BRITAIN - Travel tips and information

BRITAIN: Exciting cities, historic places rich in heritage, stunning countryside and beautiful coastlines. There's a destination to suit everyone in Britain. Destinations and maps click here....

POPULATION: 61.4 million
MAIN AIRPORT: London Heathrow
CURRENCY: Pound Sterling 1GPB equivalent to 1.60 CAD
LANGUAGE: English, Welsh, Gaelic, Scots
MAIN TOWNS: London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast

COUNTRIES: Britain is full of contrasts; whichever direction you travel you will find a wide variety of landscapes and diverse cultures to explore. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are all unique countries with their own customs, cultures and tradition.
England is the largest country in Britain, and home to the largest city in Europe, 600 miles of beautiful coastline, and a population almost three times that of Australia. Guide ....
Scotland is everything you imagine - whiskey, golf, romance of the clans and a wealth of castles and historic sites. The Highlands area is one of the last wildernesses in Europe. Guide ....
Wales is different from other parts of Britain and just 2 hours from Heathrow Airport. With 400 castles, yet only one official motorway, you have to take things at a gentle pace. Guide....
Northern Ireland. Vibrant cities with shopping, nightlife and festivals, outdoor activities, fabulous food and unspoiled retreats where you can unwind, relax and recharge. Guide.....

HISTORY:
Great Britain was the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century and played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its peak, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy. Click to read more....

GETTING THERE:
There are many flight options from the major cities across Canada to the main airports in Britain. Air Canada, British Airways and Air Transat all offer direct flights into London's main airports as well as other locations in Britain. May to October is high season so if considering a trip during these months it is advisable to plan early.

CAR RENTALS
Hiring a car is a great way to travel around Britain at your own pace. You can use one for your whole visit or for a short part of it. You'll need to have a full, valid licence issued in your country of residence and held for at least a year (some companies ask for 2 years). If your licence is not issued by an EC/ECA country, an International Driver's Permit may be required. Check out the information on driving regulations........

SPECIAL EVENTS 2011 AND THINGS TO DO:
The Royal Wedding - On April 29th Prince William will marry Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey, London. The day has been declared a public holiday.
London Theatre - This year promises a number of big shows. Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Wizard of Oz at The London Palladium. A much anticipated musical version of the 1990 film Ghost, at the Piccadilly Theatre, directed by Matthew Warchus .
London theatre guide click here....
The Stage - The Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon. For a schedule of what's playing click here....

GETTING AROUND:
Travelling by rail - Britain's rail network is modern and efficient. It covers all the main cities as well as smaller regional towns. The network is made up of a few large companies, which run routes from London to stations all over Britain, and smaller companies running routes in regional areas. You can buy a train ticket for any departure point to any destination on the National Rail network at any train station. National Rail schedules and fares.....
Rail Passes - If you're going to make lots of train journeys, there are a number of Britrail passes available to help you get the best value. Click here....
Fast trains to airports - The Heathrow Express train is the fastest way to get into central London from London Heathrow airport. Trains depart every 15 minutes and take just 15 minutes to reach London Paddington train and underground station. Click here.....
The Gatwick Express train is the fastest way to get into central London from Gatwick Airport. Trains depart every 15 minutes and take just 30 minutes to reach London Victoria train, bus and underground station. Click here....
London Travel Card - unlimited 1 or 7 day travel passes for London's underground, buses and trains. Click here for info....

SIGHTSEEING:
London Sightseeing Pass - Free entry to over 50 top London attractions. Save up to £500 on entrance fees. Click here for info....
Great British Heritage Pass - Free entry to over 580 castles, gardens and stately homes.
Click here for info
Attractions in England - click here....
Attractions in London - click here....
Attractions in Scotland - click here....
Attractions in Whales - click here....
Family day out: Castles offer great family days out, with events, exhibitions and activities available in wonderful surroundings for the whole family to enjoy. For the TOP 10 family days out at Britains castles click here....

TRAVELLERS TIPS:
Free Mobile Guides - You can now get loads of top website information including destinations guides, maps, attractions, events and accommodation listings live and completely free to your mobile phone. Bye bye guidebooks! Free guides to your mobile....
Tourist Guides - Blue Badge Guides are registered, professional tourist guides who are passionate about British history, art, literature, and traditions, and know how to bring them to life. Tourist guides ......

GREAT BRITAIN'S WORLD HERITAGE SITES
There are a number of sites in Britain recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites : Hadrian's Wall, Westminster Abbey, Giant's Causeway, Bath, and Canterbury Cathedral to name a few. These sites range from natural beauties like the Dorset and East Devon coast to cultural riches such as The Tower of London and Stonehenge. To view a list of these sites click here.....

COACH TOURS Sit back relax and watch the British countryside roll out before your eyes on an escorted coach tour. Traveling in luxury motor-coaches and with the expertise of a professional guide you will travel further and learn more than when traveling independently. An escorted coach tour has one all-inclusive price, and there are many tour companies offering a range of itineraries taking you to all corners of England, Scotland and Wales.
Insight Vacations offers a variety of tours from as few as 4 days up to 22 days with their most popular tours filling quickly. When booking early you save: pay in full 10 months prior to departure and save 7.5%, pay in full 6 months prior and save 5%. Single travellers savings with Insights match program, they will match you with someone of the same gender so you don't have to pay the single supplement. Click here for Insights Britain & Ireland tour info....
Globus, Cosmos, Monograms provide a variety of vacations that address the needs of today's diverse travelers. Whether its fully escorted, premium or independent.
Globus offers luxury escorted coach tours of Britain and Ireland. Globus tour info ....
Cosmos offers affordable escorted coach tours of Britain and Ireland. Cosmos tour info ....
Monograms combines freedom and helpful assistance so you get more fun and less hassle with your vacation. Book on select 2011 Europe Vacations and save $200. Monograms tour info ....
Trafalgar offers a variety of travel experiences: first class escorted coach tours, CostSaver tours, At Leisure and Family Experiences. Trafalgar tour info....
Collette offersa variety of travel styles: educational, small group and family tours. For tours click on the following Educational, Family vacations, Scotland, Wales

Contact Womens Travel Network if you require assistance with planning your trip to Britain.
P: 905-771-8338 or toll free 1-888-419-0118
Email: info@womenstravelnetwork.ca

Florence - the last hurrah

For our last day in Florence the ladies visited the galleries. Some went to the Uffizi and the others went to admire Michelangelo's statue of David. Each gallery has magnificent works of art by famous masters. The balance of the day was free time to explore the markets, enjoy the piazza's, shop in the fine stores, rub the nose of the bronze pig for good luck or visit the Duomo. A few ladies ventured across the Ponte Vecchio to check out the shops or to visit the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens. The Pitti was the grand home of the Medici family. Judging by the smiling faces a good day was had by all.

Florence

Florence is a beautiful Renaissance city with narrow cobble stone streets, grand palaces and the magnificent Dumo: Santa Maria del Fiore. Built in the 14th century this was to be the largest church in all of Italy. The facade was made from three types of marble from the Tuscany region, white or Carerra marble, green and pink. The Dumo, Giotto's bell tower and the Baptistery are certainly a sight to behold and each year draw many visitors from all over the world.
Florence also has the famous San Lornezo leather market, the ladies first stop. The stalls are filled with leather goods; coats, shoes, gloves and purses. They also have wonderful cashmere scarves and pashminas. Needless to stay there were many purchases made in the market.
This afternoon we enjoyed a walking tour of the historical city. Our guide Lucia was very knowledgeable and informative.
Dinner was at the Frescobaldi Wine Bar for another amazing meal. All of our dining experiences in Tuscany have been sumptuously delicious. After dinner we took a leisurely walk back to our hotel. The buildings are just as beautiful in the evening as they are in the day. We came upon a gathering of people in front of the Uffizi Gallery and to our delight there was a young man entertaining the crowd with wonderful songs. He playedthe guitar and serenaded us many popular tunes from the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, John Denver and many more. When we returned to the hotel some of the ladies gathered on the rooftop patio to admire the ancient buildings and towers of the historical city and a night cap of Lemoncello.
A wonderful ending to a perfect day!

Pienza & Montalcino

Our first stop this morning was an organic farm where they made many products: wine, honey, olive oil, sheep and goats cheese. This area is well known for the production of pecorino cheeses made from sheeps milk. The owners explained the process of making these fine cheeses and treated us to a wonderful wine and cheese tasting, From here we went on to the charming hilltop town of Pienza. This town was built in only 3 years by Pope Pius the 2nd, The view of the Ortia Valley is magnificent. Our next stop was the walled medieval city of Montalcino. Unfortunately the weather was cool and a bit rainy. The clouds moved in over the town so we were unable to admire the view which I am sure is spectacular. The Montalcino area is known for it's production of Brunello wines, made from 100% Sangiovese grapes. The making of this wine is very controlled and they wine makers must adhere to many specifications. They are excellent wines and very expensive. We stopped at one of the top winery's for a sampling of these exceptional wines.

Today we drove through the beautiful Tuscan countryside from Radda to Castelina to meet Laura, our cooking instructor. She took us shopping in her local town to purchase the food we would prepare in our class. We visited her favourite butcher and vegetable market. Then we drove to her spectacular farm / wine estate. It is absolutely stunning. The gals donned their aprons and assisted Laura in preparing our fabulous lunch. They made appetizers - bruschetta, crustini with pecarino cheese and another with an olive mixture. Next was beef stew coked slowly in the oven with garlic, basil and wine (lots of wine). They made fresh tomato sauce for the pasta and a heavier sauce for the second pasta. Did I mention we are eating way too much food on this trip. They also made a spinach dish with raisins and pine nuts. For dessert we had a creaming ricotta cheese mixed with a local liquor. After preparing the amazing dishes we enjoyed the meal out on the patio, under the Tuscan sun. Tomorrow we are off to Pienza to taste Pecarino cheese (made from sheeps mild) and to Montalcino to taste Brunello (fine Tuscan wine) It's going to be another yummmy day.

Chianti wine tasting

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This morning our day began with an visit of the Castello di Verrazzano winery. They took us on a tour of the cellars, wine making facilities and best of all a wine tasting.

Their Chianti Classico and Chianti Reserve were supreme. The view from this location was beautiful. The building is situated high on a hill top overlooking the Tuscan hills, with rows and rows of vines and olive trees as far as the eye can see. This area of Tuscany is certainly impressive.

Chianti Region

This was an action packed afternoon which began with lunch at Mac Dario's butcher shop in Panzano. He is a famous personality with his his own cooking show on Italian TV. Upon arrival we were greeted with a glass of wine and music from Frankie Valley which got the girls singing and dancing. Next we were treated to an amazing lunch, tbone steak burgers. MMMM good. This was the best burger and fries I've ever tasted.








Our next stop was an local artist's pottery studio for a guided tour . The pieces are exquisite and sold in some of the most expensive shops in Italy and shipped all over the world.
Then off to Castello di Brolio, the second largest winery in the Chianti region.
We were supposed to have a tour of the castle and winery but our charming bus driver took a detour through the dirt roads and ended up at the back entrance of the castle,.The scenery was incredible.Unfortunately we were late for our appointment so they would not let us in. We had to skip the castle tour and move on to a tour of the wine cellars and wine tasting. I've never seen so many barrels of wine and it was mostly Chianti. The wine tasting was delicious. This evening's dinner was at La Botte di Baccoa Restaurant, a charming little restaurant in the town of Radda and walking distance from out hotel. Every mouthful was unbelievably delectable. We certainly have been treated to some excellent wines, food and service. Italy is a fabulous place to visit.