UK – Page 4 – travellingzombie.com

The Terracotta Army

Every now and again, there is an opportunity to see something spectacular closer to home than you would expect. For 2000 years, the army stood underground in China, protecting the First Emperor in the afterlife. Now, parts of the army are on tour across museum exhibits and we went along to Liverpool to catch a glimpse.

Firstly, I have to say that my expectations were a little too high. In my head, I’d imagined a room full of the army statues, all lined up and impressive. Obviously this wasn’t the case and the actual exhibit only contained about six of the statues. After getting over my disappointment and unrealistic expectations (that took a while!) I dived into the exhibit to look at the statues.

Amazingly, each statue is different, with unique facial features and clothing. Chariots and horses were also part of the life-size army, each recreated as accurately as possible. I was amazed to see small terracotta animals too – pigs, dogs and cats – all part of the army.

Seeing the figures from the army is something that doesn’t happen all the time – in fact it has been 10 years since the last time the army visited the U.K.

Wandering round the exhibit and learning more about China’s history made me want to add China to my list for future travel. With such an interesting history and culture, I’d love to experience it first hand.

Tickets are available for the exhibition here.

This Is The Place

Travel is not just about visiting new places. It’s about experiences, sights, people and connections. Sometimes, it’s about re-discovering a familiar place. Sometimes, it’s about standing together and having pride in where you live.

Manchester is our home. We know it’s streets well. We know the people. We know it’s struggles and it’s successes.

This week was the anniversary of the Manchester Attack. The anniversary of one of the most difficult times our city has ever faced.

Despite the heartache and the pain that people were facing, we came together. We chose to unite as a city, as a people and in defiance of hate.

The choirs and those watching in the audience sang together in one voice and we found a new view of our city. I can’t say it better than these words from Left and Leaving.

As the eyes of the world were on our city, we stood proud, showing how we do things differently here.

Somewhere To Belong

Belongs somewhere doesn’t always mean a particular place

The past couple of months haven’t really seen much travel for me and Wandering Beeb. We have been moving house and as anyone who has been through that experience knows, it takes up lots of time and almost all of your money! After lots of sorting and box carrying, we decided we needed some time out and a bit of time away from the house-moving world.

We jumped in the car and took off to Formby beach and squirrel park . We chose Formby because it’s fairly easy for us to get to, has a beautifully clean beach and has a lovely forest area nearby.

After lots of busy weekends, it was so nice to stroll through the forest area. We’d picked a beautiful day (that one sunny day that the U.K. gets each year!) and the sun was streaming down through the trees. We were keeping our eyes pealed for squirrels but we didn’t spot a single one, despite the forest’s name! We did spot millions of magpies though, so that might have provided an explanation as to where all of the squirrels had gone.

Looking up at the tree line, we were struck by how much they resembled the trees in Zion National Park. This led us on to a lengthy discussion about Zion and what we’d enjoyed there – making us reflect on our experiences. Although it wasn’t quite the same (no waterfall to walk underneath and certainly not as hot!), it had a similar calming effect on the both of us.

We’d arrived in Formby stressed out and worked up, but looking at the trees and taking time to appreciate our surroundings instantly made us feel far more relaxed.

As we strolled along the beach, the sun bouncing off the sea and the calm sound of the waves made us take a breathe and slow down for a second amongst the hustle and bustle of daily life. Jumping over the pools of water and slushing through the wet sand, our shoes became drenched and our socks were soggy, but our smiles were much wider than when we first got out of the car.

Before this trip, I was getting ready to write a post for last week’s photo challenge on my place in the world. I probably would have picked Yosemite as my place in the world – however, our visit to Formby made me realise, it’s not a specific place where I feel at home. Instead, it’s being somewhere in nature: tall trees, water, sunshine and good people are what I need to feel at home, the actual location doesn’t matter.

Sculpture Trails and Tall Trees: Renewal

One of the things I love most about travelling is the opportunity to get outdoors and experience nature. Sometimes a walk amongst the trees or by water is all that’s needed to reset, recharge and re-energise the mind.

On the way back from a weekend away for a friend’s wedding, we found ourselves passing Beacon Fell Country Park in Preston, UK and decided to spend some time exploring.

With 271 acres of woodland, moorland and farmland, there is plenty to explore. We chose to follow the sculpture trail which leads out of the car park, through the woods and up to the summit of the fell.

There were beautiful views from the top of the Fell – but be warned, it’s so windy up there! I was like a panda by the time we came down – I had more mascara on my cheeks than my eyelashes!

At the top of the Fell is a stone structure, marking where the Beacon would have stood. There is evidence that the Beacon was used as far back as 1002 AD. Historically lit to warn of danger (e.g. attacks), Beacons are also used to celebrate national occasions such as coronations of a new monarch.

Throughout the trail, there are numerous sculptures dotted through the forest by artist Thompson Dagnall. Alongside carvings of bats and birds hanging from the trees, a huge winding snake makes its way down the hill side. People were walking on the snake to make their way down the hill and it was a good test of balance to make it all the way to the bottom without falling off. Watching people tightrope walk down the snake was great entertainment: wobbly arms and legs all round!

Alongside the wooden sculptures, there were also woven animals dotted throughout the forest. Unlike the bigger sculptures, they were harder to spot and this turned our walk into a bit of a treasure hunt!

We found that the light changed drastically whilst we were there, creating a very different atmosphere throughout the day. From dark and mysterious to bright and magical, the tall trees filter the light, creating interesting shadows and patterns on the forest floor.

A fun place to visit, Beacon Fell is a excellent day out, especially if you like a little entertainment in your nature walks. It reminded me of the National Parks in America, which is great if funds are low and more local travel is needed.

Following our walk, it felt like all of the cobwebs (and the impending hangover from the wedding party) were blown away. I always feel renewed after time in the outdoors and it reminds me that being connected to nature is a good way of revitalising myself and recharging my batteries.

Although this trip was some time ago, just going through the photos has me longing for forests, hills and new places. Although the rain and cold weather is still here (in April no less!), it feels like time to dig the tent out and think about places to camp when the weather gets warmer.