York--October 23

Since our tour of Stratford and the Cotswolds was cancelled due to problems with the van  we were to have gone in, we decided to travel north instead and see a city we had glimpsed on our trip to Edinburgh.  York is about half-way to Edinburgh from Cambridge and easily accessible by train.  The travel time was a bit long for a day trip but still we were able to see something of this beautiful city.

What made York attractive was its long history from Roman times through the Middle Ages. To the Romans it was Eboracum; to the Anglo Saxons, Eoforwic, and to the Vikings, Jorvik.  All this history is preserved throughout the city. It is neither a huge nor a small city but a good size for getting a grasp of what is has to offer.

We were also lucky in having great weather for our trip: sunshine and mild temperatures.

Our first sight of York after leaving the train station was the wall encompassing the city.

This 12th century wall that surrounds the city is 3 miles long.  We walked only a tiny portion of it since our time was limited.

On to the river--and more confusion.  York lies between the River Ouse and the River Foss; the Romans had built a garrison here in 71AD to subdue the Brigantes.  What was confusing was that we had seen a River Ouse in Kings Lynn where it emptied into The Wash.  Well, the word "Ouse" is Celtic for "water" and there are many Ouse Rivers in Britain.  The one in Kings Lynn, however, is known as "The Great Ouse."

The Ouse and one of the original toll booths for this toll bridge.

Viewing the Ouse from the Victorian Lendal Bridge. There are various shields represented on the parapet; the lions symbolize England.

Just beyond the bridge was the Yorkshire Museum, a natural history museum and one of our intended stops.  Its appeal was immediate.     The museum grounds were still lovely and many people were roaming around enjoying them.  Here in Cambridge there are lovely gardens as well but they are mostly behind walls with signs saying "private" or "do not enter" so we get only peeks through doorways of what lies beyond.  The sense of freedom here was intense.  And we could walk on the grass!  In addition to the flowers and trees, the ghost-like ruins of St. Mary's Abbey dominated the scene.  Leaving the ruins in their natural state seemed to evoke more a sense of the past than if they had been rebuilt.

Flower beds of Yorkshire Museum

St.Mary's Abbey

St. Mary's Abbey was built during the time of Rufus, son of William the Conquerer, and thrived until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century.  The Abbey was powerful with wealth in lands and other riches and as part of Henry VIII's break with Rome, he took over the monasteries so that his subjects paid taxes to him instead of tithes to the church.  

Inside the museum itself, there were excellent displays of Romans in their daily life.  One exhibit showed  a wreath of hair--a bit ghoulish but very well preserved.  New artifacts keep showing up all the time.  A recent addition of a bathroom uncovered more Roman bones under the museum.

The basement of the museum showed more of the Abbey--walls and doorways that the museum was actually built around.  Other exhibits included artifacts from the Anglo Saxons and the Vikings.

We probably could have wandered through the museum for a longer time but there were other parts of York to see.

Outside the museum grounds were the remains of a Roman tower that formed the basis of the medieval wall.

The Multangular Tower dates from about 300 AD and was built to protect the town from enemies coming along the river.  The red brick line is seen throughout the wall and is indicative of a Roman structure.  The Medieval part with its arrow slits was built on top of the Roman wall perhaps about the time of the Norman invasion in the 11th century.

Probably the number one attraction in York is its Minster, or, since it is the seat of a bishop, Cathedral.  Like the Cologne Cathedral, this Gothic church is huge.  On Christmas and Easter 4000 worshippers pack into it.  Henry VIII never destroyed it since it was not part of a monastery when he took over the abbeys but there was still loss of treasures during Elizabeth I's reign because of efforts to remove all traces of Roman Catholicism.  Today the York bishop is considered "Primate of England" of the Anglican Church and the bishop of Canterbury is considered "Primate of All England" and hence #1in the Anglican Church.  

Both visually and musically the Minster is stunning and impossible to miss.  We could see it and hear it long before we were close to it.  It was also impossible for us to take a picture of the entire structure, so here are a few views.

Time did not permit us to do more than take a quick look inside; one could easily spend a day exploring and touring just the Minster itself.  

Outside the building there is a statue of Constantine.  

Constantine, looking imperial

In 306 AD, Constantine's father, Emperor Constantius, died in York (Eboracum).  Military leaders proclaimed Constantine Augustus of the West.  It wasn't until 324 AD, though, that Constantine became sole ruler after struggles with competing rivals.  

We had to catch our train back to Cambridge but we decided that York was worth a second look.  Hopefully we will be able to return before our time in England runs out.

Food and Drink

It has been brought to my attention that I have been derelict in commenting on the food over here!  So here are my thoughts to date.

Pubs: This is probably the most common type of restaurant here -- maybe akin to a sports bar.  My succinct opinion is that the beer is good but the food is bad.  When it comes to beer I'm not very adventuresome; I like a lager, not a dark beer and have been happy with what I've drunk.  Orders for food and drink are taken and paid for at the bar.  The patron brings the beer back to the table and waits (and sometimes waits) for the food to be brought to the table.  Offerings at the pubs are the usual fish and chips (french fries), hamburger and chips, various wraps and sandwiches, bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes), beef pies, and maybe a chicken curry dish like chicken tikka masala.  Fish and chips tastes the same here as it does in the States.  Hamburgers are to be avoided.  The beef is dry and gristly.  Sausage is good but Germany's is better.  Chicken is not a bad option and I've even had a beef stew at a pub that was good. We went to the Eagle Pub in Cambridge that is mentioned in the guide books.  It's famous because that is where Watson and Crick ate and worked on their DNA research.  It's always been crowded with tourists and since this is the place I was served "mushy peas," I'm not fond of it.

Restaurants:  There is one restaurant we have eaten at in Cambridge that I like very much.  I can't remember what I had to eat both times other than it was good and showed a bit of creativity.  Bread is served with the meal only if requested and paid for.  Neither is water offered automatically.  Portions are not large.  Desserts tend to be "sticky pudding" or ice cream.  We also ate at a (very noisy) Jamie Oliver restaurant here in Cambridge and had a good meal of lamb stuffed ravioli.

Every restaurant advertises its "Sunday Roast"--roast beef with potatoes, vegetables, and Yorkshire pudding.  One English woman told me it was like Thanksgiving every Sunday.  Having seen (but not eaten) what the meal looks like, I disagree with that comparison but it certainly is a tradition.

College Dinners: A special dinner is offered at one of the college dining rooms for every workshop at the Isaac Newton Institute.  This means we're able to actually be in a fancy--or not so fancy--dining hall at a college which is usually off limits to outsiders.  I've been to three such dinners and the last one was the best.  We started with Egg Florentine, pretty good except that the egg was a bit overcooked; then moved on to the entre of medallions of venison (tasty and not tough like the duck was at a previous dinner) which were accompanied by dauphinoise potatoes and vegetables.  Never let it be said that the British do not eat their vegetables! Every meal has at least two steamed or boiled vegetables.  I have never seen so much broccoli, cauliflower, or carrots put before me! There is no special seasoning for these vegetables let alone a novel preparation but that's just the way it is.  Perhaps it is a very healthy diet.

St. Paul's Centre:  This church centre serves meals several times a week and I've been volunteering with them on Thursdays and Fridays for a month now serving lunches and recently cooking as well.  It's very much of a social occasion for the people who come, some of whom have slight mental disabilities and some of whom are just elderly.  The menus follow a pretty rigid pattern: meat and potatoes with 2 vegetables.  And lots of gravy to cover everything.  Once (before my time) the cooks tried to branch out and serve lasagna.  One lady asked for gravy to go with her lasagna.  She was given more sauce.  She said "That's not gravy!  Gravy is brown!"  So as long as the centre serves this generation, there won't be an incentive to change.

Home Cooking:  My own cooking has been limited by the tiny variety of cookware I have plus the desire to limit how many items I will buy, use partially, and have to get rid of before we leave.  Menus that I could rely on at home -- spaghetti, chili, meatloaf -- are inedible here due to the ground beef.  Fish from the grocery store is good, if expensive, and chicken wings are cheap like they used to be at home. Ham slices are called "Gammon steaks" and come from Denmark where, the advertising says, farmers know how to take care of their pigs.  There are several parts of the British diet that I do like very much and will miss when I go back.  First is "digestives."  The name just sounds like it has to be good for a person, right??  The closest thing we have to a digestive is a graham cracker but digestives are a little heartier.  They satisfy my sweet tooth without being overly sweet.  There are some with a chocolate topping but I like the plain ones best.  The other part of the British diet that I like is the cream, be it custard or clotted (in very small doses).  At St. Paul's I've seen--and eaten--pie served with cream or warm custard poured over it.  Divine!!!  Even "single" cream is deliciously rich.  Good thing I walk about 4-5 miles everyday.

Mailboxes

This may seem like a mundane topic for a blog but there's actually a lot of history in these red pillars. And if the BBC can do a program about them, then I think they are worthy of some recognition!

The first English mailboxes were installed on the islands of Guernsey and Jersey in 1852. They were olive green in color which turned out to be a problem because they could not be seen in the fog. Hence the change to red--that's, "Royal Mail Red."  The cast iron pillars may look mostly the same but a little closer inspection shows that each one has been manufactured with an insignia  or "royal cypher" consisting of the reigning monarch's initial and numeral.  The "R" stands for "rex" or "regina."

This one, along Wilberforce Road and closest to us, if from George VI's reign.  This is the king of "The King's Speech."

This Edward VII box is along one of the main downtown streets in Cambridge.  Edward VII was Victoria's son who reigned only 9 years.

Here's a father-daughter pair of George VI and Elizabeth II.  You won't see the "Elizabeth II" cypher on mailboxes in Scotland.  There were protests in the 1950s about using that insignia since Elizabeth I was never queen of Scotland.  Instead of "E II R" the Scottish crown is used.

Queen Victoria's boxes come in several styles.

This is the more rare Penfield design, a hexagonal box, in front of Kings College Cambridge.  (The "no bicycles" must refer to no bicycles permitted on the King College grounds since there is always a bicycle parked by the sign).

Today there is only one manufacturer of the royal mail boxes: Machan in Denny, Scotland.  The manufacturer's name appears on the black pedestal but I haven't spent time on the ground checking out that information! 

The Neighborhood

Lest you think all of Cambridge is classical buildings with Gothic spires or Norman arches and slate roofs, here are some pictures of where we live on the west side of the city--a very modern building much easier to maintain than the older buildings.

7 Charles Babbage Road (Charles Babbage is given credit for originating the concept of a programmable computer)

Rectangular is beautiful--even the trees!

Some of our gentle neighbors--the veterinary school is across the road from us.

The field along the footpath we walk everyday.  It's been planted for the winter. On windy days the gusts coming across the field make for a challenging walk on the way back from grocery shopping.

Burrell's Walk

Garret Hostel Lane--the canals on either side are full of duck weed.

Our bridge over the Cam--a deceptively steep incline.  Beyond this bridge are a few more narrow passages and then the city center.

The walk, lane and bridge are full of meandering pedestrians and speeding bicyclists during the day.  There does not seem to be a tradition of one side of the path being for cyclists and the other for pedestrians.  It's a free for all!  I am amazed I have not seen any collisions.

Every once in awhile there's an unexpected visitor along the canal that calls for a pleasant pause in the daily routine.

London Revisited, October 13

We spent our last day with Emily visiting London since she was staying with friends there before returning to California.  Our list of "must see" attractions seems to be growing rather than diminishing  but we limited ourselves to three so that we could make the best use of our time.  Our first stop was Buckingham Palace whose famous balcony is the site of many royal wedding pictures --and a few kisses.

EVERYONE wanted a picture in front of the gates so we were hard pressed to get one with with just us.

I was surprised to see the fleur de lis design all along the top of the gates and fence and have been  unable to find a definitive answer.  One person told me it may have something to do with Wales and indeed, the emblem on the Wales Rugby team's jerseys looks something like a stylized fleur de lis but it is the Prince of Wales' feather design (three feathers emerging from a gold crown).  Overall, I think although we may see the fleur de lis as a design strictly associated with all things French, that is not the case in Europe.

In front of Buckingham Palace is the Victoria Memorial filled with various statues and fountains.  It is unclear what is wrapped up in scaffolding but we assumed it was from here that television cameras were perched to get a good look at William and Kate. Next June will be Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee (60 years on the throne) so maybe there are already preparations for that celebration???

A lucky shot. This is the only horse drawn carriage we have seen.

Our next stop was the Tate Modern art museum on the south side of the Thames, a short ride away on the underground.  The Tate Modern opened in 2000 in the former Bankside Power Station.  Like many museums in London, it is free but requests a donation of 3 GBP.

Looking at the chimney of the Tate Modern.  The railings in front are part of the Millennium (pedestrian) Bridge.

We spent our time looking at a photography exhibit and paintings and sculptures by artists of the early 20th century.  The most unusual exhibit was by the Chinese artist, Ai Weiwei, the artistic consultant for the Beijing National Stadium ("Birds' Nest") from the 2008 Olympics. He had been jailed for 3 months earlier this year for his criticism of the government.  The current exhibit "Sunflower Seeds" was taken from his work of the same name that was in another area of the Tate where people could interact with the seeds.  There was concern that dust from the porcelain seeds might cause a health hazard so this smaller version of the exhibit was installed.

Our last planned activity in London was to walk across the Millennium Bridge, a suspension pedestrian bridge that opened in June 2000 and was almost immediately closed because the bridge "wobbled."  It reopened about 2 years later after an $8 million fix-up.  The bridge spans the Thames from the Tate Modern to St. Paul's Cathedral.

Walking to the Millennium Bridge.  Supposedly the design of the handrails deflects wind over the heads of the pedestrians.

St. Paul's at the other end of the bridge.  After our visit St. Paul's was the site of the global "Occupy Wall Street" demonstrations.  With so many demonstrators camped around the cathedral, St. Paul's was closed for the first time since WW II.

We thought we could make a quick getaway by jumping on the underground at Blackfriars station.  However, construction had closed that station and we walked (and walked) towards the next one.  At one point vehicular traffic was stopped to let a bus go by.  Too bad I didn't pull out the camera then; a busload of men dressed in red costumes with black hats (were these Lords or jesters??) was given the right of way. Another English mystery.

We eventually made our way to Euston Square, had a pub dinner, and bid farewell to Emily as she headed back to stay with her friends and we caught the train back to Cambridge.

Punting on the Cam

Punting is one of the most popular tourist activities in Cambridge--and hawkers of the "punting experience" are aggressive in rounding up potential customers.  Punting consists of pushing a long, flat bottomed boat along the river by means of a pole.  It's harder than it looks and novices can end up zigzagging their way down the river, bumping into other boats, falling into the river, or all three.  We chose to be entertained by a punter and hoped to hear more about the colleges as we passed by them.

Waiting for the next boat--beer always helps.  The Silver St. Bridge is in the background.

It was really windy on the river.  Tom's ball cap has just blown off into the water!  Thanks to our trusty punter, the cap was retrieved, soggy but still in good condition.

The wind is NOT bothering Emily, however.

Our punter Edward graduated with a Master's Degree (not from Cambridge) but has been unable to find employment in his area, hence his current affiliation with the tourist trade.

We passed under bridges in the old colleges area which surrounds and is part of the city center of Cambridge.

The Mathematical Bridge connecting parts of Queens' College.  The design is NOT due to Isaac Newton and it IS held together with nuts and bolts.  This is the rebuilt 1905 version.  The Queen Mum liked it and railings were placed on both sides to prevent any royal missteps.

The Clare Bridge, the oldest of the current bridges.

The Bridge of Sighs, fashioned after the famous one in Venice,  connecting St. John's College.

St. John's College, the second largest of the colleges, founded by Lady Margaret Beaufort, the mother of King Henry VII

The Magdalene Bridge, close by the site of the Romans' settlement in Cambridge and the first crossing of the Cam.  In 1988 Magdalene (pronounced "Maudlin") College was the last to admit female students to Cambridge.  At the time, male students wore black armbands and the college flag was flown at half-mast.

Quayside, a commercial area owned by Magdalene College, and our turn around point of our trip.

Punting was an enjoyable and relaxing way to see the older parts of Cambridge but I was happy we had taken a walking tour earlier since we learned much more about the city then.

Stonehenge and Bath, World Heritage Day! Saturday October 8

Emily arrived for a visit on Friday and after a three hour bus ride from Heathrow (on top of her overnight plane trip) we headed out the next day on yet another long bus trip right back in the direction of Heathrow.  Our destination was the Salisbury Plain and the Stonehenge Monument, a World Heritage Site.

Unfortunately we encountered several road accidents and had to backtrack making the trip even longer than expected.  We drove through the small town of Amesbury crossing  the River Avon which was more like a ditch.  We were told that "Avon" means "river" and that there are many Avon Rivers, or "River Rivers" in England.

Finally, along with many, many other tourists we arrived at Stonehenge where Matt, our driver and guide, gave us a bit of history and description of the monument.  The reason for the monument is still a mystery: burial ground? device for planning crop planting? religious, healing temple?  The monument began with an earthen ditch maybe 5000 years ago.  Bluestones were brought later, presumably from 150 miles away in the Preseli Hills of West Wales (and there is much speculation about the method of transportation).  Next were the sarsens, the larger stones from 19 miles away.  Currently the monument is within a roped off area to keep visitors from chipping away at the rocks to take a personal souvenir. 

Emily stands next to the large sarsen; I am by the warmer feeling bluestone.  The dating of when the stones were put in place is determined by the manual shaping of the stones by tools from the Bronze Age. 

A bird sits on top of one of the lintels.  In the late 1800s some of the stones that were in danger of tipping over were rearranged.

The exposed nob on top of the center lintel shows how the lintels were attached to the vertical sarsens.  The small mound in front is a barrow.

This stone, the Heelstone, sits outside the Stonehenge circle. At the summer solstice, the sun rises above it and shines through a pair of sarsens.

It was extremely windy and unexpectedly cool for us at Stonehenge. Nevertheless, I would have liked to have had more time to appreciate this ancient monument and compare it to the edifices constructed by ancient civilizations in the Americas.  However, that was not to be and we hopped back on the bus for our next destination, the city of Bath, a World Heritage City and about an hour's drive away.

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The city of Bath dates from the time before Romans arrived in the first century AD and had already been known for its healing hot springs. Today, Bath's significance lies in its still functioning thermal baths and its beautiful Georgian architecture.  It is an affluent city not far from London but set in a river valley so that there are beautiful views wherever one looks.   We were on our own for lunch and we found a pleasant tapas restaurant in the city center.

Courtyard outside of restaurant.  Flowers Everywhere!  Food was good too.

After lunch, Tom took off for the Roman baths and Emily and I visited the Bath Abbey (after a required chocolate stop).  Tom felt the baths were worth a much longer look but once again we were pressed for time.  

View of baths that can be seen from the outside.

One of the statues around the baths--time has taken its toll but then the baths one sees today were excavated after years of being buried underground.

The excavation is ongoing.

Another beautiful structure in Bath is the Abbey, 500 years old with a fan vaulting ceiling like Kings' College Chapel in Cambridge and very light on the inside.  I wonder if part of that is due to the fact that some of the windows are plain clear glass and not stained glass.  I think our guide said the windows had been removed during WW II to avoid destruction by bombing.

Stained glass window and sculpture called "Kind Jesus."

After our own touring we joined Matt for a walking tour of Bath. First item on the agenda was the Pulteney Bridge over the River Avon.  The bridge was built to resemble one in Florence Italy.  Shops are built into the bridge so that one might never know one is walking over a bridge (like the Cap in Columbus' Short North!)

Matt described the cream colored Georgian architecture of the buildings and the reason for wide sidewalks--wide dresses were the fashion!  Doorways were also wider than normal to accommodate sedan chairs that deposited people inside their houses.  Another story was about Sally Lunn and the building that was her bakery.  She was a Hugenot fleeing persecution in France.  The buns she sold were yellow on top and white on the bottom like the sun (soleil) and the moon (lune).  So she called out "soleil  lune" to sell her wares and that became corrupted to "Sally Lunn." Even if it isn't true, it makes a charming story!

The oldest house in Bath.

As we walked through town we heard about Beau Nash, the jet setter of the mid 1700s.  Apparently England was a much livelier place then than during the Victorian era.  Our tour ended with a walk up to see some still fashionable (and very expensive) residential areas.  

The Circus, dating from the 1770's, neoclassical architecture.

The Royal Crescent, a Grade 1 site meaning that any change to the structure has to be approved before it can be attempted. Beautiful but like living in a museum.  And maybe that is what the city of Bath is-a lovely but static image of a bygone era.