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Shakespeare may have succumbed to an overdose of patriotism when he referred to England as "This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle, this other Eden, semi-paradise". And 21st century England may appear from a distance just like any other country, with its own political scandals and economic crises. But visit this tiny isle just once, and you'll fall prey to its many charms- its history and culture, its natural beauty, its glitter and glamour. Dream destination? Definitely.

With centuries of turbulent history behind it, England is replete with monuments and traditions with roots as far apart as Celtic and Saxon, Roman and Asian. From the ancient megaliths of Stonehenge to the stately medieval castles and manors dotting the countryside; from the gaudy opulence of Brighton's Royal Pavilion to the futuristic Millennium Dome- it's all part of England's history.

Drive through the English countryside- down the windswept Yorkshire dales to the chalk cliffs of Dover; the verdant Cotswolds to the lovely Lake District. Stop on the way for a pint of bitter at a pub; get a quick education while punting down the Cam in Cambridge or exploring Shakespeare territory, Stratford-upon-Avon. Go Beatles-berserk in Liverpool; meander through museums, feast and frolic in the most sizzling cities this side of the Atlantic.

Come to England!

Did you know that the English consume more tea than anybody else in the world and this is more evident with their well known breaks called “tea times”. The phrase that the English use for tea is: ‘Shall I put the kettle on…. Would you like a cuppa’?

Be careful of the three “W’s” when in UK: Women, Wine and Weather. All three are unpredictable!!

Historically Speaking

It is indeed a tough task to separate the history of Britain from that of the world. It is a country whose own fate has paralleled and shadowed the history of the world.

The conquest of England by Julius Caesar in about 55 BC was a trifling victory following his legendary conquest of Gaul. The famous Hadrian's Wall which you will see in northern Britain today was built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian to keep the mischievous Scots off bounds. But as they felt their own empire decline, the Romans eventually abandoned the land in 410 BC, heading out for what they thought were greener pastures.

Many insist that the true history of England began with the Anglo-Saxons, who invaded Great Britain in about AD 449 after the Romans left, and called it "Angle-Land". Any Roman legacy left was wiped out by the Saxons, as they replaced all Roman names of places with their own nomenclature.

The legendary Anglo-Saxon king Arthur held court at what is today the monument of King Arthur's Round Table at the Winchester Castle. Anglo-Saxon society was defined by strong kinship groups and feudal customs. The next round of conquest battles came with the death of king Ethelred. The Danish prince Chanute II of Norway and Denmark was followed in 1066 AD by the son of Ethelred William the Conqueror who was crowned King of England. He was eventually succeeded by the legendary monarch Henry II.

Power tussles persisted with the royals quarreling for the next couple of centuries. The Hundred Years War with France resulted into the domestic War of the Roses. Henry was appointed head of the Church of England by the English Parliament and the Bible was translated into English. In 1536, Henry dissolved the smaller monasteries and confiscated their land as the relationship between Church and State was truly on the rocks. Civil war followed in the mid-17th century, with the monarchy and Parliament at loggerheads.

In the next two centuries that followed, Britain's history was really being created across oceans in other lands rather than within the frontiers of the British nation itself. The Americas, the Indian subcontinent and most of Canada and Australia became members of the Colony Club. For a while, it seemed as if the sun would never really set on the British Empire - but it was struck its first blow in 1772, when the American Colonies won their independence, triggering off revolts against the English all around the suppressed British Isles.

At home the British were doing well. The Industrial Revolution was transforming the modes of production around the world. Internal development coupled with profitable colonial empires overseas really made this age a golden one for the country.

Britain bumbled into the stalemate of World War I in 1914, resulting in the senseless slaughter of a million Britons and a widening gulf between the ruling and working classes. This set the stage for 50 years of labour unrest, beginning with the 1926 Great Strike and growing throughout the 1930s depression. Britain dithered through the 1920s and '30s, with mediocre and visionless government, which failed to confront the problems the country faced - including the rise of Hitler and imperial Germany. Most of the colonies had won their independence by the middle of the 20th Century.

Today under the leadership of Gordon Brown and the Labor Party, England is on the way to recovery even though its problems with Northern Ireland continue to underscore its progress.

Habitat

From the white cliffs of Dover to the lakes of the Pennine, from the valley of the Trent to the natural harbors of Bristol, English landscape certainly runs the gamut.

Among the most picturesque and breathtaking sights of the English countryside is the Lake District of the Pennine range. A trip to the England would be incomplete without a short trip to this area.

In general, the topography is diversified. The rolling downs of England are legendary and that's what most of the country side looks like. Mountainous land covers the northern and western region, while the bulk of the central regions is called the Midlands. An elevated plateau containing the moors of Cornwall and Devon lie south of the Bristol Channel.

The main river is the historic Thames, on the banks of which stands the city of London. Other major river systems include the Trent, the Tweed and Severne. The canals of England, such as the Grand Union Canal of England, support a whole life system and run through many cities.

In the heart of the English country, you will see several species of badger, rabbit, hare and deer. On the seashore, you can see an abundance of meadow pipits and sparrows. There is gentleness to the animal kingdom here.