Places We Want To Go: Windsor & Eton

 

Image: Wikimedia. (Public Domain)

Windsor, England is probably famous for one thing and that's being on the Heathrow flight path. Oh yeah, there's also a castle there that's been used by the British royal family for over one thousand years. Built in the 11th century during William The Conqueror's time, it has been used consistently since Henry I, more recently gaining appreciation as the favoured residence of Elizabeth II.

The town of Windsor is very close to the town of Eton, which is just across the River Thames. The famous Eton College is here, which has produced 20 of the 55 Prime Ministers of the UK, along with a few more notable names.

Would you like to go to Windsor or Eton?

Places We Wanna Go: Winchester Cathedral

 

Image: Flickr (CC BY SA 2.0)

Winchester Cathedral is one of the largest in Northern Europe, being started in 1079 by William The Conqueror's friend Walkelin, the first Norman Bishop of Winchester, the building was completed in 1532, just in time for Henry VIII and his takeover of the Catholic Church in England to create the new Church of England. In this podcast episode, we discuss the song (Which Dominic had never heard before) and the actual Cathedral in Winchester in the UK.

Do you have a favourite cathedral?

Places We Wanna Go: The Scottish Highlands - Episode 292

 

Image: Needpix.com (CC BY 4.0)

Scotland is a magical place and that's in no small part due to the historic Highlands region. The Highlands, for centuries, were a stronghold for the ancient Scottish clans and have been the inspiration for countless works of art and fiction. Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander' series of books is set in the Scottish Highlands and deals with the end of the Highland way of life. In this episode, we talk about wanting to visit the Scottish Highlands, in Dominic's case again, and driving the NC500 route!

Have you ever visited the Scottish Highlands?

Places We Wanna Go: Isle Of Man - Episode 284

 

Image: Wikipedia (CC BY 4.0)

We haven't done a Places We Wanna Go episode, at least for the general public, for a while. If you head on over to our Patreon then you can listen to our exclusive episodes there! So, this episode is all about a place that we've talked so much about visiting in the past and that is the Isle of Man! It's a small island, like the UK but much smaller and is nestled between Northern Ireland and the UK.

Where should we wanna go next?

Places We Wanna Go: Whitby - Episode 254

 

Image: Historic-UK.com (CC BY 2.0)

Whitby is a destination that may not be on your places to see in England, but if you're a fan of Bram Stoker's Dracula, then it probably is at the top. This tiny seaside town on the east Yorkshire coast has become the centre of the Gothic world thanks to Bram Stoker setting a good portion of his Dracula novel in the town. In this Places We Wanna Go entry, we're talking about the greatest of Gothic seaside towns, which also happens to have the highest rated Fish and Chips in Britain.

What are your thoughts on seaside towns?

Places We Wanna Go: York - Episode 237

 

Image: TripSavvy.com (CC BY 2.0)

In this Places We Wanna Go, we explore York and encourage you, when all this pandemic is over, to do the same. York is a wonderful city from what we've seen and heard. In our latest podcast episode, we talk about what there is to see and do in the city of York in the historic country of Yorkshire! The York Minster! The Chocolate! The Walls! The Shambles! It's all talked about in this episode.

Have you ever been to York?

Places We Wanna Go: Dover - Episode 203

Immanuel Giel, CC BY-SA 3.0

Dover. It's castle, Dover Castle, is historically known as the 'Key to England', having been built in 1066 by William the Conqueror and survived shelling from France in World War 2. The White Cliffs of Dover, which flank the port and town of Dover are considered an icon of England by the National Trust and from Cap Griz-Nez (Cape Grey Nose) in France, on a clear day, you can see the White Cliffs across the 20 miles of the strait of Dover quite nicely!

With Dover's history, it's quite easy to see why we talk about wanting to go there in this new podcast episode!

What historical town would you visit in England?

Places We Wanna Go: Edinburgh - Episode 194

 

Ad Meskens, CC BY 3.0

Yes! That's right! It's another 'Places We Wanna Go' episode. This time, we're talking about Edinburgh, which Dominic has been to but not since he was a young child. There's so much of Edinburgh that remains hidden and is just ripe for exploring. Once this pandemic ends, the Scottish capital will be on our list of places to travel to!

Have you ever been to Edinburgh?

Places We Wanna Go: Puzzlewood & The Forest of Dean - Episode 188

 

Image: Neil Barnwell / CC BY SA 2.0

Puzzlewood. It sounds like a wood that's a bit of a puzzle, doesn't it? Well, it's a place we wanna go as well as the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Yes, I'll say that again! It's an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Many films and TV have been shot around the area, in particular Puzzlewood, which has been the location of such blockbusters as Star Wars and Harry Potter. TV shows such as Merlin, Sex Education and Doctor Who have used the region as well.

Have you ever heard of Puzzlewood?

Top 10 Castles of the UK - Episode 182

Public Domain

 So, bet you didn't know the UK had CASTLES, didja? Oh... You did? Well, that was anticlimactic! Anyway! In this episode we talk about the top 10 castles you have to see when you visit the UK. Some of the history of the UK is fascinating and castles are at forefront of that history!

Have you ever been to a castle?

Places We Wanna Go: Cornwall - Episode 179

Image: Kynance Cove, Cornwall. (CC BY 2.0)

Cornwall. One of the more magical counties in England and its cliffs the scene of many a dramatic pose by someone in a corset or on horseback. This county is definitely somewhere we want to explore, for it's connections with strange beasts that roam moors, the ghosts of smugglers and for that mythical wall of corn that Dominic keeps going on about.

What are your thoughts about Cornwall?

Living In America: Missing Crucial Events At Home

Image: Wallpaperflare. (CC BY 2.0)

As an Expat, you have to learn to live with certain things when you move away from your home country. With today's technology, we can see and hear them in real time, imagine what it must have been like 100 years ago? 1920, no internet, bad phone connection. Planes were still new and took a long time and a lot of money to get places. Many people who crossed the Atlantic ocean never set foot on their home soil again. So, it may have been a case of out of sight, out of mind. I wonder how many who set out to start a new life had family back home they missed and thought about often? It's much harder to forget about home these days with the current technology rate. Still, today's technology reminds you that you aren't physically there and with the current global pandemic, we are social distancing so this makes it even harder.

In a few days, my dad, my sister and my best friend will all have birthdays. On the same day. My sister and best friend live in England and Wales respectively, my dad lives in Spain. This is hard for me because I would love to be able to spend their birthdays with them, to celebrate, to enjoy their company. Even without a global pandemic, it would be hard. Flights back to the UK and EU are expensive.

My fellow Expats, how are you finding this time? Is it even harder than usual? For me, it's been much the same. I suppose it helps having a rather small family. I know that if we were in the UK, Erica would be having a much harder time not seeing her family.

How do you think you would do if you were living away from your homeland?


-Dominic

Places We Wanna Go In The UK: The Cotswolds - Episode 171

Image: Saffron Blaze / CC BY-SA

So, we're kicking off a new series on our podcast called 'Places We Wanna Go' and we'd love it if you shared your places YOU would like to go with us too. It doesn't just have to be in the UK or the USA, it can be anywhere in the world, or even anywhere in the universe? If you want to go to Mars or Alpha Centauri, tell us!

If you could visit anywhere, where would you go?

British Place Names Pronounced By An American - Episode 164

Image: Raphael Frey (CC BY-SA 3.0)

There are some British places that sound, to other English speaking countries, unpronounceable. Some even sound cute to their ears. But on seeing them, are you sure they're pronounced how they're spelt? Here's the full list with the county they're in

Ruislip (London)

Dulwich (London)

Holborn (London)

Loughborough (Leicestershire)

Frome (Somerset)

Ballachulish (Highlands)

Godmanchester (Cambridgeshire)

Woolfardisworthy (Devon)

Omagh (County Tyrone)

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (Anglesey)

That last one stumps even Welsh people!

Can you think of any more places that would stump an American?

British Foods An American Has Never Heard Of - Episode 156

Before coming to Britain, Erica had never heard of most of these foods. Marmite? Sausage Rolls? Surely Erica would have heard of these! But Egads! No! Listen to Erica talk about all the strange and wonderful foods she had never heard of before she visited the UK!


Have you heard of all of these foods?

The Weather - Episode 154

An F5 Tornado in full force, 2007. Image: Justin1569. (CC BY-SA 3.0)

"Been a bit drizzly today, hasn't it?" That's something you'll hear a lot of in the UK. Talk of the weather. Usually a good conversation starter! When Dominic first moved to Texas, he had never experienced the threat of a tornado. He still isn't a fan of being awoken by his phone buzzing at 5am to warn him that there was a tornado on the ground close to him. Erica will wake the neighbourhood up though!

Have you ever been in a tornado? If not, what kind of scary weather do they have in your part of the world?

Dallas - Episode 140

Dallas. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Dallas. Dollars to donuts (Yes, I want donuts!) you're either humming the theme to that 80s soap opera or thinking about the JFK Assassination. (You can let us know which it is!)

Yes, this episode we talk about all things Dallas, since we've been there. My first trip to Dallas was in 2008, which was my first time ever in the United States. You expect it to look a certain way because of how it's portrayed on film and TV and to some it may just be another generic city, with nothing that stands out.

When you think of Dallas, what's the first thing you think of?

Trivia Time - Episode 137

Could Erica be one of the BBC's famous Eggheads? Image: Tea &A Butty

You know you love it when I quiz Erica on things. This time I'm quizzing her on the UK and smooshing her scrunchie, which she really uses to gain knowledge like that guy who cheated on Who Wants to be A Millionaire years ago. How will Erica fare on this quiz? Well, have a listen to find out.

Did you play along? How many did you get right?

Time Travel + Shout-Outs! - Episode 135

Chmee2 / CC BY-SA

With the massive success of the Starz series 'Outlander' starring Sam Heughan and Catriona Balfe, we decided it would be fun to talk about what time period we would go back to if we could and we even give some of our Instagram followers a shout out who told us which period they would go back to! Have a listen to see if we mentioned you!

Would you travel back in time if you could?

European Things Americans Don't Understand - Episode 134

Image: Dominic Williams

There are many things in Europe that are extremely foreign to Americans. I've met many in America who visited Europe and say "Oh, it's old and run down!" and "I found it to be really dirty and everyone was smoking!"

Well, we talk about all of that and more in this episode. Europe doesn't have the facilities for modern conveniences such as air conditioning and in most of the continent, there isn't the need for screens on the windows.

What do you think the strangest thing about Europe is?