england – take me north!

liverpool and manchester are rich with history and tradition and give you the “real” english experience. the weather adds to the charm – cold, dark and cloudy. drive away to the lake district and it gets sparser and exquisitely beautiful.



i was here to meet up with my cousin and her husband (mayuri and kiran) and we had a jolly good time! founded in the 13th century, liverpool is situated on the river mersey, near the irish sea. it houses an important port and has an heritage that attracts a lot of visitors (i would guess in the summer!). if you have heard of the beatles – they are the “sons of liverpool”







manchester, the industrial capital of england, is a vibrant city. the town center is charming and lively even on a cold winter evening.



we stayed near old trafford, home to the manchester united football team. the stadium (dubbed the “theatre of dreams”) built in 1910 is pretty as a peach and bears witness to the legends of soccer.







we ate and shopped at the trafford center, which is apparently europe’s largest shopping mall. Also a chance to watch the latest bollywood potboiler rang de basanti. highly recommended.





the lake district is riddled with picturesque villages against a scenic backdrop of mountains and pristine lakes. it is england’s “most celebrated, most visited and most hyped scenic area”. the great british poet william wordsworth hails from this part of england.



we drove up and stopped by the hillside hamlet of windermere. the villas, guest houses and shops draped in victorian architecture is a wonderful sight.







A drive down to bowness and a cruise on the windermere lake to the pretty town of ambleside exposes us to the picture postcard beauty of this place. have to come back to experience it in the summer.









would love to stay a little longer in the queen’s country but have to go! brazil beckons.