Write Around The Corner // Beth Turnbull

Get settled and grab a cup of tea because this is going to be a long one folks! Three countries. Five hotels. Thirteen cities. Ten days. That was my vacation. My first trip overseas. My grand European tour. My family and I started in London and made our way North throughout England, up through Wales and Scotland, and then South back down to London, and we saw amazing things. Because it was my first time overseas and my parents' first time to the U.K. we decided to join a pre-determined tour. If you're interested in that here is the website: http://www.globusjourneys.com/tour/britain-sampler/ge/ Britain Sampler. That's truly what it was. Some of the places we went we spent mere hours in. If I were to go back I think I would attempt to go to a few fewer places and spend more time in each one. We started off in London which was a beautiful city. The mix of new and old architecture and the expanse of parks made me so happy. We saw beautiful art at the Victoria and Alb...

In one of my recent posts, I talked about things I wasn't expecting when I visited the U.K., here are some of the things I will miss the most now that I'm home. 1. Ancient architecture and I mean ancient . The United States has only been a country for about 240 years which really isn't that long when you consider that Great Britain has been around since the 10th century. As someone who loves history (y'all know how much I love George Washington) being in castles and towers that have been standing for centuries was otherworldly. If you ever make your way across the pond to London you must go to the Tower of London and Windsor Castle. 2. Three-course dinners, every night. Every time we had a dinner at our hotel we had a starter, a main, and a dessert. Every time. Dinner would start at around seven in the evening with wine and continue through three courses followed by coffee and tea. We would be at the table for two hours or more. It was nice not to rush since I u...

I just got back from a whirlwind 10 day trip throughout England, Wales, and Scotland. It was phenomenal. Before departing I knew there would be some cultural differences between the U.S. and the U.K., but there were a few things I didn't account for. Here are my top four: 1. Public restrooms, or "toilets," are not free. This was shocking to me, each town we visited had a public toilet with a coin-operated entry. There was even an employee at the door to give change if you didn't have the right coins. Using the restroom costs 20 pence, which is about 26 cents in American currency. The U.K. is willing to employ someone to give people change at a restroom. Let that sink in. 2. Hotel beds only have one sheet. Those of you who know me well know that I love Hampton Inns. I can't explain it, I just do. So when I first arrived at the Hilton London Metropole I figured I knew what I was getting into. However, I soon discovered that no matter what city I was in, on...