You are here: Home / Archives for england

Mardis Gras Around the World

February 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

(photo source)

Whether it’s colorful beads, King Cake, or overindulgence – there are signs of Mardi Gras everywhere. Although in the US, Mardi Gras is synonymous with New Orleans, countries all over the world celebrate this pre-Lenten festival, only by a different name. Other notable Mardi Gras or Carnival celebrations include:

Happy Mardi Gras Everyone!

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: , , , , , ,

15 Minutes with Charles Dickens

February 6, 2012 By 4 Comments

Eight years ago I traveled to London and visited Charles Dickens’ house – 48 Doughty Street, now a museum – for the first time. Dickens’ is one of my very favorite British authors so getting to see the house where he wrote was quite an event for me. My husband and I had already been in Europe 2 weeks and we made London our last stop on the tour, and Dickens’ house was our last historic stop on our very last day. I remember thinking we had plenty of time to see additional sites before heading to the Dickens’ house – or so I thought. Little did I know we would spend over an hour trying to find the ordinary looking house that seemed to blend in unassumingly on a normal looking, Camden area street. When we finally arrived, right at 5pm, the museum hostess said that the house was closing for the day. I explained that I had always wanted to see the inside of the house and that I would only spend 5 minutes if she could spare it.

The young woman, who could see the near desperation in my eyes, was gracious enough to let my husband and I in, when everyone else was shuffled out. 5 minutes – only 5 minutes? Well, we ended up spending about 15 minutes walking through the multi-tiered house where Dickens had lived 1837 to 1839. Although I can’t remember every detail of the house (I don’t think we were allowed to take photos and I was just happy to be there) it was very much like the Victorian images Dickens’ wrote about in his books – simple but elegant furnishings appropriate for that time period. Quite lovely and definitely what I imagined. It was easy to imagine him writing his famous works, including Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby in this house.

After our 15 minutes of browsing the many small rooms (many that were made to look like people – maybe even Dickens – was still living there) we thanked our hostess once more and made out way out the bright green front door. My husband snapped one final photo of me outside the house. And to this day, I look at it and feel a slight melancholy in my heart.

In honor of Charles Dickens 200th birthday on February 7, reread your favorite Dickens novel. Can you guess what mine is?

Ciao!

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: , , , , ,

3 Reasons to Visit London in 2012

January 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

(photo source)

My husband and I have been looking forward to a trip to Europe, particularly Great Britain, in 2012. Unfortunately, when we started looking at airfare, we had a rude awakening. Everywhere we looked, from London, to Paris, to Barcelona, tickets were much more than what we had expected, especially to London. We began to wonder why tickets were so expensive, even for March which is off season. Then, my husband came across an article that talked about the World’s Top Destinations for 2012 – and London was at the very top of the list!

But why is London so popular this year? In any given year, London offers a wealth of historical sites, cultural activities, and more – but this year is different. Not only did last year’s royal wedding between William and Kate draw additional global interest to England, but there are three specific events taking place in London/England this year that have the whole world talking:

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee – This year marks the Queen’s 60th year on the throne and there are plenty of festivities surrounding this noteworthy anniversary.

The 2012 Olympics – This summer, millions of people are expected to descend on London as the city hosts the 2012 Olympics in July and August and the Paralympics in August and September.

Charles Dickens 200th Birthday – As if the Olympics and Diamond Jubilee weren’t enough, this year Charles Dickens – the British author of such beloved books as David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, and a Christmas Carol – will turn 2 centuries old – officially on February 7. England is definitely the hub of activity for Dickens celebrations but after doing a few simple searches, I found that many other major cities are having their own celebrations and exhibitions (ie. do a google search in your city/state).

So if you are one of the lucky ones traveling to London this year – Enjoy!

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: , , ,

Happy Birthday Duchess Kate

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

(photo source)

Happy Birthday Kate!

Today, the Duchess of Cambridge (formerly Kate Middleton) turns 30. Although she is technically not a princess, being a Duchess has its benefits, including snagging a handsome man who is in line for the throne of England.

Although we can’t all be a part of the Royal Family, we can still do things that make us feel like princesses every day, and most of them do not involve fancy ball gowns or tiaras!

What do you do to feel like a princess?

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: , , , , ,

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry: An Elizabethan Christmas

December 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

(Photo source)

Two years ago, I wrote about the Christmas traditions of Victorian England. Although Victorian England is one of my favorite eras, Elizabethan England – the time of Shakespeare – is a close second (minus all of the torture and head chopping). So, as Christmas is less than one week away, I wanted to share with you some of the traditions of a true Elizabethan or Tudor Christmas…..

During the time of Shakespeare, a Christmas full of overindulgence was the norm. How elaborately you celebrated Christmas often reflected your wealth and status or what status you wanted people to associate with you and your family. The mark of an elaborate Christmas was judged by the extravagance of the meal you served and the decor – how you presented the meal.

The Meal: Main dishes included wild boar, goose, turkey, and/or beef. Accompaniments to the roast meat included plum porridge, mince pies and frumenty, a pottage made from boiled, cracked wheat.  It is also possible that those who lived during the time of Tudor England also enjoyed brussels sprouts and a Christmas pudding made of meat, spices, and oatmeal. All of these delicacies would be washed down with ‘lambswool‘, a drink made with hot cider, sherry or ale, spices and apples, which when hot, exploded to create a white ‘woolly’ top. Spiced wines, wassail, and beer were also popular as the water was often not fit to drink.

The Dessert: Sugar, which was very expensive at the time, was a key ingredient of the Christmas dishes of this era. Collops of bacon, made from ground almonds and sugar, were popular, as were walnuts and other items made from sugar-plate, a substance of egg, sugar and gelatine which could be moulded into different shapes.  Leech, a milk-based sweet made with sugar and rosewater, was also a favorite; it was cut into cubes and served plain or gilded, arranged as a chequerboard.

The Decor:  Great pride was taken in how the meal was delivered to guests and attention to detail in the decor could not be overlooked. Wealthier homes would display swans, peacocks, or a boar’s head as centerpieces. Even small flourishes were important – fruits were not presented plain, but rather crystalized to enhance their colors. Gold leaf was added to lemons, other fruits, and gingerbread to deepen the richness of the occasion.

As you can see, Christmas during the time of Elizabeth I was truly a time to eat, drink, and be merry!

Happy Christmas everyone!

Filed Under: Food & Wine Tagged With: , , , ,