Posts Tagged ‘Great Britain’
What Lonely Planet Says About Britain
May 28, 2011
Lonely Planet is the largest travel guide book publisher in the world. Not only this but it has the distinctive reputation for being the ‘cool’ guide to places and people, often drawing the reader’s attention to things other publications would omit. Furthermore, people trust its verdict implicitly. That is why it is such a blow that Lonely Planet published an incredibly un-charitable view of Britain recently.
Among the things said in the verdict was a description of the country’s economy as “dicey”, along with a condemnation of the citizens as junk food guzzling celebrity addicts. It also used the term “eye-sore” to describe some of the architecture, and “uninspiring” to describe a certain place, while also making a point about the country’s fondness for an alcoholic drink.
This is very bad news for Britain, especially in such hard times, as tourists who think favourably of Britain are more likely to put up with high prices, and are likely to see negatives as ‘charmingly British’. Having the worst of its qualities brought into focus by Lonely Planet makes it quite unlikely that people will fork out for their overpriced Gastro pub meal, or buy tacky Blackpool merchandise.
There were some positives, though, and it’s important to focus on these. Manchester, for example, is said to contain “world-class museums and heavyweight art galleries”, while also drawing attention to its infamous nightlife. London is described as perhaps one of the great cities of the world, and the likes of Oxford and York have apparently maintained their English charm.
The worst part about the whole thing, though, is that many of the criticisms of the country will ring true with many readers. There are places in Britain that are poorly maintained, and there is a tendency among the citizens to prioritise new about celebrities, while eating a microwave meal, or worse some fast food. The country can still salvage some pride, however, in its unrivalled cities, and its unspoiled historic areas.
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Dogs And Temporary Kennels
April 9, 2010
Are you the type of dog owner who likes to take your companion with you wherever you go? If you are then you know that that there are times when you can do this, but there are also times when you can not, for whatever reason.
On the occasions when that happens, you will usually have to to find a boarding kennels that will take care of your dog while you are away.
A vacation is a time for relaxing, so you do not want to be worrying about your dog, if you can help it. Within your own country, it is not usually a big problem, but if you go abroad, then taking your dog can be more trouble than it is worth. Not only for you, but for your doggy friend too.
If you can not place your dog with someone it knows, like a member of your family or a neighbour, then the only alternative is a boarding kennels.
I have placed my dog in a bad kennel once and I learned a few lessons from that. I placed my Becky in a kennel in a highly regarded village just outside our town. I was happy with what I saw and the sales pitch of the owner, so I went to Spain, thinking that all was fine for both of us. I had a great holiday and went straight to the kennels from the airport on my return, although I had told them a fortnight before that I would pick Becky up the day after my arrival. I just could not wait to see her.
I went to the kennels and they were surprised to see me. Of course, I was a day early. They said that Becky was ‘resting’ and that it would be better to ‘come back tomorrow’. No way! So they took me to see her. I nearly cried. She was sitting in a good sized cage, but on newspaper sodden with pee.
She saw me and just looked down at her paws. I called her name again, but she did not want to know. I paid the bill and put her in the car on the front passenger seat where she always sat. She just looked out the window and showed no interest in me whatsoever.
It took three days before she would speak to me again! The moral of this story is not to be impressed by big adverts or impressive locations as I was. Ask your dog-owning friends, write into the local paper inviting recommendations, phone the local animal protection society or the kennel club or look on the Internet.
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Barry, South Wales: Ancient History: Part 3
April 6, 2010
Barry Castle was owned by William de Barri in the twelfth century, but it was raized to the ground by Llewellyn Bren in 1316. Many believe that the Cavaliers rebuilt and that the Roundheads destroyed it again. Whatever is true, it was never rebuilt again after that.
The Normans were hated by the locals and they had to build large mansions to protect themselves from the frequent attacks carried out on them from the people of the valleys and mountains. During the time of Henry III, there were 12 castles within six miles of Barry. In Glamorgan, there were 30 castles and in south Wales as a whole, 150.
Porthkerry and the church to its west is said to have taken its name from Ceri, who, it is said, founded a port ‘Port Ceri’. It is believed that Ceri ap Caid, the King of Essyllwg, lived in Porthkerry before the Christian era. His bard, Corvinor, is stated to have been the first to have built a ship with sails and a rudder for the race of Cymru. Some believe that Ceri was a nephew or grandson of Caractacus (Caradog) and that he assumed the head of government in south Wales when Caractacus was sent to Rome.
John Wesley preached in the Porthkerry Church and sometimes outside in the churchyard too between 1741 and 1743. Today, there are two very old churches still in use in Barry: St. Cadocs Church in Cadoxton and Merthyr Dyfan Church in Merthyr Dyfan. One-hundred-and-fifty years ago, Cadoxton was the largest village in the Barry area: thus, in 1844 the Parliamentary register contained 25 names: 20 from Cadoxton and five from Barry. The one church was dedicated to St. Cadoc, who had been accustomed to spend Lent on Flat Holm and Barry Island. The village (Cadoc’s Town)took its name from the church, which was founded in 800 AD.
Merthyr Dyfan Church, situated in the north of Barry, was founded in 600 AD and the name means Dyfan The Martyr. There were two saints of this name: one journeyed to Barry to convert the inhabitants to Christianity; the second lived in the Sixth Century and was the son of a Welsh chieftain. His sister was also martyred and the town of Merthyr Tydfil is named after her.
The Christian faith grew very quickly in the Vale of Glamorgan and in the middle of the second century, the Prince of Siluria, Llewrwg, became the first king, of any country in the world in all history, to be baptized into the Christian faith. He sent to Rome for more Chritian teachers and was sent two monks named Dyfan and Fagan. Dyfan was martyred near the church and the Fagan was canonized. St. Fagan’s situated between Barry and Cardiff was named after him.
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