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Although Birmingham has plenty to offer tourists, such as the Art Gallery and the National Sea Life Centre, my main reason for visiting the city had nothing to do with any of these sights. I used Birmingham as a base to visit what I consider to be one of Britain’s sweetest attractions – Cadbury World. Located in Bournville, a half hour bus ride from the Birmingham city center, Cadbury World has been open since August 1990. It is the only tourist attraction in the United Kingdom dedicated completely to chocolate. Although Cadbury World sounds like a place that would be enjoyed mainly by children, this is not the case. Chocolate lovers of all ages will delight in the magic that is Cadbury. The visit starts
off with a bag of complimentary chocolate bars. (See if yours can survive
until the end of the tour!) The first section of the visitor center
is devoted entirely to the history of chocolate. Through interactive displays
in the form of a timeline, guests learn about the discoveries that led
to the creation of this yummy treat and follow its lengthy journey from
Central America all the way to Victorian England. You’ll be surprised
at how fascinating and complex the history of chocolate is.
Another room is devoted to one of England’s most popular soap operas, Coronation Street. You can see a chocolate replica of the street set, and choose your favorite Cadbury’s Coronation Street adverts from TV’s on the wall. The final stop on the tour is the gift shop. It’s packed with t-shirts, teddy bears, mugs, pencils, pens, posters – in fact, almost anything you can think of that the Cadbury’s logo will fit on. And of course, there’s chocolate. Including a 5 kilogram Dairy Milk bar. Now that’s what I call a souvenir! Adult tickets cost £9.00, tickets for children are £6.80, students and seniors pay £7.20. Children under 4 enter free. A popular destination, it is advisable to book your visitor tickets in advance as entrance cannot be guaranteed without pre-booking. Liverpool Britain is renowned for its history. The island’s involvement in wars, politics and religion fills many a text book. But often another sort of history is overlooked – that of a more musical nature. When people
think of Liverpool, a certain mop-haired quartet automatically comes to
mind. For any Beatles fan, or even fans of music in general, a trip to
Liverpool should be high on your list of places to visit. Being under
the age of 30 put me in the group of people too young to remember the rage,
but I’d always been interested in knowing more about the Fab Four and how
it all came to be.
The Beatles Story is a museum dedicated to the world famous music group. It houses some of their belongings, including John Lennon’s glasses, and numerous other memorabilia. Videos and photographs chart the group’s progress over time and the gift shop will empty any true Beatles fan’s pockets. Admission is £7.95 for adults and £4.95 for children. While you’re at Albert Dock, on the River Mersey, be sure to check out the floating green map of the United Kingdom. It was once used on TV weather broadcasts, and the weather man would jump from one area to the next while relaying the forecast. Another sight worth seeing is The Philharmonic Pub. Opened in the late 1890’s, The Phil, as it’s affectionately referred to, sits across from the Philharmonic Hall. Likely the most posh, sophisticated and stately place you’ll ever consume a pint, The Phil’s most famous seats are elaborate, marble toilets and urinals. The floors and main horseshoe shaped bar are covered with mosaics, lending it an air of artistry and magnificence. The bar is further decorated with bunches of glass grapes, stained glass and a giant golden eagle. Two small,
wood paneled rooms at the back of the pub are named for Brahms and Liszt.
A third room, the Grande Lounge, boasts crystal chandeliers and skylights
made of stained glass.
About two stories high, the remaining sections of the wall are only wide enough to walk single file. A waist high stone railing makes it perfectly safe to wander along the bumpy wall. Towers located at intervals around the wall are now deteriorating, and peering through the eroding windows gives you a sense of what it might have been like to be a guard on duty. A place of interest pointed out by our guide was a simple pub that used to be a house of ill repute used mainly by sailors. Ironically, directly behind it sits a nunnery. Entering the castle itself seems more like walking into a rectangular arena. The majority of the castle remains form the perimeter, while the central, inner area is mainly empty. Lush green grass covers the grounds, emphasizing the gray of the castle’s stone. Distinctive of Caernarfon Castle are its octagonal towers. The Eagle Tower, Chamberlain Tower, Black Tower and Queen’s Tower were all built on more than one level and provided accommodation for residents of high standing. Some contained private chapels, several bedrooms, and most had views of the water. Exploring the castle involves a lot of walking, the majority of it upwards. Climbing up skinny, winding rock stairways is the only way to reach the towers and appreciate the grandiosity of the fortress. The towers are connected by walls similar to the ones that surround the town. Inside the central area on ground level, looking upward provides you only with a view of high walls, and the sky beyond them. A secluded area, the town and its surroundings are invisible from the interior of the castle. After returning
to our hostel from the castle, the owner took us downstairs to share with
us a fascinating discovery. Less than ten years ago a medieval arch was
discovered in the hostel’s basement, and it is believed to be a portion
of a tunnel system used for escaping from the castle in times of danger.
Many believe that a local tailor extended the name for the sole purpose of putting the village on the map in the 1800’s. Although it’s hard to fathom, the elongated string of letters actually has a meaning. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch means The Church of St. Mary in a hollow of white hazel near the rapid whirlpool and church of St. Tysilio near a red cave. Tintern Abbey Close to the border separating England and Wales lays one of the island’s most spectacular treasures. The first Cistercian foundation in Wales, the monastic ruins of Tintern are simply breathtaking. Set upon brilliant lush green grass and surrounded by a deep green forest, the gray stone is prominent in its remote location. The River Wye runs behind the ruins. It once played an important role in the survival of the Abbey’s occupants. Walter de Clare, Lord of Chepstow founded the isolated Abbey in 1131. Little remains of the original Abbey, and what you see today is a fusion of buildings that span 400 years. Some sections are still standing, perhaps not entirely intact, but their shells tell of Tintern’s majestic past. Several of the Abbey’s stones have found new homes and now dot the pristine grass. Wandering among the ruins, one’s gaze is often drawn upward, for the tallest buildings seem to be the best preserved. Gower Peninsula It’s not exactly the type of beach you see plastered on the cover of vacation magazines, but the area is full of nature and science. When the tide is out, you can walk for miles towards the sea. It’s hard to believe that water covers the huge area that you’re walking on, until you look down. The brown sand
is full of treasures deposited by the high tide – razor shells, parts of
fish, crabs and even a sack of shark eggs were only a few of the things
we discovered on our walk. Shipwrecks dot the sand and water here as well
– the wreck of Helvetia, although not much more than the outline of the
ship, is still visible.
Heading the opposite direction from Worms Head will lead you to a scientifically rich area to explore. Huge rocks trap the water and sea life in still pools. Clinging to the rocks are anemones, whelks, mussels and starfish of various colors. Farther inland on the sand lie two dead jellyfish – both easily larger than I am. Their rubbery bodies jiggle as the wind passes over them. Don’t get caught here when the tide comes back in. The water covers the rocks and sand swiftly, and it’s a long swim back to shore. The following is a list of articles that Dawnelle has written for the magazine:
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