In 1066 A.D., William, a Norman Duke (of Viking heritage), crossed the English Channel from Normandy and set about the task of claiming title to the English monarchy. He reigned for twenty years and became known as William the Conqueror. Among his many accomplishments were the foundation of the English monarchy as we know it, and the beginning of construction on the Tower of London. Along with Windsor Castle (the oldest and largest continually lived-in castle in the world), the Tower of London has gained quite a bit of notoriety. Initially, it served as an army garrison to protect access on the River Thames and as a home for monarchs. It subsequently became a prison, hosting such famous people as Thomas More, Anne Boleyn, Sir Walter Raleigh, Guy Fawkes, Charles I, and more recently, Rudolf Hess (part of Hitler's Nazi machine). Guy Fawkes is an interesting fellow, who in 1605 as a Catholic in a Protestant British world, planted a bomb in Parliament House. He fled to what must have been country then - Parliament Hill in Hampstead Heath, just up the street from where we are staying with Lucy's aunt, to watch Parliament House blow up. Unfortunately, the bomb failed, he was caught, and delivered to the Tower where he met an unsavory end. Just today, Charlie and I walked over Parliament Hill for the fine view over London though we can no longer see Parliament House because of more recent additions to the London skyline.
Getting back to the earlier days, several monarchs after William, Edward I extended the rule of English law to Wales and Scotland. With some trepidation, we rented a car and I drove (yes, on the wrong side of the road, as only the British empire can get away with) for several hours to the Welsh countryside, finishing our drive on a lane that was as wide as our little Kia, hemmed in by large hedge rows on each side. Though there were very few cars on that lane, I had to back up once when a car approached from the other direction. Despite confusion over which shoulder to look over while backing up, and which hand to shift with, and why is there so much car to the left of me that I keep forgetting about?, we finally made it to Hay-on-Wye. For you literary types, you might recognize this village as hosting the largest used book fair in the UK (?the World). I've heard it said that the typical town in the American West has more bars than people; this town has more book stores than people and therefore many more pages of books also. And in addition to all of those wonderful books, the Welsh countryside is beautiful in a wind-swept, heath to the ridge-line way that makes everything look further and higher than it all was. I longed to walk one of the long, barren ridges anticipating the same sense of airy freedom we obtain on our own much higher ridges and peaks in Colorado. While I didn't get the chance to hike in the uplands, we made a loop ride on bicycles out from town, riding past 13th century churches. The people have been part of this land for a very long time.
We've had quite a fill of history during our visit to the UK. Much of the rule of law we enjoy in the US has roots here as we learned during our travels through Boston, Vermont, and Long Island. Seeing all of this makes the history I learned a long time ago make more sense and become more pertinent to my life. And although it seems like we have done so much here, we have barely scratched the outer crust. We could spend many more months here but our time in London and the surrounding countryside is rapidly coming to an end. Within two days we will begin the next part of our travels as we make our way to Germany, the Alps, and Italy. Until then, we have a few more sites to see: Westminster Abbey, another 13th century Norman creation; St.Paul's Cathedral, which survived the Battle of Britain during WWII; and anything else we can cram in before we fly on Friday.
Cheers,
Paul
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
London and Normandy
Yes, we're slackers!! Obviously we're having a wonderful time in London. Both Paul and I had a first (hard to believe at our age, eh?) in that we had a daytime trans-Atlantic flight. We left Paul's Mom's house at 5am to arrive at JFK by 6 (of course we anticipated heavy traffic and there was none--we made it in 25 minutes) and left the ground at 8. We flew for six hours and watched movies the whole time. Great fun and we weren't trashed and navigating passport control at 2 in the morning body time. Overall we loved this course of travel. It did mean we arrived at 11pm at my aunt's house where she and my cousin's wife had a delicious meal waiting for us despite the hour. I think we have neglected our blog duties because we have been so well taken care of and pampered while here. I have a strong connection and affinity to my aunt's house and London in general as this is where I vacationed as a child every other year or so. Staying at my aunt's house is like coming home--drinking coffee (or wine depending on the hour) while philosophizing around the kitchen table is as comfortable as my softest jammies.
My aunt's house in situated near the largest park in London, Hampstead Heath. Happily, we played here often as we adjusted to London time. We also enjoyed several dinner parties with family and friends during the first several days here. My family here is filled with foodies who produce the most delicious meals with equal parts aestheticism and flavor--it reminds me of many friends back home (you know who you are.)
My only three cousins grew up in London. Two are still living here, but my youngest cousin now lives in Normandy, near Caen, France with his wife. With my aunt and her friend, we trained to Portsmouth Harbor and boarded a ferry to cross the English Channel to Caen. It was a completely enjoyable trip and my cousin, Jake, met us at the other end. It's a 45 minute drive to their country house in a very hilly, rural village consisting only of several houses. They have done up an old barn into a charming house and work studio for them. What was once overgrown grasses and weeds has been transformed into a beautiful garden of grass, flowers, hedges, trees, and flower and vegetable gardens with hammocks, swings, and a wonderful outdoor patio by which to enjoy the view and the out-of-doors. A stunning outdoor shower surrounded by a privacy wall of bamboo was a great hit. We exercised so we had an excuse to use the shower.
The company was wonderful, the meals fresh and fabulous, and we had lots of rousing games of Bananagrams. Our last day Jake drove us all to a large market in Caen (how I wish we had markets like that in the US) and then to Omaha Beach. The weather had been dodgy so we hadn't packed our swim suits, but that didn't stop the boys--in they went. I had a rather bizarre, indescribable sensation as I watched the crowd of people enjoying the beach and playing on the dunes behind the beach while thinking about what happened at this very site on June 6, 1944. It's a wide beach and quite exposed--hard to imagine the Americans made any progress here against the Germans who were organized and protected by trenches and bunkers as the American ships sent troops of men running onto shore with no cover. We found the monuments and tributes to that day's events fascinating.
It was bittersweet leaving France--we loved being with Jake and Lin and will miss them, but there was much yet to see in London. Unfortunately, Aidan picked up a stomach bug the night before we left for France and he suffered a bit all week. The rest of us got the bug when we left France and were completely out of commission for days once back in London. Paul and Aidan did manage to get to the British Museum (they got to see the actual Rosetta Stone!!!) and Cleopatra's Needle one day and then we all visited the wonderful science museum. Cleopatra's Needle is an ancient Egyptian obelisk and the twin of the one we saw in Central Park in NY. There is a third obelisk which sits in Paris...not on the itinerary for this trip. Its twin is still in Egypt.
Another of my cousins lives in Greenwich, a southern London village. We had the pleasure of an afternoon and evening with my cousin, her husband, and two of their three children. Greenwich is famous for the Royal Observatory and the Maritime museum, among other things. We were not there after dark so we didn't get to see it, but there's a green laser light which is shone from the observatory and marks the Prime Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT.) The Maritime museum had a wonderful art installation called Arctic Illusion, which through stories and light displays conveyed the impending crisis of global glacial ice melt. Chilling seems like the right word, but I'm not trying to make light of the illusion or the content. It was quite well-done and moving.
We'll work on updating pictures soon and will describe our next adventure soon--I promise.
My aunt's house in situated near the largest park in London, Hampstead Heath. Happily, we played here often as we adjusted to London time. We also enjoyed several dinner parties with family and friends during the first several days here. My family here is filled with foodies who produce the most delicious meals with equal parts aestheticism and flavor--it reminds me of many friends back home (you know who you are.)
My only three cousins grew up in London. Two are still living here, but my youngest cousin now lives in Normandy, near Caen, France with his wife. With my aunt and her friend, we trained to Portsmouth Harbor and boarded a ferry to cross the English Channel to Caen. It was a completely enjoyable trip and my cousin, Jake, met us at the other end. It's a 45 minute drive to their country house in a very hilly, rural village consisting only of several houses. They have done up an old barn into a charming house and work studio for them. What was once overgrown grasses and weeds has been transformed into a beautiful garden of grass, flowers, hedges, trees, and flower and vegetable gardens with hammocks, swings, and a wonderful outdoor patio by which to enjoy the view and the out-of-doors. A stunning outdoor shower surrounded by a privacy wall of bamboo was a great hit. We exercised so we had an excuse to use the shower.
The company was wonderful, the meals fresh and fabulous, and we had lots of rousing games of Bananagrams. Our last day Jake drove us all to a large market in Caen (how I wish we had markets like that in the US) and then to Omaha Beach. The weather had been dodgy so we hadn't packed our swim suits, but that didn't stop the boys--in they went. I had a rather bizarre, indescribable sensation as I watched the crowd of people enjoying the beach and playing on the dunes behind the beach while thinking about what happened at this very site on June 6, 1944. It's a wide beach and quite exposed--hard to imagine the Americans made any progress here against the Germans who were organized and protected by trenches and bunkers as the American ships sent troops of men running onto shore with no cover. We found the monuments and tributes to that day's events fascinating.
It was bittersweet leaving France--we loved being with Jake and Lin and will miss them, but there was much yet to see in London. Unfortunately, Aidan picked up a stomach bug the night before we left for France and he suffered a bit all week. The rest of us got the bug when we left France and were completely out of commission for days once back in London. Paul and Aidan did manage to get to the British Museum (they got to see the actual Rosetta Stone!!!) and Cleopatra's Needle one day and then we all visited the wonderful science museum. Cleopatra's Needle is an ancient Egyptian obelisk and the twin of the one we saw in Central Park in NY. There is a third obelisk which sits in Paris...not on the itinerary for this trip. Its twin is still in Egypt.
Another of my cousins lives in Greenwich, a southern London village. We had the pleasure of an afternoon and evening with my cousin, her husband, and two of their three children. Greenwich is famous for the Royal Observatory and the Maritime museum, among other things. We were not there after dark so we didn't get to see it, but there's a green laser light which is shone from the observatory and marks the Prime Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT.) The Maritime museum had a wonderful art installation called Arctic Illusion, which through stories and light displays conveyed the impending crisis of global glacial ice melt. Chilling seems like the right word, but I'm not trying to make light of the illusion or the content. It was quite well-done and moving.
We'll work on updating pictures soon and will describe our next adventure soon--I promise.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Good-bye Northeast; Hello London
I'll admit I have been a bit slack on the reporting effort lately. Since the last post, we made our way to southwestern Vermont, where we caught up with our friends Karen & Tim and their kids. Lucy and our kids had never been to Vermont and they weren't disappointed. Vermont - green mountain - is appropriately named as dense forests cover the mountains to the ridge tops and soften the angles so nothing seems very steep. Two days of bicycle riding showed me that the roads somehow lose that soft appearance. We spent the days swimming at the local lake and quarry, bristling in the cold water and on the not quite sunny enough banks. We enjoyed meeting a diverse group of friends.
The Revolutionary War toured southern Vermont and we learned more history when we visited the monument to the Battle of Bennington, a turning point for the struggling Continental Army that motivated the French to support our efforts against the British. Shortly after losing at Bennington, the British succumbed at Saratoga, New York and surrendered in New England. Unfortunately, the fighting continued for some four more torturous years and required another two years after fighting ended to conclude. All of this Revolutionary War history has made me appreciate July 4th more this year than ever before.
With one full day left in New York, we have opportunity to reflect on a very prominent and inescapable aspect of this area: the local dialect. It amuses me to listen to my family try to imitate the local lingo. I grew up with it and for all of you who know me, you know how hard I have tried to shake it. Nevertheless, the accent is unique and has found a place in my ear again. As the time here has provided me with the longest immersion in my native speak I have had in 28 years, I hear now in the imitations of my family what makes the vernacular so interesting. I've never known where it all came from since to my ear it sounds nothing like those accents of folks who live outside of the New York metro area but it is what it is and I have enjoyed reacquainting my ear if not my tongue to this most distinctive dialect.
Next on our itinerary is London. We look forward to spending several weeks with Lucy's aunt and cousins, and our transition to Europe.
The Revolutionary War toured southern Vermont and we learned more history when we visited the monument to the Battle of Bennington, a turning point for the struggling Continental Army that motivated the French to support our efforts against the British. Shortly after losing at Bennington, the British succumbed at Saratoga, New York and surrendered in New England. Unfortunately, the fighting continued for some four more torturous years and required another two years after fighting ended to conclude. All of this Revolutionary War history has made me appreciate July 4th more this year than ever before.
With one full day left in New York, we have opportunity to reflect on a very prominent and inescapable aspect of this area: the local dialect. It amuses me to listen to my family try to imitate the local lingo. I grew up with it and for all of you who know me, you know how hard I have tried to shake it. Nevertheless, the accent is unique and has found a place in my ear again. As the time here has provided me with the longest immersion in my native speak I have had in 28 years, I hear now in the imitations of my family what makes the vernacular so interesting. I've never known where it all came from since to my ear it sounds nothing like those accents of folks who live outside of the New York metro area but it is what it is and I have enjoyed reacquainting my ear if not my tongue to this most distinctive dialect.
Next on our itinerary is London. We look forward to spending several weeks with Lucy's aunt and cousins, and our transition to Europe.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)