Saturday 22 October 2011

England through the eyes of an American - Some of My Favorite Places

Over the past nine years we have been able to visit some amazing places. Most the time when people think of England they think of London. In fact rarely do people think of any other places. Almost like the only place in England is London. Though I do love London and have been many times, there are some other places which I love just as much. I am struggling to find loads of pictures from all the places I have visited over here so I will share with you what I have found in the 10 minutes which I have had to find pictures between packing, throwing memories away and taking care of my three beautiful children. I hope you enjoy this little tour of some of my memories.

Me and two of my babies outside the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben in the back ground. London is beautiful.
This is me at Brough Castle. Brough is in the North East of the country. In County Durham. We have been to Durham on several occasions because my husbands mum and dad live near there. Durham is one of my favorite traditional Old Cities. With the Cathedral and the castle side by side. Cobble stone roads, tiny little streets and just absolutely beautiful.
This is Dudley Castle. We went here over this past Summer. It is a stunning castle in the middle of the country, we live in the midlands now, So much history at this castle. This castle was built in the early 700's AD. As you walk through there are signs telling you what each room is or what it used to be. It is awesome. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for things to do. Around the grounds is a Zoo too so it is a lovely family day out.
Lichfield Cathedral. We have spent many hours taking visitors to Lichfield and the Cathedral is a must see when people visit. It is beautiful. One thing I love about this cathedral is that it has three spires. I am a Mormon and as such I believe that the Godhead are three individuals. Most religions see them as the godhead or as one. But on this cathedral each spire signifies each individual member of the Godhead. Which I actually think is really cool. I also love that this was first built in 669. When I walk through the cathedral I try to imagine all those who have been in that building. It is amazing to me.
This might be an odd one to some but on this day we were at the Trentenham Gardens and the Monkey forest. We love it here. The monkeys run wild and come up to you. It is so cool to watch them interact with the people. My children especially just love it here.
Stonehenge is another place we really enjoyed visiting. When we got there I was so surprised at how small the stones actually are. But the history which surrounds these stones is amazing. It is in the middle of no where but it is so worth seeing if you are in that part of the world.

Last picture I could find quickly was of Myself, my daughter and my mom the one and only time she was able to visit. We are in York which I have to say is by far my favorite city. I like York actually better than I like London. It is so beautiful there with so much history. And I think it is such a gem because most of the tourists tend to spend their time in London. Not many travel all the way to the North of the country to see somewhere like York. The cathedral there is Amazing and walking down the shambles is like nothing you can explain. The homes were built so badly that they have started to lean over and the only thing keeping them up is other homes or buildings leaning into them. I love York.

There are so many other places I have been blessed to have the opportunity to visit. I hope that if you ever get a chance to visit this beautiful land that you don't spend your whole trip in London. Though there is lots to see and do there there is so much beauty outside of London.

1 comment:

Katie Hagen said...

I stumbled across your blog and am loving reading all your thoughts on living in England! I have visited a couple times & also love the countryside. :) Its my dream to live in England for a few years w/ my family, so it's fun hearing a little about your adventures! Safe travels back to the states.