Stories behind the stories. By Travel Writer, Amy McPherson
This year is a big year for England’s literature greats. Widely celebrated is Shakespeare400 both in Stratford upon Avon and in London, to commemorate the 400th year after his death on the 23 April. However there is one other literary master who also died on this day 234 years after Shakespeare – William Wordsworth. As …
How beautiful was the weather on the weekend?! I can tell you during our trip up north 2 weeks ago it was a completely different story…. Apparently I was mad when I booked a trip up north at this time of the year. “It’s just going to rain the entire time!” Rain, I can …
I am all for supporting local businesses after events of disaster. The December floods last year devastated north England, including the city of York, so when Visit England called upon everyone to #lovethenorth, we responded with booking a train ticket to York. I have a soft spot for history. Ironically, while history wasn’t my best …
Whitby, a small seaside town surrounded by the North York Moors National Park, is significant to Australia as a modern nation. It was here that Captain James Cook trained as a seaman, who then took on a voyage to map out new worlds and claimed Australia as one of the British colonies in 1770. We …
Lisbon is a great city to spend a long weekend in. It is small enough to be explored in 48 hours but not too bland and boring to leave you with nothing to do. Not only that, there’s something for everyone, from foodies to culture lovers to history buffs…. and surprisingly, almost everything was open …
For Easter, we decided to skip the drizzly cold English weather (because Easter always rained) and spent it in sunny warm Lisbon, where we could get by with a light jacket and the southern European sun provided the much needed Vitamin D. In the land of famous things – no, not the footballer! The Portuguese …
With the International sanctions lifted in Iran, more and more people are considering a trip to explore this fascination country that has been shrouded in mystery and bad press. However, Iran has always been a tourist destination, being a part of the ‘hippie trail’ in the 60s, those who have been will tell you tales …
On yet another rail journey we left from London Marylebone station, through beautiful country scenes of Warwickshire to arrive at historic town of Stratford upon Avon. Stratford upon Avon is an easy train ride from London Easily reached from London by train, Stratford upon Avon make a great weekend escape for busy Londoners looking for a …
I am, in a railway museum and I love it. I am not a train nerd. I really am not. I don’t know the ins and outs of a train engine, I can’t tell the difference between a R class steam and RC 4 electric, and I certainly do not know the history of train …
It was the year 866AD. The Vikings sailed from the Scandinavian region under the leadership of Ivan the Boneless, arrived and captured Northumbria Eoforwic. They didn’t like the name, so they renamed it to a Viking name Jorvik. Today, this city is known as York (derived from its last Viking name). The viking history of …
Looking for things to do in Kuching? Most international travellers heading to Borneo side of Malaysia think of going to Sabah, and few show interest to venture west into Sarawak, not realising they are missing out! Being the crazy cat lady that I am, I was originally drawn to Kuching for its name – for …
When I decided to travel more in Britain, i didn’t need an excuse to hop on the train and see this beautiful country. However having been following the news I am even more enticed to get up north now. Join Visit England to #lovethenorth Earlier this week, Visit England launched the #lovethenorth campaign to assist …
Architects are going all out and trying to out do each other in the quest to design a building that most resembles our everyday things. In London, a series of modern architecture have become tourist attractions and whether the Londoners like it or not, becoming so popular that more is being built! Love them or …
“Mum! This is like fairy land!” a little girl said as she excitedly ran forward to view the cartoon-like animals illuminating our path. My inner child laughs with delight as I too, were mesmerised by the fantastic lanterns surrounding us. As the Lunar Calendar steps into a new year on Monday into the Year of …
Are you making a move internationally? Got pets you want to take with? Many of you know that at the end of 2014 I made the big move from Australia to the UK. Prior to the move, planning and scheming aside – the biggest questions on both my husband and my lips were: “Shall we …
Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here? The Cheshire Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to. Alice: I don’t much care where. The Cheshire Cat: Then it doesn’t much matter which way you go. Alice: …So long as I get somewhere. The …
I’ve decided this year is the year to travel Britain. I know I have just spent a weekend in Hamburg, and will be going to Portugal, Italy and France later in the year, but I am going to at least spend more travelling time in Britain than anywhere else this year…. Because it’s 400th anniversary …
Ok, I am stealing someone else’s tagline, but I’ve decided that Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland really is, the world’s coolest little capital. In terms of temperature, the capital of Iceland really isn’t all that ‘cool’ Well, for starters, Reykjavik is the northernmost national capital of the world, which potentially should make it the ‘coolest’ …
On our trip to Iceland we didn’t really have time to go all the way round, so instead we concentrated on sights that are around the capital Reykjavik, and to our surprise, there were plenty to be seen! Volcanoes are the basis of everything here in Iceland. It forms the land that cities and towns …
We travel not to just ‘see the sights’ – when we decided on a trip to Iceland in winter, we had planned to see more than just the waterfalls and the volcanic plains and beaches; we wanted something extraordinary, something that required not just being there, but also a bit of luck. That something extraordinary …
I think it’s important for everyone to look back to their year and recognise what they had done and achieved. It isn’t a show off exercise, but one that can give you the chance to sit down, relax and think of all the memories that you’ve accumulated in the year, revisit some of the happy …
We’ve been having some ‘heat wave’ in the UK. Temperatures have been in their 2 digits and there is absolutely no chance of a white Christmas (again) this year. And this is felt throughout Europe it seems. When we visited Vienna two weeks ago for the Christmas Markets, it also hit 10-12 degrees! So, determined …
Queen Elizabeth II became Britain’s longest reigning monarch since Queen Victoria this year – she has been on the throne for almost 60 years since the passing of her father King George VI in 1952. That seemed to be a good reason for us to finally make it to Windsor, since moving to London in November …
Most people try to escape winter and go on holidays somewhere warm, in the sun and preferably on a beach and in a resort. Us? No. Seeing that we are finally living in a region where there are distinct four seasons and have proper winters, I am going to take the opportunity to actually enjoy …
