Trip To England Report - Week 1
Sep. 10th, 2008 10:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gilda_eliseTrip to England
It's taken me awhile to get this done. Okay, three months but RL obligations have had me pretty nicely tied up. Up until last Thursday, I've had visitors for all but one week since my return. And now that I've actually sat down and done this, I know there's no way I could have managed it before. To all who have asked about my trip, thanks for your kind patience in waiting for this report. I hope you enjoy the journey just as much as I did.
After a long but basically uneventful flight (outside of having to fly with a cold,) we left Heathrow and took the underground to where Anne, my wonderful friend and hostess, had arranged to have her sister-in-law pick us up. By the time we arrived at Anne's house we were looking forward to not more than some much-needed down time. We'd spent the last week doing the tourist thing in LA (Disneyland and Hollywood,) plus enjoying the four wild and wonderful days of KiSCon. With the con still fresh in our minds, we spent the evening kicking back with fish and chips and a bottle of wine, talking all the while all things Kirk/Spock. But it was early to bed because my real journey would start the next morning.
I'd pretty much done London on my previous trip, or at least those spots I had most wanted to see, but I couldn't be in London and not revisit Westminster Abbey and The Tower of London complex.
Westminster was just as beautiful and awe-inspiring as I had remembered. We spent hours walking through the maze of tombs, monuments, chapels and chantries to kings and queens, writers and artists, dukes, earls and viscounts. Unfortunately, though understandably, cameras are not allowed inside the abbey. I made sure to buy a couple of guide books, then snapped this on our way out.
From there we took the underground to the Tower Complex, passing the remains of a Roman wall situated right between the station and the Complex. Inside, I spent most of my time in the Medieval Palace. The Wakefield Tower, located within the palace, is given over to the reign of Edward I, with mock-ups of how the castle would have looked during that time (1272-1307.)
We headed home after leaving the Tower Complex, as Roz, another K/S fen was coming over that night. Over Indian take-out (of course,) we spent another enjoyable evening discussing Kirk, Spock, and what they might get up to together...in great detail. But, again, we had a relatively early night, as we would be driving to Leicester in the morning.
Apparently, Leicester is the British equivalent of Detroit or Pittsburgh. Not the first place someone would think to take vacation time. At least, that seemed to have been Anne's co-workers' opinions, as she said she'd got some strange looks when she told them that Leicester was on our itinerary. But it's some place quite special to a Ricardian.
Since Anne works, I had been put in charge of finding places to stay. We lucked out that the place I chose turned out to be within walking distance to the Medieval section of town. We didn't luck out in that it never occurred to me to make sure the rooms were en-suite. But, hey, it was a new experience, sharing the bathroom with the entire floor. That sounds worse than it was, though, since the floor only had three rooms, one of which wasn't occupied. We managed, even after Kate, yet another K/S fen and fellow Ricardian, joined us the next day.
But the first day, after getting situated in our room, was taken up getting the lay of the land and exploring Leicester. We started at the remains of the Leicester Castle, because I specifically wanted to the see the statue of Richard III, located in the Castle Gardens.
Along the way we passed Bow Bridge. It's not the original bridge, but it was erected on the site of the ancient Bow Bridge over which Richard III passed on his way to the Battle of Bosworth Field. Richard's standard and the White Rose of York decorate the sides of the bridge. The River Soar flows beneath it, where the legend, now generally discredited, claims Richard's bones were thrown after being disinterred.
There isn't much of the Castle left, a couple of gateways and the Castle Hall, the only building left standing. But the gardens are lovely, and there's a small museum dedicated to the city itself that was very interesting.
The next morning we set off once again to find more Ricardian sites. There's quite a bit of construction going on in that part of the city, so often times we found our way only through perseverance and sheer good luck. After more than one detour, we finally managed to find Leicester Cathedral and, nearby, the partial wall that is all that remains of Greyfriars Abbey, where Richard was buried. Unfortunately, the Abbey graveyard is now covered by a car park.
We also stumbled across Jewry Wall, built in 150 AD and part of the west wall of a large Roman public building. I think after the Medieval period, the Roman colonization is my favorite era in British history.
Nearby was the Richard III Tavern (not surprisingly, his name is everywhere. There's even a veterinary center named for him!) The tavern was a bit of a left-down, so after one drink we sought out somewhere to eat, then returned to the B&B to wait for Kate.
Next on our itinerary was Bosworth Field, not far from Leicester, where we drove to the next day. They've redone the Battlefield Centre since the last time I was there, so much of it was new to me. Still, walking the battlefield is really what I wanted to do. And even though they're no longer sure the battle actually took place there, there's still a certain melancholy that pervades the area (which, of course, could all be in my head,) even though it's a truly lovely place now.
Kate wasn't feeling well, so leaving her at the Centre, Anne and I walked the trail that meanders through the battlefield, coming to Richard's field at its end. If the battle was fought here, this is where they believe he fell.
Leaving Bosworth Field, we took a short side trip to Sutton Cheney. Before the battle, Richard heard mass in the small church here. There's a plague inside dedicated to Richard and those who fell at Bosworth presented by the Richard III Society. Not for the first time, Anne wondered how many churches there are in England, frantically looking for some connection to Richard III in order to get some of the Society's money.
We returned to Leicester for one more night, figuring on a leisurely drive to York the next day. But Anne seemed determined to make sure I missed nothing. Among the brochures in the B&B's lobby was one for the Donington Le Heath Manor House Museum where, lo and behold, the bed Richard was reputed to have slept in before the battle was housed (the bed having been moved from its original site.)
So, off we went. It's an interesting place but, let's be honest, all I was interested in was seeing the bed. It's extremely ornate but didn't look very comfortable. The nightshirt they had thrown across its surface was a bit intriguing, though. ;-)
We had lunch at the Manor House's small cafe and then proceeded on our way to York.
York is lovely. If I ever won the lottery and moved to England, this is the area I'd pick to live. And once again we lucked out in booking a place near its walled centre. Taking a short stroll just to figure out where we were, we ran into Micklegate Bar, where the heads of Richard's father and older brother were placed after their deaths at Wakefield. Richard was eight years old at the time.
Climbing the stairs nearby, we walked the wall into the city's centre, mapping out our plan of attack for the next day.
We'd bought tickets to the Jorvik Viking Centre online, so that was our first destination the next morning. Apparently, they dug up the entire area, excavated the ruins, then replaced everything on top. The tour is actually more of a ride you take through the excavation. After walking down a flight a stairs, going further "back in time" the deeper you go, you take the rest of the way back in a "time machine" that then deposits you at the start of the ride.
After the ride, we went to the Castle Museum, which is neither a castle nor a museum of the castle. Rather, it's a museum of York's social history that occupies two 18th century buildings which were formerly used as prisons.
Across from the Museum is Clifford's Tower, the stronghold, and only remains, of York Castle.
First climbing the stairs to the tower itself, I then took the stairs to the top of the tower. The inside is still quite intact and you can walk all the way around the perimeter.
Then it was off to York Minster. In a way I found it more beautiful than Westminster. Maybe because it seemed more accessible, though just as grand. After taking the tour of its underground (no pictures allowed,) I went in the reverse direction and decided to climb its spiral stairwell to the top of its central tower. The first section is about 50 steps, at which point you traverse a narrow pathway to the next flight of stairs. Another 50 steps or so brings you to a small door that exits onto the main section's roof. The narrow walkway along the side of the roof takes you across to the main tower. The last flight is about another 175 steps. The view from the top is breath taking...once you get your breath back from the climb, that is.
Leaving York Minster, we went looking for the Richard III Museum, which is supposed to be located at Monk Bar. We did finally find it, five minutes before closing so we didn't get to see all of it. And, unfortunately, it was to be our last day in York. In the morning we'd be leaving for Middleham!
It's taken me awhile to get this done. Okay, three months but RL obligations have had me pretty nicely tied up. Up until last Thursday, I've had visitors for all but one week since my return. And now that I've actually sat down and done this, I know there's no way I could have managed it before. To all who have asked about my trip, thanks for your kind patience in waiting for this report. I hope you enjoy the journey just as much as I did.
After a long but basically uneventful flight (outside of having to fly with a cold,) we left Heathrow and took the underground to where Anne, my wonderful friend and hostess, had arranged to have her sister-in-law pick us up. By the time we arrived at Anne's house we were looking forward to not more than some much-needed down time. We'd spent the last week doing the tourist thing in LA (Disneyland and Hollywood,) plus enjoying the four wild and wonderful days of KiSCon. With the con still fresh in our minds, we spent the evening kicking back with fish and chips and a bottle of wine, talking all the while all things Kirk/Spock. But it was early to bed because my real journey would start the next morning.
I'd pretty much done London on my previous trip, or at least those spots I had most wanted to see, but I couldn't be in London and not revisit Westminster Abbey and The Tower of London complex.
Westminster was just as beautiful and awe-inspiring as I had remembered. We spent hours walking through the maze of tombs, monuments, chapels and chantries to kings and queens, writers and artists, dukes, earls and viscounts. Unfortunately, though understandably, cameras are not allowed inside the abbey. I made sure to buy a couple of guide books, then snapped this on our way out.
From there we took the underground to the Tower Complex, passing the remains of a Roman wall situated right between the station and the Complex. Inside, I spent most of my time in the Medieval Palace. The Wakefield Tower, located within the palace, is given over to the reign of Edward I, with mock-ups of how the castle would have looked during that time (1272-1307.)
We headed home after leaving the Tower Complex, as Roz, another K/S fen was coming over that night. Over Indian take-out (of course,) we spent another enjoyable evening discussing Kirk, Spock, and what they might get up to together...in great detail. But, again, we had a relatively early night, as we would be driving to Leicester in the morning.
Apparently, Leicester is the British equivalent of Detroit or Pittsburgh. Not the first place someone would think to take vacation time. At least, that seemed to have been Anne's co-workers' opinions, as she said she'd got some strange looks when she told them that Leicester was on our itinerary. But it's some place quite special to a Ricardian.
Since Anne works, I had been put in charge of finding places to stay. We lucked out that the place I chose turned out to be within walking distance to the Medieval section of town. We didn't luck out in that it never occurred to me to make sure the rooms were en-suite. But, hey, it was a new experience, sharing the bathroom with the entire floor. That sounds worse than it was, though, since the floor only had three rooms, one of which wasn't occupied. We managed, even after Kate, yet another K/S fen and fellow Ricardian, joined us the next day.
But the first day, after getting situated in our room, was taken up getting the lay of the land and exploring Leicester. We started at the remains of the Leicester Castle, because I specifically wanted to the see the statue of Richard III, located in the Castle Gardens.
Along the way we passed Bow Bridge. It's not the original bridge, but it was erected on the site of the ancient Bow Bridge over which Richard III passed on his way to the Battle of Bosworth Field. Richard's standard and the White Rose of York decorate the sides of the bridge. The River Soar flows beneath it, where the legend, now generally discredited, claims Richard's bones were thrown after being disinterred.
There isn't much of the Castle left, a couple of gateways and the Castle Hall, the only building left standing. But the gardens are lovely, and there's a small museum dedicated to the city itself that was very interesting.
The next morning we set off once again to find more Ricardian sites. There's quite a bit of construction going on in that part of the city, so often times we found our way only through perseverance and sheer good luck. After more than one detour, we finally managed to find Leicester Cathedral and, nearby, the partial wall that is all that remains of Greyfriars Abbey, where Richard was buried. Unfortunately, the Abbey graveyard is now covered by a car park.
We also stumbled across Jewry Wall, built in 150 AD and part of the west wall of a large Roman public building. I think after the Medieval period, the Roman colonization is my favorite era in British history.
Nearby was the Richard III Tavern (not surprisingly, his name is everywhere. There's even a veterinary center named for him!) The tavern was a bit of a left-down, so after one drink we sought out somewhere to eat, then returned to the B&B to wait for Kate.
Next on our itinerary was Bosworth Field, not far from Leicester, where we drove to the next day. They've redone the Battlefield Centre since the last time I was there, so much of it was new to me. Still, walking the battlefield is really what I wanted to do. And even though they're no longer sure the battle actually took place there, there's still a certain melancholy that pervades the area (which, of course, could all be in my head,) even though it's a truly lovely place now.
Kate wasn't feeling well, so leaving her at the Centre, Anne and I walked the trail that meanders through the battlefield, coming to Richard's field at its end. If the battle was fought here, this is where they believe he fell.
Leaving Bosworth Field, we took a short side trip to Sutton Cheney. Before the battle, Richard heard mass in the small church here. There's a plague inside dedicated to Richard and those who fell at Bosworth presented by the Richard III Society. Not for the first time, Anne wondered how many churches there are in England, frantically looking for some connection to Richard III in order to get some of the Society's money.
We returned to Leicester for one more night, figuring on a leisurely drive to York the next day. But Anne seemed determined to make sure I missed nothing. Among the brochures in the B&B's lobby was one for the Donington Le Heath Manor House Museum where, lo and behold, the bed Richard was reputed to have slept in before the battle was housed (the bed having been moved from its original site.)
So, off we went. It's an interesting place but, let's be honest, all I was interested in was seeing the bed. It's extremely ornate but didn't look very comfortable. The nightshirt they had thrown across its surface was a bit intriguing, though. ;-)
We had lunch at the Manor House's small cafe and then proceeded on our way to York.
York is lovely. If I ever won the lottery and moved to England, this is the area I'd pick to live. And once again we lucked out in booking a place near its walled centre. Taking a short stroll just to figure out where we were, we ran into Micklegate Bar, where the heads of Richard's father and older brother were placed after their deaths at Wakefield. Richard was eight years old at the time.
Climbing the stairs nearby, we walked the wall into the city's centre, mapping out our plan of attack for the next day.
We'd bought tickets to the Jorvik Viking Centre online, so that was our first destination the next morning. Apparently, they dug up the entire area, excavated the ruins, then replaced everything on top. The tour is actually more of a ride you take through the excavation. After walking down a flight a stairs, going further "back in time" the deeper you go, you take the rest of the way back in a "time machine" that then deposits you at the start of the ride.
After the ride, we went to the Castle Museum, which is neither a castle nor a museum of the castle. Rather, it's a museum of York's social history that occupies two 18th century buildings which were formerly used as prisons.
Across from the Museum is Clifford's Tower, the stronghold, and only remains, of York Castle.
First climbing the stairs to the tower itself, I then took the stairs to the top of the tower. The inside is still quite intact and you can walk all the way around the perimeter.
Then it was off to York Minster. In a way I found it more beautiful than Westminster. Maybe because it seemed more accessible, though just as grand. After taking the tour of its underground (no pictures allowed,) I went in the reverse direction and decided to climb its spiral stairwell to the top of its central tower. The first section is about 50 steps, at which point you traverse a narrow pathway to the next flight of stairs. Another 50 steps or so brings you to a small door that exits onto the main section's roof. The narrow walkway along the side of the roof takes you across to the main tower. The last flight is about another 175 steps. The view from the top is breath taking...once you get your breath back from the climb, that is.
Leaving York Minster, we went looking for the Richard III Museum, which is supposed to be located at Monk Bar. We did finally find it, five minutes before closing so we didn't get to see all of it. And, unfortunately, it was to be our last day in York. In the morning we'd be leaving for Middleham!
