Sunday, May 31, 2009

The last day in York

Today is our last day in York, and we have spent most of it walking.

This morning, we walked around the City Wall. There was an original wall built by the Romans, but not much of that remains now, although the remains of it can be seen in places - notably the Museum Gardens. The City expanded under the Normans, and the wall that exists today is the Norman wall. A length of it does follow the line of the original Roman wall. The walk is about 2 miles, and on such a lovely day it was a great way to spend some time - it took a while because I kept stopping to take photos! I've uploaded a sample; don't worry, they're not all there!!!

The afternoon was spent wandering around the city streets, which I just love. We also cruised them a little on a sight-seeing bus, just in case there was anything that we had missed.

Now there's time for one more walk, and then tomorrow we head to Whitby and Goathland. More fine weather is promised, and so this should be good too!

Saturday, May 30, 2009

A day in York

York is a wonderful place; I am really loving it.

Today started with a visit to the National Railway Museum, which contained a bonus for us. We had not expected to see the Flying Scotsman there, however we discovered that the NRM acquired it a few years ago. As luck would have it, the Scotsman is currently under repair and so we actually saw it in the workshop dismantled! This was fine, as I have seen the Scotsman when it came to Melbourne twenty years ago, so the dismantled engine was a bonus!
There are many other treasures to be seen at the NRM - the famous Mallard is there, and also the Royal train with carriages from Victoria's era onwards.
This visit took up the whole morning - a fabulous place!

From Roman remains yesterday, to Vikings today! After lunch, we strolled up Coppergate Walk, a very old street in York. Excavations there have revealed the remnants of the Viking settlement of Yorvik (the Viking name for York). A recreation of Coppergate as it was in the time of the Vikings can now be viewed under Coppergate Walk, and we toured it this afternoon. All the street and Viking life scenes have been based on the archeological findings in the area, giving this display a real authenticity.

Back to the Normans......We also wandered up to York Castle today. Clifford's Tower (originally built by William the Conqueror) still stands, and we climbed this, giving us a birds eye view across the city. Clifford's Tower is one of 2 remaining castle towers in the clover shape (the other is in France).

We finished the day with a boat trip down the River Ouse, which runs through York. Not a minute wasted today!!

Friday, May 29, 2009

York via Lincoln

We drove from Norfolk to York over two days, breaking the journey at Lincoln.
We went into Lincoln and had a look around, the main attractions here being the Cathedral and the Castle.In the Castle, we saw one of the remaining copies of the Magna Carta. Of the 41 documents originally made and distributed throughout the country, only 4 remain. We saw 2 in the British Library, 1 here at Lincoln, and will see the 4th at Salisbury. Pretty cool.

On Thursday morning, we drove from Lincoln, crossing the Humber Bridge into Yorkshire. Part of the road on our route to York included a stretch which was once a Roman Road (Ermine Street) - awesome.
York is a very historic city, and still has its ancient city wall. We are staying near one of the gates, called "bars", so we can walk to just about any of the sites that we want to visit. Today we walked around the city centre and explored some of its fascinating streets. Of particular interest was "The Shambles", a medieval street whose buildings lean inwards so that the upper floors almost meet at the top. I've taken some pictures, but I'm finding that my photos of street scenes don't really capture the essence of the places. (I tried some of the London squares also, but they just don't capture it).

Yet another Medieval Catheral - this time York Minster. It must seem that all we've done is look at Cathedrals, but I'm finding that each one is unique, and has its own special feeling. This was true of York Minster also. A special feature here is the remains of a Roman fortress which was built on the site around 71AD. These remains were uncovered during underpinning works at the Minster during the 1960s-70s, and can be seen in the Minster's Undercroft. The remains of an earlier Norman Cathedral can also be seen in the Undercroft; this existed before building of the present Minster was commenced in 1220.
Well worth the visit!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Stately homes and Norwich

We have spent another two days looking around Norfolk. On Monday, we visited two stately homes. The first of these, Blickling Hall, was built in the seventeenth century on the site of a home owned by the Boleyn family. A lovely Jacobean house with some magnificent tapestries and paintings. The ceilings contain some great examples of Jacobean plasterwork, and there is a beautiful oak staircase in the entrance hall.

In the afternoon, we drove across to Holkham, the home of the Earl of Leicester, which is open to the public. In addition to Holkham Hall, there is an agricultural museum and collection of vintage vehicles. I've put a few images of old fire engines on Flickr for my CFA friends!
Holkham was also the site of filming for the movie "The Duchess".

Today began with what I consider heavy rain, although I'm told is was only "a bit damp". We drove to the nearest "Park and ride", which is a terrific system for public transport into large towns. You can leave your car at the Park and ride, and shuttle buses go in and out of the town. Fantastic system!
We spent the day in Norwich, beginning with the Cathedral which is over 900 years old and contains some magnificent medieval artwork. I purchased a photograph permit for the Cathedral, and a selection of the images are on the Flickr feed.
After the Cathedral, we walked across to The Forum, the very modern arts and information centre. This contains the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library - a large and busy library. Naturally, we had a look around! The library is on three levels, and is a very impressive place! The photos really don't do it justice.

Lunch at the former Assembly Rooms was followed by another walk - this time up to Norwich Castle, over 900 years old and one of the oldest remaining Normal Castles in England.

This is our last night in Norfolk, and we will be heading to Lincoln in the morning.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Cambridge and Potter Heigham

We have slowed the pace down over the weekend; we packed so much into our time in London that it has been nice to take things more slowly for a couple of days and "soak up" some of the experiences.

On Saturday morning we went into Cambridge, which is a really lovely place. I wouldn't want to drive around it, however! It was very busy - this weekend is a long weekend for Bank Holiday and there were lots of people around. I was struck by the number of bicycles; it is obviously a popular mode of transport for the locals.
I took a couple of photos of the streets and street scenes, but photos can't do justice to the character of this town.
Kings College Chapel was spectacular, and having watched the Christmas Carols from the Chapel so many times on television, I was really pleased to have the opportunity to see the Chapel. Once again, the ubiquitous Henry VIII has left his stamp on this place! Surprisingly, photographs were allowed (without flash of course), but I am disappointed with the way my photos turned out - Dad's were much better!!
After the Chapel, we walked down to the River Cam and along to The Backs and then back up past the fascinating Mathematical Bridge.
We met up with a cousin and his wife and had a lovely lunch at the University Arms - this was a wonderful retreat from the hustle and bustle of the streets. The room overlooked Parkers Piece

In the afternoon we drove down to Norfolk, where we are spending some time with my Aunt and Uncle. They took us for a drive down to Great Yarmouth and Potter Heigham last night, passing through towns with names which are very familiar from Arthur Ransome's Coot Club and The Big Six.

This morning we went to Ranworth, where we saw Malthouse Broad. The Broads were a hive of activity today, with many people out and about in boats and enjoying the sunshine. We walked up to the historic Church at Ranworth, in which there is a medieval screen which stretches across the Church and was decorated in the 15th Century. The Church also contains an illuminated manuscript songbook (the Ranworth Antiphoner) which dates from the 1440s.

In the afternoon we went to Wroxham - more boats and sunshine, and a walk along the River Bure.

A lovely weekend! More photos to follow.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Duxford

Today we left London, and picking up our hire car, headed out towards Cambridge. We stopped for lunch at Duxford, and visited the Imperial War Museum there.

Highlights had to be the Spitfire and other aircraft in the Battle of Britain hangar. There was also a new display about land warfare from 1914, which is very well set up.

Duxford also contains an aircraft museum, with a huge variety of aircraft - not only military machines. One of the highlights in the history of aviation hangar is the Concorde, and we walked through it. I can't imagine that it would have been very pleasant to travel in; the seats are narrow (the whole aircraft is narrow), and the windows are tiny. Still, I'm glad that I've seen it!

From Duxford it was only a 15 minute drive to Cambridge.

The last days in London

The last two days in London were jam-packed with sight-seeing, meeting relatives and getting a feel for London life and streets......no wonder there was no time for blogging!

Wednesday was just enormous. It began with a ride on the Underground to the Tower of London. Did I mention how impressive the London Underground is? (At least to a Melbourne train user). The trains simply keep on coming; we didn't need to consult timetables in advance. All we had to do is work out which connections we needed, and turn up on the right platform. If we missed a train, the longest we had to wait was about 3 minutes for the next one.

Anyhow, on Wednesday we went to the Tower and walked around the outside to begin with to check out the view - the main one being Tower Bridge - spectacular. I never realised how much colour there was in it, in the trim and suspension. I'm glad to have seen it.
We spent the whole morning at the Tower, and there is a lot to see there. A cousin, whom I haven't seen since I was a baby met us there and joined us in looking around which made it doubly special. The chambers used by Edward I remain and were very interesting, and I was also moved to see Traitors' Gate. When I was a teenager, I read everything I could get my hands on about the Tudors, and in particular Elizabeth I and so to see the gate by which she entered the Tower was something quite special for me.

The display of the Crown Jewels in Jewel House has been recently modernised, and includes video presentations with footage of the Coronation and various ceremonies overlayed with information about various items in the collection. This was very well done.

From the Tower, we all walked across Tower Bridge to the South bank of the Thames. Luckily for us, a sail barge with tall masts came down the river and the Bridge opened for it, and so we got to see this. (Also luckily, it came after we had crossed, and so we got to see it without being delayed by it LOL).

We had a lovely lunch on the south bank and then walked along the river past London Bridge and into Southwark. This was our first opportunity to really experience something of shops and street life.
Southwark has a beautiful cathedral which we visited. It contains a memorial to William Shakespeare who lived in the area, and after Southwark we walked up past the Globe Theatre to get to the Millenium Bridge and across to St Paul's.

St Paul's was beautiful too. My cousin and I climbed the 257 steps to the Whispering Gallery inside the dome, where it is said that if you whisper, it can be heard at the other side of the dome.
In the Crypt of St Pauls are buried many famous people, and we saw the tombs of Nelson, Wellington, Arthur Sullivan, Sir Christopher Wren and many others.

After the Cathederal closed, we had a drink in a nearby bar, then caught buses (double-deckers, naturally) back across London Bridge. Here we got an extra bonus, as we passed the market place in which the Diagon Alley scenes in the Harry Potter movies were filmed!

We met up with my cousin's husband and had dinner on the South bank, watching night fall and the Tower and Bridge light up. A huge day!!!!

The following day, Thursday, was our last in London, and we really made it count. As with the previous day, it began with a rail trip via the Underground. This time to Waterloo and then by National Rail to Hampton Court.

The morning was spent touring Hampton Court Palace - what a beautiful and historic place - especially to someone who has read about the Tudors! The detail in the kitchens (even down to the smells(!) really gives a sense of life in the Middle Ages. However, despite the clear Tudor references, parts of the Palace show very clearly the influences of the William and Mary period, and the work of Christopher Wren.

The gardens are beautiful as well, and as the sun came out for us that day, we probably saw them at just about their best.

Returning to the City by train, we went to Bond St. Station, and came out into Oxford Street. This was another opportunity to look at London shops and experience street life.
Handel's house is in this area, and is open to the public as a museum. This was something special too - to have been in the room where his works were composed! Well worth the visit.

But the day was not over yet! Walking up Oxford and Duke Streets brought us to Manchester Square, in which Hertford House contains the Wallace Collection of eighteenth and nineteenth century paintings. This is a large collection, and almost overwhelming.

This was the last stop for the day; I think that another month in London would not be long enough to see everything.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

A library day

Today we visited Gillingham Library, part of Medway Libraries and a new Spydus site. Mum and Dad came with me for this visit, as they actually met while working at Gillingham Library over 50 years ago!
We went down on the train from London. I must say, I am very impressed with the trains here - the underground is just fabulous. Trains come every couple of minutes and everything just seems to work fine! The National Rail trains were very comfortable and we had a smooth ride down to Gillingham.
I'm not going to say too much about the library visit, as I will be presenting a paper on it at SPUN in October - no spoilers!!

On the way back to London, we changed trains at Dartford, and then stopped at Albany Park to see the house I was born in. There's a photo on my photostream.

When we got back to London, we had some time left and so we went to see the British Library, which is not far from our Hotel. I am so glad that we did; there was a lovely display commemorating children's poetry in the Folio Society Gallery, as well as a selection of "Treasures from the British Library", which included Handel's original score for "The Messiah", the log book from Nelson's Victory, manuscripts from the 11th century and earlier, and much more.

The weather has continued to hold out for us; we had one or two light showers today, but nothing to cause us problems.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

More London

Today we went back to Westminster to look at the Abbey, and what a spectacular sight it is. We spent a couple of hours there. Remarkable to see the tombs of so many famous historical people, from Kings and Queens past through to the wonderful Poets Corner, with its tombs and memorials to great writers past.
In the afternoon, we walked up The Mall to Buckingham Palace and then around to Hyde Park. On the way up the Mall, I saw a "Narnia Lamp" (as in "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" and "The Magician's Nephew". Actually, they are everywhere in London!
From Buckingham Palace, we walked up Constitution Hill to Hyde Park Corner. As expected, we are doing plenty of walking.
Still feeling a little jet lagged, but loving being here. We have been lucky so far with the weather; a few showers, but it has been mainly fine.

Monday, May 18, 2009

The first day

It sure is a long way to England. However, we had an excellent flight, travelling on the Qantas A380. Main problem is the requirement to remove all our possessions from the plane while we were at Singapore airport, and then go back through screening again (gels & liquids etc).

We got in to Heathrow at about 6.45am, and were at the Hotel at about 8am, after my first ride in a London taxi. Great fun; check the Flickr feed, for a photo of Mum and Dad in the back of it.
After settling in at our hotel, we went out for a walk to the British Museum. Clearly when they built this, they were modelling it on the State Library of Victoria (lol). We then got a train to Embankment, and walked along the river to Westminster, taking in a few sights along the way. We will go back that way tomorrow, to look at Westminster Abbey which was not open to tourists today, being a Sunday.

After lunch, we walked up Whitehall and visited the Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum. Fascinating place. Then we walked back up past Downing Street and the Horse Guards to Nelson's Column and caught the train back from Trafalgar Square. We are all very tired now, as we have only had a few hours sleep since Saturday morning AEST, and it is now 6.15pm BST.

Friday, May 15, 2009

The last night.....

The past few days have simply flown by, and here we are, packed and ready to go. From a countdown that was over 365 days at the beginning, there are now less than 17 hours remaining. Packing has been a challenge as always - 20kg creeps up surprisingly fast. If anything has been left out, it's just too bad (and a good excuse for shopping at the other end).

I have been contemplating the weather forecast for London and South-East England for the next few days. I must say, it looks much the same as Melbourne's!! Yes - I have put an umbrella in, and waterproof shoes.

See you on the other side.......

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Gloating over the itinerary

We have a full and carefully planned itinerary for this trip; largely based on my "I want to see....." comments. So much to look forward to! People and places alike; it is all just a great big thrill at the moment. The full itinerary is on Google Docs.

Starting in London, from where we will also visit Gillingham, we will be meeting up with a cousin who I haven't seen since I was a baby. She will also join us for some of our sight-seeing. After London, we will pick up our hire car and start our road trip. We will first be travelling north to Cambridge and then across to Norfolk where we will also visit family (including a cousin I haven't met before).

The next stop will be Lincoln, and then we continue our journey north to York where we will spend a few days before heading to Whitby. After visiting Whitby, we will head across to Cumbria and the Lake District, where I plan to have some fun armed with my copy of Roger Wardale's In search of Swallows & Amazons. There should be a few good walks to be had there.

Leaving the lake district, we will drive south and into Wales. where we will be staying at Devil's Bridge, Aberystwyth and visit some old haunts. After Wales, we go west to Shropshire, (more children's literature! This was the setting for several of the books in Malcolm Saville's Lone Pine series).

We will then head south towards the Cotswolds, to Gloucester and Cheltenham, taking in Stratford on Avon for a spot of Shakespeare. In Gloucester, we will spend some time with some very special friends of my parents - more people that I am looking forward to meeting (who will remember me as a baby!)

Next we go south east to Kent and Maidstone. Plenty to see here too. I'm assured that I can play Poohsticks at Hartfield!! We will also be visiting Canterbury.

A short (by Australian standards) drive from Kent will take us to Sussex (setting for more of Malcolm Saville's books). We will be staying in the historic Mermaid Inn and visiting many of the famous landmarks - Battle Abbey, Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway and others!

Next stop - Hampshire, and some time with family. Some cousins who have visited us here in Australia, but too long ago for me to want to count the years.

And then Heathrow, Tullamarine - home!

Monday, May 4, 2009

"Surreality"

Surreality - is there such a word? Because surreal is the word I find myself most often using when people ask me how I am feeling about this trip. Surreal because suddenly, after 38 years, I am finally going back to England. Although I identify myself without hesitation as an Australian, this trip will be something of a "back to roots" pilgrimage for me.
There are so many places that I want to see. This is reflected in the itinerary, some of which I know looks like a children's literature tour of England (the lake district country of Arthur Ransome and Beatrix Potter; Rye and Shropshire which are described so well in the works of Malcolm Saville; even the Hundred Acre Wood). But I am especially looking forward to the dearly remembered village of Borth in Wales, for which I was so homesick when we left.
Then there will be the visits and meetings with family, some of whom I don't remember (not having seen them since I was a baby), and others who have been to Australia, but a long time ago.
And so it seems surreal to me that in two weeks time we will actually be in London; there is a lot of work still to be done before that time, but it is very close now.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

The final countdown

With two weeks to go, it's time to really start thinking about packing and what to take. I'm assured by all that these last days will fly past!
So what to take? What will the weather be like? And biggest challenge of all.......how much will it all weigh?