The Hidden Cathedral

It's raining at home today, which puts me in mind of England (even though it has probably rained on us a grand total of eight times during our travels there – still, it has a reputation for having a wet climate, so I hear). So I shall take up where I left off in chronicling our trip in the spring of 2015!

Where were we... Ah, yes, we are now en route to Hampshire, and along the way we made the required stop at St. Albans.

2015 England Trip Journal
April 9

     How pleasant it is not to rush when one is packing to leave a place! That is the luxury of renting a car. We had a two hour journey ahead of us, plus a stop in St. Albans, and we could leave whenever we liked. Even though it wasn't the most tastefully decorated (or very decorated), I have fond memories of our Luton flat, mostly because of what we did in between leaving in the mornings and coming back at night. Plus, we had a big fridge, a dryer, and no stairs between rooms – precious commodities when you're traveling in England.

Our drive down was pleasant. Mom especially enjoyed all the long stretches of motorway. :) We had a bit of trouble finding St. Albans Cathedral once we got into town – we had an excellent view from the motorway outside of the city – which is something I have observed about many famous large structures: you can't see them until you come around the last corner blocking them from view!

St Albans Cathedral is easy enough to see from the distant highway...

At last I figured out how to search for things on the satnav and got directions directly to the cathedral. We walked through that very same park where Richard and Claire had brought me and Bekah nearly two years before. We had beautiful sunny weather to walk by the little lake and watch the many people there doing the same. I even wore my sandals!

The park at St. Albans Cathedral

We spotted a heron!

I found a new bit of history in the cathedral this time! There is a sort of dungeon-looking stone room under the nave area where (I think) the Duke of Glouscester had once hidden during the time of Henry VI. You couldn't actually get down there, due to some metal bars across the opening, but there were some eerie stone steps leading down into the mysterious chamber, and is was rather exciting imagining the man himself standing down there.

The frescoes on the walls date back to sometime during the Norman period, part of the ceiling is medieval and part is Tudor, and the rest of the cathedral is a conglomeration of every architecture in between! It is one unique building.

One of the many different ceilings in St Albans Cathedral.

The quire and Tudor ceiling of St. Albans.

The frescoes rediscovered.

After discerning the various styles of architecture inside and getting pictures, including my traditional triumphant ascending of the giant stump outside, we headed back to eat a bit of lunch from our food stash in the trunk – including our mini Magnum ice cream bars (hazelnut and pistachio flavors). We did wander around the park a bit more before leaving, and just, you know, ran into a fragment of a Roman wall. No big deal.

Just another Roman wall...

Conqueror of the stump!

Some of the lovely landscape in the park.

There was a bit of quite heavy traffic on the M25, but we made it without incident to Hampshire. It was exciting to see road signs for Alton, not only because it is Jane Austen country (which Hampshire officially claims on its road sign – Jane would have been most amused, and a little honored, I think), but because it is a warmly familiar place we are coming back to.

The town where we stayed, Alresford (pronounced 'Allsford'), was a quintessential English small town. Our cottage was grouped with some brick and half-timbered houses along a street that seemed built along with the mill that was almost across the road, probably in the 1600s or 1700s. Mill Hill, our street, was at the bottom of part of the high street, so we were within walking distance of some lovely shops and restaurants.

We couldn't find parking, so mom practically had to beg me to knock on the door of our hosts – which I eventually did, although with great discomfort. :) (Have I mentioned I'm a bit of an introvert?) No one answered, however, so Mom was able to call, and it turned out that her family was there and could let us in.

The stream that feeds the mill of Mill Hill.

How pleasant it was to drop our stuff, sit on the sofa, and watch some BBC news. :) We missed a TV in Luton, so we watched a lot of 'Foyle's War' on the tablet instead. Of course 'Foyle' happened to be on in Hampshire, too, and we couldn't resist watching it. Or I should say rewatching it. (While I ate some fish fingers and custard.)

Fish fingers and custard for dinner!

© 2017 Anna Morton

The Real Northanger Abbey

A real ruined Abbey! We visited Rivaulx Abbey in north Yorkshire.

    As I was flipping through my travel journal to make a post about this day to my dismay I could not find it anywhere. So I shall be making one more post from memory. :)

England 2015 Travel Journal
Monday, March 30

     We began our day with another jaunt into York. Instead of using the York Outlets Park'n'Ride we found a city parking lot just outside one of the city's medieval gates. The parking rates were reasonable, somewhere between £2-4 for a couple of hours, and we could walk to the attraction that we came to see.

     In the rooms of this particular city gate was an exhibit about the infamous Richard III and the artifacts found on the Towton battlefield (mostly some fiendish looking weapons). It gives you an interesting look at what it would have been like for a soldier during the 1460s-80s, such as the camps, the armor, the battles, the weapons and such (as well as the rather horrible fighting that went on). There was also an informative short video about the Battle of Towton.

Did Richard wear this dashing suit of armor?

     This isn't Richard's actual armor, but it is a good example of what he might have worn. It was an unusual set of stairs to climb up from the street to the exhibit, and possibly the narrowest, lowest-ceiling-ed staircase I've ever climbed!

     We finished our sojourn in York early enough to zip up to North Yorkshire and to one of the sights we'd decided to see based the wonderful plethora of brochures and magazines provided in our AirBNB cottage. It was the amazing Rievaulx Abbey. We almost went to the more famous Whitby Abbey, and I wish we could have, since it is situated in grandeur on the Yorkshire coast. But it was just too far to visit that day by car.

     Even though we could only make it to one site that afternoon it still felt as if we got to see so much because on any drive through England there will be beautiful scenery and many historic landmarks along the road. For instance, we drove right past Castle Howard – an enormous estate that has been the seat of some powerful people in the past. I think we might have actually driven through the estate because we passed a couple of gates like this:

Entering the grounds of Castle Howard.

     You can actually catch a glimpse of the Castle at one point!

The Village of Helmsley

     The village nearest to the Abbey is a lovely looking place called Helmsley, with some shops and cafes that looked most inviting (unfortunately we got there just as they were all closing at 5:00). We had to hurry on to our destination, and what scenery we had along the way! It was the perfect prelude to the magnificence of the Abbey. The country was filled with bare trees, the wind was chill and cold, and the sky was covered in sliver clouds, but the fields were a lush green, painting a strikingly epic backdrop for those admirable ruins.

Rievaulx Abbey in all of it's ruined glory!

    It's a National Heritage site, so it costs about £8 each to walk around the Abbey, but, boy, is it worth the cost. What an imposing, splendid, spectacular, awe-inspiring sight! I could almost become a Gothic romance fan myself, it was such an amazing atmosphere. It made me more sympathetic to Jane Austen's Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey. But I can tell you that I would not wish to be there at night... It was lonely enough at a light 5:00 when you are the only two people wandering around. (The site closes at 6:00, by the way.)

One of the crumbling rooms of the Abbey

     There were helpful plaques placed in nearly every room (or what would have been a room when the Abbey was whole). The picture below is of the dining area, I believe. Can you imagine eating dinner in a space like this? All I can think about is how cold I would be during breakfast... The breakfast would be cold, too, I suppose. ;)

The stony dining hall of the Abbey

     Here we are in the main hall. It was haunting to stand in that space and imagine what it must have looked like in all of its glory. It just amazes me how people so long ago could have constructed such intricate and enormous structures, and yet here they still stand, looking more beautiful than any modern building I have ever seen. The motives were often questionable – power, display, intimidation, self-righteousness – but even that can tell us more about the people of the past and bring them closer to us, which also helps us to understand ourselves, since humankind never really changes.

     Okay, now I am done rhapsodizing or philosophizing or monolog-izing.... (and making up words)! ;)

Keeping warm...

    As you can see, maximum coverage was essential to keeping tolerably warm and comfortable in that frigid breeze, but – it was Yorkshire.

Would Henry Tilney call this a picturesque view?

     It was so atmospheric! I began to actually sympathize with Catherine Morland. I tend to think of her as a little juvenile for letting her imagination run away with her, but really, with such a scene it would take a singularly level-headed person to resist letting their imagination at least begin walking away with them.

     One minute my mind was full of monks walking cold halls trying to live a life of self-denial in this center of the Roman church in this remote corner of the north, and the next I could see soldiers of Henry VIII burning and sacking the Abbey for its riches in this far corner of the kingdom. Then I would summon up some romantic poets coming to the ruins to sit and contemplate the mossy stones and vaulted arches for inspiration, or Victorian Londoners up for a northern sketching holiday making their way as best they can in full skirts over the broken stairs and walls for the perfect picturesque view.

Both of us posing under that great arch would make for a dramatic painting, I think.

Who needs to read Mrs. Radcliffe when you've got the real thing! ;)

      This place has stood since the 11 and 1200s – for 900 years – and seen so much history. Those stones must have thousands of stories to tell, and walking among them, touching them with my hands, and imagining what they may have seen feels like a chance to honor the memories of each person and their real stories.



©2016 Anna Morton

Walking all over Paris in the Rain

| An afternoon in the Latin Quarter. |

I made no journal entry for this day, so I will be doing the best I can from memory. :)

It always seems to be overcast when we go to Paris. Both times we have come here, it didn't rain in England, and then it rained most of the time in France. But it does make for a very poetic, postcard-looking atmosphere - even if your feet get soaking wet and you have to squish all over Paris in the cold and rain. Besides, there is always a delicious pastry awaiting you somewhere! :)

We had breakfast in (of all places) McDonalds. I must explain why, or we will sound like the most unadventurous travelers, ever. We buy our quiche and pastries in a delicious corner pâtisserie, which we happened to have about 100 yards from our apartment, and then take our spoils to a McDonalds, where coffee doesn't cost an arm and a leg. This particular establishment had a lovely view of the Clúny Museum (the museum of Medieval history) and a busy day in the life of a Paris street.

Our frugal but delicious breakfast of quiche and chocolate chip brioche with coffee at McDonald's.

Our view for breakfast.

 We were there because we had planned to visit the museum, but of course it was closed on Mondays, so we decided to visit the Hôtel des Invalides (the military museum, where Napoleon is buried). On the way we passed the Sorbonne University and the post office so Mom could mail her many postcards. (I didn't write a single postcard to anyone until the last day of our entire trip... I confess.)

A very nice couple from the Czech Republic took our picture in that lovely courtyard outside of the Sorbonne. Another sight on the way to the military museum is the Jardin du Luxembourg, which I have wanted to see for a long time, as it is the place where Marius first sees Cosette in the book Lés Miserables. :) It was lovely, even with the rain and the nearly leafless trees. The gravel crunched pleasantly underfoot, and it was enjoyable to view the orderly straight avenues and neat beds of colorful spring flowers.

Luxembourg Gardens tea and coffee house.

Some ancient and medieval queens of French history that graced the Luxembourg Gardens.

The Palais du Luxembourg.

The lovely spring blooms outside of the palace.

Love those avenues.

Continuing our exploration of the Latin Quarter.

St. Michel was another sight we found on our way to the military museum.

Across the street from the military museum is Rodin's house and garden, so we got a view of his 'Thinker'!
(That's his back in the middle, there.)

There is the Hôtel des Invalides in all its glory! We had to walk around the outside of the entire complex because we didn't realize we had passed the entrance at the beginning. When we got to this spot in the photo we couldn't find a way in, even though there were gates everywhere and people inside. At last we found an opening in the gate, but then we couldn't figure out how to actually get in the confounded building! We wandered around looking for entrances, and when we finally went up the steps of the domed building – the obvious place – everyone was leaving and the doors were being shut. It was closed.

That is one of those moments during a trip when you wish you were back home sitting comfortably in your living room. I wanted to cry. It was worse because I had been checking the time on my phone, and we were supposed to have an hour before it would be closed. But it was then that I realized: Paris is an hour later than London is... It wasn't 4:00, it was 5:00. My phone was in airplane mode, and had therefore not switched over, so we had been operating on a clock that was in the wrong time zone.

I hope you all learn a lesson from that. :)

We found a little restaurant on Rue Cler. Not only was the restaurant itself recommended by Rick Steves, but so was the entire street! It is apparently well known for it's high quality and affordable dining options. And not only was the food delicious, but it was a warm and dry place, which was almost as important at the time as finding a good place to eat. :) If you are ever in Paris and you would like to try it, I would recommend it: Le Petit Cler.

The awning of Le Petit Cler.

Mom having a warming cup of coffee.

Me waiting for our food inside the atmospheric Le Petit Cler.

Again, in Paris, it's about the food.
Here is my omelet.

My mother's steak and potato.
(I had a few bites, too...)

We left the warm and comfortable Le Petit Cler to find another rather famous monument several blocks away...

My feet were well and truly soaked by this time, but a view of the Eiffel Tower in a twilight rain is irresistible. So we braved the chill and the damp and the dark to see that ever iconic sight. And of course it was worth it. It was hard to keep our cameras dry, though, holding a camera in both hands and an umbrella with one, but we managed to capture some memories and keep our cameras in working order.

One plus to your camera getting wet: it makes for some artistic pictures.
It was unforgettable. The Eiffel always is.

© 2015 Anna Morton