Richmond

I took a day trip to Richmond. Here you can walk around the Thames and also Richmond Park which is large and very beautiful with deer. I also like the show Ted Lasso which is centered around Richmond and a fictitious futbol team though it uses some of the sights around Richmond.

The outer part of the bar portrayed in the series.

Above is the lane where Ted Lasso lives which is a quaint street with shops, including a Ted Lasso store.

The shortbread above I shared with people who shared their table with me at the bar.

This is St. Paul’s cathedral in London which you can see at the gate called The Way.

A great day out of the city and a lot of walking!

The British museum

I was definitely conflicted about going to the museum knowing that the majority of the items were taken from countries illegally. Nevertheless, it is one time to see a large amount of different not treasures from around the world.

I actually spent two days (about 4-5 hours each here) before being on brain overload.

Ancient Greece.

The Nereid monument

Assyria and the lion hunts

Egypt.

Africa.

Rapa Nui. This moai is very different from what is left on the island and I was surprised that the place card stated that they were currently talking about that issue.

There was an exhibit of mummies and how scans were able to show what was inside the wraps of the mummy including jewelry and other artifacts.

The flood tablet found in Mesopotamia 1000 years before the Bible story telling the exact same story as that in the Bible.

The second day I came, I started out with a traditional British tea. It was delicious but very carb heavy. A lot of energy for the rest of the day.

Sekmet, Vishnu, and Dionysus in a display about religion.

The Rosetta Stone

Sutton Hoo was an area where the ground had settled and it looked like that of a ship. It was a burial mound with the original deceased decomposed as well as the wood of the ship which left impressions. What also was left were the artifacts buried with the person.

Jade. My favorite pieces were from the Yuan dynasty.

These prices below are from an ancient burial ground.

The Cotswolds

I took a tour from London to the Cotswolds to visit several locations. The Cotswolds are an area in England where the limestone is close to the surface and therefore changes land use. The land is good for grazing and not crop farming. This opened up the area for woolen markets. The stone was used to build houses in the iconic light brown color. Later, when markets changed and the area remained relatively unchanged, it became a tourist generation due to the quaint towns.

The first town was Bilbury.

Bourton on the Water

It is said that if you dip your toe in the river you will have a year of good luck. Of course I did.

I stopped to get ice cream from one shop. The flavor was cherry and clotted cream. Delicious.

Temple Guiting is a knights Templar church. Very different looking than the other churches and especially with a small door in the back that is permanently sealed. It is called the devil’s door and where he cannot enter as it is locked…

Snowshill is the location for shooting parts of the Bridget Jones diary films.

This is the Bridget Jones house.

On the way out we went by a lavender farm (not the right season) that was created when a woman learned her family would need to sell the failing farm. She now employs many local people and they bought land for planting for their international business. (Cotswold Lavender)

A little further away there was a gentleman who had a fair bit of land and wanted to marry the woman he loved. Her response was that he did not have a castle so instead he made a tower for her. On the grounds are red deer.

Chipping Campden. We stopped here for lunch and to view the only a stone houses in the area with peat roofs.

Stratford upon Avon. The statue and home of William Shakespeare. They also have a marker for Greenwich mean time.

A really long day with lots to see. Beautiful country worth seeing.

Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens

I traveled to stay in the center of London as I had a tour and a concert coming up. I first walked around Hyde Park to enjoy the fall colors. It is known for great open areas and host to many events. They were getting ready to open Winter Wonderland that I hear is a big event.

i walked through Hyde Park towards Kensington gardens. Quite the beautiful walk with a few monuments dotted here and there. I viewed the Diana Princess of Wales fountain. Two springs of water bubble up and flow into a calm pool.

i stumbled upon the Serpentine museum in the park that is free (you still need to book the free ticket time slot). The artist featured is a Nigerian artist that used sound with giant speakers to complement his art. It was interesting to sit and be surrounded by music while viewing the artwork.

i continued the walk past statues of the Duke of Wellington and Peter Pan and the Round Pond towards Kensington Palace and the statue of Queen Victoria.

Around the palace are gardens including the Sunken garden where Diana used to frequent and talk to the gardeners. Her sons commissioned a statue for the garden.

Audley End house and Saffron Walden

Audley End House and Saffron Walden was a great escape in the countryside of Essex. The Audley End House is a frozen glimpse into England’s grand past. It is one of the largest and most opulent homes from Jacobean England. The stunning architecture showcased beautifully restored state rooms. I loved the gardens. I was happy to have my friend Tricia spend the day with me.

Behind the wood paneling at the top is an alcove where the minstrals played but could not be seen from the people below.

There were many stuffed birds and animals in the great hall including this one which is the largest flighted bird, the Great Bustard, which was hunted to extinction in England and threatened in other areas.

The village of Saffron Walden enchants has medieval streets with a market square.

After walking around the town, we met at the 8 bells pub for dinner. Of course, fish and chips were great as well as the sticky toffee pudding.

Petsitting in Coldstream, Scotland

I thoroughly enjoyed walking through the woods and remembering times from before in PA. I did miss the fall, the beauty, and the crisp air. Watching the dogs run around was very entertaining. I also forgot the kind of peace you have just being around the house and gardens. It was relaxing.

One thing I wanted to do was go to the thrift store, give away some of my clothes I was tired of wearing and get some longer sleeve shirts for layering. I was also in desperate need of a warmer hat. I also gave away my sling bag in exchange for a 1/2 price Rockland shoulder bag.

I learned that the army surplus store across the street has a museum in the basement. I enjoyed it as it was not just memorabilia from soldiers but also from home. He even had an air raid siren which I was allowed to try. It it to the right of the glass case in the second picture.

The Coldstream museum was small but had history of the conflicts between England and Scotland.

I also visited the Hirsel estate where there is a cafe and artisans with a variety of crafts such as pottery and glass making. They had informative displays about early life here. I took the poodle on a walk there to enjoy the swans, highland cows, and buy a souvenir (glass post earrings.)

Here are some views around Coldstream. Despite being a small town they have several restaurants and bars, and an Indian and Chinese restaurant .

The river Tweed flows between Scotland and England. The bridge is beautiful and to the left (Scottish side) is a house that the contractor of the bridge built with bridge funds. It caused quite an uproar but the governor declared that he was not paid enough to build the bridge and it was legal. The house was a toll house to collect monies for passage over the bridge. Later it became a marriage house as the waiting period in Scotland was much shorter than England. So couples would travel to this house to get married.

Standing on the border of England and Scotland over the river Tweed.

Landscape views around Coldstream.

One day I went into Berwick upon tweed for the day by bus.It is right along the North sea and walking the city walls was beautiful.

The building on the right was where ammunition and explosives were kept. It has reinforced walls in the building.

The border bridge.

I found a museum to photography. Some great pictures with history on photography and the area.

The castle ruins. These are the outbuildings and places for guards with a wall running up the hill towards the castle.

Before the sit, David (the home owner) took me around the area to show me things of interest. We stopped at Norham castle which is a 12th century fortress on the English side to protect against Scottish attacks. It was besieged 13 times and rebuilt in the 16th century to withstand artillery attack.

This area is where they kept the cannonballs which now adorn the outdoors of many houses.

Such a great quiet place to spend a week. I would definitely come back here and will miss the dogs!

York

I still had time between the two pet sitting and the second home owner suggested York. What a great city. It has Roman and Viking roots with many intact medieval streets.

I first went to Clifford tower which was first built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century and in 1190 was the site of a Jewish massacre by mobs (many killed themselves rather than convert). Many who were not Jewish were also massacred. It was destroyed and rebuilt in the 13th century. Many people were hanged here as well and is close to the prisons.

The red stones are where there was a fire and changed color after being scorched.

This was the kings latrine.

I also walked the city walls twice, once with a new friend that I met in Hexham and agreed to meet again here. The city walls were erected on top of part of the Roman walls. In the 1800’s it was almost torn down but public pressure changed that. It still is a popular place to walk.

i also looked at doing some different things from what I have been doing as I traveled. I learned there was a Cold War Bunker nearby that was used between 1961 and 1991. It’s purpose was to monito any explosions using information gathered to determine radioactivity levels, etc. There were 20 stations around England that relayed information between the others. It was pretty cool. When they left in 1991, it w as sealed as is.

I also went on a ghost walk tour. There were some incredible stories of ghosts and poltergeists including one of a 7 year old who was the sole survivor of the plague in her house. They thought she was a witch and locked her in to die. It is said she can be seen in this window.

I also walked through the Shambles, the area that is still authentically medieval.

I also visited the Castle museum which was more about life in medieval time including a full Victorian street created from actual artifacts. You could walk down the street and take alleys to see inside some of the buildings. They even had sounds as if you were actually there, leaving you feel a little uncomfortable in the poorest back alleys.

Many of the artifacts came from a local physician who acquired them when residents could not pay for services.

The visit through the prisons was crazy learning about how they were cared for and finding out through walking along what happened to 5 prisoners. Images and sounds made it interactive.

There was a section on World War I which was incredible and was followed by a walk through the 60’s.

The last place I toured was the train museum. The trains were impressive and showed all the changes from the 1800’s to today including the Japanese bullet train.

They even had a train that was cut in half to see all the parts down the length of the train!

There are many other incredible things to see in York!

Hexham and Corbridge

The next morning I met a wonderful woman from California. We briefly saw each other at one of the fort the day before. She was planning on driving to Corbridge after visiting Hexham Abbey. I asked if I could get a ride with her to Corbridge and I would walk or take a bus back (it was only a 1.5 hr walk).

At the Abbey, we toured inside including the crypt below.

This chair was used by people who were seeking refuge. They could not face punishment while there.

Other pictures around Hexham.

Corbridge Roman fort. This has one of the most intact granaries that were uncovered. Also, aerial photographs show outlines of where houses outside the area in the field were hidden beneath the ground. There are also depressions where timbered houses were buried and then decayed, causing the ground to settle there. In the museum is these items that were found inside a chest. Roman soldiers would put their valuables in a chest and then bury it to retrieve when they returned. This soldier did not come back to retrieve it and it was found 2000 years later. Amazing.

Road through the fort.

Granary.

This was a fountain. What shows is the second pool. There would be another above where the water entered letting impurities settle. Another pool would be in front where people could get water. The curved areas are where people reached over for water over centuries that caused a wearing if the stone.

This is a water tank. You can see the grooves in the rock where vertical flat stones were used as sides. They were actually lined in lead to stop seepage. They think the tank was added to because there is a groove that looks like it cuts the tank in half but really the width was extended.

Afterwards, I walked into Corbridge to get something to eat. I chose Northumberland pasty which was delicious followed by sticky toffee pudding. After that I definitely needed a walk back to Hexham to burn that off!

Hadrian’s wall road tour

I rented a car for a day to try to see as many points along the wall as I could. I stopped first at Chester’s Roman fort. It is named for a gentleman who inherited a house and land and noticed the rock structures partially buried in the ground. As people talked about a high wall that those in the 17th century would walk in, he believed these to be part of a Roman wall that defined the outer reaches of the Roman empire in 150 AD.

On each side here are garrisons for troops. In each room, the men stayed with their horses as they were rented by the soldiers.

A base of one of the watch towers.

This part is near the river Tyne and is a bath house. Water was heated for steam rooms and warm baths with the lower areas being cold baths.

The west gate has two towers and gates that closed in the middle.

The commanders quarters which were much grander.

The artifacts taken from the area were placed in a museum on site.

Next I went to Carrawburgh Roman fort.

This would be the road that runs through the fort.

This would be the posts that would hold the sub floor of the granary. It would be elevated to keep pests out and had air vents for circulation.

The North gate. Outside the gates would be village houses of those that would have places for visitors to stay and merchants that sold food and other items.

I then drove to Steel Rigg which did not have a fort but was a section of the wall that went over a large hill. As it started raining and the stones were slippery, I only went up half way.

At many points along my tour you can see where the walls seemed to end as they were covered over in earth and no excavated. The walls themselves were 4.5 meters high. What is left is not as high. As I drove around, I could not help but wonder which farmers stone fence and stone buildings were made from rocks taken from Hadrian’s wall.

In Vindolanda I saw much of the same things. There was more remnants of the village houses outside the walls of the fort. There also was a large cache of discarded footwear discovered that surprisingly did not deteriorate. Driving to these places was beautiful and quite fun with the narrow English country roads.

Next was Birdoswalds. It had a later created house that protected the village from raiders. Living space was on the upper floor and ladders could be pulled up so that people could not get to the people or their property.

This is the one archaeological site that has a drill and exercise hall based upon the artifacts recovered.

Close by was the Lanercost priory. It was created in 1165. Since it is close to the England and Scottish border, it was in the middle of many disputes and offered refuge to people and pilgrims.

At this point my shoes and jacket were wet from rain and there was no more time to gain entry into another historical place. I drove back to Hexham and returned the car. I also did not stop for lunch and was hungry. I looked at places along the way and saw this tavern that had Bangers and mash. Very warm and filling after a long day.