Europe – Page 5 – 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.

The Ruin Pubs of Budapest

The oldest ruin pub in Budapest – Szimpla Kert

We were sat on plastic, flip down seats, made out of an old theatre chair, screwed into a heavily graffitied wall. We’d made our way through the open-roofed maze of rooms and the sound of the music had faded a little, although the base could still be felt through the floor. We had headed down to Szimpla Kert, the original ruin pub in Budapest and it was certainly living up to it’s hype!

Ruin pubs make use of the run down, derelict spaces in Budapest, creating unique settings full of mis-matched furniture and creatively placed oddities. There is quite an interesting history to the ruin pubs, you can read more here: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/hungary/articles/a-brief-history-of-budapests-ruin-bars/

Originally we had found what we thought to be Szimpla Kert and weren’t as impressed. After being told “Don’t turn left out of your hotel, not safe” by the taxi driver, we were understandably a little cautious! Therefore, when we went hunting, we’d found somewhere that proclaimed itself as ‘the original ruin pub’ and thought that we had reached our destination. We were somewhat unimpressed and couldn’t really understand what all the fuss was about. It quickly became clear that the small, narrow pub we were in was not the one we had set out to find and, after getting lost a couple of times, we found Szimpla Kert. Entering into the bar and taking a seat, we started to understand why it had come with such high recommendations.

Across the way from where we were sitting, there was an old car seat being used as theatre seating, in front of a projector screen showing films against a graffiti-ladened wall. Looking upwards, the court-yard between the two external walls was joined together by netting, flags and awnings, creating a market place type feel, enhanced by the rhythmic, yet unrecognisable, baseline supplied by a DJ who was strategically placed behind a wall of metal fencing and potted plants.

The vibe was that of a relaxed house party, groups of people sat chatting, people dancing, some playing with a prop or two (in this case a couple of bike wheels mounted on the walls) and others making use of the wall space to add their own graffiti to the blank spaces between other visitor’s scribbles. The eclectic mix of art and furniture matched the range of nationalities gathered in the bar, each bringing a little of their own culture to the shared experience. Each taking a little piece of the culture of the ruin pubs home in their heart.

http://en.szimpla.hu/

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.

Getting Lost Close To Home

Feet sinking into the snow, we realised that there was no path anymore and getting down off the hill was going to be a bit of a challenge.

We’d set off for a wander around Ullswater and Aira Force, following the A ira Force and Gowbarrow Trail. The promising views from the summit of Gowbarrow had tempted us out from warm spots by the fire into the snow and wind.

Aira Force is about 1 hour 45 minutes from where we live. We’d packed the car up and headed off to play tour guide for a couple of friends who hadn’t visited before. We were all feeling a bit restless, having been kept inside recently through the bad weather.

We started off towards the falls and even though it was really cold, the sprinklings of snow really highlighted the magic of the falls, making them seem otherworldly.

The Old Norse name of Aira Force translates to ‘the waterfall on the gravel bank river’.

Following the path, we headed towards the open hillside where the snow was much thicker. Due to the depth of the snow, we couldn’t see the path properly and we must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. A small fence led up the hillside and we navigated uneven ground as we walked, the snow sometimes giving way to reveal holes made by a hidden stream. We were all being very careful not to hit one of the drops wrong and twist an ankle as we ascended the steep hillside.

At the top of the hill, the view was stunning. It was hard to believe that we were less than 2 hours away from home. The snow-topped hills in the distance, surrounded by a shimmering lake were reminiscent of any trip to Canada or Europe or the USA.

After snapping a few photos. We quickly realised that the path down wasn’t clearly visible and that going down was going to be much harder than coming up. Although we were all feeling warmer following our trek up the incline, the snow was thicker and it was harder to determine where the drops in the landscape were hiding. After walking some distance towards the gleaming water of the lake, we came to an sharp edge, which would have certainly seen one or more of us loose our footing.

Leading the charge, one of my most confident and positive friends encouraged us all to shuffle-slide down the hill on our bums. It was one of the best parts of the walk and really sticks out as a highlight of the day- the four of us taking turns to help each other down the steep embankment, sliding through snow on our bums, soaking wet, but laughing and triumphant as we reached the bottom.

I love the pictures from this hike more than any others taken on local treks. They prove to me that beautiful scenery can be found close to home if you know where to look. They remind me that travel doesn’t always have to mean the other side of the world and they encapsulate a day that was filled with love, friendship and adventure – the best kind of days you can have.