Canterbury tour

The beautiful weather held out over the weekend. 
Saturday, I left Wilmslow headed for Canterbury. 
This town was there before the Romans and is still
going strong today.  It is a university town and has
a great blend of the historic with the new.  The sites
include an incredible cathedral
(except for the stained glass), some Roman ruins,
a large portion of the original walls of the city
(built by the Romans and modified later by different
tribes and the Normans), and a pedestrian downtown
that is a pleasure to walk around.

The church was started around 597 with the current
building built a little after the Normans arrived
(1066).  One of the early kings appointed Thomas Becket
to be the Archbishop of Canterbury.  He did this to
hopefully have an ally in the church.  Mr. Beckett,
however, did not toe the line and the king soon
wished that he would disappear.  A couple of the
King's knights (kinicketts for the Monty Python fans)
overheard the wish and made it come true.  They
killed Thomas in the cathedral.  Soon afterwards,
this church became the destination for pilgrims
from around England.  The Canterbury Tales were
written as a result.  (I think I got most of the
facts right, if not, remember the source.)

After the cathedral, it was lunch time.  This is
one great place to eat.  There is a huge selection
and all convenient to the sights and sites of the
city.  I decided to follow a younger crowd into a
Pasty Shop (no, not that kind of pasty).  I have
had pasties on a couple of occasions and they have
been good, quick meals.  The shop was extremely
busy and they had a good selection.  I chose the
wrong one.  By the way, if in Canterbury, take time
to walk the walls of the city......you get the best
views from there.

Second stop was Dover, and in particular Dover Castle. 
This site has been in use for a long time.  There are
still Roman ruins there from when they built lighthouses
to guide their ships into the Dover harbour.  A large
part of one of those lighthouses still stands.....but
the Romans were not the first ones there.  The entire
area around the castle is worth seeing.  They include
the Roman lighthouse, a castle with parts of various
age (400 to 800 years),  WWII gun emplacements, and
tunnels dug back into the white cliffs of Dover and
used during the last 300 years or so.  One of the
highlights was a falconry exhibition.  I only saw
the last two birds, (an African eagel owl and a
Peregrine Falcon) but they were incredible.  One
cool thing about Dover is that you can moon the
people in France from the cliff side observation deck,
which I assume was put there for that purpose.

Sunday took me to the Heritage Motor Centre just
outside of Oxford.  I actually meant to go to Oxford,
but got side-tracked.  Lots of great cars from the
last 110 years.  To top it off, there was an MG
rally out in front of the museum
(You would love this place Michael!). 
You would have to see these cars to believe them. 
Some of the highlights were a couple of James Bond
cars used in the movies.  The first was the original
Bond car, an Austin Martin used by Sean Connery,
and the second was a later Austin Martin used to
save Halle Berry in a more recent Bond flick. 
My favorites though were the Austin Healey 3000's
and the Triumph TR6's.  Great cars in a great setting. 
To top it off, on the way home, I drove along beside a
guy in a beautifully maintained '70s vintage 442. 
It had the steering on the left side (think US not UK). 
He had the windows down and the radio turned up and
seemed to be having a large time considering the cost of
fuel here.

I hope this finds all well where you are.

DWR

Rock Climbing during a hike

It was back to northern Wales this past weekend. 
It is impossible to see too much of this place. 
The Costain Climbers and Hillwalkers Club were at
the NW tip of Snowdonia National Park to bag some
3000 footers.  This area reminds me a lot of Colorado.
The mountains are not as high, but the elevation
changes are just as dramatic.

We started off our hike in the Nant Ffrancon valley
by making a 2500 foot ascent up Pen-yr Ole Wen
 (3210 feet).  About 1/3 of the "walk up" was on all
fours; however, this time I was expecting it. 
It was fascinating, as the youngest member on this trip,
to watch these 60 to 70 year olds wedging themselves
into chutes with minimal toe and hand holds to get
to the top of a mountain.  It is not exaggerating to
say that death was a single slip away at many points
on the way up and 9 hours later on the way down to
Abergwyngregyn.

The views from the top were worth the climb. 
These broad bottomed, steep sided glacial valleys
have numerous water courses that plunge from the rim
to the valley floor in a series of pools and falls. 
The region had rain the day and night before, which
made the water action even more dramatic.

Once on top, we had some minor ascents and descents,
but none very challenging.  We were following a broad,
high ridgeline with straight drops on either side. 
While this area is green enough to support grazing
flocks of sheep and a small herd of wild ponies,
it is primarily a land of rock.  Many times on the
way up, while up, and on the way down, were were on
scree fields.

Once on top, we had views of Mount Snowdon to the
south, from which the park got its name, the mountains
of Snowdonia to the east, the Irish Sea to the north west,
and Anglesey and Puffin Islands to the west.  These
mountains help make their own weather, and during our
visit, we were alternately in bright sunshine and
enveloped in the clouds.

Our climb down from the ridge line took us along
a river's edge and eventually brought us to the feet
of two waterfalls formed by the same river.  We took
the time to walk to the base of the nearest of these
falls.  It is probably in the 300 foot range and very
popular among the locals.  From there, it was an easy
2 mile walk out to our vehicle.  I took photographs,
but like the paragraphs above, they do not capture
the beauty of this region.

I hope this finds all well where you are.

DWR

It's Been quiet here...

It's been a quiet week here in the UK.  I have not
had to work over a weekend in quite awhile, but
I put in some hours this weekend.  I believe it
will be the last time I have to do that. 
Our (Process Group) work is winding down here.
We are approaching a major milestone and are
happily ahead of schedule.  The next big release
of funding will be in January when the detailed
design work begins in earnest.  So, the next few
months will not be as busy for those ahead of
the game.  There are still some folks putting in long
hours and hearing the clock ticking away.

My time off this weekend, when not doing my
household chores or grocery shopping, was spent
walking around town, people watching, and supporting
my local pub.  This is a great town for all three.
It is a very affluent part of the UK with a very
diverse population.

Fall is arriving here.  Just as the days got
longer faster than at home, they are now getting
shorter faster.  It will not be long before I
drive to work in the dark.  I believe I will not be
here long enough to experience driving home in the
dark (at 1630!) again. 
Speaking of not being here much longer....

They have finally started talking to me about
my repatriation date.  As of this moment,
my last day here will be November 21. 
This will be nice because I can join the family
for Thanksgiving.  I have plans for every weekend
between now and then and for most weekends through
the new year (lots of paddling to do!).  I plan on
putting at least another 10,000 miles on the rental
car between now and my departure.  Michelle has
graciously agreed to help me do that by joining me
in Scotland for two weeks in early October.  This
is a trip that I have been looking forward to for
the entire time here.  My visits to SW and SE
Scotland earlier this year have primed the pump.
We plan on seeing the mainland and then riding
ferries to the outlying islands.  With a little
luck, we will see the northern lights while we
are there.  So much to see, so little time.....

I hope this finds all well where you are.

DWR

I could live in Portsmouth. Friday afternoon was spent
driving from Manchester (considered to be in the north)
to Portsmouth (on the south coast). Manchester was in
the rear view mirror at 1530 and the tent was pitched
just outside of Portsmouth at 2100. The drive down
was only interrupted by a dinner break at the Heart
in Hand pub. The next morning was a little foggy,
but it burned off quickly. The rest of the day was
sunny with temperatures in the upper 70's and low 80's.
Portsmouth is a naval town and has been since
before Roman times. It is home to the largest
naval base in the UK. It was heavily bombed during
World War II so, it does not have the historic
buildings one would expect to find. A castle
built by Henry VIII is still standing and can still be
toured. The town's treasures are nestled in the
old dock yard and for 18.50 (roughly $37.00)
one can spend time among them.
I arrived in town a little after 0700 and found
a convenient car park (parking garage in this case)
near the old dockyard. Since nothing was open
at that hour, I spent the first three hours of the
morning exploring the town and its water front.
It is a pleasant mixture of the old and new with
plenty of green (grass and money) thrown in.
The town has a historic section and a Myrtle
Beach like section. Luckily, the historic section
dominates the water front.
The doors to the dock yard opened at 1000.
This same set of doors has been allowing
entrance since the early 1700s. Inside the gates
are the historic wonders that I wandered through
until 1730, and an operating, modern navy base
where I was encouraged not to wander by
armed security forces. The first twenty minutes
were spent waiting in queue to pay for the
season pass. Just a minute's walk outside the
door of the ticket center is where the Warrior is
berthed. This is the first UK built steel and
steam/sail ship built in 1860 in response
to a similar vessel being built in France.
It was the largest and fastest war ship of its day;
although, its day only lasted about 10 years.
During its illustrious career, it was a war ship
in active service, a war ship in reserve service,
up for auction as scrap (no takers), and part
of an oil receiving depot. Eventually, it was
beautifully restored and put on display.
It looks like it could sail out
of the harbour any time it is required to do so.
I spent 2 hours touring the ship.
Back off of the ship, I wandered back to the
ticket building, which also houses one of
three places in the immediate area to get
food. Lunch was wolfed down and I was
off to tour the HMS Victory. This is a ship
built before the US became the US (1759).
It was Nelson's flag ship at Tralfalgar and
the ship where he was wounded, died,
pickled in a cask of spirits
(rum and brandy, I think),
and transported back to England for a
hero's burial. Nelson was a hugely popular
man during his lifetime. His success in the
navy tranfsered into the private sector
where he was almost worshipped.
The ship was put into dry dock in the
1920's and lovingly restored. I spent 2
hours touring it.
The Mary Rose served England for about
35 years before she sank off the coast of
Portsmouth while Henry VIII watched
(think 1500's). It laid on the bottom of the
sea until recovery efforts succeeded in
raising a subsantial part of the port side
sometime in the 1990s ( I think!).
That portion is in the process of being
preserved, but it is housed where the
public can come in and view it. While
interesting to archeologists, I only spent about
thirty minutes in this area, then I was off to take
a harbour tour.
The harbour tour lasted a little less than an
hour. We rode by modern warships at anchor
or in dry dock, the Warrior and the Victory,
and dodged through heavy traffic.
Everyone was on the water....cruise ships from
France, ferrys to the Isle of Wight and Gosport,
tugs, private power and sailing vessels,
and jet skis....and all crammed into an area
smaller than Clark's Hill Lake's southern end
between the dam and Bussey Point. The rest
of my time in the old dock yard was spent
touring the Royal Navy museum and the Nelson museum.
I walked out of the dock yard gate at 1730 and
proceeded back to the downtown water front to
take a ride up the Spinnaker Tower. This tower
was recently completed and was over budget and
behind schedule. It may have already paid for
itself though. The tower is shaped like a
billowing sail. An elevator takes you to the
100 meter level (above the water side)
where you can stand looking out through
glass windows or stand on a glass floor to
watch folks passing beneath you.
You can then climb to the two levels above
to get a slightly different perspective of
Portsmouth and the surrounding land and sea.
I spent about forty minutes in the tower
before descending in search of dinner.
I did not have to walk far (about 100 yards)
before settling into a water side seat and
ordering a beer and dinner. This was wolfed
down just as lunch was because I had one
more stop for the day before I returned to
my tent. (Suella, you have a sister.....born in
Bulgaria, working in an Italian restaurant,
and living in England! While you are not twins,
the similarity made me look three or four times
before I convinced myself that you were not in country.)

Chichester is a small town about 30 minutes
drive from Portsmouth. It has another one
of those 1000 year old cathedrals that I mention
from time to time. When I arrived, a crowd was
gathered in front of the church and I immediately
thought they were holding Saturday evening
service. They were not. By the time I finished
walking around and photographing the exterior
of the building, the front doors opened and the
crowd started in. I followed to see the interior
and was pleasantly surprised to find out that the
UK National Youth Choir was performing that
evening. I bought a ticket, toured the inside
of the cathedral, and then settled into place
to hear a wonderful choir doing an impressive
selection of music. This is not your run of the
mill youth choir (17-20) and the music they
performed is not typically performed by people
in this age group, but they were up to the task
and there were some incredible moments
during the evening.
I arrived back at my tent about 2315,
brushed my teeth, and went to bed. No one
saw me come in that night and no one saw me
leave in the morning. I was showered, dressed,
and packed by 0630 this morning. I had a
busy day planned. My first stop was Winchester.
This was the capital city in southern England
(not London) prior to the arrival of the
Normans around 1079. Many of England's
famous kings, prior to the Norman invasion,
ruled from this city. A huge cathedral was
build on the site as far back as 600. The new
structure was started around 1080 and has
been in continuous service since its completion.
There have been many additions since the early
construction.
A lot of the old town is no longer there;
however, you can walk around and see bits
and pieces from the Roman era through today.
I spent about 3 hours walking the city,
the cathedral, and the local bishop's castle.
As I walked back to the car, I passed through a
local farmers market where I spent another hour
sampling the wares and buying stuff to eat on the
way home and later in the week. I was leaving
Winchester a lot later than anticipated,
so I cancelled plans to stop in Oxford. I will
fit that into a trip later in my stay.
I hope this finds all well where you are.
DWR