Home, at Last.

It's about 11:45 PM Mountain Time as I write this. I've just gotten back from about 11 hours of flying and another 6 hours or so of killing time at Heathrow and O'Hare.
Stay tuned, I'll have some of my notes from Scotland up soon, if I feel energetic, as well as a couple more photos and maybe a movie. In the meantime, I plan on sleeping in my own bed for the first time in nearly a month. With just the right number and type of pillows, with no schedule to keep, and nobody's snoring to interfere with my own. It's damn near paradise.

Added 6/23 at Noon: Hmm. I thought I posted this on Tuesday, but it's been lingering as a draft. I have uploaded the rest of the pictures from the trip to Flickr. Most of them have tags and descriptions by now, and I'll be tidying up the rest later today.

Can't wait to get home...

...because I'm getting tired of being nickel and dimed to death for internet access. \i'm typing this at the Edinburgh Tourist \information Centre, and the keyboard is driving me bonkers. \you see these \'s are where the shift-key is supposed to be, and \i'm tired of back-spacing, retyping it, and then making the same mistake a couple of seconds later.
Anyhow, \i love Scotland, and \i'll have more to write when \i'm not being charged £1 for 30 minutes, or worse.

Diarist of the Day – Inverness, Scotland

I should first like to start by thanking the anonymous benefactor for whom this is being written. You, whoever you may be, helped make this trip a great success, and helped to make it significantly more affordable for all of us. Thank you.
As a way of expressing our gratitude, each of the students is acting as “Diarist of the Day” for one of the required events on the trip. I was not assigned one of the sites during the trip, so this entry will be a little different from the others. Mrs. H. suggested that I write about one of the days on the extended portion of the trip, and so I shall.
Sharon, Sonoko, Tom, and I were staying at the Cherry Tree Organic B&B, in Inverness. I highly recommend them, as it was clean and comfortable, and the owners, Mr. & Mrs. Prior, were very friendly people. Also, it was very conveniently located, about 5-10 minutes’ walk from the River Ness. Most things in Britain are described as being a 10-minute walk from wherever you happen to be, but I really mean it about this place.
After breakfast, we were planning to visit the battlefield at Culloden Moor, which Jan and Ken had visited the previous day. And while studying the map, I noticed that there was a pre-historic site nearby called “Clava Cairns,” so when I was checking directions with the owners I asked about it. “Is Clava Cairns anything to write home about?” I asked.
“Depends on how you feel about big piles of rocks,” came the reply. Well, despite having been to Stonehenge a few days earlier, we decided that we could stand seeing more rocks. So that went on the agenda. They also warned that it was down some single-track roads, thinking that that might put us off. Not likely! I said, “we just came from Mull.” They agreed that, in that case, the road to Clava Cairns would present no obstacle. Lastly, the Priors suggested that, since it was in the neighborhood anyway, we should visit Cawdor Castle, and that was met with unanimous approval.
So, into the Volvo and off we went. Unfortunately, Michelin does not believe that Inverness is a sufficiently important town to have a detailed map in the atlas, and my memory for directions is not that hot. I lost the highway within a mile. Fortunately, one part of the directions did stick, they said to head toward the hospital, and that was clearly signposted, so after a few scenic detours around town, we were back headed in the right direction.

Memorial Cairn
Originally uploaded by woden325.

First stop was Culloden Moor (map). The weather was appropriately atmospheric: drizzling, cool, and breezy. This was the site of the last land battle in Britain, where the dreams of a Stuart restoration were finally dashed. It cost £5 each go into the visitor’s center and cottage, and we all agreed that we’d be happier keeping the money. It seems most people do this, as they were plugging their plans for a new center, which seemed to be designed to force people to visit the center if they wanted to visit the battlefield.
It turned out that between a guidebook and the plaques on the field, it was perfectly easy to get around and understand the battle. The main thing to understand in the battle is that Bonny Prince Charlie was a moron. He picked a battlefield that was wholly unsuited to his infantry’s best attack, and one in which the Duke of Cumberland could use his artillery to its fullest advantage.

Fraser Clan Memorial
Originally uploaded by woden325.

It was interesting to see how the memorials were laid out, with the dead of each clan buried together, as far as possible, with clan stones at the head and foot of each mass grave. Legend has it that heather will not grow on the Scots’ graves. Some of the clan and chieftain stones had had wreaths or candles placed in front of them recently.
From the battlefield, we headed for Cawdor Castle, about 10 miles away. This was a real treat. It is also as close as this entry gets to the theme of the class, which was Great Women of Shakespeare's England, as Shakespeare is involved. In Act I, Scene 3 of Macbeth, the witches tell him that he’ll be the “Thane of Cawdor,” and subsequently King Duncan gives him that rank. However, as the Cawdor Castle website points out, the castle was built long after Duncan’s and Macbeth’s time.

Cawdor Castle
Originally uploaded by woden325.

By the time we arrived at the castle, the weather had brightened considerably, and it was warm and sunny. At the entrance, we split up. I headed to the gardens, which were superlative. They were more modest in scale than those at Hever Castle or Hampton Court, but every bit as lovely. In fact, they and the castle itself, reminded me of Wilton House, with a very informal yet elegant character.
The only great disappointment for me in the gardens was that the maze, which was planted with holly, was closed. I still have not managed to visit one of these hedge mazes in Britain. Maybe on the next trip.
Finally, I went into the castle, which was quite nice. Like Wilton House, the castle is still owned by the family, and used as a residence part of the year. In this case the Dowager Countess of Cawdor spends the winter at the castle, and most of the rooms had her books and artwork sprinkled around. It really gave me a feeling of how the other half lives. In each room, there were notes describing the paintings or furnishings, which were written by the Fifth Earl Cawdor with a mixture of wry humor and pride.
I had lunch at the castle restaurant. I asked about the soups, and was given a choice between sweet potato soup and leek. I chose the leek, because I despise sweet potatoes, but was served this frightening orange goo. When I asked the server if he was sure that was leek, and not sweet potato, he froze in confusion and asked one of the cooks. She came out and showed him the orange goo and the other soup, which was a clear broth with leeks in it, and heaped abuse upon him for not being able to tell the difference. I was sorry to get him in trouble, but I must admit it was hilarious.
Went back to the car and met up with the others, they had visited the castle first, and then the gardens, and we all raved about how much we liked them. Finally, we headed for the Clava Cairns. Despite the warning about the single-track roads, we were only on them for about a mile, and didn’t come across any traffic.

Clava Cairns
Originally uploaded by woden325.

The site consists of three large cairns, surrounded by standing stones, and one smaller ring of boulders (pdf guide). Two of the cairns were “passage graves” which were aligned so that the setting sun on the winter solstice would illuminate the grave chamber. Their shape is reminiscent of the “C” on the Colorado State flag. The third cairn is a closed ring, which was not used for a burial. One of the standing stones struck me as particularly noteworthy, it was a granite monolith about eight feet high, and looked for all the world like the Monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The cairns are in a lovely valley, with farmland surrounding them and it was a very picturesque and quiet setting. This is one thing that the Cairns have over Stonehenge – here there were only about a dozen people visiting, and only 3 cars in the parking lot. Quite a change from the mass mayhem at Stonehenge.
Finally, we worked our way back to Inverness, for a little un-structured free-time. All in all, this was one of the most interesting days of the trip for me, as we dealt with three very different periods in British history: the modern battlefield at Culloden, the Medieval castle and its aristocratic ties, and the pre-historic societies that built stone-circles.

Glasgow to Mull

And now, as I fire up the Way-back Machine, pretend that it's June 13^th.

DSC00043
Originally uploaded by woden325.

We headed out of Glasgow yesterday (map) on our way to the Isle of Mull. It was cold, rainy, and damp as we drove past eh beautiful Loch Lomond and past Loch Awe. The drive took about 3 hours or so. We got to Oban at about 11:45, -- fifteen after the required check-in time for our reservation on the Noon ferry. There was some uncomfortable waiting while we wondered if we'd make it or have to wait another hour. Fortunately, there was still enough space for two cars: the one in front of us, and ours.
The ride over from Oban was wonderful. The weather had changed and we got sunny skies and glassy seas as we crossed. Sharon, Sonoko, Tom and I staked out seats on the upper deck at the stern of the MV Isle of Mull, and watched the wake spread out behind us. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the camera out of the car with me, so I didn't get any pictures. The ferry ride takes about half an hour, and I enjoyed every minute of it. It's one of Colorado's real short-comings, not having the ocean handy. I never get tired of looking at the water, as you may have guessed from my pictures.
Once we arrived at Craignure on the Isle of Mull, we drove straight out to Bunessan, about 30 miles to the west along some extremely narrow roads. Most of the roads on the island are single-track, meaning that it is precisely wide enough for one vehicle, with a wider passing area every quarter-mile or so. It's my second trip to the island, and I still haven't quite figured out the etiquette. My policy was to yield the right-of-way as often as possible, and especially when coaches and the like were oncoming. I also had to pull over periodically to let the traffic behind me pass. The speed limit is something like 60MPH, but I thought I was living dangerously doing 35-40, what with the livestock all over the road, and blind hills and corners all over the place. The weather stayed fine, and apart from one near-death experience (when a big dang truck blew past a passing area and forced me to back up off the road) it was a great drive.
Along about 3 PM, we arrived at the hotel, the Argyll Arms. I had previously stayed here back in 2000, and was very happy to find that it was still as I remembered it -- clean, comfortable, and friendly. We were able to get a late lunch and spend the afternoon and evening wandering around the bustling Bunessan Metroplex. There's the hotel, a restaurant, two general stores, and a fire-station. Also a phone-box and a whole lot of sheep.
It was just the thing after London, York, and Glasgow -- peace and quiet.
Tomorrow (wink-wink) we'll head to the Isle of Iona, a short drive and ferry ride away.

Welcome home, hopefully.

By now the rest of the class should be safely at home.
If all y'all are reading this, I hope you had as good a time as I did. It really was a fun trip.
I'm looking forward to the post-trip meetings to hear your stories and see your photos.

Scotland!

1500 June 11, 2006:
Down day today. After the long drive from London yesterday and the go-go-go schedule of the class trip, we agreed to take today at a leisurely pace.
There are also no new pictures. Yesterday I was busy driving, and today, I realized the camera’s battery was dead. When we head to Oban tomorrow, the its battery and mine should be recharged, and I’ll take more pictures.
We did take part of the walking tour suggested by the Lonely Planet guide, however. It took us through some of the nicer pedestrian districts and up to the cathedral. It’s a great gothic church and it appears to have survived the reformation relatively unscathed. Unfortunately, today was Sunday, so we couldn’t go in until after the services were over for the day. Doubly unfortunately, having walked all that way up there once today, I don’t particularly feel like doing it again.
Maybe on the next trip. Nope, too early to be thinking about another trip. I’ll need a couple years and a couple grand before that rolls around.
Still, though Glasgow is still a bit rough around the edges, it’s starting to grow on me. There are some very nice squares and buildings, and it seems that there are some new businesses and recent construction in the area.
Speaking of rough around the edges, the hotel we’re staying at is the Hotel Corus near the Central Station. It’s a bit down at the heels, but comfortable. The main problem is that the lifts are seriously dodgy. They shake, rattle and bang on their way up and down.
Making matters worse, this morning there were several coach groups checking out and the lifts were full and taking forever to answer a call-button. A bunch of older German (and other) tourists were stuck packing their bags down the stairs from the 7^th floor. The girl at reception got a right earful from one of them about it.
Anyhow, the drive yesterday was very nice, once I got the hang of driving on the left again. The car is a diesel Volvo XC70 which drives like a charm. It’s smooth, powerful and responsive. I want one.
We drove up the M6/A74/M74, which runs along the west side of the country. We ran along the eastern edge of the Lake District, through some beautiful mountainous countryside. I’m kind of sorry that the return trip is going to the east, even though I know that we’ll be driving through the beautiful Yorkshire and Lincoln countryside.
We also passed through Gretna Green, shotgun-wedding capitol of Great Britain back in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. It lies just inside the Scottish border, and Scottish law allowed for quickie weddings that just weren’t possible in England. One of the girls in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility got married there, causing a great scandal. I can’t recall who! Jan will be so disappointed.
Tomorrow, we head to the incomparably beautiful and bucolic Isle of Mull. It should be another fine drive past Loch Lomond and Loch Awe, before we take the 45-minute ferry ride to the island. Then there’s about a 35-mile drive through to our hotel in Bunessan.

Busy, busy, busy.

Man, I haven't had the chance to do much with the blog. I'm busily packing up before saying goodbye to the rest of the class. They're heading home today, and Sonoko, Sharon and I are fixing to do a marathon drive up to Glasgow.

At least all of my pictures up to and including the trip to Windsor Castle yesterday are up. I don't have time to do a link, but by now you should know where to look.

"Maybe, he said foolishly, I'll have the chance to write some more tomorrow."

0755 June 8, 2006:

Yesterday, we drove down from York to the fabulous and exciting airport town of Feltham. I am currently writing this offline in my room, because the hotel is charging an egregious amount of money for the wifi access. It’s £5 for 1 hour, or £10 for a day. Tomorrow, I’ll probably spring for the day pass, because I’ll be that desperate. I’ve got a big backlog of pictures to upload, and I need to check on the rent-a-car, our hotel in Glasgow, the directions, etc., etc. Not to mention posting these trenchant observations on man’s inhumanity to tourists in the early part of the 21^st century.

Our hotel is at least comfortable, but this is clearly not London’s most alluring neighborhood. Also, we have a fabulous view, with all the associated noise, of airplanes taking off from Heathrow. It has its charms, however. There’s a small stream running past the hotel that is the home to a mother swan and 5 or 6 fuzzy little cygnets. Unfortunately, I didn’t grab a picture, because the sun was setting behind them and my cameraphone really didn’t like that.

Well, I’m going to sign off now, because it’s time for breakfast before our marathon trip to Wilton House, Stonehenge, and Salisbury Cathedral. Hopefully, this evening, I’ll have the chance to revise and extend my remarks.

Wilton, Salisbury, and Stonehenge.

Action-Packed day today.

Wilton House
Originally uploaded by woden325.

We went first to Wilton House, which is easily the finest home we saw in the class. (map, satellite photo)
Wilton House is the home of the Earl of Pembroke, and it is still managed by the family. As a matter of fact, the Earl was in the café when some of the class were having lunch. I missed this, but apparently there was much swooning over the young, single, and filthy rich Earl.
There was also much swooning (at least by Jan and I) over the lock of hair displayed in the main entrance of the house – it belonged to Queen Elizabeth I. Wilton House was simply loaded with odd little historical items like that. One other item in the house that fascinated me was a hole in the floor. It showed remnants of the foundation of the medieval abbey which was once on the site.
I grabbed lunch with Connie and Brianne before heading out to look at the gardens. The gardens were outstanding, as usual. As at Hever Castle, it appears that local families use the grounds for a day out. There was a huge playground for the kids – one that you probably wouldn’t see in the US because of the potential for lawsuits. I took a spin through the water garden (nice, but kind of buggy) and the rose garden before hitting the main lawn.

Fountain Detail
Originally uploaded by woden325.

The view of the house from the main path was bracketed by their new Millennium Fountain, which consisted of a pair of L-shaped cascades, with the water flowing into a series of ‘goblets.’ I thought that it was a very nice, elegant addition to the garden. I headed over to the river Nadder, which flows under the Palladian Bridge. While walking up the river toward the bridge, I was accompanied by a duckling who was cruising upstream. It was all very peaceful, at least once the grounds crew finished mowing the lawn.
We then headed for Salisbury (map) and its superlative cathedral. I can’t say anything bad about this place either. Salisbury Cathedral is right up there with Durham, York Minster, Winchester and Ely on my list of favorite English cathedrals. And then there’s Norwich, Lincoln Minster, St. Paul’s, Southwark, etc., etc. What can I say? I’m a sucker for old churches.

Salisbury Cathedral
Originally uploaded by woden325.

Of course, Salisbury’s main feature is its spire, the tallest in England. Inside the crossing, they have a little octagon engraved on the floor which shows how the spire is just slightly out of plumb. Other items of note were the blue Chagall windows at the east end of the church, and the medieval clock near the west entrance. Jan and I searched high and low for the little notch in the wall on the south side of the choir. Traditionally, new choirboys have their chins rammed into the wall here. Choirgirls are exempt from this tradition; they are smacked with a bible. We found it, eventually, with the help of a vicar, who found it all very amusing.

Salisbury Fountain
Originally uploaded by woden325.

Near the west entrance was a fascinating fountain. It was cross shaped, about four feet high, and about 8 feet across, with a deep pool of water that fed streams poring out of the arms of the cross into the base. The bowl was made of copper, with a deep green patina. The most amazing thing about it was how the surface formed a perfect mirror. Bobby, Ken, and I spent ages taking pictures of the ceiling or stained glass reflected in the water.
According to a nearby sign, it was supposed to have been removed a few days before we arrived, but one of the cathedral staff said that it might be placed there permanently. I can only hope that it is, because it fit in there perfectly. It could serve as an extraordinarily fine baptismal font.
Sat for a little while with Jan just absorbing the atmosphere, comparing notes on our favorite churches. Salisbury was moving up the ranks for both of us. After a bit, I headed out to the chapter house, where they have a display with the Magna Carta. They have one of the four surviving copies, and theirs is one of the most legible. On my last trip, I saw three of them, the two at the British Library, and Salisbury’s copy. I missed the one at Lincoln on the last trip, but I intend to see it on this one.
By this time, maybe 3:30 or so, we had to hustle to get back to the coach. Apparently there’s a strict time limit on how long the bus can park, and then wait in the loading zone, and we were pushing it. We were also coming up on the time limit for Paul’s driving, and we still hadn’t hit Stonehenge. (map, satellite photo)

Stonehenge
Originally uploaded by woden325.

Paul was lobbying hard to skip Stonehenge – he was utterly underwhelmed by it. And, as a tour-bus driver, I’m sure he’s seen it hundreds of times. I’ll admit that I moved through it pretty quickly this time around. It hasn’t changed much in 4 years. Still, there is something fascinating about it, if only because of the extreme difficulty of building it. Hauling these humongous stones a couple of hundred miles, shaping them with stone tools, and then hoisting them up to make lintels, and aligning the whole thing with the solstices, the whole operation strikes me as incredibly complicated.
I must also admit that I took another 40 pictures of the thing – to match the 40 or so that I took on the last trip. I could probably piece together a pretty solid panorama between the two sets.
English Heritage disappointed me by not having any of the Stonehenge polo shirts in stock at the shop this time. I’d picked up a blue one on my last trip, and I wanted a spare, but alas, they seem to have discontinued them.
While I stood there mentally composing a pretty strongly worded letter to English Heritage, Jan appeared and started chivvying everyone toward the bus, as Paul’s driving time was about to expire. I wonder if he’d turn into a mouse, like in Cinderella? After a few rounds of counting, it turned out that we were missing one, {redacted}, and Paul gave her a bit of a scare by making like he was going to leave her. At least with Paul it was a joke. With the Vile Ted(™ Jan), it wouldn’t have been a joke!
Thence back to Feltham. (map) Ken and I decided to try and head out for either some Chinese food or to find a good pub for dinner. This proved to be difficult. There was a Chinese takeaway near the hotel, with a trademark-infringing name, but we decided to aim for a sit-down restaurant. So we walked, and we walked, and we walked. We passed a few uninspiring pubs, and a whole block of that had nothing but funeral parlors. It was like Motor City for dead guys. We saw one mildly interesting pub, but it was on the far side of the road, and we decided against it. Finally we turned around, to head back toward the hotel – and realized we had walked past a very nice Chinese restaurant. Don’t know how we missed it, but we did. It turned out to be quite good. And classy – the waitress unwrapped the chopsticks and spread out the napkins for us. Thanks to Sonoko, I can use chopsticks without flinging food all over the table. So it went pretty well, apart from Ken making fun of me for liking spicy food. I think he’s jealous.
Back to the hotel for a couple of drinks with Ken, Bobby, and Sonoko.
Tomorrow: Windsor Castle, and the end of the class trip.

Hardwick Hall and the Edifice Complex

We bade farewell to York today, to pretty much universal disappointment. It seems that nearly everyone on the trip came to the same conclusion that Jan, Ken, and I all reached on our first trips: the North of England is magical. The scenery's better, the people are nicer, the weather's better. Much as I love London and the south, particularly The City, Kensington, Torquay, Hastings, Winchester and Salisbury, they don't feel like home. Durham and York, for some reason, feel like home. If I could put Pikes Peak in County Durham, or put York Minster here in the Springs, I would.

Hardwick Hall
Originally uploaded by woden325.

At any rate, we headed for Hardwick Hall (map).
This was built for Bess of Hardwick as a monument to her wealth, her power, and most of all, her independence. Unusually for Tudor England, this house was Bess's —— not her husband's. Unfortunately, (in my opinion) it is a bit too ostentatious. As Jan liked to quote, "Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall." The huge windows were a sign of Bess's wealth. Glass was expensive, and heavily taxed, so none but the very rich could build a house like this. Bess also gilded the lily a bit by placing her cipher ("E S" with a coronet above the letters) all along the roof-line of the house.
The interior smelled musty, like there were serious leaks in the building. The National Trust is restoring the building but it seems that they have a way to go. The upper floor was a bit sway-backed, looking something like a lake with gentle swells rolling across it.
I can't fault them, however, for the paintings or the tapestries in the house. Those were fantastic, particularly the portraits of Locke and Queen Elizabeth. The portrait of Elizabeth was one that I don't recall seeing before. It was a later image, and the queen was shown with an interesting green dress with all sorts of embroidered fish on it.
I also can't fault them for the gardens, which were lovely, as usual. As the day wore on, the parking lot for the Hall continued to fill up with locals, all of whom seemed to have picnic tables and thermoses filled with tea. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon, if you ask me, and it was a particularly nice one.
We continued south afterward, stopping at the lovely Newport Pagnall Service Centre on our way down the M1. (Upon further review, it may have been the Rothersthorpe Service Centre. If you've seen one truck-stop, you've seen them all. Even if they're on the wrong side of the highway.) (map)
This meant traversing the ongoing, permanent traffic jam known as the M25, which only took 6 or 7 hours, before reaching our last hotel of the trip, the St Giles.
After settling in, a fair group of us headed off toward some restaurants that had been recommended by the hotel staff. There was a strip mall, with a Chiquito Restaurant, along with a movie theatre and an Italian/American-type restaurant. The group split up, half of us going to Chiquito's and the other half to the Italian place. We split up again at the restaurant, into two booths.
If memory serves, our table was Connie, Brianne, Amber, Sharon, Sonoko, and myself. I can't blame my faulty memory on drink, because anyalcoholl in my margarita was entirely coincidental. My chimichanga wasn't half bad, though. And it's not every day you have Mexican food in England, served by a Russian waitress. Still not a patch on The Loop, though.
Tomorrow: a whirlwind tour of Wilton House, Salisbury Cathedral, and Stonehenge.

Rievaulx and Whitby

Another in a series of after-the-fact posts:
Today we headed for two great ruined abbeys. The first stop was Rievaulx Abbey (map). It was a lovely drive past and through the North York Moors National Park. We cruised past some interesting sights like the Hole of Horcum, which, in addition to having a very silly name, is a very big hole indeed. It looks like some sort of caldera or meteor crater.
Another interesting sight was the white horse carved into the hillside, we could just see it from the highway, but it didn't come out on any of my pictures. If you go to this site, and look at the bottom row, center, you'll see a much nicer picture of it.
Then, we had a spot of bother, when Paul suddenly lost confidence in his sense of direction. After we passed through the town of Helmsley, we stopped seeing signs for the abbey, and no one was sure we hadn't passed it. So, Paul did a very nice 3-point turn on the road and headed back to Helmsley to ask for directions. He and Ken jumped out of the coach and went to a local shop, whose proprietor came out and helped them reenact a scene from Dragnet. There was much serious pointing and nodding for a few minutes.
Finally they headed back and reported that we had been headed in the right direction but we'd turned back too soon. Another 3-point turn, and away we went.

Rievaulx Abbey
Originally uploaded by woden325.

Rievaulx was lovely. It sits in the Rye Valley, down a perilously narrow and twisty road. Poor Paul seemed very unhappy with the situation, and had a heck of a time parking the coach. Then, another coach arrived, and it was touch and go for a while as Paul and his counterpart tried to shoehorn two big coaches into one very small lot.
Meanwhile, Jan, Ken and Barb were attempting to get our ticket voucher approved, despite some stubbornness on the part of the head honcho at the gift-shop.
But back to the abbey, it is a lovely old ruin, mostly Early English, with some Norman/Romanesque and Decorated touches thrown in for good measure. It was my first time here, but hopefully won't be my last. I was fascinated to see that some of the medieval tiles still remained in the nave of the ruined church. It was also interesting to see that more of the original complex remained here than at Whitby. Rievaulx still had remains of the chapter house, hospital, and other monastic buildings, whereas Whitby only has the main church.
Had a quick lunch with Ken and Terry at the gift shop (which somehow also offended the honcho) before leaving for Whitby (map). The chocolate-dipped flapjack (not a pancake, more like a granola bar) is not to be missed.
Closer to Whitby, we passed RAF Flyingdales and its big Phased Array radar. The radar is part of the US ballistic missile warning system, and thus reports to NORAD, so there's an odd local connection for you.
The drive through the National Park was, at the risk of repeating myself, wonderful. The only real downside was that the heather was not in bloom. Otherwise, the hills would have been covered with little purple flowers.
Finally, we arrived at Whitby. As I've mentioned before, I did my pre-class presentation, and my senior thesis, on the Synod of Whitby, so this is a place near and dear to my heart.
The town is located on the North Sea, at the mouth of the River Esk, and it is always bustling in the summer. It's not as popular a resort as, say, Blackpool, but it was jumping on both of my trips there.
Terry and I immediately headed off for the famed 199 steps, which lead from the riverside to St. Mary's church and the abbey. St. Mary's is an odd little church, very Norman on the exterior, but with an odd mish-mash of styles on the interior. The nave has a tendency toward the neo-classical that seems out of step with the thousand-year old exterior.

Terry at Whitby
Originally uploaded by woden325.

We headed over to the abbey, and found that English Heritage had done a fine job relocating and expanding the visitor's center since my last visit. On my last visit, in 2000, I don't recall there being anything but a poky little shack at the entrance, but now they've built on to the shell of the old manor house and put in quite a nice exhibition of the archaeological finds from the abbey's history. On the down side, they've also built up the wall adjoining the church yard, so it's harder to see the ruins if you don't want to shell out the admission fee.
We eventually worked our way back down the stairs and walked through the little tourist-trap shops that you find in these kind of towns. I was particularly amused to see one shop selling little chintzy models of the Liberty Bell -- something I haven't seen outside of Philadelphia.
From there, Terry and I walked out along the pier, which was nice -- in a vertigo inducing sort of way. When we were out at the tip of the pier, we saw Dawn, Cara, Evan and several of the other "pilgrims" (as Jan puts it) sailing by on one of the tour boats. Sadly, I'd run out of film memory by that point, so I couldn't snap any pictures.
From there we worked our way back to the coach. And then back to York.
Later, went to dinner at Russell's Restaurant in Coopergate. I won't say with whom, because I've forgotten who all came, and I don't want to skip anyone. That was something that didn't end up in my notebook, oops. Sorry.
I do remember having a superb poached salmon filet for dinner, and a very nice tawny port, which explains the memory loss. I also remember Jan's dessert was a thing of beauty.
And so, as Samuel Pepys might say, to bed. Tomorrow, we head back south.

About that last post:

Sorry for the spelling and typos in that last entry. I typed it up quickly while riding on the bus to York, and then attempted to edit it in Blogger after I uploaded it. Obviously, I didn't catch everything. I've edited it twice since, and it still doesn't seem to have taken.
Had a busy day yesterday. Jan, Ken, Terry, Sonoko and I took advantage of the free day of the trip to take the train to Durham, to see the single greatest cathedral in the history of time. It is also where the Venerable Bede is buried, so it speaks deeply to me as an Anglo-Saxon and Northumbrian historian.
More photos are up, including pictures of Skipton Castle, York Minster, and Durham Cathedral.
I'll have more to say about each of them soon. Today, we're on our way to Whitby.

Previously on The Trip:

DSC00037
Originally uploaded by woden325.

I said that I'd have more to say about Hampton Court Palace, as well as Hever Castle.
At Hampton Court, I was partucularly impressed with the formal gardens, which were very elegant. There were a few groundskeepers in the courtyard of the palace who seemed to be poised to trim any piece of grass that grew a quarter-inch out of line.
Dawn, Brianna, Connie, Terry, and I took a short walk to the round fountain and the long pond. (I'll have to check those names, as my guide is in the luggage-hold of out coach. As I write this, we are cruising up the M1 between Rugby and Leicester.) On Flickr, you can see Dawn getting menaced by a very pushy swan.
After that, we walked back to the train station and caught a train back to Waterloo station, and thence to the hotel.
This same group was brave enough to accompany me to South Kensington when I tried to find the Vecchiomondo Restaurant. I've eaten at this Italian restaurant on each of my trips to London, and it's become a tradition. Unfortunately , I couldn't remember its location very accurately this time. It's in the Cromwell road, but I took everybody on a big detour up Gloucester Road and Queens Gate before I realized my mistake. Fortunately they were good sports about it. The dinner was very nice, if a bit expensive.
Afterward, we went out to see some of the sights there, and I took them by the Natural History Museum (link), the Royal Albert Hall, the Albert Memorial, Hyde Park, Marble Arch, Green Prk, Buckingham Palace and finally to Victoria Station. All told, it looked to be about 4 or 4½ miles after the detour, not including all the walking at Hampton Court or The Tower. It was lovely, but extra tiring. We got to the Hotel a couple of minutes before Midnight, and had a beer. It didn't take more than a couple of minutes of sitting for our legs to get all cramped up after all that walking.
In the morning, the whole group headed for Hever Castle. This was the home of Anne Bolyn. The main building was of Norman origin, but it had fallen into disrepair before William Waldorf Astor (of Waldorf-Astoria fame) bought it and revamped it. He spared no expense in the lavish woodwork and artwork of the castle, but unfortunately, it's difficult to tell how close it is to the castle of Anne's time.
It is surrounded by absolutely exquisite gardens, and as you can see from my pictures, it's very photogenic. We got to the castle just as the garden opened, and we were able to wander through it before it got really crowded. The formal Italian Sculpture garden is outstanding, and the piazza and pond are perfect.
Sonoko and I toured the castle, after waiting for 20 minutes in the queue and watching the ducks duking it out in the moat. The interior of the castle is lovely, but as i said before, it's hard to tell what it would have been like in the time of Henry VIII. I particulaly liked the gatehouse, (which displays a particularly nasty collection of torture devices) because it seemed to have most of the original stonework intact.
After a harrowing drive back to London (our poor driver had to contend with terrible traffic jams and some spectacularly stupid drivers and pedestrians) Sonoko, Sharon, and I went for dinner at the Helping Hand pub next to the Russel Square tube station. I love this pub. I had a magnificent Steak and Ale pie for dinner, for the second time in a week.
From there, we went to the Regent's park Open-Air theatre for a performance of The Taming of the Shrew. I kept nodding off in the first half because all the walking (and the beer, probably), but a good cup of coffee set that straight. The play was a preview, and it was clear that they were still working out the kinks in the perfomance, A few lines were muffed, and they stepped on each other's cues a bit, and Petruchio clubbed his servant for real at one point, but other than that itwas a good performance. They were, for some reason, in 1950's era costumes, but it wasn't overly distracting, and they didn't try to modernize the language, which is a pluss.
This brings me up to when I sat down in the bar to post last night.
This morning, which was ironically a beautiful sunny day, we checked out of the hotel in London and packed on to the coach for York. I'm looking forward to this, because Northern England feels as much like home as the Pikes Peak region. Our driver is a Geordie named Paul, and he seems like a good guy. On par with George, from my last trip, and worlds ahead of the infamous Ted (the Basil Fawlty-like driver from my first trip.)
We've just past Bolsover, and we'll probably be breaking for lunch soon.

Everything's Just Ducky

DSC00043
Originally uploaded by woden325.

It's been a couple of days since I've posted.
The Ceremony of the Keys was excellent. On paper, the idea of watching the Chief Yeoman Warder lock the gates and give the loyal salute to the Sovereign doesn't sound particularly interesting, but it's very interesting to see in person. If you've seen the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery, you'll understand some of the tradition and ritual involved.
On the first, the class as a group visited the Tower of London. This is one place I never get tired of seeing. Even the Crown Jewels, which haven't changed since my first trip, still fascinate me. I enjoyed leading some of the group through the White Tower and repeating some of the history of The Tower to them.
Afterward, we journeyd to Waterloo, and then to Hampton Court Palace. This was a wonderful trip. Hampton Court was built by Thomas Cardinal Wolsey, and he gave it to King Henry VIII. The palace remains the property of the monarch, and it is possible to see a number of different eras of its history in the tour. It was remodeled by Henry, the Stuarts, and the Hanoverians in turn. Some segments of each remain. Also, the palace has a number of really great chimneys.
Also, it has a grand formal garden, with reflecting ponds and fountains that should not be missed. I certainly plan on visiting this place again.
It is now 1AM on the 3^rd, so I'll sign off now. I'll have more to write tomorrow about Hampton Court. I'll also have more to say about today's (yesterdays, actually) trip to Hever Castle. That's where I snapped this picture of this pretty little lady.