Whirlwind Tour(s)

A large share of the job of the Nottingham Program directors in the summer is scouting the field trips on which they will take their students in the year ahead. We had already done a scouting trip to London. We were assisted on this second trip by our friends, the Mohling's, who came over to England after we had traveled with them on holiday in Ireland. As a Luther College graduate, Al was deputized as an alumni scout (though as an accountant, he made sure we kept all expenses separate!). It was a great way to mix business with pleasure.

Al drove their rental car in Ireland, but in England it was Mark's turn to drive. Our first excursion was two days to the southwest. We headed first to Avebury and Stonehenge. Both are prehistoric stone circles, but Stonehenge is more famous. The big tour buses usually don't stop at Avebury, so one can still walk right up to the stones. The only caveat is to watch your step, as the sheep still graze in this pasture and don't clean up after themselves very well.


From Stonehenge it's a quick trip to Salisbury and its marvelous cathedral. The Medieval cathedral builders were wise enough (or cash-strapped enough) to leave some statue pedestals vacant for images of saints who might come later. The folks at Salisbury recently commissioned a sculptor to create images of common, everyday people to fill some of these spots as a testament to the priesthood of all believers. We decided that this one, on the west exterior, must be a Lutheran, since he is holding a cup of coffee.


We arrived in Bath in time for a quick dinner and the free evening walking tour. After spending the night there, we came back to the city center for the tour of the excavated Roman baths from which the city takes its name. The excavations and the tour are far more extensive than we recalled from our visit there ten years ago. It's a fascinating glimpse of Britain's Roman past.

In the afternoon we made the short drive to Wells to yet another grand cathedral. Wells is a small town of only about 9,000 people (roughly the size of Decorah), but in the Middle Ages it was the hub of the region and bigger than Bath or Bristol nearby. It's a reminder of how few were the number of people who dedicated their lives for several generations to produce these cathedrals.


On to Glastonbury, where the grand cathedral is a ruin. The folks there made the mistake of defying Henry VIII when he dissolved the abbeys in the 1500s, so Henry (between wives?) had the place destroyed. The ruins remain awe-inspiring.

Glastonbury is also a center for all manner of "New Age" spirituality. It was a sacred spot for pre-historic people, as well as for the ancient druids, because of the unusual Tor, a high natural hill overlooking the city. Yes, we climbed it. One can see for miles!


It is supposedly the place to which Joseph of Arimathea came in the first century to bring Christianity and the Holy Grail. It is also supposedly the site of King Arthur's round table and everything associated with that legend. The "Goddess Conference" was taking place while we were there. There are a great many shops selling various crystals, incense, organic herbs, etc., and a great many strange-looking people to match. We followed the advice of the Rick Steves tour guidebook to "see it and get out." Home to Nottingham.


But still full of energy, we got up the next morning to drive in the opposite direction to York. We had forgotten how much there is to see and do in this ancient walled city that has long been recognized as the "Capital of the North." This is another great place to see how the history of Britain, beginning with the Romans, the Angles and Saxons, the Normans, and the moderns have all built upon what had gone before. And once again, that history is centered on a great cathedral. We couldn't do it all in a day, and I think we shall have to go back.

Hibernia

We just spent six days in Ireland traveling with our friends, the Mohling's from Cedar Falls. We were in Dublin for a couple of days and then drove in the countryside around Galway and the west coast. Even though we had seen all of the pictures of "green" Ireland, we couldn't believe how many shades of green are in their trees and foliage. Even the fields are like checkerboards of various shades of green.

The weather was cold (highs in the mid 50s F), rainy, and windy. We wore a sweatshirt and a jacket the whole time. The Romans named the island "Hibernia," meaning "endless winter." I think they got it about right. But Ireland is an easy county to visit, probably because they speak English, but also because they are also warm and friendly people.

Cindy & Mary freezing at a scenic overlook

We were also impressed with the food in Ireland. Good seafood, bread, sandwiches, breakfasts, and Mark loved the Guinness. By the way, the Guinness tour in Dublin is over rated and basically a tourist trap. All of the other tours there (Trinity College library and the Book of Kells, Dublin Castle, the National Museum, and the Kilmainham Gaol Museum) were great.

Mohlings are in Ireland by themselves for a few days and then will come to Nottingham to visit. We are excited to have our first visitors. We are also relieved that our carpet and toilet were replaced before they arrived. With the new additions, our house is feeling cozy, comfortable, and more like home.

Castles and Caves

Today we got away from all of the household chores (the new carpet and vinyl are REALLY nice!) and took the bus downtown to check out Nottingham Castle and do the Cave Tour. It was an enjoyable day.

There's actually not much castle left here (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nottingham_Castle for all the details), but a nice museum and an opportunity to tour the tunnels ("caves") that have been dug through the sandstone foundations over the centuries. The cave tour was definitely worth the time -- lots of good historical detail and some fun stories. The historical museum was ok, too. The art museum a bit of a yawn. Most of the site is geared for kids.

Early evening we went to choral evensong at the big downtown Anglican church. Quite a building! It dates from the 1300s. And quite the music! A small choir of only eight voices, but obviously all professionals, and an excellent organist, as well. Unfortunately, fewer than 20 people in the congregation to hear it. I know my Dad will want all the particulars on the organ: http://www.nottinghamchurches.org/music/theorgans/stmarysorgan/

We're starting to get comfortable enough finding our way around town that we can do things like this. The mass transit here is wonderful if you know how to use it.

Home Improvement

Our little cottage is quite cozy, even though it is furnished in a style some might call "early marriage" or "thrift shop antique." It's actually half of a duplex. On the main floor it has a living room and dining room plus a small kitchen. The kitchen was redone a year or so ago. There is no dishwasher or garbage disposal, which we miss. The refrigerator is VERY small -- it fits under the counter top, sort of the size of a dishwasher in the US. There's a washing machine in the kitchen, next to the frig, under the cupboard, and also rather small by US standards, but adequate. The dryer and a large chest freezer (plus paint, tools, etc.) are in a shed behind the house, so one has to go outside to get food to/from the freezer or to dry clothes. But the wiring is such that the washer and dryer can't be used at the same time, so laundry gets spaced out anyway.

Upstairs, there is a tiny office, two fairly good sized bedrooms, a full bathroom (tub, no shower), plus a separate little room with a shower stall only. There is no basement, so storage is very limited (the shed, two closets). Clothing goes in three, old fashioned wardrobes (as in, The Lion, The Witch, and The...) which don't hold much, but how many suitcases can we bring? So for the two of us, it's quite nice.

One glaring problem was the carpet -- at least 25 years old in the two rooms with "newer" carpet (we found a 1986 newspaper under it), and God only knows how old in the several rooms with "older" carpet. There was also "older" carpet in the bathroom, which had gotten wet and developed a rather strong odor. I petitioned Luther College for funds for vinyl floor in the bath, and for replacement of at least the "older" carpet. Our request was granted for replacing all of the carpet in the house, if we could do it cheap. The installers come tomorrow.

Mary and I volunteered to rip up and remove the old carpet, which results in a significant savings. But ever notice how one do-it-yourself project leads to another? The toilet (source of the water that soaked the carpet) had issues and needed to be replaced before the new vinyl: Call plumber. Some places had been painted since the old carpet installation: Touch ups needed. Steps and floorboards squeaking: Use electric drill to set wood screws. Electric drill puts wood screw through water pipe: Call plumber on Sunday evening. That's how our day is going. We only hope the plumber gets here before the carpet installers tomorrow (and that our luck improves).

The Big Red L

In the UK, L is for Learner. A car with a big red L is supposed to indicate a student driver. Driver's education cars are covered with them! Six in back, four in front, one on each side. My predecessor suggested I get a couple magnetic L signs, one for the front and one for the back of the car. It was only £1 for the pair, so I did -- a warning to others that this car may do something stupid at any moment.
I learned this week that it was technically illegal to have big red L signs on my car, especially when driving alone. They are only supposed to be for someone on a learner's permit with an instructor or parent beside them. I was also told that no police officer in Britain would have given me a ticket for having the signs as soon as I opened my mouth and they heard my accent. They understand that an American driving in Britain is learning -- learning to do everything the opposite. Right is left, left is right.

I was beginning to feel as if it would be time to remove them anyway. I'm really doing pretty well. Nervous (white knuckle nervous), sometimes lost, but generally OK. British drivers no longer have any warning.

London

We celebrated Independence Day this year by hanging out in the capital city of the mother country. There were no fireworks, but we had a great time. We were not alone. London is a city of 10 million inhabitants, plus (at this time of year) another 10 million tourists.

A round trip train ticket to London cost us about $85 apiece (our students will be able to do it cheaper, and there may be discount fares we haven't discovered yet). Given the price of gas here (about $8.35 per gallon at the moment), the fee to drive within the City of London ($16 per day), the high cost of parking (up to $50 per day), and the general hassle of traffic (priceless), we consider it a bargain. The trip takes anywhere between an hour and a half to three hours, depending on the number of stops.

We left early Sunday morning, arriving at St. Pancras station (you've seen it in the Harry Potter films) by 10 a.m. We topped off our "Oyster Cards" for unlimited use of London mass transit at a cost of a little over $10 per person per day and took "The Tube" subway to St. Paul's Cathedral, arriving in plenty of time to get excellent seats for the 11 a.m. "orchestral Eucharist" featuring St Paul's Cathedral Choir & Boy's Choir, and City of London Sinfonia, performing Mozart's Missa solemnis in C (K. 337). It was a wonderful performance/worship service.

The afternoon (and the whole of the next day) was spent scouting museums and other locations for the trip back we'll make with our students in the fall. Even though we've visited London a few times before, it's good to refresh the mental picture. New to us was the British Library, a building just opened in 1997. Highlights were Codex Sinaiticus (the oldest complete copy of the Christian Bible in existence) and G.F. Handel's original manuscript of Messiah (messy handwriting). We also had to check prices and make some bookings for the group.

We had wanted to go to a play in the evening, but most of the West End theaters are dark on a Sunday. We also waited until two days before our trip to make reservations -- not exactly planning ahead. With a bit of online sleuthing we discovered an all Bach concert. We didn't recognize any of the groups or individuals and didn't know a thing about the hall itself, so our expectations were low. It is called Wigmore Hall, and appears to be a venue rented out to various groups who need a place to perform. As it turned out, the acoustics were amazing! Plus, the group we heard was obviously made up of professional musicians who were even more amazing. They played on period instruments and we have never heard Bach's orchestral suites and Brandenburg Concertos played better. We were so tired, but never even nodded off during the concert. Our only complaint was not enough leg room in the seats and no ventilation in the balcony, which is probably typical in Great Britain.