Warwick, Stratford y Oxford – los encantos del interior de Inglaterra

Londres puede ser la ciudad más poblada del Reino Unido, pero visitarla no significa estar preso únicamente de los atractivos de una gran metrópoli. No muy lejos de la capital inglesa, en las localidades de Warwick, Stratford-upon-Avon y Oxford, todavía es posible encontrar castillos medievales, colinas verdes con chozas de madera, universidades milenarias y un paisaje digno de los cuentos de hadas. Lleno de encanto e historia, ¡los alrededores de Londres abrigan la casa donde vivió Shakespeare! Si vas a Londres y deseas explorar más que el Big Ben y el autobús rojo, viaja en el tiempo y embárcate en un tour guiado en español por el encantador paisaje del interior de Inglaterra.

Al salir de la estación de Victoria, en el corazón de Londres, el día comienza con el viaje en autobús hasta el castillo de Warwick. En el camino aprenderás acerca de la historia del castillo, construido en 1068, y cómo las batallas de la época han transformado a la ciudad desde aquellos tiempos hasta llegar a lo que vemos hoy en día. Todo hablado en español, con curiosidades y datos interesantes para que no te pierdas de ningún detalle.

Castillo de Warwick

Llegando a Warwick, puedes explorar el castillo y sus jardines libremente. Todo el interior del edificio principal está abierto al público – ¡una experiencia única! – Las habitaciones están decoradas como en lo estaban entonces y los personajes y bandas sonoras ocasionales presentan diálogos para transportarte a la realidad del siglo XI. En la sala principal, los guías en Warwick te explicarán las costumbres de la época, el uso de armas a través de una pantalla y mucho más; ¡apenas te dará tiempo de tomar fotos! Se trata de realmente sumergirse en la vida que se llevó allí tantos siglos atrás.

Vista de una de las torres de Warwick

 

Una atracción sin precedentes y particularmente interesante es la Torre del Tiempo, donde se puede ver una narración multimedia que te guía a través de los años por la historia del castillo, desde la construcción hasta su venta en 1978. Conocerás a todos los condes de Warwick de una forma muy divertida (no lo vamos a decir aquí, no queremos estropear la sorpresa).

Startford-Upon-Avon

La segunda parada es la encantadora ciudad de Stratford-upon-Avon, el lugar de nacimiento de nada más y nada menos que William Shakespeare. El tour incluye una visita al museo y casa de Shakespeare, donde nació, se crió y vivió durante muchos años, incluso después de que se casara. En la casa, tienes la oportunidad de entender las costumbres y la vida cotidiana de los pueblos ingleses del siglo XVI – y, por supuesto, de vivir la experiencia surrealista de estar allí en la misma habitación en la que Shakespeare probablemente escribió “Ser o no ser, ésa la cuestión ” y algunas otras de las más grandes obras de la literatura universal. Stratford también tiene una calle llena de tiendas, restaurantes y cafeterías típicas donde tienes tiempo para parar a almorzar.

Universidad de Oxford

En el camino a Oxford, el autobús pasa a través de las vistas bucólicas de los Cotswolds, la región típica de pequeñas colinas, campos de trigo y muchas, muchas ovejas. Al llegar a Oxford, cuentas con una visita guiada por los principales puntos de la ciudad y la Universidad de Oxford, una de las más prestigiosas y más antiguas del mundo (¡fundada en 1096!). El guía te contará la historia de los edificios y las personalidades que han pasado por allí – Albert Einstein dio una conferencia sobre la teoría de la relatividad en uno de los edificios en 1931 y ¡todavía tienen la pizarra que se utilizó! Stephen Hawking, Tony Blair, David Cameron, Margaret Thatcher, Oscar Wilde y John Locke se encuentran entre la larga (y nada modesta) lista de ex alumnos. La imponente arquitectura es impresionante e incluso algunas escenas de las películas de Harry Potter fueron filmadas allí. ¡Plato lleno para los fanáticos! Después de la visita, también tienes tiempo libre para explorar los callejones y tal vez comprar algunos recuerdos.

Campus de Oxford, donde se filmaron algunas escenas de Harry Potter

Mucha dosis de historia y unas vistas increíbles que terminan con un recorrido de vuelta a Victoria por la tarde. Un día diferente y práctico que no te puedes perder si te vas a quedar en Londres. ¡Inglaterra tiene mucho más que ofrecer que sólo la capital! Puedes asegurar tu lugar y reservar este tour aquí a través de nuestro sitio en español, de igual forma si deseas realizar la actividad en portugués.

Escrito por Lígia Leite, de Sâo Paulo, paulistana viajera apasionada por la música y por ver el mundo.

10 Most Amazing Castles And Palaces To Visit Before You Die

If you love traveling and history then here are 10 of the most amazing castles and palaces worth visiting before you die. While most are in Europe there are few around the globe too.

1. The Potala Palace: Tibet’s greatest monumental structure

Perched upon Marpo Ri hill, 130 meters above the Lhasa valley, the Potala Palace rises a further 170 meters and is the greatest monumental structure in all of Tibet. In 637 Emperor Songtsen Gampo decided to build this palace on a hill, and the structure stood until the seventeenth century, when it was incorporated into the foundations of the greater buildings still standing today.

Construction of the present palace began in 1645 during the reign of the fifth Dalai Lama and by 1648 the Potrang Karpo, or White Palace, was completed. The Potrang Marpo, or Red Palace, was added between 1690 and 1694; its construction required the labors of more than 7000 workers and 1500 artists and craftsman.

The Potala Palace was only slightly damaged during the Tibetan uprising against the invading Chinese in 1959. Unlike most other Tibetan religious structures, it was not sacked by the Red Guards during the 1960s and 1970s. As a result, all the chapels and their artifacts are very well preserved.

2. Mont Saint-Michel: a Medieval Castle on a Small Island

Mont St Michel is situated on an island on the Normandy coast, near Brittany, which at high tide is almost entirely separated from the mainland. Only a narrow causeway, constructed in the 1880s preserves a link to the coast.

Beware: the tide comes in quickly – many tourists have drowned attempting to cross the sandy bay. Unlike other castles in France, which began as defensive structures or pleasure palaces, Mont St Michel had its beginnings as a monastery. Today, the Castle attracts over four million visitors a year, far more than most castles in France and has been featured in numerous movies, cartoons, and even video games.

3. Predjamski Castle: Integrated in a Cave

Every castle in the world is unique in some way, no two are the same, but this one, even though it’s rather small and humble compared to some, is probably the only one in the world which is integrated into a cave, precisely the second largest cave system in Slovenia.
Its name, Predjamski Grad, literally means “Castle in Front of the Cave.”

First written records of the castle exist from the 13th century, though the first part (left wing) was probably built in the first half of 12th century. Middle part was added in renaissance, and the right wing was built around 1570. Some things were added and changed later, but since 1990 renovation work is in progress, restoring it to the original 16th century look.

4. Neuschwanstein Castle: the Classic Fairytale’s Castle

The most famous of three royal palaces built for Louis II of Bavaria, sometimes referred to as Mad King Ludwig, the Neuschwanstein it’s a royal palace in the Bavarian Alps of Germany. It’s construction started in 1869 and was left unfinished at Louis’s death in 1886, the castle is the embodiment of 19th century romanticism. In a fantastical imitation of a medieval castle, Neuschwanstein is set with towers and spires and is spectacularly sited on a high point over the Pullat River gorge.

The construction of the castle was carried out according to a well thought-out plan. The castle was equipped with all kinds of technical conveniences which were very modern, if not to say revolutionary at that time. Running water on all floors. There were toilets equipped with automatic flushing on every floor. A warm air heating system for the entire building.

American tourists are already familiar with Neuschwanstein; the sleeping beauty Castle in DisneyLand, was modeled on it.

5. Matsumoto Castle: Japan’s most fascinating castle

Matsumoto Castle, locally known as Matsumotojo, is one of the most complete and beautiful among Japan’s original castles. It is also a good example of a so called “hirajiro”, a castle built on the plain rather than on a hill or mountain.

Matsumotojo’s castle tower and smaller, second turret were built from 1592 to 1614 and were both well defended, as peace was not yet fully secured at the time. In 1635, when no more military threats existed, a third, barely defended turret for moon viewing was added to the castle.

6. Hunyad Castle: were Dracula was held prisoner

Now located in Hunedoara, Romania, the Hunyad Castle was part of the Principality of Transylvania, and it’s believed to be the place where Vlad III of Wallachia (commonly known as Dracula) was held prisoner for 7 years after he was deposed in 1462.

The castle is a relic of the Hunyadi dynasty. It was built in Gothic style, but has Baroque and Renaissance architectural elements. It is a large and imposing building with tall and diversely colored roofs, towers and myriad windows and balconies adorned with stone carvings.

7. Malbork Castle: World’s Largest Brick Gothic Castle

The Castle in Malbork was built in Prussia by the Teutonic Order as an Ordensburg. The Order named it Marienburg, literally “Mary’s Castle”. The town which grew around it was also named Marienburg, but since 1945 it is again, after 173 years, part of Poland and known as Malbork.

The castle is a classic example of a medieval fortress, and is the world’s largest brick gothic castle. UNESCO listed the castle and its museum as World Heritage Sites in December 1997.

8. Palacio da Pena: Oldest Palace inspired by European Romanticism

The oldest palace inspired by European Romanticism, the Pena National Palace in Portugal stands on the top of a hill above the town of Sintra, and on a clear day it can be easily seen from Lisbon. First built in the 15th century as a palace, it was later reconstructed and donated to the church as a monastery.

An earthquake in 1755 ruined most of it, until Prince Fernando acquired it in 1838 and rebuilt it. The style of the palace is an eclectic combination of the original and subsequent styles, plus Romantic, Bavarian, and Moorish architecture, plus an English garden.

9. Löwenburg Castle: The Disneyland of the 18th century

Within the Wilhelmshöhe Hill Park which sits on one end of the city of Kassel, there stands what appears to be a medieval castle. However, the Löwenburg or “Lion’s Castle” was ordered to be built by the Landgrave Wilhelm IX from Hessen Kassel (1743 -1821), the Walt Disney of his era, over a period of eight years between 1793 and 1801 as a romantic ruin.

It was carefully designed by his royal court building inspector Heinrich Christoph Jussow who had gone to England specifically to study romantic English ruins and draw up a plan for the Landgrave’s garden folly. Today scholars regard Löwenburg Castle ruins as one of the most significant buildings of its genre, in addition to being one of the first major neo-Gothic buildings in Germany.

10. Prague Castle: World’s Largest Ancient Castle

One of the biggest castles in the world, and according to Guinness Book of Records, the biggest ancient castle, Prague Castle is about 570 meters in length and an average of 130 meters wide. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here, and it was the place where the Czech kings, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices.

Do you know of any other great Castles and Palaces worth visiting?