Europe- On the way to London part 2

After leaving all things Shakespearean, we continued on our journey to London. We stopped in the afternoon in Oxford.

Oxford is really unique. It really is a college town. I can't remember exactly how many schools are in Oxford besides, well Oxford, but there are a lot of them. The city itself is a medieval town full of Gothic architecture. Every corner you turn is another place where part of a Harry Potter movie was filmed and many famous people have lived, taught or gone to school in Oxford. Some of the names I remember are Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.

We walked into a little square courtyard inside a group of buildings. Apparently it was the entrance to all of Oxford's libraries. There were doors everywhere you looked leading to different libraries covering all topics- religion, philosophy, science, math, etc... You have to be really quiet in the square, whispering only. We didn't go in to any of the libraries, but you have seen at least one of them in one of the Harry Potter movies. I meant to take some pictures of the square, but I spent most of my time sitting on the ground trying to get a picture of this cool facade.

We didn't stay for long, just a couple of hours. We did go on a walking tour of the city, shopped, watched street performers, got lost in the crowds, and waited for a really, really long time in line for milkshakes. I got a ferrero roche milkshake and Pete got one called a jammie dodger. It was strawberry jam and biscuit flavored. Kind of like strawberry shortcake. Here is a cool shot of the street performer that one of my students got. I seriously was terrified he was going to light someone on fire!

Apparently it was some kind of holiday and there was a race of some kind, so it was CROWDED. We had to maneuver our way through the crowd to get back to the bus. Thankfully everyone was late so we weren't to blame...this time.

Europe- On the way to London

After we left Llandudno, we were on our way to London. The trip from North Wales to London was beautiful and we stopped in several places. Our first stop was Stratford-upon-Avon, you know, where Shakespeare was born. We stopped for lunch there and toured Shakespeare's birth home.

It was really neat to see how people lived in the 16th century. We couldn't take pictures inside of course. The rooms were so small and the entire family (8 children!) slept in the same room. The kids all slept on a trundle that rolled out from under the main bed. I'm sure some of those kids found their way into the big bed- I mean that NEVER happens now-a-days, right!?! Seriously, the room was just a little bigger than Pete's and my bedroom and I seriously cannot imagine 10 people living in there!!!! By the way, the trundle that the kids slept on didn't have a mattress, it just had a weaving of rope stretched across under blankets that the kids would lay on. The rope would have to be retightened each evening because most kids move around a lot at night. This is where the saying "Goodnight, Sleep Tight" comes from. As for the rest of the saying, I will have you know that I certainly DID NOT want to have bed bug bites from any of our hotels on our trip. Good thing Pete always inspects for those pesky critters whenever we go anywhere. He's got skills that way. Can't be too careful since they are making a comeback! Not everyone is so lucky on their travels...Oh another story, for another time.

Most of the original belongings to the house are in another museum so you can pay two entrance fees to see it all. They did have some period pieces in the house so it wasn't empty and it gave you an idea of how it looked. One of the neatest things was an original window that visitors used to carve their names on- you know, so and so's been here. It was crazy to see Mark Twain, Charles Dickens and other famous writers' signatures on there.

The garden outside the house is so pretty. I wish I could have a garden like that one day. Sadly, as of now, gardening is not one of my hobbies. Wait, what are hobbies again?
They have flowers and herbs popular from the time period arranged in a way that was popular then. In the middle of the garden there were performers dressed in period apparel performing different Shakespeare selections.

Shakespeare, by the way, was not such a great guy. Wonder who all the romantic lines were for since he left his wife Anne Hathaway after three years of marriage, with three little children (two were twins) to seek his fame and fortune in London! He did return to her though. It was about thirty years later when he was in his late forties. Wonder how that reunion went! I'm sure it was a tragedy- he died three years later.

I really liked wandering the streets of Stratford. It's very pretty with flowers and shops, street vendors and performers. No one would be wandering the streets in Shakespeare's time with everyone throwing their waste in the streets and all. Thankfully that custom has gone out of style! We had the best lunch of the trip there. Fish and chips, but the BEST fish and chips EVER!!! Here are some of the old wooden framed buildings in the Tudor style that were few and far between. Brick building would replace this style as it is naturally more fire resistant. These old buildings just look so cool.

These were the windows of the restaurant we ate at.

After we left Stratford we drove a mile down the road to Shottery to see Anne Hathaway's cottage.

Ever since seeing Sleeping Beauty as a little girl, I thought it would be fun to live in a little thatched roof cottage. Well, I no longer ever want to live in anything with a thatched roof after this trip! We learned that EVERYTHING will live with you in your pretty thatched roof. Rats, mice, cockroaches, fleas, mites, you name, they are in there. The lady at Anne Hathaway's cottage says they are still living in there, long after the Hathaway's or anyone else for that matter, has lived there. Gross. Thatch roofs are open to the living space, so if you have critters in the roof, their droppings-all droppings, would drop down onto you! Super gross. When they turned this into a museum that sealed the roof and made a ceiling so tourists would not get any extra souvenirs on them as they walked through. Thank goodness for that! The house itself is in the same wood framed Tudor style and it really is just the cutest cottage with the most beautiful gardens! Saying it is a cottage is deceiving, because it is actually huge! Something like twelve rooms. Originally the floor plan was much more open. Great big rooms separated by a pass through that had fire walls. Another problem with thatched roofs is that they catch on fire very easily. Sparks and ash would fly up to the ceiling and every now and then would still be burning causing the thatch to catch on fire. Then the burning thatch would start falling on whoever was below. The women and children were supposed to run to the pass through while the men would pull the unburning thatch down to try and stop the fire. If all else failed, the fire wall would stop it and only half the house would be destroyed. Interesting, huh!?!

Also, check out those scarecrowey things in the garden above. I thought it was genius- a strung potato with feathers stuck in it. It spins in the wind and scares off the birds.

After we toured the house and the gardens, we walked through a large sculpture garden on the property. I want one of those too, one day. This sculpture garden had hedges with a maze cut into it in the center. I particularly do not like these things. Especially since this one had that country, kind of overgrown look to it.

Pete said we had to do it though. Then he left me. Never follow a boy into a maze, they just can't resist playing around. I was lost in the hedges, but eventually found my way out complete with stinging scratches all over my legs. Pete was scratch free, but he did find a tick on him later! HA!

Europe- Wales

Before we took the trip, I never really knew we were going to Wales. I knew that we would have to travel from Dublin to London, but I didn't know we would be traveling through the most beautiful place ever!!! It was so excited to just come upon the surprise.

We woke up sooo early to make our 7 am sailing time. I knew we were taking a ferry across the Irish Sea, but when they said ferry, they really meant cruise ship. Now, I have never been on a cruise, but this seriously was not just a ferry.

The thing had three floors of things to do and you could go out on top of the boat and catch the view (if you didn't mind being blown away- it was windy out there!)

                            

After we got off the boat in Wales, we got on a coach bus that would take us to London. We would be making many stops along the way across the BEAUTIFUL countryside. This is what we saw out the window on our way to our first stop.

One look at this and I was sold. I wanted to move into that little white house on the right and disappear for a month. I had to stop taking pictures so I could sit back and enjoy the view. All the little white dots are sheep. Our guide said this was what most of the English countryside looks like and that made me happy, because this is exactly what I've always imagined while reading Pride and Prejudice.  

                        

Our first stop (and potty break) was at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. That was not a typo. It is the smallest little town with the longest name in the world. It's Welsh and I have come to know that words in Welsh have lots of consonants which makes it very hard for this American girl to try to pronounce anything! In English, it means: the church of Mary in the hollow of the white hazel near the fierce whirlpool and the church of Tysilio by the red cave. It was a cute little town with a great shop, good food and a fun stamp for your passport!

We drove for another couple of hours while I stared out the window with my mouth open. (There may have been some sleeping with my mouth open, but you will not see those picture here!) My students thought it was really funny to take pictures of me sleeping while I was definitely NOT looking like a sweet sleeping angel. I was very nice and never took any wide open, gaping mouth, sleeping photos of anyone....just for the record!

Our guide decided we should stop at an old slate quarry that she knew about. We were all so glad she did, well maybe just my group-the artsy ones. We were always ready for a great photo op.   
                         

After we left the slate quarry we were on the road again through Snowdonia National Park, which has got to be one of the most breathtaking places. We found ourselves winding through the mountains gasping at these vistas.

I absolutely fell in love with it up here. We stopped and got to get out and Pete and I immediately walked the opposite direction from our group to experience this view! I just had to lay down to take it all in. I LOVE mountains with no trees. Some of you know how much I dislike trees. They are messy and they block my view. I like nothing more than wide open space. Here is the view as I was laying down.

Pete and I decided to climb up the side of one of the mountains to get some good pictures. We perched on a rock pretty high up. I know this doesn't look very high, but trust me- it was!

Those darn power lines. I was blind to them when taking the pictures.

Our next stop was a seaside city by the name of Llandudno. We all fell in love with this little town. Our guide told us that Llandudno was the UK's less warm and smaller version of the French Riviera. It is a Victorian era holiday destination that hasn't really changed much over the years. We stayed in a really old hotel, which definitely was the least updated of anywhere we stayed. No air conditioning, but lots of character. We kept getting lost in the windy hallways. It also had a great chef, so the food was really good! There was so much to see that we didn't stay in the hotel too much- we were only going to be there that one afternoon. Right after getting our stuff dropped off in our rooms we headed out to the shore. Most of the beach is pebbly, but there was a sandy beach area too.

                         

The main drag is called the promenade. It runs along the coastline and has wide sidewalks with palm trees. All the hotels along the promenade are varying shades of white, cream and beige. The town is more than the promenade, but we didn't really explore the city. Everything closes early, which is common in Europe. Everyone just wants to get off work so they can relax. After we explored the beach we walked down to the long boardwalk. Peak tourist time for Llandudno is July, so a lot of the carnival rides and games were still closed. We really didn't mind, because without all the vacationers, we really had the place to ourselves.

                         

Old wrought iron from the boardwalk.

Here's what it looked like a hundred and fifty years ago or so. I know this looks pretty similar to old pictures of Coney Island that you have seen before, but I just cannot imaging taking my children to the beach and schlepping all the stuff in my dress, corset, boots and hat!

Then and now.

Along the boardwalk we got a great view of the Great Orme of Llandudno, which is a big hunk of limestone that juts out. We even found our way down to a little secluded beach area where there were caves and all kinds of colorful rocks.

The girls in front of the cave. I did not go in. I did not want to meet a bat... or something worse!

Looking up we saw the remains of some kind of medieval structure. I learned after we got home that the rest fell into the ocean and this is all that is left.

                                       

Up on top of the Great Orme is a beautiful garden area with walking paths and a spectacular view. My three female students all want to come to Llandudno on their honeymoons and my male student thought it was "really cool" as well. Funny enough, I came across on some British guy's blog that had a photo of Llandudno with a caption under it that says, "it's not quite Florida, but it'll do." Crazy, huh!?!? I guess everyone gets tired of the vacation spots near them. I love Florida too, but Llandudno is so much cooler than Daytona, Destin, Miami Beach and Key West combined! Well friends, can you believe this entire post was all in one day!?! I'm exhausted just remembering it!

Europe Trip- Dublin

*** The next few posts may contain more information than you care to read about!

 Pete and I just returned from a 10 day trip to Europe. Originally, I was going by myself with four of my students, but I made Pete go so we could have a vacation that we never would have been able to afford otherwise. It still felt like work most of the time for me, but we did have a fantastic time and saw a lot! Our trip started in Dublin, Ireland. I had never been to Dublin before and was glad to be spending two days there. We left Atlanta at 3:15 pm and arrived in Dublin at 8:30 am the next morning. After 12 hours of traveling we were off for a whole day of sightseeing! There's no resting on vacation, right!?! We went on a walking tour of Dublin that first day and saw a lot of the city.

Dublin is separated in two by a river. Each of the bridges that crosses the river looks a bit different. We just had to remember what the one we crossed looked like so we didn't get lost! There are absolutely NO PUBLIC RESTROOMS in Dublin. We made the mistake of leaving where we ate lunch without using the restroom and boy did the girls and I learn our lesson the hard way! They have Penney's in Dublin (JC Penney's but Walmart quality and price). I thought sure a department store would have a restroom. The woman looked at me like I was crazy when I asked where the toilets were! So, when all else fails, you go to McDonald's right? There was a security guard blocking the restrooms, because they are for paying patrons only! I was seriously about to wet my pants and I decided it was no time for dignity. I basically begged the security guard telling him that we were American tourists who were not used to not having public restrooms (translation- we are really stupid) and we REALLY had to go. He must have thought it was humorous, because he laughed and let us through! One of my students realized her wallet was lost on the first day in Dublin. Turns out she left it on the plane. They found it and we were able to go back to the airport and claim it. Everything was there including the cash! WHEW!!!

I was so excited for our second day in Dublin because we were going to two very exciting places. First on the agenda was Saint Patrick's Cathedral. Yes, the St. Patrick that we celebrate every year the day before my birthday. I learned about St. Patrick's life in Awana's this year. He was an English slave brought to Ireland who gained his freedom and then became a missionary to Ireland sharing Christ with the pagan Celts and Nordic tribes. The cathedral is an impressive Gothic structure, the form of the pagan tribes and the function of a Christian church.

The main reason I wanted to go to Dublin was to see the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is one of the most important medieval works of art and also one of the oldest surviving handwritten transcriptions of the four gospels. SUPER exciting!!! It is housed in Trinity College in Dublin. The entire book was handwritten by Celtic monks and contains the coolest and teensy tiniest design work. Just visually amazing. We couldn't take pictures of it, but here is what it looks like. The iridescence is gold paint and this is why these old texts are called illuminated manuscripts.

The left is an example of the text from the gospel of John and the right is the Chi-Ro page (Chi and Ro are the first two letters for Christ in Greek).

Trinity College also houses a huge library of very old books. I mean OLD! You aren't allowed to touch any of the books on either of the stories, but it was so cool to see. The room is called the long room; I guess you can see why. We also went to the National Gallery of Ireland, which was a nice museum. Pete and I did get separated that afternoon and we must have spend $30 in international calls trying to meet up. A lot of grief and money could have been saved if I had stayed on one place- oops.    

The food in Dublin was good. Lots of meat and potatoes or "bangers and mash". Pretty simple food, but hearty. I did have sandwich with sweet onion relish- not a fan. Oh, if girls want to dress in style in Dublin, you need to wear black pantyhose under everything. Shorts, skirts...we saw a lot of dark hued legs. Guys are rough and tumble Irishmen. Our tour guide was missing front teeth from his rugby game the week before. And Guinness...Guinness is everywhere. I think the entire city works for them. The weather was absolutely beautiful. 70's and sunny. Apparently VERY rare for Dublin.

Goodbye Dublin!!!