Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for england
A Jubilee Fit For a Queen
By Linda Tancs
Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation took place on 2 June 1953. Celebrating her 60 years on the throne, the upcoming central weekend of her Diamond Jubilee (2-5 June) promises to be as memorable and majestic as, well, her Majesty. Some highlights include the river pageant on Sunday afternoon, a mustering of 1000 boats and ships upriver of Battersea and ending at Tower Bridge, featuring the Queen’s barge, a floating belfry, historic ships, boats spouting geysers and music barges. On 4 June the BBC will present a concert at Buckingham Palace surrounding what Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, famously referred to as The Wedding Cake (the Victoria Memorial). The concert will include classic hits from artists including Shirley Bassey, Alfie Boe, Jools Holland, Jessie J, JLS, Elton John, Tom Jones, Lang Lang, Annie Lennox, Madness, Paul McCartney, Cliff Richard and Ed Sheeran. The long celebratory weekend will end on 5 June with the carriage procession up Whitehall to Trafalgar Square, through Admiralty Arch and down the Mall through the center gates at Buckingham Palace. As the royals wave from the balcony, the RAF will fly over the palace–minus Concorde, whose deafening roar signalled its awesome impending approach during the Golden Jubilee flyover in 2002. Long live the Queen!
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Torch Relay in Ironbridge
By Linda Tancs
On the border of North Wales and approximately three hours from London is the town of Ironbridge in Shropshire, England. Its world famous Iron Bridge is the first arch bridge to be made of cast iron. The bridge crosses the River Severn at the Ironbridge Gorge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay will cross the Iron Bridge today at 3:14 p.m., making its way along Wellington Road to the Museum of Iron and finishing at the Coalbrookdale pub at 3:39 p.m. Entertainment starts at 2:00 p.m. Expect large crowds; use the free park and ride at Stoney Hill.
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Best of British
By Linda Tancs
There are 14 events scheduled for the month of May alone to celebrate the Best of British Festival, running 25 May to 26 July in Winchester. Those events include author Claire Tomalin’s take on Charles Dickens, a hog roast to celebrate the upcoming Diamond Jubilee, a reading of the Churchill letters and a chat with Field Marshal Lord Vincent. Dame Judi Dench is headlining this festival; so put this on your to-do list.
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A Shard of Glass in London
By Linda Tancs
If you thought the views from the London Eye were amazing, wait until the viewing galleries for The Shard at London Bridge Quarter open next February. Hailed as a vertical city, the glass pyramid undergoing final construction in London will offer 40 mile views across the city. The Shard is the EU’s tallest building at 1017 feet. You can pre-register now for updated visitor information.
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Taking Off in London
By Linda Tancs
London, England is a treasure trove of cultural enrichment, architectural design and—airports? That’s right. As if Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and London City weren’t enough to service London and the surrounding area, you now have a sixth option: Southend. Located less than 40 miles east of Central London and less than 38 miles from Stratford, Southend is easily accessible to passengers by car, rail, coach, bus or taxi. The airport officially opened on 5 March. easyJet, the UK’s largest airline, celebrated its inaugural flight from Southend to Belfast on 2 April. With flights to other popular European destinations like Barcelona, Amsterdam and Malaga, the seaside resort-turned-air hub may give the other contenders a run for their money.
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Honest Burgers in London
By Linda Tancs
London offers a menu to suit any palate, but who would’ve known that Brixton’s old covered market area in the southwest area of the city would become a culinary hotspot? Better get in line early for places like Honest Burgers, where the beef comes straight from happy cows on the Yorkshire Moors. Served on a toasted glazed bun with hand cut, triple-cooked rosemary chips, this bit of comfort food is honestly delicious.
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An Enchanting Tour
By Linda Tancs
The last installment of the Harry Potter film series may have passed, but the movie magic will never end. You can experience the enchantment of Harry Potter’s world in London at the Warner Brothers Studio Tour. The self-guided, three-hour walking tour takes you behind the scenes of such sites as the Great Hall, Dumbledore’s office (including the sword of Gryffindor, the Sorting Hat and the Hogwarts headmaster portraits), Diagon Alley and Hagrid’s hut. The tour also reveals secrets on the execution of those special effects and animatronics. Be sure to order your tickets in advance; there are no sales at the door.
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The Flying Duchess
By Linda Tancs
Woburn Abbey has been the home of the Dukes of Bedford for nearly 400 years. As with any historical manor, the stories of its occupants over the centuries are what bring it to life for contemporary guests. In the case of Woburn, the ladies of the house are just as compelling as their male counterparts. Take, for example, Mary Russell, wife of the 11th Duke. In the spirit of our modern era Amelia Earhart, she embraced aviation and flew record-breaking flights from Kent to India and later Cape Town. An ill-fated flight in 1937 resulted in her plane washing ashore near Great Yarmouth; her body was never recovered. Her adventurous spirit is reflected in the Flying Duchess’ Room at the Abbey.
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Celebrating the Bard
By Linda Tancs
The biggest celebration of Shakespeare ever staged begins today in the UK. The World Shakespeare Festival is the first ever collaboration between Tate Modern, the British Museum, National Theatre, British Council and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Considering that over 64 million children worldwide study Shakespeare, part of the event’s focus is its collaboration with teachers. An education conference in September will bring together education professionals, international artists and academics to investigate learning through Shakespeare and the arts. Another highlight of this months-long event is the staging of Shakespeare-inspired productions with 7200 amateur theatre makers in 260 groups across the UK. Overall, thousands of artists from around the world will take part in almost 70 productions, events and exhibitions in locations including London, Stratford-upon-Avon, Newcastle/Gateshead, Birmingham, Wales and Scotland. Can’t travel? No worries. An exciting digital platform called My Shakespeare will give you a chance to create your own visualization and release your own works onto the site. Over a million tickets will be sold for the festival, which runs through November.
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A Beehive of Activity in London
By Linda Tancs
With the Olympics fast approaching, you can well imagine the beehive of activity in the great city of London. But the beehive of which I speak today is of a different variety: 40 colonies, to be exact. That’s how many families of bees are tucked away in secret locations in London’s Regent’s Park, producing some of the tastiest honey in Britain under the watchful eye of bee farmer Toby Mason. Did you know that a queen bee can lay as many as 2000 eggs per day? With that kind of production, there’s plenty of need for more beekeepers and farmers. You can take beekeeping classes in Regent’s Park and grow your own dynasty.
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