Monday, March 1, 2010

Things To Do In England

On my other blog I just wrote a post on all my favourite things British which got me thinking about my favourite things to do whilst in England. Some of these activities might be typical things a visitor must do while others are more off the beaten path.

1) Traveling by train- I think it is worth taking the train instead of a car if you are planning on going somewhere for a few days. I loved taking the train from Nottingham to London Kings Cross Station (of Harry Potter fame!). The British still understand the importance of travel by train unlike us Americans, it is such a relaxing way to see the country. Sitting, watching the countryside roll by and slowly turn into towns and cities is one of the nicest things you can do for yourself.

2)Chatsworth House- If you are in the Derbyshire area you MUST visit Chatsworth. The Estate is owned by the Duke of Devonshire and much of the house and the surrounding grounds will be open to the public for the summer starting March 14th. Chatsworth is home to such an interesting collection of artwork, literature, and also has a fascinating history. If that doesn't catch your attention, how about this; in the film Pride and Prejudice, with Keira Knightly, the house was used as Mr. Darcy's Pemberley Estate. Several of the films key scenes were shot at the house and they even have a bust of Mr. Darcy to commemorate this!

3)Topshop- Shopping is a favourite habit of mine, even more so when I am abroad. I love finding clothes which I know no one where I live will have this way I will have something unique to remember my trip by. I love popping into Harrods or Selfridges when in London, but come on not everyone can afford these expensive products (tip: if you do want to shop at these stores go during the summer sales its a bit cheaper then), which is where Topshop comes into play. If you are in London checkout the Oxford Circle store- its 5 stores of pure heaven! Although it can be a bit tricky to get around it, its rather crowed, but their are lots of other branches of the store to be found around the country.

4)Grocery shopping at Marks & Spencers, Tesco, or Sainsburys- I know this might sound a tad odd but I really like going to British Supermarkets. I think this might be because they have so much "exotic" products which you can not find in America. From a whole section of Cadbury sweets to interesting ethnic type foods, they have everything! Every time I go to England I visit one of these supermarkets and stock up on Cadbury chocolates some of my favourites include Flakes, Cadbury Milk Buttons, and Cadbury Dairy Milk candy bars. Gosh that last sentence makes me look like a piggly-wiggly, but I bring back a lot of these sweets for my family and friends, they are not all mine to keep!

So what do you think of four of my favourite activities to do while in England? What are your favourite things to do while in the UK?
Jem

1 comment:

  1. Interesting... I always like these favourite lists :). I am with you on pretty much all of them except Chatsworth house but only because I haven't been there before. I love PnP (but the BBC version with Colin Firth as dreamy Mr Darcy is better! :). I miss Cadbury chocolate :(. I can't get it in Stockholm The best is black forest cake chocolate. Oh yum.

    I've only been to London and Liverpool in England (won't include Scotland in the UK bracket because I think it would take up all my four fav things :). My top 4 things for England (in no particular order) would be:

    1. spending as much time as I like in the British museum. I long to go back to that place. I could spend days in there.

    2. drinking beer in cosy British pubs with cool names like "The Dolphin Tavern" or "The Blacksmith's wife" or whatever :)

    3. sitting in one of the beautiful green parks and watching the squirrels playing

    4. being a groundling at the Shakespeare Globe theatre (you can get standing only space for very cheap - when I was there ~5pounds). It is a really fun experience even if your legs do get a little tired

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