02 Feb

8 Great Apps for Your Next Trip to London

The website kinsingtonmums.co.uk recommend Timeline Trip London as one of the best app to visit London.

If you’re looking for something educational to do with the family in London, Timeline Trip is an app that brings you on a walking tour of some of the city’s historic sites and enables you to discover little-known yet fascinating facts about each one. This is certainly an app that can provide the platform for a memorable family day out.

What are the 8 apps?

Source: https://www.kensingtonmums.co.uk/8-great-apps-for-your-next-trip-to-london-infographic/

Infographic creator: https://www.lastretchlimos.co.uk/cadillac-1959-pink

03 Nov

Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder plot

In 1605, Guy Fawkes and a band of Catholic conspirators set out to destroy King James I and the ruling elite trying to blow up the Houses of Parliament.

After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, English Catholics who had been persecuted under her rule had hoped that her successor, James I, would be more tolerant of their religion. James I had, after all, had a Catholic mother. Unfortunately, James did not turn out to be more tolerant than Elizabeth and a number of young men, 13 to be exact, decided that violent action was the answer.

A small group took shape, under the leadership of Robert Catesby. Catesby felt that violent action was warranted. Indeed, the thing to do was to blow up the Houses of Parliament. In doing so, they would kill the King, maybe even the Prince of Wales, and the Members of Parliament who were making life difficult for the Catholics.

To carry out their plan, the conspirators got hold of 36 barrels of gunpowder and stored them in a cellar, just under the House of Lords. But as the group worked on the plot, it became clear that innocent people would be hurt or killed in the attack, including some people who even fought for more rights for Catholics. Some of the plotters started having second thoughts. One of the group members even sent an anonymous letter warning his friend, Lord Monteagle, to stay away from the Parliament on November 5th.

The warning letter reached the King, and the King’s forces made plans to stop the conspirators. Guy Fawkes, who was in the cellar of the parliament with the 36 barrels of gunpowder when the authorities stormed it in the early hours of November 5th, was caught, tortured and executed.

Nowadays, Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated in the United Kingdom, and in a number of countries that were formerly part of the British Empire, with fireworks, bonfires and parades.

Even Hollywood has adapted the story in V for Vendetta, where the Guy Fawkes mask is used by the main character. After that, the mask has become a symbol against oppression and the established order.

Play the Gundpowder game:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/games/gunpowder/index.shtml

More info in bonfirenight.net

17 Dec

Hogmanay, the Gaelic new year

The Gaelic new year

The origin of this festivity roots back to the celebration of the winter solstice among the Norse as well as the incorporation of some Gaelic customs like the Samhain, known as the end of the harvesting year. The Scottish Protestant Reformation saw Christmas as a “Papist” celebration so Hogmanay became more traditional in Scotland.

The general custom in Hogmanay is the practice of first-footing, which starts immediately after midnight. This involves being the first person to cross the threshold of a friend or neighbour and normally includes the giving of symbolic gifts such as shortbread, black bun or whisky with the intention to bring luck for the rest of the year to the householder. Food and drinks are then given to the guests and this may go on throughout the early hours of the morning and even into the next day.

Every region in Scotland has developed their own Hogmanay rituals, for example in the central areas of Scotland, the tradition is to celebrate parties that involve singing, dancing, eating, storytelling and drinking. But there are also public celebrations. The Edinburgh Hogmanay starts on 30 December with a torchlight procession with over 35,000 participants and spectators that carry torches from the Old Town to Calton Hill. On 31 December the celebration continues and a big party is hold in Princes Street and its Gardens that can gather thousands of people who attend to the concerts and shows organized for that night.

Find out more stories like this one with the historical map in Timeline Trip Edinburgh

02 Dec

Timeline Trip has a new version with more points !!!

Some Apple customers reported that upgrading to iOS 9 have caused some apps and, in some instances, their entire devices to crash, rendering their devices practically useless.

The latest issue covers a wide range of situations. While some users report having only their apps affected, others say the entire system on their devices was not functioning properly.

The only issue that affected Timeline Trip was the translation but affortunately we were working in new interesting points and we could take advantages to fix this problem caused by the same Apple. Therefore here there is the new version of Timeline Trip London and Timeline Trip Edinburgh in both Operative Systems, Android and iOS with new interesting points.

29 Oct

Poppy, what for?

The poppy has a long association with Remembrance Day, the day to commemorate soldiers who have died in war.

In late 1914, the fields of Northern France and Flanders were once again ripped open as World War One raged through Europe’s heart. Once the conflict was over the poppy was one of the only plants to grow on the otherwise barren battlefields.

Blood Swept Lands and a Sea of Red

The poppy came to represent the immeasurable sacrifice made by all the soldiers in the Great War and quickly became a lasting memorial to those who died in World War One and later conflicts. It was adopted by The Royal British Legion as the symbol for their Poppy Appeal, in aid of those serving in the British Armed Forces, after its formation in 1921. The poppy helps to provide thousands of modern veterans, Service men, women and their families with vital advice and support.

In 2014, commemorating the centenary of the outbreak of World War I, the moat of the Tower of London housed a temporaly work of installation art known as Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, title taken from the first line of a poem by a World War I soldier. It consisted of 888,246 individually hand-made ceramic red poppies, each intended to represent one British or Colonial serviceman killed in the War, that were arranged to resemble a pool of blood which appeared to be pouring out of a bastion window. In fact, the moat itself was used in the early days of the war as a training ground for City of London workers who had enlisted to fight

The poppies were added to the installation progressively by volunteers. The first one was planted on 17 July, and the work was unveiled on 5 August, coinciding with the centenary of Britain’s entry into the war. The last one was planted on 11 November, the Remembrance Day. An estimated five million people saw the memorial before it started to be removed after the Remembrance Day. Every ceramic poppie was sold for £25 each and the huge profit was shared between six service charities.”

Find out more stories like this one with Timeline Trip London

03 Oct

Oliver Cromwell’s head

oliver_cromwells_head_002

The posthumous execution

After the restoration of the Stuart monarchy in 1660 under Charles’s son, King Charles II, nine surviving regicides who had participated in the trial and execution of Charles I were tried, convicted and sentenced to be dragged through the streets, hung by the neck and cut down live, disembowelled while alive, beheaded and dismembered.

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In addition, Charles II’s new Parliament ordered the disinterment from Westminster Abbey and theposthumous execution of the deceased regicides Oliver Cromwell, John Bradshaw and Henry Ireton. On the morning of 30 January 1661, the anniversary of the execution of King Charles I, the corpeses were dragged through the streets of London, hung in full public view, beheaded and buried in a common pit. oliver_cromwells_head_005_skull

The heads were placed on a wooden spike on a 6 metres pole, and raised above Westminster Hall. Cromwell’s head remained there until the late 1680s when a storm broke the pole throwing it to the ground. After then, it was in the hands of private collectors and museum owners until 25 March 1960, when it was finally buried at Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge.

Find out more stories like this one with Timeline Trip London

22 Sep

Witches

The paranoia for witchcraft in Edinburgh

In the late Middle Ages some people were prosecuted in Scotland for harm done through witchcraft, which led to the passing of the Witchcraft Act in 1563 and those consulting witches or practicing witchcraft would be accused of capital crimes. The North Berwick Witch trials were the first major series of trials under the new act.

They began in 1589 and James VI played an important role as he considered himself a victim and investigator. When James VI came back from Denmark there was a big storm in the middle of the sea, unnatural, according to James. The King was very interested in witchcraft and wrote a treaty on witchcraft in 1597 called Daemonologie.

Timeline trip Edinburgh, Witches 002

Between the late 16th and 18th centuries more than 4,000 people were accused of witchcraft in Scotland and around 1,500 of them were executed, being Lowland women most of the victims. The English and Scottish parliaments merged in 1707 and the new British parliament repealed the 1563 Act in 1736.

Find out more stories like this one with the historical map in Timeline Trip Edinburgh

27 Aug

The Virgin Money Fireworks Concert

The Virgin Money Fireworks Concert is not only the finale to the Edinburgh International Festival but marks an unforgettable close to Edinburgh’s festival season.

The display, set against the stunning backdrop of the iconic Edinburgh Castle, has been designed by internationally-renowned fireworks artist Keith Webb of Pyrovision.

Monday 31 August 2015

This year’s Virgin Money Fireworks Concert brings Edinburgh’s summer festival season to a spectacular conclusion, now on the last Monday evening. With a celebration of dance music the concert sets stirring and delightful music with an outstanding and sparkling visual extravaganza.

The Edinburgh Secondary Schools Orchestra and members of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s Vibe project present a special programme of live music that none can miss.

14 Aug

Edinburgh International Book Festival

Time for books and letters in the city

Literature has been an important part of the Edinburgh’s history. In fact, the capital of Scotland was designated the first UNESCO City of Literature in 2004. It was not a casuality, during its history Edinburgh has seen lots of writers and it has been scenario of several novels. Indeed, every single corner in Edinburgh has its magic and the city is full of book shops.

edinburgh_international_book_festival_001 https://timelinetrip.com/
As a part of this love for the literature, the Edinburgh International Book Festival began in 1983 and is one of the most important events every summer. Although it was biennal at first, the Book Festival became yearly in 1997. Nowadays, Charlotte Square, sited in the New Town, is the Festival’s home and its gardens are transformed into a tended village with a really nice atmosphere which are visited by around 200.000 people every year.

edinburgh_international_book_festival_002 https://timelinetrip.com/

The Festival is one of the most famous festivals of its kind in the world and includes a high profile debates and discussions series. Workshops, storytelling, panel discussions or book signings are some of the activities of the festival. Also, writers from all over the world are involved on it in forums in which readers can exchange thoughts and opinions with them.

Find out more stories like this one with the historical map in Timeline Trip Edinburgh

10 Aug

Old Tolbooth

The frightenest building in Edinburgh

Sited close to the Saint Giles Church, this building served as a booth for collecting fees and as a prision. Also, the Council of Edinburgh used to meet on Tolbooth. It was the frightenest building in the city during 400 years because it was not only a prision but also a place where public executions took place.

old_tolbooth_001 https://timelinetrip.com

Although it is not very clear when it was built, the first mention in documents dates from 1386. After several burnings of the city by the English kings during the 14th century, Robert II King of Scotland, granted Edinburgh with a charter to construct several buildings in the city, being the Tolbooth one of them. It was also used as a Parliament of Scotland during 50 years during the 15th century.

old_tolbooth_002 https://timelinetrip.com

During Mary Stuart reign, this building was used basically as Edinburgh’s main prision which was unfamous for its unhealthy conditions. The Parliament of Scotland moved out of the Old Tolbooth to the new Parliament Hall in 1639.