Archive for the ‘United Kingdom’ Category

Remembrance Day 2012: Edinburgh Castle

Posted in Edinburgh, Scotland, Travel, United Kingdom, tagged , , , , , , on Sunday, 11 November, 2012| 2 Comments »

In Flanders Field the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below. 
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
 
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
 
by John McCrae, May 1915
 
Today is “Remembrance Day” in the UK and it commemorates the sacrifices of members of the armed forces.  In the states, we call it Veterans Day.  In November 1918, Moina Michael, an American, was inspired by the “In Flanders Field” poem to wear and distribute poppies in honor of  fallen soldiers.  During the month of November, poppies are worn by men and women throughout the UK.  In Scotland, this weekend, we noticed the poppy was a little different (had four petals rather than two) but the sentiment was the same.  I even saw a dog with a poppy on his collar.  Internationally the poppy is becoming more popular but not so much in the US.  I would love to see it make a comeback.  The poppies are sold and the money raised is used for soldier projects. 
 
We were at the Edinburgh Castle and participated in the two minutes of silence at the  11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, which is the anniversary of  the ending of the First World War in 1918 between the Allies  and Germany.  It was very moving even if a few of the other tourists there didn’t realize the significance of the ceremony. 
 
It started with a lone bag piper walking through the castle courtyard
 
Then there was a gun salute at the beginning and the end of the two minutes of silence. During my 2 minutes of reflections, I thought of all the brave men and women who willingly put their lives in danger to protect our freedoms.  I’m so thankful to all the veterans, past and present.  Especially my husband, my dad, my uncle, my brother, my cousin, my friends…

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Edinburgh Getaway Weekend

Posted in Edinburgh, Scotland, Travel, Travels, United Kingdom, tagged , , , on Saturday, 10 November, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I’m so thrilled to finally be in Scotland! I’ve wanted to visit here for many years and hope this will be the first of many visits.  We ‘re in the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh for a couple of days and next spring, we’d like to head further north and enjoy the Highlands.

We took the 2pm train out of the Big Smoke (I’ve recently learned this is a nickname for London).  The 4.5 hour ride was quite entertaining. As you can imagine, Friday afternoons are busy with commuters getting out of the city.  It was an oversold train and not enough seats for everyone.  Thankfully, we were able to get a seat.  Although the trains have some seats reserved, no one really pays attention to it and it caused a bit of a ruckus in the train car we were in.  But once everyone had a beer from the bar-car, things settled down until the Newcastle Soccer fans began singing their team song.  If you saw “Eurotrip” and remember the scene with the Manchester United fans, you’ll know what I mean.  John was going to say he was a member of the “Newcastle Fan Club of Ohio”  And even more entertaining was listening to some of the Brits discuss the US Election results.  The GOP definitely needs to work on their PR overseas.

Once we arrived (and after dropping off our luggage), we went directly into Old Town to walk around and get a bite to eat.  Edinburgh is a beautiful city and especially pretty at night with the lights shining.  Old Town in Edinburgh refers to medieval times and the Edinburgh New Town refers to the 18th Century time period.  Being from the United States, “Old Town” usually refers to the 18th century time frame while here it’s recent history.  Such a difference in historic perspective.

As of 1995, both of Edinburgh’s Old Town and New Town are on the World Heritage Site.

John and Logan in Old Town

We woke up to crystal clear blue skies and decided to take a bus tour of the city and a walking tour of Old Town to get an overall sense of Edinburgh. We could see the castle from many angles but won’t actually tour it until tomorrow.  The castle is very impressive from below.  No wonder no one has ever been able to conquer the castle.

Castle from below

Old Town looking toward Grassmarket

Logan on the Old Town Tour

We came across a wedding party coming out of the St Giles Cathedral while we were on the walking tour.  I was completely distracted since I’m a drawn to weddings.  I love the idea of couples just starting off on the lives together.  Tried not to be a creeper but took a photo of them anyway

Scottish Bride and Groom on their wedding bus

This statue is a “Tribute from Men and Women of Scottish Blood and Sympathies in the United States of America to Scotland”

Although Scotland is part of the United Kingdom, they have their own designs on their money (it doesn’t have the Queen who is on the money in England).

Robert Burns lived in Edinburgh.

Robert Burns is a favorite Scotsman who wrote “Auld Lang Syne” which everyone sings on New Year’s Eve and last year was our first “Burns Night Supper”  (and we’ve already got an invitation to the upcoming Burns Night Supper in Jan).

We didn’t have time today to visit The White Hart which is the oldest pub in Edinburgh (dating back to 1516 and where Robert Burns frequented). Maybe tomorrow…

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Guy Fawkes Day (Bonfire Night)

Posted in London, United Kingdom, tagged , , , , , on Monday, 5 November, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Remember, Remember The Fifth of November

The Gunpowder, Treason and Plot

I know of No Reason Why the Gunpowder Treason

Should Ever Be Forgot

Today is Guy Fawkes Day, also known as Bonfire Night. It celebrates the thwarting of the “Gunpowder Plot” which was an attempt to blow up King James I and the House of Lords in 1605.  To learn more about the plot, John and I went on the London Walks: Gunpowder, Treason and Plot: On the Trail of Guy Fawkes.

We got a large dose of history regarding the animosity between the Catholics and the Protestants. Our tour guide, Hilary gave us a balanced overview of the circumstances leading up to the plot. After listening what the Catholics were subjected to, it’s not surprising such a plot was hatched (supposedly in a pub over a beer). 

I did walk away thanking God for living in a country where I’m free to attend whichever religious service I prefer ~ or not attending any services should I choose not to.  Back in the late 1500s and early 1600s, not attending a protestant service resulted in a large fine (which could easily bankrupt a person). Sadly, when the Catholics were in power, you were burned at the stake if you didn’t go to mass.

I learned a lot and was glad I braved the cold and rain to partake in this once a year tour. Here are a few of the photos from the tour:

Cromwell Statue in front of House of Parliament

Westminster Abbey entrance

Horse Guards

Angel on Westminster Abbey

John along the walk

Angel

Westminster Abbey Courtyard

St James Park

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UK Daytrip #1: Cambridge

Posted in Travels, United Kingdom, tagged , , , on Saturday, 13 October, 2012| 2 Comments »

We ventured out of the city today and into the beautiful UK countryside.  We purchased a Family Rail discount card for £28 and the roundtrip tickets for the three of us to Cambridge cost £29.

The train ride was about 45 minutes and we arrived at 10 am to a chilly but, thankfully, sunny day in Cambridge.  We decided to catch the “hop on, hop off” tour bus so we could get an overview of the town. Cambridge has long and interesting history and here’s what I know:

  • Population ~ approximately 120K
  • It’s on the Cam River
  • The Romans came through and took over in 40AD
  • The first college was Peterhouse, which was founded in 1284. There are now 31 colleges which make up the University of Cambridge
  • The first Women’s colleges were founded in the late 1800’s but degrees weren’t awarded to women until 1948.
  • There are still 3 all-female colleges, but no all-male colleges.
  • Some famous alumnus: Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking, Crick & Watson who discovered the structure of DNA, Lord Byron, and so on.  Ah, to be in the shadows of geniuses
  • “Punting” refers to the flat-bottomed boats that are pushed along with a pole

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre (also known as the Round Church) was built in 1130 and is one of only 4 round churches still in existence in the UK.

The Cambridge American Cemetery is situated on 30.5 acres donated by the University of Cambridge.  There are 3,812 remains of American service members from WWII who are buried in the cemetery.

Here are some photos from our bus tour:

  

We ended our day with a tour of Kings College Chapel which is AMAZING!  Henry VI began the building of the Chapel in 1446 but it wasn’t finished until the time of Henry VIII.  There are 26 gorgeous stained glass windows:

and the ceiling:

Here’s where an entrance way has been worn over the 400 + years:

Outside at Kings College:

And once again, we’ve gone somewhere with so much more to see and do.  We’ll have to plan a return trip to Cambridge when the weather is warm and we can go punting!

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Flashback Friday: London 2003

Posted in Flashback Fridays, London, Travel, Travels, United Kingdom, tagged , , on Friday, 30 June, 2006| Leave a Comment »

Visiting London was a great way to spend the 4th of July weekend! We were experiencing the hottest and driest European summer in years so my memories of London will be one of hot and dry rather then the stereotypical cold, foggy and wet.

We crammed in as much sightseeing as we could in 3 days and with a 5 year old in tow. The highlights for me were:

* The Tower of London ~ the Beefeater tour guide, a former British Army soldier, was cheeky as could be and well worth the price of the tour.

* Boat Ride on the River Thames ~ again, a hilarious narration of the city’s history. I love British humor.

* The London Eye ~ it took the first half of the ride for me to stop hyperventilating, but then I enjoyed the fabulous views of London and wanted to go again.

* Trip to Greenwich ~ as in Greenwich Mean Time.

* “Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang” ~ a play in the West End, fun for young and old alike.

* Hyde Park ~ FG was fascinated with water fountains at this time and loved the ones all over the city. This photo of FG is in Hyde Park:

We took the Tube everywhere we traveled and the only time I felt unsafe was our attempt to find a Lonely Planet recommended vegetarian restaurant in Notting Hill. As we left the Tube station, and ventured toward the address, the neighborhood got more than a little sketchy. Once we finally got to the door, we found it boarded up. Good thing we are early eaters and it was still light out. Lesson learned: we ALWAYS call a restaurant when going by a travel guide book, regardless of how new the book is.

Hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July weekend!

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