Beautiful

It occurred to me that I haven't really gotten around to showing off too many of the photos we took during our summer trip, so for this week's Photo Hunt I thought I'd showcase some of the beautiful sights of England and Ireland...

We were surprised to find such a great example of Gothic architecture masquerading as a government building. The Royal Courts of Justice, right smack in the middle of central London, had no tourists swarming around it, no vendors hawking postcards of the facade, but I found it as impressive as any cathedral. Imagine going to work in a building like that!


Out of all the famous buildings scatterred throughout Stratford-Upon-Avon, the childhood home of Shakespeare's wife, Anne Hathaway, was our runaway favorite. It was the postcard-perfect epitomy of a charming English cottage. And that was while the skies were gray with rain; all that prettiness would have been almost too much to bear had the sun been shining.

The Dublin pubs, especially the ones in the Temple Bar area, were such a joy to look at: bright, colorful, unique and well-kept. The inside was just as beautiful as the outside: the brews were tasty, the music was lively and the people were friendly.

Last but not least, "beautiful" is commonly used in England to describe great-tasting food (i.e. "that was a really lovely meal", or "oooh, your strawberry shortcake was absolutely beautiful"). Our first dinner in Dublin -- Irish lamb stew and a pint of Guinness -- certainly falls into that category. Mmmmm.... beautiful. Oh, and the gentleman enjoying the meal is quite beautiful as well, don't you think?

For more beautiful things, click here.