Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for england
The Tunnel of Shells
By Linda Tancs
Call it Shellhenge, a mysterious shell-lined tunnel network in Margate, England. Discovered in 1835, The Shell Grotto is a pathway and chamber beneath a residential garden, comprising 4.6 million shells forming exquisite mosaics. Its origins are a mystery to this day. Unique work of art, pagan temple or secret meeting house? You decide.
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Summer Proms in Warwick
By Linda Tancs
Warwick Castle is celebrating its 1100th year with a birthday party this weekend to rival any queen’s jubilee. On 12 July a spectacular Summer Proms concert will feature popular classics and film themes along with an emotional sequence of music and songs commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings, marked by an aerial display by an original World War II Spitfire. A magnificent fireworks display will end this unforgettable evening. The castle will close to daytime guests at 4:00 p.m.
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A Bar for the Madding Crowd
By Linda Tancs
Thanks to the digital era, humans have an attention span of nine seconds–that’s eight seconds more than a squirrel. Our reliance on technology is not likely to change, so why not embrace it? That’s what the folks at London’s The Thirsty Bear have done. The city’s first total self-service pub, each table comes equipped with iPads for food orders and self-pour beer taps. You can even surf the Net and choose jukebox music. The lack of queues is bound to make the crowd, well, less madding.
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Celebrating Cricket’s Bicentenary
By Linda Tancs
Lord’s, the home of cricket in London, celebrates 200 years of sport, having hosted the first known cricket match in 1814 between MCC and Hertfordshire. To commemorate the bicentenary of this venerated sporting venue, eager fans are awaiting this Saturday’s star-studded lineup in the MCC versus Rest of the World match. Luminaries include Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne, Brian Lara, Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi. Can’t make the match? Visit the historic grounds and museum for a peek at the largest cricket collection in the world. The site is just a five minutes’ walk from St. John’s Wood tube station.
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Shaw’s Corner of Hertfordshire
By Linda Tancs
The writer Franz Kafka once remarked that writing is utter solitude. All great writers express the need for solitude–and some find it–like George Bernard Shaw. The Irish playwright moved at the height of his fame to an Edwardian villa in Ayot St. Lawrence in Hertfordshire, England known as Shaw’s Corner. In his garden he installed a shed–his writer’s nook–where he wrote Pygmalion, Man and Superman and Major Barbara. He named the little hut (which swivels to catch the sun) “London” so his wife could inform curious callers of his destination and avoid interrupting him. How clever!
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To the Manner Born
By Linda Tancs
Britain’s summer social calendar (the “Season”) runs from April to September. Awash in cultural and sporting events, the Season finds great favor among the British elite, but even the hoi polloi enjoy a taste of society life–even if it is laden with rules of etiquette. If you’re a little rusty on the finer points of appropriate behavior, then More Than Good Manners is ready to help you. Founded by British aristocrat Veronica Joly de Lotbinière (a descendant of kings of France and England), the company offers booking services for high-profile events as well as manners and etiquette training for things like that pheasant shoot with a duke. You, too, can be to the manner born.
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Durham’s Seat of Power
By Linda Tancs
Once upon a time, following the Norman Conquest, there were two kings in England. That unusual circumstance arose in England’s County Durham. During William the Conqueror’s time, the two most powerful men in that northeastern region were the earl and the Bishop of Durham. Recognizing the need for a local power to guard against Scottish marauders, the Bishop of Durham was granted unusual authority by the king, including the ability to raise taxes, mint coins and hold parliaments. As a result, the successive bishops came to be known as the Prince Bishops. They even had their own palace–Auckland Castle. High above the Wear Valley in Bishop Auckland, the castle is no longer the Bishop of Durham’s official residence although he works there. Now fully open to the public for the first time, the castle’s parkland extends almost 200 acres. A crowd favorite is Deer House, a folly built in Gothic Revival style. Other interesting features are the Throne Room and St. Peter’s Chapel, the largest private chapel in Europe.
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Take a Walk
By Linda Tancs
Writer Robert Louis Stevenson once remarked that the forest changes and renews a weary spirit. That’s good news for England’s Midlands: the centre of England, once a hub for the Industrial Revolution, is being renewed and recharged with the dedication of 200 square miles to conservation. Dubbed The National Forest, it embraces parts of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire. And what better way to explore a forest than on foot! This year marks the launch of the National Forest Way, a 75-mile waymarked path traversing the region. Coinciding with the launch of the trail is the National Forest Walking Festival. Taking place through 29 May, you’ll have over 70 walks to choose from as you ramble in the woodlands.
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Hanseatic Links are Celebrated
By Linda Tancs
Throughout the North Sea and Baltic Sea regions, seafaring merchants joined together centuries ago to form a social, cultural and economic alliance known as the Hanseatic League. During medieval times, League members met on a “Hanse day” to agree on commercial matters. Nowadays Hanseatic unity is celebrated each year on International Hanse Day. Celebrated on the third Saturday of May, the maritime communities commemorate their Hanseatic links, past and present. At England’s King’s Lynn, for instance, the medieval maritime town will feature guided walking tours along the waterfront, fire breathers and minstrels, archery, craft demonstrations and fireworks.
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Year of the Bus
By Linda Tancs
Sixty years ago, the iconic Routemaster bus was unveiled at the Commercial Motor Show in London, England. That was in September 1954. Why wait to celebrate? Mayor Boris Johnson has declared 2014 as the Year of the Bus. And rightly so. Did you know that London’s road network carries more bus passengers than New York and Paris combined? Approximately 2.3 billion passenger journeys were made between 2012 and 2013 on around 700 routes on London’s bus network, over 100 of which operate around the clock. The double decker has captured the hearts of travelers worldwide. You can learn more about its impact at a lecture tonight in Covent Garden. Other events taking place during the year include a festival at Finsbury Park in July and symposia on the history and cultural significance of the London bus. Routemaster, we salute you!
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