... Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig
8:00 am (2:00 am Central Time) - Our airport cab was a few minutes early and we headed to Heathrow -- no glitches whatever. Heathrow is one busy place! Thanks again to Doris, Mom and Dad Rowland's neighbor, for suggesting wheelchair assistance. I simply could not have done it without that. A major bonus is that at every stop, being in a wheelchair gets you through the checkpoints -- security, passports, whatever -- quickly and easily. Very little waiting in line. At Heathrow, the gates are closed to waiting passengers until they open them shortly before boarding. So, there are large passenger lounge areas surrounded by shops. We had a cup of Starbucks while waiting and I did a little shopping for last-minute necessities. Our London departure was a little delayed and the return flight is longer than the flight coming to the UK -- I suppose because the return was more distant, at a higher latitude. We flew over southern Greenland and could look down on miles of mountain peaks jutting up through snow and ice as far as the eye could see -- plus frozen lakes, etc. Frigidly beautiful.
It was a long journey, with more stops than our flight to the UK. We were in transit for 22 hours, then had a two hour drive home. We were absolutely exhausted and none of our checked bags made it from O'Hare. They finally located them today (Saturday) and we will get them Monday.
Thanks for keeping up with our journey. Hopefully it has been as enjoyable to read and look at as it has been for us to share it with you
Will update diary later today.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Day 11 - December 6 - London
8:30 am - We left the hotel and stopped by the Murco offices to leave the scales I borrowed to check weight daily. We walked next door to the train station and train for London arrived at 9:30. It took about 25 minutes to ride to the King's Cross station in London where we changed to the Tube (subway) to go to downtown London. On the train and in the station, we were obviously puzzled several times and kind souls -- perhaps angels in disguise -- helped us get pointed in the right direction. We made it to Charing Cross station near Trafalgar Square before 11:00. Charing Cross reminds us of a poem by English poet Francis Thompson, (probably best known for his poem The Hound of Heaven) that is often quoted by Ravi Zacharias. It is called The Kingdom of God.
We stopped at a McDonalds for coffee, free restrooms and to get our bearings. Finally, after having to regroup several times (partly due to bewildering unfamiliarity with the streets and an illegible map) we found the tour bus office about noon. Given the time of day and the short time we had until we had to get back to King's Cross station (we had arranged with John's English cousins to meet there for get-acquainted dinner), the tour manager suggested we pick one stop on the tour to get off and take a long look at. We chose to do that at the Tower of London. At last, after all our time in the UK, we got to look up-close at a castle and we probably couldn't have had a better one to see. John took lots of pictures.
My favorite things were the those which Joseph and I studied in homeschool. I could identify the arrow loops, the moat (which is now drained and has a skating rink), the portcullis and so on. We had a non-guided tour rather than one led by a yeoman in uniform (you can see some of them in one of the pictures) but it was fascinating and wonderful. Of course, my favorite thing to see were the displays about the crown jewels. They had crowns that had been worn by several monarchs through the centuries.
There was a lot of climbing -- the towers that were built at various places along the wall used circular stairways a lot -- so were unable to take it ALL in but we saw a lot of it, much dating back to the 12th century. We were well worn by what we did get to see. Then we had a long wait for the tour bus to come and take us back to Trafalgar Square, where we again went to Charing Cross and took the Tube back to King's Cross to meet the cousins. None of us knew each other by sight, so we held up a ROWLAND sign and Ian Whyte, one of Keith Whyte's sons spotted us and connected us up with the rest. So our dinner party consisted of John and I, Keith and his wife Joan and two sons, Ian and Chris plus Keith's sister Marian.
We walked about 10 minutes to a pub, but they were not going to be serving dinner until later than we could wait, so Ian went back to the main street and found the Acorn House restaurant, came and got us and we all walked over there. We had a wonderful meal together. Keith's son Ian works in IT consulting and his son Chris works for the City of London and has recently become the personal assistant to the Lord Mayor of London. He brought us some booklets about the Lord Mayor and about the Lord Mayor's home, which is somewhat of a landmark. I had a good talk with Marian about her interests, her volunteer work and family. When we finished and had taken some pictures, they all escorted us back to the train platform and stayed with us until our train came and we left the station for St Albans.
On the ride back to St Albans we were standing (this train was crowded -- standing room only) next to a woman who struck up a conversation with us. She was quite an interesting person -- a London police detective on the murder squad for about 30 years. She is an Agatha Christie fan like myself and has been to the US skiing at various places. We exchanged email addresses and she is going to look for some hard to find Agatha Christie short stories and get them for me. We got back to the St Albans station about 9:00 pm and took a cab back to the hotel. After we had a night cap of hot cocoa and hot Horlicks malt drink, we finalized our packing and fell into bed.
See pictures here
We stopped at a McDonalds for coffee, free restrooms and to get our bearings. Finally, after having to regroup several times (partly due to bewildering unfamiliarity with the streets and an illegible map) we found the tour bus office about noon. Given the time of day and the short time we had until we had to get back to King's Cross station (we had arranged with John's English cousins to meet there for get-acquainted dinner), the tour manager suggested we pick one stop on the tour to get off and take a long look at. We chose to do that at the Tower of London. At last, after all our time in the UK, we got to look up-close at a castle and we probably couldn't have had a better one to see. John took lots of pictures.
My favorite things were the those which Joseph and I studied in homeschool. I could identify the arrow loops, the moat (which is now drained and has a skating rink), the portcullis and so on. We had a non-guided tour rather than one led by a yeoman in uniform (you can see some of them in one of the pictures) but it was fascinating and wonderful. Of course, my favorite thing to see were the displays about the crown jewels. They had crowns that had been worn by several monarchs through the centuries.
There was a lot of climbing -- the towers that were built at various places along the wall used circular stairways a lot -- so were unable to take it ALL in but we saw a lot of it, much dating back to the 12th century. We were well worn by what we did get to see. Then we had a long wait for the tour bus to come and take us back to Trafalgar Square, where we again went to Charing Cross and took the Tube back to King's Cross to meet the cousins. None of us knew each other by sight, so we held up a ROWLAND sign and Ian Whyte, one of Keith Whyte's sons spotted us and connected us up with the rest. So our dinner party consisted of John and I, Keith and his wife Joan and two sons, Ian and Chris plus Keith's sister Marian.
We walked about 10 minutes to a pub, but they were not going to be serving dinner until later than we could wait, so Ian went back to the main street and found the Acorn House restaurant, came and got us and we all walked over there. We had a wonderful meal together. Keith's son Ian works in IT consulting and his son Chris works for the City of London and has recently become the personal assistant to the Lord Mayor of London. He brought us some booklets about the Lord Mayor and about the Lord Mayor's home, which is somewhat of a landmark. I had a good talk with Marian about her interests, her volunteer work and family. When we finished and had taken some pictures, they all escorted us back to the train platform and stayed with us until our train came and we left the station for St Albans.
On the ride back to St Albans we were standing (this train was crowded -- standing room only) next to a woman who struck up a conversation with us. She was quite an interesting person -- a London police detective on the murder squad for about 30 years. She is an Agatha Christie fan like myself and has been to the US skiing at various places. We exchanged email addresses and she is going to look for some hard to find Agatha Christie short stories and get them for me. We got back to the St Albans station about 9:00 pm and took a cab back to the hotel. After we had a night cap of hot cocoa and hot Horlicks malt drink, we finalized our packing and fell into bed.
See pictures here
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Day 10 - December 5 - St Albans
John worked at Murco again today, then we spent several hours this afternoon at the St Albans street market. We have mentioned the Maltings several times. It is an open air mall that is sort of a shopping village within a city block. John took a couple of pictures of one end of it. I also took John over to the Cathedral and he was as fascinated as I had been the first time through. We walked over to French Row -- a very old street next to the Clock tower. John took several pictures of the street market, things in the Cathedral and some old buildings in French Row.
Besides adding pictures today, I have started labeling some of those already taken. We will not be updating the diary for several days due to travel. Check back on Sunday.
Click here for pictures
Besides adding pictures today, I have started labeling some of those already taken. We will not be updating the diary for several days due to travel. Check back on Sunday.
Click here for pictures
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Day 9 - December 4 - St Albans
Back to work in St Albans today. John and I had our English breakfast together and he left for work. I went shopping later in the morning and we met for lunch. Back at the hotel this afternoon, I met Hada in the hall and she welcomed me warmly, got a blanket for me and gave me extra sugar and cookies for my tea time. She wrote her name so I could identify the picture I took of her. She is very pleasant and hardworking. She works part time days and is studying early childhood education at night. She is from Morocco and speaks (besides English) French and Spanish. She says, "Hola, como estas!" She hugged me and told me that "she loves my name and think it is pretty and you are pretty." I told her she made our visit enjoyable and thanked her for the special attention.
I met John at the Maltings at for supper and we walked to a place called the White Lion for dinner. Yes, Joseph, those are really, really big shrimp. Then back to the hotel to begin start planning for our trip home.
See pictures here
I met John at the Maltings at for supper and we walked to a place called the White Lion for dinner. Yes, Joseph, those are really, really big shrimp. Then back to the hotel to begin start planning for our trip home.
See pictures here
Monday, December 3, 2007
Day 8 - December 3 - Wolfscastle to St Albans
John and the guys ate breakfast early and left to tie things up at the refinery. After bathing I took a few more pictures and packed. We left Wolfscastle about noon and headed for St Albans.
We are pooped after the trip but here are some more pictures inside and outside of Wolfscastle, sunrise and also, a picture from the London Times of a wave crashing against a lighthouse in south Wales yesterday. As suspected, we had 70 mph winds on Sunday. At least two people got washed into the water and drowned not far from the seashore pictures we took.
See pictures here
We are pooped after the trip but here are some more pictures inside and outside of Wolfscastle, sunrise and also, a picture from the London Times of a wave crashing against a lighthouse in south Wales yesterday. As suspected, we had 70 mph winds on Sunday. At least two people got washed into the water and drowned not far from the seashore pictures we took.
See pictures here
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Day 7 - December 2 - St Davids and Newgate
8:30 am - After a good night's rest, John and I breakfasted, then came to the the room to remember the Lord in breaking bread together -- it is good to remember the One who gave us himself as the best gift we could ever receive -- to be called his sheep, his children, his friends. Then we went to the lounge in the lobby to read the paper.
12:30 pm - The British call half past the hour -- as in this case -- "half-twelve". We left for St Davids to see the cathedral in the smallest city in Wales. Umar assumed correctly that it would be much easier to navigate the cathedral with a stroller than to attempt a castle. The wind was just unbelievable. On the way over to St David's we saw gnarly trees, old structures, sheep on the hills, etc. You have to get a camera permit to take pictures inside the cathedral, so most of the pictures taken there are outdoor shots. In the cathedral's treasure room, there was a timeline around the perimeter of the room up by the ceiling. St David is believed to have founded the monastery there in the 6th century AD. Here is what their publication says, "The Cathedral, begun in 1181, is at least the fourth church to have been build on a site reputed to be that on which St David himself founded a monastic settlement in the 6th century." There were crypts inside dating back as far as that. The cathedral had a magnificent pipe organ with a wall of bass pipes that were rectangular wood about 10 x 12 inches and about 10 feet tall. We also silver utensils -- chalices, flagon, plates, etc., the ornamental cloak worn by the bishop for Queen Victoria's coronation.
There was a cafe called the Refectory across a courtyard from the main sanctuary building. We had a delicious lunch there -- John and I each had quiche. He had roasted new potatoes and I had a salad, carrots and a mixture of lentils, rice, onions, tomatoes and celery.
Outside the Cathedral is an old cemetery and on the way to and from the car, there are ruins of old church buildings visible. John got pictures of those.
Next, we took the road from St Davids straight (winding-straight-narrow like Wingfield Lake Road only narrower) west to the shore near Ramsey Island. We got out of the car at the end of that road at a place called St Justinian. We "walked" along the narrow footpath at the top of the rocks and "stood" to take some pictures. I say "walked" and "stood" because we were in about 70 mph winds. It seemed at times it would pick us up and blow us inland. I fell over once and lost my shoe and thought it would fly away before I could get it back on. John and Umar helped me get to a safe place to stand while they got some pictures. We barely could walk down the path -- believe me, it is hard to describe how windy, cold and invigorating that climb was. We truly had to have hind's feet.
From there we drove back to St Davids and then over to Newgale. (John joked that we had already experienced one gale, now were going to a "new" gale). Newgale village has a beach and a seawall. It is often used by surfers -- but obviously is too cold for that now. John, Umar, Ruth and Chris walked along the seawall, but I use the word "walked" again loosely. John has some pictures of Chris and Ruth leaning against the wind. It reminds me of the newscasters who report live when hurricanes are passing over.
On the way back to Haverforwest, we went by two castles, but we were not up close to them. After we got back to Wolfscastle, we had a pot of coffee and came up to rest.
See pictures here
12:30 pm - The British call half past the hour -- as in this case -- "half-twelve". We left for St Davids to see the cathedral in the smallest city in Wales. Umar assumed correctly that it would be much easier to navigate the cathedral with a stroller than to attempt a castle. The wind was just unbelievable. On the way over to St David's we saw gnarly trees, old structures, sheep on the hills, etc. You have to get a camera permit to take pictures inside the cathedral, so most of the pictures taken there are outdoor shots. In the cathedral's treasure room, there was a timeline around the perimeter of the room up by the ceiling. St David is believed to have founded the monastery there in the 6th century AD. Here is what their publication says, "The Cathedral, begun in 1181, is at least the fourth church to have been build on a site reputed to be that on which St David himself founded a monastic settlement in the 6th century." There were crypts inside dating back as far as that. The cathedral had a magnificent pipe organ with a wall of bass pipes that were rectangular wood about 10 x 12 inches and about 10 feet tall. We also silver utensils -- chalices, flagon, plates, etc., the ornamental cloak worn by the bishop for Queen Victoria's coronation.
There was a cafe called the Refectory across a courtyard from the main sanctuary building. We had a delicious lunch there -- John and I each had quiche. He had roasted new potatoes and I had a salad, carrots and a mixture of lentils, rice, onions, tomatoes and celery.
Outside the Cathedral is an old cemetery and on the way to and from the car, there are ruins of old church buildings visible. John got pictures of those.
Next, we took the road from St Davids straight (winding-straight-narrow like Wingfield Lake Road only narrower) west to the shore near Ramsey Island. We got out of the car at the end of that road at a place called St Justinian. We "walked" along the narrow footpath at the top of the rocks and "stood" to take some pictures. I say "walked" and "stood" because we were in about 70 mph winds. It seemed at times it would pick us up and blow us inland. I fell over once and lost my shoe and thought it would fly away before I could get it back on. John and Umar helped me get to a safe place to stand while they got some pictures. We barely could walk down the path -- believe me, it is hard to describe how windy, cold and invigorating that climb was. We truly had to have hind's feet.
From there we drove back to St Davids and then over to Newgale. (John joked that we had already experienced one gale, now were going to a "new" gale). Newgale village has a beach and a seawall. It is often used by surfers -- but obviously is too cold for that now. John, Umar, Ruth and Chris walked along the seawall, but I use the word "walked" again loosely. John has some pictures of Chris and Ruth leaning against the wind. It reminds me of the newscasters who report live when hurricanes are passing over.
On the way back to Haverforwest, we went by two castles, but we were not up close to them. After we got back to Wolfscastle, we had a pot of coffee and came up to rest.
See pictures here
Day 6 - December 1 - Wolfscastle and Milford Haven
9:00 am - We had breakfast here at Wolfscastle. Then John went to work and I bathed and straightened up.
11:00 am - I went downstairs to have a "quiet time" while the ladies cleaned the room. Of course, it's hard to have "quiet" when there is so much bustling with people coming and going. It is dark outside and chilly inside because they have a window open.
2:00 pm - The beauty here is so fascinating. If only I could capture it and take it home. It truly takes your breath away. I am in my element now -- in our room with a pot of Earl Grey tea and scenery that is unbelievable just a peek out the window. John is at work and I am basking in the creation of the God who calls me his child and let me enjoy this gift. The paintings in the room are phenomenal. If Alvin could see them he would want to paint them all. By the way, I had lunch alone in the bar and forgot to leave a tip. The waitress had been very helpful with trying to accomodate my low sodium diet, I went back and gave her a tip and apologized for my rudeness, "my husband usually takes care of things like that, so..."
All afternoon it was too windy and rainy to venture outside. I had a pleasant afternoon reading. I was going to cross-stitch but my needle is in one of our bags back at St Albans.
5:30 pm - John and I went down to the bar for cup of coffee until time to meet everyone to go out to dinner.
6:30 pm - We all went into Haverfordwest and found an Indian restaurant -- had delicious food that we don't find much of in the US. We had shish kabobs and some type of crispy bread with dipping sauces as a starter and I had a main course called Kumra which was a dish made with mutton, yogurt, cream and spices served with seasoned rice and flatbread. John had a mixed grill (sort of an Indian stir fry) of chicken, lamb and shrimp with salad, seasoned rice and flatbread. Zara cried a lot so the Bajwa's left ahead of us, then after Chis paid the bill we hiked up a steep hill to the car -- puff, puff, puff!
The streets are all narrow and winding and as we zip around hairpin turns we "hang on for our lives."
8:30 pm - Came back to the hotel and had coffee in the bar. We found out that the bartender is from near Tyler, Texas. He had noticed we were Americans and came over to talk to us. This far from home, we met "neighbors." We settled in for the night and John spent some time preparing to update the online diary and read The Times to unwind before bed.
See pictures here
11:00 am - I went downstairs to have a "quiet time" while the ladies cleaned the room. Of course, it's hard to have "quiet" when there is so much bustling with people coming and going. It is dark outside and chilly inside because they have a window open.
2:00 pm - The beauty here is so fascinating. If only I could capture it and take it home. It truly takes your breath away. I am in my element now -- in our room with a pot of Earl Grey tea and scenery that is unbelievable just a peek out the window. John is at work and I am basking in the creation of the God who calls me his child and let me enjoy this gift. The paintings in the room are phenomenal. If Alvin could see them he would want to paint them all. By the way, I had lunch alone in the bar and forgot to leave a tip. The waitress had been very helpful with trying to accomodate my low sodium diet, I went back and gave her a tip and apologized for my rudeness, "my husband usually takes care of things like that, so..."
All afternoon it was too windy and rainy to venture outside. I had a pleasant afternoon reading. I was going to cross-stitch but my needle is in one of our bags back at St Albans.
5:30 pm - John and I went down to the bar for cup of coffee until time to meet everyone to go out to dinner.
6:30 pm - We all went into Haverfordwest and found an Indian restaurant -- had delicious food that we don't find much of in the US. We had shish kabobs and some type of crispy bread with dipping sauces as a starter and I had a main course called Kumra which was a dish made with mutton, yogurt, cream and spices served with seasoned rice and flatbread. John had a mixed grill (sort of an Indian stir fry) of chicken, lamb and shrimp with salad, seasoned rice and flatbread. Zara cried a lot so the Bajwa's left ahead of us, then after Chis paid the bill we hiked up a steep hill to the car -- puff, puff, puff!
The streets are all narrow and winding and as we zip around hairpin turns we "hang on for our lives."
8:30 pm - Came back to the hotel and had coffee in the bar. We found out that the bartender is from near Tyler, Texas. He had noticed we were Americans and came over to talk to us. This far from home, we met "neighbors." We settled in for the night and John spent some time preparing to update the online diary and read The Times to unwind before bed.
See pictures here
Day 5 - November 30 - St Albans and Wales
8:30 am - After breakfast, we were picked up by Umar and went to the Murco offices to wait for Chris and his girlfriend Ruth. We were riders in their rental car. Since they were running a little late, I got engulfed in a conversation with one of the helpdesk staff. He talked with me about nutrition, vitamins, foods, exercise to help strengthen my heart. He urged me to take time for myself, to strengthen my heart, according to my beliefs, to deal with that area too, not just the physical. This led into some of his background and his rejection of the church with basic objections: to the scriptures being true based on men's words that change with each retelling, to the absence of comfort when sin and hell are preached, whether Jesus really lived and if he did, why are there few accounts of his younger life -- was it because he was a rounder? Because he seems to be a searcher and not a mocker, I gently tried to answer his objections -- ending with a mom's perspective -- who would know Jesus better than his mom and she was a worshipper, not an unbeliever.
9:30 am - We loaded up with Chris and Ruth and headed for Wales, It was a beautiful, scenic drive of about 5 hours. There were lots of sheep in green pastures -- which reminded me about Psalm 23 (we read it to Eddie every time we visit him). We saw beautiful farmland separated by stone fences or hedgerows, horses with coats on, castle-looking houses, huge estates, small villages with a church and a few houses, and mountains. It rained off and on most of the way, especially after we crossed the Bristol Channel bridge. We made a couple of stops at "services" -- they are rest stops with everything, gas, restaurants, bathrooms, showers, arcades, groceries and sometimes, hotels.
3:15 pm - Arrived at Wolfscastle Country Hotel. John had to leave for work at the refinery with the men. It is rainy and is not as warm as the forecast said. From our bedroom window, I can see what looks like castle ruins up on a tall hill overlooking Wolfs Castle village. Looking that direction, I can see a big black cloud pouring rain on the village. Our room is very elegant. The pictures are beautiful. The oak bed is simple with royal colors of burgundy and gold and there is lighter gold carpet on the floor. The bed is a pillow top PLUS! The bathroom is very pretty, with rows of large tiles floor to ceiling and sparkling flooring. The tub is very large and all the fixtures look new and shiny. I settled in to write my diary with a cup of tea.
6:30 pm - John and the guys came back to the hotel for supper. All the dishes were very delicious and decorative. The original chef at the hotel's restaurant became the chef for Charles and Diana when they were married and the replacement is still here. That is the quality of the restaurant. John also enjoys the 3 cup coffee presses.
8:00 pm - John and the guys went back to work. The refinery cut-over is at midnight and they will be home after that. I will rest and enjoy.
See pictures here
9:30 am - We loaded up with Chris and Ruth and headed for Wales, It was a beautiful, scenic drive of about 5 hours. There were lots of sheep in green pastures -- which reminded me about Psalm 23 (we read it to Eddie every time we visit him). We saw beautiful farmland separated by stone fences or hedgerows, horses with coats on, castle-looking houses, huge estates, small villages with a church and a few houses, and mountains. It rained off and on most of the way, especially after we crossed the Bristol Channel bridge. We made a couple of stops at "services" -- they are rest stops with everything, gas, restaurants, bathrooms, showers, arcades, groceries and sometimes, hotels.
3:15 pm - Arrived at Wolfscastle Country Hotel. John had to leave for work at the refinery with the men. It is rainy and is not as warm as the forecast said. From our bedroom window, I can see what looks like castle ruins up on a tall hill overlooking Wolfs Castle village. Looking that direction, I can see a big black cloud pouring rain on the village. Our room is very elegant. The pictures are beautiful. The oak bed is simple with royal colors of burgundy and gold and there is lighter gold carpet on the floor. The bed is a pillow top PLUS! The bathroom is very pretty, with rows of large tiles floor to ceiling and sparkling flooring. The tub is very large and all the fixtures look new and shiny. I settled in to write my diary with a cup of tea.
6:30 pm - John and the guys came back to the hotel for supper. All the dishes were very delicious and decorative. The original chef at the hotel's restaurant became the chef for Charles and Diana when they were married and the replacement is still here. That is the quality of the restaurant. John also enjoys the 3 cup coffee presses.
8:00 pm - John and the guys went back to work. The refinery cut-over is at midnight and they will be home after that. I will rest and enjoy.
See pictures here
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Day 4 - November 29 - St Albans
7:30 am - It is a beautiful sunshiny day. We went down for the hotel's great breakfast before John walked to work at 8:30.
10:30 am - I went over to the St Albans Cathedral and took several pictures from the outside. I found a 5p on the ground(!) The entrance was closed to the public because of a conference. I went to the store and walked around on my own. They said it was no problem to take pictures of things. A lady told me that the eagle lecturn was a good picture to get (see today's pictures). She (Jean) explained that she was a tour guide and even though she didn't have the eight people needed for a tour, she would give me a personal one-on-one tour! She explained the history, architecture, the tombs, the shrine for St Albans. (Umar told us that the bricks used in the foundation had been scavenged in the middle ages from early Roman buildings.) Jean told me when I need to be quiet for prayer, etc. At one point she left me for a few moments and I lit a candle and prayed for the restoration of faith to this beautiful country. She helped me find a guidebook so I could remember details, dates, and purposes of different areas. For example, the Watching Chamber was for monks to watch over to see that people were respectful and not stealing in the shrine. There was a decorated wooden ceiling from the 13th century (my picture is a little blurry). There is also a frieze from about 1400 with wood carvings that depict everyday life -- things like suckling pigs, men wrestling, cow and calf and much more. They are a little hard to see in the pictures. There is a large stone carving depicting the resurrection from 1492, a beautiful rose window, and beautiful stained glass windows. I told Jean "thank you" for the special treatment.
12:40 pm - John met me at the Cross Keys pub for lunch. There is a history of the Cross Keys on the wall, but I forget it all. Lunch was good as it was yesterday.
1:30 pm - I walked to a couple of shops, then visited Abigail's Tea Room. I had Cream Tea which is a raisin scone, tea and cream. I ate about 3/4 of the scone (counting sodium -- you know). This would be a nice place to eat with someone (with ladies, not by myself). They serve soup, sandwiches, and sweets. It is a beautiful little cafe with lace tablecloths and curtains, but tea was served in regular stoneware coffe cups -- I guess they are more durable. After leaving the tea room, I went to a couple of shops to look for rememberances.
6:00 pm - John got back and we ate supper her a the hotel again -- we have to pack and prepare to leave in the morning for Wales.
Click here for pictures
10:30 am - I went over to the St Albans Cathedral and took several pictures from the outside. I found a 5p on the ground(!) The entrance was closed to the public because of a conference. I went to the store and walked around on my own. They said it was no problem to take pictures of things. A lady told me that the eagle lecturn was a good picture to get (see today's pictures). She (Jean) explained that she was a tour guide and even though she didn't have the eight people needed for a tour, she would give me a personal one-on-one tour! She explained the history, architecture, the tombs, the shrine for St Albans. (Umar told us that the bricks used in the foundation had been scavenged in the middle ages from early Roman buildings.) Jean told me when I need to be quiet for prayer, etc. At one point she left me for a few moments and I lit a candle and prayed for the restoration of faith to this beautiful country. She helped me find a guidebook so I could remember details, dates, and purposes of different areas. For example, the Watching Chamber was for monks to watch over to see that people were respectful and not stealing in the shrine. There was a decorated wooden ceiling from the 13th century (my picture is a little blurry). There is also a frieze from about 1400 with wood carvings that depict everyday life -- things like suckling pigs, men wrestling, cow and calf and much more. They are a little hard to see in the pictures. There is a large stone carving depicting the resurrection from 1492, a beautiful rose window, and beautiful stained glass windows. I told Jean "thank you" for the special treatment.
12:40 pm - John met me at the Cross Keys pub for lunch. There is a history of the Cross Keys on the wall, but I forget it all. Lunch was good as it was yesterday.
1:30 pm - I walked to a couple of shops, then visited Abigail's Tea Room. I had Cream Tea which is a raisin scone, tea and cream. I ate about 3/4 of the scone (counting sodium -- you know). This would be a nice place to eat with someone (with ladies, not by myself). They serve soup, sandwiches, and sweets. It is a beautiful little cafe with lace tablecloths and curtains, but tea was served in regular stoneware coffe cups -- I guess they are more durable. After leaving the tea room, I went to a couple of shops to look for rememberances.
6:00 pm - John got back and we ate supper her a the hotel again -- we have to pack and prepare to leave in the morning for Wales.
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Day 3 - November 28 - Addition
10:00 am - John wanted me to write more about the street market. There were hundreds of booths with everything from silver jewelry, fresh meats, fish (hawked like a carnival barker), silks for scarves, bolts of material, thread, curtains, games hand-made hats, mittens leather goods, purses, wallets, beautiful sweaters, clothes, shoes, paper goods for card making, scrap books, Christmas wrappings, Christmas cards, baked goods -- breads, cookies, pies (meat or sweet), fresh olives by the pound, books old and new, children's clothing, pillows, duvets, coats and more.
5:45 pm - John came in from work. He had a productive day and didn't get cold on his walk from work. I was out for several hours so I was bone-chilled when I came in at 4:00 pm. We dressed for a 7:00 supper meeting with Murco employees and walked to Sazio -- an Italian restaurant a couple of blocks away. John had penne with smoked bacon and a side of roasted vegetables. I had steak and salad. The salads are beautiful here (everywhere we eat). After dinner John had a cappucino and I had decaf coffee and we shared a chocolate souffle with a scoop of vanilla. Besides being very yummy it was also pretty -- served on a large square glass plate with chocolate syrup drizzles across it in a criss-cross pattern and powdered sugar sprinkled over the top. John said "Oops, they spilled chocolate all over the plate!"
I found out that Umar is from Wales but he looks Indian or something. He called his people Asian but I might have misunderstood. Andy, his boss, said he had lived all over the UK and was a "country boy" who never thought he would live in the big city, but he married a girl from London and that is where they have lived for 20+ years. Also dining with us was a Scottish consultant named Ian that is working on a different part of the same project John is here to work with. He is very shy or quiet and his scottish accent made him very hard to understand.
We also found out that the Cafe Rouge (next door to our hotel) was the greenhouse for the Samuel Ryder Seed Company. The hotel was the office building and the cafe was the greenhouse. Samual Ryder was the originator (in 1927) of golf's prestigious Ryder Cup.
All in all it was a pleasant day -- cold toes and all. Tomorrow I will visit the St Albans Cathedral.
5:45 pm - John came in from work. He had a productive day and didn't get cold on his walk from work. I was out for several hours so I was bone-chilled when I came in at 4:00 pm. We dressed for a 7:00 supper meeting with Murco employees and walked to Sazio -- an Italian restaurant a couple of blocks away. John had penne with smoked bacon and a side of roasted vegetables. I had steak and salad. The salads are beautiful here (everywhere we eat). After dinner John had a cappucino and I had decaf coffee and we shared a chocolate souffle with a scoop of vanilla. Besides being very yummy it was also pretty -- served on a large square glass plate with chocolate syrup drizzles across it in a criss-cross pattern and powdered sugar sprinkled over the top. John said "Oops, they spilled chocolate all over the plate!"
I found out that Umar is from Wales but he looks Indian or something. He called his people Asian but I might have misunderstood. Andy, his boss, said he had lived all over the UK and was a "country boy" who never thought he would live in the big city, but he married a girl from London and that is where they have lived for 20+ years. Also dining with us was a Scottish consultant named Ian that is working on a different part of the same project John is here to work with. He is very shy or quiet and his scottish accent made him very hard to understand.
We also found out that the Cafe Rouge (next door to our hotel) was the greenhouse for the Samuel Ryder Seed Company. The hotel was the office building and the cafe was the greenhouse. Samual Ryder was the originator (in 1927) of golf's prestigious Ryder Cup.
All in all it was a pleasant day -- cold toes and all. Tomorrow I will visit the St Albans Cathedral.
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