Globetrotting Broad
Globetrotting
Broad
Art & Jewels Fabulous Places Favorite Things Dining & Entertainment
St. James Park -
Located a stone's throw from Buckingham Palace, the grounds
of this park were originally Henry VIII's personal hunting ground.
Charles II added a canal, which eventually became the lake, and pretty soon,
they couldn't keep the commoners or the birds away. Today, St. James Park (pictured at right) is one of the most
beautiful public parks in London and is home to Duck Island Cottage, built
in the early 1800s for a bird keeper, now the home of London Historic Parks
and Gardens Trust.
Greenwich - You know you've heard of it. Why? Because it's the home of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), the "official" time of London. A breathtaking - in more ways than one - walk up to the Royal Observatory, where all of the timekeeping "stuff" is, offers a splendid view of the expansive park and gardens, as well as Queen's Palace, which houses temporary and permanent displays of art and artifacts. Meantime, I'm definitely going back to the antique market.
Canterbury Cathedral - With parts of it approaching 1,000 years old, Canterbury Cathedral is nothing short of an amazing and well worth the "pilgrimage."
Down House: Home of Charles Darwin - Hidden in the beautiful Kent countryside, it's an interesting place to visit the place where such an incredible man developed such meaningful and controversial ideas. Lovely little place, amazing man. No photos on this one.
Restoration House in Rochester has many claims to fame. Named for the historic visit of King Charles II of England upon his restoration to the monarchy, the house was more recently the house was the inspiration for Satis House in Charles Dickens' classic novel, Great Expectations, and was also featured in the film. Still under private ownership, the present owners continue to lovingly and faithfully restore this gem of and English Jacobean manor house.
Spencer House, London - An excellent example of an 18th Century aristocratic London townhouse, built by the 1st Earl Spencer, an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Penshurst Place and Gardens, Kent (England) is an impressive 14th Century English manor house in the lovely Kent countryside and boasts, among other things, the most complete example in England of a 14th century great hall, incredible art and furniture, and a garden designed to look from the air like the Union Jack flag.
Roman
Baths in Bath - More
than 2000 years old and hidden from view until the 1700s, the
Roman Baths and Pump room in
Bath are simply awe inspiring. The technology employed by the Romans
to harness the healing powers of the natural hot springs in nothing short of
genius. As you walk through the various chambers,
you can almost picture the place buzzing with life. And, if you're a
brave soul, you can even taste the waters in the Pump room, although,
personally, the smell was enough to keep me away! While Bath offers an
incredible number of attractions for visitors, including some of my personal
favorites, the
Jane
Austen Museum,
The
Museum of Costume,
and
No.
1 Royal Crescent, the
Roman Baths has to be the highlight.
Provand's Lordship, Glasgow (Scotland) - This small but impressive house, built in 1471, is the oldest house in Glasgow. While it has been beautifully restored, the most amazing aspect of the house is that it actually still stands given all the major redevelopment in the area over the last 500+ years. It is also easy to find since it's located just across the street from Glasgow Cathedral, which, by the way, is completely unimpressive on the outside, but beautiful inside. The area behind the cathedral is also interesting in that the hills are completely taken over by cemetery.
Tomb of Don Juan II of Castile and his wife, Doņa Isabel - I just love these tombs, not only for their historical value, but also for their artistic beauty as life-sized carvings of the deceased. This particularly beautiful and historic tomb (pictured at left) of the parents of Queen Isabel (the Spanish queen who financed the explorations of Christopher Columbus) is made entirely of alabaster and is located in the Carthusian Monastery of Our Lady of Miraflores, near Burgos, Spain.
Aaahh,
Claridge's...
a luxury hotel in one of the most prestigious areas of London, an afternoon tea
service to die for, stunning art deco interior design, and a past.
If I suddenly and inexplicably go missing, this is the first place you should
look.
Shakespeare's
(New) Globe Theatre,
located very near the place of the original Globe Theatre on the south bank of
the Thames is definitely worth a visit - even if you're not a fan of the bard
himself.