LEICESTER | Full Summary of Projects

[d4mo85]

Welcome to the forum

Leicester is in many ways your typical English city, it has nice areas and some not so.

There's huge history in Leicester and Leicestershire, I really recommend reading up on this as much of it has shaped our every-day life and country today.

Some areas of Leicester can definitely be considered ugly; buildings of the 1960s and 70s that have seen much better days, plus low-end retail and a number of fast food outlets on important streets, being the main faults. This isn't a massive problem though, as there are a lot of historic and listed buildings remaining in the City, many dating back over 500 years. There's also some fantastic new architecture in the form of Curve theatre and Highcross Shopping Centre, which are considered top class. There's also a mix of old and new office buildings, some dated, some impressively tall (Leicester has the tallest buildings in the East Midlands region) and others neat, modern and tidy.

There are a very good number of cafés, shops, cinemas, and a number of excellent events like the Leicester comedy festival, the Caribbean Carnival, Summer Sundae music festival, and the Diwali celebrations. There's also a good number of bars, many of which have live music through the week, some good nightclubs offering just about every genre of music you'd want, and a fair number of good restaurants too. Leicestershire is well known in the UK for its foods (stilton cheese, pork pie, red leicester cheese, and the mass-produced pukka pies, walkers crisps and foxes mints, plus a heavily farmed countryside) but there are also a number of international restaurants meaning you have a good variety for eating out. Some of Leicestershire's countryside is breathtaking, definitely head out of the City when you can and explore the surrounding areas, villages and market towns. Leicestershire is also home to Donington Park and Mallory Park - both great if you like motorsports. There's also Grace Road for Cricket, and the Race Course for the horses.

Leicestershire is considered a 'safe place to live' with crime rates well below the national average, and currently at a 21year low. It's important to remember statistics are just numbers and crime can happen to anyone anywhere. Always use your head, and be safe. Being below the national average does not mean crime doesn't exist in Leicester, because sadly it does.

The area between the Highcross and the King Power Stadium (was Walkers Stadium) is vibrant with a good mix of retail and leisure options. It's obviously very student-populated as it's close to DMU, but given you're going to be a student that'll be fine There's a number of large parks close-by, the best being Abbey Park near Highcross. You also have the Leicester Tigers stadium nearby, the Tigers are world famous and watching a match there is well recommended. Both Leicester City Football Club and Leicester Tigers enjoy great support, so do what you can to see them play! There's also some cool bars and eateries nearby, I go out in this area a fair amount with friends on the weekend.

White British aren't the minority in Leicester, but it's close. There's a good harmony between all cultures and beliefs, though Leicester remains very much a western style city and the county even more so. Leicester is well known for it's ties to parts of Asia, Europe and Africa thanks to the level of immigration the city welcomed over the last 50 years.

Like I said, the City is very typical in many ways and can't be completely considered lovely! It's not a rich City, but there are some great aspects that make it a place like no other and the people are friendly.

My biggest problem with my city is the council. They allowed many things to happen in Leicester that are now considered mistakes - some very significant. And it's only now that we've got an elected mayor (for the first time) that we're seeing someone at the top acknowledging that more needs to be done to make more of the City and its people.

I've probably forgotten a load of things I should have mentioned, but hopefully you have more of an idea now.

Good luck in your move over here

[De Montfort]

Originally Posted by d4mo85

Welcome to the forum

Leicester is in many ways your typical English city, it has nice areas and some not so.

There's huge history in Leicester and Leicestershire, I really recommend reading up on this as much of it has shaped our every-day life and country today.

Some areas of Leicester can definitely be considered ugly; buildings of the 1960s and 70s that have seen much better days, plus low-end retail and a number of fast food outlets on important streets, being the main faults. This isn't a massive problem though, as there are a lot of historic and listed buildings remaining in the City, many dating back over 500 years. There's also some fantastic new architecture in the form of Curve theatre and Highcross Shopping Centre, which are considered top class. There's also a mix of old and new office buildings, some dated, some impressively tall (Leicester has the tallest buildings in the East Midlands region) and others neat, modern and tidy.

There are a very good number of cafés, shops, cinemas, and a number of excellent events like the Leicester comedy festival, the Caribbean Carnival, Summer Sundae music festival, and the Diwali celebrations. There's also a good number of bars, many of which have live music through the week, some good nightclubs offering just about every genre of music you'd want, and a fair number of good restaurants too. Leicestershire is well known in the UK for its foods (stilton cheese, pork pie, red leicester cheese, and the mass-produced pukka pies, walkers crisps and foxes mints, plus a heavily farmed countryside) but there are also a number of international restaurants meaning you have a good variety for eating out. Some of Leicestershire's countryside is breathtaking, definitely head out of the City when you can and explore the surrounding areas, villages and market towns. Leicestershire is also home to Donington Park and Mallory Park - both great if you like motorsports. There's also Grace Road for Cricket, and the Race Course for the horses.

Leicestershire is considered a 'safe place to live' with crime rates well below the national average, and currently at a 21year low. It's important to remember statistics are just numbers and crime can happen to anyone anywhere. Always use your head, and be safe. Being below the national average does not mean crime doesn't exist in Leicester, because sadly it does.

The area between the Highcross and the King Power Stadium (was Walkers Stadium) is vibrant with a good mix of retail and leisure options. It's obviously very student-populated as it's close to DMU, but given you're going to be a student that'll be fine There's a number of large parks close-by, the best being Abbey Park near Highcross. You also have the Leicester Tigers stadium nearby, the Tigers are world famous and watching a match there is well recommended. Both Leicester City Football Club and Leicester Tigers enjoy great support, so do what you can to see them play! There's also some cool bars and eateries nearby, I go out in this area a fair amount with friends on the weekend.

White British aren't the minority in Leicester, but it's close. There's a good harmony between all cultures and beliefs, though Leicester remains very much a western style city and the county even more so. Leicester is well known for it's ties to parts of Asia, Europe and Africa thanks to the level of immigration the city welcomed over the last 50 years.

Like I said, the City is very typical in many ways and can't be completely considered lovely! It's not a rich City, but there are some great aspects that make it a place like no other and the people are friendly.

My biggest problem with my city is the council. They allowed many things to happen in Leicester that are now considered mistakes - some very significant. And it's only now that we've got an elected mayor (for the first time) that we're seeing someone at the top acknowledging that more needs to be done to make more of the City and its people.

I've probably forgotten a load of things I should have mentioned, but hopefully you have more of an idea now.

Good luck in your move over here

oh! thank you very much d4mo85! that was the most unbiased post i ve ever read!
Could you tell me and something else please? How far away is Leicester from London and Sheffield by train and how much does the ticket cost?


thank you once again for your quick response!

[DBadger]

Both are a few minutes over an hour and about £25 depending on when you travel. Nice trains generally.

[De Montfort]

Originally Posted by DBadger

Both are a few minutes over an hour and about £25 depending on when you travel. Nice trains generally.

Thank you!

A friend of mine loves Molineux, Mr Wolverhampton!
We really love premier league and championship and even the lower divisions!

[De Montfort]

How often does it snow in Leicester?

[Lears City]

Rarely. Which part of Cyprus are you from?

[De Montfort]

Originally Posted by Lears City

Rarely. Which part of Cyprus are you from?

Hi,

my mother is from cyprus and i was born there!
My father is from Greece and i live in Athens(Greece)

why?

[Lears City]

Just curious. Which course are you studying at DMU?

[De Montfort]

Originally Posted by Lears City

Just curious. Which course are you studying at DMU?

i ll be studying law! Are you a student?

[Lears City]

Ha ha no. I was about 20 years ago though. So you'll be studying in the new Business and Law building. Quite a nice new addition to the DMU Campus. Right next door to some great parts of Leicester, such as the Magazine Gateway, Newarke Houses, Trinity Hospital and the Castle Precinct.

Out of interest, what made you choose Leicester for your studies?

[De Montfort]

Originally Posted by Lears City

Ha ha no. I was about 20 years ago though. So you'll be studying in the new Business and Law building. Quite a nice new addition to the DMU Campus. Right next door to some great parts of Leicester, such as the Magazine Gateway, Newarke Houses, Trinity Hospital and the Castle Precinct.

Out of interest, what made you choose Leicester for your studies?

yes!! Hugh Aston building!! it looks amazing!
well, because i am not from England, i am not indigenous, i cant assess the difficulty of english universities. All your educational system is different from here in Greece(for instance the ways of examination, the degree classifications. Here there are not things like plagiarism etc). So i wouldnt like to go to a very difficult and strict university like birmingham or cardiff(russel group), despite the fact that i get the grades!
I applied to Aberystwyth, Swansea, Plymouth, De Montfort and Northumbria at Newcastle!
I chose these mid-ranking universities and i got unconditional offers from all of them!
When i applied(october 2011) i didnt know a lot of things about these unis and the cities! I realised that i wouldnt like to go to Aberystwyth because its very remoted. Its a village! I liked Swansea singleton campus, but the city is a bit spread out, and i would like to have all the things within walking distance!
Plymouth is ok, maybe more expensive than the others!
I really like northumbria and de montfort for their brand new facilities. i hope that i will have helpful and good professors!
Initially my firm choice was northumbria! Great city(newcastle) and nice uni as some people told me! but a month ago i changed my insurance choice(dmu) to my firm! I am aware that there are many greek cypriots people in Leicester as well as there is a greek orthodox church?!
leicester is a walkable city, near to london, so i chose de montfort! Are the professors lenient there? Who Knows!
Generally i am happy with my choice.


as i was told law(llb hons) is one of the most difficult courses to study at a uni! i am a bit anxious! i firmly believe that law is difficult in every country!

i would like to stay in england and get a job as a journalist or to come back in greece and work as a lawyer!


i really really really love England!! i have visited it in 2008! i went to london , cambridge, oxford, stratford on avon, rockingham castle and northampton!
I love premier league and all the english culture and different accents! i really love this country! your countryside , your cities, your music, your stadiums, your Olympic games( but greek olympics were far better!!), your stadiums etc!

i hope i will improve my english( my ielts score is 7/9 with 7,5 in writing) and all unis asked for 6,5 overall!

all of you, who replied to my queries here, you are very kind!

thank you

[Mark76]

Hope you have a great time in Leicester (and the UK in general)

[Leicity82]

Welcome to the forum and city De Montfort.

There is a Greek Orthodox Church on Aylestone Road, not too far from the DMU.

[Lears City]

I'm sure you will have a great time in Leicester. The DMU Campus is right on the doorstep of the city centre. Most of the accommodation is close to the Campus. The West End of Leicester has a sizeable Greek community. Mobius on Braunstone Gate has a Greek restaurant and there is Babylonia in the city centre.

Having recently returned from Rhodes, all the locals there told me that true Greek food is hard to come by though. So I can't imagine that any of the Leicester restaurants are even close to being authentic? Having said that, you might prefer McDonald's for all I know?

You might opt to support Leicester City and be introduced to a lifetime of false hope and pervading sense of imminent doom. Follow the Leicester Tigers and success will always be close, but you may find yourself wearing a green wax jacket and carrying a thermos flask.

If shopping is your thing, then Leicester has plenty to offer, but if you are normal then there are loads of pubs and clubs to entertain you.

If you want to get a feel for the city and its surrounds then here is a mini guide for you to research...

Music
Kasabian
Young Knives
Showaddywaddy
Engelbert Humperdinck

...what a mixture...

Countryside
Bradgate Park
Beacon Hill
High Leicestershire (to the east of Leicester)
The Wolds in the north
The Costwold chain in the south

Accent
Slightly northen sounding, but with a lot of variations. Locals can say Leicester, either as Lesta, Lester, Lestor, Lesda. No fixed accent in these parts...

You've chosen a city which is beautiful and ugly, friendly and violent, rich and poor, full of parkland and concrete, mixed in race and full of history, yet forward thinking and modern. Right in the middle of England and easy to get to anywhere from.

Welcome...

[De Montfort]

Originally Posted by Lears City

I'm sure you will have a great time in Leicester. The DMU Campus is right on the doorstep of the city centre. Most of the accommodation is close to the Campus. The West End of Leicester has a sizeable Greek community. Mobius on Braunstone Gate has a Greek restaurant and there is Babylonia in the city centre.

Having recently returned from Rhodes, all the locals there told me that true Greek food is hard to come by though. So I can't imagine that any of the Leicester restaurants are even close to being authentic? Having said that, you might prefer McDonald's for all I know?

You might opt to support Leicester City and be introduced to a lifetime of false hope and pervading sense of imminent doom. Follow the Leicester Tigers and success will always be close, but you may find yourself wearing a green wax jacket and carrying a thermos flask.

If shopping is your thing, then Leicester has plenty to offer, but if you are normal then there are loads of pubs and clubs to entertain you.

If you want to get a feel for the city and its surrounds then here is a mini guide for you to research...

Music
Kasabian
Young Knives
Showaddywaddy
Engelbert Humperdinck

...what a mixture...

Countryside
Bradgate Park
Beacon Hill
High Leicestershire (to the east of Leicester)
The Wolds in the north
The Costwold chain in the south

Accent
Slightly northen sounding, but with a lot of variations. Locals can say Leicester, either as Lesta, Lester, Lestor, Lesda. No fixed accent in these parts...

You've chosen a city which is beautiful and ugly, friendly and violent, rich and poor, full of parkland and concrete, mixed in race and full of history, yet forward thinking and modern. Right in the middle of England and easy to get to anywhere from.

Welcome...

thank you all!


did you like rhodes? did you visit faliraki? Rhodes is my favourite island!
as you saw the beaches there are marvelous!! i can describe them! rhodes is fantastic. I visited it last year.
I hope you tried local greek dishes, ate souvlaki etc!

Was it your first time in Greece?

[Lears City]

Been to Greece many times, but my first visit to Rhodes. I'm a bit to old for Faliraki to be fair. We were on the other side of the island in Ixia, where the beaches are more pebble than sand. Crystal clear waters and a nice breeze, to make the 41 degrees centigrade heat bearable. There was a very nice restaurant in Ixia, that served decent Greek food. Also a nice fish restaurant in Rhodes Town.

[De Montfort]

Originally Posted by Lears City

Been to Greece many times, but my first visit to Rhodes. I'm a bit to old for Faliraki to be fair. We were on the other side of the island in Ixia, where the beaches are more pebble than sand. Crystal clear waters and a nice breeze, to make the 41 degrees centigrade heat bearable. There was a very nice restaurant in Ixia, that served decent Greek food. Also a nice fish restaurant in Rhodes Town.

ok, i ve been in ixia too(rhodos palace hotel?)
now the temperature in Athens is 39 celcius degrees!!!!!
which other places have you visited sir in Greece?

[Lears City]

We went to the Ixian Grand. Also been to Crete and Corfu, several times to each. I'm sure plenty of others on here have been to Greece as well?

[De Montfort]

Originally Posted by Lears City

We went to the Ixian Grand. Also been to Crete and Corfu, several times to each. I'm sure plenty of others on here have been to Greece as well?

you have visited by far my 3 best islands sir!

[d4mo85]

I've been to Aegina (Aegina town + Agia Marina) and Crete (Makrigialos) - very nice holidays, loved every second of them. I have family in Athens although I've only travelled through the capital from the airport on my way to Piraeus to catch the ferry.