Its that time of year when love is in the air - Valentines day in London.
Its that time of year when love is in the air, whether you like it or not. There is no getting away from over priced flowers, sickly chocolate confections wrapped in garish pink wrapping paper with fluffy decorations and restaurants dishing up (dubious) food of love. But who can resist the small ads in the newspapers where bunnykins declares his undying love for Miss Vamp in her dungeon. Scary but compulsive insights into other peoples lives.But its not a commercialism. Last year on Valentine's we had a tour go out to Stonehenge and a young American guy proposed to his English girlfriend whilst they were at Stonehenge. Fortunately she said yes. There was not a dry eye on the bus !
Tomorrow we have a special Valentines tour to Leeds Castle, Canterbury and the lovely villages of Kent. Leeds Castle is famously known as the lovliest castle in the world and with its romantic setting on a beautiful lake, who knows what may happen !
Did you know ?
The origins of Valentine's Day, like the origins of love itself, are somewhat obscure — a combination of myth, history, destiny, chance and marketing.Legend has it that a certain third-century priest named Valentine persisted in performing marriage ceremonies despite a ban by the Roman emperor Claudius II (Claudius was persuaded that single men made better soldiers for his army). Thrown into jail, Valentine formed a relationship with his jailor's daughter (some say he cured her blindness) and he signed his last message to her "From your Valentine," a phrase which still gets a lot of mileage.
St. Valentine was executed on February 14, circa the year 270, and his remains (probably his, but there were two other Christian martyrs called Valentine) are now on display in the Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin.
There are also reports of an ancient pagan custom that took place in preparation for the Roman festival of Lupercalia, which started February 15. The names of the town's maidens would be collected and then drawn at random by the local bachelors; in this fashion couples were paired off for the year.
Third, medieval Europeans thought February 14 was the date on which the birds started to mate. (There's no record of when the bees started.) From "Parlement of Foules," a poem by Chaucer: "for this was on seynt Volantynys day/ Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his mate.
Starting on Valentine's Day 1400, the French royal court held a Cour Amoreuse, in which ministers met after mass in "joyous recreation and talk about love." Love poems were presented before the ladies, who judged them and awarded a golden crown for the best one.
St. Valentine's Day was on the official Church list of feast days from 496, when Pope Gelasius I established it, until 1969, when Pope Paul VI dropped it from the calendar.
The first valentine on record was sent in 1415 by Charles, duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. That message is on display in the British Library. In the 1840s a Massachusetts woman called Esther Howland came up with the idea of mass-producing Valentine's Day cards; now, about a billion are sent yearly, mostly by women.
With thanks to http://www.answers.com/topic/st-valentine-s-day
The Hidden Messages In Your Bouquet...
Red roses are traditionally associated with St Valentine's Day; to many people they symbolise passion, true love, romance. To some, however, they can also symbolise lack of originality!
And on the subject of love is always nice to get a warm thank you from satisfied clients. What a lovely lady.
Just wanted to say I had a great time on December 17th when I did the Stones& Bones Tour. Our Tour Guide, was very informative and wonderfullykind. I found out so much information (which I love). I would go onanother Tour with Astral Travel anytime. I have some friends going toLondon in February and have recommended that they contact you to do a Tour.
Love and hugs,Wendy Flynn
posted by Londons Premier Tour Operator @ 9:44 AM
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