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| 25 JUL 2007 at 6:01am |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | I was very impressed with the homes surrounding the cathedral - they were gorgeous examples of Queen Anne as well as medieval and later 18th century. There was a service happening when we arrived so I didn't disturb them. The outside was terrific because nearly all its original saints' statues were in situ (mostly they were destroyed in the religious upheaval of the 16th century by crusading Protestants) but the interior wasn't as impressive as Canterbury cathedral had been.
[img]http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/716/salisburycathedralzb0.jpg[/img]
Stonehenge was much smaller than I had expected it to be. The gawping crowds were managed perfectly and we were impressed with the way they organised the parking. The fact that the crowds are kept well back meant that it was possible to take photos without people in them, which was great. The audio guides too, were informative and held my sons' attention longer than mine. After this we went to Old Sarum which although ruined, still retained an air of the dramatic events it had hosted 800 years earlier.
[img]http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/8981/stonehengegj8.jpg[/img]
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| 25 JUL 2007 at 6:10am |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | Charlcoat Manor. Gorgeous Elizabethan house that once belonged to the magistrate who found W Shakespeare guilty of poaching (before he found his true vocation). An elaborate 17th century water garden out the back was swept away in favour of the parklike surroundings so popular in the mid 18th century. Pity, the paintings of it look lovely. If I could live anywhere - this house would be on the list of contenders. It is simply beautiful. When Elizabeth I came to stay they couldn't get her bed up the stairs so she slept in a downstairs room on the right.
[img]http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/3525/charlecoatmanorql3.jpg[/img]
This is simply one of the hundreds of wonderful old buildings I photographed. You can't see it from this angle but the front wall bulges out like a fat belly, which is what the metal Xs on the front wall are trying to hold in.
[img]http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/3516/oldhousebradfordonavonfj5.jpg[/img]
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| 25 JUL 2007 at 9:49am |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | This place even had wedges fitted onto the door so it would fit the opening. I can't imagine ever sleeping easy in this one. It was in Canterbury or Rye.
[img]http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/8871/slantyhousend4.jpg[/img]
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| 25 JUL 2007 at 11:54am |
colpetSchattenjger
Posts : 1630
Joined: 12 APR 2003
Status : Offline | I was looking forward to your pics. These are wonderful! To be in a place so soaked in history must be lovely.
Occasionally visiting Uru Live (KI 0063722 .&&
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| 25 JUL 2007 at 1:13pm |
Terry PenrodGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 6693
Joined: 16 OCT 2004
Location: US, Texas
Status : Offline | .
Great stuff Caroline but where's Mickey?
Cheers, Terry
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| 25 JUL 2007 at 4:53pm |
TCPrivate Detective
Posts : 688
Joined: 14 NOV 2005
Status : Online | Beautiful, always wanted to visit Bath (dunno why of all places really )
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| 25 JUL 2007 at 6:38pm |
kateSorcerer Apprentice
Posts : 245
Joined: 20 FEB 2007
Status : Online | wow your so lucky, i go tour old plantation around here which some of them too are unreal how detailed and beautiful they are
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| 25 JUL 2007 at 9:50pm |
ValGuild Master
Posts : 3464
Joined: 2 OCT 2002
Location: US
Status : Offline | Excellent but we want more!
We can be heroes, just for one day.
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| 26 JUL 2007 at 12:20am |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | I've looked at pictures of Beaumaris Castle on the island of Anglesey in a book for years and I always wanted to visit it. Driving into Wales was always a nightmare when I was little but they've built better roads since then. Anglesey is full of old burial mounds and iron age stuff that unfortunately we couldn't see because the afternoon turned wet.
[img]http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/7960/beaumariscastle1fv0.jpg[/img]
From outside, the castle looks small but inside you get the idea of how big and detailed it was. The curtain wall (on the left) still has steps up onto the battlements, and the toilets for the troops as well as all the towers and arsenels. After a while even the boys got fed up checking inside every door. This green patch is the outer bailey and the castle proper is on the right. The internal corridors and stairs are largely still intact and we wandered through it all even onto the upper towers where the seagulls were nesting. These are my menfolk pictured here.
[img]http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/9641/beaumariscastle2nv9.jpg[/img]
It was getting late when we arrived at Conwy so we didn't go into the castle. It was huge and certainly looked imposing. These castles were part of the King's defence against the local Welsh people which is why they look military and lack the comfortable residential qualities of other great castles further inland which became palaces with acres of glass windows, etc.
[img]http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/5708/conwycastle1ob7.jpg[/img]
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| 26 JUL 2007 at 12:23am |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | This lady is wearing traditional Welsh clothing. It's labelled as the smallest house in Britain and was right on the quay.
[img]http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/9352/smallestwelshhousenk2.jpg[/img]
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| 26 JUL 2007 at 12:48am |
Terry PenrodGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 6693
Joined: 16 OCT 2004
Location: US, Texas
Status : Offline | .
Especially love the last pic Caroline. That lady is so nicely color-coordinated with her environ.
A question though, is she a member of the White Hat / Red Coat Club as opposed to the famed Red Hat Club?
If not I see a prime candidate for recruitment into the latter organization.
Cheers, Terry
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| 26 JUL 2007 at 7:01am |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | Traditional Welsh costume. No, no one wears it nowadays except for to impress the tourists. Can't imagine why not ....
[img]http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/359/welshfolkoz8.jpg[/img]
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| 26 JUL 2007 at 11:10am |
gailSchattenjger
Posts : 1659
Joined: 19 JAN 2004
Status : Offline | What an awesome vacation, Caroline!
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other screaming, "WOO HOO what a ride!!!
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| 26 JUL 2007 at 12:55pm |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | The following snaps are of Chester - possibly the most beautiful city in England. Originally a Roman encampment, the Tudor era saw the introduction of black and white timbered buildings. Only a few original are remaining but the 19th century buildings were mostly constructed to be in sympathy with them so they have created a city centre that is breath-takingly lovely. The buildings are large and originally were designed with an undercroft and an elevated walkway sheltered from the weather so you now have in effect a double decker shopping precinct. There was a busker with a piano accordian playing lovely music, millions of tourists, and of all things, a street market made up primarily of Dutch products and Dutch traders. I bought two blue and white delftware coasters from them as well as a blue and white bell. I had to laugh. I travelled all the way to Chester to buy Dutch souvenirs.
[img]http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/8711/chesterbw1911ef3.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/6347/chesterstreetrh0.jpg[/img]
The upper shopping walkway is clearly defined by the white balustrading.
[img]http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/8510/chesterstreet2va4.jpg[/img]
And this little gem. It's true that the really old stuff is always plain and ugly. And yes, it really does say 1274 AD.
[img]http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/3192/chester1247jc7.jpg[/img]
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| 26 JUL 2007 at 7:38pm |
anthonyJourneyman
Posts : 1270
Joined: 11 JUN 2003
Status : Offline | Great photos Caroline, but I think you've mixed them up. That's not a women in the traditional Welsh costume, that's Mark in his protective gear getting ready for the flume ride.
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| 26 JUL 2007 at 8:56pm |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | Splash Mountain. Whatever possessed me? My kids kept winding me up calling back to close my eyes now, etc, etc. When the big drop finally came I was as curled up as possible with my hands welded to the handles. I have no idea how I didn't fall out. Thank goodness it was all over quickly. My husband feels equally scared on these things so I have no idea how our boys and Mark can be so calm, even letting go and squealing with delight..... [smiley=shaking_head.gif]
This is more my style. The teacups. And this one doesn't even move!
[img]http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/7417/familyinateacuplc0.jpg[/img]
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| 26 JUL 2007 at 9:06pm |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | I was trying to do this in some sort of order but, what the heck...?
Here is one of my favourite castles. Arundel Castle in Sussex. It has the most scrumptious library I have ever seen, totally exquisite. How I would love to be a house guest for a week. My son too, was bowled over by how the 'other half' lives.
[img]http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/372/arundelcastleuh3.jpg[/img]
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| 26 JUL 2007 at 9:41pm |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | Here is another favourite - Warwick Castle, home of John of Gaunt, known to history as the Kingmaker for his political power. We had a great day here exploring. They had rooms set up with mannequins to look like real life characters including the Prince of Wales at the turn of the century. It was like watching stills from a TV show, rather a lot of fun to see these 'people' who attended a real life weekend house party there. We also did a ghost tour which was a scream. Here is is seen from a bridge across the River Avon. Funny story about that. When the Romans invaded Britain they asked the defeated locals what the name of the river was. The locals, not understanding the nuances of Latin replied 'Avon', which in their language meant river. So the Romans happily labelled four separate rivers Avon before catching on.....
[img]http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/848/warwickcastlecropip5.jpg[/img]
This is the moat (which is of course the river. This fellow is actually using a scythe to cut the underwater grass. Sort of aqua lawnmowing if you like.
[img]http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/946/warwickcastlemoatgz6.jpg[/img]
This was one of the rooms with the mannequins. It was very well done with gorgeous dresses and you could tell from the photos who was who as they were very life-like.
[img]http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/6825/warwickcastlemodelsof4.jpg[/img]
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| 27 JUL 2007 at 3:52am |
JoGuild Master
Posts : 3313
Joined: 3 NOV 2002
Location: AU, Qld.
Status : Offline | This was one of the rooms with the mannequins. It was very well done with gorgeous dresses and you could tell from the photos who was who as they were very life-like.
You're definitely the one with the dark hair reading the letter Caroline. [smiley=angel_smiley.gif]
Really beautiful pics - as always. oes the UK seem to have changed much from what you remember when you lived there?
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| 27 JUL 2007 at 7:48am |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | Changed..?? You're joking, right? The place is unrecognisable.
Not only has the entire population gone out and bought a car since we left and parked it on the street, but half of Europe was visiting that month as well. No parking spaces, bumper to bumper traffic, jams that stretched for miles.... Every 15 minutes the local radio station would cut in with 'traffic news', even when we were playing a CD, they would interrupt to tell us where the bottlenecks were, what was flowing freely, etc. Invaluable service.
Our first week was spent visiting London from a village in Surrey. There were village greens and men in cricket whites and it was all just so English. The winding country lanes were far too narrow for the amount of traffic that had to sqeeze into the hedgerows - which incidentally were so tall they completely obscured any view of the surrounding countryside. It was like driving down a green tunnel. We spent the first 3 days commenting on how green it all was. Lime green. The sort of green you get when you have plenty of rain.
There aren't enough public toilets. In Chester I asked two separate people and both said 'use MacDonalds'. And that was repeated around the country. Even supermarkets had toilets inside them which blew me away frankly. And there were no rubbish bins at train stations (to avoid bombs) so you had to search high and low for somewhere to put your litter.
The English don't do road signs very well, especially at round-a-bouts. We saw a bit more of the country than we intended as it often took us two attempts to find the right exit. And some places were only signposted from one direction which created difficulties. Castle Combe was like Brigadoon. After we'd left we helped 4 other motorists who had likewise missed the unmarked lane to it. A shop keeper told me she argues every year with the local council for more signage but the residents want to keep the tourists away. Understandable really. Bloody foreigners.
Our hometown of Liverpool was a sad disappointment. Everything looked old and decaying and neglected. We have no desire to return at all. We spent our 5 days there visiting old relatives and friends and going on day trips into Wales.
All the old cities we visited, York, Cambridge, Canterbury, Chester have solved the problem of narrow streets and too many cars by simply banning cars. You have to park (and that is no longer free) and walk in.
What was sad though was how everyone we met, friends and strangers all made the same comment:
'I'll bet you've noticed a lot of changes - and not for the better either.'
We had a lot of trouble finding pubs that would serve the children. In Oz most pubs serve food but in England they had this strange rule that kids could not be served after 7pm. What on earth happens at 7pm that doesn't happen at 6.30? We often felt like lepers being turned away because we had two kids in tow.
I also found the fresh fruit and veg to be vastly inferior to what I find at my local shops. It was mostly pre-packaged and shipped in from odd places like Poland and even further afield. I'm so used to most of my food coming from my own state and looking so tempting and fresh.
And I was aghast at the rise of the microwave meal. Marks & Sparks seemed to sell nothing but pre-cooked meals, chilled and cling wrapped for re-heating at home. It seemed for all the world like people were buying left-overs. Doesn't anyone cook from fresh anymore?
I found the same strange concept in America too. There was a huge mound of pre-cooked shrink-wrapped potatoes. The label said just microwave to re-heat. Brilliant. Whatever is wrong with putting a fresh un-cooked potato in the microwave and eating it? No wrapping and you know how fresh it is. No one is so busy that they need to buy a pre-cooked baked potato. [smiley=crazy.gif]
The weather of course was typical English summer - wet. A little too wet now though as half of the middle bit is under water.
I must say though that our accommodation was excellent all the way and our English cooked breakfasts were exactly the start to the day that we needed. The meal sizes were sane - unlike in America where not only was everything twice the size it needed to be, but we barely recognised a quarter of the menu items. There were things I missed. You can't by a hot rotisserie chicken anywhere. The chicken shops simply don't exist but we did find wonderful bakeries in most places to get lunch from and we usually had cakes as well, so we never went hungry.
My children discovered the delights of the sweet shop and were astonished at how many sweets they could buy for small change and I really liked the interior decorating shops that had so much more variety of styles than I find here.
We never turned on a TV while we were there as we were out until dark most nights (around 10pm). We were never bored or at a loss for something to do and we all sank wearily into bed at night. Every day was a great day.
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| 27 JUL 2007 at 8:00pm |
AndromusGuild Master
Posts : 5536
Joined: 6 NOV 2002
Status : Offline | Wow, great vacation! Spanning the globe, as it were. I imagine you felt like sleeping for a week when you got home, but it looks to have been well worth it.
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| 28 JUL 2007 at 12:37am |
HelenGuild Master
Posts : 3436
Joined: 12 OCT 2002
Location: US
Status : Offline | Great pics Caroline! Im SO jealous. I would love to take a long trip like that. Sounds like you and your family had a wonderful time.
Keep em comin.
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| 28 JUL 2007 at 1:39am |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | I'm shrinking these photos down as much as I can but I'm starting to worry about making the thread slow to load. :-/
This is Edinburgh, the Royal Mile. We found all the touristy shops here and I bought my mother a gorgeous soft woollen cardigan (as she requested). Let's face it, this is what Edinburgh is famous for - the woollen mills. Most of Edinburgh is the same colour - grey. The streets are canyon-like because the buildings on both sides are uniformly 5, 6 or 7 stories high. This took us by surprise - we live in a low-rise city and I found this height truly amazing. Everyone lives in appartments with no gardens. And what limited street parking there is all seems to be resident permit only. Talk about difficult.....
On the plus side, they have an excellent public transport system that runs 24/7. We were there over a weekend (couldn't find a laundrette that was open >) but I can tell you, it's a sight to behold a gaggle of brawny Scotsmen out for a stag party all dressed up as ugly women with pink fur trimmed stetsons.... my sons couldn't stop laughing.
[img]http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/9453/edinburghroyalmileem8.jpg[/img]
This is the scenery we expect of the Highlands but this shot was of a lake behind Arthur's Seat. It's a big chunk of mountain slap bang in the middle of the city which wicked locals suggest to foolish tourists they need to climb. (See Lucien - I did try) As usual, the clouds came down again so we stopped half way up the Craggs and had a picnic at this lakeside.
[img]http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/2686/edinburgharthursseatlakqk8.jpg[/img]
And this was the view. Edinburgh castle is the lump in the middle.
[img]http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/5345/edinburghfromthecraggsjm5.jpg[/img]
And this was a busker on the Royal Mile who had the most amazing amount of facial piercings. I'd like to see her go through the scanner at the airport....
[img]http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/8731/edinburghpiercingsladytm2.jpg[/img]
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| 28 JUL 2007 at 3:19am |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | York was gorgeous. The old city is walled and cars are banned but we were staying very close so walking in was easy. Once inside however, my head was on a swivel...'oh look at that, look at this, isn't that cute....' In the end I simply had to stop taking pictures and admit defeat... I can't photograph the entire British Isles. The black and white buildings jostled with older plastered houses and everywhere there were hanging baskets, crooked windows, sloping floors, tiny doors, low ceilings and millions of tourists....
This is The Shambles. It comes from an older word meaning butchers' tables and was the meat street. Back in medieval times all the fishmongers would be together, all the shoemakers together, etc, not all jumbled up like nowadays. So this street would have stank to high heaven. Records show that the butchers were often prosecuted for not disposing of their rubbish properly (ie in the dump out of town) but would often just wash things away in the gutter. Back then the gutter ran in the middle of the street, not besides the pavements like now. You can see how as families prospered they would extend their homes upwards and outwards. Don't you just love the wobbly results? Like the crazy house in the fair grounds.
[img]http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/8176/yorktheshambles1xw0.jpg[/img]
This was the most amazing china shop. It is obviously more than 400 years old. Inside it was a collection of low ceilinged rooms with wood panelling and beams and lots of china cabinets. I don't know what I gawped at more - the expensive china or the building itself. I did enquire about the price of two Meissen figurines only to be told they were £2500 each. Yikes! That's some serious money for an ornament.
[img]http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/7337/yorkchinashopos8.jpg[/img]
The river Ouse had just broken its banks in the city while we were there (South Yorkshire was already being flooded) but that was the closest we came. York was surprisingly large and the streets just went on and on in their higgledy-piggledy way, crammed with tea rooms and interesting windows. We made it into the Jorvik Viking Centre which was very interesting but we didn't get to the York Eye which is a smaller version of the London Eye, neither did we get to the other museums that York is famous for.
This shop reminded me of the old movie The Time Machine. Anyone remember how he watched the fashions change in the shop window as time sped forward?
[img]http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/1105/yorkdressshopbc8.jpg[/img]
One thing I didn't photograph (because it was late and rainy) was the Grand Old Opera House. I'm not kidding it was the strangest thing. We were sitting in the window of an Italian cafe wondering what people were queueing for over the road. It appeared to be a row of tatty shops suffering the usual subsidence of age. There was a double door door and a sandwich board on the pavement and that was it, no other visible signs of anything special except the sign Grand Old Opera House - no fancy plasterwork, nothing. They were putting on Les Miserables - somewhere deep inside the building behind its disguise of ordinariness.
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