After leaving Sarlat, we went to visit a cave in Rouffignac in the Perigord district to see the prehistoric paintings. This area of France is home to some of the most interesting cave paintings in the world.
We entered the Rouffignac Cave riding on a small train. This was a fun way to see the cave, [...]
We had a great time visiting some of the beautiful stately homes in Derbyshire with our visitors.
Kedleston Hall, the home of the Curzon family who was once the viceroy of India, was very interesting. Much of the architecture was designed in the neo-classical style by Robert Adam who was influenced by his Italian [...]
We’ve had a wonderful time visiting with family this past week. Among other things, we went to Warwick Castle, billed as “Britain’s Greatest Mediaeval Experience.”
The site has been fortified since the early 11th century and is quite formidable.
It was used, however, much more extensively than many of the other castles we’ve seen. The Great [...]
Yesterday, I went to visit the family home and birthplace of Sir Isaac Newton. One of the greatest scientists the world has known, Newton’s achievements include describing universal gravitation, the three laws of motion, conservation of momentum and angular momentum, inventing the reflecting telescope, developing a theory of colour, formulating an empirical law [...]
Wales is home to many incredible castles, claiming the densest castle concentration of anywhere in Europe. This is due to the fierce resistance the Welsh presented to the Anglo-Saxon invaders. Most of the finest castles were constructed by Edward I in the mid 13th century with the aid an architect from Savoy, France.
We [...]
There is so much history in England, but we don’t need to travel far to find it. The village of Swarkestone has been occupied for at least 4,000 years as evidence from the burial mounds of the Bronze Age “Beaker” people across from our house demonstrates. Apparently, there is also evidence of [...]
Last week, we went to the Lake District, a charming region in the north-western county of Cumbria. This is surely one of the most beautiful places we’ve been in England. The houses and walls of stone nestled in the rolling hills suggest a slower pace of life where the truly important things in [...]
We spent some time in London last weekend. Here we are crossing the Thames with the Eye in the background.
On the Westminster side of the Thames, we found this statue of Boudica, the queen of Britons who led an uprising of the tribes against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire, and the namesake [...]
We’ve been to the nearby city of Nottingham a couple of times recently. Last week, we went to see Nottingham castle. An enthusiastic tour guide showed us around and filled us with history. Unfortunately, the original castle was demolished during the civil war to prevent Cromwell from controlling the strategic crossing of [...]
We went to Sherwood Forest yesterday, erstwhile home of Robin Hood and his band of merry men.
I’ve yet to see what I would consider a “true forest” in England, and it turns out that Sherwood is no exception. I’ve always thought a forest to be “a large area covered chiefly with trees [...]
