Background: Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy; it currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999, but the latter is suspended due to bickering over the peace process.
July 16th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Northumberland Super spontaneous weekend!!!! Yeah I went there... Seriously this past weekend was a true roller coaster. Friday we decided to just relax, and hang out all night and just enjoy the atmosphere of Ne ... 80 photos[full story]
June 29th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Northumberland Having skipped Scotland we had to cut across the top of England and find somewhere to stay. Our resident ‘Roman History’ buff wanted to see Hadrians wall. The Roman’s built it to se ... [full story]
June 28th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Northumberland We spent the afternoon at Alnwick Castle but should have allowed more time, it was great. The Duke of Northumberland and his family still live there and it was the set for some of the Harry Potter fil ... [full story]
June 27th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Northumberland Pronounced Anick, how can they keep skipping letters of a word!! I keep having to check words for local pronunciations.
We have a hostel in a quiet country lane all to ourselves with the added bonus ... [full story]
June 4th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Northumberland Wow - it was a long day, but I think I've got the hang of this 'driving on the left side' thing. Justin sits next to me and repeats the mantra "left side...left side...left side" about every 30 se ... [full story]
May 17th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Northumberland Saturday 17 May - We awoke at 6am before the alarm full of excitement for the day ahead, but also with great sadness that our fundraising hike for the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust was coming to an end afte ... [full story]
May 16th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Northumberland Friday 16 May - After a relaxed morning, we left Byrness at 11am to start our big trudge uphill through a conifer plantation and then had a short scramble up a rock ledge. Even though the day was a lo ... [full story]
May 15th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Northumberland Thursday 15 May - After starting breakfast at 8am, we were still talking and laughing with the very friendly owner of the B&B an hour later. We left the table to make way for the other guests who we ... [full story]
May 14th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Northumberland Wednesday 14 May - Timidly we showed our faces at breakfast, after coming last in the quiz the previous evening. It was a very good breakfast and on seeing our Ectopic Pregnancy Trust 'Hiking 429km t ... [full story]
May 13th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Northumberland Tuesday 13 May - Waking up today, we were filled with excitement at the prospect of seeing the famous and historic Hadrian's Wall - especially because it was another glorious day. Following breakfast ... [full story]
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