Archive for November, 2007
I often get asked for a list of my top places to visit in Britain, both from guests and colleagues in myguideBritain. It’s a difficult question to answer as there are so many great places to list and more often than not I try and deflect it by suggesting some safe bets such as Stonehenge, Bath and Edinburgh. These are places that I know everyone will love. Also, you see, I’m never sure if people will like the same things as me. And of course, it depends very much on my current mood! If I’m a bit stressed my list includes remote out of the way places such as the Brecon Beacons, just a few miles from the office, here in South Wales where I can sit in solitude. If I’m on top of my game it’ll include dynamic buzzing places such as London………. I’m sure you get the drift.
November 29th, 2007
“There are few things more personal than eating, and if you reject someone’s food, you kind of reject them.”
so said Walter Scheib, former White House chef last week, on the diet of candidates on the campaign trail. (”Quote of the Day” in the New York Times on Friday 23rd November).
I’m not 100% sure what he’s trying to say about the presidential candidates but it reminded me a little of how I’d felt after hearing a comment from a French hotelier in a London travel conference a few weeks back. He was most insulting towards our national dish of fish and chips wrapped in newspaper and our habit of eating it with our fingers. This was from a guy who’d quite happily serve his guests snails, frog’s legs and who knows what other animal parts! Sacre Bleu!
November 26th, 2007
I used to live in Louisville, Kentucky and my first daughter was born there so it holds a warm place in my heart. It was in Loretto, Kentucky on a bright autumn day of that year that I discovered hard liquor ….. and Maker’s Mark is still my whisky of choice. Try it and be convinced.
November 21st, 2007
The Queen and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh celebrate 60 years of married life tomorrow although the ceremony to celebrate this takes place today at Westminster Abbey. The guests will include not only the great and the good but also 10 couples who married on the same day as her - nice touch.
We at myguideBritain send her our best wishes…….just in case she reads our blogs. Somehow I don’t think she’ll have time with all the Tiara changing that will be going on this week between the various celebrations.
November 19th, 2007
I drove through London this week to some meetings. It took me over 2 hours to cover the 25 miles or so across the city to Canary Wharf in the east end. Should have taken my own advice and used public transport!
However I did take a short diversion on the way to see the newly restored St Pancras Station, the new terminal for Eurostar trains that will whisk you away to Paris in the same time it took me to get across London!
What a fantastic building.
November 16th, 2007
Having spent the last few weeks in recovery from my adventure break around Wales, last weekend Keith pointed out that it was high-time I got back out on the road to do some exploring and gave me my next assignment. I found myself slightly disappointed to discover that I was to be visiting a museum; I love to learn but after battling the Atlantic Ocean in the name of myguideBritain I thought that peering at fossils in a glass cabinet would be a bit of a let down. Of course, I was over-looking the fact that St Fagans Welsh National History Museum is a very unique museum indeed.
November 13th, 2007
I was asked by Juliana one of our experienced Britain guides this week if I knew anything about a particular castle, as she knew it was in the same area of North Wales that I was born and bred. The castle was Penrhyn Castle and she was looking to get a few pictures and details onto our website.
It’s strange how buildings can shape one’s life but my early years were totally dominated by this castle (and the family that lived there). You see, they were the only landowners in our corner of the world - Llandegai near Bangor in North Wales. The Pennant family was also the owner of the slate quarry in Bethesda, that had supplied the world with roof slate since the 18th century. They had therefore been, for a few centuries, the largest employers in the area where farming and quarrying were the main occupations. They were also owners of vast sugar plantations in Jamaica, a fact the family was never keen to publicise - for understandable reasons.
November 9th, 2007
Last weekend an estimated 1 billion viewers worldwide watched live coverage of the Arsenal versus Manchester United soccer match at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal’s ground in London. This is an incredible number and testimony to the “beautiful game’s” popularity. As is usual with big matches it never really lived up to the pre match hype but still managed to entertain with a 2-2 draw.
We get many requests for tickets from people wanting to see a Premier League soccer match involving some of the “big” sides - notably Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. Our answer is always the same - we can’t get tickets to any matches involving these clubs. The only tickets generally available, unless you have a well connected aquaintance, are the ones through the specialist ticket companies that also provide hospitality before, during and after the game for absolutely staggering amounts of money in my opinion ($300 min).
November 6th, 2007
Today we celebrate Guy Fawkes day or “bonfire night” as many know it. We celebrate the failed plot by Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators to blow up Parliament on the night of Nov 5th 1605. It really was a plot to “destabilise” the protestant government of King James by the English Roman Catholics following a savage verbal attack on them by King James in 1604 when it became clear that there would be no state tolerance of Roman Catholicism. Following the failed plot bonfires were lit by Londoners on the 5th November to celebrate the fact that their King was safe. An effigy of Guy Fawkes was more often than not burned on these bonfires and the tradition still carries on today in some communities. Mostly, because of health and safety concerns the large displays are now well organized affairs, with some amazing firework displays.
November 5th, 2007
Yesterday Harry Potter, today Shakespeare. Both great friends of the British tourism industry!
My niece is a professional actress currently touring Britain with the Red Shift Theatre company performing Shakespeare’s “Much Ado about Nothing”. I went to see her on stage last night as the tour ventured into South Wales. Needles to say she was brilliant as usual. However this was no ordinary performance - it was set against the backdrop of war torn Sarajevo in the 1990’s. And it worked. It just shows why Shakespeare is so popular. Great stories that have the right mix of love, jealousy, rivalry and revenge with a good quantity of comedy. I’m sure we all identify with different things in his works.
November 2nd, 2007
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