In 1970 a Londoner was having his hair cut in a Dorset village. ‘Oh, I went to London once, ‘ said the middle aged barber. Considering that London is just over a hundred miles away from that village the Londoner reflected that the physical remoteness could be less than the intellectual distance between himself and the barber. Nevertheless, Great West Country holidays take their charm from being far from the madding crowd. Thomas Hardy took the title for his novel from a poem by Thomas Gray written in a rural churchyard near London. In Hardy’s novels and in the poem, a magnifying glass is applied, as it were, to the lives of simple, unknown people. It is shown how they suffer the same depth and breadth of emotion; the same expanses … Read entire article »

London is going to be an exciting place to be in 2012. Anyone who loves a good time will be planning city breaks in England to be part of the excitement as London becomes the party-hearty capitol of the world. Between the Queens Diamond Jubilee in June and the Olympics in July and August there will be plenty to celebrate. The Olympics happen only once every four years with an occasional exception. Royal Diamond Jubilees are even more infrequent. The last one in England was Queen Victoria’s in 1897. Everyone in the world who wants to be a part of history will be flocking to London in the summer of 2012. There will be lots more going on than just the main events. Everybody who does something or sells something or just … Read entire article »

It has long been the practice for Britons to holiday abroad. They visit countries like Spain, Turkey and Egypt, taking valuable pounds with them. Economic conditions since 2008 have been declining steadily. Feeling the pinch, some people are deciding to take their holidays at home. Historic tours of Britain may be more likely to include local people than was the case before the economic problems appeared. Native English speakers who have grown up in countries that were once appendages of the British Empire also like to visit Britain. In their daily discourse they use many of Shakespeare’s words and phrases. People from countries such as Australia and India like to see where the Bard lived. Being there and in other historic places helps them to establish their linguistic and cultural identity. History … Read entire article »