is still used but it is less known. Still, the name actually started during the 19th century from either the Spanish word for cottonwood trees or from the “Alamo Company” of San Carlos de Parras. The source isn’t clear.

The Alamo saw the first conflicts during the Mexican War of Independence as Mexico fought to secure its independence from Spain. The regional struggles transformed parts of the mission in the political prison and hospital between 1806 and 1812. From 1821 to 1835, the Alamo was under Mexican control until the Texan Revolution came. According to historians, there was a siege at the San Antonio de Bexar that lasted nearly two months after which the garrison was surrendered by the Mexicans to the Texian forces. The victory was deceiving. While General Cos assumed command of 100 Texian and Tejano soldiers, he requested 200 more men from the Texian government, fearing the garrison might not withstand an attack. While the government denied the request and sent only 60 more men, fortification began, and cannons were installed to help defend the Alamo.

Mexican attack started with 1,500 men and the siege lasted for 13 days. The Texian army had limited chances of victory against such numbers. William Travis, co-commander of the Alamo, wrote a letter “To the People of Texas & All Americans around the World”, pleading for reinforcements under the patriotic vow “victory or death”. The result was that 300 men started the Alamo journey, but only 100 reached their destination. The Mexican reinforcements increased their numbers by 1,000. The courage to stand their ground and not cower in the face of such power, even if they knew that death awaited them, lives on to this day in the spirit of San Antonio. Almost all Texian defenders of the Alamo died in battle, and a third of the Mexican forces were killed.

While the Mexican President-General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna saw this victory as a tool to strike fear into the hearts of the Texian soldiers and assumed that it would end their resistance, the opposite happened. The Mexican army was defeated at San Jacinto Battle, and Santa Anna was captured, resulting in the retreat of the Mexican army and the end of the Texas Revolution. This year, the Fiesta San Antonio, the city’s biggest festival that commemorates the Battle of the Alamo was postponed due to COVID on June 17-27, having usually been planned during April.

The Legacy
After the Battle of the Alamo, views of Santa Anna alternated between the national hero who conquered the Alamo and the pariah. With his defeat and capture at the Battle of San Jacinto, disgrace followed his memory, with many Mexican accounts written by outspoken critics of the former President-General Santa Anna. Historical facts from the Battle of the Alamo were overshadowed in Mexican history by the importance of the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848.

The Alamo remained known by the largely Tejano population for its decades of assistance as either a mission, a hospital, or a military post. However, the growing English-speaking population knew it best for the Battle of the Alamo. Determining which of the two sides had more reason and justification for their view is up to you. Still, the growing English-speaking population was heard, and the Alamo imagery of Texian resistance grew. This led to a discrepancy between the two people living in the area, Texians and Tejanos, a drawn line with long-lasting effects until the early 20th century. Social differences divided the inhabitants, and this could also be seen in Mexico. Newspapers were either glorifying Santa Anna as the “Illustrious General” with his “Invincible Army” until his defeat or questioning the Battle of the Alamo’s logic that came at a great cost.

In the United States, the Alamo was remembered and used as a parallel to the Vietnam War. Rationalizing the need to send more troops to Southeast Asia, US President Lyndon Johnson remarked, “Just like the Alamo, somebody damn well needed to go to their aid” when speaking of the soldiers already on the front who were struggling. The backlash came from the public and the media (newspapers), with New York Times underlining the need to remember the Alamo for the “gallant men [who] died needlessly … To persevere is folly. To dare to retreat from error can be the highest form of courage.” The Alamo was the foundation for many anti-war protests during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Alamo inspired historians to write it down, directors to film it, and songwriters to sing it. Its legacy lives on through the books The Fall of the Alamo by Reuben Potter, The Alamo by John Myers Myers, the movies The Immortal Alamo by Gaston Melies (1911), The Alamo by John Wayne (1960), The Alamo by John Lee Hancock (2004) and several ballads like The Ballad of Davy Crockett by Tennessee Ernie Ford, The Ballad of the Alamo by Marty Robbins, or Remember the Alamo by Johnny Cash.

Conclusion
The cry “Remember the Alamo!” was heard first during the battle of San Jacinto when 800 Texans defeated the 1,500 men of the Mexican army. The same cry was revived during the Mexican-American War as the two armies fought during 1846-1848. The most exciting thing about history is that it allows us the time to see how lessons can be learned from it. However, the most important thing is not to forget history because then we are destined to repeat it.

The stories of the Alamo can still be felt, seen, and experienced in the city of San Antonio, Texas. Some might be known by many, some by few, and we are curious to learn more about what happened there. Many long-time residents, possible descendants of survivors of the battle, might have some uncovered histories to share, but you can try to learn more from them.

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Let us know in the comments section below if the history of a place influences your relocation decision. It might make a difference for some and none for others. We’re only asking because we know that this country was forged on the backbone of many small or large battles, and this was just one of them. This was the Heart and Shrine of Texas Liberty. Like & Share this article with friends and family as these little pieces of national history should be remembered and treasured by all.

What Are The Greatest Changes In Shopping In Your Lifetime

What are the greatest changes in shopping in your lifetime? So asked my 9 year old grandson.

As I thought of the question the local Green Grocer came to mind. Because that is what the greatest change in shopping in my lifetime is.

That was the first place to start with the question of what are the greatest changes in shopping in your lifetime.

Our local green grocer was the most important change in shopping in my lifetime. Beside him was our butcher, a hairdresser and a chemist.

Looking back, we were well catered for as we had quite a few in our suburb. And yes, the greatest changes in shopping in my lifetime were with the small family owned businesses.

Entertainment While Shopping Has Changed
Buying butter was an entertainment in itself.
My sister and I often had to go to a favourite family grocer close by. We were always polite as we asked for a pound or two of butter and other small items.

Out came a big block of wet butter wrapped in grease-proof paper. Brought from the back of the shop, placed on a huge counter top and included two grooved pates.

That was a big change in our shopping in my lifetime… you don’t come across butter bashing nowadays.

Our old friendly Mr. Mahon with the moustache, would cut a square of butter. Lift it to another piece of greaseproof paper with his pates. On it went to the weighing scales, a bit sliced off or added here and there.

Our old grocer would then bash it with gusto, turning it over and over. Upside down and sideways it went, so that it had grooves from the pates, splashes going everywhere, including our faces.

My sister and I thought this was great fun and it always cracked us up. We loved it, as we loved Mahon’s, on the corner, our very favourite grocery shop.

Grocery Shopping
Further afield, we often had to go to another of my mother’s favourite, not so local, green grocer’s. Mr. McKessie, ( spelt phonetically) would take our list, gather the groceries and put them all in a big cardboard box.

And because we were good customers he always delivered them to our house free of charge. But he wasn’t nearly as much fun as old Mr. Mahon. Even so, he was a nice man.

All Things Fresh
So there were very many common services such as home deliveries like:

• Farm eggs

• Fresh vegetables

• Cow’s milk

• Freshly baked bread

• Coal for our open fires

Delivery Services
A man used to come to our house a couple of times a week with farm fresh eggs.

Another used to come every day with fresh vegetables, although my father loved growing his own.

Our milk, topped with beautiful cream, was delivered to our doorstep every single morning.

Unbelievably, come think of it now, our bread came to us in a huge van driven by our “bread-man” named Jerry who became a family friend.

My parents always invited Jerry and his wife to their parties, and there were many during the summer months. Kids and adults all thoroughly enjoyed these times. Alcohol was never included, my parents were teetotallers. Lemonade was a treat, with home made sandwiches and cakes.

The coal-man was another who delivered bags of coal for our open fires. I can still see his sooty face under his tweed cap but I can’t remember his name. We knew them all by name but most of them escape me now.

Mr. Higgins, a service man from the Hoover Company always came to our house to replace our old vacuum cleaner with an updated model.

Our insurance company even sent a man to collect the weekly premium.

People then only paid for their shopping with cash. This in itself has been a huge change in shopping in my lifetime.

In some department stores there was a system whereby the money from the cash registers was transported in a small cylinder on a moving wire track to the central office.

Some Of The Bigger Changes
Some of the bigger changes in shopping were the opening of supermarkets.

• Supermarkets replaced many individual smaller grocery shops. Cash and bank cheques have given way to credit and key cards.

• Internet shopping… the latest trend, but in many minds, doing more harm, to book shops.

• Not many written shopping lists, because mobile phones have taken over.

On a more optimistic note, I hear that book shops are popular again after a decline.

Personal Service Has Most Definitely Changed
So, no one really has to leave home, to purchase almost anything, technology makes it so easy to do online.
And we have a much bigger range of products now, to choose from, and credit cards have given us the greatest ease of payment.

We have longer shopping hours, and weekend shopping. But we have lost the personal service that we oldies had taken for granted and also appreciated.

Because of their frenetic lifestyles, I have heard people say they find shopping very stressful, that is grocery shopping. I’m sure it is when you have to dash home and cook dinner after a days work. I often think there has to be a better, less stressful way.

My mother had the best of both worlds, in the services she had at her disposal. With a full time job looking after 9 people, 7 children plus her and my dad, she was very lucky. Lucky too that she did not have 2 jobs.