During the Wimbledon season (in June), it is essential to know the origins of the lawn game. The ‘old version’ dates back to the 11th century monasteries where tennis was played on an enclosed court.
The ball was solid and a racquet was used to hit it.
The game was a popular pastime activity of monarchs too, like King Henry VIII was a keen tennis player.
Nowadays, the sport is getting unique, however, it is played at many independent schools and colleges (like Cambridge in the photo above).
Wanna go for a ride on the Cam at The Backs?
It worths it no matter which company you take. It is possible to go punting privately and steer the boat on your own, but you’d better not risk. Ask for a professional punter who will tell you nice Cambridge stories.
Gr8 to Know
“No mooring” means no stopping with the boat at place of the sign.
In 2017, schoolboys at The Isca Academy, Exeter England “rebelled” the uniform policy, i.e. boys must wear trousers to school every day.
There was a great heatwave in England in June 2017. Boys at Isca Academy wanted to wear shorts but the headteacher said it was against school regulations but “You can wear skirts if you want,” he replied.
They did so. Meanwhile the protest ended in an all-round U.K support since many schoolboys joined the campaign and went to school in skirts.
GR8 to Know
As a result of the globally raised attention, Isca Academy altered its rules about school uniform and many other U.K.-schools did so.
Legends tell stories about how the Britons or Celts of these Welsh kingdoms fought against the Saxon invaders. Most of these stories are built upon the Arthur-myth – with the legendary king and his Knights of the Round Table, his sword the Excalibur and his prophet wizard, Merlin.
In reality, Saxon kingdoms were at constant fight with the Britons and it resulted in Offa’s Dyke – an earthwork legendarily ordered to create by Mercia’s king Offa to mark a boundary between the Kingdom of Powys and of Mercia.
Offa’s Dyke today offers a great Nordic walking opportunity. Part of the Nation Trail, the path shows the beauty of the Welsh landscape in about 180 kilometres.
‘Halt, who comes there?’
‘The Keys.’
‘Whose keys?’
‘Queen Elizabeth’s Keys.’
‘Pass then, all’s well.’
The above dialogue can be heard daily at around 8 p.m. by those who visit The Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London. The event is supervised by the Yeoman Warders.
GR8 to Know
Admission is free but you must book a “ticket” online in advance. Be quick – tickets are usually booked in a year’s advance.
More about The Tower of London here and here
The largest rural art festival in Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival welcomes visitors from all over the world for the 40th time in a row. This year from 24 May to 2 June, 10-day-long Dumfries and Galloway Arts offers over 60 live shows and 40 venues.
GR8 to Know
The unitary county area is located in the south-west of Scotland covering counties of Dumfriesshire and Stewartry (Dumfreis), Kirkcudbright and Wigtownshire (Galloway).
Photo credit: dgartsfestival.org
None of them is a must anymore when you meet Her Majesty the Queen. In the photo above, former British PM Theresa May curtsies at the beginning of an audience. It is the traditional way: men can greet the Queen with a neck-bow while women do a small curtsy.
Nowadays a usual handshake is formal enough, however, etiquette says you must wait for the Qeen to offer her hand and than shake it politely.
GR8 to Know
To address the Queen in a formal way is that you call her “Your Majesty” and then “Ma’am”.
Photo credit: WPA Pool / Getty
2019 marked the 40th anniversary of the first female Prime Minster in the U.K. to be elected – Margaret Thatcher of the Conservative Party, 4 May 1979. She was re-elected twice in 1983 and 1987.
GR8 to Know
Margaret Thatcher worked as a research chemist and scientist after graduation in the 1950s. She was member of a team of developers who made the world’s first soft ice-cream at J. Lyons and Co. in 1956. From then on, ice-cream has been easily dispensable from the ice-cream machine right into the cone.
Associated with William Shakespeare, the theatre’s replica building in London’s Bankside is a popular tourist attraction. If you travel with a group, don’t miss the interactive extra lessons on Shakespeare’s most well-known plays.
Tickets for summer performances are available from 5 – 6 GBP.
GR8 to Know
The original Globe caught fire several times. Once it was the staff’s own fault: a gun was used to create real sound effects but the ball fell on the thatched roof and the whole building burnt down completely.
One of the world’s largest and oldest museums to introduce the history of mankind with its collection of about 8,000,000 items. Entrance is free to The British, the most visited museum in the U.K. Top attractions include the Ancient Egyptian mummies, The Rosetta Stone, Greek and Roman memorabilia from the Ancient Times and a huge collection of Asian, African and American items. The most important and famous artefacts sum up to 4,000.
GR8 to Know
The museum’s great library had several “celebrities” who visited there on a regular basis, e.g. Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or Bram Stoker. Lenin also used to go to this library; he used an alias: Jacob Richter.
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