gatehouse of the castle (which includes several portcullisses and gates). The drawbridge was removed in the 1700's and replaced with a stone bridge. The third picture is through one of the arrow slits on the roof. Note the person walking on the bridge ... this arrow slit is perfectly aimed so the defenders can shoot at the attackers ... target practice! The final picture is through one of the openings in the floor of the roof that shows where the boiling oil would end up. I wouldn't want to attack the castle!
10-Jun-2005
We arrived in London on time and had an hour wait through immigration. That meant that we didn't have to wait for our baggage at the other end! We caught the Heathrow Express into Paddington Station and the Circle Line to King's Cross / St. Pancras. At King's Cross we had to climb several flights of stairs. I was doing ok with my bags but Kathy was struggling a bit when out of the blue came several gallant young gentlemen who carried her bags up the stairs. After that it was a level walk to the train station. We caught the Nottingham train with the first stop being Bedford so it only took us 35 minutes to get there. Leisje picked us up at the train station and we had our first home-cooked meal since June 4th. Syd's flight from Newcastle was delayed so he only showed up around midnight.
11-Jun-2005
Happy Birthday Kathy!!! This morning we got up, had breakfast and took a walk along the river in Bedford. There are several rowing clubs in town. Also a lot of waterfowl (ducks, geese and swans). Syd and Leisje headed off for a dance class at 11 and after they returned we had some tea and left for a trip to Warwick Castle.
Editor's Note: The English still use miles and mph for their distances and speed.
The oldest part of Warwick Castle was built during the time of William the Conqueror as part of the motte and bailey castles erected during the Norman conquest of England. Most of the rest of the castle dates from much later in the 14th and 15th centuries. Note the odd shapes in the crennelations along the top of the wall. These were places where defending archers could shoot arrows at the attackers while being protected themselves. The large tower is "Guy's Tower" which we were allowed to climb, through a long winding staircase.
The four small pictures were taken from the top of Guy's Tower. Starting at the upper left and moving clockwise, the first is St. Mary's Church in Warwick. Secondly is a view towards the main
We headed out of the castle and back to the flat for a short break before dinner. We went to a pub called "Ye Three Fishes" (about 10 minutes from Bedford) and had a wonderful dinner after waiting a bit for the table. (We wanted an inside table as it was a bit chilly and it took a while for one to become available). Tomorrow we're heading off to Cambridge for the day.
12-Jun-2005
We got up early this morning and took a short walk along the river here in Bedford and then headed off to Cambridge. The weather was a bit chilly so we switched to our cool weather gear. Our first stop was the tourist information center so we could find out what places were open to visit (it was a Sunday and there were exams occurring so a lot of places were closed). St. John's College was the first place we visited. To the right is a picture of the main entrance to the college. The ceiling around one of the courtyards in the college was covered with eagles with various symbols, such as a crown, shown here.
The college also has a bridge across the river Cam called the "Bridge of Sighs" ... it is modeled after the one in Venice and the main difference is that it is covered. The one in Venice was called such because it was the bridge that the condemned went on the way to their execution ... perhaps the one in Cambridge is the one that the students take on the way to their exams :-).
Next on the Cambridge trip was a visit to the Kings College Chapel. It is an amazing building that gave a lot of history of the War of the Roses, since the benefactors who paid for its construction were the royalty during that time (both sides in the conflict funded its construction). We weren't allowed to take pictures inside but here is a picture an entrance to the chapel. The rose (Tudor) and portcullis (Beaufort) motifs are found throughout the structure (both inside and out).
After a stop for tea and a light snack (mostly to warm up from the light rain and wind) we decided to visit the FitzWilliam Museum, and boy were we glad that we did! For those in the scribal community, the FitzWilliam is home to the Macclesfield Psalter, a work that was only recently found ... they have several pictures on their website. Also, they will be doing an exhibition of illuminated works starting July 26th and extending through December 11th. The FitzWilliam family of the museum is also the one for whom the FitzWilliam Virginal Books were named. If anyone is visiting Cambridge, we both recommend that you visit this museum.
After leaving Cambridge we headed back to Bedford and a nice stroll along the river and a stop for a pint at the local pub. Back home for a nice dinner (and birthday cake since we missed the cake yesterday). We leave you with some pictures taken on our walk this evening. Off to London tomorrow morning!
Editor's Note: There is an amazing variety of waterfowl on the river in bedford ... many of which had babies following them along.
