England Cathedrals – Top 5

October 24, 2014

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England Cathedrals – Top 5

I always used to wonder what it would feel like to stand at the entrance of Westminster abbey and look up at the rich gothic architecture, or visit St. Paul’s cathedral. As a child, I read about the deep histories of these places and it always compelled me to at least picture them in all their glory.

Recently I had the pleasure of witnessing these great England Cathedrals first-hand. Although I cannot even begin to explain how intriguing and amazingly beautiful all these places were (I will be retelling my stories in individual posts), I thought I would list them down based on how good they were for me.

These are my personal feelings, though, and there are many more gorgeous Cathedrals to see throughout the land.

Durham Cathedral

Truly one of the finest examples of Romanesque Architecture in England, the gothic style of the prevailing century of the time was quite different from what I saw here. Completed over a period of 40 years, the building was innovatively built with flying buttresses (hidden above the vaults), pointed arches, and ribbed vaults all together. What I liked most about the cathedral was the huge ceilings and the tapestries, all blended well with the gothic theme. I think it’s safe to say, I’ll definitely be seeing that place again.

Lincoln Cathedral

My second pick of top England Cathedrals Lincoln Cathedral just may be the most enjoyable piece of architecture you’ve ever seen. I spent hours drooling over the marvelous showcase of decorative art, the details and the color. If you ever do visit Lincolnshire, make sure you don’t miss this place. It is also known to be the 3^rd largest English cathedral. All the more reasons for you to pack up your bags and hit the road.

Westminster Abbey

There is no denying the fact that Westminster Abbey has probably the richest history of all the England Cathedrals.

It is built on a marshy retreat called Thorny Island where the River Tiburon used to run. When I stood inside the entrance of the abbey, I noticed the huge chandeliers in the nave that I had read about as a child. It was all as surreal as ever, I never imagined these places would be as interesting as I imagined them to be.

Ely Cathedral

The cathedral with the unique Octagon Tower, Ely must be one of the most marvelously engineered buildings of the middle ages. The ceiling of the cathedral is a huge tourist attraction, known for its unique Lantern Tower. Most English cathedrals are built with twin west towers, but Alan of Walsingham designed a central tower that seems to float above the Ely itself.

It is not just a tower though; the Norman and Gothic carvings in the oak give the entire structure a rare quality. And, be sure to look at the stained glass windows inside. They detail is unbelievable and the colors are so vibrant.

A must see.

York Minster

My last top 5 of England Cathedrals go to a medieval marvel, York Minster has the richest heritage of the entire lot.

It was burnt and destroyed time and time again and then slowly rebuilt, York was where Edwin Northumbria was baptized, and in fact it was built for the same purpose. Though the structure that stands today in all its glory is the most breathtaking sight you’ll ever see, and sitting outside, keeping watch over the Cathedral, Constantine. it still makes me wonder what it might have looked like before the fires.

These were my personal top choices for Cathedrals to see in England. Fortunately, most of them are in and around London so it is easy enough to make day trips. One book that was a bit inspirational for me, and I never put down while traveling around was The Gothic Cathedral.

The land is certainly filled with many more, all with an amazing history and towering over many of the local towns. Oh, and another one of my top picks, St. Pauls Cathedral, right in the heart of London.

Enjoy!

Mime Festival – English Festivals and Events

October 22, 2014

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Mime Festival – English Festivals and Events

England is a diverse land full of a number of things to offer. There are many English Festivals and Events based on tradition. It may seem strange to foreigners, but one has to admit, nobody celebrates quite like the English.

Apart from the normal kind of festivities, I had the chance to attend the London International Mime Festival, which was quite a sweet surprise. Yes, a real Mime Festival!

I attended the performances with a few friends who were all theatre and arts enthusiasts, but I have to say, we didn’t quite get what we expected. Most of us had seen silent plays or something close, but never actually mimes.

I pictured them like in cartoons, white and black with a French hat. But the festival completely blew my mind.

The performances were unveiled one by one; we were all intrigued by the ambience and the entire feel of it. Little did we know what was about to come our way would be memorable for life.

After the Circus tricks and the Extreme Dances, it was time for the Physical Imagery, breathtaking and extremely well-rehearsed moves depicting such sweet little stories. The whole festival was full of such beautiful little anecdotes that shocked us or made us laugh from time to time. Imagine thinking back to when you were a child and your mom or dad reading you a bedtime story and picturing that story unfold in your mind. That’s what it felt like to see these amazing performances!

Dancers and Jugglers glided through every now and then while the mime’s story was told, it was great to see such precise movements and such deep meaningful steps. With every move, the mime shifted our moods as the story unfolded.

By the time this was done, my friends and I were dumbstruck at just how much can a person say with his hands, feet and the way he moves them? We found out that day.

The Mime Festival went on with many great performances; Exotic Japanese Puppetry, Ballet Dances, The Puppet opera, The Fox Dance, and so on and so forth.

It was a night full of lights and stars with art and culture surrounding us. Attending the London International Mime Festival was one of the most artistically liberating experiences of my life.

After the mime festival ended, my friends and I stopped at a small English café on our way back home and we sat and recapped the beautiful performances we saw that day; we talked about the jugglers and the dancers, with their costumes and tricks; the imps and the acrobats with the agile leaps and the soft landings, it all seemed very far away yet still fresh in my memory.

But the thing I can’t seem to forget is the story the mimes depicted, how their fingers could depict a sunrise as well as the darkest hour of the night. I don’t remember each part, and I guess it doesn’t really matter. What mattered was the narrative. The way the story was told.

I’ve lived in many places, and life has been different during them all. But a land where people invest time and money for the education of the human mind, for the preservation of an art, for keeping the essence of telling a story, and for the simple things in life, is a land worth visiting and enjoying all it has to offer. And be sure to never run out of power anywhere on your trip with any of your mobile devices with the best external power for phones and tablets.

Oh, and the mime festival this year is from January 8th to the 13th. If you have a chance, I highly recommend checking it out!

Enjoy!

Northern England Road Trip

October 21, 2014

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Northern England – Road trip around the Northern Bend

I remember the first time I read about England, I must’ve been in middle school. The maps included were amazing, they really made me feel like I was in the country, seeing the landscape, smelling the sweet scents of the air, reliving a part of history that is truly amazing. I knew then that I wanted to not just go, but to take a Northern England Road Trip!

bridge — A Gorgeous town on the road to northern England

I had gone on a Northern England road trip a while ago; it was an amazing experience.

Like the ones we dream of when we’re young, either soaring through the skies, going to the beach with the family, which I shared with a few friends and family after my return. But I felt that the experience had to be shared on a larger scale. That’s when I decided to write about it in hope that I will inspire more people whether local or tourist to take on this amazing journey.

Before we start I must confess that I am one of those people who derive therapeutic pleasure out of driving. So the drive was long but a satisfying one, the scenery was breathtaking and the pubs were simply amazing.

The route I am going to be talking about starts around 12 miles after Alston, with a right turn taking us on the B6305 to Hexham. If you haven’t been to Hexham, I suggest you make a stop in this town just like I did.

I found the town to have a rich historic significance, build around a Benedictine monastery, called the Hexham Abbey.

I took my time enjoying the architecture of the structure and the stained glass was simply marvelous, while observing the crypt I was told, the bricks used in its construction were reclaimed roman bricks.

This moment was my first Northern England Road trip “wow” moment because it made me think for a moment. Rome is in Italy, I am here in this gorgeous town in northern England. Talk about a distance and still we’re talking about the Romans!

Anyway, after I left the town of Hexham, I continued on my northern England road trip and found myself a couple of miles south of Hadrian’s Wall. Since this was my first seeing the monumental wall, I took a brief detour from north of Chollerford and then west on the Military Road, B6318. I just had to walk the wall, so I started from the section near Once Brewed, a thrilling experience walking on a piece of history itself. This was THE furthest extend of the Roman Empire, in its height, stretching from the Middle East to Northern England!

hadrian's wall, roughly 1200 miles from Rome — hadrian’s wall, roughly 1200 miles from Rome

After musing around the wall, I headed back to Hexham and on my way I visited the Roman garden in Chollerford.

From Hexham I headed south on the B6306, driving through the tranquil Slaley Forest to the tiny village of Blanchland, where I stopped and dined at the historic Lord Crewe Arms Hotel and its cozy fireplace.

I would say of the entire Northern England Road trip, this is where I was the most relaxed. The town is what one pictures in there head when reading about “old” England. Peaceful with very kind people. Home are filled with flowers and books and great smelling foods! The hotel was picturesque

garden at the lord crewe arms hotel, blanchland

Beyond the Blanchland Derwent Reservoir, I turned left on the B6278 at Edmundbyers leading me to the Manor House Inn. I visited the pubs famous for the best pub food in north eastern England, and left immediately. My next stop was Allenheads, and that is because I just couldn’t have left without visiting the Allenheads Inn. There I saw the most incredible and extraordinary décor, the food was just as excellent as the environment, and if you do manage to go there don’t be surprised to see a four foot wooden chicken on a dining table.

Eventually, I continued on north on the B6295, till I got to Allendale Town, mostly because I wanted to see The King’s Head and it was nice to visit the town as well. I was told by the people that New Year’s Eve is the right time to visit Allendale. However, the town has a nice rustic feel to it and I simply breathed in the atmosphere while travelling through it.

Finally, a short run north on B6295 towards Langley, then a left back on the A686 for an exhilarating descent to Penrith. It turned out to be an incredible drive around the country which I will cherish for a longest time to come.

Brougham Castle near penrith — Brougham Castle near Penrith

This was one of the most scenic trips I ever took in my life and was totally surprised and impressed by my Northern England Road trip. The trip is easy to make with plenty of tour buses going to all of these beautiful towns. But if you get the chance, rent a car and truly take in the sights!

Englands National Parks – Your Guide to Discover

October 19, 2014

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Englands National Parks – Your Guide

For such a small country, England has a huge natural variety!

Englands National Parks by no means match the scale of those found in the United States, but they are all unique and offer a great insight into England’s natural beauty. Let’s set a little time aside to take a look at three of them.

Dartmoor

Dartmoor is truly beautiful. Its dramatic and somewhat stark looking landscape is made up of exposed granite on top of the hills. The striking and really quite harsh surroundings give Dartmoor a threatening quality and it is easy to see why it has a reputation of being a mystical place. There are a number of ghost stories set on the moors and visitors can see all of the places referenced around Dartmoor.

It can be a great activity for people of all ages to read out the myths and legends whilst stood on the sites where they take place, to really get a sense of the mystery of the moors. There are many landmarks which you can visit on the moors, including Bowerman’s Nose, Jay’s Grave and the Stone Crosses. But my absolute favorite is the legend of Childe’s Tomb.

The cross which marks Childe’s tomb was allegedly constructed to mark the burial site of Childe the Hunter. The legend states that Childe was out hunting on the moor when a storm hit. The storm was wild and raging and Childe lost sight of the group he was hunting with. There was no shelter at all out on the bleak and dramatic moor, so the only protection he had was his horse. He hid behind the horse but the wind was howling from all directions and blowing the harsh weather against him.

He eventually killed his horse, tore out its insides and then crawled inside the body for shelter. He could feel himself slipping away, and just before he froze to death he wrote a letter saying that whoever found his body and buried him in their church would inherit all of his land and money.

The body was found by a group of monks who began to carry it back to Tavistock Abbey. On their way back they heard that a group of people were planning to ambush them to steal the body and claim the inheritance.

They decided to take a detour and build their own bridge to return and safely bury Childe in the grounds of the abbey and inherit his Plymstock estate. Childe’s tomb can still be seen and visited today and you get a real idea of how terrifying it would be to be trapped on the moor in a raging storm.

North York Moors

Continuing on our traverse of Englands National Parks, the North York Moors are a huge expanse of heather moorland. They are much more colorful than Dartmoor and give a more upbeat view of the British countryside. One of the best things about the North York Moors is the North Yorkshire Moors Steam Railway which travels from Pickering to Whitby.

For kids and train enthusiasts alike the steam train can be a really fun day out. You get a real sense of what train travel would have been like before electric and diesel engines came about and it is also a fantastic way to see the beautiful scenery in all weathers.

The steam railway offers a more comfortable view of the moors than walking or cycling. For the more adventurous among you it is possible to rent bikes and cycle along the various trails and become part of the stunning landscape.

Lake District

The Lake District is perhaps the most famous of Englands National Parks.

It is the home of England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike, as well as its deepest lake, Wastwater. The Lake District is the most populated of Englands National Parks; there are loads of quintessential English villages where you can stay in traditional Bed & Breakfasts and really immerse yourself in English culture.

If you are looking for a truly memorable experience to add to your holiday, the Lake District is a great place to try out a new adventure sport, or practice an old favorite. Kids and adults alike can delight in raft building, gorge walking, mountain biking, canoeing, archery, scrambling and kayaking to name just a few!

So whether you are looking for a quiet countryside retreat, an action-packed adventure holiday or just an opportunity to explore the diversity of England’s stunning natural beauty, Englands national parks could be exactly what you are looking for. They are well worth a visit, whatever the nature of your trip. The quaint country villages make for cozy, romantic getaways and the opportunity for adventure allows for exciting family vacations.

And, just check out that featured images. Yup! That’s an aqueduct, and not just any aqueduct, but one built from the Romans themselves!

Be sure to check out more entries about that very aqueduct and more about Englands National Parks!

The English Pub

October 17, 2014

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The English Pub Guide

When it comes to the The English pub, I have my fair share of stories to tell. One of the first things a tourist should learn in my experience is how the pub scene works. The first time I wandered into a country the English pub, I was expecting a cold beer, cheers in an English accent, and some friendly conversation, though it didn’t quite turn out that way.

The Infamous Bitter Service

When you head into an English pub, never order a beer unless you like being laughed at. People refer to their beer with specifics, such as a bitter. Bitter is a distinctively popular British beer, though it comes in many different types now, it’s a brownish red ale, strongly flavored with hops. Another thing that might surprise you is that a bitter is served at room temperature and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

I learned this rule the hard way. Hopefully my blog will make a difference for you. The Brits posses a sadistic sense of humor, they will sit and laugh at the poor oblivious tourists who don’t know that there is no concept of service in the pubs. Whether you want food or beer, you’ll have to go to the bar to get some service.

Another thing, the bars over there don’t keep tabs for you, so you’ll have to pay for the drinks and food upfront.

It may seem a little weird for the first time visitors, but this is their culture and I for one love learning new culture.

Different Kinds of English Pubs

In England there are several different kinds of pubs and they all attract different kinds of crowds.

The English pubs in the city centers attract a diverse group of people, usually those working in the area. These are filled usually during lunchtime and after work hours when coworkers and friends get together to unwind over a warm bitter.
Then there are the themed pubs, mostly in the city. These could be anything from a jazz pub, comedy pub, and gay pubs, etc.
One of my favorites, the country pubs is a piece of their cultural heritage. Though it may not look the same from the inside.
Then there are the local pubs and since they are pretty local, they aren’t quite welcoming especially to visitors.
Another one of my favorites is the freehouse. Since most of the pubs are licensed through breweries, they are not allowed to sell drinks from their competitors. Freehouses are independent pubs which serve different varieties of beers. They are the best place for a visitor in the hope to try out different local drinks.

I hope this blog post gave you enough information to be able to enjoy the english pub scene in the country without any worries. If you are out visiting England, absorb as much of the culture as you can, because you will definitely miss it once you are home. Drink up, enjoy, savor it!

Cheers.

http://travel.michelin.com/web/destination/Great_Britain-London/news-The_English_pub_two_thousand_years_of_history

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