Briefly from Lincoln, UK
The internet connection is a bit expensive here so I probably won't get as much up as I planned unless I can get the free wifi around here to work. But here it is so far...
We got off the ground in Chicago only after over an 1 1/2 hour delay due to fuel miscalculations. In other words, we needed more fuel than first calculated and it took them two trucks and a visit from a supervisor to get it done. Weary, but excited after a 7 hour flight, we arrived in Manchester about 8 am local time. The trip through customs was long only because of our numbers on the plane. Once the Brits figured out we had 65 on the plane in the same group they got us through quickly. Then it was onto our doubledecker bus and off into the countryside. We took the more scenic route into the Peak National Park which includes the town of Bakewell. The scenery was gorgeous and the stop in Bakewell too brief to really get to see the place, but we did pick up some treats to fortify ourselves along the way.
Our next stop was Nottingham for a brief look at Robin Hood's legendary home. We walked up to the Nottingham castle and saw the statue and a bit of the grounds, but didn't have time for enjoy the tour. Instead, we hit the Castle pub across the street for some very good food and then walked about the shops nearby. I didn't find any trinkets worth my British pounds, but Janet picked up a few things, particularly postcards. Nottingham near the Robin Hood tourist area has the look and feel of a city still working on the transition away from its manufacturing past. We had little time to really see the place because it was back on the bus and on to Lincoln.
Lincoln is our spot for the next three days, but tonight we are just trying to catch up on the sleep we lost flying over here. Haven't looked around at all yet. I was more interested in a bath and a rest. We may have some tea before bed or we may just go to sleep. Tomorrow we tour the massive Lincoln Cathedral before the choir's first concert. It promises to be a big day.
Now I got to rest.
posted by redbarb at 1:33 PM
2 Comments:
Greetings!:
This Anglophile visited those parts nine times between 1977 and 1990, but returning now would probably not be a wise expenditure, seeing I am on limited
income, whereas I was better off then.
During my 1990 journey, I made my only visit to Nottingham, for a performance of Sir Edward Elgar's oratorio, _The_ _Apostles_. I recall it being a rather fine
performance, but remember even more my ride back to London, with a rather-eccentric female of the orchestra who had been asked to help me, there being no
trains back that late. She insisted that I keep talking so that she would not go to sleep! One wonders what might have happened had I not been there!
By the bye, in case you do not already know, Elgar wrote that famous _Pomp_ _And_ _Circumstance_ _March_ often associated with graduations, actually the
first of five such marches he wrote.
If I am not mistaken, Lincoln Cathedral has an association with Harvard's Memorial Church, and a favourite author of yours, now known as _Dr._ Rowling at that famous academic institution, received a nearly-two-minute standing ovation after giving this year's commencement address there. It was possibly the most enthusiastic response
to such an address that their radio station's mentor, Mr. David Elliott, recalls hearing, and it seemed so to me! Agree or disagree with her political and
other philosophies, it was nonetheless interesting to hear, and later read in her blog, about these and other matters. I have yet to read any of the books
or listen to any of the films.
If you are in London at the right time, I hope, if interested, that you and yours can attend a BBC Prom in the Royal Albert Hall! This year, among other
things, they will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the death of a favourite composer of mine, Ralph (pronounced Rafe) Vaughan Williams, but the hoped-for
highlight for me could be a performance of Handel's _Belshazzar_, conducted by my favourite conductor, Sir Charles Mackerras, on 16 August. I expect you
will have returned long before then, but hope, if interested, that you can listen to the performance of what is, in my and others' opinions, a great work via the Internet!
In addition to other virtues, I feel it contains more "good tunes" than any other single Handel work of which I am currently aware, and that is saying
something, given how great a melodist I think he was!
Hoping that this finds you and yours well, hoping further that I have not been too verbose here, and with many best wishes,
J. V.
It is too bad, unless I missed something, that you will not be visiting Cambridge, and one of my favourite places in the world, King's College Chapel!
After a manner, Oxford gave us my favourite current soprano, Miss Susan Gritton, who originally read botony there before switching to singing. One wonders if she has plants, or even a garden, at her home in Surrey, and, if she does, if they are perchance treated to her special vocal talent since I gather that plants can benefit from such!
J. V.
And, hoping this ends up where it should instead of at the beginning, as an amendment I wrote earlier in someone else's blog did, it should have been "bottony."
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