Tag Archives: England

Brighton & Hove, days with the dachshunds

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By Lynn Strough

Travelynn Tales

 

Brilliant and beautiful Brighton & Hove, on the south coast of England, offer much to enjoy, and I found myself with three weeks to explore while pet sitting for two mischievous dachshunds.

 

Twin cities, of a sort, Hove and Brighton are like bookends, linked by a long seaside promenade. The prom is full of life, action, and beautiful views, where you can take part in numerous activities – the usual bike riding, jogging and dog walking, or step it up a bit with sports like basketball, beach volleyball, and bouncing.

 

If anyone asked if I was living in Brighton, the correct answer, I was told, is “Hove, actually.” They have very distinct personalities. Hove is the “fancier” place, streets lined with elegant townhouses and dining establishments.

 

Brighton is the brash, bohemian enclave, with lanes full of hippie shops and street artists, not to mention the Brighton Pier. Full of flashing lights and spinning rides, it’s been around since the 1800s, only shut down during World War II, as Hitler had plans to invade here.

 

Brighton also boasts the iconic Royal Pavilion, built in the late 1700s as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wales. You can tour the domed architectural wonder and learn all about royal liaisons and intrigues.

 

And if you’ve worked up an appetite, there are plenty of eating and drinking establishments to choose from, many with entertaining names as well as interesting offerings for snacks, lunch, tea, or dessert.

 

There are even places for dachshunds to dine!

 

Most of my days were spent walking the dachshunds on the scenic promenade or hiding out with them from the rain at home (I discovered doxies don’t like wet weather!). And in the south of England, there’s plenty of wet weather.

 

If you check event schedules, there are lots of local activities. By accident, I stumbled on an Armistice Day parade, with beating drums and clanging symbols, but not a single gun.

 

Although summer would be a delightful time to visit Brighton and Hove, fall is typically cooler with far fewer tourists, and with a little luck, you may even slip in a warm, sunny day.

 

If shopping is your thing, there are plenty of stores, including books and antiques, steampunk and unmentionables and places to get your hair styled.

 

So for a short holiday getaway, or to house sit with pets for awhile, check out Brighton and Hove on the south coast of England. Bring your raincoat, lots of pounds, and a smile.

 

*As a side note, it turns out Hove is headquarters to Trusted Housesitters, the house and petsitting site I most frequently use.

 

About Lynn Strough

Lynn is a 50-something-year-old woman whose incarnations in this life have included graphic designer, children’s book author and illustrator, public speaker, teacher, fine art painter, wine educator in the Napa Valley, and world traveler. Through current circumstances, she has found herself single, without a job or a home, and poised for a great adventure.

 

“You could consider me homeless and unemployed, but I prefer nomad and self-employed, as I pack up my skills and head off with my small backpack and even smaller savings to circumnavigate the globe (or at least go until the money runs out). Get ready to tag along for the ride…starting now!”

 

 

travelynnlogoAll images copyright Lynn Strough and Travelynn Tales

Reprinted with permission

Lots to love about London

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By Lynn Strough

Travelynn Tales

 

With four days between house sits in England, leaving Corsham to head down to Hove, the excitement of London lies in the middle, and what’s not to love about London?

 

Except possibly the price tag, but London doesn’t have to break the bank. True, hotels are off-the-hook expensive, and with no appropriate couch-surfing to be found, I reverted to my old standby, Airbnb. Out of the city center, near the Royal Borough 0f Kensington and Chelsea, I found a room in a townhouse flat with a young couple from Bulgaria and their toddler son, a welcome temporary home.
There’s something special about London, the mood, the atmosphere, the lost-back-in-time feeling. Surrounded by historic buildings, bright red double-decker buses, and those entertaining British accents, there are tons of  treasures to explore, and even though I’ve been here before, there’s much I still missed, like the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and electric lights of Piccadilly Circus.

 

Wander along the river and you’ll see iconic sights like the London eye and Big Ben, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Interspersed with the old, you’ll see plenty that’s new, especially cutting-edge architecture, like the famous London Shard.

 

Don’t come expecting sunshine and blue skies, as London is typically gray and foggy, but that just lends to the atmosphere. If rain tumbles down and you seek drier pursuits, there are plenty of options, like theatre. A friend treated me to a ticket to see “Kinky Boots,” a hilarious, inspiring musical.

 

Nearby Covent Garden offers plenty of shopping and dining under cover. Museums abound, and most are free! You can while away hours at the chock-full Victoria and Albert, where Chihuly glass mingles with classic sculpture, and clothing runs the gambit from medieval and renaissance to rainbow psychedelic.

 

Halls and walls are hung with wrought iron and paintings and tapestries and you’ll find everything from furniture, to china, to original costumes from The Lion King. The Tate Modern offers contemporary art for your contemplation while the National Gallery is classic. And Saatchi is just plain out there.

 

My favorite part of London, though, are all the different neighborhoods. Brick Lane is crammed with antique shops and bookstores galore and the best food court in the world! In fact, it includes cuisine from just about everywhere — Cuban, Caribbean, Spanish, Turkish, and even Transylvanian. How in the world does one decide? Ultimately, I opted for a plate full of vegetarian delights from Ethiopia. Don’t forget to save room for dessert!

 

Brick Lane is also like an outdoor art gallery, with an eclectic, creative blend of entertaining graffiti.

 

My most beautiful day in London was spent cruising the Columbia Flower Market, surrounded by scents of thousands of blossoms, crammed between every color and kind of flower you can think of — hydrangeas and pansies, snapdragons, tulips and orchids. It’s a gardener’s dream on steroids! People pack the narrow road, while hawkers call out their wares, “Who likes a big lily?!”

 

As for getting around, it’s easy — everyone of course speaks English. And you’ve several choices of taxi, or bus, or underground tube, or even renting a bicycle, as well as my favorite, by foot — you see so much more when you’re walking.

 

A great way to end your day in London is with a snack and a drink in the oldest pub and don’t forget London rules for safety: Please, mind the gap!

 

About Lynn Strough

Lynn is a 50+ free spirit whose incarnations in this life have included graphic designer, children’s book author and illustrator, public speaker, teacher, fine art painter, wine educator in the Napa Valley, and world traveler. Through current circumstances, she has found herself single, without a job or a home, and poised for a great adventure.

 

“You could consider me homeless and unemployed, but I prefer nomad and self-employed, as I pack up my skills and head off with my small backpack and even smaller savings to circumnavigate the globe (or at least go until the money runs out). Get ready to tag along for the ride…starting now!”

 

travelynnlogoAll images copyright Lynn Strough and Travelynn Tales

Reprinted with permission

Jane Austen’s Bath and a look at Lacock

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By Lynn Strough

Travelynn Tales

 

Historic Bath, England was only a short bus ride away from my house sit in Corsham, so I took a day after my house hosts returned to explore. The main attraction, ancient Roman baths, are accessible via self-tour with an informative audio guide, and definitely worth a visit.

 

Wandering through the Roman Temple, Bath House and Sacred Spring — surrounded by the smell of sulphur — hot water bubbled up in green pools, as it did in ancient times, from rain falling on nearby hills. It filters down through layers of limestone to be heated by geothermal energy, then pressure pushes it to the surface.

 

The first shrine on the site was Celtic, dedicated to the goddess Sulis (Minerva to the Romans), and signs tell of the later history of the Roman occupation of Britain. Glass cases house artifacts that were thrown into the pools as offerings to the Goddess, including colorful gemstones and over 12,000 coins.

 

Also thrown into the pools were curse tablets — messages written to the Goddess on pewter or lead, some related to thefts of clothing while the owner was occupied in the baths. The temple pediment and Gorgon’s head, originally supported by four large columns, now hang on a wall, part of this impressive collection of antiquities, including scores of sculptures, mosaics and friezes.

 

Uphill from the Baths, the Royal Crescent sweeps the scene in a great curve of Georgian architecture. Built in the 1700s, the golden facade connects thirty terraced houses. Some are still townhouses, some are split into flats, part forms a museum and in the center is the elegant Royal Crescent Hotel.

 

If you’re a Jane Austen fan, you can check out a museum dedicated to her and her work — she lived in Bath from her father’s retirement in 1801 until his death five years later. Bath is mentioned in all of her novels. You can even dress up in costume for a virtual trip back in time.

 

Bath is a lovely town in and of itself, just to wander around. Stone streets lead to bookstores, cafes, and galleries and scenic spots on the river to linger.

 

Also near Corsham is the village of Lacock, another step back in time. Lacock Abbey was a home for nuns, until somebody bought it for private use. The cloisters remain untouched, a square of vaulted hallways surrounding a grassy courtyard, with several rooms off to the sides where scenes from Harry Potter were filmed. You can stand where Severus Snape held his potions classes.

 

Nuns were privileged at the time as they were literate and expected to study the Bible along with other religious texts. Not many people in medieval times could read, and books were very expensive as they were all handwritten. One book could be as costly as a farm.

 

Winding my way upstairs, I toured elaborately decorated rooms full of fancy furnishings, where the family lived after the nuns were forced to leave. Henry Talbot, the private owner, was one of the fathers of modern photography, along with Louis Daguerre.

 

Out back stands the old brewery, where beer was brewed because it was safer to drink than water.

 

The village itself is a medieval town, full of peaked-roof houses with criss-crossing beams and several small shops, and I was pulled — not unwillingly — into the chocolatier by the scent of rich, sweet cocoa. I’ve avoided much shopping on my travels, but the dark-chocolate butter honeycomb got me.

 

Fall was in the air, crisp and cool, calling colors to flame the trees. Both Bath and Lacock are worth a look, if you’re ever in merry old England.

 

About Lynn Strough

Lynn is a 50+ free spirit whose incarnations in this life have included graphic designer, children’s book author and illustrator, public speaker, teacher, fine art painter, wine educator in the Napa Valley, and world traveler. Through current circumstances, she has found herself single, without a job or a home, and poised for a great adventure.

 

“You could consider me homeless and unemployed, but I prefer nomad and self-employed, as I pack up my skills and head off with my small backpack and even smaller savings to circumnavigate the globe (or at least go until the money runs out). Get ready to tag along for the ride…starting now!”

 

travelynnlogoAll images copyright Lynn Strough and Travelynn Tales

Reprinted with permission