The "Washington" Connection

Scott has reminded me that I left out one interesting piece of information about Durham Cathedral. Whilst our docent was showing us around and pointing out the fascinating architectural details in the cathedral she aimed her laser at a small plaque mounted in an out of the way place on one of the walls. This plaque had a poem inscribed upon it telling about the Washington family, and was dated in the mid-1400's. This particular family lived in county Durham and were the direct ancestors of George Washington. On one side of this plaque was the Washington family coat of arms.

Although George Washington's ancestors immigrated to Virginia in the 1600's, this coat of arms would have been known to both George and Martha. No one knows for certain, but there is some speculation that the U.S. flag, crafted by Betsy Ross, was based on the Washington family coat of arms. While this cannot be confirmed, it is almost certain that it was the inspiration for the flag of Washington D.C.!

Hadrian's Wall

Imagine a wall 10 to 20 feet wide, and 12 to 20 feet tall, that stretches for nearly 80 miles, begun in AD 122, completed in about 6 years, and you will be imagining Hadrian's Wall! Emperor Hadrian, a Roman Emperor, travelled to England as part of a journey to view all of his lands. He decided that a wall should be built to separate his territory from the barbarians to the north. (That would be those poor Scots, once again. It's a recurring theme here, I'm afraid.) Of course, it wouldn't be enough just to build a massive wall, it would need to be guarded. Hadrian ordered that small forts be constructed along the wall with a distance of about one Roman mile between each one. These small forts, or milecastles, had walls that were 10 feet thick, and 20 feet high to match the wall. They usually marked a place where there was an opening in the wall, which allowed the forces to regulate travel. It also made these milecastles "customs posts" where taxes could be levied and collected on people, goods, and livestock travelling back and forth through the wall. There were 80 of these milecastles along Hadrian's Wall.

Hadrian's Wall and milecastle remains

That seems like quite an impenetrable wall, but that wasn't enough for Hadrian and the Romans. On the south side of the wall a "vallum", or ditch, was built along the entire length of the wall. This vallum was 20 feet wide and 10 feet deep. This added another obstacle for enemies, and another layer of protection for the Romans. As if that wasn't enough, a decision was made to build regular forts along the route as well. It is unknown with certainty how many were built, but the number seems to be somewhere between 14 and 17 forts. Seems like a bit of "overkill" doesn't it? One thought is that Hadrian wanted all of this to be built to reflect the power of the mighty Roman Empire, and, of course, Hadrian himself. Regardless, parts of the wall remain intact and the ruins of milecastles and forts are being excavated all along the route.
Scott and I stopped at Vindolanda, one of the Roman forts being excavated along Hadrian's Wall. We enjoyed walking through the ruins and listening to a lively guide describe what life must have been like at the fort. There have been excavations going on here for 40 years, and they anticipate they will go on for another 200 years or so. It is really quite amazing to think we were standing in the remains of a fort that was almost 2000 years old! There is a museum here too, and lots of artefacts have been recovered. It was interesting to learn that there is some uniqueness to the soil in this area which allowed preservation of things not usually recovered, including handwritten notes and log books!

The remains of the Roman Fort at Vindolanda

Our guide explained the ruin in front of him. This would have been a building where grain was stored. Wooden planks were laid down across the stone walls and the grain was stored on top. Enough grain was held in these buildings to feed the people living in the fort for an entire year. This would be insurance against crop failure or siege. Dogs were dropped into the gaps in the walls to run under the floorboards to chase out mice or birds which might be nesting underneath. If you look carefully, you can see a reconstruction of a milecastle in the background. One turret is made of timber, as some of the earliest were made originally. Eventually, though, all of the timber was replaced with stone, as is the second turret.

As usual, the scenery was beautiful and we have included a few photos for you.

It was a short walk from the excavation site at Vindolanda to the museum. This stream and stone bridge were along that walkway.

Anyone remember the large sycamore tree from the Robin Hood movie? If you do, this is it!

Durham Cathedral and Castle

Saturday morning Scott and I paused to listen to a couple of the brass bands passing by our hotel on their way to the union gathering which just happened to be at the end of our street. Then we headed in the opposite direction to explore Durham Castle and Cathedral, a world heritage site.

It will help to relate a little of the history of this area, and I hope no one falls asleep whilst reading it! This is an area of Britain that was the "borderland" between what is now England and Scotland. This is important to note because Durham Castle and Cathedral sit side by side at the top of a hill, surrounded by the River Wear. Durham Cathedral was built not only to honour God, but to warn the Saxons and Scots. It served as a symbol of the power of the Prince Bishops who were charged by the King to defend the area from invasions from the north (meaning the Scots, of course.).

Durham Castle is a Norman Castle and is believed to have been built around 1072. The castle was commissioned by William the Conqueror. The king never actually lived here, and the castle was eventually handed over to the Bishop of Durham. It remained in the hands of successive bishops for nearly 750 years. Like many castles, it has seen lots of renovations, including the addition of a palace. The last bishop to be responsible for the castle decided it was to become a centre for learning and so, since 1837, has been the home of the University College of Durham University. 

This is the front gate, looking out of the castle. That tower in the background is Durham Cathedral.

This castle was occupied by the Bishops of Durham, a quite prestigious title. Many of them made renovations and additions to improve the grandeur of the castle. Note the tops of these columns. They are more similar to eastern European architecture than anything in England. 

One of our guides describing some of the history of the castle. You can see the castle  keep up on the hill. That is not an area that visitors can see as it is dormitories for some of the university students. Our guide assured us we didn't want to go there :)

No photos allowed inside the castle, so this picture of a postcard will have to do. This one is here for Jennie, and other fans of Harry Potter. This is the Great Hall of the castle, built in 1284. It is also the place where the great hall scenes in the Harry Potter films were made, although this view is, unfortunately, looking away from where Professor Snape and his peers sat while Dumbledore addressed the gathering of students. No sign of a "sorting hat" either!

This is one of the most interesting rooms in the castle. This is the old  Norman  Chapel, located under the main floors. It is tiny and damp but the sculptures along the tops of the columns are some of the most interesting in existence today from that time period.

We left the castle behind, paid a quick visit to a couple of exhibits in the museum, and found our way to the cathedral. OK, last night I was counting up exactly how many old churches and cathedrals we have visited in the past 4 months. Including the church we attend on Sundays, I think this is number 8 for me. They have all been different, though, and Durham Cathedral was, possibly, my second favourite after St. Giles in Edinburgh. The cathedral was begun in 1093 and it took about 40 years to complete. The architect is unknown, but the architectural details hint at genius. It is worth noting that the artefacts of St. Cuthbert are entombed here as well. We were not permitted to take photos inside, but Scott did take some beautiful photos of the outside of this massive structure, and a few photos of postcards as well. 

Looking across Castle Green at the cathedral. 

This is inside the cathedral. No photos allowed here.

Some interesting notes about the columns! First, believe it or not, they are as big around as they are tall! And, the columns are actually spaced more closely together as you go forward. This was done so your eye was drawn up and forward upon entering.

We entered the cathedral and were disappointed to find that they were not doing guided tours. As luck would have it though, a very friendly, knowledgeable docent asked us if she could show us a few things about the cathedral. We were happy to follow her around and learn about the wonderful details of this cathedral. She encouraged us to return later for the special service for the miner's, which we did do, and thoroughly enjoyed. 

After spending a Saturday immersed in history, it was time for some fresh air and exercise. On our way home on Sunday we visited Hadrian's Wall. What an incredible story THAT is, and definitely a subject for a future blog.

Durham and the Miner's

When I proposed a weekend trip to the medieval town of Durham Scott wanted to know what we would see there. Upon finding out that there is a castle and cathedral he could barely hold in a groan. However, being a good sport, he agreed to go, and this past Friday we set off across the fells for Durham. We did know that there was some sort of "event" going on. We did not know that it was the annual Miner's Gala, which attracts a crowd of about 100,000! This Gala is actually the largest union gathering in the UK! On Saturday there was a parade consisting mainly of banners from the different miner's unions accompanied by brass bands, followed by union members. At the end of the parade route there are some large rugby fields where everyone gathered for food, games for the children, and union speeches. Once the speeches were over everyone turned around and marched back out of the town. On the 2nd floor of our hotel dignitaries gathered making our hotel the hot spot for the bands to stop and perform along the route. From the time the first band marched past our hotel until the last strains of music passed about 8 hours had elapsed. There were 4 new banners being dedicated, so there was also a service at the cathedral including the banners and brass bands representing those towns. On Friday evening as we settled in for tapas at a local restaurant our server recommended that we stay away from the rugby fields where everyone congregated to have lunch and listen to speeches. She described the coming party,  "There's banners, and bands, and drinking. And it usually ends quite badly."
Saturday morning at breakfast the first of the bands passed by our window. I have to say that we definitely enjoyed the bands and the beautiful banners. The "people watching" was also quite interesting.

Durham is on the east coast of England, but just as far north as we are in Whitehaven. It's not surprising to see bagpipes as both towns are very close to Scotland.

Sure glad these guys were around!

All in all, it seemed like a pretty fun celebration!

Wastwater in the Summer

It is summertime here in Northwest England although between the cool temperatures, usually mid-50's to just barely 60, and the frequent rain, it feels a lot more like the springs we are used to in the U.S. If it wasn't for the cool temps and the showers, however, we wouldn't have all of the beautiful shades of green in the landscape here. This past weekend Scott and I went on a drive back to Wastwater. You might recall that we visited there several months ago. Wastwater is the deepest   lake in England, and is surrounded by
three peaks, Scaffell being the tallest in England. Saturday was a typical summer day with lots of clouds, threats of showers, and cool temperatures. After a hectic couple of weeks back in the U.S. we were looking forward to a leisurely day riding in the fells.   There were lots of other people about enjoying Wastwater as well, and even a "run" of some sort in the area. Of course we saw the usual "suspects" lounging on, and near, the road.
The flowers are in full bloom now, and Scott managed to capture some beautiful photos of them. We have heard that it rained pretty
much every day whilst we were away, and many of the streams are full to overflowing.
The rest are photos taken driving around the lake. At one point Scott did park the car and ramble away for a brief bit. I stayed with the car, unfortunately, nursing a bruised foot. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

The Year of Weddings

Many months ago Jennie dubbed 2012 as "The Year of Weddings" for our family. It truly has been a most remarkable year for Scott and I, and it's only half over!

In March, Jennie and Zach got married in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Scott was already in the UK, while I had stayed behind to finish up loose ends at home and work on wedding preparations. As any of our friends from the mid-west will attest, March weather is quite unpredictable. While we prepared for the wedding we had worries about blizzards in the back of our minds. But, all was fine weather-wise, and their wedding day was a sunny, fairly warm, March day.















Family and friends came from all over the US, and it was really great that so many were able to attend.

Jennie was  beautiful, Zach was quite handsome, and their wedding was a great celebration. We are very happy for Jennie and Zach!

Scott and I flew back to New Jersey on Monday, and on Tuesday we left to begin our adventure in the UK. We knew, however, that we would be back as another mid-west wedding was in our future!

We had a couple of fun months exploring our new home, getting used to the "funny" British accents, learning how to drive on the other side of the road, and settling into life in the UK. In June, it was time to head back to the states for the 2nd wedding in 2012.

Chris and Katie were married in Chicago on June 30. This time there were no fears about blizzards, thank goodness! The weekend was quite warm and sunny, fairly typical Chicago summer weather.

Katie was a beautiful bride, and Chris a dashing groom!

Scott and I  enjoyed getting to meet Chris' and Katie's friends, and Katie's extended family. We were very excited that many of our friends and family were able to attend as well, and really enjoyed spending time with everyone. It seemed as if the weekend flew by and before we were ready it was time for Scott and I to head back to New Jersey, and then on to the UK.

It was a beautiful wedding and we couldn't be more happy for Katie and Chris!

So, 2012 has, indeed, been the year of weddings for us. We have added a son and daughter to our family, and we couldn't be happier :).