Escape from Bath, Part I To reduce stress on our day of departure, Saturday the 14th, we had planned to return the car the day before. On the 12th, an email from Hertz Bath arrive, informing us that the drop-off office had closed, and the new one was at “the Old Coal Yard on Station… Continue reading Bath, 13 May
Tag: Architecture GB22
Wells Cathedral and Bath, 11 May
It was pouring rain when we reached Wells, which limited our exploration of the town itself. Technically, Wells (population 12,000) is not a town but a city because it has a cathedral. Fortunately, said cathedral is protected against the elements. Apart from being watertight, Wells Cathedral is a beautiful and complex structure, inside and out.… Continue reading Wells Cathedral and Bath, 11 May
Driving to Bath, 10 May
We drove to Bath by way of Tintagel, which is both a town and a promontory with a 13th-century castle ruin. The ruined castle certainly has archaeological interest, but its main draw is its association with the King Arthur legend. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Tintagel is where Arthur was conceived. To see the ruin… Continue reading Driving to Bath, 10 May
Cornwall tourist spots, 8 May
Richard had warned me about Cornwall being a major tourist destination, but I was not prepared for exactly what that meant. Nor was he entirely, for the crowds have grown much worse than when he vacationed here decades ago. I had really wanted to visit St Ives and see the Barbara Hepworth sculpture garden and… Continue reading Cornwall tourist spots, 8 May
Hereford, 5 May, continued
After visiting the cathedral and its treasures, we wandered over to the Black and White House, through the last of the fair rides and booths. The Black and White House Built in 1621 as a residence and shop, the house narrowly escaped the destruction in the early 1800s and was left standing alone. Afterward, it… Continue reading Hereford, 5 May, continued
Hereford: Mappa Mundi
You would not use the Mappa Mundi to create a travel plan. Even in the Middle Ages, long before the plotting of latitude and longitude, there were navigational charts and land maps with some degree of accuracy.The Mappa Mundi, instead, represents an idea of the world and what it contains. Accordingly, the map portrays not… Continue reading Hereford: Mappa Mundi
Mar sin leibh an-dràsta
We said “farewell for now” to the Highlands, heading down to Carlisle, with a stop at Rosslyn Chapel. Rosslyn Chapel An architectural curiosity, Rosslyn Chapel achieved notoriety with the Da Vinci Code and multiplied its tourist trade five-fold. The money has been very welcome, as the chapel was falling apart at the time. The purported… Continue reading Mar sin leibh an-dràsta
Day tour of Mull and Iona
Ferries run several times daily back and forth from the islands and Oban. Buses of tourists cross Mull, traveling from one port to the next. Both conveyances also carry older schoolchildren to Oban and back once a week, because of a lack of secondary schools on Mull and Iona. Indeed, everything and everyone on the… Continue reading Day tour of Mull and Iona
Edinburgh, 27 April
In which we visit the castle and the National Gallery Edinburgh Castle A statue honoring Field Marshall Douglas Haig stands outside National War Museum of Scotland. He was nicknamed “Butcher Haig” not because of enemy casualties, but for the two million British casualties suffered under his command. The National War Museum of Scotland has fascinating… Continue reading Edinburgh, 27 April
Edinburgh, 25-26 April
A short train ride from Berwick-upon-Tweed, we arrived in Edinburgh and caught a taxi to our apartment-hotel, near the castle. After getting settled, we wandered up the hill to Lawnmarket, where we had decent beer and indifferent savoury pies at Deacon Brodie’s Tavern. William Brodie (1741-88) was a respected tradesman by day and a criminal… Continue reading Edinburgh, 25-26 April