I'm not really one for cities. To me, they usually look like a haven for concrete. However, I've found a few across the UK that are the exception, and here are some of them.
- Edinburgh (beautiful architecture, rich history, and close to stunning countryside)
- Cambridge (a mixture of modern and historic, urban and rural, it's hard to believe Cambridge is missing anything)
- Oxford (another example of the seamless blending of history and modernism)
- Bath (stunning Georgian architecture and golden stone, gorgeous views, and a real sense of history - that would be Bath in the picture :))
- London (despite being the capital, it manages to have havens of peace in the many parks, a river in the Thames, a theatreland unrivalled in the rest of the UK, and lots of amazing buildings dating back hundreds of years)
What about you? What cities do you like? And would you prefer to be a rural- or urban-ite?
14 comments:
Home is rural Wiltshire. Which is lovely - and it's easy to visit Bath and Oxford. I always hoped one of the daughters would love and work in London, so I could stay over and make the most of it - I love its vibrancy, and the multi-culturalness of it.
Is it cheating to look further afield:
Paris (simply beautiful. All those galleries.)
Florence (ditto, with ice cream).
Kathmandu - once you get over the shock of the general chaos, the Nepalis are such lovely people that everywhere is beautiful.
Pondicherry - India. Where everyone strolls by the sea as the sun goes down.
Penang - Malaysia - another multicultural city (where a little man with only one tooth left gave me bigger breakfasts every day, and called me 'dear')
Bangkok - because it knows how to enjoy itself, in a seedy, over-the-top sort of way.
Phnom Penh - because it is the bravest city in the world and has rebuilt itself from nothing.
I love living not too close to people out in the country, but it'd be nice to still be close to stores. One of my favorite cities is Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. It has a wonderful balance of historical and modern places.
Just about every city in England and Scotland is beautiful! Well, maybe not Glasgow...
I have had the privilege of travelling, sadly I have have not had the privilege of seeing much of the UK. I would love to! Some day ;D
Jo: Not cheating at all, and thanks for your list. I now have lots more places I would like to travel to some day.
Cherie: I'm with you. I'd like to be more out in the country, but only a short drive to a store, if I needed one. I've never been to Pennsylvania, but, from your description, I think I'd like to visit.
Alex: That's very generous of you. I can think of a few I'd rather stay out of ;).
Wily: I'm like you in that I've been lucky enough to travel, but have only been to limited places. It would be great to explore some more one day.
I like aspects to both urban and rural areas; rural is nice because there are fewer people and it's often cleaner, but cities offer a lot of services and resources that are unavailable otherwise, like grocery stores, museums, libraries, etc.
I loved Edinburgh when I visted, it was such a beautiful city full of history. I just adore London, how can I not love my home. Although there are so many places in the UK and abroad that I am dying to see. Can't wait to get out there.
I'm definitely a rural girl, but I love Edinburgh, Cambridge and Paris of course!
Also just thought you'd like to know that SantaFest 2011 is up and running over at Daily Dodo - come and join the fun :)
Laura x
I don't live in the UK, but I like London and I love York. :)
Nice blog.
NEW FOLLOWER
Elizabeth
http://silversolara.blogspot.com
Edinburgh is my all-time favorite place. My son lived and worked there for a year and I was able to visit. Love it.
I'm totally a rural-lite... though there are some cities I like... in particular the ones that are different... One is Beijing... it is perfect, everything in place... Something about it draws me to it.
Eagle: That's very true. They both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Amie: I couldn't live in London, but I love visiting. I think I've been there about four or five times this year.
Laura: Like you, I think I'd prefer rural for living, and to visit the cities.
Elizabeth: Thanks for following! And you pointed out another gorgeous UK city in York, so thanks for that too :).
TF Walsh: I don't know anything about Beijing. Think I will have to do some investigating.
I've been to London, but for too short of a time to really appreciate it. I loved Cambridge, UK. I've always wanted to visit Scotland.
I know it's cliche, but I love Paris. And New Orleans.
I visited Cambridge when my friend was studying there, and loved the way you would walk from the town, with modern shops, past the beautiful architecture of the historical college buildings, to a walk through bluebells by the side of the river.
I've never been to New Orleans, but think I would like to one day.
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