Tuesday, April 05, 2005

London’s Sunset

Nice eh? Hope to see the world’s most beautiful sunset with my own eyes in Santorini (Greece) one day.

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Saturday, April 02, 2005

Leeds Castle

Originally known as Esledes in 857, surrounded by 500 acres of glorious grounds and listed in the Domesday Book, Leeds Castle is said to be one of the most romantic and historic buildings in the land. Also given a laudatory title of “The Loveliest Castle in the world” as described by Lord Conway, it has been a Norman stronghold, a royal residence for six of England’s medieval queens, a palace of Henry VIII, and a retreat for the powerful and influential…Lady Baillie was the last private owner and on her death in 1974 she bequeathed the Castle to the nation permanently under the charitable trust of the Leeds Castle Foundation.

Leeds castle

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At the dog collar museum. This is the only kind in the country with over 100 collections from the early years 15th, 16th, 17th centuries broad iron collars with spikes (protects dog throat from wild animals’ attack) to exuberant German and Austrian Baroque leather collars from the 17th and 18th centuries that are often decorated with metalwork and velvet.

Some rare species..exotic birds..white peacock and black swan. The black swan was first introduced in 1930s by Lady Baillie, that later became Britain's best collections of exotic birds in 1950s.

mazeThe labyrinth that has a secret underground grotto planted with 2400 yew trees in 1988.         

This is the vineyard once recorded in the Doomsday Book in 1086. Every year around 10,000 bottles of wine are produced from a blend of Muller Thurgau and Seyval Blanc grapes, and sold in the Leeds Castle restaurant and shops at Leeds Castle under its own label. Riechensteiner and Schonberger vines have been planted recently to widen the range of wine produced. But it has been moved to another location.

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