Marisol Parga on ESSEX!

Travelling around England 

Welcome, friends! Spring's coming, so I propose you a weekend in the countryside near London. If you're park lovers, you must visit any of these two places in Essex County: Hedingham Castle in Braintree and Audley End House in Saffron Walden. From London city, both of them will take you a short driving distance and you will be able to breathe fresh air and enjoying beautiful gardens and forests; it's well known that many Essex lands were used as Royal hunting forests for many hundreds of years and its castles are well preserved. 

To begin with Hedingham Castle in Braintree, which is a Middle Age fortress and it remains a family home, but keep and grounds are open to the public from Easter to October. Here, a lot of events take place, including jousting, archery, falconry, re-enactment battles, fairs, classic & vintage car shows, music concerts, theatre productions and educational school visits. 

Hedingham Castle is currently used for wedding ceremonies and private parties. Weddings are held by candlelight in the keep. 

Likewise, Audley End House's a 17th-century large country house outside Saffron Walden, it has a beautiful parkland. The grounds are divided by the River Calm, which is crossed by several ornate bridges, and a main road which follows the route of a Roman road. The park beyond the river is frequently used for open-air concerts. There's a miniature of a circular railway as a visitor attraction. 

The restored walled kitchen garden looks like in late Victorian times: full of vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers.

Moreover, you can come in the house and gaze at paintings by Canaletto and Jan Brueghel the Younger.

In brief, I expect you to like my suggestions. Could you tell me your experiences in these places if you visit them, please? 

Have a good weekend, enjoy!

Postcrossing Meetup (Received Cards): MARI from FINLAND

The following postcard was sent to us from snowy Finland. It was written by Mari, a 21-year old university student who lives in the capital of her country, Helsinki, some 2980 kilometers away from us! 

The image that appears on the card is of a playful fairy swinging on a branch. More specifically, it is the larch fairy, part of the 1923 book (or album) Fairies of the Spring.

In her card, Mari tells us a lot of things: that she studies politics, that she goes quite frequently to London (her future husband is British), and she encourages us to continue with our studies. She also includes a lovely stamp of a Finnish motorbike.

Thanks a lot, Mari!

Postcrossing Meetup (Received Cards): MC BUCHANAN from CANADA

This postcard was sent to us from Canada, and more specifically, from the state of Manitoba, in the middle of the country, and from near Cedar Lake. It was sent by Mc Buchanan (is that your surname?), who lives some 6445 kilometers away from us!

In the card we can see one of Canada's most typical creatures: the Grizzly Bear. He is ravenously guzzling down a salmon. Along with the picture comes some nice information about the animal.

On the back side, the sender tells us a couple of things, including the fact that an ancestor os his was in the International Brigades and fought for Spanish freedom during our Civil War. Fascinating!

Thanks a lot, Mc Buchanan!

Noriko Fukushima on YUNLIN!

Yunlin: The holiday of a lifetime

Are you fed up with “flopout” beach holidays or irritated with long queues and tourist traps in popular tourist spots? Yunlin County is “off the beaten path”. It’s peaceful and full of charming landmarks for a relaxing short trip. And also, it’s an ideal land for a long-haul destination to share in Taiwanese people’s customs.

Yunlin County is located in the southwest of Taiwan, off the east coast of the Taiwan Strait. It is easily accessible by THPR(Taiwan High Speed Rail) which takes just 72 minutes from Taipei. See the timetable in THRS website: https://www5.thsrc.com.tw/en/ticket/tic_time_search.asp

Yunlin County is well known as 

the “kitchen of Taiwan”: its flat land is rich for agriculture with abundant water which supplies 40 percent of Taiwan’s vegetables and fruits. The following examples are some of its specialties: sugar cane, coffee, peanuts, black garlic and tea. Besides, along the coast of Yonlin there are excellent fishing grounds. Also, aquaculture industry is thriving: oyster, eel, prawn. 

⇒For More specific information, take a look the following video about Yunlin agriculture industry. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfjNh6vPf68

Try a glass of freshly squeezed cane juice which is easily available  at street stalls.

Don’t miss the chance to purchase black garlic!

It’s made by heating whole bulbs over several weeks, a process that results in black cloves. In Asia it has been perceived as a health product, indeed it’s rich in antioxidants, but recently, it has become a sought-after ingredient in worldwide high-end cuisine.

Have you ever heard about tea seed oil? 

It resembles olive oil in its rich nutrient composition, in addition, it doesn’t contain any natural trans fat. It’s proper either for Chinese cooking or for Western cuisine.

Stroll through the Taiping Old Sreet (in Douliu City) where the neobaroque buildings of the Japanese occupation era are now converted into local shops and restaurants. It’s an ideal spot to meet the very caring local people along with the Boziliao Fishing port and Renwen Park Night Market. You’ll see for yourself Taiwanese traditional lifestyle remains there.

“Yunlin Fishery Assosiation Direct Sales Center” in Boziliao Fishing Port provides all sort of seafood to the public from 8am to 6pm.

 Don’t miss a chance to savour fresh-caught fish! 

The large and lively Renwen Park Night Market is held every Saturday night. More than 400 open-air booths are gathered.

Chaotian Temple situated in Beigang Township is dedicated to the deity Mazu: the goddess of the sea. It’s one of the most famous pilgrimage destinations in Taiwan. Especially, on March 23^rd of the Lunar Calender for the Mazu’s birthday it becomes completely jammed with thousands of believers. This temple is well known for its splendid architecture with showy ornaments.

Please go on an excursion to small villages of Yunlin County. If you are a tea lover you’ll enjoy the stunning scenery of tea plantations in Linnei Township. You can get the main information on the following website.

http://www.vrwalker.net/en/scenery_view.php?tbname=scenerys&serno=1082

Do you have a thirst for adventure? Let’s get ready to trek into the breathtaking natural landscapes in Caoling.

We warmly welcome your visit to Yunlin County!