Ticks Many Boxes…

Piers has wanted to see the sheep in Ashdown Forest for a few weeks.  Perhaps I should explain, sheep may very well be Piers’ favourite animal (he likes tigers too).  He gets so excited when we drive by a sheep field especially if there are lambs.  Now, some of this is put on a bit, but he truly loves to see sheep.  So Sunday’s impromptu drive to a carvery for a traditional Sunday roast dinner, side trip to the shopping district in Eastbourne, cumulated with a stop in Ashdown forest.

Ticking the First Box

I was expecting to see some sheep and watch Piers muck about pretending to try and catch one to hug.  I wasn’t expecting to see something on my wish list for close to 25 years or however long since I first read the syrupy sweet description of the heather clad hills of Britain.  It wasn’t even me that figured out that the brownish-purplish patches in the outstanding view were the much anticipated first sight of heather.  During my recent trip to Canada, I got used to seeing close to half the fields laying fallow due to the very wet weather the prairies are experiencing.  My mind just skipped over these breaks in the verdant vista as ‘bald spots.’  Oops!

Heather Clad Hills

Getting up close and personal with the heather

Ticking the Second Box

Seeing sheep.  And I can’t think of any verbose way to describe it.  Much to your relief, I imagine!

Getting up close and personal with the sheep

Piers claims to really want to hug a sheep.  He’s so not a farm kid!

Ready..

...Steady....

...Go!!!

As the photo record shows, no sheep were harmed in Piers’ unsuccessful attempts to steal a hug!

Ticking the Third Box

So, this was a box I didn’t know I had on my list.  Turns out that Ashdown Forest was the inspiration for The Hundred Acre Wood of Winnie-the-Pooh fame.  So the girl from Winnipeg, the city Winnie was named after, made it to the setting of the stories.  I’ve only ever read the Disneyfied versions of the books to kids I knew, but I do love me some Eeyore.

If you’re interested in more about the Pooh/Ashdown Forest connection here are some sites to get you started:

Ashdown Forest – Winnie the Pooh

and of course the ubiquitous Wikipedia article .

Things You Can’t Do in Kelwood

Old Soar Manor

671.  Go to a 13th Century Knight’s Manor house.

My aunt had a bit of ‘a go’ at me for not keeping this updated.  If I recall correctly, she quoted the date of my last post.  Hopefully, this will appease her somewhat.  Hehehe…

Today, 21 August, dawned muggy and overcast – not the best day to go to the beach, which had been Plan A.  Piers, gallantly, allowed me to determine Plan B.

According to my mother, I’m ‘a history nut.’  The National Trust membership card in my purse doesn’t allow me to disagree.  One of the sites I’ve been wanting to see is Old Soar Manor – advertised as a rare 13th Century knights dwelling.

One of the websites said that the route was ‘narrow and circuitous’ and along narrow lanes, but it was well worth the effort.  The house was built by the wealthy Culpeper family in 1290 out of Kentish ragstone and mortar.  This was during the reign of Edward I which was not a peaceful time.  In fact, another website said

The house speaks of a devout yet violent society. Edward I was a cunning and ruthless monarch who kept order amongst his potentially rebellious barons through intimidation and fear. He set the tone for an age of aggressive expansion of English royal power, first over England’s own nobles, and then over Scotland and Wales. The house reflects its time, and is clearly designed to be defended. The only way into the building is through the undercroft and up a tight, easily defended spiral staircase. The house is showing off wealth, and yet it does not do this with the exuberant architecture that we see in later and more peaceful periods, in the turrets and spires of Tudor Longleat  for example. Old Soar Manor has the solidity of a bunker. Artistic embellishment was a thing of the future.

Vaulted Undercroft

The stone undercroft reminded me of the original tower at Glamis Castle in Scotland.  A quick Google search has determined the castle was built about 80 years after Old Soar.  However, the march of technological advances was truly slower back then!  Anyway, this would have been used to store goods such as cloth and spices.  There were no nearby stores and goods would have been bought on arduous trips to larger centers or during local fairs.  No matter where they procured, the goods had to be stored somewhere safe as the Kentish countryside at this tiem was full of robbers and thieves.

My name Inigo Montoya

This staircase is very clever – the direction allows a defender to have his right hand aka sword hand free!  From the crossloops (arrow slits) in the undercroft, to the staircase, to the 15th Century addition of a perfectly fitted door, the whole house was built with defense in mind.  The exhibition outlined each of these defenses, however the concluding sentence said that all of this could and would be done by a modern-day alarm system.  See above statement about the advance of technology!

Solar Chamber

So we’ve gone through the undercroft, up the stairs, and are now making our way into the Solar Chamber.  The name comes from the two large windows at both the east and west ends of the family’s private quarters.  Originally, there would have been a branch off the top of the stairs into the Great Hall.  However, sometime in the 18th Century a new house was built  for the lords of the manor.  You can see on the right hand side of the photo the remains of a window that the family would have used to check up on the servants and guests in the hall.

The Culpepers seemed to be quite intent on showing their modernity and wealth with this house.  Firstly, during this time, it was unusual to build a home out of stone.  Also, having a private chamber to escape the noises, smells, and crowds of the great hall was a new idea.  The ceiling is made in the style known as ‘crown-post collar-purlin’ and is apparently as useful as it is beautiful.  It’s also been said that this is one of the best examples in all of England.

Chapel

The nearest church was four miles away.  I think considering the times, that could be four dangerous miles.  That danger could equally come from robbers or terrible roads!  To overcome those dangers, the Culpepers had a chapel built.  This niche would have held the sacred vessels used during Mass.  Old Soar Manor is incredibly well preserved despite being used for many years (which means many more here than in Kelwood!) as granary!  While being used as a dwelling the chapel was accessed from a outside staircase.  During the granary phase, a hole was knocked into chapel which is how visitors now enter the chapel.

Garderobe Chamber

Have you been keeping track?  Vaulted undercroft, spiral staircase, solar chamber/private quarters, family chapel, and wait for it…a garderobe chamber also known as latrines.  According to sources it was likely a three-seater.  This stone arch gives access to a clean-out area.  Don’t think I’d like that job!  They also think that due to the very large size of said garderobe chamber it was used to store furs and other precious clothing.  Medieval people thought that the smell (stench?) kept the moths away!  I think it would keep me away!

So how does the National Trust say this is a knights dwelling?  I thought that Old Soar Manor was going to be a bit more mystical and more of a dwelling of several knights concurrently rather than consecutive lords of the manor.  I think I was expecting more of Knights Templar (damn Dan Brown!) setting.  However, Edward I gave lands to the archbishop of Canterbury in exchange for 3 knights.  The archbishop then parceled out the lands to knights; of which Culpeper was one.  Culpeper then had tenant farmers who farmed small amounts of the arable land.  In exchange for the land they gave him rent in the form of money or goods.  In a nutshell, feudalism!  Go, go grade 8 Social Studies.  Mr Scott would be so proud!

Snow Day!

I’ve been sick.  To be honest, I haven’t really felt well since before the last term break (mid October).  I keep getting almost better and then coming down with something.  This time it was a nasty cough.  I ended up not going to school Monday through Thursday.  Today (Friday, 18 December) I was up, showered, and looking for warm dress clothes when Palak (my amazing department head, he’s everything an administrator should be) called and said that the school is officially closed.  Last night Piers ‘reckoned’ (which is not hilly-billy over here, actually almost posh) that the kids wouldn’t be going today, but that since I walk I’d be expected to go in.  Fair enough; I can’t remember ever not going to school on a snow day.  And that goes back as far as living in Kelwood and Dad picking teachers up with the sleigh and ponies! (We won’t talk about how many moons ago that was!)

So how much snow does it take to shut the school?  According to the school website and other media sources  this is a ‘heavy snowfall.’  Pfft!

View from the front door at about 9 am. Note the couple of sets of tracks...not much moves when it snows over here.

Seriously, how much snow is this? 6"?? I will concede that it is wet and heavy.

The willows in the field beyond the back garden

This could have been taken in Canada, eh? But it wasn't. Seriously, I'm telling you the truth!

Edinburgh Castle

Dateline: 28 October 2009

Edinburgh Castle

The first official stop on the tour of Scotland was the ancient city of Edinburgh.  Edinburgh Castle dominates the skyline.  We were amazed at just how dominating that is.  Castle Rock, an extinct volcano, has been the site of human settlement since pre-history and provides the most amazing natural defenses.  However, during Robert the Bruce’s time, a group of Scots scaled Castle rock and took the fort by force from the English.  The Castle was been a pawn (or a Rook, I guess) in the ongoing power struggles between the English and Scots until the Union of the Crowns in 1603.  I took tons of pictures (shocking, I know!), but don’t think I captured the sheer magnitude of height and forbidding nature of Castle Rock.

Walking through the Castle gates was overwhelming.  I’ve always loved history (thanks Dad!), but visiting the places where events that changed the course of history is indescribable.  A couple of years ago I read English History for Dummies, and, to be honest, I can’t really remember much from it.  I thought it was just my memory, but having been to the places and read the signs/listened to the audio tour (Erin Travel Tip:  totally worth the small extra cost!) it has come alive in my mind!  I could tell you all about who sat on the throne of England from Henry VII to James I and then all about the Jacobite revolts and Bonnie Prince Charlie.  And wouldn’t that just be fascinating – listening to a Canadian maths teacher waffle on about British history!  Currently there’s a show on BBC on Scottish history.  It’s so much fun to watch (beyond the eye candy of an attractive, intelligent man with a Scottish burr) because I’ve been to many of the places that are shown.  One of Piers’s favourite hobbies is to say “you’ve been there” while watching British TV.  And it’s a totally cool feeling.  Perhaps, even indescribable!

Portcullis Gate 1574-77 Built after the Long Siege of 1571-3 as the main gateway into the castle.

Yup, that’s Piers with the backpack.  He’s so sweet; he won’t let me carry anything unless there is absolutely no possible way for him to carry one more thing!  He lugged that backpack, filled with my large bottle of water, heavy guide books, camera gear, and any other ‘essential items’ all day with nary a complaint.

Just a little bit further ...

The castle courtyard is really uneven as it follows the shape

The tippy-top of Castle Rock

of the volcanic rock.  You keep spiraling upward, closer and closer to the center of the castle.  Again Piers was kept busy on ‘clumsy Erin watch’ and didn’t let me trip over my own feet or any other unexpected obstacle!

I'm the Queen of the castle and you're the dirty rascal

Once inside the gates, you have an inspiring view of the city.  Hard to believe, but the area between the castle and the Firth of Forth was once dotted with villages.  Oh, how I’d like to be able to step back in time to see that!  For those of you who, like me, have no idea what a firth is:

Firth is the word in the Lowland Scots language used to denote various coastal waters in Scotland. In mainland Scotland it is used to describe a large sea bay, or even a strait

courtesy of wikipedia.

Looking down at where we came up from

I suppose one of the most interesting aspects for me of traveling in Great Britain, is the juxtaposition of old and new.  Perhaps I should say the juxtaposition of old, older, and even older beside new.  I find it jarring.  I haven’t become accustom to it (and hope I never do, sightseeing would lose some of it’s magic) and marvel at it every time I see it.  I keep wondering how impressive Edinburgh Castle must have been to early medieval envoys and I suppose the medieval population in general.

St Margaret's Chapel

This is the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh.  It was thought that it was were St. Margaret, who was considered a “just ruler” and influenced her husband and children to be just and holy rulers,  worshipped.  Turns out it was likely built by her son, King David (not that one!) sometime in the early 12th century.   It’s an example of Romanesque architecture (which came just before Gothic) and is only 3m wide inside.  Cool, eh?

The most moving part of the whole experience was the War Memorial.  The building was fashioned out of what was once an army barracks (until 1914 the castle had been the main barracks for the Infantry garrison of Edinburgh and soldiers had lived there and guarded its walls for many centuries).  The official Edinburgh Castle website says:

The exterior emphasises the nobility of those who fell, with statues representing Courage, Peace, Justice and Mercy. At the centre, a figure rising from a phoenix symbolises the survival of the Spirit.

Inside, the atmosphere invokes a deadly quietness and you move around as silently as possible, overcome with the magnitude of loss.  Loss of life, limbs, dreams, hopes, innocence.  There are numerous large volumes, The Rolls, that contain the names of every Scottish man and woman who has died in service to their country since 1914.  There are over 100,000 names from WWI, another 50,000 from WWII, and sadly more are being added still due to the war in Afghanistan (the Brits have pulled out of Iraq).

National War Memorial

And we’re off…

I have wanted to see the heather in Scotland since I was old enough to read romance novels.  I swear every one, especially historical romances, have a simile comparing the heroine and heather covered highlands.  While I was dreaming about living here I thought “And I could see the heather!”  One Google search later, I found out that the heather blooms in late August and early September.  Doh!  However, I did find out that the autumn colours in Scotland are amazing.  Thanks to the amazing British educational system and soul-reviving term breaks, a plan to see Scotland was put into motion … details to be announced.

While I was changing planes in Reykjavik, I overheard a couple reminiscing about a train trip they had taken from London to Edinburgh.  Erin version 3.0 talks to strangers.  I took a deep breath and asked them to tell me about it.  They had gone in the fall and loved the ever-changing scenery.  Aha!  I thought, I can do a train trip.

Of course, meeting Piers changed this plan.  Together, we decided we would drive up to Scotland, spend a couple of days in Edinburgh, move on to Inverness, and then see what happens.  I’m used to having a rather fixed-in-stone itinerary and found this fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants (trousers) plan to be mildly terrifying.  Piers did calm my fears by booking a couple of hotels before we left.

Josiah Wedgwood

We spent Saturday driving to York via Stoke-on-Trent, which really isn’t en-route from Tonbridge to York.  Stoke-on-Trent is the home to many famous china and pottery manufactures, but we were there to see the Wedgwood Museum.  I’ve been fascinated by Wedgwood ever since Uncle Fawcett moved back to Kelwood all those years ago and I learned about it from him.  Piers patiently went through the museum.  Even more remarkably, he judicially said nothing during my buying spree at the shop (a number of Christmas presents were shipped to Canada).  We both experience a lot of sticker shock.  There was a £3000 vase.  It was stunning, but a plumber and a teacher do not spend that kind of money on a vase.  I had hoped to find a nice teapot, meaning the stereotypical jasper with white relief, and was willing to spend around £80.  Turns out a cup & saucer were that much!!  I’d love to have one, but at that price and my clumsy nature, I’d never, ever use it!  I’m glad I went to the museum, but don’t think I’d ever go again.

Constantine the Great

The next day found us in York.  What a beautiful city!  We both want to go back and give it a real going over.  There are so many nooks and crannies to explore.  My guide book says “The appeal of York is its many layers of history.”  It started off as the capital of a Roman province in 71 AD.  In 306 York was the site where Constantine the Great was made emperor.  After the Romans left, the Saxons made it a Christian stronghold.  The Danish street names are a reminder that it was a Viking centre from 867 and an important European trading base.  It was England’s second city between 1100 and 1500.

The city of York has retained so much of its medieval structure that walking into its centre is like entering a living museum.

Medieval street

Piers and I found the above guide book quote spot on.  York was fascinating.  One of our favourite spots were the narrow, winding streets with crooked, ancient, timber buildings perched over top.  One street is actually named ‘The Shambles.’  I’m so disappointed that the meaning of shambles isn’t derived from this street.  Oh well, my Google search brought up the following which is almost as good.

The way that fifteenth century buildings lean into the middle of the cobbled street means that the roofs almost touch in the middle. Mentioned in the Domesday book (making it date over 900 years), we know Shambles to be York ‘s oldest street, and Europe’s best preserved Medieval street. It really is a very special place.

The word Shambles originates from the Medieval word Shamel, which meant booth or bench. It was once also referred to as Flesshammel, a word with meaning around flesh; this is because Shambles was historically a street of butchers shops and houses. Records state that in 1872 there were 26 butchers on the street. The last butcher to trade on Shambles was at number 27 of the name Dewhurst.

Livestock was slaughtered on Shambles also, the meat was served over what are now the shop window bottoms, and these were originally the Shamels.

It is also interesting to notice the way the pavements on either side of the street are raised up, this was done to create a channel which the butchers would wash away their waste through; offal and blood would gush down Shambles twice weekly.

York Minster

Perhaps the most famous landmark of York is it’s cathedral, York Minster.  This is the largest Gothic cathedral north of the Alps.  That means it’s even bigger than Notre Dame in Paris!  Before walking through the doors, I didn’t comprehend just how big it truly was.  The outside is huge, but inside it’s massive.  It’s 519′ long and 249′ wide.  This is the 7th minster in York.  It was started in 1220 and finished 250 years later.  

I kept thinking of Ken Follet’s Pillar’s of the Earth and wondering what Tom Builder would think of this architectural masterpiece.  My guide book encouraged me to check out what became my favourite cranny in the minster – the Chapter House (where cathedral meetings are held).  According to Wikipedia:

The windows cover almost all of the upper wall space, filling the chapter house with light. The chapter house is octagonal, as is the case in many cathedrals, but is notable in that it has no central column supporting the roof. The wooden roof, which was of an innovative design, is light enough to be able to be supported by the buttressed  walls. The chapter house has many sculptured heads above the canopies, representing some of the finest Gothic sculpture in the country. There are human heads, no two alike, and some pulling faces; angels; animals and grotesques. Unique to the transepts and chapter house is the use of Purbeck marble to adorn the piers, adding to the richness of decoration.

I lit a candle for all my family and friends back in Canada

York also boasts a 3 mile long city wall.  Piers and I didn’t walk the whole length, but we did get a real sense of the what the medieval city must have been like.

York Minister from the city walls.

The views were amazing.  The people must have been daft to volunteer to patrol the walls!  So narrow and windy (even to this prairie girl!).  I also wonder about the awe that this view must have given a medieval citizen.  It sparked a great deal of awe in this 21st century citizen!

What might have been?

King Henry VIII forever changed the history of Christianity in England when he forced the English church to separate from Rome.  Part of the fall-out of that was the dissolution of the abbeys.  We came across the ruins of one such abbey.  I can’t begin to describe the sense of loss I felt while I gazed on what once must have been a utterly beautiful building built to glorify God.  We saw many such ruins (one of which was absolutely spectacular, all lit up at night) and I felt less and less uneasy, but the feelings never totally left me.

And for those of you who aren’t on Facebook yet:

Piers

Famous Brighton Pier(s)

Who minds being stuck in traffic when the views are like this??

Brighton is one of Piers favourite places in England.  I would bet a fiver (£5 note) that it’s one of his top 5 places in the world. On 10th of October we headed south and east to the coast.  There are hardly any traffic lights in England (it’s all those silly roundabout thingys – which I almost understand!); however, there is one on the way to Brighton that causes traffic to back up for miles.  It was a lovely, lovely day (Manitoba had a snowstorm that day!) and I didn’t mind being stuck in traffic while there was so much beautiful scenery.  This was exactly what I had pictured the English countryside to look like.

We whizzed by the Brighton Racecourse with its spectacular views of the Sussex Downs and the marina.  I was fascinated that it wasn’t an oval track (North American perchance?), but rather oddly shaped with both left and right turns no matter which way they go!  I even saw some steeplechase jumps!  Piers has promised a day at the races, so stay tuned for that adventure.

Paul recommended parking at the marina (free!) and taking the electric train down to the pier.  We missed the obscure path from the parking lot to the train, but caught the bus.  When it was time to go home we purposely walked along the boardwalk which runs parallel to the electric train so that we’d know where to go on subsequent trips.  Parking is awful and this was a nice way to overcome that obstacle to a perfect day.

Banqueting Room

Our first stop (other than for my incessant picture taking) was the Royal Pavilion.  What started off as a modest farmhouse became the well-known magnificent vista of minarets, domes and pinnacles on the exterior.  The gardens were glorious and I’m looking forward to exploring them at a later date (on a later date?).  If the gardens and exterior are a 10, then the interior is off the charts!  My mouth actually fell open upon entering the dining room.  The chandelier is a dragon which would have had smoke from the oil lamps billowing out of its nose.  If it was breath taking to me in the 21st century you can just imagine the impact it would have had at the beginning of the 18th!

George IV

Charles IV, while being the Prince of Wales, ran up huge debts financing his extravagant lifestyle.  His physician recommended the therapeutic waters at the seaside.  He rented, and eventually bought, a modest farmhouse (that’s the word that all the guide books used) in Brighton.  His arrival with his friends made quite the impression on the sleepy fishing town.  From the official Pavilion site:

Brighton suited George who was a vain and extravagant man with a passion for fashion, the arts, architecture and good living. He rebelled against his strict upbringing and threw himself into a life of drinking, womanising and gambling.

It’s thought that he married a Mrs. Fitzherbert, a catholic (heaven forbid!), and lived with her in the farmhouse.  After parliament declared his father, George III, incapable of ruling, George IV became Prince Regent.  He ruled for many years in his father’s stead.  It was during this time that George Nash started to remodel (that word doesn’t convey the magnitude of what must have been accomplished) the building that eventually become known as the Royal Pavilion. He was very cutting edge for his time and the Pavilion boasted many modern conveniences and innovations.  George IV was so proud of his home that he often took his guests on a tour of the kitchen.  One such innovation was a mechanical spit that did not require a boy to manually turn the roasting fowl!  The kitchen is very bright even by the standards of today and I can’t imagine what the guests thought!

No visit to Brighton would be complete without walking down the pier.  Many of the shops were closed despite the unseasonal warm day.  I imagine an October wind could be rather chilly (at least by English standards) on the pier. There’s a real carnival atmosphere on the pier, even outside the arcades.  Piers told me about the wonderful times he had with his father and a few pounds worth of pennies for the games.

Brighton is known 3 things: the Pavilion, the pier, and shopping.  And what shopping there was!  I was very restrained and only bought a few trifles (a Christmas bauble and a poster) in the Pavilion gift shop, but my mouth waters at the thought of going again.  The best thing about this part of the day was Piers stopped  prefacing thoughts of return with “If we’re still dating…”

We ended day with a stroll along the beach while watching the sun set.

It doesn’t get any better than this.

Tower of London

The day after History, Sight, Quiet Piers asked me to dinner.  We went to a lovely Italian restaurant in Tunbridge Wells and made plans for ‘take-away’ on Tuesday.  By some point we decided to go to the Tower of London the following Saturday (October 3rd).

Tower Bridge

We took the train from Tonbridge to London Bridge.  Tonbridge is a short train ride from central London and it solved the whole parking dilemma.  We walked along the Thames until we could see Tower Bridge.  One of the perks of having a boyfriend who is into photography is he’s very willing to take pictures of you!

We did the Tower Experience and climbed the numerous steps (my google skills are failing me – couldn’t find out how many, but it was LOTS!) to the walkways between the towers.  Apparently, the walkways were closed in 1910 because pickpockets and prostitutes plied their trade there.  There was a really interesting exhibit on the history of the bridge.  There were many designs preposed and the eventual winning design went through many changes before finally becoming the icon we know and love today.  40,000 people cross Tower Bridge every day.  There’s a 20 mph speed limit due to concerns about preservation of the bridge.

Tower of London

Just across the bridge is the famous Tower of London.  The first part, White Tower, was built in 1078 by William the Conquer (of 1066 fame).  Over the years it has been added to.  It has two concentric walls.  The moat between the two walls is lower than the river and did not flush out with the tides as was intended and became a cesspool.  The phrase ‘off to the tower’ meaning imprisonment came from the large number of important prisoners being housed here, including Elizabeth I (while she was a princess).  Most public executions took place just a short distance away on what is known as Tower Hill, however 6 people were executed within the walls of the Tower.  These include Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey.

Not a mannequin!

The Crown Jewels have been housed here since 1303.  I have no proof that I saw them since you can’t take pictures inside the Jewel house.  I found this interesting tidbit on Wikipedia:

They were temporarily taken out of the Tower during World War II and reportedly were secretly kept in the basement vaults of the Sun Life Insurance company in Montreal, Canada, along with the gold bullion of the Bank of England.

They are well protected, no surprise there, and I saw my first sentry in the famous uniform.  At first I thought it was a mannequin  (as did Piers), but on closer inspection he turned out to be real.  We even watched him ‘strut his stuff.’  I do not have the concentration required for that job!

Yeoman Warder

I think the highlight of the day (other than the company!) was the Yeoman Warder’s tour.  This was Piers’s non-negotiable of the day and he was so right!  We learned so much in a short hour about the history, the stories behind the names, and all the little tidbits that made walking around the tower so much more interesting.  So, if you should come to visit me, I may insist on taking you to the Tower of London and going on a tour with a ‘Beefeater.’  That’s a nickname for the Yoemans.  Back in the day, they were well fed due to the importance of their job, guarding royalty, and the common man was not, hence the name.

Sinister Skulls

Diagon Alley

After spending 3 hours at the Tower and not seeing it all, we set off on one of the walks from my book ’24 Great Walks in London.’  We did the ‘Wanderings and Wizards’ one.  I had asked Piers if he was a Harry Potter fan which led him to believe I was going to take him on a wild goose chase looking for all the London spots that were used in the films.  Imagine his relief when I read him the following description from the book:

This eventful walk begins alongside the Tower of London and twists its way through a fascinating warren of streets steeped in history.  On this walk you’ll visit the principal site where public beheadings took place for more than 400 years and encounter a sinister-looking gate topped by stone skulls.  The walk takes in the church where, after the ravages of the Great Fire of London, Samuel Pepys gazed down from the tower and witnessed a scene of utter desolation.  It passes modern office blocks – behind which creepy passageways recall days gone by – and the gleaming modernity of the Lloyd’s Insurance building.  And, if that isn’t magical enough, you will also stroll through the beautiful Victorian market that is the location for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter films.  The final section of the walk takes you into a labyrinth of old alleyways through which you literally walk back in time.  Here you will pass venerable old City eating houses, including the one where the infamous so-called Hellfire Club was founded, as you explore the alleyways where Charles Dickens began his most ghostly of tales A Christmas Carol.

Unfortunately, it seems that the events in Deathly Hallows were too much for Ollivander and I couldn’t find his shop to buy my wand (I’m still hoping for late admission in to Hogwarts).  Also, my camera battery gave up the ghost in the market.

To finish the day, we had a great meal in an Italian restaurant near Coventry Garden and Charing Cross station.  It was a wonderful date!

History, Sight, Quiet

Piers asked me 3 questions while planning our first date.

Bodiam Castle

History or Drink?

Sight or Sound?

Loud or Quiet?

All of you know me well enough to know my answers!

Inside the castle walls

So the first stop was at Bodiam Castle.  It was built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, a former knight, in order to defend the surrounding area from French invasion.  Most of the castle interior was destroyed by parliamentary  forces during the English Civil War and has been uninhabited since then.

I found the following online:

Sussex can boast of many a lordly castle, and in its day Bodiam must have been very magnificent. Even in its decay and ruin it is one of the most beautiful in England. It combined the palace of the feudal lord and the fortress of a knight.

The founder, Sir John Dalyngrudge, was a soldier in the wars of Edward III, and spent most of his best years in France, where he had learned the art of making his house comfortable as well as secure. He acquired licence to fortify his castle in 1385 “for resistance against our enemies.” There was need of strong walls, as the French often at that period ravaged the coast of Sussex, burning towns and manor-houses. Clark, the great authority on castles, says that “Bodiam is a complete and typical castle of the end of the fourteenth century, laid out entirely on a new site, and constructed after one design and at one period. It but seldom happens that a great fortress is wholly original, of one, and that a known, date, and so completely free from alterations or additions.”

It was a spectacular setting for a first date.

Turret Clock (1561)

But Piers wasn’t done with the romantic settings!  We then went to Rye, a town so charming that my guide book devotes 2 pages to it!  Many of you (the ones that sent me their addresses!) got the history of Rye on the back of a postcard.  Basically, it was sacked by the French in the late 1300s and hasn’t changed much since it was rebuilt in the early 15th Century.  It was an important port until the harbour began to silt up and it is now 2 miles from the English Channel.   The church is 900 years old and claims to have the oldest working clock in the country.  I was perturbed by selling of postcards, rosaries, and other paraphernalia in the sanctuary.  I kept thinking of Jesus clearing the temple…

The quaint (but dangerous!) cobbled streets.

Mermaid Inn

The streets are cobbled with large pebbles/small boulders.  It was a rather amazing feat, but I survived the day without damaging my pride with a spectacular fall.  I know you’re all amazed, but no one is more amazed than me!  The Mermaid Inn is Rye’s largest medieval building.  In the 150s it was teh headquarters of notorious and bloodthirsty smugglers called the Hawkhurst gang.  I had my first Fish & Chips meal in England at a pub in Rye.  It was amazing.  The fish was so fresh and the company was out of this world!

The first time I saw the English Channel

This abbey was built to commemorate the Battle of Hastings. It's in Battle.

Next on Piers’s tour was Hastings.  Yes, that Hastings.  The one where the famous battle happened.  Well, actually the battle was were a village named Battle is, but you all know what I mean!  We walked along the beach (which is not at all sandy, but made up of stones the size of the ones paving the streets in Rye) and talked.  Turns out, as different as we are, we have lots in common.

Piers set the romance bar pretty high on our first date.  Amazingly, the rest of the dates have been just as fantastic; even the past weekend that we spent blowing our noses and coughing!  Our next adventure is a week in Scotland.

If you want to see more pictures go to the album on Facebook.  Can’t figure out how to embed a link, but here’s it is

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=109501&id=510853518&l=bcea752dd1

Medieval Fair

It’s taken me a long time to write about what I did on the 12th of September.  My budding romance fizzled out during that weekend and it took me a bit to get over it.  Fast forward a month and not only am I over it, I’ve met a man that is all the things I knew I wanted and all the things I didn’t know I needed!  Life is good.

Back to the Medieval Fair…

Tonbridge School

I started the day off by going on a Jane Austen audio tour put on by Tonbridge Library.  Many generations of the Austen family lived here.  In fact, Jane’s father, William George Austen, was baptized and confirmed at St Peter’s and St Paul’s Church (my parish, but not the congregation that I attend).

He also attended the famous Tonbridge School which has a current tution of about £30,000.  His mother died when he was very young and his father died a few years later.  His stepmother didn’t like her husband’s children and sent them to live elsewhere.  George had an uncle that paid his tuition so that he could get an education. Perhaps it was this generosity that created the milieu that allowed Jane to flourish as a writer.

Wikipedia says that after nearly dying of typhus at one school and then being brought home due to the dear cost of tuition for Jane and her sister:

Austen acquired the remainder of her education by reading books, guided by her father and her brothers James and Henry. George Austen apparently gave his daughters unfettered access to his large and varied library, was tolerant of Austen’s sometimes risque experiments in writing, and provided both sisters with expensive paper and other materials for their writing and drawing. According to Park Honan, a biographer of Austen, life in the Austen home was lived in “an open, amused, easy intellectual atmosphere” where the ideas of those with whom the Austens might disagree politically or socially were considered and discussed.

After teaching at Tonbridge School, George Austen became a rector in an Anglican parish where Jane was born.

There is also some Austen connection to the castle.  Back in May, Auntie Wendy encouraged me to journal because “As much as you think you’ll remember; you’ll forget.”  She must be able to see the future because I’ve forgotten exactly how Jane Austen is related through marriage to the family that owned the castle at one time.  It’s something along the lines of a daughter marrying an Austen, but not a direct ancestor of Jane.

River Medway

While walking along the path beside the river, the audio tour mentioned a Tonbridge ware box (a box with a design made with inlaid wood) that one of Austen’s heroines had.  Given the detail that she used to set the scene it seems reasonable to assume Austen had one herself.  The walk took me around the park which in the last century was the site of a racecourse.  During Austen’s time it would have been part of the castle’s estate.

I love this ceiling!

The walk also took me to St Peter’s and St Paul’s.  Since I did the walk on Heritage Weekend (which seems to mean that every village, town, city, historical place showcased their history with events) the church was open.  It was my first (and so far only) time there.  What a stunning building!

Watch your step!

It is the oldest building in Tonbridge (even older than the castle!) and contains some Saxon stones.  There was a very interesting exhibit listing all the men (hmph!) that have been the Vicar of the parish.  I had trouble with knowing where to walk since there are many, many people buried under the floor!  I’m looking forward to getting to know the building better.

Medieval Hand-to-Hand Combat

So glad he didn't ask me!

After the walk and a brief stop at WHSmith that involved buying bulky storage containers for my room, I headed over to the castle for the Medieval Fair.  It was fascinating!  It was so neat to see things that I had only ever read about (mostly in historical romances, one of my past guilty pleasures!) come to life.  I took hundreds of photos of the medieval hand-to-hand combat, but the most intriguing thing was the falconry display.  Watching him work with his birds was unbelievable.  The best part was the fact I wasn’t scared of the birds!  That’s quite the testament to his skills.  They were incredibly graceful and fun to watch.

And then the real knights came out!

And what good would a day out on the town be without some shopping?

I still haven't learned to not buy bulky stuff when I've got a full day planned!

Not sure if you can make out the painting or not.  There was an exhibit called “Art on the Rails” near the castle and I bought my first souvenir of Tonbridge.  I don’t care if it’s a good painting or not, it reminds me of the area behind my place (where I run).  No matter where I live it will remind me of this wonderful time in my life!

Antique Fair/2nd Date

Today Mark took me to an Antique Fair in Ardingly. There were people from Europe (mostly Holland) both buying and selling. It was massive. We saw everything from a wooden canoe to brass miniature toy animals and all kinds in between! Mark is an antiques dealer and so this was work for him. It was fascinating to watch him examine things and then have him explain to me why he did or did not buy an item. It was an excellent second date. And the third one has been scheduled for Friday! If you can believe it, he’s never seen The Princess Bride! We’re taking care of that on Friday.

This is the route we took back (maybe?). I took the train to Godstone, directly north of Ardingly, and Mark drove us south to the fair.