Saturday, August 22, 2015
Spectacular England
Spectacular England………..!
“London within England”
I happened to meet a long forgotten friend recently, who had visited England many decades ago and now going to see his son settled there. He said that he would be staying in London for a few months and would like to see as many places in England as possible. He requested me to suggest places worth visiting.
I was delighted since I could re-visit the places we had seen earlier while mentioning those!
Well, while the aeroplane crosses English Channel, ‘descent’ is already in progress and on a clear bright evening one easily discerns
the beautiful landscape underneath. Vast green and brown fields with variety of bewitching shades and hues amuse you. Lo and behold! One is gliding over the golden city of London amidst thin white clouds wearing the silver necklace, the Thames!! The London Eye enchant you so also the innumerable bridges across the Thames and your excitement is overwhelming. A warm welcome awaits you at Heathrow and you are transported homeward through the very heart of the metropolis so endearing by now.
The overall refreshing atmosphere with clean streets and orderly traffic, besides of course the warm and affectionate welcome makes you forget all travails of travel and the last minute rush of the preceding weeks.
Moving around the city of London is always a very pleasant and exciting experience. One should begin exploration starting from central London, the Trafalgar Square to be precise. One reaches the place by taking British rail to Charing Cross. Trafalgar Square is always buzzing with hundreds of tourists drawn from all over the globe. Indeed one finds people from every part of earth- New Zealand to Iceland and China to Mexico! Either single, in pairs or small or large groups along with their ‘guides’. Almost everyone is busy with cameras or mobiles, clicking at whatever that fascinates! The huge black marble lions and very tall pillar with Nelson’s statue appear to sway in the sky, an illusion created by moving clouds! Many, particularly the children are busy climbing atop those huge marble lions. One can also see a sculpture of Hue Rose, who had praised one of our greatest freedom fighters during 1857 struggle, Maharani Laxmibai of Jhansi. Entire atmosphere is indeed hilarious and electrifying. Clowns draped in various attires and smeared with golden or silver paint look like statues in different poses, absolutely stil and immobile. An occasional street singer with guitar or trumpets attracts your attention and like many tourists you also drop a few coins into his cap thrown on the ground!
There is heavy traffic of the immaculate, blood-red London double decker buses that make a beeline around the roads of the Trafalgar Square. Recently the hybrid electronic buses have replaced the age old ones and these new buses are indeed noiseless and smokeless. The peculiar London taxies are indeed unique, which too appear quite frequently. Formerly this place was heavily flocked by pigeons, causing occasional embarrassment to visitors although quite friendly by and large.
Just behind the square is the National Museum, one of the scores in london. It happens to be one of the few that do not charge entry fee !
(I am aware that to create, maintain and upgrade an established museum is a Herculean task. Museology is both science and art. It is a special discipline in itself. I try to remember and acknowledge the painstaking efforts of the ‘curator’ while viewing any museum for that matter. )
Many routes join and emerge from Trafalgar Square. One is known as The Mall, the brick-red paved road leading to Buckingham Palace, an exquisite icon of london and official residence of the Royal Family. The road leading towards the palace passes through a beautiful garden, interspersed with fountains and brooks. The flora and fauna is breathtaking and large variety of wonderful birds keep singing amidst quack-quack of ducks and swans. One must sit down for a while just to enjoy and store the fantastic view deep in the heart.
A walk down the Downing Street right in front of Trafalgar Square leads you towards the parliament square and one comes across 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the British Prime minister. One also sees the Royal Guards mounted on horse-back and wearing their bright red traditional uniforms, brass headgear and swords!
(The British are very fond of nurturing past traditions and love to follow those meticulously. Now, for instance these men on horse backs! . More of antiquity indeed !)
One may be fortunate enough to witness the daily Ceremony, the ‘Change of Guards’. Dot at 12 O’clock guards exchange their positions with much fanfare in the presence of hundreds of tourists and onlookers. Nobody would like to miss recording the event on his camera. Downing Street and Parliament square is lined by a number of statues of ex-Generals and war heroes of the first and second world wars. One must admire and appreciate the way those are cleaned and looked after unlike the pitiable conditions of our own heroes and national leaders. Parliament square naturally houses both the Houses as well as The Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and a number of life size sculptures of Abraham Lincoln, Sir Winston Churchill and recently inaugurated one of Mahatma Gandhi. And just in front of these three statues the stretched flags of all the Commonwealth countries keep fluttering majestically.
While the parliament is in session, one invariably finds some sort of demonstration or ‘agitation’, (bane or price of democracy ?) .
Nevertheless, those are usually vociferous only and by and large peaceful. I could witness many such, waiving large banners and placards.
The Big Ben is a huge tower with enormous white dialled clocks on all four sides bearing Roman digits. The clocks ring loud gongs every fifteen minutes and the sound is very much like that of a Church bell; loud serene pleasant and unique in itself!
The buildings of the parliament houses so also the Westminster Abbey are huge and beautifully carved having a peculiar muddy colour. The precincts of these places are always full of tourists at any hour of the day.
A walk further down along the bank of the Thames leads you to a wonderful Museum, the Tate Britain that houses some exquisite paintings and sculptures, which are indeed marvellous to say the least ! One must devote adequate time to see, understand and experience the grandeur of those. I have visited the Museum several times and was frequently amused. Besides huge and beautiful oil-paintings there are some exquisite sculptures too. There is a special enclosure for “Modern Art” as well, with sketches by Pablo Picasso and the likes. Once I could see a huge metal pyramid in the centre of the hall almost touching the roof above, which was ‘assembled’ using domestic kitchen utensils along with kitchen paraphernalia ! Something unique and interesting. (However, during my subsequent visit the structure had already been dismantled !)
A walk along the riverside is indeed a very pleasant experience. One invariably finds scores of ‘joggers’ sweating out there almost any hour of the day. (And that gives a clue why every Londoner looks agile, smart and youthful ; most Londoners are very health conscious these days and looking at those joggers and many full Gyms and swimming pools is perhaps a testimony to this observation!)
A stroll up to Regent Street and further on to the world famous Oxford Street exhibits some or almost all big shops renowned for their brands, quality, variety and of course cost ! The big big toy shop in Hamley’s, Marks & Spencer, Next, Harrods, Selfridges etc etc just to name a few ! Heavily flocked by locals and tourists, most of them prefer ‘window-shopping’, although carry bags with logos of Harrods or Selfridges which are certainly prestigious, big or small ! Here again, entire countries of the world are represented, here on the Oxford Street. Only the London hybrid double deckers and taxies are allowed on this road, no private vehicles. Nevertheless, it is indeed fun to walk the entire length of Oxford street right from Tottenham court to Selfridges. The footpaths on either side are double the width of the road and therefore strolling along is indeed enjoyable. (One requires to go up to Kenington to locate the mega-mall ‘Harrods’).
One can as well walk to ‘Phicadly’ (Piccadily circus), like the Broadway in U.S.! It has huge nylon or neon signboards, all of those commercials and also huge TV screens telecasting BBC news or football. It happens to be a spot that can be tick marked, “also visited”!!
A walk to Leicester square and one is confronted by scores of ‘eateries’, where one can taste and enjoy almost every cuisine of the world.
A walk on the left of Trafalgar Square takes you to the Strand region, where lot many commercial establishments operate on a huge scale. Just a short walk beyond Charing Cross station brings you to ‘Covent garden’, although not a ‘must’ to visit it houses a market with small shops selling household goods, clothes, crockery, hats, footwear, artificial jewellery and such. The prices too are negotiable in some places. Moreover, there are jugglers, tricksters, clowns and magicians etc. In fact, a place to rest one’s legs a bit. Still yonder one comes across the Indian Embassy and one may peep if suddenly nostalgic for the motherland (because you will be welcomed there with the same coldness and apathy experienced in government offices back home !).
Journey further up and you reach the second largest Cathedral in the world, the St. Paul’s. Huge premises of the Cathedral are again buzzing with tourists. Mind you, entry within the Cathedral is strictly on payment. (I was astonished to find similar practices at Canterbury and Vatican too. ) …..Anyway !
Further up, and you reach the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge across the Thames. The Tower Bridge is decidedly a marvellous landmark that no tourist would ever miss to see. The bridge bifurcates while large vessels and ships traverse the river underneath. Beautiful golden domes and wonderful construction makes it an icon indeed.
The Tower of London is a sprawling fort that was used to torture and execute thousands of prisoners centuries ago. I was certainly sad and disappointed to listen or read of those ghastly and shameful stories. However, it now houses gold, jewellery, ornaments, various jewel-studded crowns used by erstwhile kings or queens as well as the prestigious Kohinoor and its replica too.
There is also a huge store of jewel studded swords, daggers, spears, Javelins, shields and other war materials besides huge golden utensils and so on. (I was not at all fascinated knowing it fully well that most of all that belonged to our country that was looted by the erstwhile British rulers. Indeed, I could not see all that wealth, being looted wealth.) in fact, the unheard screams and shouts of those unknown prisoners kept reverberating in my ears !)
A visit to Greenwich and Canary Wharf must never be omitted while visiting London. Therefore, a short resume of the places won’t be out of place! At least that should kindle a desire to see for oneself. Otherwise, visits to the Buckingham palace, the Hyde park and Diana Memorial, Madam Tussaud’s etc are places where any London ‘sight-seeing’ buses invariably take the tourists to. Moreover, the purpose of this book is not to describe such places that are too obvious already. I would like to pinpoint and highlight those, which I feel must not be overlooked. Being a frequent visitor I have already made a note as to which places would be more desirable, besides of course the known and famous ones.
I for one would recommend a newcomer to London, to visit precincts of the Canary Wharf!
Oh, the overall milieu is electrifying, robust, enchanting, charming, ever youthful !
The Canary Wharf boasts of accommodating world’s largest Banks having huge multi-storied buildings that include Citibank, Barclays, HSBC, Bank of America and many others, busy in rolling billions and billions of money. Indeed, it is a major financial hub transacting business all over the globe.
As said earlier, the atmosphere is humming with ceaseless activity, each and every person immaculately dressed and extremely busy with swift and smart movement, seemingly in haste all the time! You as an onlooker are awed, amused. The river takes a circuitous route here, almost encircling those towering buildings. In the centre is a four storey Mall, with scores of shops, departmental stores, eateries and so on. Entire area is indeed ultramodern and ‘posh’! It makes you feel younger by at least twenty years by just visiting the place even once !!
Visiting Greenwich takes you to a different atmosphere altogether. Just next to the sprawling vast open fields of Blackheath, one is welcomed by gates of the Greenwich park where one finds a small but beautiful deer park and just beyond is the Greenwich Observatory, the Meridian line and down the hill Maritime Museum. One may also reach Greenwich via Cutty Sarc, the underground station of the Docklands Light Rail (DLR). The famous Greenwich University is opposite Maritime Museum and is humming with hundreds of students learning there. (I am always fascinated by the vibrant atmosphere of a college or university !)
While mentioning DLR just now, I must take an opportunity to speak about London’s public transport. Indeed, I am deeply impressed by the variety of public transport available, perhaps the best in the world. Besides the frequency, punctuality and convenience of the London buses, there are many many alternatives for travel within London. In fact, entire London has a thick network of Underground Trains that ensures rapid transportation of thousands of commuters, truly arterial trunks. Entire city is literally excavated by a number of underground lines, for example the Northern, District, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Central, Bakerloo and so on. Moreover, there is Overground line too. The British Rail runs services through all quarters, both within and out of London. Tram services are limited in the southern belt of London, between Addington and Beckenham up to Wimbledon via Croydon. Those too are fairly frequent, rapid and efficient, quite suitable for the elderly.
London City is divisible into six zones in a concentric centripetal fashion, Central london constituting zone one. All the buses and trams are now ‘cashless’, meaning one can travel using a prepaid Oyster card or a Day-Travel card. Total cost from zone one to zone six is around £6. However, if one plans his travel well enough, he can as well opt for zone or zones and pay much less. Moreover, any travel card is valid for any route irrespective of the zone paid for.
While moving within London one is frequently amused to find exceptional greenery everywhere with lots of tres, huge lawns, number of parks and gardens. Even well managed ‘woods’ are indeed a unique feature that truly impresses most. The parks too are beautiful with all sorts of flora, an invariably clean pond or brook where birds, swans and duck flock in plenty. Recently most parks are now equipped with free outdoor Gyms along with children’s play parks. There is usually a small café as well, where one can relish hot panini, sandwiches, tea, coffee, hot chocolates etc!
Every Council in London runs very good Public Libraries, which are very well equipped and are always busy in serving the readers as well as borrowers of books . There is no subscription fees, no deposit amount, no ‘introducer’ required! Anyone can enter, fill in a membership request form, submit or show Address proof and get membership right away ! One can borrow as many as four books at a time for up to four weeks. One can as well borrow CDs or VCDs ( on nominal charges) , use the photocopy machine and printer ( on payment !) and use the Computers free of charge ( for specified period of time )
One can use the reading room, which is well furnished with enough chairs, tables and sofas. The reference library has excellent collection of books, monographs, journals and periodicals ( for in-house reading, no borrowing). ( I could spend many many hours browsing through those and enrich myself !)
I was deeply impressed witnessing good many people using these libraries fully and borrowing books too ! ( I feel certainly sad looking at the pathetic situation of even the renowned libraries back home. )
I could also see Cafeterias adjacent to libraries, a welcome Coffee break !
That reminds of various ‘eating houses’ so abundant in London!
While moving through the city ‘eateries’ of every kind will naturally attract everybody ‘s attention, particularly those fond of food variety. I happen to be one who likes to taste (and eat !) variety of cuisine ( being Indore-born !!) This metropolis happens to be truly cosmopolitan and therefore it is not surprising that world’s best cuisines won’t be available here.
The English Breakfast is unique in itself, quite sumptuous and interesting too. Along with bread toast there is egg, bacon, fried tomato slice, baked bins, potato chips and of course cheese, butter, marmalade, jam, juice, milk, cornflakes, tea, coffee, drinking chocolate and so on, besides plenty of fruit as well ! After all, one must eat breakfast like a King !!
Among other especially English, a mention of “Fish & Chips” would not be out of place, since it constitutes almost a full meal. One may relish it seated in the ‘fish bar’ or opt for ‘take-away’! Most people prefer the Cod or Plaice nicely marinated and fried along with salt, pepper and one of the sauces!
Marks & Spencer ‘only food’ stores offer variety of sandwiches, wraps, baggets, salads, juices and so on very attractively displayed and tempting indeed ! Smaller shops such as Gregg’s, Ponty’s, Percy Ingle, Subway etc also invite your taste-buds. Pizza Huts, Domino’s, Mc Donald, Papa Jones and the likes are already universal and quite frequently encountered.
Amongst ‘Desi’ cuisines Chennai Dosa is quite famous, especially their four to six feet long Masala Dosa ! Classic South Indian dishes can be enjoyed at Sharvan Bhavan, Vasant vihar, Taste of India and the likes particularly at East Ham or in Wembley.
In fact, Indian restaurants (those include Pakistani, Nepali, Bangladeshi and Srilankan too) are plentiful and quite popular. Mostly frequented by other than Indians, those have etched their name all over England.
For those fond of sweets and cakes etc, doughnuts by Crispy-cream and Cake-bakes appear quite popular. Authentic Indian Mithai can be had in any big Indian shops at Tooting, Wembley, South Hall, Plum-stead, Harrow ; indeed all over London !
‘Pubs’ are again quite unique in this part of the world, catering all types of ‘drinks’ (and they say good food too). Being a ‘teetotaller I have never entered its precincts though !!
The names of some of those are are funny, such as The King’s Head or The Old Tigers Head or some such ! During prestigious foot ball matches or during World Cup events those are overfull, vociferous and brimming with excitement and enthusiasm. ’
Since people from almost all nations nurturing various faiths have settled down in this great city of London, respective places of worship are scattered all around. The Church of England is unique in itself although Catholic and other religions inhabit in fairly large numbers. All of them have their independent Churches or places of religious study and worship. The Hindus have their own beautiful temples, the Sikhs their Gurudwaras, Muslims their Mosques and so on. The Swami Narayan Temple at Neasden is marvellous and perhaps largest outside Asia. The beautiful sprawling premises of the Jain temple near Enfield offer tremendous peace and tranquility. Ganesh and Sathyasai temple at Merton near Wimbledon, Sri Krishna temple at Stratford, Mahalaxmi temple in East Ham, Shiva temple at Lewisham etc are the places which Hindu devotees would like to visit.
In fact, the Hindu Mahalaxmi temple and the Muslim Mosque are just neighbours, a narrow lane in between. However, religious unrest or conflicts do not make their appearance, a fact worth noting.
The overall law and order situation appears effectively handles by the administration. Almost every street and lane is regularly patrolled and monitored. It is interesting to watch pairs of horse mounted police (one invariably female !) patrolling the streets.
I must record at least two instances that truly impressed me. Once while walking around Richmond, it seems the traffic signals in a square failed. However, at least half a dozen police vans appeared on the scene within minutes and regulated the traffic manually until the electric fault of the signals was corrected.
Another occasion comes to mind when the physically handicapped son of my elderly friend fell down on the ground since the wheelchair overturned. The boy was a little bulky suffering from paralysis of both lower limbs and my friend quite frail. He rang up the police informing them the situation. And within minutes a police van along with an ambulance reached the spot, picked up the boy, the ambulance personnel examined him for any possible injury, reassured them both with pleasant words and moved away. My friend and the boy were overwhelmed with gratitude and listening to the story I was indeed happy and satisfied.
That gives me a reason to speak about the people as well, since we have been speaking about places only thus far.
Well, I have found the populace here in general as very helping, caring, quite friendly with abundant sense of humour too. An average Englishman used to be described as being too reserved and rather orthodox. That observation may or may not be true. My own perception is otherwise. (May be my own behaviour and mannerisms makes them reciprocate positively !!!)
Nevertheless, I have always experienced geniality while boarding a train or bus, in a mall or shop, why , even while walking on a footpath or in a park. A pleasant greeting with smile is quite a routine feature.
Most Londoners used to wear hats in olden days, which is now rare. Formerly many would trot about with Cigars or smoking pipes clenched between their teeth; that too is a rarity now (thanks to specified smoking zones !). Even the dress-codes have changed quite a lot and full suits with neck-ties is usually the office attire only. Traditional Bow is also rare, although some people prefer Cravats, at least in warmer climates.
Domestic pets are still fancied and most owners take pride in exhibiting their pedigree and so on.
Oh! Any conversation begins here with a comment on ‘climate’, such as ‘what a lovely weather’ or mostly ‘what an obnoxious one, truly ‘atrocious’ !! (A new-comer is frequently amused to hear same remarks everyday and few days later begins conversing likewise !!) .
Dear reader, we have been in London for quite a while. Bank holidays are approaching and we will get a long weekend. Let us go beyond London now and enjoy and experience the beauty and grandeur of the countryside as well.
So, let us visit “England beyond London”!
Well, I would recommend few days to be spent in the Midlands, Derbyshire the Peak District and Nottinghamshire as well, since it will give a vivid picture of England’s countryside. I am always eager to see the rural part of any country because one can understand and experience true culture and traditions of that geographic area.
In fact, I have always painted on the canvas of mind, a grand picture of an ideal village in my own country and visiting rural areas of any country I do try to relate, compliment, app end and edit my picture of an ideal village back home. I am glad to reiterate that I was happy to see some such villages during our excursions to the Peak District and other places too.
(My ideal village is one that is immaculately clean, peaceful, self-sufficient in all basic infrastructure etc. Etc. I was fascinated visualising such a one ever since my childhood and that urge grew with advancing years when I realised that true moral, ethical and cultural wealth of a nation is stored in the countryside. )
The sprawling lush green fields catches your attention while one leaves the Motorways and begin travel over ‘A’ roads. Excitement of driving on a Motorway is no doubt unique; speeding vehicles zooming past you in spite of your fairly good speed ; wide, smooth, three to four one way lanes ; use of proper indicators with strictly observed lane-discipline ; heavy vehicles in stipulated lanes ; use (in fact no use !) of the hard shoulder etc do make the Driving pleasurable, exciting and comfortable indeed. The ‘Services’ (stopovers or Dhabaas) is yet another feature worth mentioning since there is invariably a large parking lot, petrol pumps, eateries and sundry shops and of course clean toilets !!
However, I like the A roads more because one can see far and wide the huge fields, mountain, rivers, brooks and of course birds, sheep, cattle & horses and humans too !!
I mentioned about Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. I liked overall milieu of the landscapes. A large lake named Carsington waters is worth visiting after a three to four hour drive from London. Besides lush green gardens with beautiful flora & fauna and variety of birds chirruping, one may also enjoy rowing in the lake just to give some muscle exercise to one’s biceps, triceps, shoulders and back !
A drive towards Eyam will take you through ‘Speedwell Caverns’ which are underground lead mines about a hundred meters underneath, and one can roam around in the underground water canal in boats wearing helmets (the terrain being rocky) and view those centuries old lead mines. A very unique experience indeed !
While driving past those fields one invariably finds huge rolls of lawn grass ready for dispatch. ( We found large sheets of solar equipment around Exeter and hundreds of windmills near Cornwall. Don’t know why, but I was reminded of Don Quixote who had charged into one of the windmills ! )
The Chatsworth Palace is an old castle, quite ancient but well maintained being a tourist attraction. I am frequently amused to note how most of historical monuments are preserved and looked after in this country although having just empirical value. Most castles or forts spread all across England boast of some unique features. We have seen Windsor palace, those at Devon and the Leeds castle in Kent. Fascinating for History lovers alright but certainly tourist attractions undoubtedly.
A drive up to Matlock in the Peak District leads you to ‘Heights of Abraham’, a wonderful picnic spot. Being Situated in hilly terrain it is full of some marvellous landscapes. Two peaks of mountains are connected by cable car and one enjoys a panoramic view underneath with a gurgling river, huge trees, exquisite flora and fauna, indeed scenic beauty par excellence ! In addition to Mother Nature’s exuberance, human efforts to make it yet more exclusive must be applauded whole-heartedly. Besides breathtaking gardens, fountains, play parks etc huge tree trunks are carved in various shapes, those of variety of animals, birds, fish and even ghosts and spirits too; an interesting concept no doubt !
Drive further northward will take you into Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire and one of the places of interest would be the Centreparcs in the Sherwood Forest.
(The Centreparcs concept is unique. In fact these are well organised forests and I AM aware of five such. The one nearest London is the Woburn Forest very recently opened and situated in the north, around Watford. Another is Elveden Forest in the north-East of England near Suffolk. The third is the Longleat Forest near Bath, West England. Fourth one is Whinfell Forest in the Lake District and finally Sherwood Forest in Yorkshire near Nottingham. Mentioning Sherwood Forests invariably makes you remember the legendary (?) Robinhood, famous or otherwise for his pursuits !! )
As said earlier these forests are well organised recreational resorts housing hundreds of beautiful villas that are exquisitely well equipped for short stays. The ‘Forests’ comprise of groups of huge trees such as Ash, Maple, Fern, Birch, Oak, Pine and so on. Each variety of trees that are hundred in numbers surround a colony of villas, which are named as per type of tree surrounding them. The villas or houses are so planned that nothing except the trees surrounding them is visible. That ensures absolute privacy for each house. The Forests are indeed vast and sprawling and therefore long walks or bicycles, shop rider scooters for the elderly or a mini-train that keeps moving around at regular intervals and taking stipulated halts is the only means of transport within the forest campus.
The independent villas are well equipped with all amenities including kitchen and its paraphernalia. As already mentioned, total privacy for every house is ensured by virtue of a thick congregation of huge trees. Absolute calm and peace prevails all around except the chirrup of variety of birds or movements of rabbits or squirrels. The car-parks are far away from the residential areas (only drop and pick up permitted) and so no vehicular noises either.
Usually central part of the resort has a sort of town centre where eateries and indoor games or sports are available. Next to these can be found Badminton courts, table tennis tables, video games, Bowling games and still outside archery and mini golf too.
One of the Centreparcs had a large lake with sand beeches too, with ‘fishing’ facility. Entire area is bedecked with beautiful flower plants and creepers, fountains, gardens etc. A beautiful, tranquil, energising atmosphere and ambience indeed ! It proves to be an exciting, invigorating but tranquil outing for a few days with family and yet more enjoyable along with group of known families.
Besides England proper an excursion into Wales is equally enjoyable. Do not know why, but Wales has always been our frequently visited destination. While traversing westward, one takes M 4 right up to Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, via Windsor, Swindon, Newport etc. In order to enter Wales the Bristol Channel must be crossed, and one encounters ‘7 Bridges’, a beautiful and magnificent engineering marvel. Oh ! It's scenic, huge and exciting. One must pay toll tax while using the bridge and entry into Wales, which is understandable.
Wales greets you with peculiar signboards saying ‘Welcome to Wales’ but with some very long words almost a mile long with weird looking letters, very difficult even for the British to pronounce or read, leave aside other foreigners !
Cardiff is no doubt a beautiful city spread out far and wide and divisible into East, Central and West Cardiff. One may enter the town and drive through it just for fun and quench curiosity. Further westward drive over M 4 takes you to Swansea. In fact the Motorway ends at Port Talbot and A road takes you to the wonderful towns Mumbles and Gower, situated adjacent to almost a seven mile long beech. It's indeed a beautiful, quiet, clean beech where one may either walk or board a wooden mini train that shuttles between the two towns along the beech. On the coast side one finds rows of beautiful single houses, quite different from the almost monotonous houses so common in London. Each house here is unique and exuberant with variety of bewitching flowers and creepers, indeed a treat to watch !
On the right of Port Talbot one finds entire area surrounded by tall mountains where good many holiday homes are available. We had booked the Goitre Resort in advance that was located in a deep valley surrounded by huge mountains around. Oh ! The milieu was truly exciting, being a true Jungle resort.
One can imagine the thrill of spending a few days having such marvellous ambience. Small houses made from logs of woods, externally looking rugged and simple yet very well equipped with all amenities within ; huge trees and mountain cliffs all around ; continuously gurgling clean brook flowing very near the doorsteps ; a deep, serene tranquility all around except chirrup of various birds and rhythmic gurgle of the brook gives one tremendous peace experienced in a deep jungle, indeed an ideal place to be one with oneself.
Just beyond Swansea about forty miles away is yet another breathtaking place worth visiting by both devout or otherwise individuals. ‘Stand vale’ is quite a remote place that can be reached through ‘B’ or perhaps ‘C’ type of roads, the lanes being too narrow allowing only a single car at a time. One has to trudge that ‘road’ for at least fifteen twenty miles, that too negotiating many a bumps and bends, valleys and culverts and occasional group of cattle too en route ! However, on reaching the place one certainly exclaims a grunt of joy and satisfaction. There are three Hindu Temples managed by white Britishers taken to Hinduism. They perform all sorts of worship meticulously as enjoined by Vedas and Shastras. The Mahakali temple on the hillock houses a huge black marble idol of Goddess Mahakali, adorned with exquisite jewellery, ornaments, flowers and garlands. The overall atmosphere is grand, beautiful and serene. Hundreds of oil lamps lit there make everything bright and awesome and that’s why I said both ‘devotees and non-devotees’ would like to see the place for themselves!
The huge Venkatesha idol reclining over a large rock in the centre of a lake and surrounded by rocks and idols of other god heads is another piece of marvel worth visiting. The white marble full length reclining sculptor is almost ten feet long with Goddess Laxmi near the Lord’s feet and even Brahma the four faced God seated majestically over the lotus arising from the Lord’s umbilicus. All the sculptors are in white marble having beautiful faces. The deities are worshipped thrice a day with the priest standing in the ice-cold waters of the lake irrespective of season. Moreover, worship is performed with meticulous religious fervour and detail. It is indeed interesting and intriguing to watch entire exercise in such remote part of the world, thousands of miles away from India the very birthplace of Hinduism !
While returning from the lovely atmosphere of Skanda vale one can peep into Bath, the ‘Roman City’ in England, as well as the Cheddar Caves that provide another scintillating experience.
The city of Bath is famous for its natural hot springs and eighteenth century Georgian architecture. The overall milieu is Roman. The River Avon (Bristol) flows majestically by its side. It is a beautiful small city worth visiting, just to experience Roman holidays !!
The Cheddar caves are also fascinating, since modern gadgets used for describing factual and historical aspects of their interiors are quite educative as well as interesting. One can walk deep inside, safely and comfortably. A drive through the serpentine motorway up to almost top of the huge mountains there is quite thrilling.
Visit to Shakespeare’s town in Warwickshire, Stratford upon Avon to be precise should be a ‘must’ for all those admirers of William Shakespeare, giant among western literary legends. The beautiful village adjoining River Avon is about twenty miles south of Birmingham. Birthplace of the Legend, it houses the ancestral timber house, a museum and library. Overall, it gives a truly rural yet magnificent atmosphere worth treasuring into one’s bosom.
Those history lovers and admirers of our own legendary figures will never miss Bristol from their itinerary, where the Samadhi or tomb of Raja Ram Mohan Roy is located. Anyone will be prompted to pay his respects and obeisance unto the great social reformer from India.
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument famous as one of the wonders in England, no, Europe ! It is said to be before 3000 BC , a British heritage in Wiltshire west England. Those more inquisitive can always search for details, it should be sufficient to mention it nevertheless !
While we are in western part of England, why not travel further west to see and experience some exquisite places as well ?
To begin with, I may recommend Devon and its surroundings. The Devon Park boasts of a Caravan Park located along shores of the Atlantic. Oh, it’s a marvellous colony comprising hundreds of ‘static’ Caravans.
Each Caravan is well equipped with all amenities for short stays and there are hundreds of such, almost a small township. This township is located on a small hillock adjoining the vast clean beech just underneath. The panoramic view of the ocean with continuos cool breeze and hundreds of seagulls flocking around makes a scintillating, vibrant ambience. Indeed a wonderful break from usual routine. L
Travelling into Cornwall, the southwest end of England is yet again an exciting, nay, thrilling experience by virtue of its hilly terrain, steep roads with unexpected bends and culverts as well as a rugged but robust make up. Places worth visit would be Tintagel and the waterfalls, some exquisite gardens particularly ‘The Lost Gardens of Heligan’ or some such, which apart from being marvellous are so sprawling as to prove to be ‘breathtaking’, indeed exasperating !!
A drive down to The Minack Theatre should be a must in order to experience absolute calm, tranquility, grandeur and beauty of the gigantic Atlantic ! I must not describe the wonder of this place since the reader will be forced to experience it for himself !
Visit to Land’s End where America is just a long shout away, just across ‘the pond’ completes visit to Cornwall, of course not before relishing the famous Cornish Pastie !!!
Visits to various beaches down south are always refreshing and enjoyable. Each and every beech in England is absolutely clean, well looked after and safe as well with added features that attract people from Midlands and tourists alike. In fact summer, which is usually of shorter duration forces most British to visit these shores and so those are ever full of holiday makers.
Beeches worth visiting would be Dymchurch, , St. Mary’s bay, Southend on sea, Bournemouth, Brighten, Devon park, etc. There would invariably be large beautiful gardens with exquisite flora adjoining the beaches along with recreational facilities making one’s visit worthwhile indeed. Bournemouth hosts exciting air-shows every year, when all kinds of aircraft including those used during both world wars actively participate and thousands of onlookers are thrilled to watch their acrobatics while a live commentary makes everyone awed and glued to their seats.
I must recommend yet another beautiful place that should not be missed ! The Sheffield Park Gardens down south in East Sussex, about five miles from Hayword Heath is indeed a slice from heaven to say the least. Acres of woodland is converted into bewitching sprawling garden indeed indescribable in words; it must be seen, experienced and preserved deep into one’s bosom. Any description from a poet, scribe or even a philosopher would fall short to paint its grandeur and beauty and so I leave it to the reader to appreciate !
While moving around England it would be sinful if Ox-Cam is omitted ! Oxford and Cambridge are the places of learning renowned the world over since centuries. While the Oxford University is replete with historic monumental buildings housing every branch of knowledge and learning, the University of Cambridge is unique in many aspects. River Cam flows through Cambridge giving it a magnificent ambience altogether. And therefore it becomes mandatory to travel in a boat (punting) just to have an overview (interview ?) of Cambridge City.
One is truly awed and introvert while passing across various institutions of higher learning, which are thickly populated by knowledge-savvy students drawn from all over the world. One is indeed fascinated to experience the serene, holy and enlightening atmosphere so very evident all around, making you a little jealous of those fortunate students engaged in higher learning. Indeed, I have always honoured and loved such Institutions of Learning that may be anywhere in the world. ‘Knowledge is Power’ as the saying goes and these places are indeed the powerhouses!
Libraries in such places must always be unique and Ox-Cam could never be an exception! Indeed, both boast of possessing every single book or publication that be in entire world. Moreover, these are always full of enthusiastic and earnest readers and quite understandably too!
I do envy the Teachers over here who spend their best years for the sake of Teaching and modelling thousands of learned souls.
Indeed, one of the greatest Teachers my own country has produced was Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India, whose only aim, objective, dream and mission remained to be ever remembered as a Teacher, nothing more nothing less! I salute him, the greatest son of India, nay, the world !!
Now, dear reader! Narration of ‘Spectacular England’ is coming to a close but I am aware it is not complete yet. I could speak about the places we visited thus far, in England and Wales only. There is much much more to be seen, experienced and chronicled. However, you can get a glimps of this beautiful, vibrant, well organised country while browsing these pages and I shall be happy if your curiosity is kindled to see yet more of this small island !
Jai Sairam !
Best wishes,
Dr. Rahalkar
“London within England”
I happened to meet a long forgotten friend recently, who had visited England many decades ago and now going to see his son settled there. He said that he would be staying in London for a few months and would like to see as many places in England as possible. He requested me to suggest places worth visiting.
I was delighted since I could re-visit the places we had seen earlier while mentioning those!
Well, while the aeroplane crosses English Channel, ‘descent’ is already in progress and on a clear bright evening one easily discerns
the beautiful landscape underneath. Vast green and brown fields with variety of bewitching shades and hues amuse you. Lo and behold! One is gliding over the golden city of London amidst thin white clouds wearing the silver necklace, the Thames!! The London Eye enchant you so also the innumerable bridges across the Thames and your excitement is overwhelming. A warm welcome awaits you at Heathrow and you are transported homeward through the very heart of the metropolis so endearing by now.
The overall refreshing atmosphere with clean streets and orderly traffic, besides of course the warm and affectionate welcome makes you forget all travails of travel and the last minute rush of the preceding weeks.
Moving around the city of London is always a very pleasant and exciting experience. One should begin exploration starting from central London, the Trafalgar Square to be precise. One reaches the place by taking British rail to Charing Cross. Trafalgar Square is always buzzing with hundreds of tourists drawn from all over the globe. Indeed one finds people from every part of earth- New Zealand to Iceland and China to Mexico! Either single, in pairs or small or large groups along with their ‘guides’. Almost everyone is busy with cameras or mobiles, clicking at whatever that fascinates! The huge black marble lions and very tall pillar with Nelson’s statue appear to sway in the sky, an illusion created by moving clouds! Many, particularly the children are busy climbing atop those huge marble lions. One can also see a sculpture of Hue Rose, who had praised one of our greatest freedom fighters during 1857 struggle, Maharani Laxmibai of Jhansi. Entire atmosphere is indeed hilarious and electrifying. Clowns draped in various attires and smeared with golden or silver paint look like statues in different poses, absolutely stil and immobile. An occasional street singer with guitar or trumpets attracts your attention and like many tourists you also drop a few coins into his cap thrown on the ground!
There is heavy traffic of the immaculate, blood-red London double decker buses that make a beeline around the roads of the Trafalgar Square. Recently the hybrid electronic buses have replaced the age old ones and these new buses are indeed noiseless and smokeless. The peculiar London taxies are indeed unique, which too appear quite frequently. Formerly this place was heavily flocked by pigeons, causing occasional embarrassment to visitors although quite friendly by and large.
Just behind the square is the National Museum, one of the scores in london. It happens to be one of the few that do not charge entry fee !
(I am aware that to create, maintain and upgrade an established museum is a Herculean task. Museology is both science and art. It is a special discipline in itself. I try to remember and acknowledge the painstaking efforts of the ‘curator’ while viewing any museum for that matter. )
Many routes join and emerge from Trafalgar Square. One is known as The Mall, the brick-red paved road leading to Buckingham Palace, an exquisite icon of london and official residence of the Royal Family. The road leading towards the palace passes through a beautiful garden, interspersed with fountains and brooks. The flora and fauna is breathtaking and large variety of wonderful birds keep singing amidst quack-quack of ducks and swans. One must sit down for a while just to enjoy and store the fantastic view deep in the heart.
A walk down the Downing Street right in front of Trafalgar Square leads you towards the parliament square and one comes across 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the British Prime minister. One also sees the Royal Guards mounted on horse-back and wearing their bright red traditional uniforms, brass headgear and swords!
(The British are very fond of nurturing past traditions and love to follow those meticulously. Now, for instance these men on horse backs! . More of antiquity indeed !)
One may be fortunate enough to witness the daily Ceremony, the ‘Change of Guards’. Dot at 12 O’clock guards exchange their positions with much fanfare in the presence of hundreds of tourists and onlookers. Nobody would like to miss recording the event on his camera. Downing Street and Parliament square is lined by a number of statues of ex-Generals and war heroes of the first and second world wars. One must admire and appreciate the way those are cleaned and looked after unlike the pitiable conditions of our own heroes and national leaders. Parliament square naturally houses both the Houses as well as The Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and a number of life size sculptures of Abraham Lincoln, Sir Winston Churchill and recently inaugurated one of Mahatma Gandhi. And just in front of these three statues the stretched flags of all the Commonwealth countries keep fluttering majestically.
While the parliament is in session, one invariably finds some sort of demonstration or ‘agitation’, (bane or price of democracy ?) .
Nevertheless, those are usually vociferous only and by and large peaceful. I could witness many such, waiving large banners and placards.
The Big Ben is a huge tower with enormous white dialled clocks on all four sides bearing Roman digits. The clocks ring loud gongs every fifteen minutes and the sound is very much like that of a Church bell; loud serene pleasant and unique in itself!
The buildings of the parliament houses so also the Westminster Abbey are huge and beautifully carved having a peculiar muddy colour. The precincts of these places are always full of tourists at any hour of the day.
A walk further down along the bank of the Thames leads you to a wonderful Museum, the Tate Britain that houses some exquisite paintings and sculptures, which are indeed marvellous to say the least ! One must devote adequate time to see, understand and experience the grandeur of those. I have visited the Museum several times and was frequently amused. Besides huge and beautiful oil-paintings there are some exquisite sculptures too. There is a special enclosure for “Modern Art” as well, with sketches by Pablo Picasso and the likes. Once I could see a huge metal pyramid in the centre of the hall almost touching the roof above, which was ‘assembled’ using domestic kitchen utensils along with kitchen paraphernalia ! Something unique and interesting. (However, during my subsequent visit the structure had already been dismantled !)
A walk along the riverside is indeed a very pleasant experience. One invariably finds scores of ‘joggers’ sweating out there almost any hour of the day. (And that gives a clue why every Londoner looks agile, smart and youthful ; most Londoners are very health conscious these days and looking at those joggers and many full Gyms and swimming pools is perhaps a testimony to this observation!)
A stroll up to Regent Street and further on to the world famous Oxford Street exhibits some or almost all big shops renowned for their brands, quality, variety and of course cost ! The big big toy shop in Hamley’s, Marks & Spencer, Next, Harrods, Selfridges etc etc just to name a few ! Heavily flocked by locals and tourists, most of them prefer ‘window-shopping’, although carry bags with logos of Harrods or Selfridges which are certainly prestigious, big or small ! Here again, entire countries of the world are represented, here on the Oxford Street. Only the London hybrid double deckers and taxies are allowed on this road, no private vehicles. Nevertheless, it is indeed fun to walk the entire length of Oxford street right from Tottenham court to Selfridges. The footpaths on either side are double the width of the road and therefore strolling along is indeed enjoyable. (One requires to go up to Kenington to locate the mega-mall ‘Harrods’).
One can as well walk to ‘Phicadly’ (Piccadily circus), like the Broadway in U.S.! It has huge nylon or neon signboards, all of those commercials and also huge TV screens telecasting BBC news or football. It happens to be a spot that can be tick marked, “also visited”!!
A walk to Leicester square and one is confronted by scores of ‘eateries’, where one can taste and enjoy almost every cuisine of the world.
A walk on the left of Trafalgar Square takes you to the Strand region, where lot many commercial establishments operate on a huge scale. Just a short walk beyond Charing Cross station brings you to ‘Covent garden’, although not a ‘must’ to visit it houses a market with small shops selling household goods, clothes, crockery, hats, footwear, artificial jewellery and such. The prices too are negotiable in some places. Moreover, there are jugglers, tricksters, clowns and magicians etc. In fact, a place to rest one’s legs a bit. Still yonder one comes across the Indian Embassy and one may peep if suddenly nostalgic for the motherland (because you will be welcomed there with the same coldness and apathy experienced in government offices back home !).
Journey further up and you reach the second largest Cathedral in the world, the St. Paul’s. Huge premises of the Cathedral are again buzzing with tourists. Mind you, entry within the Cathedral is strictly on payment. (I was astonished to find similar practices at Canterbury and Vatican too. ) …..Anyway !
Further up, and you reach the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge across the Thames. The Tower Bridge is decidedly a marvellous landmark that no tourist would ever miss to see. The bridge bifurcates while large vessels and ships traverse the river underneath. Beautiful golden domes and wonderful construction makes it an icon indeed.
The Tower of London is a sprawling fort that was used to torture and execute thousands of prisoners centuries ago. I was certainly sad and disappointed to listen or read of those ghastly and shameful stories. However, it now houses gold, jewellery, ornaments, various jewel-studded crowns used by erstwhile kings or queens as well as the prestigious Kohinoor and its replica too.
There is also a huge store of jewel studded swords, daggers, spears, Javelins, shields and other war materials besides huge golden utensils and so on. (I was not at all fascinated knowing it fully well that most of all that belonged to our country that was looted by the erstwhile British rulers. Indeed, I could not see all that wealth, being looted wealth.) in fact, the unheard screams and shouts of those unknown prisoners kept reverberating in my ears !)
A visit to Greenwich and Canary Wharf must never be omitted while visiting London. Therefore, a short resume of the places won’t be out of place! At least that should kindle a desire to see for oneself. Otherwise, visits to the Buckingham palace, the Hyde park and Diana Memorial, Madam Tussaud’s etc are places where any London ‘sight-seeing’ buses invariably take the tourists to. Moreover, the purpose of this book is not to describe such places that are too obvious already. I would like to pinpoint and highlight those, which I feel must not be overlooked. Being a frequent visitor I have already made a note as to which places would be more desirable, besides of course the known and famous ones.
I for one would recommend a newcomer to London, to visit precincts of the Canary Wharf!
Oh, the overall milieu is electrifying, robust, enchanting, charming, ever youthful !
The Canary Wharf boasts of accommodating world’s largest Banks having huge multi-storied buildings that include Citibank, Barclays, HSBC, Bank of America and many others, busy in rolling billions and billions of money. Indeed, it is a major financial hub transacting business all over the globe.
As said earlier, the atmosphere is humming with ceaseless activity, each and every person immaculately dressed and extremely busy with swift and smart movement, seemingly in haste all the time! You as an onlooker are awed, amused. The river takes a circuitous route here, almost encircling those towering buildings. In the centre is a four storey Mall, with scores of shops, departmental stores, eateries and so on. Entire area is indeed ultramodern and ‘posh’! It makes you feel younger by at least twenty years by just visiting the place even once !!
Visiting Greenwich takes you to a different atmosphere altogether. Just next to the sprawling vast open fields of Blackheath, one is welcomed by gates of the Greenwich park where one finds a small but beautiful deer park and just beyond is the Greenwich Observatory, the Meridian line and down the hill Maritime Museum. One may also reach Greenwich via Cutty Sarc, the underground station of the Docklands Light Rail (DLR). The famous Greenwich University is opposite Maritime Museum and is humming with hundreds of students learning there. (I am always fascinated by the vibrant atmosphere of a college or university !)
While mentioning DLR just now, I must take an opportunity to speak about London’s public transport. Indeed, I am deeply impressed by the variety of public transport available, perhaps the best in the world. Besides the frequency, punctuality and convenience of the London buses, there are many many alternatives for travel within London. In fact, entire London has a thick network of Underground Trains that ensures rapid transportation of thousands of commuters, truly arterial trunks. Entire city is literally excavated by a number of underground lines, for example the Northern, District, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Central, Bakerloo and so on. Moreover, there is Overground line too. The British Rail runs services through all quarters, both within and out of London. Tram services are limited in the southern belt of London, between Addington and Beckenham up to Wimbledon via Croydon. Those too are fairly frequent, rapid and efficient, quite suitable for the elderly.
London City is divisible into six zones in a concentric centripetal fashion, Central london constituting zone one. All the buses and trams are now ‘cashless’, meaning one can travel using a prepaid Oyster card or a Day-Travel card. Total cost from zone one to zone six is around £6. However, if one plans his travel well enough, he can as well opt for zone or zones and pay much less. Moreover, any travel card is valid for any route irrespective of the zone paid for.
While moving within London one is frequently amused to find exceptional greenery everywhere with lots of tres, huge lawns, number of parks and gardens. Even well managed ‘woods’ are indeed a unique feature that truly impresses most. The parks too are beautiful with all sorts of flora, an invariably clean pond or brook where birds, swans and duck flock in plenty. Recently most parks are now equipped with free outdoor Gyms along with children’s play parks. There is usually a small café as well, where one can relish hot panini, sandwiches, tea, coffee, hot chocolates etc!
Every Council in London runs very good Public Libraries, which are very well equipped and are always busy in serving the readers as well as borrowers of books . There is no subscription fees, no deposit amount, no ‘introducer’ required! Anyone can enter, fill in a membership request form, submit or show Address proof and get membership right away ! One can borrow as many as four books at a time for up to four weeks. One can as well borrow CDs or VCDs ( on nominal charges) , use the photocopy machine and printer ( on payment !) and use the Computers free of charge ( for specified period of time )
One can use the reading room, which is well furnished with enough chairs, tables and sofas. The reference library has excellent collection of books, monographs, journals and periodicals ( for in-house reading, no borrowing). ( I could spend many many hours browsing through those and enrich myself !)
I was deeply impressed witnessing good many people using these libraries fully and borrowing books too ! ( I feel certainly sad looking at the pathetic situation of even the renowned libraries back home. )
I could also see Cafeterias adjacent to libraries, a welcome Coffee break !
That reminds of various ‘eating houses’ so abundant in London!
While moving through the city ‘eateries’ of every kind will naturally attract everybody ‘s attention, particularly those fond of food variety. I happen to be one who likes to taste (and eat !) variety of cuisine ( being Indore-born !!) This metropolis happens to be truly cosmopolitan and therefore it is not surprising that world’s best cuisines won’t be available here.
The English Breakfast is unique in itself, quite sumptuous and interesting too. Along with bread toast there is egg, bacon, fried tomato slice, baked bins, potato chips and of course cheese, butter, marmalade, jam, juice, milk, cornflakes, tea, coffee, drinking chocolate and so on, besides plenty of fruit as well ! After all, one must eat breakfast like a King !!
Among other especially English, a mention of “Fish & Chips” would not be out of place, since it constitutes almost a full meal. One may relish it seated in the ‘fish bar’ or opt for ‘take-away’! Most people prefer the Cod or Plaice nicely marinated and fried along with salt, pepper and one of the sauces!
Marks & Spencer ‘only food’ stores offer variety of sandwiches, wraps, baggets, salads, juices and so on very attractively displayed and tempting indeed ! Smaller shops such as Gregg’s, Ponty’s, Percy Ingle, Subway etc also invite your taste-buds. Pizza Huts, Domino’s, Mc Donald, Papa Jones and the likes are already universal and quite frequently encountered.
Amongst ‘Desi’ cuisines Chennai Dosa is quite famous, especially their four to six feet long Masala Dosa ! Classic South Indian dishes can be enjoyed at Sharvan Bhavan, Vasant vihar, Taste of India and the likes particularly at East Ham or in Wembley.
In fact, Indian restaurants (those include Pakistani, Nepali, Bangladeshi and Srilankan too) are plentiful and quite popular. Mostly frequented by other than Indians, those have etched their name all over England.
For those fond of sweets and cakes etc, doughnuts by Crispy-cream and Cake-bakes appear quite popular. Authentic Indian Mithai can be had in any big Indian shops at Tooting, Wembley, South Hall, Plum-stead, Harrow ; indeed all over London !
‘Pubs’ are again quite unique in this part of the world, catering all types of ‘drinks’ (and they say good food too). Being a ‘teetotaller I have never entered its precincts though !!
The names of some of those are are funny, such as The King’s Head or The Old Tigers Head or some such ! During prestigious foot ball matches or during World Cup events those are overfull, vociferous and brimming with excitement and enthusiasm. ’
Since people from almost all nations nurturing various faiths have settled down in this great city of London, respective places of worship are scattered all around. The Church of England is unique in itself although Catholic and other religions inhabit in fairly large numbers. All of them have their independent Churches or places of religious study and worship. The Hindus have their own beautiful temples, the Sikhs their Gurudwaras, Muslims their Mosques and so on. The Swami Narayan Temple at Neasden is marvellous and perhaps largest outside Asia. The beautiful sprawling premises of the Jain temple near Enfield offer tremendous peace and tranquility. Ganesh and Sathyasai temple at Merton near Wimbledon, Sri Krishna temple at Stratford, Mahalaxmi temple in East Ham, Shiva temple at Lewisham etc are the places which Hindu devotees would like to visit.
In fact, the Hindu Mahalaxmi temple and the Muslim Mosque are just neighbours, a narrow lane in between. However, religious unrest or conflicts do not make their appearance, a fact worth noting.
The overall law and order situation appears effectively handles by the administration. Almost every street and lane is regularly patrolled and monitored. It is interesting to watch pairs of horse mounted police (one invariably female !) patrolling the streets.
I must record at least two instances that truly impressed me. Once while walking around Richmond, it seems the traffic signals in a square failed. However, at least half a dozen police vans appeared on the scene within minutes and regulated the traffic manually until the electric fault of the signals was corrected.
Another occasion comes to mind when the physically handicapped son of my elderly friend fell down on the ground since the wheelchair overturned. The boy was a little bulky suffering from paralysis of both lower limbs and my friend quite frail. He rang up the police informing them the situation. And within minutes a police van along with an ambulance reached the spot, picked up the boy, the ambulance personnel examined him for any possible injury, reassured them both with pleasant words and moved away. My friend and the boy were overwhelmed with gratitude and listening to the story I was indeed happy and satisfied.
That gives me a reason to speak about the people as well, since we have been speaking about places only thus far.
Well, I have found the populace here in general as very helping, caring, quite friendly with abundant sense of humour too. An average Englishman used to be described as being too reserved and rather orthodox. That observation may or may not be true. My own perception is otherwise. (May be my own behaviour and mannerisms makes them reciprocate positively !!!)
Nevertheless, I have always experienced geniality while boarding a train or bus, in a mall or shop, why , even while walking on a footpath or in a park. A pleasant greeting with smile is quite a routine feature.
Most Londoners used to wear hats in olden days, which is now rare. Formerly many would trot about with Cigars or smoking pipes clenched between their teeth; that too is a rarity now (thanks to specified smoking zones !). Even the dress-codes have changed quite a lot and full suits with neck-ties is usually the office attire only. Traditional Bow is also rare, although some people prefer Cravats, at least in warmer climates.
Domestic pets are still fancied and most owners take pride in exhibiting their pedigree and so on.
Oh! Any conversation begins here with a comment on ‘climate’, such as ‘what a lovely weather’ or mostly ‘what an obnoxious one, truly ‘atrocious’ !! (A new-comer is frequently amused to hear same remarks everyday and few days later begins conversing likewise !!) .
Dear reader, we have been in London for quite a while. Bank holidays are approaching and we will get a long weekend. Let us go beyond London now and enjoy and experience the beauty and grandeur of the countryside as well.
So, let us visit “England beyond London”!
Well, I would recommend few days to be spent in the Midlands, Derbyshire the Peak District and Nottinghamshire as well, since it will give a vivid picture of England’s countryside. I am always eager to see the rural part of any country because one can understand and experience true culture and traditions of that geographic area.
In fact, I have always painted on the canvas of mind, a grand picture of an ideal village in my own country and visiting rural areas of any country I do try to relate, compliment, app end and edit my picture of an ideal village back home. I am glad to reiterate that I was happy to see some such villages during our excursions to the Peak District and other places too.
(My ideal village is one that is immaculately clean, peaceful, self-sufficient in all basic infrastructure etc. Etc. I was fascinated visualising such a one ever since my childhood and that urge grew with advancing years when I realised that true moral, ethical and cultural wealth of a nation is stored in the countryside. )
The sprawling lush green fields catches your attention while one leaves the Motorways and begin travel over ‘A’ roads. Excitement of driving on a Motorway is no doubt unique; speeding vehicles zooming past you in spite of your fairly good speed ; wide, smooth, three to four one way lanes ; use of proper indicators with strictly observed lane-discipline ; heavy vehicles in stipulated lanes ; use (in fact no use !) of the hard shoulder etc do make the Driving pleasurable, exciting and comfortable indeed. The ‘Services’ (stopovers or Dhabaas) is yet another feature worth mentioning since there is invariably a large parking lot, petrol pumps, eateries and sundry shops and of course clean toilets !!
However, I like the A roads more because one can see far and wide the huge fields, mountain, rivers, brooks and of course birds, sheep, cattle & horses and humans too !!
I mentioned about Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. I liked overall milieu of the landscapes. A large lake named Carsington waters is worth visiting after a three to four hour drive from London. Besides lush green gardens with beautiful flora & fauna and variety of birds chirruping, one may also enjoy rowing in the lake just to give some muscle exercise to one’s biceps, triceps, shoulders and back !
A drive towards Eyam will take you through ‘Speedwell Caverns’ which are underground lead mines about a hundred meters underneath, and one can roam around in the underground water canal in boats wearing helmets (the terrain being rocky) and view those centuries old lead mines. A very unique experience indeed !
While driving past those fields one invariably finds huge rolls of lawn grass ready for dispatch. ( We found large sheets of solar equipment around Exeter and hundreds of windmills near Cornwall. Don’t know why, but I was reminded of Don Quixote who had charged into one of the windmills ! )
The Chatsworth Palace is an old castle, quite ancient but well maintained being a tourist attraction. I am frequently amused to note how most of historical monuments are preserved and looked after in this country although having just empirical value. Most castles or forts spread all across England boast of some unique features. We have seen Windsor palace, those at Devon and the Leeds castle in Kent. Fascinating for History lovers alright but certainly tourist attractions undoubtedly.
A drive up to Matlock in the Peak District leads you to ‘Heights of Abraham’, a wonderful picnic spot. Being Situated in hilly terrain it is full of some marvellous landscapes. Two peaks of mountains are connected by cable car and one enjoys a panoramic view underneath with a gurgling river, huge trees, exquisite flora and fauna, indeed scenic beauty par excellence ! In addition to Mother Nature’s exuberance, human efforts to make it yet more exclusive must be applauded whole-heartedly. Besides breathtaking gardens, fountains, play parks etc huge tree trunks are carved in various shapes, those of variety of animals, birds, fish and even ghosts and spirits too; an interesting concept no doubt !
Drive further northward will take you into Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire and one of the places of interest would be the Centreparcs in the Sherwood Forest.
(The Centreparcs concept is unique. In fact these are well organised forests and I AM aware of five such. The one nearest London is the Woburn Forest very recently opened and situated in the north, around Watford. Another is Elveden Forest in the north-East of England near Suffolk. The third is the Longleat Forest near Bath, West England. Fourth one is Whinfell Forest in the Lake District and finally Sherwood Forest in Yorkshire near Nottingham. Mentioning Sherwood Forests invariably makes you remember the legendary (?) Robinhood, famous or otherwise for his pursuits !! )
As said earlier these forests are well organised recreational resorts housing hundreds of beautiful villas that are exquisitely well equipped for short stays. The ‘Forests’ comprise of groups of huge trees such as Ash, Maple, Fern, Birch, Oak, Pine and so on. Each variety of trees that are hundred in numbers surround a colony of villas, which are named as per type of tree surrounding them. The villas or houses are so planned that nothing except the trees surrounding them is visible. That ensures absolute privacy for each house. The Forests are indeed vast and sprawling and therefore long walks or bicycles, shop rider scooters for the elderly or a mini-train that keeps moving around at regular intervals and taking stipulated halts is the only means of transport within the forest campus.
The independent villas are well equipped with all amenities including kitchen and its paraphernalia. As already mentioned, total privacy for every house is ensured by virtue of a thick congregation of huge trees. Absolute calm and peace prevails all around except the chirrup of variety of birds or movements of rabbits or squirrels. The car-parks are far away from the residential areas (only drop and pick up permitted) and so no vehicular noises either.
Usually central part of the resort has a sort of town centre where eateries and indoor games or sports are available. Next to these can be found Badminton courts, table tennis tables, video games, Bowling games and still outside archery and mini golf too.
One of the Centreparcs had a large lake with sand beeches too, with ‘fishing’ facility. Entire area is bedecked with beautiful flower plants and creepers, fountains, gardens etc. A beautiful, tranquil, energising atmosphere and ambience indeed ! It proves to be an exciting, invigorating but tranquil outing for a few days with family and yet more enjoyable along with group of known families.
Besides England proper an excursion into Wales is equally enjoyable. Do not know why, but Wales has always been our frequently visited destination. While traversing westward, one takes M 4 right up to Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, via Windsor, Swindon, Newport etc. In order to enter Wales the Bristol Channel must be crossed, and one encounters ‘7 Bridges’, a beautiful and magnificent engineering marvel. Oh ! It's scenic, huge and exciting. One must pay toll tax while using the bridge and entry into Wales, which is understandable.
Wales greets you with peculiar signboards saying ‘Welcome to Wales’ but with some very long words almost a mile long with weird looking letters, very difficult even for the British to pronounce or read, leave aside other foreigners !
Cardiff is no doubt a beautiful city spread out far and wide and divisible into East, Central and West Cardiff. One may enter the town and drive through it just for fun and quench curiosity. Further westward drive over M 4 takes you to Swansea. In fact the Motorway ends at Port Talbot and A road takes you to the wonderful towns Mumbles and Gower, situated adjacent to almost a seven mile long beech. It's indeed a beautiful, quiet, clean beech where one may either walk or board a wooden mini train that shuttles between the two towns along the beech. On the coast side one finds rows of beautiful single houses, quite different from the almost monotonous houses so common in London. Each house here is unique and exuberant with variety of bewitching flowers and creepers, indeed a treat to watch !
On the right of Port Talbot one finds entire area surrounded by tall mountains where good many holiday homes are available. We had booked the Goitre Resort in advance that was located in a deep valley surrounded by huge mountains around. Oh ! The milieu was truly exciting, being a true Jungle resort.
One can imagine the thrill of spending a few days having such marvellous ambience. Small houses made from logs of woods, externally looking rugged and simple yet very well equipped with all amenities within ; huge trees and mountain cliffs all around ; continuously gurgling clean brook flowing very near the doorsteps ; a deep, serene tranquility all around except chirrup of various birds and rhythmic gurgle of the brook gives one tremendous peace experienced in a deep jungle, indeed an ideal place to be one with oneself.
Just beyond Swansea about forty miles away is yet another breathtaking place worth visiting by both devout or otherwise individuals. ‘Stand vale’ is quite a remote place that can be reached through ‘B’ or perhaps ‘C’ type of roads, the lanes being too narrow allowing only a single car at a time. One has to trudge that ‘road’ for at least fifteen twenty miles, that too negotiating many a bumps and bends, valleys and culverts and occasional group of cattle too en route ! However, on reaching the place one certainly exclaims a grunt of joy and satisfaction. There are three Hindu Temples managed by white Britishers taken to Hinduism. They perform all sorts of worship meticulously as enjoined by Vedas and Shastras. The Mahakali temple on the hillock houses a huge black marble idol of Goddess Mahakali, adorned with exquisite jewellery, ornaments, flowers and garlands. The overall atmosphere is grand, beautiful and serene. Hundreds of oil lamps lit there make everything bright and awesome and that’s why I said both ‘devotees and non-devotees’ would like to see the place for themselves!
The huge Venkatesha idol reclining over a large rock in the centre of a lake and surrounded by rocks and idols of other god heads is another piece of marvel worth visiting. The white marble full length reclining sculptor is almost ten feet long with Goddess Laxmi near the Lord’s feet and even Brahma the four faced God seated majestically over the lotus arising from the Lord’s umbilicus. All the sculptors are in white marble having beautiful faces. The deities are worshipped thrice a day with the priest standing in the ice-cold waters of the lake irrespective of season. Moreover, worship is performed with meticulous religious fervour and detail. It is indeed interesting and intriguing to watch entire exercise in such remote part of the world, thousands of miles away from India the very birthplace of Hinduism !
While returning from the lovely atmosphere of Skanda vale one can peep into Bath, the ‘Roman City’ in England, as well as the Cheddar Caves that provide another scintillating experience.
The city of Bath is famous for its natural hot springs and eighteenth century Georgian architecture. The overall milieu is Roman. The River Avon (Bristol) flows majestically by its side. It is a beautiful small city worth visiting, just to experience Roman holidays !!
The Cheddar caves are also fascinating, since modern gadgets used for describing factual and historical aspects of their interiors are quite educative as well as interesting. One can walk deep inside, safely and comfortably. A drive through the serpentine motorway up to almost top of the huge mountains there is quite thrilling.
Visit to Shakespeare’s town in Warwickshire, Stratford upon Avon to be precise should be a ‘must’ for all those admirers of William Shakespeare, giant among western literary legends. The beautiful village adjoining River Avon is about twenty miles south of Birmingham. Birthplace of the Legend, it houses the ancestral timber house, a museum and library. Overall, it gives a truly rural yet magnificent atmosphere worth treasuring into one’s bosom.
Those history lovers and admirers of our own legendary figures will never miss Bristol from their itinerary, where the Samadhi or tomb of Raja Ram Mohan Roy is located. Anyone will be prompted to pay his respects and obeisance unto the great social reformer from India.
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument famous as one of the wonders in England, no, Europe ! It is said to be before 3000 BC , a British heritage in Wiltshire west England. Those more inquisitive can always search for details, it should be sufficient to mention it nevertheless !
While we are in western part of England, why not travel further west to see and experience some exquisite places as well ?
To begin with, I may recommend Devon and its surroundings. The Devon Park boasts of a Caravan Park located along shores of the Atlantic. Oh, it’s a marvellous colony comprising hundreds of ‘static’ Caravans.
Each Caravan is well equipped with all amenities for short stays and there are hundreds of such, almost a small township. This township is located on a small hillock adjoining the vast clean beech just underneath. The panoramic view of the ocean with continuos cool breeze and hundreds of seagulls flocking around makes a scintillating, vibrant ambience. Indeed a wonderful break from usual routine. L
Travelling into Cornwall, the southwest end of England is yet again an exciting, nay, thrilling experience by virtue of its hilly terrain, steep roads with unexpected bends and culverts as well as a rugged but robust make up. Places worth visit would be Tintagel and the waterfalls, some exquisite gardens particularly ‘The Lost Gardens of Heligan’ or some such, which apart from being marvellous are so sprawling as to prove to be ‘breathtaking’, indeed exasperating !!
A drive down to The Minack Theatre should be a must in order to experience absolute calm, tranquility, grandeur and beauty of the gigantic Atlantic ! I must not describe the wonder of this place since the reader will be forced to experience it for himself !
Visit to Land’s End where America is just a long shout away, just across ‘the pond’ completes visit to Cornwall, of course not before relishing the famous Cornish Pastie !!!
Visits to various beaches down south are always refreshing and enjoyable. Each and every beech in England is absolutely clean, well looked after and safe as well with added features that attract people from Midlands and tourists alike. In fact summer, which is usually of shorter duration forces most British to visit these shores and so those are ever full of holiday makers.
Beeches worth visiting would be Dymchurch, , St. Mary’s bay, Southend on sea, Bournemouth, Brighten, Devon park, etc. There would invariably be large beautiful gardens with exquisite flora adjoining the beaches along with recreational facilities making one’s visit worthwhile indeed. Bournemouth hosts exciting air-shows every year, when all kinds of aircraft including those used during both world wars actively participate and thousands of onlookers are thrilled to watch their acrobatics while a live commentary makes everyone awed and glued to their seats.
I must recommend yet another beautiful place that should not be missed ! The Sheffield Park Gardens down south in East Sussex, about five miles from Hayword Heath is indeed a slice from heaven to say the least. Acres of woodland is converted into bewitching sprawling garden indeed indescribable in words; it must be seen, experienced and preserved deep into one’s bosom. Any description from a poet, scribe or even a philosopher would fall short to paint its grandeur and beauty and so I leave it to the reader to appreciate !
While moving around England it would be sinful if Ox-Cam is omitted ! Oxford and Cambridge are the places of learning renowned the world over since centuries. While the Oxford University is replete with historic monumental buildings housing every branch of knowledge and learning, the University of Cambridge is unique in many aspects. River Cam flows through Cambridge giving it a magnificent ambience altogether. And therefore it becomes mandatory to travel in a boat (punting) just to have an overview (interview ?) of Cambridge City.
One is truly awed and introvert while passing across various institutions of higher learning, which are thickly populated by knowledge-savvy students drawn from all over the world. One is indeed fascinated to experience the serene, holy and enlightening atmosphere so very evident all around, making you a little jealous of those fortunate students engaged in higher learning. Indeed, I have always honoured and loved such Institutions of Learning that may be anywhere in the world. ‘Knowledge is Power’ as the saying goes and these places are indeed the powerhouses!
Libraries in such places must always be unique and Ox-Cam could never be an exception! Indeed, both boast of possessing every single book or publication that be in entire world. Moreover, these are always full of enthusiastic and earnest readers and quite understandably too!
I do envy the Teachers over here who spend their best years for the sake of Teaching and modelling thousands of learned souls.
Indeed, one of the greatest Teachers my own country has produced was Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India, whose only aim, objective, dream and mission remained to be ever remembered as a Teacher, nothing more nothing less! I salute him, the greatest son of India, nay, the world !!
Now, dear reader! Narration of ‘Spectacular England’ is coming to a close but I am aware it is not complete yet. I could speak about the places we visited thus far, in England and Wales only. There is much much more to be seen, experienced and chronicled. However, you can get a glimps of this beautiful, vibrant, well organised country while browsing these pages and I shall be happy if your curiosity is kindled to see yet more of this small island !
Jai Sairam !
Best wishes,
Dr. Rahalkar
