Across the River Wye

Some folks have been asking about the food. I admit, that has not been my focus. I'm not a foodie. If it's there and doesn't have raw onions, I'll pretty much eat it and when it comes to dinner, I let my daughters decide.

Besides, the food of the world is everywhere. Last year I ate at a Mexican restaurant after visiting a sacred temple in Thailand and I had Domino's Pizza in India. Of course every British town has its McDonalds and KFC and Starbucks. This town of Hereford has more Fish & Chips shops per square mile than anyplace on earth, so last night we had Mediterranean.

English Breakfasts are pretty standard and hearty. Bacon and eggs! The staff is always "popping into the back for bacon" for us. Their bacon, we'd call Canadian bacon, I suppose. The salt content rivals that of Great Salt Lake. It's all good. We also always are offered Baked Beans. For some reason, I can't look a plate of baked beans in the eye until after 12:45,,,so I can't comment on its flavor. I'm not certain if I am allowed to mention the names of "Bangers and Mash" and "Fish and Finger Pie" in a blog which children might read. But the British are always ordering them or asking us to order them, though I suspect its a joke....like Scouts telling novices they are going "Snipe Hunting" or folks in Montana telling City Slickers about "Jackalopes."

"SIr, would you like a nice order of Banger & Mash with that Finger Pie??"

(Muffled laughter from the kitichen over the Americans who are about to order Bangers and Mash.)

The first beer I was offered in London was a Bud Lite.

Here in Hereford I told the bartender to give me a good British Lager on tap.

"Oh sir, I am sorry...we only serve German beer on tap!"

I am trying to bolster the British Beer Industry but they seem to be controlled by foreign companies. But in short...I enjoy the B & B food and the ease of ordering anything in about any city and town. Anthony Bourdaine I am not.

If Hollywood or the British equivalent were to make a movie about a kindly about-to-retire-beloved English Prep School Professor and his quiet English Prep School.....this is where they would film.

Even in the rain, this town has charm for four towns. We walked around in the rain and enjoyed it for an hour or more. Every turn was another charming picture.

But, the Cathedral brought us here. The original church was dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin in 687 AD but there was a wooden structure before that. Like nearly all of these Cathedrals, they were built in phases and so for a few hundred years they are say, Norman in architecture but then they build on and use, say, Gothic. Those with a trained eye can spot it all. I'd put it this way: if the Cathedral is 100% complete today...maybe 50% was Norman and 50% Gothic and a few other % is modern, adding a modern toilet and administrative offices or display section. Don't hold me to those percentages for Hereford Cathedral, but Cathedrals in general are all about additions over the centuries.

I doubt if any started in say, the 9th Century and they had a set plan for its completion. It's great fun to read of all the additions and disasters which make up a Cathedrals history.

Hereford Cathedral

I am no expert but I can tell when Cathedrals are beyond belief in size and that was York and Liverpool's Cathedrals earlier in the week. Both of those felt like you had entered a dream in which you are but a tiny figure in a gargantuan world. Hereford is a very big cathedral, make no mistake about it...just look at the nave above. But it is somewhat smaller than the other two (and Canterbury). I wouldn't want to be in charge of its Buildings and Grounds Committee though, it takes about $7000 per day to operate. 

Look at the Norman arches in the photos above (I hope I have labeled that correctly) you will note that they do not soar to the fatherst reaches of the ceiling, as do those in Lincoln and York. But, I would vote Hereford "Best Cathedral Flooring." A real treat for the eye.

But it is in the Nave, Choir, Chapel symmetry of all cathedrals with dozens of smaller chapels along the sides dedicated to saints and benefactors. This also had more Dead Knights per square foot compared to other Cathedrals. 

I love this place, the lighting is dramatic and a benefactor has paid for installation of an entire electrical upgrade so the Electrical Union Hall is quite pleased and so is the Cathedral.

This cathedral houses the famous Mapa Mundi ... which is from the 13th Century and is a representation of the most informed men in England at the time it was created and yet it was "based partly on hearsay, rumours and the exaggerations of drunken seafarers." And they have the Chained Library (books in chains...which rather sounds like a Vincent Price horror film). For some reason, one could not photograph the chained library books. I mean, who is going to steal them...they are  chained to the wall! Nobody reads books anymore any way...especially Latin. But the Mapa Mundi and Library are great treasures and beautifully displayed, though like "jackalopes" you'll just have to take my word for it.

We have gone for over 24 hours without boarding the wrong train and ending up on an Express Train to London, so we are feeling quite please with ourselves. But, not quite confident enough to order Baked Beans for breakfast.

Peace, Bob

Hearts Torn in Every Way

The old gentleman kindly informed us that we were  in the que for the 10 minute ferry across the Mersey River and that the 50 minute ferry would give us a great view of the whole city.

I told him "Thanks, but we're on a mission here to ferry across the Mersey only."

He told us, "When I was a kid, it cost 2 Tuppance to cross the Mersey."

"What do you remember about WWII" I asked, "You were too young to serve I am sure."

"They were bombing everything and I was a younster and Mum sent me to safety in Wales but she missed me and I returned." He replied. "We went to bomb shelters all the time. Me Dad was in the First War. He was a runner."

"From what I've read about the Great War, that was a pretty wise thing to do," I responded.

"No, he delivered messages by running them to units at the front."

"That sounds dangerous" I said.

"It was!'

"Did he survive the war?" I asked, probing world history and family matters.

"Wouldn't be here if he hadn't" he said with no sense of irony.

Liverpool and the Mersey River. It's been in my brain for 50 years since the Pacemakers sang about it. For some reason I am semi-obsessed with visiting the geographic sites of popular songs.

My quest this morning before we leave Liverpool is to take a ferry across the Mersey River. 

 It's quite simple to do and any time I can get on water for a look at the city or countryside, I am there.

I'll leave the psychologists to analyze what this reveals about me personally.

I just know I enjoy the journey and have to do it.

(Thanks! Gerry Marsden!)

Peace Bob

It's in My Ears and in My Eyes

The day began simply enough with a charming walk along the river in York. There was light rain but it was warm and besides American students jogging in the rain and locals hurrying to work along the walkways, it was a remarkedly unremarkable day.

Our plan was to walk the river, then walk the Shambles which is loaded with shops and tea & coffee places. Most of the retail was still closed so we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

There was a final walk along the river and a cab to the train station where we had plenty of time to catch the train to Liverpool. It left from Platform #3 at 11:15. We cued up. We waited. And at 11:06 the train arrived on platform three and we hopped on with our bags. Secured them and headed for our seats...which were occupied.

But, I learned one thing or two......

This country is either smaller than I realized or the trains of England are faster than I realized. 
I think it's a combination of both.

What happened next is actually, totally England's fault and it's because they run their trains on time. What kind of way is that to run a railroad? In America we figure if we come within a three hour block of time....we're good. 

England schedules trains to different cities on the same track but at different times. It's like they know what they're doing when it comes to this train stuff. Plus, when they schedule trains tightly on the same track, they assume that folks will know what train they are getting on before they board. 

As for us...we assume that an overhead announcement or signage would announce what train it was that was entering the station. But we were wrong, hence people were in our seats because this was the Non- Stop Express train to London and not the train to Liverpool. By the time the occupants in "our" seats informed us...and we rushed to the train doors....the train was swiftly moving out of the station.

So it's clearly the fault of the National Rail System in England that we boarded the wrong train. And here is where my two revelations about England come in:

The country is a bit smaller than America, so a quick trip from York to London and then to Liverpool sounds epic but I suppose is the equivalent to Cleveland to Columbus to Detroit.

Second, these trains move!....they close the doors and travel quickly and efficiently.

We reached London in record time. The conductor and several very helpful Brits assured us that we were not the first nor would we be the last to catch the wrong train and he gave us a computerized ticket for what we wanted to take when we re-connected in London and what station to go to. And assured us that we would be in Liverpool by 4:15 instead of our original 2 pm. It seemed do-able.

An hour later the conductor came up the aisle and sat leaned over and said,

"So are you still going to Liverpool from London?"

"Yes, we are going to do it!" I energetically said.

"ATTA BOY!" and he slapped me on the shoulder and moved on.

I felt like the star football player in the big game who had his bell rung and had to sit out a quarter and then the coach comes over and asks if I'm ready to go back in and I say, "Send me in coach!" and he says, "Atta Boy!" and slaps me on the back as I rush into the game amidst the roar of the crowd.

London, Kings Cross Station. As we walk down the station some fellow from the train who obviously knew of our self-imposed re-routing came up to me and said, "So you are taking the Tube from Kings Cross to Euston Station?" I told him that seemed to be our plan but he suggested just staying on the street and walking five blocks rather than going down to the Tube and going just one stop and re-emeging at Euston Station. 

What's with these Brits? They operate a great Railway System and then help Yanks when they go the wrong way.

So we took his advice. It worked. The Liverpool train was a straighrt shoot. We arrived in a rather grand, though a bit gray big city. Sort of felt like Cleveland and our hotel was supposedly near the City Center ("Centre"....if you want the British spelling) The Info booth was closed. I went out on the street and looked around for a bit...nothing.....and so I asked a local woman who didn't know but was so helpful that she asked some guy who looked like a stevedore walking past. He too was local and neiither had heard of this new hotel and they were both trying to be so helpful that I thought the woman was going to phone The Lord Mayor and solicit his help.

I returned to the train station and found the Virgin Trains booking place (By the way....thanks Richard Branson....your Virgin Train design totally rocks!). The agent was baffled by our hotel name and after several Google searches and a phone call or two she located it. It was so new that locals didn't know of it but Travelocity did and that is how I booked it and how I got a great introductory rate which will be triple whenever people actually know it's in the city. 

But here is the reason, I wanted to come to Liverpool. My cathedral tours brought me to York and that is close to Liverpool and I figured it was time to visit another shrine, so no matter that I went back to London to go to Liver[ool. I had arrived. No cathedrals. Just my own sacred journey: A long and winding road, if I may put it one way.

We had arrived.

Our guide was convinced that Eleanor Rigby from the song was from this graveyard next to the church where John and Paul first met.

One of Paul's boyhood homes (now a part of the National Trust. Ringo's was in a gutted neighborhood.)

The church where John met Paul and things progressed from that day. And our driver's insistance that we tag his business.

We all have our sacred journies in this life. 

And we all have our other sacred journies.

Peace,  Bob

"It's Somewhere Around Here, I'm Sure"

Our B&B in Lincoln was quite nice, quite old too. We told the owner that it was wonderful and asked if he had to do all the rehabbing of it. He said he purchased it and then had the entire buidling rehabbed for the B&B. They did great work.

He asked where we were from and we told him the States.

I told him that we can barely comprehend such historic things as the local Lincoln Cathedral which is 1000 years old. 

"In America, we permit cars that are older than 25 years to carry Historical Plates." I told him.

He said that when they were rehabbing his B&B they found a newspaper telling about Napoleon and the contractor said, "That's not so interesting" and threw it away. 

We told him that in the Staes, we'd put it in the Smithsonian.

There is fierce competition for "The Most.....(fill in the blank) Cathedral."

One is the "Largest Cathedral in Northern Europe."

Another is the "Tallest Cathedral North of the Thames." 

One is "The Only Cathedral a Block from the M22 Motorway."

And the competition is quite fierce in other areas of distinction. I am pleased to inform you that I was able to go to a "Loo of the Year 5 Star Award Winner" I am not making this up. It's destiny after the winter I've had.

I noticed that the award was bestowed upon it by the contractor of the Hand Driers in the loo....but no matter. It's 5 Star.

There is a street in Barcelona that claims to be The Most Exciting Sreet in Europe. Las Ramblas. Thats rather subjective. 

But Lincoln claims to have something like voted: "The Best Street in Europe." 

And York boasts the "Most Visited Street in Europe" which is called The Shambles."

We were in the Lincoln Cathedral and it announces that it has one of only four original Magna Carta's signed by King the King. Apparently a long ago former Archbishop led the charge for that historic document. On display is a "Facsimile" of the Magna Carta. I asked someone where the original was kept in the cathedral and was told...."I'm not sure where that is."

One could understand being blase about a newspaper on Napoleon of a document from Churchhill but...the Magna Carta?! These Brits have got a lot of history to deal with and their perspective on "historical" beats any perspective we have.

I often show the Gladden Chapel at our church to prospective wedding couples and I say..."The Gladden is nearly 140 years old!"

They "Ooo" and "Ahhh."

It was only built i 1877, but, at leat we haven't misplaced it.

7

Peace, Bob

One by God, One by a Worker and One by a Methodist

We were eating lunch the other day and the waitress looked at my daughters and said,

"You must be from America! Your teeth are so white!"

"It's the chloride." said Laura,

(I think she meant Flouride, which really doesn't have anything to do with whiteness...but it does make a father proud to know that an entire nation admires his daughters' dental hygiene or at least one waitress in Olde Lincoln does.) 

Later that same day I was standing admiring the Cathedral and a woman walked past me on the street and pointed at me and said, "American!" and she and her husband kept on walking.

York

York too, has this amazing Cathedral...all these cities do...which is why I came. What I didn't know is that York is the land of the midnight sun. I think we're north of the Artic Cirlce. It gets light really early here in York. But, the better to see things like this.

York has it going on, plus in the fictional TV series "Downton Abbey" they are always running up to York for important things which the Landed Gentry required in 1914....so it's natural that I would want to make York a destination. 

It seems that York has had this struggle with Canterbury for centuries...as to which is more important. Canterbury is the seat of the Anglican Church but years ago York was still angling to be the seat and lost out and is now second most important but it has some complex church-lingo title which makes it seem just as important as Canterbury, but really isn't. In any case, this is the largest Cathedral in Northern Europe. I thought that odd, since the Brits I knew didn't admit to being part of Europe, I guess unless you can one-up those on the Continent.

Look at this place. It is magnificent. Like so many of these cathedrals, they started as Norman architecture and over the years, Gothic took hold as they added this wing and that wing. Lots of upgrades. Lots of statues of kings.

And talk about attention to detail. Look at this ceiling. Stunning.

How many people have the neck strength to really look at the detail, but that is exactly what they wanted to do...dazzle the people and glorify God. 

I was standing in the South Transept, which is merely a way to demonstrate that I am totally in command of my Cathedral jargon...I was in the south wing of the church. And I looked on the floor and there was a marble slab commemorating and thanking the Queen, in 1988 for Re-dedicating the Re-furbished South Transept after its devasting fire.

I looked at the marble floor, and the marble arches which reached to the heavens and the marble ceiling and thought to myself, "what is there around here that could possibly burn?" So I asked a guide seated nearby.

She miled and said that I asked a good question. It seems the ceiling does indeed have stone, and marble arches but between it is wood which is plastered over for effect. Hence, a lightning strike can set the roof on fire. And it did and it burned and was repaired and the Queen stopped by (on her way to Downton Abbey no doubt) and Re-dedicated the Cathedral or at least the roof. I don't know if the Queen has ever re-dedicated anything in Canterbury and if not, I am sure that York will never let Canterbury forget it either.

(There is wood underneath the plastered ceiling)

Besides and act of God, the other fwo fires are blamed on A. A workman who a few hundred years ago forgot to douse a candle at the end of the day while working on the roof (thereby ensuring himself of even more work, unless the culprit was caught.) And B.  A Methodist was blamed for the third devastating fire. 

(Here is another thing about Cathedrals which last for a thousand years, their history records and celebrates the great disasters, every cathedral I have been in has historical timelines noting the disasters of the place.)

It seems the Methodist was a disgruntled ex-Church of Englad fellow who argued with the clergy a lot. The priests thought him a nuisance, but harmless and they would just nod and show him to the door after Evensong. But one night he hid behind a statue and was locked in and went to the choir where all the Prayer Books and Hymnals for the Anglican Church are kept for worship. He put them in a pile and started a fire which burnt the choir section (which always has the most wood furniture and wooden decorations in these cathedrals). The ne'er-do-well was captured and thrown into Bethlehem Hospital in London, which was for the insane (hence the term "Bedlam"...a corruption of the pronunciation of Bethlehem.)

The Choir

You can't trust those Methodists.

York Minster as it is known, since it is a missionary church, like all these old cathedrals is under constant repair. Scaffolding all over inside and out...and that is good. Where York excells is in their displays explaining the repairs. York appears to have hired George Lucas to design the displays and video presentations about the work undertaken. They are well done and educational. I also noted that some big-time benefactors have stepped forward. Cathedarls are fascinating for the dedication plaques scattered about the chapels, walls, floors, burial sites within the cathedrals. One woman started talking to me about her great great grandfather (I think she liked my white teeth) who was an Archbishop in the late 1800's and we stood there at at his burial site in the Nave. She was thrilled to have arrived and she had many questions about great great grandpa. I pointed out the knowledgeable guild who told me of the fires. "Just ask her about your Great Grandfather the Archbishop, she's a wonderful historian." (And I hoped to God, that her great grandfather wasn't in any way connect with the Methodists during his lifetime.)

Pay some extra money and you can walk to the roof. All the Cathedrals are aware of this extra revenue stream and its a great one. We bought the tickets and climbed the stairs....

Across the roof to the Central tower. The steps are there for the workers to use.

And, these steps are not for the faint of heart or weak of knee or if you have vertigo or if you are rational...but otherwise....it is a journey to undertake and when you reach the top. For another 3 pounds (note: another revenue stream for the cathedral) you can purchase a Red and Gold Lapel pin which reads "York Minster...I Made it to the Top".) I like it!

About fifty years ago it occurred to someone that the Cathedral was having some foundational problems and they got some good structural engineers to survey the foundations and it seems the place was about to fall over because of time and age and weight. They went about a progam to secure the entire foundation of the cathedral and while down there digging around discoverd the Roman buildings on which the cathedral was built. They got lots of artifacts, built a great huge display under the cathedral and now you can walk in the Undercroft, (which means you are under the croft: this lingo-thing: it's a gift) of the cathedral. And it does what it is most important to do for such old cathedrals...supplies another revenue stream.

I have been to the croft and to the Central Tower. I also kept it quiet that my mother grew up Methodist.

Peace,  Bob

Olde Lincoln

This town is endlessly cute...at least the olde town is. Take a look........

Not sure what inspired this carving below, on the outside of the Cathedral, but you can look and offer a guess.

(Have a nice day)

It's got the Cathedral and the Olde Town and a 2000 year old Roman Wall. And tons of shops. But towering over it all is that Cathedral.

Peace,  Bob

 

His Middle Name was "The"

"There's big Festival in town, so be sure to make dinner reservations someplace for this evening!" said our hotel manager.

So we go down the street for lunch and we comment to the waiter that "this must be an exciting time for the town, what with the Festival and all!"

"What Festival? I have't heard of any festival!" said the waiter.

We got on the train bound for Edenborough. Apparently every Scotsman and Scotswoman had the same idea.

I had ridden the train the other day and never made a reservation and just hopped on in London, found a seat and road to Canterbury and back the next day. So it never occurred to me that reservations were needed. We road the first hour in the standing room at the end of the car and then when we changed trains for a second train we asked about reservations. "You can only make them up to the night before your trip." 

That was information I could have used a 24 hours before.

So, now we have the system worked out. At least until the next complication is tossed at us. But, I will hand it to the British, they are ever so polite with the most devestating news.

Lincoln Cathedral

Does that look like a good reason to come to this rather delightful English town? This church was built around 1000 to 1100 and then then they added this part and that part and then one tower collapsed and years later the roof burned to the ground and then another portion was ruined by an earthquake and then another spire was sheared off in a storm.

But they stayed with it and for good reason. Even when this was built a thousand years ago, this village and a thousand years of recorded history before that! My daughter commented, 

"Why would you put this grand cathedral in the middle of nowhere?"

And the reason is that 2000 years ago the Romans had an outpost here. You can even see portions of some 2000 year old walls in the parks (and inside one of the retail stores!) I don't suppose London was such a force 2000 years ago and then a thousand years later around the years of 1000 AD William the Conqueror, living up to his name (or perhaps he bestowed it on himself) decided that he had a castle here and now he would build a grand cathedral here to show that God was here also.

 After his Conquering Program, William went about a Cathedral building program. He seems to have succeded and the results are more than spectacular. It took a huge workforce and skilled laborers who worked from sunrise to sunset and I dont imagine that there was too much labor strife when your boss is known as "William the Conqueror." It is estimated that about 8 million dollars per year was spent on it. Once again, I would suppose the fund raising was a bit easier when the Fund Raising Chairman is named "William the Conqueror."

The grandeur of this place is beyond belief and considering that it was made so long ago and at such a great price in human skill, lives and money, boggles the mind. And people can walk all around this town and be immersed in ancient ruins and the evidence of grand structures which have lasted. But, alas, this place is in need of lots of and constant repair. Indeed, they have scaffolding up all over the place for restoration, but it seems to me that the needs for repair may overwhelm the ability of a town and church to keep up with that repair.

It had some wonderful touches which I rather liked,

This modern statue in one chapel.

The restoration of the grand Bishops window (to the tune of five million pouds or dollars, no matter, one window is going to be really expensive to repair.) Here is but one of the stained glass circles in this massive complex window.

Adam digging and Eve spinning. Not sure of the significance of that, unless it points out the roles of men and women. I used a telephoto lense to get this shot way, way up in the far reaches of the church. And speaking of the far reaches of the church, here is a picture of the famous (they keep telling me its famous) Lincoln Imp.

He's perched up in the superstructure of the cathedral and for some reason the achritects added a bit of whimsy to it all...though once again, if my construction boss had a last name of "The Conqueror" I don't know if I would point out the whimsy which was carved in the upper reaces of the cathedral. I noted that some fellow was walking the grounds wearing a football (soccer) jersey, or was it rugby?.....anyway the team name was the Lincoln Imps.

Give and "I" give me an "M" give me a "P" and "S"!! Go Imps!!!!

Before we leave town, I am going back to see the place again. It is a wonderful structure with overtones of sadness for its massive deterioration. But, the town will continue to scrample to maintain its upkeep. There is a great spirit here and I suppose that is the same Spirit which has brought Christians through the darkest of times.

I lit a candle for Lincoln Cathedral and for you.

Peace, Bob