A Shard of Glass in London

If you thought the views from the London Eye were amazing, wait until the viewing galleries for The Shard at London Bridge Quarter open next February.  Hailed as a vertical city, the glass pyramid undergoing final construction in London will offer 40 mile views across the city.  The Shard is the EU’s tallest building at 1017 feet.   You can pre-register now for updated visitor information.

Taking Off in London

London, England is a treasure trove of cultural enrichment, architectural design and—airports?  That’s right.  As if Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and London City weren’t enough to service London and the surrounding area, you now have a sixth option:  Southend.  Located less than 40 miles east of Central London and less than 38 miles from Stratford, Southend is easily accessible to passengers by car, rail, coach, bus or taxi.  The airport officially opened on 5 March.  easyJet, the UK’s largest airline, celebrated its inaugural flight from Southend to Belfast on 2 April.  With flights to other popular European destinations like Barcelona, Amsterdam and Malaga, the seaside resort-turned-air hub may give the other contenders a run for their money.

Honest Burgers in London

London offers a menu to suit any palate, but who would’ve known that Brixton’s old covered market area in the southwest area of the city would become a culinary hotspot?  Better get in line early for places like Honest Burgers, where the beef comes straight from happy cows on the Yorkshire Moors.  Served on a toasted glazed bun with hand cut, triple-cooked rosemary chips, this bit of comfort food is honestly delicious.

The Flying Duchess

Woburn Abbey has been the home of the Dukes of Bedford for nearly 400 years.  As with any historical manor, the stories of its occupants over the centuries are what bring it to life for contemporary guests.  In the case of Woburn, the ladies of the house are just as compelling as their male counterparts.  Take, for example, Mary Russell, wife of the 11th Duke.  In the spirit of our modern era Amelia Earhart, she embraced aviation and flew record-breaking flights from Kent to India and later Cape Town.  An ill-fated flight in 1937 resulted in her plane washing ashore near Great Yarmouth; her body was never recovered.  Her adventurous spirit is reflected in the Flying Duchess’ Room at the Abbey.

Celebrating the Bard

The biggest celebration of Shakespeare ever staged begins today in the UK.  The World Shakespeare Festival is the first ever collaboration between Tate Modern, the British Museum, National Theatre, British Council and the Royal Shakespeare Company.  Considering that over 64 million children worldwide study Shakespeare, part of the event’s focus is its collaboration with teachers.  An education conference in September will bring together education professionals, international artists and academics to investigate learning through Shakespeare and the arts.  Another highlight of this months-long event is the staging of Shakespeare-inspired productions with 7200 amateur theatre makers in 260 groups across the UK.  Overall, thousands of artists from around the world will take part in almost 70 productions, events and exhibitions in locations including London, Stratford-upon-Avon, Newcastle/Gateshead, Birmingham, Wales and Scotland.   Can’t travel?  No worries.  An exciting digital platform called My Shakespeare will give you a chance to create your own visualisation and release your own works onto the site.  Over a million tickets will be sold for the festival, which runs through November.

A Beehive of Activity in London

With the Olympics fast approaching, you can well imagine the beehive of activity in the great city of London.  But the beehive of which I speak today is of a different variety: 40 colonies, to be exact.  That’s how many families of bees are tucked away in secret locations in London’s Regent’s Park, producing some of the tastiest honey in Britain under the watchful eye of bee farmer Toby Mason.  Did you know that a queen bee can lay as many as 2000 eggs per day?  With that kind of production, there’s plenty of need for more beekeepers and farmers.  You can take beekeeping classes in Regent’s Park and grow your own dynasty.

The Real Deal in Chelsea

Now the oldest antiques fair in Britain, London’s Chelsea Antiques Fair wants visitors to be assured of high standards.  They secure outside experts to check the veracity of labels as well as the quality and authenticity of the pieces on show.   So you rest assured that those new 17th century entrants this year are the real deal.  Other selections include fine Victorian and 19th Century European oil paintings, British and Continental porcelain, Art Nouveau and Art Deco glass, antique books, prints and maps, and a smattering of the interesting and unusual.  If you can’t manage it all from 21 -25 March, then come back in September.  The event is at Old Town Hall on Kings Road.  Admission is only £5; that leaves room for spending.