#9 Hadrian's Wall and the Lake District

Tom at Chester's Fort

Hadrian's neighbors

Wednesday, we continued heading north to find Hadrian’s Wall, a once 70 mile-long structure built by Roman soldiers in the 2nd century. Ok history buffs (and for those who are not) Hadrian was the Emperor who ordered the construction of a wall at the northernmost part of the Roman Empire to keep marauding Scotts out--in other words, those whom the Romans were unable to conquer. A lot of the wall stones have been taken by farmers and locals over the centuries to build their farms and villages, but a large portion is still intact and Chester’s Fort has been excavated and carefully labeled and prepared for visitor viewing. Now maybe this is not the vacation dreams of our children and grandchildren, but for two history majors, it has been a thrilling adventure and Hadrian’s Wall and the fort is a big check mark for both of us.

Hadrian's Wall

Lake Windermere

Road leading to the Lake District

Afternoon tea

Thursday, we headed out for the Lake District with one last drive on the road that parallels the Wall. By mid-afternoon, we were in some of the most beautiful countryside that I have seen so far this trip. Lake Windermere and Lake Ullswater are situated in the mountainous area of northwestern England.

A favorite vacation area for many Brits, the Lake District is filled with mountain charm and pristine lakes. Tom even directed us to Grange-over-Sands, a beautiful harbor town so I could say, “Yes, I have seen the Irish Sea.” Maybe for only a few hours, but we sat in a tea house, sipped proper British tea and ate apple-rhubarb cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum, Mom would have approved!
 

Narrow mountain road in Lake District

#8 The Adventure Continues

Winifred, Carol-Jean and Margaret

Wow, what a week! Tom has been working very hard teaching SEE classes (for my non-Unity friends, they are classes for people who want to learn more about church, religion and the teachings of Unity but not necessarily interested in ministry). In addition, he is continuing to teach his on-line class for ministerial students. Thursday and Friday, he taught a class to the folks from the surrounding London area here in Maidenhead, then on Saturday morning we drove up with friends to Birmingham where he taught an all-day workshop/discussion group to about 20 people. Then back in the cars, I with Margaret Kennedy and Tom in another car with Winifred Hirst heading off to Huddersfield where Tom spoke to a small group on Sunday.

Finally, a fit!

With all that done, we rented a car and headed for York and the north country. Now for those of you who have never driven a car with the traffic flow on the left, it does take a little bit to get used to. However, it is the passenger who sits on the left and is used to a steering wheel being in that space who finds it most unnerving. Personally, I find that if I am in country for a few days and get used to the traffic direction and speed I'm okay to drive. The narrow roads with parked cars on the side and 2-way traffic zipping to and from is a test of nerves, all this we handled with increasing courage and skill. 

The Shambles (York) in the rain

The real test was to our map reading skills. It is essential to have a co-pilot to translate what is on Rand-McNally to the road signs in roundabouts (traffic circles). Traffic circles in the US--if you can even find them--are usually one lane affairs on surface roads. In England, they are usually 2-3 lanes deep and can be found on highways as well as major thoroughfares. Also, the road sign information usually coincides with the map while on the roadway--M5, A62, etc.--but once in the circle, they often drop the highway number and just list town names somewhere ahead. I can’t tell you how often we drove around a circle 2 or 3 times before we found the right exit.  And one exhausting day we re-entered a town 4 times to go back to the offending circle and try yet another road searching for the one leading to our destination.

York, north gate

York is one of my favorite places to visit. Unfortunately, this time ended up being much shorter than I would have liked. When we were in Oxford the week before we got a L25 parking ticket (about $39) so not wanting to repeat that mistake, we parked free outside of town in a lot and rode the bus into town. Once we got off the bus, it started to rain--hard. So dashing in and out of shops, stopping for lunch, and touring the York Minster Cathedral took up most of the afternoon and the intended tour bus ride will have to wait until another visit. Back to car and search for a place to spend the night before it got too late.

Tuesday, we headed for Thirsk, better known to James Harriet fans as Darrowby. For those of you who are animal lovers and have not read the All Creatures Great and Small series, treat yourself to a delightful

Carol-Jean in Thirsk

At Skeldale House Veterinary Clinic

 collection of animal stories by a country veterinarian. Anyway, both Tom and I are big fans and visited Skeldale House, his animal clinic now museum. The town is picturesque and after a long walk and nice dinner, we stayed at a charming B&B and watched BBC episodes of  “All Creatures…” provided by the proprietor.

St. Mary's church, Thirsk

Before heading out to our next destination, we stopped at St. Mary’s church where the real James Harriot and Helen were married. It turned out to be a wonderful opportunity because the organist was there and was practicing for an upcoming event. The harmonious tones coming form the great pipes filled the stone structure with magnificent music. While Tom sat and enjoyed the concert, I spoke with an elderly gentleman who had lived in Thirsk all his life and had attended this church since he was a boy in the choir. He told me many stories about the history of the church and the town. About the Bell family who had been the ‘Lord of the Manor’ since before King George III.

#7 Traveling with baby

Tom’s son Adrian and granddaughter, Josephine, have been visiting us for the past few days. They flew in from Warsaw, Poland on Monday and returned Wednesday evening (8/16-8/18). While they were here, we did a few touristy things together. After settling in, we hopped in a car we rented for the week and drove to Stonehenge. Although Tom and I did this tour two years ago, it is still impressive to see again.

Little Josey was completely unimpressed with the huge stones that towered above the many visitors who gaped at their massiveness while listening to audio tapes narrate this historical/archeological site. She was however thrilled with the grassy field around them and gave her dad a merry chase.

Tuesday, we drove up to Oxford and spent the afternoon walking around some of the college buildings and gaping at the many spires that are so characteristic of this college town. Students on foot and bicycle weaving in and out of traffic all add to the academic atmosphere. Tom was thrilled when he found the school of theology so of course we had to sit in one of the great halls and absorb the muse while Josey played “little miss cute”.

After a long day of driving and sightseeing we went to a popular restaurant referred to as a "carvery". The food is basic fare and a lot of it--kind of like a scaled down Ryans but nicer. Josey exerting her independence by being totally uninterested in food, however, discovered gambling machines--"move over dad, I've found my calling."

All packed up and back on the plane for home, Adrian called the next day to say that Josey slept a full 12 hours just recovering from her big adventure. Yes, the pleasures of being a grandparent--spoil them, then send them home for Mom & Dad to deal with.

#6 Around London

3Now that's a marching band!

Tom and I took a few days to go to London. I have always wanted to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, however it does take some planning since the schedules change at different times of year and in August it only happens on odd numbered days and if the weather is favorable. So, we jumped on the train into the city, switched to the Underground (subway) and voila there we are along with thousands of other tourists stretching and gaping to see the bright red uniformed soldiers marching up to the palace gates.

waiting for the palace guards

Buckingham Palace gates

It always helps to be tall when in a crowd, but with this many people, it was hard to see much of anything. However, I did find a choice spot to see clearly the moment when the replacement guard was marched to the narrow guard house and with great dramatic flare pushed the other guard from his post to begin his
                                                         own duties.


Many of us “know” London from novels, photos and Beatles songs. But getting around a very congested city to actually see the sights takes some work. However, like many favorite tourist locations, tour buses do a great job of getting around to show off the attractions at a reasonable rate. From the top of a double-decker bus, we had quite a view of the city streets and as the tour guide narrated we snapped the camera to capture as much as possible.

Who would have thought we would find this place?

Also known as Tom's Pub?

However, we had lunch at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, built in 1662 and rebuilt in 1667 after a fire. It has remained open through 15 sovereigns and has been a favorite hangout of such notables as Charles Dickens and Mark Twain.

Tom at stage doors of Globe Theater

This spire is what inspired a baker to create the now popular style of wedding cake.
 
 One of the nice things about these tour buses is that you can hop on and off to browse a certain area that seems interesting.. And, there are different routes, including a boat ride on the Themes River, giving tourists a full day of siteseeing and shopping.

St. Paul's Cathedral

Tower of London

London has had quite a few fires that destroyed much of the city. In 1666, most of the city was consumed by fire. Christopher  Wren was commissioned to design many of the major buildings to rebuild the city. St. Paul's Cathedral is one of them and has survived for centuries.

The famous Tower of London had a castle built around it to keep out raiders. If you recall your world history, many unsuspecting souls waited in this dreary place for their sentence to be fulfilled, which usually ended in their head being removed. Now please don't give the LSPD any ideas, they are already proactive regarding evil-doers.

#5 A Walk Around Town

(Please don't mind the blank spaces, I am still figuring out how to manage this blog program -- also new computer with courser that likes to jump around a lot.)



I love to walk around the neighborhoods and look at the homes and gardens. Unlike in the US, homes in other countries are often surround by walls or fences. No matter if the building is old or new, traditional or contemporary the British love to plant flowers. In garden beds, window boxes and hanging baskets, wonderful displays of color brighten up the stucco, brick and mortar buildings.

Tom & Ken approaching chapel

Friday afternoon, Tom and I went off to Windsor with a new friend,  Ken Bradley. Ken picked us up and drove us to Windsor Castle for Evensong services at the Knights of the Garter chapel. I sat in Emperor Hirohito’s seat and viewed the ancient chapel built in 1475 with great awe. The service was a spoken one since the choirs are on holiday for the month of August while the Queen is in Scotland. Having grown up in the Episcopal church the responsive readings sounded quite familiar.  

Tom arguing his case before Queen Victoria

Ken walked us around the shops and noted points of interest, narrating British history, particularly kings and queens who occupied Windsor Castle.

The informative day was followed by a wonderful traditional British supper beautifully prepared by Ken's wife, Susan.

#4 Together Again

Thursday, Aug 5, plane lands at Gatwick Airport, London. A quick pass through customs, a long wait for baggage and Tom and I are reunited! It had been a long day, starting Wednesday morning dashing off to the airport and boarding plane to take off by 7:25a.m. an uneventful flight to Charlotte, NC to spend 8+ hours in the airport followed by a long overnight flight to London, ironically landing at 7:25a.m. the next day.

Our accommodations are at Unity of United Kingdom, Maidenhead, England. This old house was built in 1896 or so and has been owned and occupied for the past 30-40 years by the Unity folks here in UK. Kimerie Mapletoft (isn’t that a wonderful British name?) is the director and together with Tom has arranged the classes and workshops he will present during our stay.



As you can see, the house is a grand, old, three-story brick place and our apartment is at the top. (see me waving at you?) Hauling the suitcase up the stairs is quite a chore and after what seemed like an endless flight of stairs, I realize there are even more stairs to manage. We quickly learn to plan well before leaving the apartment so as to avoid additional trips back up to get the missing items.



All settled in, Tom and I walk down to The Pond House, a local sports pub for a traditional British dinner, glass of Fosters and a football match (soccer to us). It’s Liverpool vs. some other team--no one knows who they are and it makes no difference because everyone is rooting for Liverpool. After all, they gave us the Beatles didn’t they?

#3 Are You Kidding Me?

Back to our travel adventures… Tom is retired US Army, and has Space A travel privileges. The A stands for available, and is based on # of seats for a particular flight and individual seniority on a sign-up sheet. In other words, first come, first serve and if they have enough room. So the game begins by figuring out where you want to go, then when, immediately followed by the optimal sign-up date that will assure placement on flight and yet not so far ahead to put you off the list if you get bumped on the first attempt. I know, very complicated and risky.

So here we are at the terminal, our names have been selected along with others and we are now waiting for the bus to take us to the plane. Oh but wait, here comes the young man with official looking clipboard. “So sorry folks, we have one too many people for the number of seats available. Sir, your wife can’t fly with us.”

Tom springs to action saying, “I am not going without you!” and leaves with the young man in uniform. Fifteen minutes later I find him at a computer looking up commercial flight schedules. Selection. Purchase. Kiss, kiss. “See you in a few days.” And now I am driving home to fly out of Kansas City.
* you can get more on Tom’s blog by visiting:    

                                     http://revtom-theo-blog.blogspot.com