One of my favorite places to visit when I'm in Liverpool is the Anglican Cathedral. It's the largest cathedral in England and is quite new, construction having been completed in 1978. The architect, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, was only 22 when he won the competition to design the cathedral. His brilliance, it might be argued, was hereditary. His father, George Gilbert Scott, Jr. designed St. John the Baptist Church in Norwich. His grandfather, Sir George Gilbert Scott, designed

I've been to Liverpool a number of times now and yet I always seem to find something new each time. Our flat was quite near the Albert Dock on the River Mersey. No longer a warehouse, the Albert Dock has been transformed into a huge complex of restaurants, shops, tour company offices, and museums Now, however is not the optimal time to visit those museums because a massive reconstruction and reburbishment is underway. The Tate Liverpool, The Maritime Museum and The Museum of

I have a taste for things a bit out of the ordinary so I set off to find the Old Exe Bridge. Built at the beginning of the 13th century, the bridge crossed the river Exe and its surrounding marsh lands. Over the centuries, however, the river has changed course, though whether that was by natural or man-made means is unknown. So now, the oldest surviving medieval bridge in England sits on dry land. I made my way there one morning and was delighted to find that it's open to v

Considering how many times we've been to South Devon, it's unfathomable that I'd never visited Totnes. Well, I've been in Totnes, but only to catch the steam railway to Buckfastleigh, never on the high street. We were heading to Exeter but couldn't check into our flat till late afternoon, so we stopped for a wander around. Totnes has a long recorded history, dating to 907 when its first castle was built. History is all well and good, but I love the mythology around Totnes. A

I've visited Dartmouth, Devon a couple of times before and written of it here as well, so there's not much new to say. We had a reservation at Rockfish and Bruce was visiting pubs, so I went walking. In the small park downtown there was a floral tribute to Agatha Christie, creator of the detective Hercule Poirot. Christie lived in the area in a wonderful home called Greenway, which I visited previously. Personally, I found it hard to make out the word “oui" but short of putt

Ashburton is one of my favorite stops when in the South Hams. It's chock full of antique stores and little shops. There's a fish deli where I stock up on delicious treats like salmon mousse with dill and pickled fish. Okay, maybe not everyone's choice of fare, but for me it's heaven. After a wander about, I met Bruce at the Old Exeter Inn, formerly the Exeter Inn, one of the oldest pubs in the UK, dating to 1130. It was here that Sir Walter Raleigh was arrested for high treas

I remember, years ago, I saw the film Wuthering Heights starring Laurence Olivier. It was set in the moors and I remember they were painted as these dark, frightening places; the movie was in black and white, after all. The first time I visited Dartmoor I was more than a bit surprised that the moors of my imagination and the moors of reality are decidedly different things. There are many villages and towns in Dartmoor and one day we took a ride to explore them. Our first sto

A fifteen minute train ride from Canterbury takes you to Faversham, Kent. Bruce had booked tickets to tour the Shepherd Neame brewery, the oldest in the UK. I went along for a wander around the town and was so glad I did. It's a really lovely town full of very old buildings. It is, in fact, called the finest medieval street in England. There has been a settlement at Faversham since pre-Roman times, next to the ancient sea port on Faversham Creek. The Romans established a town

I visited Canterbury Cathedral the first time I went to Canterbury but that was a while ago so I thought it was time for a revisit. We had hoped to get a guided tour but Bruce didn't find that possibility on the website, so we just booked entry and the audio guide. What a shame to see, when we got there, that there were two guided tours in progress. I saw a little sign listing the “mini tours” available, so we queued up at the meeting point. The gentleman who led the tour ha

Just a short post to share our night on the town. We were staying at the Blakemore Hyde Park hotel and weren't terribly excited about the menu the hotel restaurant offers, so we made reservations at what is advertised as the original restaurant The Ivy. Those of you who travel in the UK know that The Ivy is ubiquitous. They're all decorated alike and, to me, give out a "faux-posh" vibe. I was curious abut the original. We took the tube to Tottenham Court Road where there's a

Just in London for a day before heading back to Canterbury so there wasn't lots of time for adventures, but there was time for a visit to the King's Gallery at Buckingham Palace to see the special exhibition, "Queen Elizabeth II, Her Life in Style." I'm not sure where I stand on the issue of the monarchy, but one thing that is indisputable is the late queen's style and use of clothes and accessories as tools of diplomacy, along with her championing British craftsmanship and d

When in England, I usually like to explore things that are British, ie. National Trust sights, RHS gardens, historical sights, and museums. Yes, I know that much of what is found in museums originated in other places and much of that was looted from other cultures. That's one of the reasons that I find the British Museum has, indeed, lost its charm (nod to the Gershwins.) At any rate, having seen the posters, we decided to visit an exhibition in Battersea produced in partners

Just a few images and thoughts to share before we leave the Emerald Isle. One of the best-known figures in Irish folklore is the beautiful woman from the folksong "Cockles and Mussels", Molly Malone. I managed to get this shot of her statue between men posing while rubbing her boobs. Charming... This shop's logo offers a perfect explanation of why Ireland is the Enerald Isle. At Kennedy's bar I had the most perfect Irish coffee I've ever had. The food was pretty good, too. O

One overcast morning we took a walking tour of Trinity College, led by one of its students, Laura. She had a very large group to contend with and did so admirably. We met at the Campanile (bell tower) where Laura told us about the first two buildings one finds at the entrance to campus on College Green. These beautiful Georgian buildings are mirror images of each other. Photo courtesy Trinity College website Where the two large buildings now stand, there once stood the Augu

Of all the things I did while in Dublin, visiting the Kilmainham Jail was probably the most interesting and the most moving. It's located just across the street from our Airbnb and I was very disappointed when the website said that visitors must be on a tour and that the tours were sold out through the end of September. I was walking past it and thought, "Oh, why not?" I walked to the entrance, asked about entry, and was escorted to the desk where I was told that there was o

The Irish have a reputation of being pretty heavy drinkers (think the old priest in Father Ted.) Well, now that I'm here I can see why, since not only is Guinness made here but so many fine whiskeys are produced here as well. In Dublin you'll find one of the most important of them, John Jameson and Son, which is where we headed one fine afternoon. This tourist mecca on Bow Street is so well organized and professional. We checked in at the ticketing area, got our prebooked tic

There are so many interesting places in Dublin that choosing which ones to visit is incredibly difficult. There was a Rick Steves guidebook in our Airbnb and one place that isn't highly recommended turned out to be completely delightful: The Little Museum of Dublin. It's really more an experience than a museum. On the way there, I passed two other experiences in which I will not be partaking: the Vintage Tea bus and the Viking experience, which is Dublin's version on the no

I have been a fan of Oscar Wilde since I saw the 1952 version of The Importance of Being Earnest with Michael Redgrave and Joan Greenwood; I can't imagine improving upon it. The stage version at the National Theatre last year completely missed the point. There was nothing subtle or understated about it, rather it was an over-the-top mess. But I digress... I learned a bit more about Oscar Wilde when I visited his childhood home in Merrion Square. Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Will

During the time I worked on the Ocean Princess, staff were required to accompany the shore excursions to, I suppose, make sure that if 40 people went, the same 40 people came back. Many times the tours were interesting, but being trapped on a bus for six or eight hours at a stretch with forty strangers was never my cup of tea. It was not without a certain amount of trepidation, therefore, that we signed up for a bus tour to the Giant's Causeway. There really wasn't a viable a

Dublin is a company town, and that company is Guinness. No surprise, then, that one of the big attractions is the Guinness Storehouse, a temple dedicate to eating, drinking and buying all things Guinness. Leaving Christ Church Cathedral, I walked around the Liberties (the area of town in which the Storehouse is located.) The houses remind me of slightly shorter versions of the two up, two down houses you see in English mill towns. Then I took a closer look and discovered that