I feel complete that I can now say I have been to the oldest pub in England. Built into the side of Castle Rock in Nottingham, Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem (even the name sounds olde) is believed to have been the original brewhouse for Nottingham Castle. The pub is built around the real caves. Apparently, there is a very extensive cave system that leads from the brewhouse up through the rock into the castle. Check out this cool link to photos of the Nottingham Caves Survey. In addition to the caves at the castle, there is a very large...
You would think having a local host in the UK would lead to the best of the best restaurants. It took me a few days to discover that if our host John liked it, I was guaranteed to hate it– and vice versa. John truly likes only white or brown food with no seasoning, and he won’t eat salad because he refuses to eat anything he has to “push around a plate.” On top of that, let’s add some very limiting food restrictions– no beef, lamb, pork, dairy, gluten, egg… should I keep going? I wondered how we were...
A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to tag along on a work trip with my husband. After 10 days in the UK, I can still say the stereotype is true– they really are that polite! Having traveled to many crowded foreign cities, it was a treat to be around people who respect a queue. I kept flashing back to the Griswolds’ encounters in London with a certain British gentleman. Check out this link– it is the real deal! Adapting to the local cuisine was definitely challenging. Fish and chips– gluten; bangers and mash– dairy; mushy peas– probably dairy,...
