Day 4, Part 2: Quaint Harrogate....

 So, on our way to Leeds, where our hotel awaited our arrival, it was decided that because there's not much to do there in the evening for a crew like our's, it would be beneficial to stop and see a few things in a town along the way, as well as for the purpose of eating dinner, so we stopped in Harrogate.  There  were lovely flowers & gardens everywhere one looked, and each roundabout had a stunning centerpiece which showed that this town was serious about it's gardening.  We wandered along their cobblestoned streets in search of yet another Tesco to grab sandwiches and any other snacks we couldn't live without!

We loved the novelty of visiting the UK so soon after the birth of their latest prince, & it was not uncommon to see congratulatory signs posted throughout England....we didn't see any of those in Scotland, & if you recall the statue picture from the earlier Glasgow post of the English monarch & his horse with construction cones on their heads, little George has his work cut out & waiting for him in the future if he is to succeed in endearing himself to that part of his kingdom.....there are of course those Scots who respect the Queen enough, but apparently it's rare to find an English statue in Scotland, without a cone head!  Time will tell if that sentiment is strong enough to cause the majority of Scots to boldly vote in September 2014 to pull out of the kingdom and fend for themselves in our global economy!  Interesting times!

Flowers everywhere!!

...And monuments to their town's own WWI & WWII dead....like every other town in Europe, they will never forget.....which can only be proportional to the extent that they teach their children the lessons the grandparents learned; stone monuments on their own, no matter how many, are not enough.

After finding food, we backtracked to the park where we started, settled down in a circle to eat, talk & rest before a fantastic game of bare-foot tag!!  This was among student's favorite afternoons & was a  blissful reminder of the beauty that comes from simple joys & pleasures.....a reminder too that childhood IS alive and well!  I wish I could have video recorded for you, or at least taken pictures (my battery died by that point!) how much giggling fun these kids had chasing and rolling around in beautiful green grass with not a digital device in sight!  It did this "new-to-parenting-a-teen" mom's heart very good and makes my determination to allow childhood to fully complete its season, that much more vigilant!   

Oh the flowers.....glorious.  And there are only many more to come!  To Stratford-Upon-Avon we go!

Time did not afford me the opportunity to truly enjoy a proper tea, but this would have been a divine spot!!  I didn't have the nerve to go to the window and snap pictures of the truly lovely delicacies that were being served - I only stared wide-eyed from a close distance - I'm obviously an American, so I figured that they would already assume that I'm rude without staring, so why not?!  Clotted creams with lemony things, petite sandwiches, picture-worthy cakes & cookies on a great-grandmother's china and of course the loveliest tea cups with teas I've never even heard of - all those things and more that make me love being a lady, albeit one of American variety!

Pastoral Grandeur in the English Countryside ......

If ever there were a picture I'd like to climb inside for the purpose of tranquility, this one fits the bill....

the wall winds ever on....

Scotland's Thistle is everywhere and as such, is the national flower.

All creatures great & small, the Lord God made them all....

Day 4: Hadrian's Wall, A Trip Highlight For All!

Hadrian's Wall is part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site.  It's the wall Roman Emperor Hadrian built to keep the Scots out of England and is essentially what constituted the border between these two lands.  The wall extends across from the River Tyne to the Cumbrian Coast.  The section of wall we visited is called Housteads, known as Vercovicium, to the Romans.  This fort is the best preserved of all 16 forts on the Roman frontier of Hadrian's Wall.  It clings to a dramatic landscape that was once on the edge of the Roman Empire.

This was our last day in Scotland; from Hadrian's, we began to make our trek into England...

Borrowing heavily from a variety of placards around the fort, I can tell you that this fort was begun around AD 124 and occupied for about 280 years by up to 800 auxiliary soldiers.  For much of this time there was also a vicus, a civilian settlement clustered on the hillside outside the fort, which helped to meet the everyday needs of the soldiers.  It contained houses, shops, inns and temples, and an extensive system of fields for growing produce and pasturing animals - considering the number of soldiers stationed here, there was never a shortage of mouths to feed!  The remains of this once-thriving Roman landscape can still be traced throughout the grounds today.....and we were excited to trace over as much of it as we possible could!  There were several who vowed to return someday in order to hike the entire extensive wall for as many miles as they could follow!

 

Students were giddy with the wide open space and the freedom this site afforded them - the opportunity to run wild with wind whipping through their hair and feet cushioned in the cool green grass was a welcomed change from the busy, tourist-filled cities.

Emilie

Toes free from shoes, and free to roam on history's stones!!

Nolan & Michael...thought-full, aren't they?!

Emilie, Nicole, Alyssa, Ashley, Elena

Michael

Zadie & Carina

Regan the Ballerina!

Ashley

Day 3: Excited in Edinburgh!

Our bus meandered along the Royal Mile toward an imposing castle and medieval fortress.  There were charming shops & cafes which lured our noses to press against the bus glass as bagpipers filled our ears with their Scottish pride, and we were told to watch for the birthplace of Alexander Graham Bell, the home of theologian John Knox, and even the Elephant Cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote her manuscript for the first Harry Potter novel!  It was a relief to remove the window glass that was separating us from using our own five senses to take it all in!

Edinburgh is the ancient and historic capital of Scotland whose skyline is dominated by its magnificent castle, built on volcanic rock, which has formed an important defensive position since at least the 6th century.  Many great kings and queens have made the city their home, and in 1128 King David I bestowed on it a charter making it a royal burgh.  I have to confess that I've never associated a "King David" with being a ruler in Scotland, but when looking it up, his name is right there.  Though these pictures don't show it well (I was limited to my iphone camera on this day!), the castle affords a fantastic view of the monuments & city below, & out towards the soft, cloud-hedged horizon.  There were countless spots around the castle grounds which gave breathtaking views.  The crown jewels were a highlight too: ermined trimmed crown, a bejeweled sword and stunning diamond necklace as well as various historical hiccups which caused these and other national possessions to be "lost" & then unexpectedly rediscovered.  St. Margaret's chapel is among the oldest buildings still standing in its original form on the grounds; it was built in the early 12th century in honor of King David's mother, Margaret.  There are fantastic towers at various points along the fortified wall which can convince just about any imagination that you're actually walking along history's page, or at least on the set of Braveheart!

Ashley, Alyssa, Zadie, Nicole & Emilie leaning on one of the countless canons around the castle walls.

Ashley & Emilie with our local Edinburgh guide

After the canon boomed its 1:00 time call, a daily occurrence, we wandered back the Royal Mile & turned left into a small & unassuming alley directly below the small sign pictured above.  It opened into a cozy courtyard paved with thought-full and compelling quotes just waiting to be pondered.  With my journal & pen in hand, paired with the tea shoppe on the other side, it was enough to keep me very happy for days!  I still know little about the origins of the "museum" - who first had the idea & then went to the effort of recording the words in concrete - it was interesting to consider what he or she was hoping to inspire or accomplish by enshrining & proclaiming the insightful words of others?  There were many crowds walking right over the words never even noticing what was really below their feet,  nonetheless, it was not wasted on our group and we enjoyed reading every one!  To read that "Freedome is a noble thing" and was thought to be so, at least by one John Barbour, even in the 1300s, is a humbling realization when considered in the context of our world's history which took far too many centuries to produce a land where it's finally true, and even took our own country too long to figure out how to ensure that it would be available to all her sons and daughters.  Of the many themes man has wrestled throughout time, this is at the heart & is the essence of most.  It's a privilege to be present when a young mind grasps early insights into age old struggles, and I count it gain to recall these student's searching eyes & thoughtful expressions as they digested this idea and the countless others strewn throughout this concrete garden blooming with wisdom and possibility.

 In this lovely setting we had the pleasure of meeting two dear friends of Miss Schroeder's, Dr. Jaime Baxter and Angelos (can't believe  I don't have his last name!).  It is such a disappointment that I somehow have no picture of either!  As a Scotch linguist, and independent researcher, Jaime is fluent in many languages (Latin, Greek, Gaelic, Spanish, French, Scottish English & even a few more I can't recall!) with a PhD in Spanish Linguistics & Latin American culture, he is also a member of the Scottish National Party, and believes passionately in Scottish independence; he gripped students with his zeal (& of course, his accent too!).  

Angelos served in Her Majesty's Royal Navy from age 16 to 23, during which he sailed in and around the world and collected many adventures and experiences that ultimately led him to find God in the process; as a relatively new Christian, he has recently accepted the call to devote his life to Christ by serving in an Orthodox monastery in upstate New York.  He begins his service in September and we wish him all the very best, including a reason for him to come west & visit Denver!!  

From the Writer's Garden, we followed our new friends to a splendid park where we sat in the grass eating pasties & crisps and enjoyed lengthy conversation during which we had many questions for them to answer on a wide range of subjects.  We talked while the sun was shining & didn't stop when the rain poured - we just pulled on our jackets & huddled close under a massive sheltering tree.  Jaime & Angelos thoroughly enjoyed our student's thoughtful questions and their attentive interest to everything shared.  Eventually the rain trickled off and we began our walk back toward where we began, conversation & questions still lingering.  We were disappointed to part company, but offered our goodbyes with hugs & handshakes, and promises of future correspondence.  Angelos would meet up with us later that same night to give us a fun & lengthy night tour of his beloved Glasgow.  Before returning for dinner however, we stopped at the Sir Walter Scott Monument for a picture.  It's the largest monument made in honor of a novelist in the world.  Among his several works, students read his novel, Ivanhoe, during their online class earlier in the summer.

The "bendy bridge" in Glasgow at night!!