Posts Tagged “historic”
We in the West are becoming more familiar with Sake. There are now many more Japanese restaurants in our cities and all of them will have a drinks menu that will include a sake or two. It’s the Japanese national alcoholic beverage and most people already know that it’s made of rice. Yes, it’s called…
This is undoubtedly one of the most noteworthy hotels in London. St Ermin’s welcomes guests with iconic architecture and unique ambiance (read more about the hotel here). It has other advantages too: The Caxton Grill (read my review here) and its associated bar. That is a convivial space with not only drinks but a lot…
Oh, the joy of the British countryside! Perhaps a picturesque village with rustic charm; could there be an historic coaching inn? Yes, indeed, and quite near London too. It’s the George and Dragon in the stunning village of West Wycombe. The village features many buildings of architectural value which were built between the 16th and…
It’s true – one hardly expects to find castles in The Netherlands! But they do exist and there are many of them, along with stately homes of grace and beauty. Few historic buildings in The Netherlands can equal De Haar for its representation of a fairy-tale castle. It is among the top twenty most-visited Dutch…
Middachten Castle or Kasteel Middachten in Dutch, is a significant and beautiful manor house, located on the Middachten estate, De Steeg, Netherlands. The building we see today dates from 1698. Since 2004 the castle has been a rijksmonument which is a register of Dutch sites of interest. Middachten Castle is part of the Top 100…
This is said to be the most famous castle in the Netherlands. That will come as a surprise to most tourists, who will likely not have realised that Holland even had any castles. Loevestein Castle will intrigue and delight and have visitors wanting to learn more about the history of this relatively undiscovered region of…
Dear tourist, please take a step away from London on your next vacation. Eton awaits and it’s a gem of a destination. Don’t worry about where to stay. I have a suggestion which will delight with its charm and comfort. You will likely not want to leave, so do your sight-seeing first. Well, why would…
This is a jewel of a hotel, and there can surely be no better time to visit Holdsworth House Hotel than during those weeks just before Christmas. The building lends itself to traditional decorations and colour, giving a nod to gentler times, warmth and conviviality. Truthfully, Holdsworth House Hotel is a marvel at any time…
We are blessed, in the Home Counties and Greater London, with a wealth of fine hotels. There are boutique hotels, glitzy city hotels, former ancestral piles, and then there are those few gems which are timeless and utterly charming, and they might combine a little of all of the above, and in memorable fashion.. That’s…
Calamity and Courage – A Heroine of the Raj is another in my collection of fascinating books about India and all things Indian that I love so much. It also gave me a surprise as the setting for the aforementioned heroism is in fact the very part of India that my father knew so well…
Swan Upping is an annual ceremonial event and an activity that has endured since the 12th century. The mute swans on part of the River Thames are caught, weighed, inspected, ringed, and then released. Centuries ago these birds were eaten and this exercise was game management! Swans were regular food in the Tudor age, but…
History is everywhere in Rennes but it’s actually considered by thoroughly modern folks to be one of the most liveable cities in France. That’s a hard juggling act. Rennes had been in existence for centuries before the Romans and in 57 BC the local inhabitants joined the Gaulish coalition against Rome. That didn’t work and…
It’s inevitable that the first thing people think of when you mention Bayeux is the tapestry. Though it’s not actually a tapestry but a very fine embroidery. The Bayeux Tapestry is now on permanent display in a bespoke museum in the city of Bayeux in Normandy, France. It’s unique and huge and merits a home…
The British Museum in London is famed the world over for its displays of artefacts and curios. Granted, there are some that feel many of these objets d’art should be returned to their place of origin, while others feel that they are safer where they are. That conundrum is best left to wiser heads than…
Strawberry Hill. Even the name conjures visions of pastoral idylls, perhaps a water-colour of mature trees with the promise of a gently-flowing river just over that grassy knoll. Well, the reality isn’t that far from the pastel dream and there is a House that is at the very centre of the quintessentially English scene. Strawberry…
You couldn’t make it up! A story that, on the face of it, sounds quite improbable. The King in the Car Park … indeed a sovereign in the Social Services Car Park. Richard III, or at least his mortal remains, were discovered on the site of Greyfriars Friary in Leicester, where Richard was buried in…
Anyone with a molecule of romance in their hearts will have considered a vacation in Italy. Any lover of good food and wine would have mused on a visit to this land of culinary abundance. Every traveller who prizes quality produce, striking accommodation and the best of restaurants will want to stay in Norcia. Where?…
We British tend to think that we invented gardens and the concept of those spaces as areas of leisure. English gardens are mimicked the world over and even in countries whose climates are unsuitable for even the notion of a cottagey, green and lush space. In horticultural terms India would be the head gardener and…
“I should recommend anyone with a taste for Victorian gastronomic literature to snap him up…His recipes are so meticulous and clear, that the absolute beginner could follow them, yet at the same time he has much to teach the experienced cook.” That’s from the great Elizabeth David. Culinary Jottings for Madras was written by WYVERN…