“We’ll open the use of e-passport gates at Heathrow and other airports, currently only available to EEA nationals, to include visitors from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Japan,” he said in his speech.

Much of Hammond’s budget speech addressed the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union, more commonly referred to as “Brexit.” Many people have become concerned that Brexit will make entering the UK by air more complicated.

The budget should kick in by April 2019, if you want to get your vacation planning in order.

Of the five nations listed by Hammond, three — Canada, Australia and New Zealand — are members of the Commonwealth.

Travelers holding Japanese passports can enter a whopping 190 countries without needing a visa or any additional paperwork. The United States and United Kingdom tied for fifth place on the list.

While Hammond’s announcement is good news for some travelers heading to the UK, there’s plenty in the 120-page document that affects things for Brits themselves of course.

Among the items discussed were an increase in the national living wage to £8.21 ($10.51) and — exciting news for people who hope to visit a classic pub while they’re in the country — a freeze on alcohol duties.

Still find the whole thing a bit complicated to follow? You’re not the only one.

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(CNN) — The year 2018 marks the centennial of the end of World War I.

Known at the time as the Great War, the five-year struggle changed Europe and the world forever.

The final night, November 11, is Remembrance Day in the UK and the anniversary of the day the war was declared over “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.”

First, a bugler plays “The Last Post.” This bugle call is traditionally played at military funerals or in honor of the war dead.

Then, the yeoman warders begin the process of lighting the torches.

Yeoman warders, better known by their nickname “Beefeaters,” are the traditional guards of the Tower of London and of the crown jewels. They also offer tours of the Tower to visitors.

Throughout the UK and the Commonwealth, many people wear red poppies on Remembrance Day, recalling a line from the famous poem “In Flanders Fields” by the Canadian John McCrae: “In Flanders fields the poppies blow / Between the crosses, row on row.”

There are other events commemorating the end of World War I in the UK and beyond.

In Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian Museums unveiled several new exhibits about World War I that opened on April 6, 2018, the anniversary of the day the United States entered the war.

Meanwhile, in France, several events are being held the weekend of November 11, including a speech by President Emmanuel Macron at the Arc de Triomphe and a military tribute at the Hôtel National des Invalides.

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(CNN) — There’s something unforgettable about a ruined castle — the way nature’s seeped through the stone and rendered the structure a skeleton of its former self, haunted by history.

Exploring one of the UK’s many abandoned castles, you might find yourself imagining what the fortress looked like back when its turrets were intact and its moat was filled with water.

We’re not sure that ruined buildings are the best image association for a high interest loan company, but it’s pretty cool to see these historic structures brought back to life.

Recreating the past

There’s been a castle in this spectacular spot since the 13th century. The present castle was built in roughly 1500.

Its imposing location had its downside: legend has it that the castle’s kitchen collapsed over the cliff edge and into the crashing waves below.

Later, it was seized by the Scottish MacDonnell clan and now lies in disrepair. Its otherworldly look is said to have inspired CS Lewis, author of the “Chronicles of Narnia” series. Apparently, the ruins formed the basis for the Narnian castle of Cair Paravel.

More recently, it played a role in hit TV series “Game of Thrones.”

Another highlight is Caerlaverock Castle (above) in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lays claim to being the UK’s only triangular castle. Built in the 13th century, during Robert the Bruce’s famous rebellion, the castle was part destroyed by the Scots to stop it falling into English hands.

It was later rebuilt twice, but fell into disrepair in the 16th century and became the atmospheric ruin tourists can visit today.

They chose castles that hadn’t really been restored for tourist purposes, were pretty dilapidated and weather beaten, in an array of styles and with plenty of archaeological research available to recreate the structures accurately.

“Once we had shortlisted the final castles, I dug deeper to find archaeological research and reconstructions available on different sources,” explains Popovic.

Past to present

So how did the team go about rebuilding the past?

First, they analyzed all the images Popovic had collated.

“If there is the tiniest window or element which allows to determine a historical size and that one is still present today, it is used as a general reference to scale up the entire location,” Laurentiu Stanciu, the architect and 3D artist, tells CNN Travel.

Dunstanburgh Castle — pictured above — is a huge castle in the North of England that was built as a show of might by powerful baron Earl Thomas of Lancaster in the 14th century. It formed the backdrop to some intense fighting during the Wars of the Roses, but was later abandoned.

Digitally restoring Dunstanburgh to its original height was a big task.

The team paid close attention to the materials found on the castles today and the different types of stone — although matching the materials like for like wasn’t always easy.

The last step in the process was combining the original image and the architectural drawings with the 3D recreations into an animated gif, which takes the fortress from dilapidated to reconstructed.

Also on the list is Bothwell Castle, a 13th century castle near Glasgow that was the backdrop of several battles in Scotland’s Wars of Independence, changing hands several times.

It’s also supposedly haunted by the ghost of Bonnie Jean, a noblewoman who drowned in the River Clyde while en route to elope with her lover.

The Norman castle of Kidwelly in Wales, which dates back to the 1100s, was among those recreated.

The result of these digital restorations is an incredible glimpse at the past, the viewer can watch these decrepit medieval structures restored to their former glory.

It’s suddenly easy to imagine the UK’s hundreds of castles not as crumbling relics, but important fortresses, determining battles won and lost and forming the backdrop to some of history’s most important events.

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(CNN) — With a new royal baby on the scene, the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have properly made their home in Windsor.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will marry at Windsor Castle in May 2018.

Chris Jackson/Getty Images Europe/Chris Jackson/Getty Images

The oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world, Windsor is an official residence of Queen Elizabeth II, who spends most of her weekends there. While you’re unlikely to spot the Queen strolling down the hallways in her housecoat, it’s easy to tell whether she’s at home — the Royal Standard flag flies from the Round Tower whenever she’s in residence.

According to royal officials, Harry and Markle picked the venue because Windsor Castle is “a special place for the two of them.”

The castle itself dates back to around 1070, when William the Conqueror chose the land and construction began. It has seen many changes since that time, with various royals making adjustments over the years — Edward III made costly renovations in the 14th century, and extensive restorations were undertaken following a devastating fire in 1992.

The main event

St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will have their service.

WPA Pool/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s ceremony took place in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle’s Gothic place of worship which dates back to the 14th century.

The spectacular St George’s is also the final resting place of 10 of Britain’s monarchs, including Henry VIII.

If you want to see where the wedding vows were exchanged, you’ll be pleased that marveling at St George’s Chapel is included in a Windsor Castle admission ticket. That said, keep an eye on the Windsor Castle website to make sure the chapel isn’t closed for events on your chosen day.

Incredible must-sees

The grand interior of St George’s Hall, at Windsor Castle, where Harry and Meghan will hold their post-wedding reception.

WPA Pool/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images

Most visitors make a beeline for Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, an extraordinarily intricate affair with electric lights, hot and cold running water and even a flushing toilet.

The State Apartments are absurdly luxurious, from the vaulted carved ceilings to the Rembrandt hanging on the wall (note that the Semi-State Rooms are only open to the public between September and March).

Queen Elizabeth II leaving the 2017 Easter Day service at St George’s Chapel.

WPA Pool/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images

The changing the Guard takes place at Windsor Castle at 11am.

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images

However, if that’s not a priority, you might want to arrive a little later. The castle can get extraordinarily busy, particularly during the summer months, and visiting in the afternoon means the crowds will have diminished somewhat.

It’s worth making time to explore Windsor, a picturesque English town. You can even map the footsteps of Markle and Harry, who took a carriage procession through Windsor post-ceremony.

Exploring Windsor town is also worth doing.

Oli Scarff/Getty Images

Tickets to the castle in 2018 cost £21.20 ($29), or £11.70 ($16) when the State Apartments are closed, and include a multi-media guide (introduced by Prince Charles, no less). Buy tickets in advance online and you’ll likely avoid the larger line at the ticket desk.

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(CNN) — If British food has come in for a bit of mockery over the years, it isn’t because the recipes are wrong, it’s because they’re misunderstood.

We call sausages “toads.” We cover offal in gravy, wrap it in pastry and call it a “pudding.”

We eat eels! Real, no foolin’ eels!

None of it really makes sense to the casual observer. But that’s just one of the things that makes British cuisine so special.

Eating British food is not just eating: it is a surrealist expedition into a magical parallel universe that will challenge almost everything your eyes, your palate and your gut know to be right and proper.

These are some of the classic British dishes:

The Full English

Full English minus the extra offal

Suzanne Plunkett/CNN

We’re not about to claim that we’re the only nation that eats eggs and fried pork products in some form for breakfast.

But we would humbly suggest that we’ve taken the whole notion of the “cooked breakfast” to more ambitious places than anyone else would probably dare.

A proper British fry-up requires more than a plate: it requires a vast platter capable of accommodating not just predictable eggs and banal bacon but their exotic cousins: kidneys, fried bread, a sausage made entirely of blood (see black pudding, below) and a concoction of leftover potatoes and vegetables that we inexplicably call “bubble and squeak.”

See also: The Full Scottish.

Yorkshire pudding

Available on prescription.

Suzanne Plunkett/CNN

Pudding, for you non-Brits, is what we in the UK call dessert.

But the Yorkshire pudding is a liar.

It looks all puffy and mouthwatering like a pudding, right? But don’t let its friendly appearance fool you. It is not a pudding at all. Like 95% of all British cuisine, it is comprised entirely of eggs, flour, milk and fat.

Before Prozac arrived, this was often the best available alternative.

Black pudding

Tastier than its ingredients suggest.

Suzanne Plunkett/CNN

Despite the name, there’s no mistaking this one for a dessert. It’s a sausage made out of blood. Congealed blood. And oats.

The trick to eating this successfully is to shut your eyes and try not to think or breathe. That way it’s actually quite exquisite.

Toad in the hole

Nightmarish appearance. Dreamy taste

Suzanne Plunkett/CNN

Exactly the same as the above recipe but with sausages and therefore 3.7 times tastier.

Spotted dick

From the loins of a sheep to the school dinner table

Suzanne Plunkett/CNN

They gave you this in English schools in the ’70s and ’80s when Margaret Thatcher ruled the land with a fist of iron. In fact, it might have even been her idea.

Spotted dick is a dense and delicious combination of sugar, flour, currants and the raw, shredded fat found around the loins and kidneys of a sheep. And if that’s not sophisticated enough, it is traditionally drenched in the national beverage: custard.

Jellied eels

One is probably enough.

Suzanne Plunkett/CNN

Imagine the biggest slug you’ve ever seen. Then imagine eating it.

Pie and mash

Carbs with a side order of carbs

Suzanne Plunkett/CNN

A glorious way, no, the only way, to consume as many carbs as possible in one meal. Pastry on the bottom, a different type of pastry on the top, unidentifiable flesh in the middle, and a tsunami of mashed potato.

Shepherd’s pie

Brown meat and potatoes

Suzanne Plunkett/CNN

Another national dish built upon a tissue of lies. Not a pie but a gigantic swamp of brown meat and gravy hidden beneath a thick blanket of mashed potato. Excessive consumption of this dish risks triggering a neurological condition known as “mash psychosis.”

Fish fingers, chips and beans

A dish for all occasions.

Suzanne Plunkett/CNN

By which we mean, fish sticks, oven-cooked french fries and canned beans in tomato sauce.

By the age of 16, the average British child will have eaten this dish 4,160 times.

Gone to a friend’s house for dinner? Fish fingers, chips and beans. Got a friend round for dinner? Fish fingers, chips and beans. Mom and dad had a few drinks again? Fish fingers, chips and beans.

Proust had his madeleines. The Brits have oven chips and frozen sticks of reconstituted haddock.

Scotch egg

The egg’s stare seems to follow you around the room.

Suzanne Plunkett/CNN

An egg wrapped in a sausage

Sausage roll

Contains none of your five-a-day.

Suzanne Plunkett/CNN

A sausage wrapped in an egg (and various other ingredients that make up pastry).

Trifle

Stick a cherry on it, call it a dessert.

Suzanne Plunkett/CNN

Can’t decide on dessert? Let trifle solve the conundrum. Layer one pudding on top of another pudding on top of another and cover it all with whipped cream.

For good measure, douse the whole thing in fortified wine then chuck on a bunch of brightly colored sprinkles and a cherry.

Brits will put a cherry on top of anything and call it dessert.

Eton mess

Another fine mess.

Suzanne Plunkett/CNN

The heroin of desserts. In some upper-class areas of Britain, you can’t move for the aristocrats passed out in the gutter having overdosed on this intoxicating mixture of meringue, cream and fruit.

Steak and kidney pudding

We couldn’t find a steak and kidney pudding to photograph. So imagine this pie, but upside down.

Suzanne Plunkett/CNN

How do you like your steak? Medium rare and served with peppercorn sauce? Gently seared with a crisp green salad on the side?

Or perhaps the way that the Queen Of England (probably) prefers it: cut into chunks, combined with the vital organs of a sheep and stuffed inside a gigantic bucket of pastry?

Rice pudding

Britain’s answer to sushi?

Suzanne Plunkett/CNN

In China, it’s fried with egg. In Japan, it’s served cold with raw fish. There’s only one way we serve our rice in Britain: overcooked and drowned in milk and sugar..

Jam roly poly

From the people who brought you the World Wide Web.

Suzanne Plunkett/CNN

A rolled up cake made of shredded fat filled with jam. Something like this could only be conjured from the imagination of a nation that also gave you The Beatles, the World Wide Web and fox hunting.

Fish and chips

Britain on a plate.

Suzanne Plunkett/CNN

We built an empire and subjugated many a nation to protect our right to eat fish and chips out of an old bit of newspaper.

At least I think that’s what British colonialism was about. Either way, we’d go to war with the world all over again if our fried fish in batter was ever under threat.

Scones

Which came first, the cream or the jam?

Suzanne Plunkett/CNN

History will probably one day reveal that the English Civil War of 1642-1651 was started by two idiots who couldn’t agree on whether the jam or cream went on the scone first.

This is still a cause of division in the country that makes our bickering over Brexit seem tame and reasonable by comparison.

Christmas pudding

Probably good this is only served once a year.

Suzanne Plunkett/CNN

Was it the 18th-century literary giant Dr. Johnson who said that when a man is tired of Christmas pudding, he is tired of life? That said, Johnson suffered terribly from gout.

Tea

World about to end? Have a nice cup of tea.

Suzanne Plunkett/CNN

We stole plants from China and India, sailed all the way back home, dried them, crushed them, drowned them in boiling water then mixed the whole thing with milk and sugar.

We now delude ourselves that there isn’t a crisis that can’t be resolved simply by brewing up a pot of tea.

The post British food: 20 best dishes appeared first on TripALoud.

“Sure, we’ve done the designs that are popular, we’ve done products that are popular — but can we keep the production rate going?”

The Trent XWB engine is a turbofan jet engine that powers up the Airbus A350 XWB. Chance are, you’re flown with one. You’ll find it powering airlines around the world, such as Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa.

Engineering marvel

The Trent XWB engine is made in Derby in the East Midlands area of England.

Courtesy Rolls Royce

The Trent XWB engine is made up of eight key modules.

“We build six out of those eight modules in Derby,” says McCree. “We contract two to suppliers.”

The IP compressor is built by KHI in Japan, meanwhile the LP turbine is assembled by a company called ITP in Spain, then passed back to the UK.

McCree starts the tour of the Derby XWB engine production line with the fan case.

This is what goes around the outside of the engine and is usually covered with cowling, which bears the name of both the product and the airline.

“It’s there to to hold all of the wiring and pipework, as well as to contain the fan blades,” says McCree, pointing out a bare fan case with a carbon fiber top.

The fan case has a “wet” side” and a “dry” side. The wet side is where the fuel and oil go and the dry side is where the cables and electronics sit — far enough away from the liquids to avoid any issues there.

“We have three fitters per shift, working per fan case,” explains McCree.

“Each fan case is split into thirds, so one person is working on a set build area, rather than having to cross over to work around each other.”

The next step is the part of the engine you’ll see on an airplane — the big fan that spins at the front.

Weights are used to balance the fan and ensure it works to specifications.

“A bit like you would if your car wheels were a bit wobbly, you can stick some extra weights on the inside — we effectively bolt some weights on the inside to counteract any sort of minor differences in vibration — so what we need to do is build a kind of net vibration of zero across the engine, across all the parts, to make sure that the customers’ ride is as smooth as possible,” says McCree.

The experience of flyers is always at the forefront of Rolls-Royce’s mind. Ideally, you’re barely aware of the engine — except for the fact it’s getting you from point A to point B.

As CNN Travel walks past this section of the line, one Rolls-Royce employee is spinning the fan in a big box-like machine. Computer software is illustrating where he needs to place the weights.

“It’s really important that it’s as balanced and accurate as possible,” says McCree.

Any imbalance would cause major problems for the engine.

Next steps

The engine is made up of eight key modules.

Courtesy Rolls Royce

Walking around the facility, there are people everywhere. Yes, there are machines — but it’s not as robotic as you might expect.

“It’s a really, really skilled job — rather than a big machine mind,” says McCree, who studied Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London before he started a graduate job at Rolls-Royce.

The next step is to marry the combuster section to the intercase. The intercase is where the engine with the shaft going through the middle connects out to the gear box.

This part of the production line is part of a skillet line:

“So basically the floor moves forward while the tooling remains still, so the team will follow that engine moving forward,” says McCree.

The engine, at this point is essentially “bald,” says McCree. You need to turn the engine from a core to what’s called a dress core.

“Dress core’s when you put all your pipes that connect your hot and your cold engine, any sort of cables that run through,” says McCree.

The fan case is then brought through, situated on the floor and the engine is lifted up and dropped into the center of the fan case.

It’s now more recognizable as an airplane engine, but it’s still not ready to fly.

Testing process

Perhaps the most impressive part of the facility is the test bed.

It’s a vast, lengthy room with a gargantuan facility holding the engine in place, ready for trial.

While the engine’s on the test bed, testers experiment with how well the engine handles start ups, emergency shutdowns and even run-ins with birds — dead birds as well as gelatine models are thrown into the engine to recreate a bird strike.

Thrust is also recorded, you don’t want any imbalance as that would impact how the engine runs.

The test bed in Rolls Royce in Derby.

Courtesy Rolls Royce

The engine is also tested for cabin odor issues via a so-called sniff test.

“We make sure there’s no smell coming from the engine that could go into the cabin,” says McCree.

So what happens if oil is suspected to be leaking?

Cameras are taken into the engine and changes can be made.

The length of the testing process at Rolls-Royce varies. New products will be thoroughly examined for several days, but established engines that are already in production can be confirmed flight-ready after a shorter period of testing.

Getting the airplane off the ground

Each engine will go through roughly 3000 flight cycles before it has to be serviced.

Courtesy Rolls Royce

When the engine is ready for operation it’s taken apart, split in half via a hydraulic machine and transported on the back of a truck, usually to Airbus’ HQ in Toulouse in France, ready to form part of an Airbus A350 XWB.

Each engine will go through roughly 3,000 flight cycles before it needs to be serviced, transporting thousands and thousands of passengers to their destination.

So how does the airplane engine get the aircraft off the ground?

“There’s four words to describe our jet engine which are suck, squeeze, bang, blow,” says McCree.

First up: suck — the fan on the front sucks in air and 80% of that air goes through past the engine and blows air out the back — that provides the majority of the thrust, that pushes your engine forward.

The fan turns via the core, which takes the other 20% of the air and compresses it down, so it gets smaller and smaller.

“That’s the squeeze part,” says McCree.

The air mixes with the fuel and then that’s set alight via ignition — that, of course, is the bang.

The final part? Well, as the compressor gets smaller, the turbine gets bigger, extracting more energy. The air is going through and spins at each stage.

“A bit like when you’re at the beach, and you’ve got the little kind of windmills that you blow,” says McCree. “It’s effectively loads and loads of stages that are extracting more and more and more of that energy.”

Civilian feedback

Rolls Royce says it’s committed to developing eco-friendly engines.

Courtesy Rolls Royce

Rolls-Royce is keen to stress that the Trent XWB is fuel-efficient, as well as reliable. It’s apparently got a 15% fuel consumption advantage compared to the original Trent engine.

Plus, it’s quiet — even if each of the 68 high pressure turbine blades generates 800 horsepower at take off — the equivalent of a Formula 1 car.

There are 68 blades and in total at take off they produce 50,000hp.

It’s the general surreptitious nature of the airplane engine that means airline passengers, unless they’re self-confessed AV Geeks, probably don’t think much about the mechanics of what’s getting them off the ground.

“A lot of people get on the plane, they don’t know who makes the engine — often they don’t care,” Caroline Day, head of marketing, strategy and future programs at Rolls-Royce, tells CNN Travel.

The Rolls Royce Trent XWB fuels the Airbus A350 XWB.

Courtesy Rolls Royce

Still, she says, growing awareness of the climate crisis is changing this mindset, somewhat.

In this ever-connected era, the engine manufacturer can’t just consider the aircraft manufacturers and the airline — the average flyer is getting involved in the conversation too.

And many travelers are becoming more concerned about their carbon footprint and holding carriers to account.

“I think through social media, now we’re getting a lot more engagement with the public, which is great,” says Day.

“We’re very conscious of this pressure of climate change. I like to think we can demonstrate that we are absolutely doing our bit,” she adds. “We are trying to burn less fuel and reduce emissions.”

The post How an airplane engine gets made: Inside Rolls Royce Aerospace appeared first on TripALoud.

So let’s get going with this insider’s guide to the city:

Hotels

The Savoy

For those who can afford it, the Savoy represents the height of London elegance.

Savoy

Perfectly located for the shops of Covent Garden and the cinemas of Leicester Square, the Savoy was Marilyn Monroe’s London hotel of choice.

Book one of the hotel’s 267 luxury rooms and suites and savor either elegant Edwardian design or sleek Art Deco design.

The acclaimed Savoy Grill — in the hands of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay (do not expect the steaks to be as blue as his language) — can be expensive but is not overpriced.

Charlotte Street Hotel

Situated in London’s media neighborhood just north of Soho, this former dental hospital now contains 52 individually designed rooms, including loft and penthouse suites. The huge, comfortable beds and trademark polished granite and oak bathrooms are suitably indulgent, and some rooms have luxuriously high ceilings.

If you can afford it, go for one of the split-level loft suites. Among other things they feature TVs in the bathroom.

The Arosfa

This reasonably priced townhouse hotel was once the Bloomsbury home of artist John Everett Millais. It’s close to Euston Station, the British Museum and the shops of Oxford Street. Wi-Fi is available, and full English breakfast is included.

The Arosfa has only 15 rooms, so book early.

The Rookery

Located in a quiet area a short distance from the Barbican, St. Paul’s, Holborn and the City, the Rookery is characterized by open fires, Georgian detailing, wonky floors and bulging bookshelves. There’s an honesty bar downstairs, a tiny garden terrace for the summer, 33 double rooms and two singles.

All are as quirky as the building. Bedrooms are named after people who lived in the Dickensian buildings at some point over the past 250 years — including a disgraced preacher and a prostitute hanged for murder.

There’s no restaurant, but head down the road to the acclaimed St. John for some meaty, masculine English fare.

The Hoxton

The Hoxton is a hit with budget travelers.

Hoxton

This option could not be better located for the party crowd, bang in the middle of the capital’s most buzzing nightlife area. The Hoxton has been a big hit since it opened in 2006. (And there are now three Hoxton locations in London — the other two in Holborn and Southwark).

The hotel’s 210 rooms have parquet floors, large mirrors and industrial details.

Dining

The Wolseley

Just along from the Ritz Hotel, the Wolseley exudes history and style. Housed in a former car showroom and later a branch of Barclays bank, it has vaulted ceilings, polished marble, an art deco interior and the odd celebrity.

You’ll find lobsters, crabs, oysters and two types of caviar on the menu (along with some turf if you’re not in the mood for surf). Traditional English breakfast here is a must and so is booking ahead.

Wild Honey

Head to the exclusive Mayfair area of London for dinner and you might expect to need a government bailout to settle your bill. Not so at Wild Honey.

Value is the theme in the wood-paneled dining room with favorites including smoked eel, roast saddle of rabbit and grilled Cornish gurnard (a fish from the Eastern Atlantic). The cheeseboard is excellent.

Busaba Eathai

Busaba Eathia has some serious Thai food.

Busaba Eathai

Some serious (London) Thai. Nestled within the underbelly of Soho, this is communal Thai dining in stylish, understated surroundings.

The no-booking policy means you can expect queues on Friday and Saturday nights, providing the perfect opportunity for people-watching (and Sohoites deserve some watching). For two people or solo diners, the wait should be no more than 15 minutes.

A delicious menu sampling: Bang-Kick Prawns, Yam Pak Crispy Duck Salad and Black Pepper Beef from the wok. Not in Soho? The chain has locations throughout London.

Lucknow 49

In the middle of Mayfair, Lucknow 49 aims to “celebrate the heritage of the Mughal Empire” with Awadhi cuisine you’d find in the Indian city Lucknow.

The mouth-watering menu includes lentil-stuffed flatbread, galawat kawab (soft lamb patties flavored with more than 50 spices), murgh qorma (chicken thigh slow cooked in brown onion and cashew nut sauce) and for dessert, rasmalai (milk cakes served with mango).

The intimate space is made to feel like you’re dining in a home. It’s a good choice if you wish to explore nearby Hyde Park.

Lucknow 49, 49 Maddox St, Mayfair, London W1S 2PQ, UK; +44 20 7491 9191

Nightlife

Experimental Cocktail Club

You can ensure entry to this Chinatown speakeasy by e-mailing before 5 p.m. (reservation@chinatownecc.com); phone bookings are not an option. However, the club does keep half its capacity for walk-in guests.

Cocktails here aren’t that experimental, but they’re excellent. The Havana is a house favorite.

You’ll find mirrored ceilings, ancient Parisian architecture, tiny couches, total intimacy and a £5 cover charge after 11 p.m.

The entry consists of a scruffy door, absolutely no signage and doormen with firmly held views on just about everything. Good luck.

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

No best of London experience is complete without a beer at one of its many historic pubs, and they don’t come much older or more historic than Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese.

Frequented by Mark Twain, Voltaire, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Oscar Wilde, the pub has been on this site since it was rebuilt in 1667 after the Great Fire of London. Charles Dickens, known to have been a regular of this higgledy-piggledy temple to serious drinking, referred to it in “A Tale of Two Cities.”

Expect to have to stoop, dive down cramped staircases and contend with sawdust-strewn floors as you move from room to room. The real draw? A pint of Sam Smith’s for a fraction of the price of beer in other London pubs.

And Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre is just a 20-minute walk away on the south bank of the Thames.

Booking Office

The Booking Office is the perfect spot for a cocktail.

Booking Office

Cunningly named, the Booking Office sits on the site of the old booking hall of St. Pancras station and is found in the lobby of the refurbished St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel.

It’s a great place to enjoy a cocktail while admiring what is undoubtedly one of the architectural wonders of the capital — a magnificent red-brick Gothic masterpiece that was formerly the Midland Grand Hotel.

The cocktail menu lives up to the surroundings and shows a deep respect for the history (and abundance) of British drinking with sours, fizzes and cobblers.

Ronnie Scott’s

It’s dark, it’s dingy and the waiters shush you if you talk over the numbers. We like.

Ella, Miles and Curtis are just some of the greats to have graced Ronnie’s down the years. This seminal jazz club tucked away on Soho’s Frith Street is worth a visit even if you don’t like jazz. It’s jazz hands all-round if you do.

Tables are arranged in neat, tiered rows around a sunken stage, with luminous red lamps dotted around the dim room. Seats are priced according to the view and act. Cocktails are very much a club asset. Unfortunately they’ve stopped serving The Ellington, apparently a favorite of the Duke himself, but the choice is plentiful. Forget eating here — it’s not the main draw and largely a disappointment.

Shopping

Selfridges

For the ultimate in London shopping, head to Selfridges.

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Hailed as the world’s best department store by many industry insiders, Selfridges dominates the west end of Oxford Street and is made up of six floors, four hectares of shopping space and two exhibition halls. Although second to Harrods in terms of size and celebrity, it’s less touristy, more cutting-edge and attracts a more discerning clientele. It’s high-end, high-octane and comes highly recommended.

You can stay the whole day, leave empty-handed and still feel like Julia Roberts in that scene from “Pretty Woman.” In any case, it contains numerous restaurants to keep your energy levels up while its personal shoppers can do the hard work for you.

Borough Market

London’s oldest market, dating to the 13th century, remains a busy place today. On the banks of the Thames just south of London Bridge, you’ll find beautifully displayed organic fruit and veg, cheese, cakes, bread, olive oil, fish, meat, beer, wine and chocolate. Go hungry, go early, sample everything and bring hard currency in case your vendor doesn’t take credit cards.

Columbia Road Flower Market

The Columbia Road Flower Market is a must for bloomin’ lovers.

Columbia Road

With thousands of flowers crammed into one noisy Victorian terraced street, London’s Columbia Road Flower Market — now lined with fancy boutiques — is a throwback to the old East End.

From 8 a.m. to 3-ish p.m. every Sunday, the flowers and plants up for sale are some of the best (and cheapest) around. Arrive early to avoid the crowds.

Attractions

Views from Waterloo Bridge

Londoners bore visitors to death about how great the views are from Waterloo Bridge, but they have a point. Although it contends for the title of ugliest bridge in London, the views are inspiring.

On one hand are the Royal Festival Hall, Elizabeth Tower (popularly known as Big Ben), the Houses of Parliament and the BT Tower.

Looking in the other direction you can take in St. Paul’s, Canary Wharf, the Gherkin (as the rather phallic skyscraper properly called 30 St. Mary Axe is dubbed), the Oxo Tower and the Shard.

St. Paul’s Cathedral

St. Paul’s famed domed is amazing from the inside, too.

courtesy Visit Britain

Christopher Wren’s masterpiece has squatted imposingly in the City of London for the past 300 years. It famously withstood the Blitz and has become something of a monument to the resilience of London.

Down in the crypt, you can check out the tombs of some of the nation’s greatest heroes including Admiral Lord Nelson and the Duke of Wellington. You can also try out the acoustic quirks of the Whispering Gallery and continue the climb to the Golden Gallery for views across London. Take paid tours from Monday to Saturday. The cathedral reverts to its traditional role on Sunday, when it’s open to worshippers for free.

Victoria and Albert Museum

You’ll find the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington.

It’s great for history fans. It’s great for art and design fans. And you’ll positively swoon if you like both. Thank Queen Victoria for this visual feast — she laid the foundation stone in 1899.

See a parade of styles — from Medieval and Rococo to Art Deco and Modernism — in a variety of arts: architecture, furniture, fashion, textiles, photography, sculpture, painting and more.

Come prepared with good footwear as the museum has 145 galleries.

This article was updated in August 2019, and CNN’s Forrest Brown contributed new material.

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London (CNN) — Five parrots have been removed from public view at a British wildlife park after they started swearing at customers.

“I get called a fat t**t every time I walk past,” Nichols complained.

The African grey parrots — named Eric, Jade, Elsie, Tyson and Billy — were given to the park from five different owners within the same week, and shared a quarantining facility together before being placed on display.

But staff immediately noticed that the birds shared a propensity to fly off the handle.

Elsie, one of the potty-mouthed parrots. (Jade shown top).

Lincolnshire Wildlife Park

“They literally, within a very short period of time, starting swearing at each other,” Nichols said. “‘F**k off’ is the most common one,” he explained — “it’s a very easy one for them to learn” — but the birds would utter “anything you can think of.”

Most customers enjoyed the talent once the parrots were displayed. “The visitors were giving them as much back as what they were giving to them,” Nichols said.

But concern for younger customers forced staff to split up the birds and temporarily remove them from the park’s public areas. Staff now hope the birds’ language will become more family-friendly now that they have been separated.

“To take in a swearing parrot isn’t an unusual thing, it’s something that happens probably three or four times a year,” Nichols said.

But the pandemic has led to a surge in donations, as owners spend more time with their birds and decide to give them to parks that can provide them with a larger living space, he explained.

“We would normally take in one or two parrots in a fortnight. Today we took in eight,” he said.

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(CNN) — The English are known for being reserved. Perhaps that’s why, despite living in one of loveliest countries on Earth, they don’t really shout about it. They should though.

Click though the gallery above to see some of the country’s best destinations.

Maggie Hiufu Wong is a former CNN staff writer now working as a freelance journalist in London.

The post England’s most beautiful places: 31 photos to enchant you appeared first on TripALoud.

Isles of Scilly

The Isles of Scilly have arguably the UK’s best sunsets.

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Situated 40 kilometers off the tip of Cornwall, this Atlantic archipelago of islands and islets has the look of a tropical paradise, but with a bucolic, English sensibility.

The main island of St. Mary’s is home to winding lanes and stunning beaches, while tiny Bryher offers arguably the best sunset views in the entire country and has just one hotel — Hell Bay.

Tresco Abbey Gardens easily beat any country estate on the mainland for variety and color, while a boat trip to the uninhabited islands of Samson or St. Helen’s offers the chance to see seals and seabirds up close.

Norwich, Norfolk

Norwich quayside on the River Wensum.

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With 31 surviving medieval churches, a spectacular cathedral whose spire is a prime nesting site for peregrine falcons and cobbled streets lined with spectacular buildings dating back to the 12th century, Norwich is an easily overlooked historical gem.

Roadside signs proclaim this “A Fine City” and for good reason.

The pubs are among the best in England, with the delightful Adam and Eve dating back to 1249.

And with an annual arts festival taking place every May, its modern cultural offering makes it far more than a museum piece.

Adam and Eve, 17 Bishopsgate, Norwich NR3 1RZ; +44 (0)1603 667423

Walberswick and the Suffolk coast

Swanky Southwold on the Suffolk coast.

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Walberswick’s village green, ruined church, and seaside location make it one of the finest places in this corner of eastern England.

Beloved by artists and writers including Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Esther Freud, thanks to its moody light and relative isolation, the village is surrounded by over 1,000 acres of protected heathland and marshes, ripe for long walks and is home to Grade I listed St. Andrew’s Church.

Head along the coast to swanky Southwold, or watch the gray rollers come to shore as the sun rises.

St. Andrew’s Church, Walberswick IP18 6UY

Hadrian’s Wall, Northumberland

Hadrian’s Wall was once the frontier of the Roman Empire.

Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

The one-time northern frontier of the Roman Empire, Hadrian’s Wall is arguably the greatest historical monument in a country blessed with castles, cathedrals and spectacular ruins.

Stretching from one side of England to the other, its central section is the most arresting, the wall rising and falling across steep hills.

Day trippers should head to the preserved forts at Housesteads and Vindolanda.

Those with more time can follow the 135-kilometer national trail, taking in the wall from Newcastle to the Solway Firth.

Housesteads Roman Fort, Bardon Mill, Hexham NE47 6NW; +44 (0)1434 344363

Winchester, Hampshire

Winchester cathedral is the longest of its kind in Europe.

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Home to a 13th century replica of the legendary round table of King Arthur, Winchester is a place where history is inescapable.

As well as the aforementioned table, its Great Hall is home to artifacts from Winchester Castle (which no longer exists), while nearby Winchester Cathedral is the longest of its kind in Europe.

Wander through cobbled streets and past the famous Winchester College and along the rippling River Itchen for a rustic English experience like no other.

The city is also filled with well-preserved Georgian buildings such as the one that houses the original Hotel du Vin, which dates back to 1715

The Somerset Levels

Somerset Levels: An ancient landscape.

VisitBritain/ Stephen Spraggon

The atmospheric Somerset Levels are unlike anywhere else in the UK.

The flatlands, bisected by rivers, ditches and disused canals, offer hazy views of the Mendip Hills to the east and the Quantocks to the west, while the slightest rise in altitude gives rise to ancient settlements, such as Glastonbury.

Its watery habitat makes it a mecca for birds, including bitterns and kingfishers, with bird sanctuary Ham Wall Nature Reserve serving as a crucial habitat.

Dungeness, Kent

At the edge of England, Dungeness feels like another world.

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The only place designated as a desert in the UK, Dungeness is utterly unique.

Located on the Kent coast, its windswept beaches and inland nature reserve, coupled with big skies and sea air, make it the perfect place to spend an afternoon getting the freshest air imaginable.

The coastal hamlet with the same name is something of a time warp, with a miniature railway ferrying passengers along the coast to the town of Hythe.

Grasmere and Rydal Water, Lake District

Grasmere’s Dove Cottage was home to poet William Wordsworth.

VisitEngland/CumbriaTourism/Dave Willis

England’s Lake District has such a breadth of beautiful landscapes that visiting just one doesn’t do it justice.

The village of Grasmere and nearby Rydal Water are perhaps the best places to start.

This is the Lake District of romantic poet William Wordsworth (his Dove Cottage is just outside of Grasmere village) all tumbling fells, deciduous woodland and gleaming water.

Rydal Water is the area’s smallest lake, perfect for wild swimming in summer, with a path that skirts its banks offering an easy introduction to hiking.

Grasmere is home to great pubs and hotels as well as Sam Read Bookseller, a fabulous book store for stocking up on maps and mountain literature.

Hull, East Yorkshire

The port city of Hull is home to some classic English architecture.

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The UK’s City of Culture in 2017, Hull has gone from being largely overlooked to taking center stage.

Its Old Town has some of the best-preserved Georgian and Edwardian architecture in the country, while culturally the city continues to innovate.

Manchester

The rain sometimes falls hard on Manchester, but it’s far from humdrum.

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Northern England’s cities often get unfairly lumped together, but there’s a distinctiveness between Leeds, Bradford, Liverpool and Manchester that makes them all worth a visit.

It’s the latter, though, that’s the big hitter.

The vibrant Northern Quarter is great for shopping, whether it’s for vintage clothes or picking up the latest albums at Piccadilly Records, while venues such as Bridgewater Hall, Home and the Albert Hall make it the place to be for culture fiends.

Forget complaints about the wet weather, Manchester is the real deal.

Standedge Tunnel and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, Yorkshire

Narrowboats ply the canal waters of the Standedge Tunnel.

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Britain’s industrial heritage isn’t just found in its cities.

On the edge of spectacular, bleak moorland, the pretty Huddersfield Narrow Canal slips into Standedge, the deepest, longest and highest canal tunnel in the country.

Opened in 1811, the 5,000 meter tunnel was used to transport goods and materials.

Today, visitors can take organized two-hour trips all the way through, steeping themselves in this area’s proud history.

An excellent visitor center and quaint pubs such as Riverhead Brewery Tap nearby Marsden make it even more worthwhile.

Stanage Edge, Peak District

Stanage Edge in the Peak District is a popular hiking spot.

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Renowned among climbers and loved by walkers, Stanage Edge is one of the most popular spots in the Peak District.

On a clear day, the views are glorious, taking in the Dark Peak and the Hope Valley.

In summer it’s ripe for a long day’s hiking, while winter brings a moodiness and charm, not to mention fewer visitors to break the tranquility.

Walk up from the nearby town of Hathersage, home to an excellent, heated outdoor swimming pool which steams on colder days.

The Rhinog mountains and Barmouth, Wales

Barmouth in mid-Wales: Great sea views.

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Mid Wales isn’t the easiest part of the UK to reach, but those who venture here are blessed with huge sea views, soaring mountains and a sense of unending space.

The seaside resort of Barmouth, with its estuary, railway bridge and wide sands, is a great place to be based for adventures in the nearby hills or to medieval fortresses such as Harlech Castle, built by Edward I during his invasion of Wales.

The Rhinogs, which sit in the southern part of Snowdonia, are ripe for exploration, their paths less trodden than those of the national park’s more popular routes to the north.

Rhossili Bay, Gower Peninsula

Rhossili Beach: One of Europe’s finest stretches of sand.

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South Wales is a marvel, its beaches and hills among the very best in Europe, let alone the UK.

Rhossili Beach, on the Gower Peninsula, is regularly lauded as one of the best stretches of sand around, and with good reason.

Its five kilometers of pristine shoreline are adored by surfers and swimmers, while walkers trace paths along the clifftops, taking in views of Worms Head and the waves rolling in from the Atlantic.

Visitors can take in the stunning views of Rhossili from the comfort of a bar at The Worm’s Head Hotel, which is a four-minute walk from the beach.

The Cairngorms, Scotland

Loch Muick lies within Scotland’s beautiful Cairngorms National Park.

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Scotland’s Cairngorms are arguably the last truly wild place remaining in the UK.

In winter, these hills sit beneath meters of wind swept snow.

In summer, the long days and warm sun make it the perfect place for hiking and wild camping.

While adventurous types head into the hills for multi-day treks, those after a more sedate trip should visit Loch an Eilein, a ruined castle on an island at its center, for picture postcard views and the chance to see red squirrels up close.

Loch an Eilein, Highland, PH22 1QT

Glasgow

Glasgow is one of the UK’s best destinations for a city break.

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It’s easy to overlook Glasgow, such is the allure of Edinburgh.

But Scotland’s largest city easily matches the capital when it comes to architecture, art and culture.

The sprawling Kelvingrove Art Gallery is world class, the West End’s shops and bars the perfect place to spend a relaxed afternoon.

With a thriving music scene and top restaurants like the award-winning Stravaigin, it’s unquestionably one of the country’s best destinations for a city break.

Shetland, Scotland

The Shetland islands are the UK’s most northerly territory.

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The most northerly part of the UK is reachable either by plane or ferry from mainland Scotland, with planning required, especially to reach the northern island of Unst.

However such effort is rewarded with views of rugged landscapes, plus the chance to spot orcas hunting seals close to shore in summer, or the majestic Northern Lights dancing across the sky in winter.

The islands are also home to fascinating prehistoric sites, such as Stanydale Temple, as well as unspoilt beaches, ripe for a day of relaxing when the weather settles.

Galloway Forest Park, Scotland

Galloway Forest is home to Britain’s only Dark Sky Park.

Arch White/Alamy

Far from the light pollution of towns and cities, Galloway Forest Park is the first Dark Sky Park in the UK.

Head here once the light fades on a clear day to see over 7,000 stars and planets, and that’s just with the naked eye.

Bring a telescope and things get even more spectacular. Three visitor centers offer information on the constellations on show, with dedicated viewing platforms making it easy for novices and diehard astronomers alike to catch a glimpse of celestial wonders.

New Forest, Hampshire

The New Forest is home to the largest concentration of ancient trees in Western Europe.

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For a country once covered in trees, England’s woodlands are today relatively limited.

The New Forest is perhaps the country’s best, and is believed to hold the largest concentration of ancient or veteran trees in Western Europe, with around 1,000 across the National Park.

With wild ponies, vast heathlands, rugged coastline and narrow roads that can be explored easily by bike, this peaceful corner of southern England is the perfect escape from the bustle of London.

Luxury country house hotel Chewton Glen, situated on the fringe of the National Park serves as a great base for those keen to explore the forest over a few days.

Lincolnshire Wolds

The Lincolnshire Wolds is a protected Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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There are more famous landscapes in the UK, but the Lincolnshire Wolds, the highest part of eastern England between Kent and Yorkshire, has real charm.

Protected as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), the rolling hills, burbling streams and pretty farmland are a haven for rare birds and wildlife such as the Dartford Warbler and the Wild Gladiolus.

There are also huge views to be had of the Pennines and the east coast thanks to its flat surrounding landscape.

Meanwhile nearby St. James’ Church, positioned on the edge of Lincolnshire Wolds, has the tallest spire of any medieval parish church in the country.

Malvern Hills, Herefordshire

The Malvern Hills offer some of the UK’s finest hiking trails.

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For newcomers to the UK (and old hands, too), it’s possible to overlook the counties that border England and Wales.

But with areas like The Malverns, there really is no excuse. This range of hills offer some of the finest hiking in the country.

While outdoor types won’t struggle for activities, the spa town of Great Malvern, with its classic Victorian architecture, antiques dealers and bookshops mean there’s plenty to satisfy those who’d rather not get their walking boots out.

Holy Island, Anglesey

Cliffs around South Stack on Holy Island are home to puffins and peregine falcons.

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Wales’ relentless landscapes and hidden corners make it a treasure trove for the intrepid.

Yet while Snowdonia gets all the plaudits, the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, which sits across the water from the northwest island of Anglesey, is a delight that’s easily missed by those heading who travel here to take the ferry to Ireland.

The coastal path offers huge views out to sea and back inland to where the mountains of North Wales rise, while the brilliant white South Stack Lighthouse and its surrounding cliffs are home to puffins and peregrine falcons.

South Stack Cliffs Nature Reserve, Holyhead, LL65 1YH; +44 (0)1407 762100

Brecon Beacons, Wales

Picturesque Llangorse Lake lies in the Brecon Beacons National Park.

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Whether it’s kayaking along tumbling rivers, hiking over high peaks or eating some of the freshest local produce Wales has to offer, the Brecon Beacons has got it all.

Yes, it can get wet, but this is the UK, where rain is a way of life.

While other national parks can often feel crowded, the Brecons offer something a lot more tranquil than their English counterparts, with views and villages to match.

Glens of Antrim, Northern Ireland

The Glens of Antrim has has a starring role in “Games of Thrones.”

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The nine Glens of Antrim tumble down from the Antrim Plateau to the Irish Sea.

You can hire a car and follow the winding coast road, built in the 1830s, which covers over 160 kilometers, with views of the hills and distant Scotland to keep passengers enthralled.

Glenariff and nearby Slemish Mountain were both used in TV series “Game of Thrones,” meaning this part of Northern Ireland has enjoyed something of a tourist boom in recent years.

The picturesque conservation village of Cushendun, a small coastal village set in the heart of the Antrim Coast that’s been protected by the National Trust since 1954, is another of the area’s highlights.

Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland

Battle route: Giant’s Causeway, Antrim, Northern Ireland.

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The estimated 40,000 basalt columns of Giant’s Causeway are steeped in legend.

A UNESCO World Heritage site dating back 60 million years, they’re believed to have been built by the giant Finn McCool for a battle with a rival giant across the water in Scotland.

Today, cliff top walks and an excellent visitor center bring the area to life, with gorgeous scenery and first-rate wildlife to match.

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