Kenilworth - Yes, Again!

Okay, okay so what can I say . . I like this castle and I wanted my Mom to see it. So there! Besides we were due to check in and see how the gardens were coming along. Although the weather could have cooperated better with our plans.

As you can see, the skies were overcast and gray and although it wasn't raining it sure was windy and cold! With all the open ground to be covered, the weather wasn't helping.

Despite the cold, my mom humored me by posing by the Norman Keep portion of the Castle.


We checked through the Keep fairly quickly and decided to get in on the last of the tour time for the Gatehouse. Which gave us a bit to get warmed back up before we headed back out into the cold wind.


We checked back in on the gardens and I must say they are coming along nicely. I'm looking forward to 2009 when the Aviary is filled and the plants all begin to bloom. By that time, the fountain is also said to be in place. Wonderful!


With the cold, Mom and David headed for the cafe while I tried for some more photos since this was the first time I'd returned to Kenilworth with the new camera.


The cafe was unfortunately closed for the day so there would be no hot cocoa to warm our bones. But the shop was still open and there was still shopping to be done so back we headed where I found a new book on Dudley & Elizabeth to read and Mom found some additional Christmas Presents.

Kenilworth never ceases to amaze me.

Worcester - Tis the Season

Saturday's plan was to head to see Worcester Cathedral . . and of course Worcester Porcelain. Now when I'd looked up the hours of operation ahead of time on the Cathedral site they were kind enough to tell me that there was a Christmas Fayre (go figure) happening in the Cloisters on Saturday and I thought it would be a great opportunity to see their Fayre and also see the Cathedral, so we planned on it!!!

We took the opportunity to sleep in a bit since we weren't going far and then put together some picnic lunches of leftover turkey sandwiches, Cheetos, banana bread and beverages of choice.

Then off we headed to Worcester. Several miles outside of Worcester there were signs for the Fayre's park and ride scheme and we debated it but we had hoped to be able to find parking closer and not have to crowd onto the bus and we were lucky enough to be able to park in the Worcester Porcelain's parking lot and purchase enough time on the meter to see the Cathedral, have lunch in the car and see the shops. Yippee!! But I get ahead of myself.

The Cloisters were teaming with people out to see the Christmas Booths and we quickly decided that a separate trip for pure photography would be necessary at some later date. As we lightly browsed the booths, after all they were there, Mom tried on a hat which I thought looked like her but she didn't agree.


While we probably would have been interested in the shopping, we found all the press of people too much and so we didn't look too much beyond the hat booth. However the Cloisters were amazing. The windows were intact (or had been replaced) and featured stained glass at the top of each arch that depicted historical figures of England through the Centuries since the church was founded.


Yep, you read correctly . . it says "Christian Worship offered on this site since the 7th Century". Amazing!!!

Now, I must admit . . up until this point I had counted Wells Cathedral with its lovely white scissor arches as the most beautiful Cathedral in England. Worcester corrected that oversight. The sheer size alone was breathtaking. But as we wandered around we found things at every turn that just overwhelmed us. The organ alone seemed to dwarf the previous ones seen.


There was so much that I had to slow down and just take things in stride, meanwhile my husband was walking ahead and finding things hither and yon that he couldn't wait for me to see and/or photograph. After a short amount of time I know I saw one of his synapses blow a fuse and he admitted he was overwhelmed by the beauty of this place of worship.


The ceiling was also one of the most varied and beautifully painted that I've seen.


I must admit that it is not easy to pick favorites of this Cathedral and the pictures that I took that day . . so I'll leave that to you if you would like to undertake the viewing at the following slideshow.

Once we had been through the Cathedral at least once we decided it was time to head back and get a bite to eat. So in the bitter weather, we sat in the car and ate our picnic lunch with passers-by hoping that we were leaving our parking spot only to be sadly disappointed.

Chilled but our hunger satisfied, we headed into the Worcester mall like area for shopping. First stop was Worcester Porcelain! And then we took the time to wander through the other shops. Mom found some Christmas presents and David and I found some odds and ends.

Then back home we headed, feeling really good about what we'd seen and accomplished.

How to spend the day in Bath

Well, it's 6 AM and we're on our way to Bath. Why did we head out so early you may ask? Well, the answer is relatively simple . . David had a meeting nearby and he agreed to drop us off. So the next logical question is "So where do you go THAT early?"

So David dropped us off at McDonald's at 7 AM on this cold, dark and foggy morning, so he could make it to his meeting on time. Mom and I settled in with breakfast in some comfy chairs in towards the back and prepared ourselves to wait until the 9 AM opening time for Bath Abbey. For those of you who've read the blog all the way along or visited the website, you know that I've been to Bath several times; but this was the first visit I was going to make to Bath Abbey and I was excited about that.

Mom and I watched one of the street fruit markets completely set up and start selling. They were offering all kinds of bargains including pineapples for £1. The passers-by on their way to work seemed to agree with the prices as they were off to a good start to their morning by the time we headed off for our short walk to Bath Abbey.

From 2008-1128 Bath Abbey

The walk was shorter than anticipated and so we had a bit of time to wait before the Abbey opened up. We entertained ourselves by getting some pictures of the exterior before the chilly weather helped us decide that we should maybe do some shopping in the nearby National Trust shop that had just unlocked their doors for the morning. We did some brief shopping among their varied items and Mom purchased a guidebook for Bath when we figured the Church would be open and we could venture in.


Our first impression of the Abbey didn't disappoint

From 2008-1128 Bath Abbey

And as luck would have it there were plenty of volunteers who were preparing the Abbey for Christmas festivities. The place was bustling and not just with tourists. As we wandered through, we noted that the volunteers were putting up so many shelves that would hold candles and I found myself getting the chills thinking of the beauty of this place when lit by Candlelight for a Christmas Eve's service singing Silent Night. Although I'm not sure if their traditions are the same as ours, it's funny how you put your own viewpoint on things isn't it?

Anyway, we were so very impressed with the entire structure and it's care and upkeep. Up until Bath Abbey I had thought Wells to be the most beautiful that I'd been in, but Bath Abbey came a close second. I think it missed the mark just simply because it isn't as big as Wells, but it certainly had less commercialism and felt more like a church. Although it still held a lot of it's historical feel it had added some modern amenities.

Yep, you guessed correct, those are video screens and speakers you can see along the pillars so that those in the side galleries can see just as well as those directly in front of the altar.

If you are interested in seeing more of the beauty of Bath Abbey, watch the following slideshow.


After being amazed by Bath Abbey we headed to the Costa Coffee to have a quick seat and beverage before heading into the Roman Baths. Did I mention that it was cold today? Check out all the fog coming off that warm water.

From 2008-1128 Roman Baths

Here is Mom enjoying the view over the largest of the Roman Baths

From 2008-1128 Roman Baths

The complex is quite large and extensive and I was surprised to see that they were doing more work on it so some of the items in the Museum part had bee moved around while new ones were installed. I think it will be a fabulous addition to what is already present and it is good that they are changing things to keep people coming back for something new.

For all the pictures taken on this trip, watch the below slideshow


As we finished our tour we decided it was long past time for lunch. So we stopped at the Pasties shop and sat down to a traditional pastie just as David called us to let us know that he was going to be nearby to pick us up within the next 1/2 hour or so. The unfortunate thing about the pastie shop is that it's seating was outdoors . . and did I mention it was cold? We ate rather quickly and accessorized our pastie with a hot chocolate in the hopes of keeping warm.

As luck would have it, Bath was having their Christmas Fayre and so the streets were becoming quite busy as everyone set about their Christmas shopping. Additionally, we were able to watch some of the kids sing Christmas Hymns outside Bath Abbey for a brief time. Spectacular!!!

Just then we decided we needed to get out of the cold and we needed something sweet to top off our lunch so we wandered into Jim's Fudge Shop for the "Demonstrations" and "Free Samples" that had been advertised both with signs and verbal enticements. The personnel were very friendly and fun and before we left Mom ended up buying 4 different kinds of fudge. It was all very tasty and much enjoyed!!!! An instant sugar rush for each of us after our long day.

Because of the extra people and traffic caused by the Fayre, David had some difficulty getting into the arranged meeting place but he pulled it off and picked us up quite nicely and we headed off for home exhausted with all that we'd seen.