By SHERRY MIMSSTAFF WRITER
Seventy percent of United Kingdom citizens voiced favorable opinions of Americans in a 2008 Pew survey. Along with a common language, easy access and historical sites like Stonehenge, it's no wonder 3.1 million Americans visited there last year -- making it the third most frequented country by Americans behind Mexico and Canada.
For my best friend Jessica and me -- on our backpacking journey that crossed Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland -- England would be the last leg of our journey, after a brief stop in Cardiff, Wales. Although we would have loved to visit all the places we grew up hearing about, five cities in particular made our Don't Miss List:
YORK
Stopping here, I had no idea how much I would come to love this charming city surrounded by Roman walls.
To help budget-minded travelers, volunteers from York offer free walking tours up to three times a day depending on the time of year. Our guide Neil even spent 30 minutes longer with us than the two-hour time suggested.
Visitors can walk portions of the Roman walls, stand witness to the horrific site of a Jewish massacre, look at an abbey destroyed on King Henry VIII's orders, and buy food and trinkets in the famous medieval market of The Shambles, where there is a shrine to Catholic Saint Margaret Clitherow.
York even boasts a haunted house. Then again, most places in England do.
CAMBRIDGE
Home of elite colleges and universities, the city is welcoming for serious museum enthusiasts.
A nice way to see the sights is by punt, something like an Italian gondola. Our punter, Alfie, narrated crazy student hijinks' stories and history while we took a lazy ride down the River Cam (not to be confused with Stratford-upon-Avon's river).
Visitors can rent punts, but if Alfie's stories were any indication, it might not be the greatest idea -- unless they bring a dry change of clothes
STRATFORD-UPON-AVON
.
Stratford-upon-Avon is all about the Bard, which isn't a bad thing at all.
Passing the businesses named after the playwright's work -- As You Like It Cafe, for example -- visitors will find the birthplace and final resting place of William Shakespeare. The house (with the adjoining museum) provides all sorts of interesting anecdotes, with costumed storytellers revealing how Shakespeare left his wife his "second-best bed" in his will.
Famous people also pay homage. In the past, Mark Twain, Winston Churchill and others have etched their names into the cottage's window. Nowadays, actors frequently stop by to perform with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
David Tennant, the Tenth Doctor in the series "Doctor Who" and Barty Crouch Jr. in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," performed in "Hamlet" and "Love's Labour's Lost" while Jessica and I were in Stratford-upon-Avon. A theater insider we met thanks to CouchSurfing.com, a hospitality Web site, told us where to find him in the back lot, and in addition to my wonderful memories, I came home with an his autograph.
CARDIFF, WALES
Unlike Northern Ireland, Scotland and England which all prints their own money, Wales does not. It does, however, have its own language, which is written and spoken everywhere. (One of my favorite memories is of a man, upon learning it was my birthday, wishing me happy birthday in Welsh.)
Probably the best-known exports of Wales are the TV series "Doctor Who" and "Torchwood." To that effect, it's easy to visit exhibits and see where things were filmed. The Millenium Center, especially, is beautiful.
Castle lovers should delight in Cardiff, Castle. Though the Norman
castle and two Roman forts lie in ruins, the nearby gothic manor more
than fills the visit. For those familiar with Ca D'Zan, the Ringling
Mansion in Sarasota, it looks similar: lush and full of
storytellingstories. Architect William Burges had a limitless
decorating budget from the Third Marquis of Bute and gave each room a
theme. In particular, note the devilish head used to scare off females
from entering the Winter Smoking Room.
LONDON
Whole scores of novels are devoted to London for a reason: There is always something going on.
There are West End productions, the gruesome history of The Tower of London and the majesty of Buckingham Palace to explore.
Free museums abound -- the British Museum especially with its Elgin marbles and the Rosetta Stone come to mind.
The British Library was particularly impressive. It contains the Magna Carta and other famous documents.
Other great things about London include the sheer amount of choices for anything a visitor would want available to do and the ease in which one can do them --in and out of the city. Numerous tourist information centers, easy to get to using London's underground railway system called the Tube, provide information on day trips to Stonehenge and Bath. Both places are more expensive and time-consuming to visit outside of tours, particularly during the off-season.
If You Go
TRANSPORTATION: Flights from Orlando International Airport to London are readily available for less than $600, but one might have to change planes in a larger city. Those under 26 years old can receive special cards on the U.K.'s coach (bus) network called National Express or the National Rail service. Be sure to book in advance for the cheapest fares. Once in London, the underground railway system, the Tube, will take one all over the city -- and even outside the city. Tickets can be bought for the Tube, but visitors should really buy an Oyster Card to scan in and out of the network. It's pay-as-you-go, so visitors may receive a refund when they turn in their cards in at the end of the trip.
LODGING: Hostels are expensive in England and Wales, especially
on the weekends. For a bed in a mixed-dorm hostel, the norm is a little
more than $32. I spent about $35 per day during the week for a bed in
St. Christopher's London Bridge-The Village near the London Bridge Tube
entrance, a great location. Be careful, though, because some hostels,
such as the Cardiff International Youth Hostel in Cardiff, Wales, will
be misleading about the distance from the city center and may require a
taxi ride. For hotels, the sky's the limit, where prices can reach
nearly $450 a night for Hilton's best room in London. However, a 2007
BBC News report lists hotel rooms in Bath as the most expensive on
average ($164) in England, followed by London ($159) and York ($134).
In general, average prices in the U.K. are $146 a night.
FOOD: Mr. Sandwich in The Shambles of York, England, offers each of their 47 tasty, budget-friendly sandwiches for only $1.50. The chicken breast cooked in lemon and saffron with salad was delicious. To fulfill a BBQ craving, I had the delicious and affordable Hunter's Chicken at The Anchor in Cambridge (a favorite haunt of Syd Barrett, a founder of Pink Floyd). In London, my best friend Jessica and I took a break from fish and chips to try City Tandoori, an Indian restaurant on 1B Southward Street, near the London Bridge Tube entrance, in London. We loved their curry so much that we ate there twice that week.
PUBS: In Stratford-Upon-Avon, it's not uncommon to spot actors and theater workers at The Black Swan/The Dirty Duck, a dual-named pub and restaurant across the street from the under-construction Royal Shakespeare Theatre, which is set for completion in 2010. The Black Swan side looks very 18th century, a pub, whereas The Dirty Duck serves British cuisine. Actor David Tennant made a brief appearance at The Black Swan/The Dirty Duck after his "Love's Labour's Lost" performance.
YOU MUST: Though not mentioned in the story, Greenwich, England, namesake of the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time, deserves a special mention. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is on the banks of the River Thames and easily accessible using the Tube. One neat experience is straddling the Prime Meridian, the dividing line between Eastern and Western Hemispheres, after a steep hike up to the Royal Observatory.
Home of elite colleges and universities, the city is welcoming for serious museum enthusiasts.
A nice way to see the sights is by punt, something like an Italian gondola. Our punter, Alfie, narrated crazy student hijinks' stories and history while we took a lazy ride down the River Cam (not to be confused with Stratford-upon-Avon's river).
Visitors can rent punts, but if Alfie's stories were any indication, it might not be the greatest idea -- unless they bring a dry change of clothes
STRATFORD-UPON-AVON.
Stratford-upon-Avon is all about the Bard, which isn't a bad thing at all.
Passing the businesses named after the playwright's work -- As You Like It Cafe, for example -- visitors will find the birthplace and final resting place of William Shakespeare. The house (with the adjoining museum) provides all sorts of interesting anecdotes, with costumed storytellers revealing how Shakespeare left his wife his "second-best bed" in his will.
Famous people also pay homage. In the past, Mark Twain, Winston Churchill and others have etched their names into the cottage's window. Nowadays, actors frequently stop by to perform with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
David Tennant, the Tenth Doctor in the series "Doctor Who" and Barty Crouch Jr. in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," performed in "Hamlet" and "Love's Labour's Lost" while Jessica and I were in Stratford-upon-Avon. A theater insider we met thanks to CouchSurfing.com, a hospitality Web site, told us where to find him in the back lot, and in addition to my wonderful memories, I came home with an his autograph.
CARDIFF, WALES
Unlike Northern Ireland, Scotland and England which all prints their own money, Wales does not. It does, however, have its own language, which is written and spoken everywhere. (One of my favorite memories is of a man, upon learning it was my birthday, wishing me happy birthday in Welsh.)
Probably the best-known exports of Wales are the TV series "Doctor Who" and "Torchwood." To that effect, it's easy to visit exhibits and see where things were filmed. The Millenium Center, especially, is beautiful.
Castle lovers should delight in Cardiff, Castle. Though the Norman
castle and two Roman forts lie in ruins, the nearby gothic manor more
than fills the visit. For those familiar with Ca D'Zan, the Ringling
Mansion in Sarasota, it looks similar: lush and full of
storytellingstories. Architect William Burges had a limitless
decorating budget from the Third Marquis of Bute and gave each room a
theme. In particular, note the devilish head used to scare off females
from entering the Winter Smoking Room. LONDON
Whole scores of novels are devoted to London for a reason: There is always something going on.
There are West End productions, the gruesome history of The Tower of London and the majesty of Buckingham Palace to explore.
Free museums abound -- the British Museum especially with its Elgin marbles and the Rosetta Stone come to mind.
The British Library was particularly impressive. It contains the Magna Carta and other famous documents.
Other great things about London include the sheer amount of choices for anything a visitor would want available to do and the ease in which one can do them --in and out of the city. Numerous tourist information centers, easy to get to using London's underground railway system called the Tube, provide information on day trips to Stonehenge and Bath. Both places are more expensive and time-consuming to visit outside of tours, particularly during the off-season.
If You Go
TRANSPORTATION: Flights from Orlando International Airport to London are readily available for less than $600, but one might have to change planes in a larger city. Those under 26 years old can receive special cards on the U.K.'s coach (bus) network called National Express or the National Rail service. Be sure to book in advance for the cheapest fares. Once in London, the underground railway system, the Tube, will take one all over the city -- and even outside the city. Tickets can be bought for the Tube, but visitors should really buy an Oyster Card to scan in and out of the network. It's pay-as-you-go, so visitors may receive a refund when they turn in their cards in at the end of the trip.
LODGING: Hostels are expensive in England and Wales, especially
on the weekends. For a bed in a mixed-dorm hostel, the norm is a little
more than $32. I spent about $35 per day during the week for a bed in
St. Christopher's London Bridge-The Village near the London Bridge Tube
entrance, a great location. Be careful, though, because some hostels,
such as the Cardiff International Youth Hostel in Cardiff, Wales, will
be misleading about the distance from the city center and may require a
taxi ride. For hotels, the sky's the limit, where prices can reach
nearly $450 a night for Hilton's best room in London. However, a 2007
BBC News report lists hotel rooms in Bath as the most expensive on
average ($164) in England, followed by London ($159) and York ($134).
In general, average prices in the U.K. are $146 a night.FOOD: Mr. Sandwich in The Shambles of York, England, offers each of their 47 tasty, budget-friendly sandwiches for only $1.50. The chicken breast cooked in lemon and saffron with salad was delicious. To fulfill a BBQ craving, I had the delicious and affordable Hunter's Chicken at The Anchor in Cambridge (a favorite haunt of Syd Barrett, a founder of Pink Floyd). In London, my best friend Jessica and I took a break from fish and chips to try City Tandoori, an Indian restaurant on 1B Southward Street, near the London Bridge Tube entrance, in London. We loved their curry so much that we ate there twice that week.
PUBS: In Stratford-Upon-Avon, it's not uncommon to spot actors and theater workers at The Black Swan/The Dirty Duck, a dual-named pub and restaurant across the street from the under-construction Royal Shakespeare Theatre, which is set for completion in 2010. The Black Swan side looks very 18th century, a pub, whereas The Dirty Duck serves British cuisine. Actor David Tennant made a brief appearance at The Black Swan/The Dirty Duck after his "Love's Labour's Lost" performance.
YOU MUST: Though not mentioned in the story, Greenwich, England, namesake of the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time, deserves a special mention. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is on the banks of the River Thames and easily accessible using the Tube. One neat experience is straddling the Prime Meridian, the dividing line between Eastern and Western Hemispheres, after a steep hike up to the Royal Observatory.
Leave a comment