GETTING MY FEET WET IN BATH

I can't really describe how excited I was at Paddington Station in London to be getting on a train and heading out to the English countryside. Train travel just seems so charming and quaint and in some ways it does live up to that idealized view of traveling. It was an easy train ride mid-morning from London to Bath. The coach was new, nice and not at all crowded. There is a refreshment trolley cart that passes through most trains and you can buy beverages, snacks and sandwiches (not good ones but they will get the job done in a pinch). As I whizzed through the rolling green hills of the countryside I couldn't help but smile to myself. The sheep, hedge groves, little villages with churches passing by were so endearing. I leaned my head against the window and started to doze off a bit and then PUWGGGGGGG a train went zipping by in the opposite direction. Those train tracks are close and seem even closer when you're looking out the window and suddenly there's another train in your face!

The view of Bath from the train station is just so quintessentially old England. It was a thrill. Bath is a bit touristy in some locations but there are other areas that aren't crowded. One of my favorite memories was the boat tour I took on the River Avon. Not the River Avon of Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon. Apparently Avon is an old foreign word (might be from the Vikings) that means river. So, they named a lot of Rivers - just "river" or "Avon". There are more than 4 such rivers in England. So, I'm on this boat tour on the river and I met a retired couple from northern England - near Hadrian's Wall - New Castle. Ray (his name) and I talked for the whole hour about England, America (they had visited several times), life in general, culture and all that. His accent was a bit thick and I did have to ask him to repeat himself a few times. There we were floating along looking at the houses along the river, the sun shinning off the grass along the banks, people fishing and just talking like old friends. It was really fun.

I toured the Abbey; the last great medieval church in England is a fine example of Perpendicular Gothic style with breezy fan vaulting and stained glass to earn the nickname "Lantern of the West".  Look closely for the Angels going up the ladder to heaven (increase the zoom).

The Roman Baths are a real archaeology site and they can continue to excavate new areas that are still being discovered. The floorplan is arranged in such away as to not disturb the excavation and at the same time allow you to get up close for a good look. This extraordinary site is a bit of a maze, done in many levels of walking up and down short flights of stairs but well worth the effort. As you wander through Roman artifacts, ancient foundations, pediments and statues you become more and more awed. The Romans were so skilled in architecture, math, engineering and just plain organization. And to think the entire thing had been forgotten about and covered with ground until the 1700 or 1800's.

Bath is known for the allegedly healing powers of the mineral water or baths.  The naturally hot spring water doesn't smell very good and they won't allow you to touch or drink it. Bring tissues with you; the sulfur does affect your sinuses. After the first 10 minutes, we were all sneezing and sniffling. Maybe the waters are good for your body to soak in but not good for your nose.

I don't recommend going to Bath on the weekend, too crowded for most people but still enjoyable.

 

PICTURES - BATH, ENGLAND

The Abbey, inside. Zoom in for a better look.

There was an annual Jane Austin Festival in progress in Bath, that's why there were people dressed from the 1800's. Jane lived there for a time and wrote at least one book that was set in this famous town.

Here are some cool signs that I saw and thought were interesting.

This is my room at the Henry Guest House. Although it was cute and actually large for an English B&B it  was the weekend and there was too much noise in the streets to sleep even with earplugs. My room was in the back and I thought that would be quiet enough but it wasn't.

LEEDS CASTLE, DOVER AND CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL - DAY TRIP

My tour to Leeds Castle, Dover and Canterbury Cathedral was well worth the time and money.  Mostly anyway. Leeds Castle is as picturesque as a castle can possibly be and so well intact and cared for you can almost imagine living there.  Lady Bailey lived in it until 1974 when she turned it over to the National Trust.

On the bus I sat next to Sue from Australia who was also traveling alone. She was great company. Our tour guide was a very friendly, proper, English lady. Talk about thoroughly knowledgeable, this woman seemed to know just about everything. Then she knocked my socks off when she began speaking fluent Japanese.  It was a bit of a shock really, mostly because it was so unexpected. Sue and I looked at each other with faces that read "Wow, am I losing my mind or is she speaking another language ?!" 

The expedition to the White Cliffs of Dover was disappointing to say the least. Apparently the only place to get a tour bus close to the cliffs is near this old seaside resort area. The cliffs are oh, about 4-5 miles away in the distance. Very visible, even on a foggy day as it was, but with all the marina stuff in the foreground, it doesn't make for good pictures.  However, I'm glad that we stopped there because I had thought of planning a trip out there just to see the cliffs and frankly, the town is a bit grotty and there really isn't anything else do to there. So, now I know.

Dover Castle is on the top of the hill and just barely visible. This was as close as I got.

Our next stop - Canterbury Cathedral is located east of London in Kent. The foundation was build in 597 AD over an ancient Roman road. Thomas Becket (a famous Arch Bishop) was murdered here in 1170 by the knights of King Henry II. As this was considered a martyrdom visiting his shrine is a pilgrimage for many and these journeys are famously described in Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales".

PICTURES - LEEDS CASTLE

LONDON CALLING

My flight to London was appalling. Really. First I misheard what was being served for dinner (my ears were plugged up the entire flight).  I thought the selection was chicken or curry or cheese lasagna. I asked for the chicken. The choices were chicken curry or cheese lasagna. I got  chicken curry which did NOT sit very well in my tummy. I claim temporary insanity when I neglected to get an aisle seat for this flight. So here I am jammed up against the window, yucky chicken curry misbehaving in my tummy, whiplash-inducing turbulence, intense nausea churning inside, no air controls so I was way too hot, sitting next to a guy who was 6'6" at least and stocky. His elbow was in my lap the entire flight. He fell asleep and I could not wake him so I could go to the bathroom. Needless to say, it was a very long flight.

But I finally arrived, and thankfully, Cartref House B&B was a like an oasis. Cartref is Welsh for "home".  The host that served breakfast, a full English breakfast, got everyone talking and sharing about what they were going to do for the day. That really made it fun and we all got the inside scoop on where we were going from someone had been there the day before.

London was a blast. I wouldn't mind living there if I thought I could find a way to do that.  It's easy to find your way around via the "tube" or "underground". We would call it a subway. Not only are things well marked, organized and fairly intuitive, you can always ask questions since we speak the same language. True we have different accents but technically it is the same language.

My first order of business was to climb the stairs at St. Paul's Cathedral. There are some 400 stairs - steep and narrow stairs to the top. So narrow that in some places the walls were only about 4 inches wider than my shoulders.

You may not recall but in 2007 when I was here my ankle was sprained (bloody cobblestone sidewalks) and I had a bruised bone in my knee.  There was no way I could have made that climb then and I'm glad I didn't attempt to. This time I made my way to the top and was rewarded with amazing views. These pictures don't do it justice of course but you get the idea.

 

London is swimming in cranes (I counted 52 in the skyline) and construction/refab in preparation for the Olympics. 

The weather was so warm and sunny that one morning instead of going to a museum I decided to spend some time in Hyde Park. It was glorious. Beautiful gardens.

 

Later that day I went to the Florence Nightingale Museum and what a treat it was. She really spearheaded and changed the entire nursing profession. Instead of an audio guide to carry around, each person was given a stethoscope (is it "a stethoscope" or a "pair of stethoscopes"?) and when I pressed them up against the black circles near pictures or exhibits, it initiated a recorded narration that I could hear through the stethoscope.  It was a small but sophisticated space with just enough information about her and nursing to keep me interested without being boring. She was the first nurse, on record, to use statistics to show that most soldiers died in the hospital from infection and poor conditions rather that on the field from injuries. She changed all of that. She even instituted a method for the men to send their pay home to their wives because the military hadn't yet done that. Until she began training the nurses they didn't even have an education about anatomy or germ theory. There's an endless list of things she created, started, initiated and invented. She was tireless and impressive.

PICTURES - LONDON

Admiral Nelson wathcing over Traflagar Square.

A pretty door near Cartref House B&B in London.

The Belgravia neighborhood where my B&B was.

A statue of George Washington in front of the National Gallery in London.

Near Traflagar Square - just a fun look at traffic.

TO TELL THE TRUTH

I sincerely believe that it is deep within us, the human race, to be naturally curious about other people and places. We are drawn to travel and see new things and new places.  We tend to believe that all things that happen, experiences, places and people are wonderful and fascinating and while that is generally the case, it is not always. I make a solem vow to tell the truth about my trip no matter what, cross my heart.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF STEVEN BRIGGS

Words fail all of us at times like this when we've lost a dear friend. Steven was more than just a co-worker to many and he will be deeply missed. Did you know how much he loved to travel, art, history and architecture? It was one of his favorite conversation topics. I thought of him often during my trip becuase we had talked about certain places he really wanted to see some day. I know he is off traveling now. Bon Voyage, Steven. Send me a postcard.

I'M BACK BABY!!!

Hey everyone, I'm back in Seattle and more than happy to be home. I had a great trip full of stories, conversations, trials on trains, walking and more walking. Although I really enjoyed the trip it is good to be back to the comforts of home.

For those of you who either didn't read the mass email I sent out before I left or just didn't understand, I uploaded some pictures, from my cell phone camera, as I traveled. The link for that location is https://picasaweb.google.com/14Loris/EUROPE2011#.  Since I took many "real" pictures with my camera, you will see them here on the blog, so as to avoid duplication.

I hope you enjoy reading my tale of travel.