United Kingdom - Monday

Tower of London   1077-1097

The tower of London is a stone fortress on the river Thames which gave view to hostile forces.  The tower has housed the Royal Mint, The Crown Jewels and served as a feared prison.  It has been an armory for warlike provisions and a general conserver of the records of the king’s courts of justice.

 

This is the building where the crown jewels are on display today.

It is inside the busy modern city of London and is surrounded today by much taller buildings. We wouldn’t think of it today as an imposing fortress and tower, however it’s tallest building is on a small hill and would have been an impressive site to an invader and the local residence in olden days. Successors  recognized its value and extended it until it occupies 18 acres.

The oldest part of the original walls.

 

The chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, is the burial place of dukes and two of Henry VIII’s queens, beheaded in the Tower.  Two young princesses were murdered there to keep them from the throne. The edifice is cared for by Yeoman Warders that act as guards and caretakers of this old stone palace that has some parts that are 1000 years old.  These warders were called Beefeaters because one of their jobs was to taste the food of the King to make sure it was not poisoned.

Traitors Gate was a main entrance and was later used for secret access.  The fortress has a grim reputation of torture, death and imprisonment and also a royal palace, powerful fortress and a menagerie of animals that have been gifted to kings.
 

Traitors gate - where criminals were brought in from the river side - for their own protection so that the local population didn't attack them. 

 

There is a double wall - The outer wall and the citadel wall - between was the mote.  The mote has drained and grass remains.  It was drained because it was foul, filthy and feted - not a nice atmosphere for royalty.

United Kingdon - Wednesday - Day Ten

Just a catch up day - Larry worked - Mar relaxed - and after work we just relaxed.

Sorry - nothing great - and no pictures.

United Kingdom - Thursday - Day Eleven

Donnington Castle

There is a lesson to be learned from Donnington Castle.  Don't ever be on the losing side.

Donnington Castle is a castle that stood just to the north of Newbury.  During the English Civil War, Donnington started as a Parliamentary castle, but was soon taken over by the Royalist.  The Royalists built battlements around the castle and then the Parliamentarians laid siege to it for 18 - 20 months, after which it was surrendered.  When the king was beheaded - meaning that Cromwell and the Parliamentarians won the war - Donnington was "pulled down".  All that is left is the gate house sitting on a high hill.

We drove up to Donnington Castle just to have a look around on a beautiful September evening.  We could see the remains of the foundation and the pattern of the battlements - but only the gate house still stands.

Newbury

 Just some pictures from old town Newbury.

Canterbury Church

We thought this is a Jacob Marley Door.

United Kingdon - Saturday - Day Six

Canterbury

St. Augustine arrived in England in 597AD to convert the pagan population to Christianity.  He chose the center of his work as Canterbury in South Central Kent.  It has since been the center of worship in all of England.  His original cathedral was destroyed in 1067, when construction of the present cathedral was started.  Like almost all of the historic cathedrals in England, the cathedral was built onto and renovated over the years.  Fires and additions, including damage during World War II, changed the cathedral over many years.

In 1170, Archbishop Thomas Becket, was murdered in the cathedral.  Then King Henry II is said to have exclaimed, "Who will rid me of this turbulent priest."  Four of his knights took him very serious and rode to Canterbury and assassinated Becket.  It is said to be the most notorious murder in English history.  Becket was canonized as a saint 3 years later, an unprecedented short time.  His burial site in the cathedral made Canterbury a point of pilgrimage for the English.  (Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories told by pilgrims on the road to Canterbury.)

This is the modern shrine at the site of the Becket Martyrdom - notice the four swords representing the four murderous knights - notice also the reverence of people for this site.

This is a large and beautiful cathedral in a beautiful city.  The cathedral grounds were cared for by monks who had a granary, bakery, brewery, infirmaries, dormitories and a water tower.  They had gardens where plants were grown for medicine, dye and ink making and to freshen the air.

These are scenes in Canterbury around the cathedral grounds.

We loved wandering around this classic cathedral, and seeing the beauty of the area. (Margaret was upset that parts of the cathedral were dirty and mouldery - she said she'd love to take a power washer to it.)

United Kingdon - Saturday - Day Six

Leeds Castle

This is a castle in North Kent, between London and Dover.  It was known as the Queen's Castle because as the Kings would go from London to France, the Queens would go half way and stay at Leeds.  Also, one of the Kings gave the castle to his wife, and after that it became tradition for the queen to own the castle.

It is built on two islands in a lake, which means it has the widest and deepest mote of any castle in England.  It is fairly small and has been called "the loveliest castle in the world" being one of the most picturesque in Great Britain.  It has had 900 years of alterations.  The oldest part, on the smallest island was only one floor.  Then the second floor was added and finally a major renovation was done by Henry VIII adding the other building that was connected by a closed and covered arch bridge.  There is also a couple of other buildings on the larger island, one of them called the "Maidens Tower" which in the 1800s had a swimming pool with the first ever wave generator (the pool is now filled in and planted in grass.)

At the end of the 19th century the castle had gone to ruin.  It was then bought by Lady Bailee, an American heiress who married some duke or earl (hence the "lady" in her name.)  She restored and refurbished the castle and its grounds .  She filled it with art and antique furniture and had glamorous parties.  When she died, she set up a foundation to manage the castle for the people of England - forever.

It truly is a great place to visit.  The tour goes through the wine cellars and the chapel that has ebony floors.  There are 24 bedroom, and the tour goes to the best ones that were actually used by Lady Bailee. 

The location is stunning with beautiful gardens and a hedge maze.

The symbol of Lady Bailee was the black swan, and there are still black swans who live on the lake.

United Kingdon - Saturday - Day Six

Dover

Dover is the South East gateway to England - just a quick jump over the English Channel from France.  It is a major embarking location for ferries across the channel.  Ferries are still a major passage even though the Channel Tunnel (The Chunnel) is open, simply because the toll on The Chunnel is so expensive.

The ferries are realllllllly big ships - and when they leave they go pretty fast.

Of course Dover is known for the White Cliffs - white because the cliffs are chalk because at one time the area was all under water.  It is also a beach resort - but not what you would expect in Florida or California or Hawaii.  The beach is not sand - it is pebbles - some the size of quarters and some the size of peanuts.  It is also fairly chilly, even when the sun is bright.

Because of it's proximity to the mainland, Dover was heavily damaged during the war.  There are few old buildings in Dover, except for the beautiful Castle on the hill (which we did not get to go up to see).  Also, there are many tunnels back into the white cliffs, some of them as much as two miles long, that were used as secret bases during the war.

Now, is that a cool looking castle or what? Walls, turrets, on a hill.  It was an important castle to be intimidating as people landed in Dover.

United Kingdom - Sunday - Day Seven

Warwick Castle

When people think of a castle in England, they imagine Warwick.

The BBC use Warwick Castle as the basis for its series called Merlin.

Warwick is considered Britain's finest medieval castle - dating back to the 1300's..  It is situated on a beautiful, picturesque location on the banks of the River Avon (yes the same one that is associated with Shakespeare).  It has spectacular siege machines, dungeons and costumed actors.  The castle was sold to the Tussauds Group (who run waxed museums throughout Europe) so there are waxed figures of historical people.  It is a favorite destination for families because there are jousting knights, firing of the siege machines (we missed that), medieval events, dragons (we missed those also), and falconry (which we did see - it was beautiful and fascinating).  There are great ramparts and gardens.  On the tour of the inside, there are collections of armour and swords and cannons.  And the rooms are furnished as they might have been when kings and queens visited the castle.

A profile taken from the hill that was the site of to ancient fortress.

One of the armor displays - this was Oliver Cromwell's display - which is ironic because Cromwell had many of the castles torn down after the Revolution because they were a sign of the nobility.

The bell tower of the castle.

The falconer with a bald eagle.

The battlements.

When we were there, the Queen came just to see us.  She deigned to have her picture taken with Margaret.

United Kingdom - Tuesday - Day Nine

Larry had to work today.

After work, we drove the 7 mile to Highclear Castle.  Highclear Castle has been the home the home of the Earls of Carnarvon for over 300 years.  It is situated 65 miles west of London and is often described as the finest occupied Victorian mansion in England.  We weren't able o go inside - tours are full  until October.  There are breathtaking grounds and there is a "secret garden". 

Highclear Castles is where the BBC is filming Downton Abbey - but it is more beautiful than it is on TV.

The rolling hillside with sheep

It is the setting that makes this castle spectacular. Notice that along the fence is a small mote.

People in the know can tell who is home at the castle by interpreting the flag that is flying.

 

United Kingdom - Thursday - Day Four

September 6, 2012

Today was a teaching day for Larry.  There was some drama involved.  We got started 1/2 hour late becausee two of my student had an incident on the M4 (a highway like an interstate).  They came into brief contact with a coach (bus) and had to stop to exchange information.  Very minor damage and no injuries.  However, we are a little behind in the class.

Margaret spent the day exploring shops and making more reservations.  She had a nice conversation with a mother and daughter from Epps who are taking a little holiday together.  It reminded us of Melanie and Mom.  This is the lobby of the motel where they sat and talked for about an hour.

Tonight for dinner to The Swan Inn.  We wanted to go since we first saw it.  It looked like a fun English inn and it met its expectations.  The food was excellent. the Atmosphere was excellent. 

This is a quote that was on the wall.

Now we are settling down for the evening - and packing up.  We leave this hotel tomorrow morning.  Tomorrow night we will spend in London and then do tours for the next days.  We will be taking the train into London - because Larry doesn't want to drive there and becasue there is a 22 pound "congestion tax" to drive into the inner city.  Besides that, everyone says that it is a nightmare to drive in London - so we will take the train and then let a tour guide do the driving.

Warning!!

We may not take my laptop to London - in which case there will be no blog updates until - Tuesday.

Just be patient and realize we are having fun.

United Kingdom - Wednesday - Day Three

September 5, 2012

Today was a work day.  Larry had to teach all day long.  Mar took some walks to a little outdoor mall (very Americanish).  The she walked into some neighborhoods.  It looks like Englan architecture, but the houses are only 10 to 20 years old.

 

After work, we hurried and left for a voyage.  We decided it was time to go to Stonehenge.  Rats, we got there just as they closed the area - but we still got to see it sitting there on the Salisbury plains.  It is in the middle of a beautiful green field.  We were really surprised at how big it was.  There is no wonder it is so famous with the setting it is in.  There are a few things that tell about it and the area around.

Stonehenge, like other religious shrines and cathedrals in England was built and rebuilt many times.  It was started about 3000 BC and was completed in three phases.  Each phase added to the formation but what is left is mostly the last stage.  Some of the stones are from a location about 18 miles away, but the "bluestone" used in the last phases came from Wales 240 miles away (mostly by floating on the water).  This was pretty amazing for the technology of the time. 

There are thories that it was used for astronomy or as a Druid celebration site.  But still at the Summer Solstice, the center stone, called the Heel Stone, lines up with the sunrise.  (Do not get confused by the picture.  That is not the Heel Stone.  In fact that stone is not part of the Stonehenge ring.  We were just there at a time when we could get such a cool looking picture.  But I am sure that the picture we got means something in an astral sence.  Good luck to those who stand withing the shadow of the stone - at sunset.)

Salbury plain has other significant features that are older than Stonehenge.  In fact, in the same area there are over 340 burial mounds - know as barrows.  Some of them are not even recognizable, many many are clearly visible.

The pictures do not show how truely beautiful the area is.

And then we drove back to Newbury and sucumbed to American food:

But it wasn't the same as American Piza - ours is better.

And now - England language differences:

Shopping cart = Trolly

Yeild = Give way

Bus = Coach

Take a nap = Have a lie down

Line up = Que

Double highway = Double carriage way

Truck = Lorry

Travel trailer = Caravan