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mollyringleBeen a while since I've posted, hasn't it? Well, besides ordinary work keeping me busy, there have been writing projects - nothing I'm getting paid for (yet), mind, but slightly more official than writing LJ posts - and there has also been planning for the vacation ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
radiofreecarbon and I will be taking in early April. We shall be spending two weeks in Great Britain. Huzzah! Plane tickets are bought (British Airways is a pleasant ride, right?), passports are mailed in for renewal, and I'm surfing for hotel ideas.
Observation: when an American plans a UK vacation, she will eventually end up in a cheerful mood simply because the place names start sounding funnier and funnier. Wodehouse did not exaggerate on these. I came across a Lower Limpley Stoke (street, I think) in the Bath area. Limpley Stoke. Limpley Stoke. Say it a few times; it's fun. Also found a Tooting Bec station on the London Underground map - the glorious, famous map that makes me happy just looking at it. And we're just scratching the surface on funny British place-names, here. But on to more pressing matters:
Since we'll only have two weeks, we'll have to pick and choose what to see. The British Museum in London is a must, and will probably take two or three days, at least when you add in other things we might want to see in London. I want to take a ghost tour in underground Edinburgh, which I somehow managed not to do the entire time I lived there. I want to see the highlands a bit - Inverness and nearby Loch Ness, say. Not sure what else. Bath, maybe? It consistently wins the Britain in Bloom competition, and things tend to be in bloom in April; plus it has nifty Roman ruins. Don't think we'll have time for the southwest peninsula (St. Ives et al), Wales, or Ireland, alas. So we're pretty much talking England and Scotland.
And here, friends, is what I need from you: what should I read on the trip? I want a book that, if you're not from the UK, made you long to go there, made you pine for Britain like you've never pined for a country before. Or, if you are from Britain, a book that made you proud of your heritage, that struck you as a good and flattering representation of the li'l island. It has to be an interesting book: I don't want to get bored, or find myself thinking that watching the numbers change on the train station arrival board is more interesting than reading. It also should concern itself with the geography to some degree. Jane Austen, for instance, while a lovely and fun writer, tends to keep her characters indoors, in one house, so although she was a British writer, you don't get a lot of feel for Britain itself by reading her. Shakespeare is plays and therefore just dialogue, albeit pretty dialogue. Locales in Harry Potter tend not to exist, so that isn't helpful either. The Mists of Avalon would be a good choice, but a) I've already read it, and b) it's too physically large to haul around while traveling. Keep size of book in mind as well. Also I'd prefer it to be cheerful on the whole (no Thomas Hardy).
Think about it. You have till April to come up with something, so late comments are fine. I just want to hear your suggestions and reviews before we leave. Thank ye!
radiofreecarbon and I will be taking in early April. We shall be spending two weeks in Great Britain. Huzzah! Plane tickets are bought (British Airways is a pleasant ride, right?), passports are mailed in for renewal, and I'm surfing for hotel ideas.Observation: when an American plans a UK vacation, she will eventually end up in a cheerful mood simply because the place names start sounding funnier and funnier. Wodehouse did not exaggerate on these. I came across a Lower Limpley Stoke (street, I think) in the Bath area. Limpley Stoke. Limpley Stoke. Say it a few times; it's fun. Also found a Tooting Bec station on the London Underground map - the glorious, famous map that makes me happy just looking at it. And we're just scratching the surface on funny British place-names, here. But on to more pressing matters:
Since we'll only have two weeks, we'll have to pick and choose what to see. The British Museum in London is a must, and will probably take two or three days, at least when you add in other things we might want to see in London. I want to take a ghost tour in underground Edinburgh, which I somehow managed not to do the entire time I lived there. I want to see the highlands a bit - Inverness and nearby Loch Ness, say. Not sure what else. Bath, maybe? It consistently wins the Britain in Bloom competition, and things tend to be in bloom in April; plus it has nifty Roman ruins. Don't think we'll have time for the southwest peninsula (St. Ives et al), Wales, or Ireland, alas. So we're pretty much talking England and Scotland.
And here, friends, is what I need from you: what should I read on the trip? I want a book that, if you're not from the UK, made you long to go there, made you pine for Britain like you've never pined for a country before. Or, if you are from Britain, a book that made you proud of your heritage, that struck you as a good and flattering representation of the li'l island. It has to be an interesting book: I don't want to get bored, or find myself thinking that watching the numbers change on the train station arrival board is more interesting than reading. It also should concern itself with the geography to some degree. Jane Austen, for instance, while a lovely and fun writer, tends to keep her characters indoors, in one house, so although she was a British writer, you don't get a lot of feel for Britain itself by reading her. Shakespeare is plays and therefore just dialogue, albeit pretty dialogue. Locales in Harry Potter tend not to exist, so that isn't helpful either. The Mists of Avalon would be a good choice, but a) I've already read it, and b) it's too physically large to haul around while traveling. Keep size of book in mind as well. Also I'd prefer it to be cheerful on the whole (no Thomas Hardy).
Think about it. You have till April to come up with something, so late comments are fine. I just want to hear your suggestions and reviews before we leave. Thank ye!
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Re:
Date: 2004-02-20 12:13 pm (UTC)Books Of The English Persuasion:
Date: 2004-02-19 11:37 am (UTC)For cheerful books, well, there I can't help you. These ones are also amusing because they were written in the 1880s, so they use the typical slang from back then.
There's somehow something funny about hearing a young boy say, "Oh never fear, I's 'mazing strong, and I ken carry this like winkin'."
-Ké.
no subject
Date: 2004-02-19 11:41 am (UTC)Anyway, I don't think it's what you're looking for, but I do think Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island is a must-read before going to the UK. Absolutely hilarious!
Re:
Date: 2004-02-19 03:07 pm (UTC)Along the Mists of Avalon line, you could always try the Mary Stewart Merlin books: The Crystal Cave; The Hollow Hills; The Last Enchantment; and The Wicked Day. For your purposes, I would suggest the first or second. The last will make you long to go to Orkney, which is out-of-the-way and time-consuming. Each volume is relatively small and transportable, but all four together = Mists of Avalon for inconvenience. Stewart spent a good deal of time researching location, language, etc. for these novels, and one can identify where most of the action occurs given a good map of Britain.
Enjoy your trip! I wish I could go back.
~A
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Date: 2004-02-20 12:15 pm (UTC)Re:
Date: 2004-02-20 12:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-02-19 02:04 pm (UTC)Re:
Date: 2004-02-20 12:15 pm (UTC)Re:
Date: 2004-02-20 04:57 pm (UTC)And just because this one shares a name with the NY town in which I reside, I'll quote one here:
ROCHESTER (n.)
One who is able to gain occupation of the armrest on both sides of their cinema or aircraft seat.
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Date: 2004-02-19 02:40 pm (UTC)Another interesting one is Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. My youngest sister was in London earlier this month and she was thrilled to see Knightsbridge and all sorts of other places mentioned in the book!
Also, eeeee! You lucky duck! I haven't been to England for seven years, and it's a wonderful place. :)
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Date: 2004-02-20 12:16 pm (UTC)It's been about seven years for me, too. V. excited. :)
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Date: 2004-02-19 04:48 pm (UTC)Re:
Date: 2004-02-20 12:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-02-19 06:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-02-19 06:39 pm (UTC)http://london-hotels.travelape.com/the-queensgate-hotel-london.html
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Date: 2004-02-20 12:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-02-20 10:24 am (UTC)Re:
Date: 2004-02-20 12:22 pm (UTC)What I will need from you, though, is further information on what is going on with all the different railways in Britain. I was trying to find a fare online from, say, London to Edinburgh by rail, and quickly learned that British Rail is not the only option. Good thing, too - they were neither cheap nor fast, compared to some of the others. However, where do you get tickets for these others? Are they all sold at whatever station you plan to leave from (e.g., Kings Cross)? Or do you need special arrangements to travel on, say, GNER rather than Brit Rail? Forgive me for the lame questions. I come from a country where we only have one national passenger rail service, and it's a clunky one at that...
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Date: 2004-02-21 06:45 am (UTC)http://www.nationalrail.co.uk, you also have budget airlines you can try too... such as www.easyjet.co.uk which you might want to do a price comparision with the trains on.
GNER are not the best of the networks, unfortunately they have the franchaise for the east coast main line. And demand you have tickets before travelling, tickets should be available from ANY station ticket office or booked on line at the address above.
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Date: 2004-02-21 03:09 pm (UTC)Yeah, it looked like GNER had nearly all the London/Embra trains on that site, but at least they're fast.
We were thinking of taking a flight to Scotland instead, but it looks like you end up paying more in taxes and fees than you do for the actual ticket. In any case, it will depend on whether we want to see anything along the way (York? I don't know...). We may just be limiting it to London, Southampton (for a day or two - that's where some friends are living), Edinburgh, and Inverness. That's plenty for two weeks.
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Date: 2004-02-21 03:12 pm (UTC)Re:
Date: 2004-02-20 12:26 pm (UTC)Re:
Date: 2004-02-21 06:47 am (UTC)Re:
Date: 2004-03-29 08:14 am (UTC)hmm
Date: 2004-02-20 08:11 pm (UTC)really.. my mum used to cry when she read anything by him after emmergrating!
If Only They Could Talk, All Creatures Great and Small... anything by him really...
You could also try Anthony Trollop...
or if you wish for something more modern you could try Joanna Trollop... (others people's children is my fav)
although they both seem to be more centered about people and their relationships, they could work for you.
Georgette Heyer is good if you're after a bit of non- serious fluff.
Re: hmm
Date: 2004-02-21 11:42 am (UTC)I used to read Herriott in high school. Haven't yet read either of the Trollops, but I did just pick up a Georgette Heyer book, as it happens. Must be fate.
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Date: 2004-02-21 02:31 pm (UTC)On a lighter note, Alastair Scott's Native Stranger really enhanced my experience the last time I drove around Scotland. The author, having been away from his homeland for years, decides to get to know the country again, by biking around it. It's informative, thoughtful, and funny, and if you read it while you are there, you will recognise things he's talking about all the time.
And if you didn't go to The Pond while you lived in Edinburgh, go there now! Without a doubt the best pub in town, and a well-kept secret way down in darkest Leith. Worth it for the 1974 gaming machine alone.
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Date: 2004-02-23 06:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-02-22 05:18 am (UTC)Getting close to the Welsh border is Gloucestershire, which is a lovely county. Gloucester is a nice city with an attractive cathedral, and even without crossing into Wales there are some good castles about, if you like castles.
As for books, it looks like you have lots of recommendations! On The Black Hill by Bruce Chatwin is a good read - it's about Welsh life and nothing much happens, but it's a lovely book. Bernard Cornwell is a great, entertaining author. He's most famous for his Sharpe novels, but I love the Warlord Chronicles, about King Arthur and set in the fifth century. Gallow's Thief isn't bad either - set during the Napoleonic Wars but mostly based in London. Or you could read his Stonehenge, which might be fun if you get a chance to see the stone circle.
The best London writer of course is Dickens. I'd recommend Little Dorrit. The plot's really incidental to some great description and biting social satire.
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Date: 2004-02-23 06:10 pm (UTC)The Globe! I'd forgotten! That might be a must as well...
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Date: 2004-02-23 02:49 am (UTC)If you do have the time, York is well worth visiting. It's a beautiful city, very 'olde English' and quaint.
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Date: 2004-02-23 08:54 pm (UTC)For the trains, the Britrail pass - available only to those visiting the UK from outside - may be a better deal. I'm doing the math on it to figure it all out...:)
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Date: 2004-02-24 04:54 pm (UTC)i will test my brain thinking of more for you to read. If you want a nice b+b to stay in instead of hotel, Alistair Sawday writes a book called "special places to stay", often cheaper, more personal and generally lovelier than hotels.
no subject
Date: 2004-03-12 02:04 pm (UTC)Diana Gabaldon's books are supposedly really good. I have never read them, but they're all my mom can ever talk about, and she's really into British History.
If you're more into comedy, or light reading, try Confessions of a Shopaholic. 'Twas hilariously funny - people were looking at me as if I was rather insane when I was reading it on a bench in the airport.
I have to second Neverwhere. I absolutely loved it.
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Date: 2004-03-12 05:45 pm (UTC)And I rather liked the first Diana Gabaldon book (Outlander), but it was getting kind of schmaltzy and silly by the end. It was like romance novel meets time travel. I'm not entirely sure why her series gets taken so seriously. *shrug*
But I'll look up the other one you mention, and as it happens, I've already bought a copy of Neverwhere to take along. Such luck!