A Medieval Church

On Wednesday Kevin and Sue took us to one of the most historic buildings in the area.  In the town of Christchurch there is the church of a medieval priory (or monastery) that dates back to the 12th century.  The large church rivals some English cathedrals in size.

By 1150 a basic Norman-style church had been completed, but over the centuries additions and renovations resulted in a mixture of styles.  We were unable to visit the entire church because services were being held in the Lady Chapel at the far end of the structure.  Nevertheless, it was a very impressive building.

One of the oldest parts of the church is this doorway with a Norman arch.  It is called the Prior's Entrance because this was the personal door to the church for the head of the monastery.  It probably dates from 1140.

This marble baptismal font from the early Norman period probably dates from 1200.

The wooden choir stalls are known as "misericords" from the Latin word for compassion.  They are not really seats, but they provided the monks, who had to stand through the services, a little bit of support.

They are superb examples of medieval woodcarving.

  Stained glass windows in the church

Another Member of the Family

I would be remiss not to mention another member of my cousin's family... their black Labrador Lily.

 

We fell in love with Lily.  She is a very sweet, friendly dog who greeted us with a wagging tail and kisses.

The Cat and the Fiddle

On Tuesday evening, Kevin and Sue took us out for dinner at a nearby pub not far from their home.  The place is called "The Cat and the Fiddle".  It claims to be more than 400 years old and one of the oldest pubs in England.  It stands on the site of a hospice run by monks in the 11th century.  In the 19th century it was a favorite gathering place for smugglers and highwaymen.

A modern addition was built onto it, but the original building still has a thatched roof.

   

I ordered a very traditional, British dish... their home-baked meat pie.  The pie of the day was chicken and leek.  It was served with gravy and mashed potatoes with spring onions, roasted carrots and greens.

It was a lovely evening with delicious food and good company in a historic setting.

By the Sea

On our first full day with my cousin Kevin and his wife Sue, we went to a nearby seaside village called Barton-by-Sea.  It is located on a cliff more than 100 feet above the English Channel.  There are several paths that descend to the beach.

Along the shore there are little beach cabins.  These structures, not much bigger than a walk-in closet can cost between 30,000 and 150,000 British pounds (between 40,000 and 200,000 U.S. dollars!).

The cliffs are composed of very crumbly material and are prone to erosion.  In some places the cliffs are eroding at the rate of three feet per year.  In order to try to slow the rate of erosion, vegetation has been planted on the cliffs.

This is as far as we were allowed to go due to unstable cliffs.

You can see evidence of where houses built on the edge of the cliff, have fallen to the sea due to erosion.

From the beach you can see just off shore the Isle of Wight, an island in the English Channel.  The island became a popular seaside resort when Queen Victoria made it her winter residence.  (The island supposedly has the mildest winters in the England)  At the right, you can see rock formations known as the Needles.

Visiting My Cousin

On Monday we packed up again to continue on our journey.  We went back to Heathrow Terminal 5, and there at the bus station we caught a National Express bus to Bournemouth which is located on the coast of the English Channel.  The ride was a comfortable two hour trip.  When we reached the Bournemouth bus depot, my cousin Kevin was there to meet us.  We drove to his home in a nearby town.   

Before anything else, the topic of conversation was England's victory over Mexico in the World Cup match that was held in the wee hours of Monday morning, UK time.  None of us had stayed up that late to watch the game, but it was big, big news in England.  Even though I was rooting for Mexico, in a way I was relieved by their loss.  I had packed many Mexico t-shirts including team jerseys in my luggage before I was aware that the two nations were going to be paired.  I was a bit afraid of how people would react if Mexico won and I walked around wearing Mexico shirts. 

After we got settled, we had dinner outside on their terrace.  Kevin barbequed meat on the grill and his wife Sue had prepared a number of salads and side dishes.  It was a lovely meal.  Sue and Kevin's younger son, Scott, joined us.

After dinner, I brought out the gifts that I had bought them.  I knew that Kevin collected lead toy soldiers, and I had found a shop in Mexico City that sold them.  I brought him two... one a soldier on horseback from the Mexican Revolution and the other a cadet from the "Colegio Militar" (the military academy that used to be located in Chapultepec Castle) holding a Mexican flag.

Kevin then gave us a gift.  In his retirement he has taken painting classes, and he has become quite good at his artwork.  He gave me two paintings that he did of the nearby beaches along the English Channel.

They will be hung on the wall in the apartment when we return to Mexico City!

 

A Day in London (Part Three)

The next leg of our lengthy walk through central London was along Whitehall, the street which connects Trafalgar Square with Parliament Square.

There are a number of imposing government buildings along the street.

The Women of World War II Monument honors the contributions of British women to the war effort.

The Cenotaph is memorial which was originally dedicated those who died in World War I, but it now also honors British troops who died in World War II.

Whitehall ends at Parliament Square, and there it is... Big Ben, or as I explained in the last post, the Elizabeth Tower.

I don't know if some sort of event was going on, but the Goodyear blimp was flying overhead.

We crossed Westminster Bridge for a view of the Thames River.  On the opposite bank is the London Eye.

The other side of the bridge offers the classic view of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.  But in the late afternoon, the buildings were a silhouette against the sun.

Looking toward modern high-rise buildings upriver

The Palace of Westminster, or Houses of Parliament as seen from the bridge

 

Although Parliament has met here for centuries, the current palace is relatively new.  It was built in the 1840s in Gothic Revival Style.

Just a block away from the Houses of Parliament is Westminster Abbey.  The Gothic church was begun in the 13th century and has been the site of royal coronations, funerals and weddings.

At this point we went back to Whitehall to find someplace to eat.  I know that restaurants near major tourist attractions are not the best places to eat, but we were too tired to search farther afield.  We went to a pub and ordered fish and chips.  The meal was rather bland.

After walking for hours, there was no way that I wanted to walk all the way back to Paddington Station.  Fortunately, the nearby Charing Cross subway stop was on the direct line to Paddington.  There we caught the train back to Heathrow, and then the quick bus ride to our hotel.  It was a great day.  We saw many of London's most famous sights, but by the end of the day we were exhausted.