Visitors to the Emerald Isles during the week of March 12 – 17 will be seeing Green as all of Ireland will be celebrating their St. Patrick’s Day Festival.

• Dublin will be celebrating in style with its annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade from Parnell Square North, weaving through the city centre to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. All over the city there’ll be music, street theatre, family carnivals with up to 4000 performers joining the fun.
• Limerick will host SkyFest - a massive fireworks display over the River Shannon. But that’s not all – apart from SkyFest, Limerick will also be hosting SpringFest.
• Galway – things really hot up with performers taking part in the city’s fabulous walking parade.
• Armagh and Down pay tribute to St. Patrick with the largest celebration of the patron saint in Northern Ireland.  Those who prefer the countryside needn’t miss out, you can take part in a St Patrick’s Day walk around St Patrick’s County Down.
• Cork promises to be a city of excitement, with a fiesta of colours and flights of fancy, and
• Belfast becomes a captivating carnival city for the duration.

Most cities, towns and villages across the country will all hold their own St. Patrick’s Day activities and celebrations – big or small – so no matter where you are in the country, you’ll be treated to a delightful dose of Irish tradition and festive spirit…and lots of Guinness.

So if you’re heading to Ireland next week, you can look forward to a lot of Irish ‘craic, ceol agus ól’.   And if the St. Patrick’s Day madness don’t infect you, the rugby fever most certainly will.  Ireland plays Wales and Scotland in the Rugby 6 Nations on March 13th and 20th.

Dublin will be one crazy place next week so if you haven’t booked your accommodation, it might be a good idea to arrange something before you arrive.

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Our Malev flight to Odessa, via Budapest, departed London at 7:50 a.m.  We had to spend a night at an hotel in Heathrow and the only hotel that is within the Heathrow Airport terminals is the Hilton.  Much as we loved the idea of having direct access to Terminal 4 via a covered walkway, £115 for a brief night’s sleep was a bit pricey. With a bit of research, I managed to find a deal at the Renaissance Heathrow Airport at £65. 

Apparently Heathrow hotels, and there are many of them, are not allowed to offer free complimentary shuttles. However fixed route “Hotel Hoppa” buses operate to several hotels and it costs £4 per trip, no matter how close or far your hotel is along the route.  What is not well publicised is that there is also a free local bus service linking nearby towns to all the terminals.  These buses are free as long as you get on or off the buses on the perimeter roads of the airport, which is where many hotels are. Even if you went past the perimeter roads, the maximum fare is £2.00.

We decided to give this free bus transfer a go and it worked very efficiently.  Some of the services run 24/7 so there’s no problem if your flight is an early one as ours was.  We were leaving from T5 and managed to explore this new terminal.  It is huge and impressive and our only issue is that there are no trolleys to be had.  It’s not very passenger friendly as there’s usually quite a bit of distance to be covered when you’re getting from point to another.  Anyway, this Heathrow experience was much than any others that we had in the past, so that’s a positive.

Helen

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Monday, March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day and if you happen to be in Dublin this weekend, you’re in for a great treat. 

The 2008 St. Patrick’s Festival Parade kicks off in fine traditional style with the ever popular Army No. 1 Band, followed by the Reserve Defence Forces Colour Party and Marching Body and the Garda Mounted Unit, a guaranteed crowd pleaser . There are bands from around the world, including Japan and Italy.  The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Paddy Bourke, holds centre stage as he travels in style in the spectacular Lord Mayor’s State Coach.  Providing the great finale to the ceremonial section is the Band of Garda Síochána.

There are all kinds of shows and events on this weekend, and I’m sure lots of Guinness will be flowing.  Dublin has about 850 pubs with particular styles and clientele so you’ll have plenty to choose from.  The Irish are such fun and hilarious people so to be there on St. Pat’s Day would be an amazing experience … to be sure!

Helen

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To experience the elegance of the traditional English tearooms of the past, a visit to the Pump Room will provide a glimpse of what this social centre was like for the aristocrats in the 18th century. 

The Pump Room was originally the salon to which hot Spa water is drawn for drinking.  At the reception hall to the Pump Room stands this beautiful drinking fountain from which you’ll be offered a glass of water to drink.  Spring water from the Roman Baths is believed to promote wellness.  It is believed to contain some 43 minerals, but has an unusual taste.   Curative, it may be, but I didn’t like the taste of the water.  Sorry, give me my cold sparkling San Pellegrino or Badoit anytime!  Apart from being drinking water, the hot spa water is used to heat up the Roman Baths and Pump Room in winter. 

The Pump Room is a striking neo-classical salon and for more than two centuries, it was the social centre of Bath.  If you have time for a meal here, the Pump Room serves contemporary English food in elegant surroundings and you may well be treated like an aristocrat.  Alternatively, you could experience one of the quintessential British gastronomic experience and enjoy afternoon tea here. 

Helen 

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Roman occupation of Britain lasted for 350 years and during this period great forts, walls, towns and roads were built.  Bath was one of the main towns established by the Romans and the Roman Baths, or Aquae Sulis, were built between the 1st and 4th centuries around a natural hot spring.  A temple was also built and this was dedicated to the goddess Sulis Minerva.  Sulis Minerva portrayed the combined attributes of Sulis, the Celt water goddess and the Roman goddess Minerva.

The Roman site included the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple and its courtyard, the Facade of the Four Seasons, the bathing complex, the Great Bath, the east and west baths, the laconicum, the circular bath, the Spring overflow, the Roman drain and the King’s Bath.

In the reception hall to the bath, you’ll be given an audio machine and headset so that you can guide yourself around the exhibits.  One of the first key exhibits you’ll come across is the bronze head of Sulis Minerva. 

Helen

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A visit to Bath is like a journey back in time to the elegance of the Georgian period.  This World Heritage Site, is set in stunning countryside, and is one of England’s most beautiful destinations.  Bath is a unique city and its key attractions like its world-famous hot springs, Roman Baths, splendid Abbey and Georgian stone crescents have attracted visitors for centuries.  The city centre is traffic-free and therefore great for exploring on foot.  Just in case you get tired, there are many cafes where you can stop for sustenance or enjoy a very English cuppa.

Bath owes its importance to its hot springs which is quite unique in Britain. The Romans built a magnificent temple and bathing complex which still flows with natural hot water today. The complex deteriorated over time and it was not until the 18th century that the city was rejuvenated again. A beautiful Georgian city grew from Bath’s ancient roots and it was Richard ‘Beau’ Nash who played an important part in transforming the city into a fashionable centre of Georgian society.   This was the period of England’s industrial revolution and there was a fair amount of wealth about.  Beau Nash organized endless series of balls, games and entertainment to draw the rich and idle to the city.

Most people will start their visit at the Roman Bath, but Bath’s other attractions are definitely worth seeing as well.  Bath Abbey is close by and if you head north up Barton Street which meets up with Gay Street, you’ll come across The Circus.  The Circus was unsual during the time and departs from the usual Georgian square.  Turn left into Brock Street and you’ll meet the magnificent Royal Crescent.  This is the most majestic street in Britain and on this arc are 30 houses built between 1767-74 by John Wood Jnr.    As you’re exploring, look at the plaques on the buildings and these may sometimes tell you which famous resident used to live in the house.  No. 1 Royal Crescent is a museum and it is believed that the Duke of York probably lived there.

When you’re through with The Crescent and making your way back to the Roman Bath, it’s worth checking out Pulteney Bridge on Lansdown Road.  All these structures are among the finest architectural treasures in the world. 

Bath is absolutely worth visiting and if I were living in England, this is the kind of place I’d love to live in.

Helen

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Radcliffe Camera (camera meaning room in French), Oxford’s most distinctive building was constructed between 1737-1749 with funds bequeathed  by Dr. John Radcliffe, a physician.   The building was originally intended to house a new library and designs were called for from several leading architects.  James Gibbs’ elegant design won this competion.  He was also responsible for the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square, London. 

This domed Baroque rotunda is now used as the main reading room of the Bodleian Library (building with spires to the right).  There some 600,000 books in underground rooms beneath Radcliffe Square.  Unfortunately Radcliffe Camera is not open to the public.

Helen 

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The Sheldonian Theatre was the first building designed by Christopher Wren between 1664 and 1669. It was funded by Gilbert Sheldon, Archbishop of Canterbury and Chancellor of the University.

Wren was a key figure in the reconstruction of London after the Great Fire of 1666.  This impressive architect was responsible for building 52 new churches, including his masterpiece, St. Paul’s Catherdral.  Athough Wren had never been to Italy, he was very much influenced by Baroque and Renaissance architecture, as evidenced by St. Paul’s Cathedral. It is believed that Wren’s source of inspiration for the Sheldonian was taken directly from the U-shaped Theatre of Marcellus in Rome. The classical style subsequently influenced the architecture of other Oxford buildings.

The Sheldonian is the venue for Oxford University’s grand graduation ceremonies. The theatre is available for hire for public concerts and meetings, but I’d imagine strict assessments are made by its curators.

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It’s so bizzare to see a “Bridge of Sighs” in Oxford, given the history behind the original version in Venice.  Who are the prisoners here and what are their lamentations and sighs about in Oxford?

The bridge links the Old and New buildings of Hertford College  Constructed in 1913, it was never the intention to build a replica of the famous Venetian bridge.  Although called the Bridge of Signs, it looks more like the Rialto Bridge. Those who know Venice would be well acquainted with these two famous Venetian landsmarks.

If you take a walk underneath the bridge, you’ll arrive at the Turf Tavern, a popular pub with tourists and students alike.

Helen

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If museums are your scene, a visit to the Ashmolean Museum is a must. Outside of London, Ashmolean is considered to be one of the best of British museums.

Opened in 1683, the museum originally housed the collections of John Tradescants senior and junior. During their travels to the Orient and the Americas, they collected curious stuffed animals and artifacts. After their death, the collection was acquired by the antiquarian, Elias Ashmole. Ashmole donated the collection to the university and also had a purpose-built building constructed for the exhibits on Broad Street, now called the Old Ashmolean.

Well, stuffed animals and artifacts alone would not draw the crowds these days and the Ashmolean’s famous exhibits nowadays include famous paintings and drawings of the grandmasters like Bellini, Raphael, Rembrandt, Michaelangelo, etc. There are also Greek and Roman carvings, Eastern arts, musical instruments, etc.

The Ashmolean is a university museum and the exhibits are owned by a department of the university. So where does the Museum get its funding from. Interestingly, the National Lottery. The National Lottery raises money for a range of causes for the benefit of communities across the United Kingdom. From every pound spent on lottery tickets, 28p goes directly to good causes allocated between the following categories: arts, charities, health, education and the environment, heritage and sports. So when you’re next in Oxford, you may consider buying a lottery ticket and who knows you might just get lucky!

Helen

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