THE MIDLANDS
Taking London as our reference point once more, Oxford and Cambridge are the two most important university towns in the country.
Oxford is northwest, toward the midlands of the country, while Cambridge is north and slightly east, in the very flat East Anglian countryside. Both college towns are steeped with tradition, history and impressive buildings.
Not far from Oxford is Stratford on Avon. If you did not manage to get to the theatre when you were in London, now is your chance. The Shakespeare combined ticket that allows you to view all the National Trust properties is well worth it.
Not far from here is Warwick castle, one of the best preserved in all of England and reputed to be haunted. If you love a moat, you will adore Warwick.
Heading into Derbshire is Matlock Spa and Chatsworth, and the Peak District. The Spa dates from the Victorian times, and Chatsworth was the model for Pemberley in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice. The Peak district is one of those little pockets of perfection, unspoilt countryside ideal for the hiker.
There is also Tissington Village, not quite a model village like Milton Abbas in Dorset, but one in which everyone works communally and you need to apply to the lord of the area for permission for any changes in the district.
As the name suggests, there are wonderful peaks to climb, including one called the Devil’s Arse, two granite buttocks. It is one of the most unspoilt areas in an already remarkably rural yet sophisticated country.
The freshness of the food is also well worth visiting for.

WEST OF LONDON
Much more ancient is prehistoric Stonehenge, near Salisbury and the Regency town of Bath. Stonehenge is a giant circle of huge stones which dates back at least 5000 years. Marvel and wonder at this overwhelming sight, then decide on your answer to the eternal question: how did they build it? Some of the stones come from a special quarry in Wales over 150 miles away.
Bath is a remarkable Regency town which you will probably recognize from many BBC costume dramas. It has been immortalized in the works of Jane Austen, just as Dorset has been in the works of Thomas Hardy, and Cornwall in the Poldark novels of Winston Graham. Fans of any of these novelists will be delighted to learn that little of the countryside has changed.
Lyme Regis, south of the Bath, is a charming seaside town made famous in the novel Persuasion, and revisited in the French Lieutenant’s Woman. The undercliff is spectacular and has the most fascinating Jurrasic fossils.
Glastonbury is a remarkable town with an incredibly well preserved Abbey and tower atop its imposing hill, known as Glastonbury Tor. It has many associations with King Arthur, and is said to be one of the most haunted towns in England. It has also become a center for new age culture due to the legends, and is quite remarkable for such a small rural hamlet in somerset.
Just north of it travelling back towards Bristol and Bath is the cathedral town of Wells, very old, with a charming museum and regular farmer’s market. Not far away is the famous town of Cheddar, so if you are a cheese lover, you won’t want to miss it. If you are inclined to hike, there is the spectacular Cheddar Gorge.
Traveling still further along the welsh border is the lovely cathedral town of Worcester (pronounced WOOSter) and Ludlow, with its impressive castle. Still north again is Liverpool, once a bustling seaport, now mainly famous for its associations with the Beatles.

SOUTH EAST OF LONDON
But if you do decide you want to venture out of the city, why not head to the suburb of Greenwich, famous for the maritime museum, and the Royal Observatory founded by Charles II in the latter part of the 17th century. The building and parks are completely unique, and yet are less than an hour’s ride on the bus from the British museum, or about 30 minutes on the train. The Cutty Sark is there as well, one of the last of the great Clipper ships which traded between England and India in the 19th century.
SOUTH SOUTH EAST OF LONDON
Another atmospheric experience not too far from London is a visit to historic Canterbury Cathedral, which is more than 800 years old and a national treasure. Many of the towns in the area have an association with Charles Dickens.
Continuing on in this direction, you will get to the white cliffs of Dover, also the port city for ferries to the continent.
SOUTH OF LONDON
Heading straight south from London is the seaside town of Brighton, a fascinating Regency (late 18th and early 19th century) town with the wonderful and ccenttric Royal Palace known as the Royal Pavillion. The pier that stretches out into the English channel about a mile is full of entertainment, food, and amusement park rides, and gives you and idea of a typical day at the English seaside.
SOUTH WEST OF LONDON
Going west are the cathedral towns of Winchester and Salisbury. Going south west is the remarkable Arundel castle, and the town of Portsmouth, home to the Vicoty, Nelson’s ship which helped him win the Battle of Trafalgar, in which he was killed.
Over the water is the Isle of Wight, extremely quaint, with a wonderful Civil War manor, Areton, and a pub which boasts over 500 different whiskeys.

An trip to England is your chance to discover the unique blend of the historic and traditional as well as the ultramodern that England has to offer. Going out of the capital of London, you can also experience quiet villages, picturesque countryside, and traditional English teas.

LONDON
The huge capital city of London is home to many world-famous landmarks, including Buckingham Palace, the home of the British Royal Family.
The ornate neo-Gothic architecture of the Houses of Parliament, and the spiritual presence surrounding Westminster Abbey, St Martin’s in the Fields, and St. Paul’s Cathedral are unforgettable.
In addition, the museums and galleries are second to none. Many of the collections specialize as well, so for example, the Army Museum near the banks of the River Thames is a must see for history buffs, just as the National Gallery is for art lovers.
And just around the corner from it is the National Portrait Gallery, not as well know, but with exquisite paintings dating back to the famous portrait of Richard III painted before his death in 1485, and ranging up to and past the famous portraits of Lady Diana, the Princess of Wales.
Just across the street is the Academy of St Martin’s in the Fields, which has a very inexpensive open air market, and the most fabulous crypt underneath, where you can do the very British brass rubbing, and have a fantastic lunch. All the proceeded go to support the homeless in the area. And more often than not, there are free concerts in the Church by the world-renowned performers there, well worth listening to.
Then there is the Tower of London, and the Soane Museum, as well as the British Museum. Any one of these attractions would take several days to go through to see everything. As a famous writer once said, if you’re tired ot London, you’re tired of life.

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At the current moment in time you will be able to buy your luggage from shops which sell many different brands of luggage. These will include designer names which can be expensive, but in some cases will have certain traits which can be found in low quality cheap luggage.

They might be fashion designers, but do they really know anything about luggage durability? And think about it, the Samsonite gorilla is NOT a respecter of designer labels!

While some of these companies will have good looking luggage the quality of these will be poor, as they are constructed of material which emphasises looks, not long lasting use. (After all, if it wears out, they can sell more!)

When choosing your luggage, look at the different pieces and pick something light, versatile, and small enough to be able to serve as a carry on. The expandable case is a popular choice now. Just look for the thickness of the fabric and number and placement of the zippers for expansion.

While there are many brand name luggage companies you will be able to find some like Bentley?s which focuses on provide quality products along with reasonable prices.

As with all product, when you are choosing to buy suitcases it is always best to buy ones that will provide you with the features that you require.

Cheap luggage does not always mean low quality, sometimes it can provide you with high quality goods at reasonable prices. Check in stores for special deals, online, and even in warehouse stores to get the best deals. Happy traveling.

Luggage made from fabric is one material that you can be sure will tear due to the external and internal objects coming into contact with the luggage.

It van also easily get snagged in the machinery or grabbed and ripped in the process if there are a lot of external pockets or straps.

Any cheap luggage that has large, cheap zippers will be in constant danger of bursting open, especially if you overpack. I can’t tell you how many suitcases I have had trashed due to the zipper.

In fact, it happens so often that the airlines often have empty suitcases standing by at the ready fo you to put all your contents into when your bag bursts open.

(And the last replacement bag they gave me is still going strong!)

Due to the fabric and zipper issues, you might want to consider hard shell luggage, and as we said, buy your cheap bag from a name you know, a company well experienced in this field.

Look at the wheels too, and whether or not they are the flat plastic kind built into the suitcase, or the metal swivelling kind, which can easily get torn off, but can also be more readily replaced if the company offers spares, which a reputable luggage company will.

Look also at the handles. Are they fully retractable? Are they made of plastic, metal, with a comfy soft hand grip? Does it seat within the body of the suitcase when it is folded down, or is it jutting out anywhere. Believe me, if the handle goes on a wheeled bag, it is not much use any more.

Other people try to use different identifying marks on their bags to distinguish from the hundreds of black suitcase all going around and around on the carousel.

Far better to get a luggage strap than all sorts of pom poms or other little things that dangle and can cause your suitcase to get snagged and torn.And the luggage strap will help prevent the bag from bursting if the zippers do give way.

For the constant traveler, having luggage which will stand up to the various stresses and strains of travel is a must.

While many of us are not able or willing to buy designer luggage, there are various brands of cheap luggage that you can invest in.

Some of these inexpensive luggage pieces are the lower end of the range made by reputable luggage manufacturers. But that is fine. Not every suitcase has to be top of the line. It depends on form and function.

And for the top brands, even their lower end of the price scale is good, because these manufacturers are well versed in the construction of luggage, and don’t want to put their name on a piece of junk, after all.

In addition, they know about the various size restrictions which are currently in place for airline travel.

The other facts which these companies will be aware of is the myriad of pressures that luggage undergoes while it is being transported from your departure point to your destination.

Keep these pressures in mind when you are thinking about cheap luggage. If the bags are just intended to go into the cabin with you, great. If it is going to go into the checked baggage area, you might want to consider the thickness of the fabric, and the quality of the zippers. Just think of the Samsonite gorilla endurance test for your bags.

I buy pretty good luggage, and am always amazed at how damaged it gets returned to me only a couple of hours later!

What you need to know about this essential piece of travel equipment.

Today’s trendy designer sunglasses are a status symbol; however, in order to be fashionable in sunglasses, you do not have to give up quality.

Quality designer sunglasses can be polarized to reduce the glare of sunlight reflecting off surfaces like the highway, cars, water or snow.

Polarized sunglasses work by blocking off horizontal light reflections and only let in vertical light reflections. The polarization of designer sunglasses makes them fashionable in other areas of lifestyle like golfing, boating, biking, swimming, fishing and aircraft flying. They are also popular amongst the professional poker players!

Marketers of designer sunglasses target children who choose the same hot styles and brand-names as their parents and their idols. Sunglasses for children have Disney and cartoon characters in many colors, shapes and styles. Children’s designer sunglasses can also be polarized to block the harmful UV radiation.

With modern technology and improvements, the making of sunglasses continues to evolve. We have gone from holding green gems up to our eyes, to sunglasses with digital audio players built in.

One rule of thumb when choosing sunglasses is always that they are intended to protect the eyes. So while they can be an expensive fashion statement, look at what you can afford, and buy the pair with the best protective lenses that suit your face.

Terrific offers on sunglasses and more: Fossil.com

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No matter what the time of year, sunglasses should be a part of your daily heath-consciousness routine.

Sunglasses are not just for summers on the beach any more or just for looking cool and mysterious. Designer sunglasses are no longer just for wealthy movie stars.

Sunglasses are crucial in protecting your eyes from the permanent damaging effects of Ultra Violet radiation from the sun.

Sunglasses in some form have been around for a very long time. The Roman Emperor Nero made sunglasses by watching gladiator competitions through polished light emerald green gems held up to his eyes. The true invention of sunglasses was somewhere between 1268 and 1289.

Before 1430, smoky quartz, flat-paned sunglasses were worn by judges in the Courts of China to conceal any expression in their eyes.

Prescription sunglasses were developed in Italy in 1430 and were later used by the Chinese Judges.

In the mid 18th Century, James Ayscough developed blue and green corrective lenses, beginning the use of sunglasses for correcting optical impairments.

Until 1730 when Edward Scarlett invented hardened sidepieces, there were problems in keeping eyeglasses propped up on the nose. Glasses frames had been made from leather, bones and metal and sidepieces began as silk strips of ribbon that looped around the ears. Instead of loops, the Chinese added ceramic weights to the ends of the ribbons.

Benjamin Franklin’s invention of bifocal lenses followed in 1780.

By the 20th Century, sunglasses were used to protect the eyes from the sun. In 1929 Sam Foster’s “Foster Grants” were the first mass-produced sunglasses, and they began the trend of sunglasses for fashion.

In the 1930’s the Army Air Corps asked Bausch & Lomb to develop sunglasses that would efficiently reduce high-altitude sun glare for pilots and they came up with dark green tinted sunglasses that absorbed light through the yellow spectrum.

Edward H. Land had invented the Polaroid filter, and by 1936 he used it in making sunglasses. Soon, sunglasses became “cool.” Movies stars began wearing sunglasses to hide behind and for fashion statements.

Aviator glasses became popular with the movie stars and the general public in 1937 after Ray Ban developed the anti-glare sunglasses using polarization. The lens was created to give more protection to pilots’ eyes from light reflecting off their control panels.

By the 1970’s Hollywood stars and fashion designers made a huge impact on the sunglasses market. Clothing designers and stars put their names on glasses and sunglasses and everyone had to have them.

In 2007, stars are still hiding behind their oversized designer sunglasses, making fashion statements and protecting their eyes from the harmful effects of the Ultra Violet radiation.

Terrific offers on sunglasses and more: Fossil.com

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