Welcome to Old York! (It’s been waiting for you!) After checking out Chatsworth House, we drove north to the city of York. I wanted to see York for a few reasons: first, I really wanted to see the medieval wall that encircles it; second, I heard they had a great Viking museum; three, a couple…

Chatsworth House is the inspiration behind Jane Austen’s fictional country house Pemberley, owned by Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.  Jane visited Chatsworth House in 1811 with some relatives. Her protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, takes a similar trip in the novel and happens upon Pemberley while Mr. Darcy is away from his estate. Elizabeth is charmed…

At the end of our stay in London, my partner and I checked out of our hotel and went to pick up our rental car. Then they had the adrenaline-filled experience of driving on the left hand side of the road in city traffic as we made our way out of London. Have I mentioned…

On Monday morning, my partner and I went up to the Sky Garden for a (free!) view over London. The view below overlooks the Thames, St. Paul’s Cathedral to the right, and the London Eye to the distant left. Below is a closer view of the London Eye. Closer look at St. Paul’s and some…

After the flower market, my partner and I then got to finally explore the Tower of London. It was a grey and drizzly morning. We started by doing a walk of the curtain wall around the entire site to get the lay of the land. We explored different towers and buildings as we came across…

Leadenhall Market was within walking distance of where we were staying in London. It is in the financial district, and is one of the oldest markets in London dating back to the 14th century. The market stands on what was once the centre of Roman London. The current architectural features of the market were designed…