My green and pleasant land

I am taking a little diversion from my European travels, as it struck me that maybe I should talk about my feelings for my own land before I start to praise foreign shores to much.

Anytime I travel through the English countryside, whether it be on a train or in a car I can't help but gaze out over the green and pleasant land and think what a beautiful and luscious land I inhabit. From the rolling green hills of the Yorkshire Dales to the hard rugged landscape of the Peak District I often find myself letting my mind drift to those who have been before me and in whose footsteps I follow. From the farmers who used to work the lands to the soldiers who marched on foot from one battle to another in The Wars of the Roses, I can't help but think, what did they see? What did they think of the aesthetics of their homeland.

In August 2010 I was fortunate enough to visit the Norwegian Fjords, with its majestic hills shrouded in low lying clouds and its dark stone mountains with the mere hint of a waterfall trickling and tumbling over the edge. If you want atmosphere and scenery then this is the place to visit. Or is it? Can the same not be said of the Peak District? Are the lakes of The Lake District any less beautiful or serene? Are the hills of the Yorkshire Dales not as velvety green? Well the simple answer is Yes. England is just as beautiful, just has breathtaking and just as sublime as anywhere on Earth and I am proud to call it home.

I will talk more of home over time but now back to the cruise and on to Brittany.