Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for england
Tree World Olympics
By Linda Tancs
Every October on the second Sunday of the month near the English village of Oundle in East Northamptonshire the folks go bonkers for conkers. So on 10 October make your way to New Lodge Fields where ladies and gents from 20 countries will compete in the World Conkers Championship beginning at 10:30 a.m. and ending at 3 o’clock. A conker (otherwise known as a buckeye in the USA) is the seed of a horse chestnut, which is fastened like a yo-yo to a string at the event. The aim of the competition (no pun intended) is to knock out your opponent’s conker (oh, what imagery there). You do that by wrapping the conker string around one hand and then taking the conker in the other hand and drawing it back for the strike. Releasing the conker you swing it down by the string held in the other hand and try to hit your opponent’s conker with it. No doubt this year’s championship will be a smashing success.
Share this:
Sunshine Guaranteed in Cumbria
By Linda Tancs
Rain, rain, go away! The folks at the Samling Hotel in England’s Lake District are so sure that the sun will continue to shine in Windermere that they’re offering a sunshine guarantee. If even a drop of rain falls on their roof through 30 September, guests get a refund of £100 per stay. That may seem like quite a gamble, but a record drought in the area this season puts favorable odds on this bet.
Share this:
Mystery Celebrated on the English Riviera
By Linda Tancs
England’s Torquay forms part of the English Riviera, on the south coast of Devon. It’s also the birthplace of mystery writer Agatha Christie. Torquay celebrates the life and times of the great Dame each year during Christie Week. Now through 19 September you can help yourself to the festivities. Some highlights include a guided walk along the Christie Mile on 14 September, capturing her life and influences in the coastal town. Trouble walking? No worries; take the vintage bus ride on 15 September. How about a mystery tour and fish and chips supper on 16 September? Top it off on 19 September with 1930s-themed dining and dancing. The Queen of Crime would no doubt approve.
Share this:
Tanks A Million
By Linda Tancs
Military tanks were initially deployed during the first world war, developed by the British for use in the trenches at the Battle of Somme. So it should come as no surprise that Britain lays claim to having the best collection of tanks in the world at the Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset. This weekend you can enjoy one of the best displays of moving armor in the world at the museum’s Tankfest. Among the activities on offer are mock battles, historic and modern armor displays and live demonstrations. Here’s a chance to test your mettle.
Share this:
Old Masters in London
By Linda Tancs
Now through 13 June enjoy Old Master paintings, antiques, furniture and jewelry at Olympia International Art and Antiques Fair, London’s oldest and largest summer international fine art and antiques fair. Vetted by a team of 200 experts, the offerings are diverse enough for every level of collector. Olympia Exhibition Hall, the venue, is outside the city’s infamous congestion zone. Pre-book parking or take the tube to Kensington Olympia.
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
Share this:
‘Tis The Season
By Linda Tancs
‘Tis the season, and I don’t mean Christmas. As summer rounds the corner, Britain kicks into high gear with a series of glam events characterizing what is known as The Season, starting with the Chelsea Flower Show in London through 29 May. If your plans don’t permit attendance at one of the world’s foremost horticultural shows, don’t worry. It isn’t over until the fat lady sings, as the expression goes. That would be on 29 August, the close of Glyndebourne Festival, an annual opera festival near Lewes, East Sussex. In the meanwhile, you can enjoy the pomp and circumstance at such staples as Royal Ascot, Wimbledon, Henley Royal Regatta and Cowes Week.
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
Share this:
The Yacht Industry’s Finest
By Linda Tancs
This Saturday’s 5th Annual World Superyacht Awards at London’s Guildhall demonstrates just how much size really does matter. The gala awards show and dinner showcases the best of the best in superyacht design this year. Fourteen Neptune awards will be issued, including best long distance voyager, best young designer, outstanding contributor to the industry, and yachts of the year in categories such as motor, refitted and sailing. Interested in attending? Alas, priority goes to yachtsmen. The rudderless can always watch the video.
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
Share this:
Something Old, Something New
By Linda Tancs
There’s nothing borrowed or blue about St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, but there is something old and new about it. What’s new is the 60-plus million dollar renovation, timed to conclude (in substantial part) with the church’s 300-year anniversary. Today’s cathedral, built over three decades, was completed in 1710. Among the many recent improvements, the diocesan seat has been cleaned, repaired and restored both inside and out, the lighting and sound systems have been upgraded and the Grand Organ has had a facelift. What’s old is the battered slab of stone left untouched at the west entrance, a memorial of sorts to a storied past begun three cathedrals ago in A.D. 604 that has since triumphed over the ravages of fire and war and celebrated weddings, funerals, birthdays, jubilees and a number of other remembrances, both imperial and ordinary.
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
Share this:
London’s Biggest Hotel Set to Open
By Linda Tancs
London sports its fair share of iconic hotel properties: Savoy, Dorchester, Brown’s, Connaught, etc. Today greets the soft opening (soft in the sense of limited availability while the finishing touches are completed) of the largest hotel now to grace the City: Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel. At a mere 350 million pounds, the finished product offers 1021 rooms within walking distance of Waterloo and Westminster stations. Of course, the best digs will feature striking views of Parliament and the Thames. The springtime gala opening will show off a luxe spa, pool and fitness center. Start saving your quid.
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
Share this:
A Wild Wedding
By Linda Tancs
Weddings can be a strange affair. You’ve heard of underwater weddings, sky diving weddings, Halloween-inspired weddings, and so on. Well, in a primate rescue center in Dorset, England, you can now have a wedding amongst the largest group of chimps outside of Africa. In June, Monkey World in Dorset, a 65-acre refuge, acquired a wedding license. At least one couple has married on the grounds since then, serenaded by the cacophony of some of the most abused and neglected monkeys in the world. Sort of gives animal magnetism a whole new meaning.
Travelrific® Travel Journal 