OXFORD, ENGLAND - Finally, I can look my snooty Ivy League school friends straight in the eye and tell them “I went to Oxford.”

CHELTENHAM, ENGLAND - Pretty Cotswolds towns filled with honey-coloured limestone cottages flash by as we make our way along narrow back roads in the direction of this regal spa town.

LONDON - The man with the snow-white hair and reddish face greets us with a hearty welcome at the entrance to the Cabinet War Rooms, one of Britain’s best museums.

LONDON - The crowds pour out of this city’s legendary West End theatres looking for a place to satisfy their late-night hunger after digesting some of the finest acting in the world. And while many seek out traditional pubs, most head to a small nearby neighbourhood that looks more like Hong Kong than London.

NEWBURY, ENGLAD - For fans of the hit TV mini-series Downton Abbey, a visit to Highclere Castle is essential. The shiow is filmed at the castle, and stepping into its elegant rooms is like entering the world of the beloved Crawley family.

BATH, ENGLAND – It’s graduation day and the banks of the River Avon are crowded with caps and gowns and the students wearing them jockey for position as parents and friends snap photographs of the momentous moment.

NEWPORT, WALES – The nose of the tiny golf cart Luke Jennings is piloting dips into the lush Usk Valley and the stage on which the 38th Ryder Cup Matches in 2010 will be played comes into full view. It’s a spectacular sight.

CAERLEON, WALES – In a land full of sweet surprises, this tiny village may be the sweetest of them all. "Caerleon is beautiful. Caerleon may be the loveliest village in all of Wales. If you’ve not seen Caerleon, then you’ve not seen Wales."

CARDIFF, WALES – A small dusting of sugar that had dropped from the Welsh cakes I so exuberantly devoured settles on my black trousers and a young server offers to sweep away the sweet residue with a small brush.

KETTLEWELL, ENGLAND – Long before Helen Mirren became the queen of our hearts with her Acadamy Award-winning portrayal of the British monarch in The Queen, she already ruled the silver screen thanks to her many other excellent performances. One of her most memorable was in the delightful flick Calendar Girls.