THE SECRET LIES IN DETAILS || Bye Christmas, bye 2014!

Last night of the year, and last post of the year! I didn't want to say bye to 2014 without sharing my last pictures of Christmas from Birminghan and London. I really wanted to post some pictures of my Spanish Christmas too but, as you can imagine, these Christmas holidays have been very busy. 

So, nothing else to say, just enjoy this last post of the year! And see you in the new year!

Happy 2015 to everyone!

xx

LONDON, UK || Winter Wonderland

One never gets bored of London, right? Specially on Christmas! As you can guess I am a big fan of this time of the year (there will be probably more post on Christmas coming soon!) Two weeks ago I showed what Birmingham looks like on Christmas thanks to its amazing Frankfurt Market. And today, I will show another impressive market, this time in London! 

Welcome to Winter Wonderland!

This Christmas market is situated in Hyde Park, and it covers almost the whole park. As you can imagine, it is huge! You can find lots of stands to buy presents or food (German food or sweets such as waffles, crepes etc) and lots of attrations for children and not so children! 

It was a really wonderful place to visit in December to feel that Christmas feeling in all its glory. It was a mixture of a Spanish 'summer fair' (¡la Feria de atracciones de toda la vida!) and what you can find in the Birmingham Christmas Market. There was just a difference, all the attractions were winter oriented; ice, snow and Father Christmas everywhere. 

Now, I will show some pictures of the market and I will also show you what I ate and drank (and, yes, I included the picture of food in the other post, but the mulled wine is not the same as you will see)

For more information click here and don't forget to vist the market anytime in your life if you have the opportunity.

Enjoy!

xx

LONDON, UK || Postcards

You know how difficult it is to take an atypical picture in London. Everything has been inmortalised millions of times, absolutely everything (even by myself, who always take the same pictures of London from the same angles!)

This time though, I've tried to compile the most 'atypical' pictures I have in my computer from my visits to London throughout the years.

Hope they are atypical enough! Well, they are, at least those that were made by my poor quality mobile camera and those made by my old camera.

Enjoy

xx

LONDON, UK || At First Sight

London is probably the city that almost everybody has visited in the British Isles and it is probably the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of England. 

London is the county city of Greater London, in the South East of the UK. London is the most populated city of Europe, with 8,000.000 people. It is the capital city of England. and one of the most multicultural cities in the UK. London is extremely well connected with other importnat cities in the UK such as Bristol, Birmingham, Oxford or Cambridge. And, it is needless to say that you can fly from almost everywhere in Europe and you can fly to anywhere from Lomdon too. Unfortunately, we all know how expensive life is in London, both for tourists and inhabitants. But still, there are no excuses for not visiting this incredibly beautiful city. 

Historicaly speaking, London was founded by the Romans and then invaded by the Anglo-Saxons, and the Vikings. By the 15th and 17th the Tudors had the power over the city and expanded the city. What's more, Shakespeare played an important role for the history of the city with his plays and its theatre, The Globe. In the 17th century some adverse events took place in London: the Civil War, the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London. However, in the 19th century some good events took place, the influence of Queen Victoria and the creation the first underground system ever. 

As you can see, my pictures from London (in this post and upcoming ones) differ a lot, some of them are sunny, others are grey, some have more quality than others. Well, this is due to a technical problem in my last trip to the city (I ran out of batery too soon in the day...ups) So I rescued my old pictures of London from years ago (and yes, back then it was sunny and my camera was terrible!)

Fortunately, London was the same, is the same and will be the same.

Enjoy

xx

OXFORD, UK || Postcards

The secret lies in details, so let's discover Oxford's secret!

xx

OXFORD, UK || At First Sight

Everyone knows Oxford. Famous for its university (Univesrsity of Oxford), famous for Harry Potter, famous for the stationary brand (Oxford), famous for the publishing company (Oxford Univesrity Press). And famous for being a must-see place in Engand.

Oxford is located in southern England, in the county of Oxfordshire. It is strategically situated between London and Birmingham what makes it really easy to get there, for example by train. Oxford is a small city however it has the oldest university in England and probably the best one nowadays. 

Oxford was founded by the Saxons in AD I, it was destroyed in the Norman Invation in the 11th century. However, this event didn't prevent Oxford from being a big source of knowledge since that century. In fact, the first records of Oxford University date from the 11th century. Multiple well-know personalities were related to Oxford since then: Geofrey of Monmouth, Lewis Carroll,  J R R Tolkien or Oscar Wilde among others. During the Great War, Oxford wasn't bombarded so its old colleges remain undamanged nowadys. 

After this  introduction to this fascinating city it's time to see some pictures of what you will find at first sight.

Enjoy!

xx

BIRMINGHAM, UK || Frankfurt Christmas Market

'It's the most wonderful time of the year'

This well-known song keeps playing in my head everytime I realise that Christmas is here. For me, this time of the year is not about spending money, is about watching Christmas films, listening to Villancicos and Christmas songs, decorating the house, gathering with family, eating special food and getting dressed as it is the end of the world! As you can see, I follow my traditions religiously every year and I am the happiest woman in the world.

So, being a traditional Christmas person I was very excited about the famous Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market. The market is so different to what I was used to (you know, madrileños, la plaza mayor con sus millones de figuritas para el belén y los gorros de brillantina!) in Spain. This is so European!!! (see the 'Frankfurt' word on its name)

The Frankfurt Christmas & Craft Market is the largest Christmas Market in Britain thanks to its 180 stalls. In Victoria Square you can enjoy live music (mainly Christmas songs) and a carrousel for children. You can also enjoy its 180 stalls, including the Craft Market and all its mostly German food stalls (sausages,  mulled wine and cider, hot chocolate, crepes, wafles and preztels) And you can have a good time in the wheel and the ice skating rink. The whole market is situated along central Birmingham from the Symphony Hall to the Bullring. It is a big attraction for both Brumies and people around Britain so if you have the opportunity to visit the market be prepared for large agglomerations of people eating sausages and wearing Christmas jumpers. 

For more information, visit its web page here

And its facebook page here

For pictures of the market.....keep on reading the post!

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

xx

KENT, UK || Westerham & Chiddingstone

Today I want to do an especial post. So far, apart from gardens, I have only shown well-known cities, Manchester, Birmingham, and Worcester. It is really amazing to visit all those big cities, but it is also amazing to visit not-so known but traditional British villages. I strongly believe that the South East of England is one of the prettiest and more charming places in the UK. We saw some examples of nice places in some of my latest posts and we will see more soon. 

This is why today I'm presenting two little villages in Kent. Traditional pubs, traditinal buildings and really nice churches (and old cemeteries, my favorites!)

If you want to discover more about this two charming villages, continue reading!

xx

KENT, UK || Emmetts Garden

Last week, I wrote about the National Trust and I shared some pictures of one of their protected places: Scotney Castle. So, today, I want you to see another place you can visit with National Trust in Kent too. This is Emmetts Garden (Ide Hill, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN14 6BA)A green paradise of flowers and colours. There are no houses no castles, just green grass, and colourful trees. A great choice if you want to spend the day taking a gentle walk through a peaceful garden.

Enjoy the walk!

xx

KENT, UK || Scotney Castle

So far, I have just shown pictures of cities in my blog, bigger, smaller; just cities. Yes, you're right, I also dedicated a post to the green part of Britain just some days ago. However, it's time to see something I'm incredibly fond of: castles! Who doesn't like castles? Who doesn't like to feel how was like to live in a castle? Who doesn't want to spend a night in a castle? I do!

Scotney Castle is not the only castle I've visited in England in the last years, but it is the first (and not last!) that I've visited since September. The castle is located in Kent (Lamberhurst, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN3 8JN) in South-East England. It belongs to the National Trust, an organisation that aims at mantaining gardens, houses and castles throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It basically means that you pay money for visiting these places. But, seeing what I've seen so far it is worthy. If any of you have the opportunity, don't hesitate and try one of their gardens or houses, this organisation really does a good job in all their properties. 
And, you can start with Scotney castle! This place does not only have a castle, it has a Victorian country house and its romantic gardens and the castle in itself, you can visit all of them.  When I visited this place (autumn half-term) there were two exhibitions about the Great War that I will detail below. Well, and it was Halloween as you will see! 
Exhibitions or not, pumpkins or not, Scotney Castle is a place I really recomend to see in Kent. Let's enjoy its romantic castle and gardens!

xx

BIRMINGHAM, UK || The Canals

One of the things I like most about Birmingham is its canals. 257 kilometres of canals connect the city with the surounding towns, such as Wolverhampton, Dudley, Coventry orWorcester. Besides, they connect Birmingham with the rest of the English canal system. 

As I explained in a previous post, Birmingham grew enormously thanks to the Industrial Revolution. The canals where created to improve the transport of products from town to town, and inside Birmingham too. The first canal was created in the 18th century by the engineer James Brindley, who surprisingly died just a few days after finishing the whole Birimgham canal system. Nowadays, only half of the Birmingham Canal Navigations is navigable. And, as you can imagine, now they are mainly used for touristic purposes and for private use.

THE SECRET LIES IN DETAILS || Autumn in the UK

Autumn is here. Beautiful British autumn. Green. Yellow. Orange. Red. Blue. It is really a pleasure to wake up and see this beautiful mix of colours and shapes. 

So, today I want you to get delighted with some pictures of what I see every day here. 

The pictures were taken from different places in the UK. The first pictures belong to different locations inside Birimgham; the last seven pictures belong to a beautiful lake in Merstham, Redhill)

Be prepared for a long post. Don't worry, they're just relaxing green pictures!!

Enjoy

xx

WORCESTER, UK || One Day Trip

After having a quick look at Worcester and seeing some singular pictures of it, it's time to see the city from the inside. 

Here goes my own travel guide! 

What to see, what to do and where to eat in one day

Enjoy

xx

THE SECRET LIES IN DETAILS || Remembrance Sunday and Poppy Appeal

In the UK, the second weekend of November helds the tribute to those British soldiers who died in the Great War (1914-1918) under the name of 'Remembrance Sunday' It is celebrated the second weekend of November because it is the closest Sunday to the 11 of November, the day when the war finished in 1918. Different acts had place today, such as the two-minute silence at 11.00 am in London or Birmingham, parades or especial mass services.

To remember the people who fought and died, those who survive and their families, the initiative of the Poppy Appeal was created by The Royal British Legion, an association that supports the Armed Forces. The Poppy Appeal is a fundraising that consists of donating money to help support the survivors of the First World War.  By donating money you get the paper poppy (the one I'm wearing in the picture below). Everybody here wears one (even me!) I got mine while visiting a church in Westerham, Kent. There was a little box with lots of them ready to take after having given a donative.

THE SECRET LIES IN DETAILS || Halloween!

Theres is always something special around this time of the year, even if we don't celebrate Halloween as they do on the other side of the Atlantic. For us, this celebration is an excuse to dress up and give a spooky party at home. Even if we don't admit it, at the end, all of us has celebrated this time of the year at some point. Do you remember carving pumpkins or decorating your class in school? Do you remember watching horror films at night? (Who hasn't watched Double Double Toil and Trouble yet?) Do you remember those Halloween parties with friends in uni?

BIRMINGHAM, UK || Postcards

Each city has its own singular places, colours and ... postcards! 

Let's enjoy what Birmingham has to offer!

xx

MANCHESTER, UK || An Hour Trip

Sometimes you can spend a whole day, or even two, visiting and enjoying a city, but sometimes you just have one hour! 

Sometimes you do a little research on the internet and even print a map with all the places you want to visit, but sometimes you just go where the wind takes you!

This is exactly how I visited Manchester, in a rush! Because of business reasons I just managed to spend one night and do a quickly tour the next moring. It was a lovely tour, though. 

Manchester is the county city of Great Manchester,in the north-west of England. Manchester is one of the biggest cities in the UK and one of the nicest too. For that reason, Manchester is the third most visited city in the UK. As many other English cities that I have visited so far, it was founded by the Romans, and fully developed with the Industrial Revolution. Manchester's inhabitants are referred to as Mancunians, as well as its accent. As a curiosity, Manchester is considered to be the birthplace of the women's suffrage in the 19th in the UK.

As you can imagine, I don't have as much pictures as I'd like. So this time, instead of instroducing the city and then do more detailed posts with recommendations and exact locations to see, this time this is an all-in one post: introduction, pictures and recommendations! Enjoy it!

xx

BIRMINGHAM, UK || At First Sight

Today I'm introducing a really special city for me. If you like really big but nice cities, modernity and flowers this is your place!

Birmingham is the county city of West Midlands, in central United Kingdom. Known as "The first manufacturing town in the world", "City of thousand trades" or "Workshop of the world", Birmingham will surprised you by all it has to offer, from its multiculturalism, to its beautiful canals. Thanks to its industry, Birmingham has incredibly increased its population in the last decades becoming the second largest city in the UK. Besides, Birmingham (or Bham, as you'll see in some places) has the largest canal system in Europe (even larger than Venice!), has one of largest European shopping centres (the amazing Bullring) and has the largest library in Europe. Besides, Birmingham has one of best UK universities (University of Birmingham) and it is internationally known by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchesta and the Birmingahm Royal Ballet. And, chocolate lovers, be prepared, because Cadbury's Chocolate is made in Birmingham!  

And finally, (this is just my feeling!) Birmingham probably has one of largest display of flowers around the city that I've ever seen! It's really impressive to see how many flowers one can see on the streeets, in lampposts, fences and balconies. I'll share some photos with you soon! :)

Birmingham was settled by the Anglo-Saxons and developed into a big market and economic area in 1166. Later in the 18th century, the city increased its industry thanks to the canal system and its specialised production. Birmingham was the third most affected city by the Second Wolrd War in the UK, but that didn't stop it to grow in population, area and culture to what it is today.

As the motto of the city states: Forward!

xx

WORCESTER, UK || Postcards

After discovering Worcester a little better, now it's time to pay attention to details. Guess what colour is Worcester? Green and red! 

xx

WORCESTER, UK || At First Sight

Living in the West Midlands, Worcester is one of the must-see cities without doubt. Small and charming, Worcester is also a fantastic touristic place if you only have one day to spend!

Worcester /ˈwʊstər/ (or 'wusta', be sure you pronounce it correctly to be understood!) is the county town of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands. The city is constantly comunicated by train (40 minutes from Birmingham and 1h40min from Bristol) Enjoy its peaceful walk along the River Severn  and get lost in its central streets, full of people, shops and old churches. 

Worcester was founded by the Romans in the 50AD, later occupied by the Saxons, the Normands and finally developed to what it is today. The city was the scenary of the Battle of Worcester (1651) when Charles II was defeated by intending to regain power over Oliver Cromwell. The city is also well-known by its Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce!

xx

CUENCA, Spain || Postcards

I introduced you the charming city of Cuenca, Spain, a week ago. Now it's time to discover the city from an different perspective. Not must-see buildings, not fancy restaurants to try. Just singular pictures from this singular city.

xx

CUENCA, Spain || At First Sight

Those who know me will know why I love this Spanish city that much... Isn't it the most peaceful Spanish city to live in? And isn't it one of the essential places to visit in the country? Of course it is!

Cuenca is a city located in central Spain, in Castilla La-Mancha. It is one of the thirteen Spanish 'Ciudades Patrimonio de la Humanidad' by the UNESCO (together with my beloved Alcalá de Henares, I'll write about this lovely city soon!) Cuenca is a small, calm and really beautiful city surrounded by lots of green and high mountains, what makes it the best place to get away from noisy and big cities. Besides, it is strategically situated bewteen Madrid and Valencia, and is linked with the whole country via AVE.
There is no excuse to spend some days enjoying this great place. 

Conquered by Alfonso VIII in 1177 (837 years ago today, happy anniversary!), Cuenca still has the charm of that period in its streets and colourful buildings, especially in the old part of the city. Cuenca was originally built on the top of big rocks and was naturally protected by two rivers, Júcar and Huécar, referred to as 'Hoz del río Júcar' and 'Hoz del río Huécar'. Both sides have something special to offer: the incredible views to the rivers and the mountains that surround the old city.
Just one piece of advice: be prepared to climb steps and slopes!!

xx