A typical England country setting.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Month Four!
Month four has come and gone! I found a great way to
see in month five. I spent the day in York. I had
heard and read great things about this city, but I did
not expect it to live up to my expectations. It
surpassed them.
The forecast was for a pretty nasty day when I set out
at 0730 yesterday morning, but the bad weather never
materialized during my time in York. The first drops
of rain I encountered were around 1600 as I was
leaving The Minster.
The Minster is a cathedral. The largest or one of the
largest in the UK. I spent three hours there after
lunch wandering around the subterranean vaults, the
main floors, and the very top tower (approximately 200
feet above the street). The Romans had built a fort
on the site. The Normans used many of the stones from
the fort's foundation as the foundation for the
largest cathedral of their day. The current cathedral
used bits of both and is larger than both.
In the mid 1960's the central part of the cathedral
started to collapse. Five years and millions of
dollars later, the building's structure was
stabilized. During the work, a lot of cool stuff was
unearthed in the excavation. Being the thrifty people
that they are, the citizens of York kept the
excavation open and made displays all through it to
take you back into time. One can see original Roman
columns and wall paintings as well as bits and pieces
of the Roman and Norman foundations. Other day to day
items are displayed in cases along the way through the
vaults. They also display a lot of vessels used in
the church over the hundreds of years it has been in
existence. The materials of construction ranging from
fired clay to silver and gold pieces with gem stones
adorning them.
The morning was spent wandering around the ruins of a
castle built by King Henry III, taking a Disney-like
ride through an excavated viking village complete with
a display of items recovered during the excavation,
and wandering the streets of this walled city. The
morning ended on an even higher note when I
discovered, purely by chance, a great restaurant for
lunch. The town's economy is definitely driven by
tourism and they do a pretty good job of making life
convenient.
I ended my day with a walk around the city's wall in a
light rain and growing wind. The bad weather hit as I
was driving home. Speed on the motorway slowed from
70 to 80 mph to 40 to 50 mph in the high winds and
heavy rain. The open moor provided no protection.
I hope this finds all well there. The key is still
under the mat. I have only booked three groups so
far.
Next weekend is northern Wales for some paddling and
the weekend after that is the very northern part of
England for some hiking in the Lake District.
Hopefully the weather in Scotland will have settled
some by then and I can finally make it up that way the
following weekend.
More later.......................
DWR
see in month five. I spent the day in York. I had
heard and read great things about this city, but I did
not expect it to live up to my expectations. It
surpassed them.
The forecast was for a pretty nasty day when I set out
at 0730 yesterday morning, but the bad weather never
materialized during my time in York. The first drops
of rain I encountered were around 1600 as I was
leaving The Minster.
The Minster is a cathedral. The largest or one of the
largest in the UK. I spent three hours there after
lunch wandering around the subterranean vaults, the
main floors, and the very top tower (approximately 200
feet above the street). The Romans had built a fort
on the site. The Normans used many of the stones from
the fort's foundation as the foundation for the
largest cathedral of their day. The current cathedral
used bits of both and is larger than both.
In the mid 1960's the central part of the cathedral
started to collapse. Five years and millions of
dollars later, the building's structure was
stabilized. During the work, a lot of cool stuff was
unearthed in the excavation. Being the thrifty people
that they are, the citizens of York kept the
excavation open and made displays all through it to
take you back into time. One can see original Roman
columns and wall paintings as well as bits and pieces
of the Roman and Norman foundations. Other day to day
items are displayed in cases along the way through the
vaults. They also display a lot of vessels used in
the church over the hundreds of years it has been in
existence. The materials of construction ranging from
fired clay to silver and gold pieces with gem stones
adorning them.
The morning was spent wandering around the ruins of a
castle built by King Henry III, taking a Disney-like
ride through an excavated viking village complete with
a display of items recovered during the excavation,
and wandering the streets of this walled city. The
morning ended on an even higher note when I
discovered, purely by chance, a great restaurant for
lunch. The town's economy is definitely driven by
tourism and they do a pretty good job of making life
convenient.
I ended my day with a walk around the city's wall in a
light rain and growing wind. The bad weather hit as I
was driving home. Speed on the motorway slowed from
70 to 80 mph to 40 to 50 mph in the high winds and
heavy rain. The open moor provided no protection.
I hope this finds all well there. The key is still
under the mat. I have only booked three groups so
far.
Next weekend is northern Wales for some paddling and
the weekend after that is the very northern part of
England for some hiking in the Lake District.
Hopefully the weather in Scotland will have settled
some by then and I can finally make it up that way the
following weekend.
More later.......................
DWR
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Greetings again
I am freshly back from a drive around the Lake
District. It is a fascinating combination of
mountains, lakes, and the Irish Sea coast. There is
snow at the higher elevations and people walking
around in short sleeves at the lower elevations. Of
course, the Brits walk around in some pretty cold
weather in short sleeves.
Just outside the western border of the Lake District,
and located on the Irish Sea Coast is where the
facility, on whose design I have been working, will be
built. It is a pretty dramatic landscape.
My schedule is starting to resemble the one I keep at
home. I seem to be booked every weekend. This is not
a complaint. The next couple of weeks will find me
hiking in Wales and then a long awaited 5 day trip to
Scotland over Easter. It seems like the scenery keeps
getting better every time I explore a new area. The
Lake District is by far the most striking to date,
even more so than northern Wales. The locals tell me
that Scotland will make me forget about the Lake
District, so I am looking forward to the trip.
However, I will be back in the Lake District to walk
and paddle.
I hope all is well on your end. I will drink a draft
on your behalf this evening at dinner.
DWR
District. It is a fascinating combination of
mountains, lakes, and the Irish Sea coast. There is
snow at the higher elevations and people walking
around in short sleeves at the lower elevations. Of
course, the Brits walk around in some pretty cold
weather in short sleeves.
Just outside the western border of the Lake District,
and located on the Irish Sea Coast is where the
facility, on whose design I have been working, will be
built. It is a pretty dramatic landscape.
My schedule is starting to resemble the one I keep at
home. I seem to be booked every weekend. This is not
a complaint. The next couple of weeks will find me
hiking in Wales and then a long awaited 5 day trip to
Scotland over Easter. It seems like the scenery keeps
getting better every time I explore a new area. The
Lake District is by far the most striking to date,
even more so than northern Wales. The locals tell me
that Scotland will make me forget about the Lake
District, so I am looking forward to the trip.
However, I will be back in the Lake District to walk
and paddle.
I hope all is well on your end. I will drink a draft
on your behalf this evening at dinner.
DWR
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