When I went to visit the exhibition at the Archaeology Museum I moved through the connecting corridor from the museum to the Djanogly Gallery which takes you through the gift shop area. But just before that there is also an exhibition space and it was here that the Missing Chapters exhibition caught my eye. I hadn’t heard anything about it and nor could I see any information about it on the Lakeside Arts website.
The Fitzwilliam Museum has been on my to visit list for a very long time and I made sure to fit it into my plans on this trip. Entrance is free but it is advised to book a timed ticket anyway for the exhibitions even though they’re also free. When I visited the exhibition was Islanders: The Making of the Mediterranean and I had a ticket for opening time at 10am which meant I had plenty of time to wander around the exhibition and then through the rest of the museum without it feeling too crowded.
In that weird time between Christmas and New Year I decided to go up to the Lakeside Arts part of the University of Nottingham campus as there were a few free exhibitions running that I’d been meaning to go to before they closed and realised I was fast running out of time. This bears exhibition was in the Museum of Archaeology which you can find just along from the South Entrance to the campus – if travelling by public transport there’s a tram stop very close by.
Last Boxing Day my Dad and I decided to go for a walk around Gedling Country Park for a bit of fresh air and nature. Lots of other people, and their dogs, had had a similar idea so we did have to wait about 10 minutes before we could find a parking spot but after that the park is so big that it was easy not to feel crowded.
Last March I went on a five night trip to Cambridge. One of the reasons I wanted to visit the city was to see King’s College Chapel. I’m not at all religious but I do like a good Christmas carol and watch the carols from King’s programme each year and have always admired the setting. Needless to say I was not disappointed.
Originally built from wood by William the Conqueror in 1068 Warwick Castle was rebuilt in stone during the 12th century. It’s been home to many important historical figures, possibly the most well known being Richard Neville who was nicknamed the Kingmaker due to his actions during the Wars of the Roses. But, learning about the history of the castle wasn’t really my purpose for visiting last weekend. (It vaguely had been but it soon became clear that Christmas at the Castle was very much its own thing and I wasn’t going to learn much about the history while there – I bought a guidebook for that!). This visit was part of an annual tradition with a friend to visit a Christmas light show or market every year. We’ve done this for a very long time, only having to cancel plans during COVID lockdowns. You can read about some of our past adventures here and here.
This rather pretty statue can be found just by the West Shore Beach and is yet another one of Llandudno’s homages to Alice in Wonderland, this time representing the white rabbit who is always running late. It was unveiled in 1933 by former prime minister David Lloyd George.
A small green space just down the road from Mostyn Art Gallery, it perhaps isn’t the most photogenic of Llandudno’s areas but it is home to the White Rabbit statue, part of the Alice in Wonderland trail and a couple of other interesting items, including what I’ve since learnt are some infamous public toilets. It was named for the nearby North Western Hotel which is now a Premier Inn.
On a recent trip to London I made the spontaneous decision to head out to see the Titanosaur exhibition at the NHM as I had a couple of hours to kill after checking into my hotel. The exhibit had been on my general to do list in London since it was first announced but I hadn’t been sure I’d be able to make it until I realised that the museum closed later than I thought it did, at 5.50pm, so I would be able to fit it in afterall.
I didn’t spend a lot of time in Deganwy, in fact I wasn’t even intending to visit it at all, I just walked along Llandudno’s West Shore Beach and kept on going until I’d reached the town.
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