Archive by Author

America’s North Country Trip~Part 11

29 Nov

A Slice of Life

 Bill Lites

 

 

 

Day 11 (Monday)

 

This morning I did a little back-tracking north on US-20 heading for my first visit of the day to the Legacy Flight Museum located at the Rexburg-Madison County Airport in Rexburg, ID. This was a small one-hanger museum where all of their planes are flyable. I learned that several of the planes from this museum were at the Extreme Blue Thunder Airshow in Idaho Falls last weekend.

 

 

As I walked thru the hanger taking photos, I spotted a yellow P-51 Mustang that looked familiar. I asked the tour guide if that really was Bob Hoover’s “Ole Yeller” and he said, “Yes.” I asked him how it ended up in their museum, and he said, “Bob knows one of the owners of this museum, and when Bob was forced to retire from flying, he designated that his P-51 Mustang would be displayed, maintained and flown by this museum until a specified time, when it would go to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum.” What an amazing man and airplane!

 

 

Now I headed east on SR-33, past a beautiful part to the Teton Mountain Range to visit The Teton Valley Museum located in Driggs, ID. The museum was closed, but I learned from their website that their exhibits mostly center on local history of the surrounding Teton Valley.

 

 

Just down the road a ways, at the Driggs Airport, I visited the Teton Aviation Center. This center houses a small FBO as well as an impressive collection of beautifully restored WWII warbirds. There is also the “Warbird Café” where you can eat a delicious meal and have a great view of the Grand Teton Mountains from your table.

 

 

In downtown Driggs I visited the Teton Geotourism Center just to see what it was all about. They advertise to be the world’s first Geotourism center which they say is the portal to an experience on the Teton Scenic Byway (a part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem). Most of their exhibits are interactive, showing the Teton Valley in its best light. I did like the on-board husky-driven snow sled ride video.

 

 

As I headed south and west on SR-33 thru the Caribou Targhee National Forest, where I picked up US-26 in Swan Valley. I continued south along the Snake River, crossing the border into Wyoming, where I picked up US-89 into Afton, WY where I visited the CallAir Museum. This was a very small museum located in the Afton Civic Center building. I learned that the Call Aircraft Factory was founded in 1939 there in Afton, and went on to design and manufacture single engine passenger aircraft and crop duster aircraft until 1970.

 

 

Before I left Afton, I wanted to see and photograph what is advertised to be the World’s Largest Elk Horn Arch. The arch is 18 feet high and 75 feet wide, and is said to contain over3000 elk antlers. Sure enough, there it was, stretching across US-89 in downtown Afton, with a pair of elk sparing on top. Wow! That took a lot of elk Horns to build! There must have been a lot of elk roaming around these parts in the early days, as I have seen all kinds of elk Horn furniture in museums on this trip.

 

 

Now I headed south on US-89, skirting the Bridger National Forest, until I picked up US-30 just below Geneva, ID. US-30 continues south another 25 miles before it turns east, past the Fossil Butte National Monument, to where I could merge with I-80 near Little America Travel Center. Since it was only another 25 miles to the Sweetwater County Historical Museum in Green River, WY were I had planned my next visit, I put off a potty break until I got there. As expected, this museum’s exhibits majored on the cultural heritage of southwestern Wyoming, including the early explorers, fur trappers, sheepherders, cowboys, and the Pony Express.

 

 

 

While there in Green River, I went looking for what I thought would be an old timey Wild West saloon where I could get a sarsaparilla. But the address for the Wild Horse Saloon and the Hitching Post were both the same, and I found out that they had been combined, and were now called the Hitching Post Restaurant & Saloon. Since I was sure this saloon would probably not be serving anything as mild as a sarsaparilla, I decided to look for the Island Park, down by the Green River, to relax while I called DiVoran. I couldn’t find the Park, so I just pulled up in a nice shady spot next to the river and made my call. The rustling water was very soothing.

 

 

 

Now I headed east on I-80 another 15 miles to Rock Springs, WY to look for my motel for the night. After I got checked in, I saw the Best Western “Outlaw Inn” across the street. They had a restaurant called the” Open Range” where I enjoyed a dinner of Baby Back Ribs with all the trimmings. What a great way to end a long day on the road.

 

 

—–To Be Continued—–

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Circuitous Travel~Part 14

26 Nov

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

Our final day in London. We were sad to see this day approach. We have so thoroughly enjoyed our time in the British Isles, and London in particular.

Again we took the Tube into London, and we walked along the Embankment – the Thames Embankment – which includes the Victoria Embankment. The Victoria Embankment is a road and riverwalk along the north side of the Thames, from the Palace of Westminster to Blackfriars Bridge (Wikipedia). My notes say that we walked along the Embankment and the Queen’s Walk. According to Wikipedia, there is a difference between the Queen’s Walk and the Victoria Embankment. I’m a bit confused on this matter. All I remember is that we did a lot of walking along that embankment – but thoroughly enjoyed it.

Here are a few pictures that we took along our walk. Unfortunately, Big Ben was in scaffolding – that seems to be our lot in life! But we did get to see it, and that is what matters the most.

 

Following our walk along the river, we took a bus to Greenwich.

 

 

We, along with quite a few other people, took our turn at straddling the Prime Meridian. Here are our girls doing just that.

 

 

From Wikipedia I gleaned: Greenwich is world-famous as the traditional location of the Prime Meridian, on which all Coordinated Universal Time is based. The Prime Meridian running through Greenwich and the Greenwich Observatory is where the designation Greenwich Mean Time, or GMT began, and on which all world times are based. That information is just in case you didn’t know where Greenwich Mean Time, or GMT came from. All time on this planet is based from this spot.

In looking at maps, I just realized that Greenwich is actually part of London! If you go down the river Thames a ways, you will come to the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, which connects the north and south islands. Greenwich is on the south side. While we were at Greenwich, we toured through the National Maritime Museum which may be the largest museum of its kind in the world. Part of that museum includes the Cutty Sark, a clipper ship that was launched on the Clyde in 1869. She was a fast ship, involved in the China tea trade. Fascinating to go aboard and look around the ship.

 

 

Our last thing to do was to head back toward our B&B, but go to the Royal Botanic Gardens, in Kew, which weren’t far from there. It is a beautiful garden, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time walking through the gardens. Here are some pictures we took:

 

 

I’m not exactly sure what “Open Day 1983″ represented, but here are pictures of it in flowers:

 

 

The following day was our day to fly back to the United States. We had packed up and were ready to head to Heathrow Airport, but it was a bit of a walk, even to the Tube station near our B&B, especially carrying our luggage. So we asked our host if they would mind giving us a ride to the station. Much to our surprise, they volunteered to take us directly to the airport! We were quite glad for that! And appreciated the British hospitality shown to us.

We made a safe flight back to the U.S., but were so very thankful that we had the opportunity to explore England, Scotland and Wales.

And so ends our Circuitous Travel tale. It was a great deal of fun – and I hope you have enjoyed the journey with us!

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~

 

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Circuitous Travel~Part 12

12 Nov

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

We are getting close to the end of our week in London – much to our sorrow. We love all things England, and the greater London area in particular.

However, we were excited about the day ahead of us. Our first venture was a bus tour to Warwick (pronounced War-ick, not War-wick) Castle.

 

Gatehouse

 

We were eager to able to visit this beautiful castle. We were told that many motion pictures that involve castles are filmed at this site. Makes sense – it is a beautiful site.

 

Castle grounds and gardens

 

From “Primary Facts” I gleaned: …..facts about Warwick Castle, located near the River Avon, in the county of Warwickshire.

 A motte-and-bailey castle was built on the site of Warwick Castle. This early castle was built in 1068 by the Normans following William the Conqueror’s victory in the Battle of Hastings.

The motte-and-bailey castle was upgraded to stone during the reign of Henry II. A curtain wall was built with buildings up against it.

 In the 14th century, a gatehouse was added and several towers were constructed.

 In 1469, during the time of the Wars of the Roses, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, imprisoned King Edward IV in Warwick Castle.

 Richard III ordered for two gun towers to be added to Warwick Castle in the 1480s. These were called Bear Tower and Clarence Tower.

 During the 16th century, Warwick Castle started to fall into disrepair. In fact, when Queen Elizabeth I visited, a separate building had to built for her to stay in.

 

Caesar’s Tower

 

We were pleased to see the Red Knight on display for us.

 

 

When Fred and I visited back in 1970, the castle was in private hands. At this point in time (1983) it was owned by the Madam Tussaud’s company, and the company had added animated figures in some of the rooms. Quite interesting.

Following our visit to the castle, we went on to Stratford-Upon-Avon, and we especially wanted to see Anne Hathaway’s Cottage.

 

The town gate

 

Again, when Fred and I had visited in 1970, the thatch on the roof of the cottage was being repaired. Seems that a young man in the village wanted to impress his girlfriend, so he set fire to the roof! We were fortunate to be there at the time the roof was actually being repaired. It gave us a true insight into how a thatch roof is constructed. Most interesting and entertaining.

 

1970 – Anne Hathaway’s Cottage with Reconstruction sign

 

 

Wikipedia provided the following: Anne Hathaway’s Cottage is a twelve-roomed farmhouse where Anne Hathaway, the wife of William Shakespeare, lived as a child in the village of Shottery, Warwickshire, England, about 1 mile west of Stratford-upon-Avon.

We also found the town of Stratford-Upon-Avon to be quite entertaining. While we knew, of course, that it was the birthplace of William Shakespeare, it had other interests as well.

 

Shakespeare’s birthplace

 

The official Stratford-Upon-Avon website states:   Stratford-upon-Avon, a medieval market town in England’s West Midlands, is the 16th-century birthplace of William Shakespeare. Possibly the most famous writer in the English language, Shakespeare is known for his sonnets and plays such as ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘Hamlet’. The Royal Shakespeare Company performs his plays in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and adjacent Swan Theatre on the banks of the River Avon.

 

The Old Weaver’s House – built in A.D. 1500

 

So much history in England…and we thoroughly enjoy it!

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

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Circuitous Travel~Part 11

5 Nov

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

 

This day in London started off with my cutting Fred’s hair. Being in the U.S. military, he had a set way that he wanted his hair cut – as well as how often it should be shaped up. We had been gone from Germany for about 10 days now, and he was getting “shaggy” according to his specifications! It didn’t take long, but it had to be done!

 

 

We had arranged to take the bus to Canterbury on this day, and so we did. Fred and I had visited England many years before, when we lived in Wiesbaden, Germany. We knew we wanted to share this experience with our girls.

 

Canterbury Gate

 

We had an enjoyable time walking around the town and looking through the cathedral. It is a magnificent edifice, both inside and outside.

 

 

 

Once again, one of the amazing things about this cathedral are the parts that were built during the Norman times. It’s amazing to me that those areas – and stones – are still standing after all these centuries! According to Wikipedia, the cathedral was founded in 597 A.D. and was completely rebuilt from 1070 to 1077. The last alteration was in 1834. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the Church of England.

 

 

When Fred and I had visited Canterbury in 1970, we happened upon a building that was marked “Queen Elizabeth 1 Guest Chamber.”

 

1970 – Guest Chamber/Restaurant – second level

 

We had a meal there in the restaurant and it was quite lovely, and rather inexpensive, which surprised us. We found that much of the furnishings, i.e. tables, etc., were original to that time. The date on the front of the building states: 1573.   Elizabeth I visited Canterbury in 1573 and entertained the Duke of Alençon in what was then the state room of the Crown Inn. Apparently she stayed there for three days, celebrating her 40th birthday. So it was definitely something we wanted to share with our girls. Unfortunately, at that time (1983), it was not a restaurant anymore. But we were able to have an ice cream, so our girls were able to see the inside we had raved about. It was so fun.

 

983 – Guest Chamber – second level

 

One of the most fun things about that day in Canterbury, was that we came upon a couple that had been in our church in Heidelberg! Roy and Vicki Crawford. We visited with them for a few minutes, and decided to have supper together at a local Chinese restaurant. We then went on our ways and met up for supper. We enjoyed that time together, knowing we probably wouldn’t see them ever again – which we haven’t.

 

Judy, Karen, Janet Wills with Roy and Vicki Crawford

 

It was a rather long – but fulfilling – day. So after supper with the Crawfords, we headed back to the B&B for another overnight.

 

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

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Circuitous Travel~Part 10

29 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

 

This day’s trip into London was a bit of a busy one. According to my notes, we made our way to a Christian bookstore to purchase a copy of the book The Flying Scotsman, the story of Eric Liddell. If you remember, and according to Wikipedia:

  “Eric Liddell was a Scottish athlete, rugby union international player, and missionary, who chose his religious beliefs over competing in an Olympic race held on a Sunday.

 At the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, Liddell refused to run in the heats for his favoured 100 metres because they were held on a Sunday. Instead he competed in the 400 metres held on a weekday, a race that he won [in record time. His record held for 20 years]. He returned to China in 1925 to serve as a missionary teacher. Aside from two furloughs in Scotland, he remained in China until his death in a Japanese civilian internment camp in 1945 [of an inoperable brain tumor].

 Liddell’s Olympic training and racing, and the religious convictions that influenced him, are depicted in the Oscar-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire…”

We had been most impressed with the movie about Eric Liddell, and wanted the full story about him, hence the purchase of the book. This is a picture from Google and Park Baptist Church that tells of his running philosophy. Amazing.

 

 

After that stop, we went to a china rejects shop to look for some replacement china pieces we had broken. Really exciting, huh?

After that, we found a Scottish House that sold Scotland garments, cloth (tartans) and other items from Scotland. We were looking specifically for Fred’s clan’s tartan (Gunn Clan),

 

The Gunn Tartan

 

and a Gunn pin.

 

The Gunn Crest. Credit Google search

 

 

I had intended to make some kind of tartan garments for our daughters. I’ve since made a shawl for each of them. The pin has been lost, unfortunately.

Our next stop took a bit of time, and we thoroughly enjoyed it all. We went to Madame Tussauds wax museum, and the Planetarium . That was such fun to wander through and see all the wax figures there. We were most impressed with the figures of the Royal Family. Here are some pictures we took.

 

 

Our final stop of the day was to head out to Wimbledon to see a Wimbledon tennis match, if possible. At first, we were only allowed admittance to the “nose-bleed” section, which is also the “standing-room-only” section. Later, as the day wore on, and people began to leave, we were permitted to go down to some of the seats and finish out the match. Much better!! What we saw that day, was a doubles match, between John Newcombe and Tony Roche vs. Casal and Hocevar (sorry, I can’t seem to find the first names of Casal or Hocevar).

 

 

It was such fun to be able to see it in person! Much as we enjoy watching tennis on TV, there’s just something about being “in the stands” to see it live that makes it more enjoyable.

It was a good day, but we were eager to get back to the B&B and rest.

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

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Circuitous Travel~Part 9

22 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

This day started out with another Tube ride into London. Surely was a good thing we were staying close to an Underground station! We certainly made good use of those Tube passes we purchased.

Our first venture this day was to the Tower of London.

 

So many neat things to see there. We went through the Tower, and saw the Crown Jewels. At that time – I’m not sure about now – we were not allowed to take pictures of the Crown Jewels. So we purchased a set of slides. They have changed color, so I’ve tried to “fix” them. Here they are. I really like the crown for Queen Victoria. It’s elegant and dainty.

 

Prince of Wales Crown
Imperial State Crown

 

State Crown of Queen Mary
St. Edward’s Crown 

Victoria’s Small Crown

 

I was also taken with the crown, orb, and scepter that is used during the coronation of the new King or Queen of England. According to Wikipedia, they are a sign of authority.

 

 

I was fascinated to find the following information concerning the crowns, etc., also from Wikipedia:

A symbol of 800 years of monarchy, the sovereign’s coronation regalia is the only working collection in Europe…and is the largest set of regalia in the world. Objects used to invest and crown the monarch variously denote his or her roles as Head of State, Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces. Wives of kings are crowned as queen consort with a plainer set of regalia. Since 1831, a new crown has been made specially for each queen consort. 

….By the Tudor period it was usual for monarchs to inherit state regalia from his or her predecessor. Most of the present collection as a whole dates from around 350 years ago when King Charles II ascended the throne. The medieval and Tudor regalia had been either sold or melted down by Oliver Cromwell, a republican who overthrew the monarchy in 1649, during the English Civil War.

In addition to coronations, the Imperial State Crown is usually worn at State Openings of Parliament, where the Sword of State and two maces are carried in procession…

Although they are part of the Royal Collection and owned by the king or queen for the duration of his or her reign, the Crown Jewels do not belong to the monarch personally.

 

Here are some pictures we took of the Tower area. The courtyard includes barracks for the soldiers who guard the Tower.

 

 

Here is the entrance to the Tower itself.

 

 

Fred took this picture of the Tower Bridge from inside the Tower area. You will see ruins from the Norman time, which fascinated us!

 

 

And this picture of the site of the scaffold for beheading was interesting. At least eight people lost their heads here.

 

 

 

 

 

We saw the Tower Bridge, which is an amazing structure.

 

 

We also walked to St. Paul’s Cathedral. This is a beautiful church, and we thoroughly enjoyed exploring it.

 

The Chancel

I was pleased and touched to find the American Memorial Chapel within the Cathedral. It honors the 28,000 Americans stationed in the United Kingdom during the war, who gave their lives throughout the war. This picture we took of the pedestal holds the Role of Honour, under glass.

 

 

The inscription on the base of this marble pedestal states: This Chapel commemorates the common sacrifices of the British and American peoples during the Second World War and especially those American Service Men whose names are recorded in its Role of Honour. This tablet was unveiled by H. M. Queen Elizabeth II on 26 November 1958 in the presence of Richard M. Nixon the Vice President of the United States of America.

While preparing this post, I was able to find a video clip of the dedication of the chapel from back in 1958. It is quite moving.

It was a beautiful end to an emotional day.

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

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Circuitous Travel~Part 8

15 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

Following breakfast at the B&B, we again took the Tube into London.

Although I don’t have a lot to mention for this day’s events, what we did took quite a bit of time.

We did manage to be at Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guard. Unfortunately, we were so far back that we couldn’t see very much, as these pictures will show. But it was enough for us to claim to have seen the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace!

 

 

 

Victory Monument in front of Buckingham Palace

 

I don’t remember how long we stayed there, and how much we saw of it, but it was thrilling for us to be there.

In my memory notes that I wrote at that time, I said that we had lunch at Pizzaland! Perhaps that is a pizza restaurant that is wholly British, as I don’t remember a “pizzaland” in the U.S.

One other event we took in was wandering through the British Museum.

 

Credit Google Search and Wikipedia

 

I suspect our girls weren’t too interested in it, but Fred and I certainly were. While we, neither of us, are terribly interested in paintings, we both thoroughly enjoy sculptures. And the British Museum has quite a few of those for us to admire. Here is one picture of a stained-glass window – I’m not sure just where it was located in the museum, but it looks like the angel Gabriel telling Mary that God had chosen her to bear His Son, the Saviour of the World. Really beautiful.

 

 

When we first went to Heidelberg in 1980, Fred began asking what countries/cities we thought we would like to visit. Our Karen, at that point in time, was fairly interested in Egypt, even thinking of becoming an Egyptologist. We thought, since we were already half-way around the world from the U.S., we might just do that. We never did, unfortunately, but it was a good thought. And Karen never became an Egyptologist, either. All of that to say, that I have one picture we took of the Egyptian room in the British Museum.

 

Credit Google Search

 

 

I had been interested in Greek culture for quite a few years – Fred and I had even made a trip to Greece in 1969 – and so we were rather surprised to find many Greek “artifacts” in the British Museum. We’ve been told that there are more Greek antiquities in the British Museum than in Athens! Much to the Greeks chagrin! This one is a “Winged Victory Temple” and rather beautiful.

 

 

 

While I’m sure we saw many more things in the British Museum, unfortunately, these are the only pictures we took there.

Following that lengthy wandering around the museum, we headed back to the B&B to do some mundane thing like washing clothes! After all, we had already been on the road for over one week, and we were just about out of something clean to wear! So we found a laundromat and did that chore. But it was nice to have clean clothes.

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

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Circuitous Travel~Part 7

8 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

 

We had spent one week traveling around England, Scotland and Wales. The second week of our vacation (circuitous travel from Germany to the U.S.) was to be spent in London and surrounding areas.

Fred and I had spent time (vacations) in England and London previously, but our girls had not been there before. So this would be a new adventure for them. We were eager to show them all the sights.

Let the fun begin!!

That first day, following breakfast at the B&B, we took the Underground (Tube) into London.

Credit Google Search

 

The B&B wasn’t too far from a Tube station, so that was convenient. One thing we did, first, thing, was to get a Tube Pass for residents (not tourists, which was more expensive) – it enabled us to hop on and off the Tube whenever and wherever we were, without having to purchase a ticket for that particular ride. Our pictures were taken and attached to the ticket. We purchased the passes for one week. It was a great help, especially if we were in a hurry to make the train. It also allowed us to ride the red buses for in-town and the green buses for out-of-town travel without having to purchase a ticket for that ride.

After arriving in London, we did a lot of walking around the city, just taking it all in. We visited Westminster Abbey (something I understand is not allowed these days unless one is there to worship).

 

 

We saw Big Ben and the Parliament buildings – unfortunately, with the ever-present scaffolding!

 

 

We saw a delightful statue of Charlie Chaplin!

 

 

We saw the Cenetaph by Whitehall.

 

 

We spent some time in Trafalgar Square, with Lord Nelson. Magnificent column!

 

 

And we saw the back side of the Horse Guard building.

 

 

Of the two meals we had in town, lunch was at a Pizza Hut, and dinner/supper was at McDonald’s. Just getting our taste buds ready for our return to the States!

We had arranged to see the stage play “The Mousetrap” by Agatha Christie that evening.

 

Credit Google Search

 

Karen and I had been reading a lot of Agatha Christie’s mysteries, so this was of great interest to us. Fred and Janet found it to be quite entertaining, as well. “The Mousetrap” has been in continuous performances since it first opened in 1952. Wikipedia states it is: The longest running West End show, it has by far the longest initial run of any play in history, with its 25,000th performance taking place on 18 November 2012. The play is known for its twist ending, which the audience are traditionally asked not to reveal after leaving the theatre.

After the show, we returned to Kew and our B&B via the Tube. It was a most fun and rewarding day in London.

The backyard of our B&B, by Kew Gardens.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

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Circuitous Travel~Part 6

1 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

 

The following day was a busy one for us, as we made our way to London and the B&B where we were scheduled to stay for a week.

We left Llangollen and drove to Bath.

 

Credit Google Search and All That Is Interesting

 

We were fascinated by the Roman ruins of Bath. We didn’t know a lot about Bath – except for the fact that the Romans built public baths – but from Google search, I found:

Bath is a town set in the rolling countryside of southwest England, known for its natural hot springs and 18th-century Georgian architecture. Honey-coloured Bath stone has been used extensively in the town’s architecture, including at Bath Abbey, noted for its fan-vaulting, tower and large stained-glass windows. The museum at the site of the original Roman-era Baths includes The Great Bath, statues and a temple.

 

Credit Google Search and Everything Everywhere Travel Blog

 

 

I’m not sure we even knew there was Bath Abbey, universities, and other sites to visit. If we were to visit there now, we would take more time to see everything we could.

 

Credit Google Search and Pinterest

 

Being a great King Arthur fan, I was interested to learn, again from Google search, that

Bath may have been the site of the Battle of Badon ©. AD 500), in which King Arthur is said to have defeated the Anglo-Saxons. Hmmm.   I also found: Edgar of England was crowned king of England in Bath Abbey in 973, in a ceremony that formed the basis of all future English coronations.

I also found that Jane Austen lived in Bath with her father, mother, and sister Cassandra for five years – 1801-1806, and several of her books take place in Bath.

I really love this history stuff!!

Moving on…we had heard of/read about Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain for many years, so that was a “must see” on our list of things to do while in England.

 

Credit Google Search and EnglishHeritage.org

 

And so that was our next stop – Amesbury and Stonehenge. After having the stones described as “monoliths,” we were a bit disappointed to find that they weren’t as enormous as we thought they might be. Yes, they are huge, but not the towering stones we thought they would be. However, they were still quite impressive to us.

 

 

 

According to Englishheritage.org, Stonehenge is perhaps the world’s most famous prehistoric monument. It was built in several stages: the first monument was an early henge monument, built about 5,000 years ago, and the unique stone circle was erected in the late Neolithic period about 2500 BC. In the early Bronze Age many burial mounds were built nearby.

 

Again, being a King Arthur fan, I was amused to see that many say the magician Merlin built Stonehenge. However, other sources say that he just added the headstone, and honored Ambrosius with it. So many speculations.

They also mentioned that Stonehenge has been the site of burials from its earliest time. It was also mentioned that the Salisbury Plain has been a sacred site in England for centuries.

While we weren’t able to walk around and through the standing stones, we were able to get more up close and personal that if we visited today. We’ve seen pictures of the area with a fence around it, to protect it from vandals. Pity.

Following our time at Stonehenge, we headed on to London. We dropped off our luggage at the Allen’s house, then drove to Heathrow to turn in our rental car. We then had supper at Heathrow and took the Tube to Kew Gardens, where the Allen’s house is located.

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

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Circuitous Travel~Part 5 Continues

17 Sep

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

 

 

Our next stop that day was Caernarfon Castle. This amazing castle, while mostly in ruins, is a delight to wander through. It is also the sight for the investiture of the Prince of Wales.

 

Credit Google Search and Traveling with Krushworth

According to caernarfon.com:

Mighty Caernarfon is possibly the most famous of Wales’s castles. Its sheer scale and commanding presence easily set it apart from the rest, and to this day, still trumpet in no uncertain terms the intention of its builder Edward I.

 Begun in 1283 as the definitive chapter in his conquest of Wales, Caernarfon was constructed not only as a military stronghold but also as a seat of government and royal palace.

 The castle’s majestic persona is no architectural accident: it was designed to echo the walls of Constantinople, the imperial power of Rome and the dream castle, ‘the fairest that ever man saw’, of Welsh myth and legend. After all these years Caernarfon’s immense strength remains unchanged.

 Standing at the mouth of the Seiont river, the fortress (with its unique polygonal towers, intimidating battlements and colour banded masonry) dominates the walled town also founded by Edward I. Caernarfon’s symbolic status was emphasized when Edward made sure that his son, the first English Prince of Wales, was born here in 1284. In 1969, the castle gained worldwide fame as the setting for the Investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales.

 History comes alive at Caernarfon in so many ways – along the lofty wall walks, beneath the twin-towered gatehouse and within imaginative exhibitions located within the towers. The castle also houses the Regimental Museum of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, Wales’s oldest regiment.

After perusing other Caernarfon websites, I was amused to find that the original “Prince of Wales” could not speak English – only French, since the “language” of the nobility then was French!

Prince Charles was “crowned” Prince of Wales in 1969 in the castle of Caernarfon.

 

Credit Google search and People’s Collection Wales

 

We had such a fun time exploring through the castle. Here are some pictures we took while there.

 

Investiture spot

 

Our girls in 1983

 

 

We stopped at a B&B in Llangollen for the night.

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

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