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Friday, June 06, 2003
MY 2000 ADVENTURE (continued)
June 16 – 5:00 pm
I sent an email to Mom and Rick. Here is an edited version:
Thanks for all the messages. My feet are aching right now! I must have walked 10 miles today. I left the hostel at about 11:00 am and walked to downtown and to the Imperial War Museum. Many things to see there. I spent 3.5 hours looking but could have easily spent the whole day. Then I walked by Buckingham Palace and saw the changing of the guard. Much pomp and ceremony with the guards strutting around and doing their various rifle adjustments, etc. Then the bagpipers and drummers led the troops out and marched to the horse guards building. Compared to other mansions and buildings that I’ve seen in Europe, I wasn’t that impressed by the front facade of Buckingham Palace. Westminster Abbey and the Parliament Building were impressive from the outside. I walked around downtown a bit and then up to Trafalgar Square. The Canadian High Commission (same as the embassy?) is located there!
I walked around the many parks (St. James, Green, Holland, and Kensington Gardens) in central London. The parks are surprisingly clean while the streets are windy, narrow, and thus cause wind gusts. There are many double decker buses and funny looking taxis. Actually the cabs resemble America’s version of Checker cab. (prolific and functional design that has been seldom updated). They still look like they were built in the 1950s. I’ll meet up with a bloke (Tony) from London that I met up on my Middle East trip. He may show me around the area tomorrow. The London Tube isn’t too bad. I’ve only used it twice by the brochures explain all the routes and zone prices. The train stations are also surprisingly clean. Although there are likely dodegy parts of London, the city as a whole seems much cleaner than New York City. Both cities are similar in geographic size and population.
The Kensington area where I’m staying is a self contained city/suburb within London. There are many stores to shop, restaurants, small grocery stores and hostels. Close by is the Earls Court district which has much activity due to being a popular hangout with the backpackers. My hostel is a bit off the beaten track but I’m only paying 55 pounds for five days! I was able to get a bed upstairs where it’s a bit cooler, cleaner and has more room for me to put my stuff. I was previously on the main floor and shared a room that included a couple of old men who lived there! They’re interesting to talk with but they had their shit sprawled all over and they chain smoked. I haven’t had a chance to really experience (drinking in a pub and watch a soccer game) London yet. I’ll probably do it tomorrow with Tony. I was able to alter my trip through Britain and Scotland a bit. I’m now staying an extra day in Edinburgh and will return to London on June 27. I depart the next day at 4:30 pm and arrive in Vancouver at 6:00 pm the same day. Then I leave Vancouver on the 29th and arrive in Edmonton at 11:35 am. It hasn’t rained here since I arrived but it has been slightly overcast. It’s been a bit humid during the day but it cools off at night.
June 19 – 9:30 pm
I just showered and washed my shirt and underwear in the clean YMCA hostel in Bath, England. I need to backtrack a few days to discuss what’s transpired. On the 16th I walked all the way down High Street in Kensington, past Buckingham Palace, St. James Park, Westminster Abbey, Parliament Buildings, across the River Thames and to the Imperial War Museum (whew!). The museum was excellent and had many displays that relating to British culture and other post World War Two conflicts. I believe that this visit was my closet inspection of World War One and Two displays. I spent over three hours there before heading back downtown, past 10 Downing Street, Trafalgar Square and Leichester Square. Very lively places! I went to McDonald’s but I couldn’t get a hold of Tony. So I walked back to the hostel and spent three hours at the Easy Everything store. I went to bed late again and woke up early.
By this time (June 17th) my body ached and my feet had blisters. It was very warm that day and I felt confident enough to finally take the Underground. I didn’t look carefully at the prices so I rushed to buy a weekend pass for all six zones for seven pounds. I hopped on and off at a few places (Marble Arch, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Monument Station). I walked across London Bridge (surprisingly ordinary looking bridge) and then took the Riverside Walk to Tower Bridge (very ornate). The latter bridge had a fantastic museum and was well worth the wait. Then I rushed to Covent Gardens to meet with Tony. We stood in a crowded bar for two hours and watched Germany play England. It was a good game and the pub erupted into cheers when England scored. The atmosphere felt like being in Edmonton and watching the Oilers in game seven of the Stanley Cup Final. But one difference was that people in the bar sang soccer songs – obviously steeped in English soccer history. After the game ended (England lost) we went to a pub called the Maple Leaf. I had a Fosters beer and relaxed. However, I was shocked to learn that many pubs in London closed at 11:00 pm. Just before closing I realized that I had lost all my money. I was stunned and had no idea what happened to it. I was obviously very upset as I bade farewell to Tony. My frustration continued as I then missed the last train by five minutes. So I had to take a double decker bus to get back to the hostel and didn’t get to bed until 3:00 am.
On June 18th I visited the Tower of London and was also very interesting. I obviously slept in that morning and thus didn’t get to the Tower until 1:30 pm. I could have easily spent all day there to experience the area. Seeing the Crown Jewels was a highlight too! Upon returning to the hostel I rushed to the Laundromat (hadn’t been in one since August 1998). The first laundromat I saw was closed and, combined with the heat, made me exasperated. Luckily there was another place nearby and I had an interesting conversation with a local. His name was Josh and was born in Malta. He despised the U.K. with its weather, high taxes, and over population. He never gave me a complete answer though as to why he wouldn’t move! He talked a lot about women and while he well traveled he seemed closed minded. The temperature reached a blistering 32 celcius that day so after I did my laundry I promptly had a shower. I don’t understand why the grocery stores closed early and in fact many stores weren’t open on the weekend. I suppose this was the case back home fifty years ago but profit and greed have changed corporate attitudes in North America. So I had to settle with having dinner again at McDonald’s. I got to bed at midnight but woke up at 5:00 am in order to call Dad from a payphone.
Today was another hot and humid day so it made it difficult to trek to the OVC Hotel with my pack. That was where I was to meet my next travel group. I had arranged to keep my Turkish carpets and papyrus in the Holland Hostel attic while I was gone. I had an interesting conversation with Brian who, like Josh earlier, complained about the decay of the quality of life in London. I was thoroughly exhausted when I reached the OVC Hotel this morning. My load was lighter but I was still drenched in sweat from walking in the heat. So I went to Tesco and got some supplies then met up with Penny. She was our Border Raiders tour guide and was very kind and outgoing. I had relaxed by this point and was ready for another tour. Our bus was a green Mercedes Blarney Bus and stood out like a sore thumb in traffic. The capacity was 24 people but the problem was there was no air conditioning! I don’t suppose many tour buses in the U.K. have a/c but we sure needed it today. But I was tired and dozed off and on while I gazed out the window and saw many small country- side villages with its old fashioned houses and windy roads. I’m tired again now and will resume writing tomorrow…
June 20 – 11:05 am
At the moment we’re parked at a Tesco store in the pleasant town of Chepstow, Wales. Earlier I paid 2 pounds to see the impressive medieval Chepstow Castle. Construction of it began in 1070 A.D. by William Fitz Osbern. Building continued through four stages over a couple of hundred years and much of it was still intact. Later we stopped and looked at the half demolished Tintern Abbey. Henry VIII’s army had shelled it in order to purge the Catholic Church in Britain. There has been a very fine misty rain today but it’s refreshing. I still feel discombobulated from all the walking I’ve done and not sleeping enough. I learned that rwyf in degaroo means I love you in Welsh.
June 21 – 9:10 am
I forgot to mention that while in the town of Bath we had dinner in a pub called Sorosen’s Head. Charles Dickens was a regular patron there and conceived of the Pickwick Papers. Other observations are the road signs in Britain: end of crawler lane, mind the gap, mind your head, and give way. We’re back on the Blarney Bus and listening to the Mystery Years show on the Radio One station. While waiting to leave Tesco yesterday there was a hilarious song on the radio. The main lyrics were: I know you want to do it. We can make sandwiches. I’ll be the bun and you can be the burger girl. It was a nice cool day yesterday. We took a nice walk up a hill to see a ruined castle in Wales called Wolforwyn. It had a nice view of the peaceful Welsh countryside. It was all green with many noisy sheep. Then we drove to the town of Llangollen and stayed in a large and supposedly haunted mansion (Uffington White House?). It had great facilities except that it had the smallest bathroom that I’ve ever seen! In the evening some of us walked into town. But it was almost deserted – perhaps due to the soccer game. Turned out that England lost to Romania! I only spent 5 pounds on lunch yesterday while I cooked dinner. I had a good sleep but am still a bit tired from all the walking that I’ve done. The top of the hill (St. George’s Hill) near the hostel had a ruined castle (St. George’s Castle) that ostensibly housed one of the knights that had the Holy Grail. There are thick, grey clouds this morning but no rain…yet.
June 21 – 10:50 am
We’re now in the town of Colne that used to be well known for having a large mining industry. There are many long rows of brick townhouses. It looks like scenes from the Coronation Street television show. Today is the summer solstice but it doesn’t seem like it here though – it’s grey and miserable.
June 21 – 4:10 pm
We just had tea at Aylsoarth Falls where scenes from the 1993 motion picture Robin Hood were filmed. We are still in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and it has interesting looking limestone scars. I just saw a clump of Scots Pines trees (Caladonian) that looked like Australian Eucalyptus trees. The English cut many done to construct buildings. Our tour guide is from the Fife area of Scotland – just across the bay from Edinbrough I think. We had lunch in the lively town of Skipton that was only fifteen miles north of Haworth. That is where Great Grandpa Wood lived in the 1880s. I went into the town’s little library and looked around. Afterwards we stopped briefly at Bunsall and I took a picture of an old bridge where the Wharf River flowed. The phrase e by gum means oh my gosh in Yorkshire.
June 21 – 9:00 pm
I’m sitting in the quiet room in the hostel – it’s rather cold outside so I’m relaxing inside. This hostel is an immense place with stairs that looks like Escher’s Ascending and Descending painting. It’s located outside the town of Ambleside in the Lake District. The scenery is hauntingly beautiful with ominous grey clouds and large, green hills in the distance. Right beside the hostel is a large lake that, when the weather is nice, must be pleasant to swim in. I was told that this area is a popular tourist area and common for the locals to relax. But I could not cope with this depressing, grey, rainy weather for more than a few weeks! So far it hasn’t rained heavily on the tour but there seems to be a constant drizzle. Perhaps this is what made Great Grandfather Wood (John Travers Wood) leave gloomy Yorkshire in 1889. With the exception of my meeting miscommunication this afternoon after lunch this trip has been great. I wish that I had one extra day as I could spend more time in Edinburgh. This means that I have to return to London on June 26th. I have a phone card so I’ll call Darcy in the morning.
June 22 – 9:00 am
At the moment we’re driving through misty Kirkstone Pass. The terrain is rocky and there are numerous streams flowing down the steep hills. The area is eerie and is a perfect setting for ghosts and ghouls lurking about. Our guide pointed out that unique flowers here are from Turkey and Greece and are called rollydendrins. They came from peacocks that were brought over from wealthy people who wanted birds in their gardens. We had tea by Ullsworth Lake (second biggest in the Lake District). I just saw a mother duck and her ducklings. We were skipping rocks and the ducks thought that they were food. Then it started raining so we dashed back to our bus.
June 22 – 11:50 pm
I just walked around and on the famous Hadrian’s Wall in drizzly Northumberland. It’s a desolate area and was the northernmost point that the Roman Empire. The Scots pride themselves in being the barbarians that were able to defeat the mighty Romans. I spoke with an elderly man who was traveling alone – amazing! We’re now passing near Halt Whistle that is the geographic center of Britain. The song Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer is now playing.
June 22 – 2:20 pm
We’ve entered Scotland and just left the town of Jedburgh. This is last new country that I’ll visit on my trip. Magically, as soon as we crossed the border into Scotland the clouds cleared and the sun appeared. Our tour guide spoke about the history of the Scottish flag with the cross. Apparently just before a major battle, a commanding officer saw the clouds form a cross in the sky. He figured that it was an omen, led his forces into battle and defeated the English. While in Jedburgh I bought a Feast ice cream bar and an Irn Bru. The latter is the most popular drink in Scotland and apparently the only country in the world where Coca Cola is not the most popular soft drink.
Soon after I emailed my family and friends, here is an edited version of the message:
This afternoon I arrived in Edinburgh after a four day trip upon leaving London. Day 1 was spent at Bath – a quaint little town with rare thermo mineral springs that have been in use since the Romans were there. We had a tour of the area and I paid 50 pence for a glass of the warm mineral water. It smelled and tasted a bit like sulphur but was because it contained 43 different minerals. The ancient baths area was under exploration and renovation and was very interesting. Our group also stopped at a place called the White Horse. It was an outline of a giant horse made of many small rocks and was estimated to be 2000 years old. The image is huge and is only clearly distinguishable from the air. Beside it was St. George’s Hill where St. George ostensibly slay the dragon. Also close by was the town of Avery and the Averyhenge site. It’s the largest (geographically) collection of stone monuments in Britain but is not as famous as Stonehenge. Sadly the latter is now closed to tourists due to vandalism. The area has beautiful green countryside with many sheep and narrow, windy roads. The towns are old but have well kept houses and stores.
Day 2 was spent at a hostel outside the town of Llangollen. A hill close by contained the ruins where supposedly one of the knights of the round table lived and guarded the Holy Grail. Day 3 was at the summer resort of Ambleside in the Lake District. The hostel was beside Lake Windmere, the largest lake in Britain. We drove through the county of Yorkshire and stopped at the town of Skipton. It’s a pleasant sounding name for a town. It was only 15 miles north of Haworth near where Great Grandfather John Travers Wood was born in 1878. He also attended elementary school where one of the famous Bronte sisters went. The Yorkshire Dales is beautiful but desolate country. It’s cool, windy, and cloudy and the rolling hills make a barren, lonely landscape. No wonder he left for North America in 1889.
Today we walked around, in the freezing rain, a portion of Hadrian’s Wall. It was completed around 100 A.D. on the order of the Roman Emperor Hadrian to keep the barbaric Scots at bay. The wall was 73 miles long but never served its original purpose. The Romans never conquered Scotland and our Scottish tour leaders were proud to mention this. It has drizzled for the last four days as we’ve driven north. This afternoon I was able to book a 3 day tour of Scotland. I leave tomorrow morning (June 23) and return on the 25th. It will be another whirlwind trip but it’s the best option for me to see the country. One highlight will be seeing the Isle of Skye that will take me to the northern limits of my long odyssey. It’s also great to have all the travel arrangements made. I’ve seen some of the sights in Edinburgh today. There is a huge castle perched on a cliff in the middle of the city. As usual my feet and back are sore from walking. I need to walk back to the hostel, have a shower, and go to bed. Then it’s early to rise tomorrow and another tour (my fourth now). I’ll check my email when I return to London on June 27th. Then I leave the following day for home.
posted by Michael at 11:51 AM
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