Statue – Page 2 – 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.

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.

Calgary Street Art

At the end of our trip in Canada last year, we found ourselves with a couple of hours to kill in Calgary before flying home.

We didn’t really have time to make a specific trip out to a tourist spot or take a mini city tour (something that can be a really good way of seeing places when you are short on time).

Instead we took some time to wander round the streets and soak up the atmosphere. Luckily it was nice and sunny, meaning we could meander round the streets fairly comfortably.

On our unstructured trek round the city, we found loads of interesting street art, as well as a festival celebrating different cultures.

A mix of culture, music and food was on offer and a band in the centre of the plaza had people up dancing, enjoying the sunshine.

One of the most interesting artwork we spotted was the Wonderland sculpture in downtown Calgary. This is a huge wire structure of a human head which shows different faces, depending on the angle it’s viewed from. As it’s on the main route to most places, its definitely worth a quick visit.

We stumbled on the metal horse sculpture as we were wandering through some of the shopping districts – it was great to see unique artwork in a public space and it created a talking point with other people who were stopping to look at the sculpture in more detail.

It just goes to show that you don’t have to take a tour, pay lots of money or even have a specific destination in mind to get a feel for a new place. Sometimes, a simple wander around the local streets is all you need to discover some interesting sites and experiences.

An Unscheduled Road Trip: Santa Barbara

How I fell in love with Santa Barbara

I’m not going to lie, driving from Yosemite to LA is a fair distance and despite the curvaceously stunning coastlines of the Big Sur, there comes a point where you just have to pull over and take a break.

Twice we’ve stopped at Santa Barbara for a couple of hours to break up the drive and although it wasn’t on our list of places to visit, I have found that I’m completely in love with the place.

The first time we visited, I saw a grand total of a multi-story car park, a sandwich shop and the view from the top of the Court House. We were racing time to reach our next overnight stop and didn’t have much time to see the sites. This was a functional visit – loo break, food and a change of driver. The main reason for choosing Santa Barbara as our impromptu stop was because we googled interesting locations along our route and Santa Barbara was listed as a location for Michael Jackson’s house. This felt like an interesting adventure. We thought we might be able to see it from the rooftop of the County Court House – spoiler alert: we couldn’t. The view was lovely however and the Spanish colonial style architecture made it feel like we were in a little European town rather than in the USA. Despite the short visit, the bright streets and sun-drenched rooftops made a quick stop-off somewhere to remember.

The second time we visited, we had a little more time and were able to explore further. We found the main street entirely by accident, twisting and turning through narrow, boutique-lined streets.

Heading up State Street, we came across the La Arcada Courtyard. It was here that I lost my heart. The centrepiece of the courtyard is a stone fountain, complete with an abundance of turtles lazily plodding onto the rocks in the summer sun. We sat by the edge of the fountain watching the light bounce off the water as the turtles clambered over the slick rocks and each other, jostling for position in the warmth.

Peeling ourselves off the hot fountain edge, we wandered through the streets, stopping to marvel at statues, shops and tiled walkways. It felt like an art-lover’s paradise, with expression and passion everywhere you looked. The life-like statues (something that would usually creep me out) perfectly fit the activity on the streets and added to the bohemian atmosphere.

Eventually the grumbles of our tummies won the argument with our brains and we agreed to head for lunch. We stopped at a little restaurant on the square and the food was incredible! It might have been the time on the road talking but I probably had the best salad ever at that little restaurant.

After lunch we headed down for a quick stroll on the beach to check out the sand sculptures. Walking along Stearns Wharf, the sun was reflecting off the water and it was a refreshing walk along the pier to burn off our food. I loved the close proximity of the beach to the shops and town centre and the whole place had a really chilled out, centred vibe.

We only had a short time in Santa Barbara but it was one of those places which makes ‘winging it’ on the road really pay off. It’s such a beautiful place and I’d love to spend more time there exploring, as I feel that it has much more to offer than we managed to see.

Where has been your best unscheduled stop? Has it lead to any unexpected adventures? We’d love to hear them in the comments!