How to Spend 48 Hours Just Outside of London
Shaping Cultural Experiences
Travel has been an integral part of my life since I was a young child. I grew up in a multicultural, bilingual home in the Netherlands with a Polish mother and a Dutch father. My
Update & BBC News Link
A brief update: One interview video will be uploaded tomorrow evening. I believe the BBC News One-Minute World News provides well-balanced reporting of news, hence why I wanted to share it. Top stories on May
From Nigeria to Boston
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VNkCazT_T4&feature=youtu.be
When you first meet Oluwagbeminiyi Osidipe, you encounter a very vibrant, friendly, and unique personality. Oluwagbeminiyi or Niyi – as she shortened her name for simplicity – was named by her mother, who had a “very personal experience” when she had her, Niyi explained. Niyi is a Yoruba Nigerian transplant who arrived in the U.S. in 2006. As one of the most densely populated (West) African countries, Nigeria derives its name from the river that spans its land. To the South, it borders the Gulf of Guinea to the Atlantic Ocean. Originally colonized by the British, Nigeria gained independence in 1960. Its main ethnic groups are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, who speak English and their own respective languages, while major religions include Islam, Christianity and indigenous beliefs. Niyi shares her story, her views on politics, cultural differences she’s embraced with humor, and what we can learn from each other by expressing curiosity. Her message is simple: travel enriches us through its exposure to new cultures, and enables us to grow.
Mark Twain on Travel
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” (American author Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad).
Have you had the opportunity to travel (extensively, within your country, or even once abroad)? Can you relate to Twain’s sentiments? How does travel enrich us?
Pleasing The Taste Palate
Food has the wonderful quality of uniting us no matter where we are. There is nothing partisan or narrow-minded about food. It simply invites us to indulge, create recipes, and share with others. Two of my favorite Polish dishes (included in collage) are pierogies and barszcz czerwony – a beetroot soup – served on Christmas Eve in Poland. How does food bring us together? What are some of your favorite dishes and why? Can food trigger memories?
Stereotypes: Truth or Fiction?
DEFINING STEREOTYPES: “An idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation.” (Merriam-Webster). Stereotypes enable bias and preconceived notions to perpetuate, but can also reveal valid
Annual Human Rights Report
“The world changed immeasurably over the course of 2011. Across the Middle East, North Africa, and far beyond, citizens stood up to demand respect for human dignity, more promising economic opportunities, greater political liberties, and
Euro Crisis & Emerging Stereotypes
Brief Crisis Breakdown Since the onset of the global financial crisis, or Great Recession, in 2007, the Eurozone has feared impending growing global debt levels, as well as sovereign debt within European countries themselves. In
Remembering Tiananmen
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in Beijing, China. Inflation, a lack of career prospects, the fall of Eastern European communism, and political corruption, are all said to have fueled anger
Coffee's Uniting Power
A cup of coffee can bridge cultural gaps. At least, that’s what Gizem Salgicil White, founder of Turkayfe.org, believes. Her organization aims to create awareness of Turkish culture, particularly within America. Gizem is a Turkish native,
Today’s Culture with Travel post is by Adam James
As lovely and exciting England’s capital can be, sometimes curiosity can get the better of us and make us wonder what other gems lay beyond England’s busiest city.
City life can be a bit suffocating and sometimes all you need is a day or two away in some new scenery. Luckily for you, London is very well located for a variety of different places to suit everyone’s tastes. The UK itself is filled with wondrous gems to visit, however they’re easily missed off due to the bright lights of London.
Here is our guide to some towns and cities less than 2 hours away from London if you’re after some further exploration of the UK’s rich heritage. Every item on our list allows you to spend 48 hours in each place, or less!
Oxford
The City of Oxford is home to one of the world’s most renowned and famous institutions (as well as being the birthplace of Alice in Wonderland!). It’s rich with history, packed with independent vintage cafes and is overall an enchanting place to visit. This destination is easily reached from Paddington or Marlyebone stations.
Walking through the Oxford University colleges and the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology will inspire a scholarly streak and provide you with some truly beautiful sites.
Highlights worth visiting:
- The University of Oxford
- Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology
- Blenheim Palace
- Choral Evensong
- Cotswold Wildlife Park
St Albans
A less than 20 minute train journey from St Pancras station gets you into the middle of splendid British heritage. St Albans was previously a Roman settlement of Verulamium and is highly known as a place of ‘pilgramage’ for beer drinkers. It also happens to be the headquarters of the Campaign for Real Ale and possesses more pubs per capita than any other UK town!
Highlights worth visiting:
- St Albans Cathedral
- St Albans traditional street market
- Verulamium Museum
- Sopwell Nunnery
Brighton & Hove
Known as London on the beach – this flamboyant party city of the East Sussex county is a colourful and architecturally-rich resort worth visiting. Londoners and tourists alike love escaping to Briton for
its pretty, pebble beach, pier and seaside recreation and of course the Indo-Saracenic architecture of the Royal Pavillion.
Brighton and & Hove houses a whopping 365 pubs meaning there’s something for absolutely everybody. It also has a strong focus on its food culture- a day alone here could be solely focused on their fish and chips, or Sunday roasts!
Highlights worth visiting:
- The Royal Pavilion
- Brighton Museum and Art Gallery
- Brighton Toy and Model Museum
- Brighton Pier
- British Airways i360 – The world’s tallest moving observation tower!
Winchester
If you’re after a bit of medieval culture then Winchester is the place to explore. Located in Hampshire, it was once the ancient capital of Wessex. The place itself has inspired poetry, pilgrimage and royalty for over 2000 years. Along with its stunning Iron-Age and beautiful buildings, the city has a thriving food and drink scene, with farmer’s markets, fine dining and award winning pubs attracting thousands of visitors.
Highlights worth visiting:
- Winchester Cathedral
- The Great Hall – one of the finest surviving halls of the 13th Century
- The Bombay Sapphire Gin Distillery
- Marwell Zoo
Windsor
This quintessentially English Town is where Her Majesty the Queen calls home. Famous for its cobbled streets, races and water sports, activities in Windsor can cater for any needs whilst enriching your experience with true English culture. The doors of Windsor Castle open to teh public during the months of March through to October, with guard changes happening between 11-11:30am. Hopefully knowing this will allow you to skip the rush!
Highlights worth visiting
- Windsor Castle / St George’s Chapel
- The Royal Ascot (in season)
- The Royal Windsor Racecourse (in season)
- Windsor Great Park
Adam is a Marketing Executive for Premier Parking Gatwick – an airport parking service for passengers flying from Gatwick Airport. They provide long stay, short stay and valet services for you and your car whilst you sit back and relax during your travels.
Hi! I'm the founder of Culture With Travel and #CultureTrav. Please chat with us on social media and contribute in the comments! Follow @Nicolette_O
